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History of video games/Platforms/Swinxs

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History

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Amsterdam in 2008.

Development

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Swiinxs was made by Swinxs BV, a company located at the Paasheuvelweg 29, 1105 BG in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.[1] The CEO of the company at the time was Eduard Zanen.[2] The console was created by Govert de Vries and designed by Khodi Feiz, a duo who had prior experience collaborating together.[3] The company Peercode, known as in2sports prior to the 1st of November 2012, was involved in the development of the console.[4][5]

Prior to launch, the Swinxs was demonstrated at Toy Fair 2008.[6]

Launch

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By 2008 the console had released.[7] The console launched in the United Kingdom specifically on the 2nd of October, 2008.[3]

The console sold in a bundle with four controllers for either $150,[8] $175,[9] $199.99,[10] or 149.95 euros.[11] Games for the system were available at no charge.[12]

Following its launch, the console won a number of awards from parenting organizations.[13]

Legacy

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On June 1st, 2020 Swinxs was discontinued, having been on the market for 12 years.[14] Though relatively obscure, the console is notable for it's creative and bold design, as well as it's innovative features.

Peercode continued operating after the console was discontinued, notably helping the Netherlands government quickly set up a critical employment website during COVID-19 pandemic.[15]

Technology

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It is specifically designed to stimulate creativity and learning
—Eduard Zanen, CEO of Swinxs BV, Swinxs, A Revolutionary Active Gaming Concept[2]

Hardware

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The console was designed to be screenless and encourage physical activity, leading to a number of unique design choices.

The console has a degree of water resistance.[14]

The console used a user replaceable rechargeable battery pack, which lasts for about 2 to 4 hours of gameplay.[16][10]

Controllers

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The console is controlled with wristbands known as X-S tags,[7] which also double as memory devices for player data.[14] There was also a playing card deck with similar functionality to the wristbands.[10] The console is advertised as supporting between 1 and 10 players,[14] though some games advertise supporting between 0 and 99 players.[14] The Swinxs controllers communicated with the console using RFID, and thus did not use batteries.[16]

Games & Software

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Games were downloaded to the console over a USB connection to a computer running the Swinxslink application and which had loaded the Swinxs website.[14][16] Swinxslink software was compatible with Windows and OSX.[17] Games for the Swinxs were between 1 megabyte and 32 megabytes in download size.[18] Some games required "credits".[14] Some titles were region locked.[19] The My Swinxs online service contained social functions.[20]

The system was open to developers with a free software development kit.[6]

Game Library

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34 official games were released for the Swinxs.[18]

References

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Wikipedia has related information at Swinxs

  1. ↑ "Swinxs, the toy that's active and fun - Privacy Policy". web.archive.org. 18 October 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  2. ↑ a b "Swinxs, A Revolutionary Active Gaming Concept". March 06, 2008. https://insaviewpoint.blogspot.com/2008/03/swinxs-revolutionary-active-gaming.html. 
  3. ↑ a b "Wearable games console launches" (in en-UK). Design Week. 2 October 2008. https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/2-october-2008/wearable-games-console-launches/. 
  4. ↑ "Swinxs, the first outdoor playing computer | Peercode". www.peercode.nl. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "Home | Peercode". www.peercode.nl. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  6. ↑ a b "Swinxs lures your children outside, tricks them into "moving around"". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2008-02-18-swinxs-lures-your-children-outside-tricks-them-into-moving-aro.html. 
  7. ↑ a b "Swinxs: a toy for active play". New Atlas. 22 May 2008. https://newatlas.com/new-swinxs-toy-encourages-active-play/9337/. 
  8. ↑ "The product | Swinxs, the toy that's active and fun". web.archive.org. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Swinxs "Game Console" Gives Kids Real Controller-Free Gaming". Technabob. 6 July 2009. https://technabob.com/blog/2009/07/06/swinxs-game-console-for-kids/. 
  10. ↑ a b c "Swinxs shop | Swinxs". web.archive.org. 13 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151113155705/http://www.swinxs.com/en/swinxs/shop.php. 
  11. ↑ "The product | Swinxs, the toy that's active and fun". web.archive.org (in Dutch).
  12. ↑ "Use The Swinxs To Lure Kids From Their Video Games" (in en). InventorSpot.com. http://inventorspot.com/articles/use_swinxs_lure_kids_their_video_games_42567. 
  13. ↑ "Awards | Swinxs, the toy that's active and fun". web.archive.org. 16 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161016195417/http://www.swinxs.com/en/info/awards.html. 
  14. ↑ a b c d e f g "Swinxs stops its activities after 12 years of fun | Swinxs". www.swinxs.com. https://www.swinxs.com/en/info/products.html. 
  15. ↑ "Nieuws | Peercode". www.peercode.nl. https://www.peercode.nl/news/34/67/Peercode-ontwikkelt-voor-UWV-Online-Portal-voor-de-NOW-regeling/. 
  16. ↑ a b c "Frequently asked questions | Swinxs". web.archive.org. 12 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161212181502/http://www.swinxs.com/en/community/faq.php. 
  17. ↑ "Swinxs Downloads | Swinxs". web.archive.org. 2 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150202213912/http://www.swinxs.com/en/swinxs/downloads.php. 
  18. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj "Games | Swinxs". www.swinxs.com. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "Interactive listening books | Swinxs". www.swinxs.com. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  20. ↑ "Swinxs, the toy that's active and fun - The product". web.archive.org. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2021.


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