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History of video games/Platforms/EVO Smart Console

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History edit

Development edit

 
Envizions was a company based in Anniston, Alabama.[1]

Work on the EVO Smart Console dates back to about 2003, when it was known as the EVO: Phase One.[2] A more media oriented model, the EVO: Trinity HD3, was also announced.[3]

On August 4th, 2004 the company Envizions was founded.[4] The EVO Smart Console was initially shown at E3 2006 where it was referred to as the EVO: Phase One.[5][6]

A complimentary EVO brand energy drink touted to improve the immune system and stamina was planned to tie into the console.[7][8]

Launch edit

At most a few hundred EVO Smart Consoles were shipped[9] in either 2008 or 2009. depending on the source[10][4] A Linux Magazine article listed November 20th, 2008 as a launch date for developers in the United States of America and Canada, with an unspecified 2009 date as a general launch time.[7]

The base Linux EVO Smart Console cost $399.[5] The version with Windows 7 as an operating system cost $579 and the Blu Ray model with Windows 7 cost $679.[5] Linux Magazine suggested that a refund system would allow the cost of the console to reach $250.[7]

Legacy edit

The EVO Smart Console is considered by some to be a spiritual successor to the Indrema L600 as both attempted to be early home consoles that were relatively open and ran Linux,[11] though the consoles are otherwise unrelated.

The EVO 2 successor was announced in May of 2011, with preorders opened,[12] but the system was never released.[10] A successor named EVO 2 DX was released in small numbers in December of 2011.[5]

The most ambitious successor, the OTON console, was conceived in 2010.[10] The system was claimed to be able to develop new games autonomously, though by 2013 real hardware had not materialized.[10][13] A kickstarter for the OTON X launched in 2016.[14] While prototype hardware was pictured, and while a smaller mini version and a high end version was also shown, funding for the OTON X was unsuccessful.[15]

Technology edit

The EVO Smart Console was essentially made from standard PC parts.[16]

EVO Smart Console edit

 
Fedora 12 in 2009. It is unknown which version of Fedora was used in the console, and what user interface was selected.

Compute edit

The EVO Smart console was powered by a dual core AMD Athlon 64 x2 5600+ CPU clocked at 2.9 gigahertz.[4] An ATI HD 3200 GPU is used,[4] and the system can output at resolutions up to 1080p over either a DVI port or an HDMI port.[7] The system has 2 gigabytes of DDR2 RAM.[4][5]

Hardware edit

At least one source suggests the CPU was water-cooled.[8] If true, this is perhaps the only mass produced console of its era to adopt such a technology.

The system has a 120 gigabyte hard disk drive for internal storage.[4] The system has a DVD drive by default, though the highest end version shipped with a Blu-Ray drive.[5] Unlike most consoles this generation, the DVD drive was not generally used for game media. Games were delivered in a number of ways, including digitally, physically via SD card, or via a cloud service for Amiga titles.[17]

The system was said to support fingerprint and voice based biometric authentication.[7]

The system was pictured using a controller similar in style to that of a PlayStation 2 or 3, with dual analog sticks near the center left and right, dpad in the upper left, and face buttons on the upper right.[7]

Software edit

Most EVO Smart Consoles ran Fedora Linux, though a smaller number ran Windows 7.[5][4]

Online Services edit

The EVO Direct online service was used for downloading games to the console.[7] A game streaming service was planned.[18]

Crystal Space was a service offered for game developers for the platform.[7]

PitchBuzz social media services and services of an unspecified internet TV station were integrated.[7]

EVO 2 DX edit

The EVO 2 DX was a Windows 7 based console that ran an AM3 socket processor and a ATI Radeon HD 4200.[5] An Android 2.3 tablet was included for hybrid play.[5]

Games edit

  • Super Tux - Included[4] Open source platformer.
  • Kobo Deluxe - Included[4]
  • Battle for Wesnoth[8] - Open source strategy game.
  • World of Padman[8] - Notable open source 1st person shooter from 2007 with a cartoony aesthetic.
  • Amiga software titles.[7]
  •  
    2009 screenshot of SuperTux, an included game in the EVO Smart Console.
  •  
    2010 Battle for Wesnoth screenshot.
  •  
    World of Padman (WOP) logo

References edit

 

Wikipedia has related information at EVO Smart Console

  1. ↑ "Envizions Unveils Prototype Design for Next Generation Media Hybrid Console Hub" (in en). GamesIndustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/envizions-unveils-prototype-design-for-next-generation-media-hybrid-console-hub. 
  2. ↑ "Dark Watcher's Console History". web.archive.org. 20 October 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "Envizions Unveils Prototype Design for Next Generation Media Hybrid Console Hub" (in en). GamesIndustry.biz. 3 November 2005. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/envizions-unveils-prototype-design-for-next-generation-media-hybrid-console-hub. 
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i "An Interview with Envizions Founder Derrick Samuels - Feature at Thunderbolt". web.archive.org. 8 December 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121208014721/http://www.thunderboltgames.com/features/article/an-interview-with-envizions-founder-derrick-samuels-feature-for-all-none.html. 
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i "EVO". Video Game Console Library. https://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg00-evo.htm#page=reviews. 
  6. ↑ "Envizions to Unveil the EVO: Phase One prototype at the E3 Expo Show 2006" (in en). GamesIndustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/envizions-to-unveil-the-evo-phase-one-prototype-at-the-e3-expo-show-2006. 
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Kissling, Kristian. "EVO Smart Console: Playstation Competition? » Linux Magazine". Linux Magazine. https://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/News/EVO-Smart-Console-Playstation-Competition/(language)/eng-US. 
  8. ↑ a b c d "Playstation-Konkurrenz? Die EVO Smart Console kommt" (in de-DE). LinuxCommunity. 2008-10-20. https://www.linux-community.de/nachrichten/playstation-konkurrenz-die-evo-smart-console-kommt/. 
  9. ↑ "Crowdfunding and the Mysterious Oton Console - Tap-Repeatedly". web.archive.org. 19 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160319031859/http://tap-repeatedly.com/2012/12/crowdfunding-the-mysterious-oton-console/. 
  10. ↑ a b c d Sarkar, Samit (10 January 2013). "The not-so-true story of OTON, a console that makes video games by itself" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2013/1/10/3833080/oton-autonomous-game-console-crowdfunding. 
  11. ↑ Dunn, Jeff (July 15, 2013). "Chasing Phantoms - The history of failed consoles" (in en). gamesradar. https://www.gamesradar.com/chasing-phantoms-history-failed-consoles/6/. 
  12. ↑ "Envizions EVO 2 Android gaming console up for pre-order". SlashGear. 26 May 2011. https://www.slashgear.com/envisions-evo-2-android-gaming-console-up-for-pre-order-26154500/. 
  13. ↑ "I'm Not Quite Sure What To Make Of 'Oton', A Console That Promises To 'Self-Create' Games" (in en-AU). Kotaku Australia. 2 December 2012. https://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/12/im-not-quite-sure-what-to-make-of-oton-a-console-that-promises-to-self-create-games/. 
  14. ↑ "OTON X Artificial Intelligent Game Console Hits Kickstarter (video)". Geeky Gadgets. 23 August 2016. https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/oton-x-artificial-intelligent-game-console-hits-kickstarter-23-08-2016/. 
  15. ↑ "OTON X:The First Artificial Intelligent Game Console". Kickstarter. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  16. ↑ "Linux-based Evo "Smart Console" now up for pre-order" (in en). Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2008-10-22-linux-based-evo-smart-console-now-up-for-pre-order.html. 
  17. ↑ "EVO Smart Console is Linux-based; available for pre-order". SlashGear. 3 April 2009. https://www.slashgear.com/evo-smart-console-is-linux-based-available-for-pre-order-0340087/. 
  18. ↑ "The Mugen Fighters Guild - Envizion's EVO the smart console (Open Source Console)". mugenguild.com. https://mugenguild.com/forum/topics/envizions-evo-smart-console-open-source-console-88607.0.html. 
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