Acer planning 'open standard' gaming PC

by Kyle Orland { Mar 19th 2008 at 1:15PM }

Taiwan's Acer computers is looking to expand past its image as a budget notebook maker with a planned gaming-centric PC, according to a recent interview. Details are scarce, but company VP James T. Wong touted the planned gaming machine's basis in "open standards," compared to closed, proprietary systems of the likes of Microsoft and Nintendo (perhaps Mr. Wong has not heard about the system-opening efforts of XNA and Wii Ware).

Of course, an "open standard" gaming PC could be anything from a simple PC Gaming Alliance-approved system to a full-on Phantom-style set-top box that can run any PC game. We're certainly hoping its the latter -- headline writing hasn't been nearly as fun without the Phantom to kick around.

[Via Engadget]

Tags: console, gaming PC, GamingPc, hardware, PC, plans

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Deck @ Mar 19th 2008 1:20PM

I like Acer... always have.. but what does this mean exactly?

That it will be upgradeable and so forth? That it wont be constraining people to the same specifications unless they buy a whole new laptop?

gamernewz.net @ Mar 19th 2008 1:24PM

I would dig a pc gaming console. That would be sick.

Huey2k2 @ Mar 19th 2008 1:26PM

If you want a PC gaming console why not just build a computer and use your TV as the display?...

This seems... weird?

gamernewz.net @ Mar 19th 2008 1:29PM

DUH! I mean something dedicated to the cause. Not a PC sitting by my TV.

Huey2k2 @ Mar 19th 2008 1:32PM

But that's essentially what a console is, a PC sitting next to your TV.

Why does everyone forget that a console IS a computer, its just designed for one thing, gaming.

If you want a "PC console" why not just get a real console, or get a PC that you can leave next to your TV.

gamernewz.net @ Mar 19th 2008 1:40PM

DUDE GO GET A PC AND SIT IT BESIDE YOUR TV. I DON'T CARE! IF YOU CAN'T STAND PEOPLE HAVING OPINIONS STAY OFF COMMENTS SECTIONS. DO YOU JUST WANT TO ARGUE? YOU ARE ANNOYING! I BET YOU HEAR THAT EVERYDAY. UGH JUST WALK INTO MOVING TRAFFIC.

Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force @ Mar 19th 2008 1:57PM

Oh You Mad Cuz I'm Stylin On You?

Henry @ Mar 19th 2008 1:59PM

If that riles you up, try this out for size...

...your website sucks big time.

Fanx! Bye!

JonFitt @ Mar 19th 2008 2:15PM

Yeah, I'm not going to visit a website endorsed or run by a douche like this guy.
He needs to take some time away from the Internet.

dark_inchworm @ Mar 19th 2008 2:28PM

DUDE, INSTEAD OF BEING A SISSY BITCH AND POSTING IN ALL CAPS, WHY DON'T YOU LET US KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU MEAN BY A "PC GAMING CONSOLE" AND TELL US WHAT WOULD BE SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT?

Nimrod.

NATO_Duke @ Mar 19th 2008 2:58PM

You can shove a gaming pc into a pretty small cabinet if you really want one to use on the tv.

I think that we are all clueless as to what Acer is getting at here.

Ted @ Mar 19th 2008 3:05PM

You may be entitled to have views, but the rest of us are also entitled to call them stupid, mr. 'newz' spelled with a z.

xFenixKnightx @ Mar 19th 2008 3:23PM

Nimrod...wow, I havent hear that one in a loooong time...good stuff d_inchworm. I lol'd

gamernewz.net @ Mar 19th 2008 8:49PM

Did I cross the line there? My bad...my bad. :(

FrankTheCrank @ Mar 19th 2008 1:25PM

ACER. Your non-transferable warranty policy stinks.

Open platform...yeah, that'll be the day.

JonFitt @ Mar 19th 2008 2:16PM

Yeah and their policy of not issuing actual XP install disks and then imaging their laptops with FAT partitions. That was excellent.

Good specs for the price though...

ProfWho @ Mar 19th 2008 1:27PM

Yeah, and we will call this open platform....

The PC

Jerk Face @ Mar 19th 2008 3:52PM

I won't trust anything you say; you slimy, bulbous, robot-encased murderer.

umm....hello??? @ Mar 19th 2008 1:26PM

umm...good luck with that.

Mr.ESC @ Mar 19th 2008 1:28PM

What? I thought they went to bankruptcy years ago wait I think that was delta.

Anyway there's been years since I heard anything about Acer,I had an Acer back in 1993 and it included a sick game called ugolympics, it was great.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 19th 2008 1:29PM

The phantom as a concept is very sound. The acer PC should double as a gametap set top box.

Now that would be slick.

Fernando Rocker @ Mar 19th 2008 1:33PM

Ok... very off topic (well, maybe on-topic if they are using Acer PC's in the video)

This is both amazing and disturbing... the legs looks to alive.

I guess we need to be prepared for the rise of the robot overlords =(

http://www.myextralife.com/?p=7933

Mr.ESC @ Mar 19th 2008 1:42PM

I, For One, Welcome Our New Robot Overlords.

Out of topic as well I love Lego Mind storms

Now back to the topic of topic that's both awesome and scary as hell. That some sick programming and the way it walked on ice was just awesome.

Jerk Face @ Mar 19th 2008 3:54PM

Welp, I'm never going to sleep again. Thanks, Rocker.

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Mar 20th 2008 2:55AM

I didn't know the vid, but I knew the robot since a long time ago. It was basically designed for locomotion, seeing how wheels are primitive but not as adaptable to terrain and situations as organic legs would.

It's kind of tip-toeing all over the place because the body itself is really heavy, therefore it tries to constantly counteract unbalance.

Mrblonde @ Mar 19th 2008 1:35PM

Acer sucks. I got my notebook from them and the motherboard crapped out after a few months and recently, I had to reinstall it cause the wireless card was acting wonky and now, it's slower then before. Can't even watch a youtube video without the video stalling. Anyone who wants to help, it would be appreciated.

Fernando Rocker @ Mar 19th 2008 1:37PM

I can help you... here, take this hammer =p

Mrblonde @ Mar 19th 2008 1:40PM

Haha yeah really. Im going to make a desktop here in the near future at iBUYPOWER. Then I will finally have a PC to play games on

deaftly (Brawl - 1075-0467-4222) @ Mar 19th 2008 2:12PM

I believe this is what the Phantom was supposed to be marketed to at first. That sure turned out well.

TomCo @ Mar 19th 2008 2:16PM

Whatever it is, if it has hinges, they'll be falling off within a year.

Shagittarius @ Mar 19th 2008 4:30PM

I covet your cat Tomco.

TomCo @ Mar 19th 2008 4:36PM

Rule 17: Thou shalt not covet your blog neighbours cat.

ChronoZaga @ Mar 19th 2008 2:32PM

There was a company a few years back that did this, with limited success. It didn't become profitable for them until they went to a closed standard, due partially to the incredible ease of hacking a PC based game system.

That company was Microsoft, with their original Xbox.

ChronoZaga @ Mar 19th 2008 3:07PM

Oh, duh, brain fart. Xbox wasn't an open standard.

I hate it when I'm an idiot.

Desco @ Mar 19th 2008 2:44PM

i386 (preferably Core2Duo) + DirectX (preferably GeForce) + Sound Blaster + WindowsXP... How much more standard do you want?

Oh you want a more simple interface for low-scale casual gaming like WiiWare or XBLA? How 'bout FLASH?

Not having an open standard platform doesn't seem to be hurting anyone, not even smaller developers cranking out quality casual-ware like Popcap Games. Acer wants to create a solution that doesn't have a problem.

Shawn @ Mar 19th 2008 2:50PM

especially with a content delivery system like STEAM, which does what XBL and Wiware does plus a whole lot more.

Nushio (NDF - Blue) @ Mar 19th 2008 2:46PM

Linux

Jerk Face @ Mar 19th 2008 3:55PM

*barfs*

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Mar 20th 2008 3:01AM

I hail our penguin overlords on this one.

What really sucks though is that it's not so easy to install software on Linux, unless if it's one of the few who actually bother creating installers for your branch of Linux, instead of making you compile the whole damn thing yourself.

Burnt Meatloaf @ Mar 20th 2008 4:19AM

Linux is a kernel, not an OS. That can hardly qualify as a "platform".

Shawn @ Mar 19th 2008 2:49PM

Ahhhh, the beginning of a One Console future is here. This is the ONLY way it's going to happen, with no One company profiting off of a proprietary box. It's a PC and a console, just all the same specs but with the added features of what a PC offers.

Should be interesting to see where this goes.

TWIMTBP @ Mar 19th 2008 3:13PM

Okay, for n00bs like me, can someone please explain what they mean by an "open standard gaming PC". TIA.

shamgar03 @ Mar 19th 2008 2:58PM

...XNA and WiiWare... I think thats exactly what they have heard of. Just because you allow someone to make a game on your platform doesn't make it "open". Wake up and stop believing microsoft's bs. http://opensource.org/docs/osd

SeriousKriss @ Mar 20th 2008 8:18AM

Thanks for the correction. Joystiq is a bit clueless sometimes when it comes to reporting PC news unfortunately.

David @ Mar 19th 2008 5:14PM

The main point of an open standard as I see it is to eliminate platform inconsistency problems. Ever had to update your drivers because a new game wouldn't run? That's what a standard PC would fix. I'm in favor, at least in principle.

Nithron @ Mar 19th 2008 4:55PM

I'm just guessing here, but I should imagine this will consist of a list of specifications. For example, it needs to have a graphics card that performs *this* well, and a processor that is *this* fast, and *this* amount of RAM and so on. Then, any PC manufacturers that produce a PC that lives up to those specs, can put a badge on it saying "Acer Standard Compatible, or whatever.

Then, game developers who make sure their games will run on a PC of that spec, can put that badge on their games.

The result would be no more confused customers standing around thinking "Will this run on my shitty Dell box?"

mundox @ Mar 19th 2008 5:57PM

I don't really see the point of this if we already have a pc.

Burnt Meatloaf @ Mar 20th 2008 4:20AM

No Microsoft.

We hope.

Mabui @ Mar 19th 2008 9:06PM

I hope they get some success from this, maybe some other companies will follow suit and a whole revolution will happen. Steam is a good service when it comes to delivery and such, it would be nice to see that integrated and lose windows (To achieve more resources to spend on other places)

Burnt Meatloaf @ Mar 20th 2008 4:30AM

First, there is no profit in manufacturing based on open standards. That's why PCs have razor-thin profit margins.

Second, there is profit in designing hardware, but most design work is handled by consortiums of the largest manufacturers who, first and foremost, design with their own interests in mind, and simply let other people use the standard.

Third, consortiums don't make games. They would rely exclusively on 3rd party games, and that's bad. The 360 is a great game machine, but most software for it is available on other platforms, hence, the PS3 is catching up despite one of the worst launches in recent memory.

Open standards do not make a good gaming console. Software does. Here we have a company that just wants to use cheap off-the-shelf hardware instead of making proper, effecient, embedded hardware. That is precisely why there is no profit margin.

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