PC Maker Considering 'Open' Game System

Why would anyone want to develop for this?

How would this work? Take the latest and greatest hardware, then price it in the range of lower end prebuilt systems?

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_%28game_system%29

Acer bought Gateway?!?! I'm going back under my rock...

So a PC manufacturer is thinking of building.... a PC?

I have mixed feelings. It does improve upon some of the things I find abysmal about the concept of consoles...the idea that you have some sort of central planning bullshit deciding who can develop for the system what can be made for it and what have you limits the developer's options, keeps people from developing for the platform, and really underestimates everyone (the user who the system assumes can't be trusted to purchase the good games and ignore the bad and think for him or herself outside of the constant insipid fanboy chatterings and marketing bullshit people assume end users base their thought patterns on and the developer who will succeed or fail on their ability to make wise decisions with or without the control of a restrictive third party...it even underestimates the platform because we assume that it is so fragile that even a handful of shitty products will kill it...when there are always shitty products). I really like that if I have a special situation (lets say you've got a guy with one hand like...baron calamity I think)...well I can work around that a lot easier with an open platform where I've got lots of choices and if I don't like any...I can take some solder, some bits and pieces, and a little ingenuity and make an input device that works for me...or I can program software that fits what I want. On a closed system if you are the exception to the rule...you are fucked and more and more we've got very restrictive setups with regard to controllers (MS has put protection into its controllers so not anyone can make one anymore...and this will only get worse).

For all the rambling above (and it got fairly incoherent there in the end, if not in the beginning) I really think this is sort of a solution in search of a problem and about as useful as a second pair of elbows...ignoring the fact that I don't think that the PC is dead or dying (it is in a state of change I will admit) I just don't see this as really offering a better alternative to the PC or a fix to its problems. I do see it as a novel approach to a console. I own a GP2X and I love the thing...the idea of a portable system that I can actually write programs for is as near and dear to me as the DS is...I love both of them...the GP2X is in a niche market...but it seems to be thriving in its smaller very specific market. I think thats the best shot this has...and if it does well at that then it will be a success. We need products to fill niches...not everything needs to be the mass market smash success...we end up with big gaps and lost chances for something cool. That said I think this will probably end up being the next 3DO rather than a unique GP2X but a console instead sort of thing.

so is this just like a form factor PC?

I'm down with this if it's 2D and uses cartridges. Like a NeoGeo HD. That's what the world needs!

Yeah, good luck with that...

This is pretty much what David Jaffe and Dennis Dynack mean when they talk about a one console future.

I'm pretty open to this. Choice is good. More choice better. Custom building sounds fun.

Epic fail.

I don't need a pc that plugs into a tv. Just give me an xbox or ps3 that will allow me to use a mouse and kb for FPS's and RTS's.

Sounds gash, reminds me of 3DO, promised so much..

So a pc hooked into your television? Why do consolefags so desire a PC type device, but revile the thought of just purchasing one.