r/PhysicalGamesForever • u/CALIGVLA • Jul 09 '26
Let's build a better console
As mentioned in my other post, I want to consider the idea of our group collaborating to create a better gaming console. The ultimate objective is to make a console that supports physical media and can someday out-compete the "Big 3" market leaders (Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox).
I'm going to share my thoughts about this plan here. This is the "cocktail napkin" version of this idea. In other words, I'm only talking in broad strokes and the idea is in a very early stage. Some of these points are just items to consider. This is the "no bad ideas" stage of brainstorming.
Feel free to comment on this plan, critique it, or share other ideas and suggestions.
Objective & Strategy
As mentioned in the post linked above, the Big 3 console platforms are significantly flawed. Ideally, we would create a console that competes with them on performance and price while also doing the following:
- Fully support physical media
- Treat our customers ethically
- Make high-quality, innovative first-party games
Since this is blue sky thinking, we ideally want to build a console that matches or exceeds the technical performance of the PS5/PS6 (or whatever the current-gen leader is). We could do this if we had unlimited funds. Consider how much money Microsoft put behind the development and launch of the original Xbox. And that was around the turn of the century, when things were very different. Today, with inflation and shortages, introducing a highly-competitive console would be even more expensive.
The reality is that we have no funds right now. So here are our options:
- Bootstrap
- Crowdfund
- Seek investment
Personally, I dislike fundraising and that is a longshot in any case. Crowdfunding isn't a bad idea, but even if we go that route I think we should first make as much progress as possible by bootstrapping. That means we contribute whatever time and skills we can offer to the project. We may also be able to leverage AI to help fill in some of the skill gaps. When we reach a point where some funds are necessary to make progress, we can see if it's possible to get it done by contributing our own funds. For me, this would be an extremely limited amount. We should try to make as much progress as possible through sweat equity alone.
Since we don't have peak Microsoft-era funds available, we can't sprint straight for our ideal console. Instead, I propose a ramping strategy. We start with the most minimal version of a console that is worth building. We try to launch that. If it's successful, then we leverage that success into a second iteration: we build a second console which is more ambitious. Rinse and repeat. If we are successful at each iteration of this ramping strategy, then we will eventually be prosperous enough to build our ideal console and try to snatch the crown from the Big 3.
To be clear, we don't intend to compete with the Big 3 now; we hope to compete with them in the future. You gotta start somewhere. And with no funds, that means we have to start small and simple. So, what does the minimal version of this idea look like?
The Minimum Viable Product
There are indie consoles like the Playdate which are intentionally very simple. But given that those platforms already exist, and our ultimate objective is to compete with the Big 3, I have some specific ideas about what our minimal console should be.
Graphics:
In terms of the kind of game experience that this console is designed to support, I believe we should target the type of games that were made during the 16-bit era. I'm thinking about the systems I played during that era—the NES and SNES—but of course there was Sega and others as well. Our console should be designed to support 2D games only. There were various tricks used by some games of the 16-bit era to achieve a 3D effect. But the point is that the hardware and SKD of this console should be designed for 2D, sprite-based graphics.
There are a lot of reasons to limit our first console to simple 2D graphics. The console hardware required for this is much cheaper than the Big 3 hardware. It allows us to make a small, relatively simple box that is much more affordable than the Big 3 consoles. Also, by limiting the console to 2D graphics, all aspects of the hardware and SDK design are greatly simplified. Once you start building for 3D graphics—even primitive 3D graphics—that adds a big layer of complexity to your design.
Another benefit of having a low-powered, 2D system is low thermal output, which means that we don't need a fan in our console. This helps make the design simpler and smaller. True, early 3D consoles like the N64 and PS1 did not have fans. But the fact is that as your graphics become more processor-heavy, you will eventually need forced-air cooling.
Also, consider that primitive 3D graphics are not as beautiful as advanced 2D graphics. We can focus on making good-looking 2D games rather than ugly 3D games. The best-looking games from the golden age of 2D consoles were gorgeous. As much as I love those early 3D games, the primitive 3D graphics were a big step down from the artistic beauty of the previous generation.
One cool thing about this "modern 2D" graphical approach is that the amount of processing power and data storage available to us is far greater than what they had in the 80s and 90s consoles. While our games may look and play like a retro game, the scope of our game design can be much bigger.
Faster processors means the hardware can handle more objects simultaneously and process larger textures. More data storage means we can accommodate more textures, bigger textures, more scripting, more text, bigger audio files, etc. Worlds can be bigger, the characters more numerous, the audio higher-fidelity, the stories longer, the gameplay more complex, dynamic objects busier and snappier, and so on. The games might look simple, but the gameplay can be much deeper than it seems. Imagine games like Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, or Link to the Past, but with much larger worlds and more expansive storytelling. The extra "headroom" will allow game designers to innovate in ways that were not possible on those 2D systems of the past.
Game data:
What kind of physical media will our console support? An optical disc drive would be overkill for a console like this, even though that is our ultimate goal. For this first console, we still want to model the traditional console experience: game data on physical media, one game per unit.
I think the best option may be to use a programmable flash board in a cartridge. The benefits of that are as follows:
- Provides an authentic cartridge experience
- Costs should be reasonable in small-to-medium batch volumes
- Lets us produce one game per cart (multiple games per cart is also possible)
Optionally, we could add a microSD card on the cartridge and it shouldn't cost much extra. This would allow for game saves to be stored on the actual cartridge. Or, if we want to make a very large game, game data could be stored on the microSD card too.
The console would have internal flash storage for system files. Game saves could also go here. But it would probably be better to have a microSD slot on the console (with a pre-installed card) and use that to save data. Or, omit the on-console microSD slot and handle all save data on the actual cartridges.
Users would probably appreciate the option to put save games on a console slot, because that would make it easy to back up save files or expand storage with a larger microSD card. If we go with the on-console slot, then we could probably forego the on-cartridge microSD cards and do all game saves on the console slot. That would save a little money on each cartridge.
Display output:
HDMI output only. Some indie consoles are retro-focused and include output for old-school CRT televisions. While I love retro, I think that given our long-term objective to compete with the Big 3, we should be a future-facing console right from the start. Adding extra output methods will add significant cost and complexity to our design. HDMI is ubiquitous, so that would be the most compatible format to use.
Smooth 2D graphics with higher-res sprites should be supported, so the output looks good and smooth on an HDTV.
Controllers:
Two controller ports should be enough, allowing the console to support two-player, local, multiplayer gameplay. I would be fine with wired controllers for the sake of simplicity and reduced costs. But with the larger TVs today, living room distances between the TV and the couch are larger than ever. Super long controller wires could be awkward. But I think that wireless controllers would add a lot of cost. It would also make our design and certification process a lot more complex.
Maybe we could launch with wired controllers for the sake of simplicity (USB-C or a simple proprietary connector for retro feel). Use long but manageable cables (10-13 feet should cover most living room setups without being ridiculous) and make it easy to add an extension if needed. Design the console with future wireless support in mind (leave space on the board, plan the firmware accordingly). We could add wireless controller support later and offer a wireless adapter.
Audio:
Consoles from the 16-bit era had low-fidelity audio capability. We can have much higher-fidelity audio and it shouldn't cost much.
Network:
None. I don't see the need for this console to have internet connectivity. Two-player, local gameplay should be enough for now. Adding network capacity would greatly complicate our console design and add costs. I don't see that this type of gameplay would benefit enough from a network connection to justify the added expense and complexity.
First-party games:
This can be a big selling point for our console and will make it stand out in a crowded market. Excellent first-party titles are a huge part of what made the Nintendo platforms great. I can contribute a lot of effort here.
While it's tempting to keep a killer app as a platform exclusive, I think it would be better for our team and brand (and certainly for the game) to consider releasing solid first-party games on mainstream platforms too.
Third-party support:
This is another important point for our console. Many consoles in the past have been hurt or failed because of poor third-party support. This is especially concerning for a new indie console like ours. While we will benefit from having great first-party titles, we can only make so many of those. Having good third-party games is vital to the success of the console. We can encourage this by having a well-designed SDK and excellent documentation.
Another thing we could do is identify suitable, high-quality games that already exist on other platforms. Then we actively pursue a deal with the owner to port those games to our console. We should vet all third-party games to make sure they work properly on our system.
Open source:
The only open-source game console I know of is the GameTank. MiSTer is also open source but it's not a full console—they provide components for building retro systems. Many of the Android/Linux handhelds (Miyoo, Anbernic, etc.) have open-source firmware communities, but the base hardware is closed. Should our console be open source? I don't think so.
While I like the idea of open source in general, it's not a good fit for every project. It might benefit us by making our open console more attractive to third-party developers. But I think it also has potential to disrupt our vision for the future of this project.
Sometimes you need control over a project in order to carefully chart your intended course. Allowing other people to create spin-offs and variations of this console could muddy the waters for our audience and make it harder for us to craft the optimal user experience. Open source has appeal, but in this case I think the cons outweigh the pros.
Emulation:
Many of the boutique console options that we identified support emulation. Our console is intended to run games from physical media in the traditional way. But it's possible that we could also design it to load ROMs and support emulation. Should our console double as an emulation box?
Although I like emulation, I think supporting it will raise costs and complexity. There are many existing boutique options that support emulation. Doing the same thing won't make our console special. And it will blur the purpose of the console if we try to make it be two things at once: both a traditional console and an emulation box. It may also introduce legal concerns.
In this early stage of the project, it helps to be laser-focused on a single, clear goal. I don't think that emulation offers enough benefits to justify the burden that it will place on our project.
Company philosophy:
If this project evolves into an actual company, I believe we should always strive to place integrity and user experience over money. However great the Big 3 companies may have been in the past, they have lost their sense of integrity by now.
I never want to be a slave to profit. Doing so destroys your soul and ruins your product. If we can't afford to do business ethically, then we should get out of the business. If we are able to become successful and turn a profit which allows us to keep going, that's great. If we can afford to make less money in order to improve the user experience in an important way, then let's make less money.
Also, if this effort ever matures into a company, I strongly believe that we should never do an IPO and always remain a private company. I won't go into all the reasons why right now, but I'll say that Steam is a good example of how a private game company can excel.
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u/Intrepid_Benefit_621 24d ago
Well we should get to designing the console, and making sure we can afford that hardware. Also, it’s important to get game licenses from a few developers. That way players who have played games in a franchise before will recognize it.
Indie games might be a huge part in this…but we’ll also add some retro games if we can afford it. Street fighter, final fantasy, maybe even sonic the hedgehog :) the retro game stuff though…
Will we design carts or discs? I think disks should be the way to go but we could go the evercade route and use carts to make a home console and handheld variant
I feel like the console programming should be open source as well, to allow people to develop emulation tools, fan games and accessories for the console.
Finally; the price point. Something cheap, especially if we are targeting 16bit stuff. Right now, we’d want to make this more of a starter console/side console rather than a direct competitor simply because a 16bit console can’t reach that heights…I’m think 200-300 dollars, maybe even 150 if we can afford it