EVO Smart Console: Is it Really the “System of Tomorrow”?
Posted in New Product by admin on October 21st, 2008 Envizions Computer Entertainment Corp. has announced the release of its “open source hybrid Linux gaming system” which is aimed primarily at game developers.
The EVO Smart Console packs a decent punch under its rectangular black exterior, housing a 2.9GHz, 64-bit Athlon quad-core processor, an ATI HD 3200 graphics chipset, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB or 250GB hard-drive, 1080p video resolution and its own Linux Distro called Mirrors Evolution.
The console claims to be the “System of Tomorrow” (you can practically smell the cheese from that tag-line), but it does have some good features to back it up, with Internet access, VoIP, remote access, voice recognition, DVR, Internet television, social networking, streaming content, and automatic backup storage, HD video playback, as well as “virtual unlimited online cloud storage.”.
The console will go on sale for a wallet friendly $250 (with a subsidised rebate plan) and offers “cloud” based computing applications Amiga-based games, and an Akimbo-based Video on Demand service that contains over 10,000 titles. Virtualization capability, the company claims, is said to support running an authorised copy of Windows alongside Linux, and for an extra $100 Envizions will install Windows for you.
Perhaps living up to the cheesy tag-line, the system features a customised liquid cooling system and a rather cool biometric security system that supports facial, voice and fingerprint recognition. The system also reportedly contains a voice activated Media Centre for playing music and controlling other media functions.
The company say that the initial release of the EVO Smart Console is primarily aimed at “game developers, open source users, and earlier adopters.” Full-on consumer rollout is expected next year.
Derrick Samuels, CEO and founder of Envizions said that the console will ship out with Fedora 8 or Envizions’s own Fedora-based Mirrors Evolution Linux distro “if the beta version is stable enough”.
“Mirrors Evolution is a modified version of Fedora 8,” said Samuels. “Over time, we’re going to keep making adjustments to it to make it into a robust Linux gaming platform.”
The company wants game companies to start developing “the first Linux HD games”, but they also want the community to get involved. Mirrors Evolution gives you access to the company’s EVO Network, which enables teams of developers to securely collaborate and implement projects, using a modified version of the open source Crystal Space Engine 3D.
Developers will be able to use the open source code to develop their own games, which the company hope to sell on “to give Linux game developers a chance to make some money,” said Samuels.
The EVO Smart Console will retail at $600, with a subsidised rebate plan that brings the price down to $250.
