EvoSmartConsole
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EVO Linux game console now up for pre-order
The last time we heard from Envizions, the company was just starting to get its game plan together -- but it looks like the gears are officially in motion on its Linux-based game console. The final specs for the box now seem to be in place, with off-the-shelf components like the Athlon 64x2 5600 CPU (clocked to 2.4GHz), an ATI HD 3200 graphics chipset, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and a 120GB hard drive filling out what is essentially a standard PC housing. Envizions say that the console will run a modified, quick-boot distro of Fedora called Mirrors (which can be upgraded to a beefier build named Mirrors Evolution X), and will feature a "cloud" service stacked with Amiga (!) games and an Akimbo-based video service. Beyond that, proper titles will be sold online and on SD cards for around $20. Envizions is currently taking pre-orders for the box, and say beta units will be shipped on April 10th. Pricing for those consoles will run between $280-350, while the final retail version can be had for $380, and should be available sometime in June. We have just two words of advice for the fledgling company: get some killer games on there fast, and please, please update your site.[Via Digg, Linux Devices]
Linux-based Evo "Smart Console" now up for pre-order
While any announcement of a new game console is rightly going to be greeting with a hefty amount of skepticism, it looks like this new Evo "Smart Console" from upstart Envizions Computer Entertainment could be a bit of a unique case and, as Pandora has shown, sometimes these things do actually pan out. Working in the Evo's favor is the fact that it's really nothing more than a Linux-based computer that relies entirely on off the shelf parts like an overclocked Athlon 64x2 5600 processor and ATI Radeon 3200 graphics. The more ambitious, and potentially vaporware bit, is Envizions' hopes for the system as a game development platform and a cloud computing device of sorts. Apparently, it's betting on developers tailoring games specifically for the system and selling 'em through its proposed Evo Network, which Envizions CEO Derrick Samuels says would "give Linux game developers a chance to make some money." The company also says that a subsidized rebate plan will eventually bring the price of the console down to $250, but it'll run a full $600 out of the gate, and Envizions will gladly take a $100 deposit right now from anyone willing to reserve one of the first few consoles that'll supposedly start shipping on November 20th.[Via thegadgetsite]
