Envizions Wants To Bring Android Gaming Into Your Living Room With The Evo 2
If you thought Android was just for smartphones and tablets, you may want to think again. A company called Envizions just sent out a press release today of an Android based, social gaming console called the Evo 2. I’m sorry, were you expecting a 3D-less sequel to the HTC Evo?
As the name suggests, there was an Evo 1 that apparently never saw the light of day(?) and I immediately would have filed this under vaporware except for the fact that Envizions is actually offering the developer version of the Evo 2 for free on their website. And for the first 1,000 developers who sign up, developer fees and royaltees will be waived even though an annual $150 software support fee still applies.
While the press release hasn’t given us too much detailed information on the hardware, it does appear that this Android gaming console will be packing an unspecified 1.2 GHz Samsung processor that should handle 3D gaming pretty nicely, 512MB of RAM, and some sort of “modified” Android 2.2 operating system. The manufacturer also mentions that the console will see constant software updates and will allow for users to modify any part of the system (root permissions and custom ROMs anyone?).
Taking to heart the idea of open Android, Envisions is even letting potential customers participate in the design and roadmap of the console via Facebook, Twitter and the Evo 2 website. From there, the community can decide and participate in the location the console will first launch, color, package and even product image.
In a market where Android tablets are finding it hard to hit that sub $400 price point, I think the idea of an easy to use gaming platform like this is a good one. I honestly just don’t know how well a gaming platform like this could do without a big name like Sony or even Logitech backing it up and with a scheduled fall launch date, I guess we’ll be finding out sooner than later.
What do you guys think? Is there a place in the market for an Android gaming console like this? Or do you think this will fail harder than Google TV? I’m definitely curious to hear your thoughts in the comments below and If you feel so inclined, you can even preorder the console here.
[Via Engadget]