Green Throttle Games wants your Android device to become your next console (video)
Early next year, the traditional console giants will face a new challenger in the form of crowd-funded OUYA, and now Green Throttle Games has arrived to show you its take on the future of sofa-based gaming. Founded by familiar names such as Charles Huang of Guitar Hero fame, and Palm's Matt Crowley, the company asks why buy an expensive console when your Android phone or tablet has all the hardware you need? The idea is that not only can you play games on your touchscreen device, but when in range, hook it up to a TV, pair a couple of the Bluetooth Atlas Controllers, and have yourself a makeshift console. Green Throttle is making its own games for the platform, and already has some third-party developers on board, but wants more to bulk up its "Arena" app catalogue. From today, the free SDK is available for download, and hardware development packs -- complete with controllers -- released for purchase, although stocks of these are limited. More news on the consumer launch is expected "in the near future," but while you wait, let the founders walk you through their vision in the video above.
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Mobile Gaming is Reimagined on The Television with Green Throttle
Games. New True Analog Controller and Games From Guitar Hero Creator
and Mobile Industry Veterans
Developer portal now open, with access to SDK and developer hardware kits
Santa Clara, CA November 6, 2012 - Green Throttle Games announced
its new gaming solution that transforms Android phones and tablets
into consoles. Green Throttle's software developer kit (SDK) enables
multiplayer gaming on big screen televisions using the first true
analog wireless gaming controller. Green Throttle Games is founded by
Charles Huang, co-creator of the legendary Guitar Hero video game
franchise, and mobile industry veterans Matt Crowley, former Palm and
Nokia product lead, and Karl Townsend, lead electrical engineer for
the first two generations of the Palm Pilot. Green Throttle launched
the company's developer portal today and early access to controllers
so mobile and console game makers can begin making TV games in the
post-console world.
Mobile gaming is exploding, and new smart devices are becoming
powerful alternatives to traditional consoles. We just need a simple
and fun way for people to play games both on the go, and on the
couch, said Charles Huang, co-founder of Green Throttle Games. Our
mission is to create great game experiences that bring people
together, a big screen experience where you can just start playing
games on a television, as simple as that.
The Green Throttle Arena app will provide a central hub to find and
highlight games developed by Green Throttle and other independent
developers and publishers. Green Throttle is already working with
emerging and veteran development studios including nWay, Free Range
Games, Mercenary and Monstrous.
Our team here at nWay has worked with a wide-range of different
consoles and platforms, said Taehoon Kim, co-founder and CEO at nWay.
Getting the Green Throttle controller up and running in just a matter
of a day with our latest action RPG title ChronoBlade was amazingly
easy given the simple tools provided in the SDK. Better yet, the
ability to add true analog controllers allows the precision that touch
screen controls just can't deliver for the sophisticated control of
our characters. Adding controllers to the mobile version of
ChronoBlade allows users to experience the game the way it was meant
to be played; bringing a true console-like proposition.
New mobile phones and tablets are constantly releasing, and each
device is morepowerful than the last, said Chris Scholz, CEO of Free
Range Games. Green Throttle's vision of bringing mobile games to the
family room, adding multiplayer and reimagining games to have a cross
mobile and a big screen experience is critical to the evolution of
where games are going. We are excited to have a software kit
straight-forward enough to quickly get a multiplayer split-screen
snowboarding game running on a 60 TV using the phone I carry in my
pocket.
The controller features full analog control sticks so that players
have the precise control and fluid motion they need for fast action
games. Green Throttle works with Android phones and tablets that
include a video-out port. Green Throttle's Software Development Kit
(SDK) is available for free download today at
http://go.greenthrottle.com/developers/. The SDK will make it easy to
create new mobile focused games and easily bring existing mobile games
to the Green Throttle platform. A limited number of hardware
development packs are also available for purchase at
www.greenthrottlestore.com for game creators.
Green Throttle Games was founded by three men experienced in creating
industry-changing innovations in mobile devices, video games and game
peripherals. CEO Charles Huang popularized the rhythm game revolution
by creating a wireless guitar controller that made it possible for
people to unleash their inner rockstar with their friends playing
Guitar Hero. President and COO Matt Crowley helped to bring the Palm
Pre to life, along with leading innovative teams at Nokia. CTO Karl
Townsend was one of the original creators of the Handspring and Palm
Treo smartphones, some of the first devices to bring mobile email to a
mass market. Together, these three founders bring experience in
gaming, hardware and software to create a winning combination for
Green Throttle Games.
The Green Throttle SDK and development kit are available today at
http://go.greenthrottle.com/developers/. Consumer availability,
pricing and launch game titles will be announced in the near future.
