Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

Geek Culture / HYDRA Game Development Kit

Author
Message
fourmsterr
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 4th Aug 2006
Location:
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 07:17 Edited at: 28th Jun 2007 07:35
Link
CHECK THIS OUT!!!

http://www.xgamestation.com/view_product.php?id=33



The HYDRA Game Development Kit is a complete edutainment platform to learn multiprocessing game development, graphics and media applications on the HYDRA Game Console. Based on the new Parallax multiprocessing Propeller Chip. For beginner to intermediate coders, you need only basic programming experience in any BASIC or C-like language to get started with the kit. The kit includes everything you need to get started (TV and PC not included).

The kit also comes with a comprehensive book on game programming for the Propeller in Spin and assembly language - "Game Programming for the Propeller Powered HYDRA" (Table of Contents). Within the book, the HYDRA hardware is covered in grueling detail with schematics, descriptions, and tips allowing you to take full advantage of its resources, including its expansion port and game card. Written by best-selling game development author Andre’ LaMothe, the included book is your complete guide to developing games, graphics, and media applications for the Propeller Powered HYDRA Game Console. The book assumes you have only basic programming experience in any BASIC or C-like language. It covers all aspects of the Propeller chip from its architecture to using the Propeller Tool IDE for programming in both Spin and assembly language, with numerous demo programs to use as starting points for your own games.

Included on the kit CD is all the source code and executables for all the included, games, demos, tools and examples. Additionally, the HYDRA Game Development Kit includes HYDRA BASIC which is a dialect of "Tiny BASIC" based on the specification originally published in "Dr. Dobb’s Journal" in 1975. With this classic version of BASIC you can write programs directly on the HYDRA without the need for a PC! Simply load BASIC into the HYDRA or on the included game cartridge and you are up and running with nothing more than your TV and keyboard.

The HYDRA is not only a game console, but a complete computer system with everything you need to get started exploring the fascinating world of game development and the new multiprocessing Propeller Chip!





The price for the HYDRA Game Development Kit is $200





Back to top
Profile PM
fourmsterr
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 4th Aug 2006
Location:
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 07:19
Link
PLEASE post your ideas and comments......
Back to top
Profile PM
Zombie 20
17
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 26th Nov 2006
Location: Etters, PA
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 14:36
Link
Looks cool...lol. I'll check it out and maybe pick it up.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
GatorHex
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Apr 2005
Location: Gunchester, UK
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 14:48 Edited at: 28th Jun 2007 14:51
Link
Looks like old tech, I doubt todays kids would buy it, if i wanted to make low tech games for a niche market I use AMOS/STOS with an ST/Amiga which would sure cost less than $199

DinoHunter http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=98385&b=8
CPU/GPU Benchmark http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=101716&b=5
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Van B
Moderator
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 15:05
Link
It does look like fun, but I have to agree with Gator, it's a bit lacking in certain departments - I mean it would be pretty cool if there was a handheld version of the console, or if the console was widely used.

I could see this taking of in the education field though, if it's easy to get into then it should be good for highschool projects.


Good guy, Good guy, Wan...
Back to top
Profile PM Email
Kentaree
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Oct 2002
Location: Clonmel, Ireland
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 15:42
Link
A better alternative would probably be the GP2X, it's a handheld and a lot more powerful than this, and cheaper too. I also believe there's a variation of basic you can use for it.

Nephin Games
Devhat Developer Network and IRC Channel
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Van B
Moderator
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 15:52
Link
I think if I was gonna develop on a handheld it would have to be the DS, even if that does mean learning C++, but I have so many good ideas for DS games that it's not even funny. I keep swerving C++, maybe it's time I learned it and stopped being such a BASIC ho!.


Good guy, Good guy, Wan...
Back to top
Profile PM Email
Fallout
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Sep 2002
Location: Basingstoke, England
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 16:17
Link
I don't really get it. As has been said, it looks really low tech. So basically you have to pay 4 times more (than for DarkBasic) to make lower quality games that you can't share, and nobody has a console to play them on? I might be wrong on a few points there ... I'm guessing, but I don't get it!


Back to top
Profile PM
Chris K
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 7th Oct 2003
Location: Lake Hylia
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 16:20
Link
But Fallout, *you get a mouse with it*.

-= Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals =-
Back to top
Profile PM
Oolite
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 28th Sep 2005
Location: Middle of the West
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 16:24 Edited at: 28th Jun 2007 16:25
Link
and according to the screenshot you can process two cars at 63 mph!


Seriously though, this looks overpriced and dated for what it is, i doubt any of my friends or family that care about what i produce would own the things needed to play the games i'd make and i doubt they would be impressed by what it can do..

I know a few places where this would get shot down for being spam


[Looking for work]
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Fallout
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Sep 2002
Location: Basingstoke, England
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 16:28 Edited at: 28th Jun 2007 16:29
Link
Quote: "But Fallout, *you get a mouse with it*"


I stand corrected in light of the mighty mouse.

Btw, I think the way it's marketed as EDUtainment, says it all. Anything geared for education is generally crap.


Back to top
Profile PM
IanM
Retired Moderator
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 11th Sep 2002
Location: In my moon base
Posted: 28th Jun 2007 20:22
Link
Actually, I don't think that this machine is aimed at being a serious games machine. It's more of an introduction to multi-core coding, using games to make it more fun.

I don't know why they didn't produce a boxed version for this one though - it's not as if it's available in kit form like the XGameStation was.

For free Plug-ins and source code
http://www.matrix1.demon.co.uk
New Utility plugins collection
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Benjamin A
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 31st Oct 2005
Location: The Netherlands
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 02:15
Link
Andre Lamothe is a legend (and I pretty cool guy also), but I fail to see the use of this.... Why would I want to go back to the eighties? I've been there, done that, liked it, but don't want to go back there.... I rather look ahead.

http://www.gamefun4u.nl/index.html
GameFun4U, the ultimate funtainment. Cool Games and Resources for your own games.
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Zappo
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 12:13
Link
This actually looks really interesting - from an educational standpoint. The Parallax Propeller processor looks very smart for homebrew development (8 x 32bit processors in one chip!). Its apparently a simplified cell processor much like the Sony one in the PS3 so developing for it isn't a total dead end. I kind of like the idea of it having low specs (compared to modern consoles) as it forces more efficient programming techniques.
The link at the top of the thread hasn't worked for me for a couple of days but the official site is here:
http://www.hydraconsole.com/
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Ric
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 11th Jul 2004
Location: object position x
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 13:05
Link
Looks to me like they have ripped apart an old BBC Micro, stuck a new badge on it, and called it a development kit. Seriously - it looks like the kind of thing I was using in the 80's. Calling it 'educational' is no excuse for being 20 years out of date - why on Earth would anyone buy this when they can get DBPro for a fraction of the cost and learn game development using up-to-date technology, on a platform that is widely used? Weird. Very weird.

Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Kentaree
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Oct 2002
Location: Clonmel, Ireland
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 13:39
Link
It's all well and good having a multi-processor/core system, but for the quality of games showcased, you don't need it

Nephin Games
Devhat Developer Network and IRC Channel
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Zappo
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 13:56
Link
I think the whole point is to learn game development for a console platform, rather than a PC platform. The technology isn't exactly from the 80's either. The CPU is a pretty darn good design and ideal for learning with. Its not supposed to compete with the PC, PS3, XBox or whatever. Its an educational development system where you learn the low level skills to take on to more advanced platforms.
You can't really compare programming in DBPro with so much memory, processing power and graphics hardware that you don't care how much it uses, to writing tight, efficient, hardware specific multi core code in 32kb RAM and 128kb storage space.
I do think its a great idea for schools/colleges to teach with. Programming has gotten sloppy for too many people because their PCs run poorly written stuff too fast to care about it.
(Thats my 2p worth )
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Kentaree
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Oct 2002
Location: Clonmel, Ireland
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 14:01
Link
I disagree tbh, I reckon in this case, sure, you have limited RAM and max prog size, however, for what the machine is capable of, and then to introduce multiple cores is more likely to teach people sloppy multi-threading where it isn't necessary and inefficient code.

Nephin Games
Devhat Developer Network and IRC Channel
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Jess T
Retired Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 20th Sep 2003
Location: Over There... Kablam!
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 14:29 Edited at: 29th Jun 2007 14:30
Link
Just grab a DS, it's got two processors, and it's got a touch screen, microphone, and dual screens.
It's also only about $200 to get started with homebrew game-dev (including the console itself) and a massive community already making games for it

Nintendo DS & Dominos :: DS Dominos
http://jt0.org
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Zappo
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 14:37
Link
I doubt schools and colleges would qualify for the official DS development kits, or be able to afford them. Using imported homebrew cartridges which, lets face it, may not be 100% Nintendo patent friendly isn't really an option for professional education establishments. Not to mention there would be no professional support or documentation for them.
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Kentaree
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Oct 2002
Location: Clonmel, Ireland
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 14:39
Link
As I already stated: GP2X. Linux-based, dual-processor, SDK etc.

Nephin Games
Devhat Developer Network and IRC Channel
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Zappo
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 14:47
Link
The GP2X is great for homebrew, I agree. The Linux OS and ARM CPU open it up to all sorts of hobbyists. I don't think is has any professional or teaching support though as its more aimed at the 'bedroom coders' community.
They are also a lot more stealable!
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Benjamin A
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 31st Oct 2005
Location: The Netherlands
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 15:50 Edited at: 29th Jun 2007 15:52
Link
Quote: "Looks to me like they have ripped apart an old BBC Micro, stuck a new badge on it, and called it a development kit. Seriously - it looks like the kind of thing I was using in the 80's. Calling it 'educational' is no excuse for being 20 years out of date - "


The games are out-of-date for sure, but the console itself isn't. It's much more advanced then any old BBC Micro or it's likes have ever been. The problems seems to be the programming language, which seems to limit the console.

Quote: "why on Earth would anyone buy this when they can get DBPro for a fraction of the cost and learn game development using up-to-date technology, on a platform that is widely used? Weird. Very weird."


If you ask that, then to be fair, you should also ask yourself, why on Earth would anyone buy DBPro, which uses an outdated programming language, when they can get other engines for a fraction of the cost and learn ture game development using up-to-date technology and languages that are much closer to C++?

http://www.gamefun4u.nl/index.html
GameFun4U, the ultimate funtainment. Cool Games and Resources for your own games.
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Jess T
Retired Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 20th Sep 2003
Location: Over There... Kablam!
Posted: 29th Jun 2007 21:03
Link
Zappo,

Actually, here at my Uni, I've worked with one of the Professors here on a research project that was implemented on the DS.

It was only a basic voice recognition and a text-to-speech, but we did it wholly on a (my) DS with modded firmware and a homebrew kit. He got a grant for doing it - something small like $5000, and said that if I wanted to, afterwards, he could apply to Nintendo for an official dev kit and we could work together on projects.
After the work, though, I had normal Uni to look after, so he didn't apply, but I'm pretty certain he could get an official dev kit through a grant. Means no students would have to pay any money, neither would the Uni, and everything would be sweet.

Nintendo DS & Dominos :: DS Dominos
http://jt0.org
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Back to top

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2024-11-18 21:49:50
Your offset time is: 2024-11-18 21:49:50