Consoles are supposed to simplify the process of playing. You press a button, pick up the gamepad, and that's it. But there are times when we come across projects that promise much more than a traditional console. In this case, the OTON X announces its ability to create 30 levels per minute via procedural generation, which in theory would result in multiple free and different games each day. What's the problem? The console isn't necessarily a console, and we've heard this before...
Crowdfunding and Skepticism
'Consoles' and 'crowdfunding'. Not the most popular combination. The web still remembers the OUYA disaster, and whenever similar projects arise, instinct warns us to keep our distance. Another problem is that the scams and the hoaxes never stop rolling in. What happened with the Coleco Chameleon increased users' distrust, and today we find a bleak landscape. However solid the original idea, a crowdfunded console will not have an easy path ahead. The project can't afford errors, must explore other financing options, and above all, needs to be honest with consumers. That said, today we come across the OTON X, a console that promises something quite curious: create new games every day, almost without human intervention.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GNiU0bP69W4Hardware and Procedural Generation
The OTON X appeals to nothing less than procedural generation, and if you think that has more to do with software than hardware, well... you're right. The console is essentially a computer with an Intel Atom quad-core processor of Braswell architecture, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of solid-state storage. If memory serves, the only Braswell Atom indicated by Intel is the x5-E8000, a chip with a base frequency of 1.04 GHz. The 'Ultra' version of the console already mentions an Nvidia Tegra K1, and such a change in architectures would only be viable with the help of Linux. The OTON X platform supposedly can create 30 different 'levels' per minute, without genre limitations or connectivity demands. The concept of an AI that creates increasingly complex levels to challenge us and keep our interest intact doesn't sound bad, however...
Questioning the Business Model
... the Web has a good memory. Three years ago, the OTON X sought funding on Indiegogo. The reason was that at that time it didn't have any prototype, and after the policy changes on Kickstarter, it became its only option. Now that OTON X offers hardware (a PC, as its own campaign admits), it has managed to secure a place on Kickstarter, but it's curious that three years ago the project needed 750 thousand dollars with a flexible goal, and now it's only asking for 25 thousand. In short: OTON X doesn't add up. It's a computer with Linux preinstalled and what appears to be a procedural generation SDK. I think it would be much more interesting if it released the software on its own. Also, if we've learned anything from the No Man's Sky catastrophe, it's that procedural generation, at least for now, is dead and buried. The 'console' costs 300 dollars and ships in December.
