#111108 - Lynx - Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:20 am
Well, I've heard of people using Mame and USB game controllers and kablam.. your in business.. but of course.. there is really NO legal way to use Mame.. so that topic is out. I mean, lets face it.. if you purchased the Soul Caliber arcade game.. why would you want to play it on the TV anyway? :)
So, who would benefit from an HTPC for gaming? Well, depends on what kind of games you like and how many people you want to play with I guess. Personally, I'm more of a single person/online multiplayer type of guy.. I can't see playing 3D shooters with the limitation of a game controller.
Aside from sports games (wresting, baseball, football, 3D Fighters, etc) , I can't think of any single screen multiplayer games for the PC. Are there any?
I have a few HTPC's runing MythTV but I don't play games on any of them. Not because I can't, but because I'd rather play games on my computer and watch TV/Movies on my TV..
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#111110 - sgeos - Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:41 am
| Lynx wrote: |
| I mean, lets face it.. if you purchased the Soul Caliber arcade game.. why would you want to play it on the TV anyway? :) |
Because you moved and couldn't take the cabinet with you. (*) Arcade cabinets are heavy and take up a lot of space (even when not in use). They are a pain to move. They are expensive to ship.
PCBs, on the otherhand, are light. Wrap them in standard shipping material and throw them in a box. Not heavy, not expensive. If all you've got is a TV on otherend, you might want to save yourself the trouble and just play it on the TV.
-Brendan
(*) I had movers refuse a job when they saw my JAMMA cabinet.
EDIT: FWIW, I auctioned off the cabinet but still have the PCBs.
#111113 - Ant6n - Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:57 am
i don't have a pc (they destroy rooms), and my laptop has no good gfx, so htpc it is for 3d gaming. can also run all sorts of old emulated stuff on tv.
#111117 - tepples - Mon Dec 04, 2006 6:34 am
HTPC gaming is the way to go for music games such as StepMania. HTPC gaming is also the way to go for a hypothetical PC equivalent to Smash Bros. (using different characters of course).
Someone probably wants to know how often the opportunity would arise. If you have kids living at home, or little cousins visiting at least weekly, then I'd guess pretty d*rn often.
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#111119 - MrD - Mon Dec 04, 2006 6:40 am
Alright, it seems we're in unanimous agreement.
We should pool our money, and buy a higher-mid-level-spec htpc and install it into the living room, post-haste.
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#111123 - tepples - Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:00 am
True, there is an overall lack of entertainment software targeted to the HTPC environment, but I've done my part. My freepuzzlearena collection (1999-2000) has 2-player competitive modes in three games, as well as the only known co-op Zoop clone. The PC prototype of TOD (2000-2001) had a 2-player mode as well. Serious Sam is said to work.
So now what can we do to convince publishers of cross-platform A-list PS2/GCN/Xbox software to target HTPCs?
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#111147 - MrD - Mon Dec 04, 2006 12:26 pm
In my opinion, the situation clearly calls for the development of a magnificent HTPC killer app of some kind.
If something such as flOw can become a PS3 title purely by doing... whatever it is that it does, then a HTPC killer app would clearly draw the attention of money-wielders toward this potentially lucrative hole in the market.
Considering the surge in popularity of 'casual games' over the last six or seven years: PopCap produced some addictive, reasonably cheap, high quality games and are now enjoying quite a measure of success. If they suddenly brought out some kind of split-screen four player Gravity Power, I believe that folks would buy whatever hardware was required to play it.
(Although that's a reflection of my personal view that folks who have the money to purchase a dedicated HTPC seem to have money to burn.)
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#111148 - sgeos - Mon Dec 04, 2006 1:07 pm
| tepples wrote: |
| So now what can we do to convince publishers of cross-platform A-list PS2/GCN/Xbox software to target HTPCs? |
My first response, why not just market your own stuff? My second response, call them up and see what it would take to port it. If you have cards to bring to the table you might be able to pull it off.
| MrD wrote: |
| In my opinion, the situation clearly calls for the development of a magnificent HTPC killer app of some kind. |
If you want to the HTPC supported, I think that the best way to do it is to support it yourself.
| MrD wrote: |
| If something such as flOw can become a PS3 title purely by doing... whatever it is that it does, then a HTPC killer app would clearly draw the attention of money-wielders toward this potentially lucrative hole in the market. |
Why not try to fill the hole on your own? (If you think it is there.) I guess the alternative is to spend the 12 months it would take to get venture capital. (If you think you can get VCs interested.)
| Quote: |
| If [PopCap] suddenly brought out some kind of split-screen four player Gravity Power, I believe that folks would buy whatever hardware was required to play it. |
Casual gamers are the opposite of hard core gamers. I take that to mean "will not buy dedicated hardware". Maybe I'm behind the times?
-Brendan
#111154 - MrD - Mon Dec 04, 2006 1:51 pm
| Quote: |
| Why not try to fill the hole on your own? (If you think it is there.) I guess the alternative is to spend the 12 months it would take to get venture capital. (If you think you can get VCs interested.) |
Nothing to do with me, guv: it's tepples' idea.
I don't have a HTPC, nor the multiple PC-compatible gamepads/adaptors necessary to play split screen multiplayer. I'm just trying to show a bit of interest is all. :)
| Quote: |
| Casual gamers are the opposite of hard core gamers. I take that to mean "will not buy dedicated hardware". Maybe I'm behind the times? |
Ahh... nope. I didn't say anything about 'Casual gamers'. I said 'Casual games'. You can have hardcore 'casual game' players. (You haven't seen my dad on some of those puzzle games.)
My example of 'casual games' was designed to demonstrate a 'missing' niche (for want of a better word: I know the casual game market is more general than a 'niche') met by a high-quality, friendly universal product.
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#111206 - Lynx - Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:40 pm
| Quote: |
| HTPC gaming is the way to go for music games such as StepMania. |
Excellent point! and you can already play 2 player DDR/BeatMania clones on the PC and dancepads are getting cheap and higher quality versions are easy to hack/build.. so at least DDR is already available.
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#111244 - Ant6n - Tue Dec 05, 2006 4:31 am
I'd like to see something like mario kart, maybe more crazy and with a target group a little older on average
...
i think gamepads are just getting towards the point where they start competing with console gamepads (or when they are the same)
http://techgage.com/article/xbox_360_controller_for_windows
#111268 - keldon - Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:49 am
Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of adapters you can get which will allow you to use your console controllers in your pc.
#111272 - sgeos - Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:27 am
Consoles can only use dedicated controllers. Well... maybe not? PSX to GC adapter.
At any rate, PCs can use anything. There are console to PC adapters available for all of the... last generation systems, at this point. I don't think it will be long before we see PS3 to PC adapters. XBox 360 to PC adapters may show up, although it seems kind of pointless. Wii to PC will probably take a while.
-Brendan
#111301 - gauauu - Tue Dec 05, 2006 4:02 pm
| keldon wrote: |
| Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of adapters you can get which will allow you to use your console controllers in your pc. |
Original Xbox is the easiest...they are just USB with a different plug on the end. For the price of a USB cable, you can splice in the cable to rewire your Xbox controllers to work in your PC and Xbox interchangeably.
My mythTV box has my xbox controllers wired up to play Super Mario War, Armagetron, as well as others..
#111409 - PhoenixSoft - Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:05 am
| sgeos wrote: |
| XBox 360 to PC adapters may show up, although it seems kind of pointless. |
Microsoft has already announced (and released?) an adaptor to allow usage of wireless Xbox 360 controllers on PCs.
#111580 - zzo38computer - Thu Dec 07, 2006 11:40 pm
| gauauu wrote: |
| keldon wrote: | | Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of adapters you can get which will allow you to use your console controllers in your pc. |
Original Xbox is the easiest...they are just USB with a different plug on the end. For the price of a USB cable, you can splice in the cable to rewire your Xbox controllers to work in your PC and Xbox interchangeably.
My mythTV box has my xbox controllers wired up to play Super Mario War, Armagetron, as well as others.. |
What is mythTV box? I have heard about Super Mario War, and read about using XBOX controller with it, and I have played Super Mario War on my computer, but I don't have any XBOX controller.
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#111590 - keldon - Fri Dec 08, 2006 1:45 am
http://www.mythtv.org/modules.php?name=MythInfo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythTV
I remember when I had a cool video with multiple tuners. You could even watch a video on it and have the TV displaying in a small window AND freeze the frames. And on top of that you could do that same while watching TV, have one channel showing on the main screen and another showing as a small window!
#111652 - Lynx - Fri Dec 08, 2006 6:52 pm
It's called Picture-in-picture.
MythTV rocks.. :)
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