Looks like we missed this back in February during GDC… WildTangent’s launching the ORB, a service/app/platform that turns your PC into a console.
“The WildTangent Orb turns any modern PC into a full-featured game console more powerful than any next generation game console including the Microsoft XBOX 360, Sony PS3 or Nintendo Wii,” said Alex St. John, CEO of WildTangent. “Now enthusiast gamers can download and play popular console games they love on the most ubiquitous gaming device available today: the PC.”
Interesting. If I remember correctly, Alex St. John was Microsoft’s original Direct X evangalist. He pushed DirectX as a development platform for Microsoft back in the day. I wonder if this is a service that will help further standardize games for PCs, to avoid such things as hardware conflicts. Time to investigate I think!
Here’s some of the games involved at the start…
The WildTangent Orb will launch with popular AAA titles from Sierra Online including 3D Ultra™ Mini Golf, Assault Heroes™, Battlestar Gallactica™ and Switchball™ as well as popular PC titles from Sierra Entertainment. THQ titles will include Juiced™ 2 Hot Import Nights™, Company of Heroes®, Company of Heroes® Opposing Fronts™, Red Faction®, Red Faction® II, Full Spectrum Warrior®, MX vs. ATV Unleashed™, Full Spectrum Warrior Ten Hammers®, Titan Quest™, Warhammer® 40,000 Dawn of War Gold and Warhammer® 40,000 Dawn of War Dark Crusade™. Also included in Orb will be more than 55 enthusiast titles from THQs Valusoft.
Interesting. THQ finding new ways for us to play. Thanks to Troubleshooter for pointing it out.
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Posted by X at May 11th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Thing is about consoles is that the cost to own is a lot cheaper than the equivalent specced PC.
The orb will only serve to push up the ownership price of a PC further (since you supposedly have to own the orb to have a console-like experience on the PC).
Posted by Jim Lahey at May 12th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Am I missing something? How is re releasing pc games on a pc making it a console?
Posted by ÜberJumper at May 12th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Jim:
Not quite sure really, I suspect they’re trying to “standardize” the platform in some way. With the compatibility problems and widely varying performance between different hardware specs for PCs, it’s much more work for developers to target systems that are quite different. With console development, it’s pretty well one hardware and performance spec they have to target, so console developers will know the experience will be roughly the same on each one.
Still trying to find out more about this ORB deal.
Posted by theM at May 14th, 2008 at 10:12 am
My problem with this whole thing is WildTangent… Sure, I can HOPE they’re no longer a bunch of spyware pushing idiots, but I’m not willing to take the chance.
Posted by Necrid at May 17th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Wildtangent is releasing this “Orb Console” as a way to bring people to the pc AS a console. You can play any of the games on Orb for FREE, the entire thing is ad supported (ads play during load screens).
The other thing I would like to say is that the equivalent pc/labtop to the xbox 360 costs about $300-500. About the same really.
Posted by Robsoie at May 21st, 2008 at 11:50 pm
When you talk about WildTangent in your article, are you talking about the same WildTangent that created the infamous “WildTangent Web Driver” ?
If this is the same group, considering this “web driver” was considered as a spyware by all the major anti-spyware companies, i don’t understand why anyone would trust them and submit to their “Orb Service”.
Maybe only people that never heard about WildTangent or the ones that have a short memory ?
Posted by theM at May 22nd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Robsoie: Yep. Same group. Doesn’t that just give you warm fuzzy feelings?