History of video games/Platforms/nD

History

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The nD handheld game console was announced by Robert Pelloni[1] in March of 2011.[2]

Early news reports said that the nD cost $10 to produce and would be sold at $10.[3] Later reports said that the nD was said to cost $20 to produce, and would be sold to consumers at $20 (Being sold "At cost").[1] While such a cost was quite low for a new handheld at the time, the at cost model was somewhat conservative given the common practice at the time of selling consoles at a loss.[4]

At the time of the initial announcements, many media outlets were both impressed by the stated claims of the console, but just as skeptical the nD would actually be launched.[1][5][6]

Technology

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Compute

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A 400 megahertz ARM CPU was to power the nD.[3][5] The CPU would have been housed in a system on a chip.[7]

The system would have had either 16 megabytes or 32 megabytes of RAM.[5]

Hardware

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The system was to have a backlit LCD with a resolution of 320 pixels by 240 pixels at "16 bits", possibly referring to color bit depth.[6]

The console could connect to a PC via a USB cable.[8]

Wi-Fi was noted as being supported by the nD.[5]

A rechargable battery would provide power to the system.[7] The USB port was also used to charge the system, which was also stated to be to encourage users to update their device frequently and connect online.[9]

Software

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The nD was said to run Linux and support SDL.[5]

The nD would have supported an App Store, where developers would have had a generous 90% of the cut.[5]

Games

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Bob's Game

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Bob's Game was to be preloaded on the system as a launch title.[8][10]

Read more about Bob's Game on Wikipedia.

Pledged Games

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At least 10 indie games were pledged to be ported to the system.[11]

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Bob's game

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Notes

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The name nD is likely a play on the pronunciation of indie.

References

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  1. a b c "The nD: A $20 Indie Handheld Games Console". OMG! Ubuntu!. 12 July 2011. https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/07/indie-handheld-games-console. 
  2. "The strange tale of “bob’s game”" (in en). Polygons and Pixels. 1 March 2013. https://polygonsandpixels.com/2013/03/01/the-strange-tale-of-bobs-game/. 
  3. a b Williams, Rob. "nD Handheld Gaming Console Set to Cost $10 – Techgage". techgage.com. https://techgage.com/news/nd_handheld_gaming_console_set_to_cost_10/. 
  4. "Xbox 360 sold at big loss: study". https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/xbox-360-sold-at-big-loss-study/article20430422/. 
  5. a b c d e f Wood, Roy (29 June 2011). "nD: The Game-Changing Handheld Console". Wired. https://www.wired.com/2011/06/nd-the-game-changing-handheld-console/. 
  6. a b Behrenshausen, Bryan (20 July 2011). "Achievement unlocked: Four open consoles for homebrew gamers" (in en). Opensource.com. https://opensource.com/life/11/7/achievement-unlocked. 
  7. a b "ND Sticks It To Traditional Gaming Giants". Hackaday. 13 July 2011. https://hackaday.com/2011/07/13/nd-sticks-it-to-traditional-gaming-giants/. 
  8. a b "The nD: Indie Handheld Game System". Indie Games Plus. 10 June 2011. https://indiegamesplus.com/2011/06/the_nd_indie_handheld_game_sys. 
  9. "“final stage – the nD”". web.archive.org. 11 September 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110911203540/http://the-nd.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=291&pid=3823#pid3823. 
  10. "the nD - forum". web.archive.org. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  11. a b c d e f g h i j k "Main Page - nD wiki". web.archive.org. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2021.