Whenever we think of game consoles, we think on a major electronics company making an attempt to introduce videogames in our homes. That's just how history has been up to today, but it could all change in the next decade, time will say if with the ninth generation of consoles.


I'm sure Slightly Mad Studios isn't unknown to this community. They're the masterminds behind Project CARS and its sequel, two multiplatform racing games that have come to compete with Forza and Gran Turismo for the throne of sim racers. Well, not content enough with such two great titles to its name, they now want to step into the world of hardware!


The console has been given the name Mad Box, though I want to believe it's just a codename for early production. It could perfectly be the final product's name, since it's been hinted it will have specs equivalent to a very fast PC and will be competitively priced, so we're in for some healthy competition if all of this comes to be true.


As for the games it could receive, SMS has made it clear they don't currently have any plans to incentive developers to exclude other hardware vendors. They also add that they'll be shipping a cross platform engine to all developers, which could be seen as another smack at Sony for their "obsolete" attitude.


Early designs for the Mad Box will be revealed in early-mid February, with the console being released worldwide by 2022 at its earliest. With this date, it's highly probable it could be the first real ninth generation console, but seeing how the current generation is holding upgraded hybrid versions of existing consoles maybe we've already done away with the generations.


I must say I'm excited about this. We haven't had any serious attempt at competing for a share of the market since the Xbox stepped in nearly 18 years ago, and knowing the dedication they've put into their games so far makes me hopeful that they won't allow the Mad Box to suffer the fate of the Jaguar and the Dreamcast.


Link to the article on Gamespot

I'm not entirely sure what to think about this. I'd love to root for the underdog here, but it's never actually worked out for them. Even people like Sega, who were once a big part of the industry, are totally gone now. I can't imagine anyone competing with the big 3 without it being a futile endeavor

Wasn't the Ataribox also supposed to be PC specs? Did that ever even come out? I just don't know what to think anymore.

Either way I'm interested in seeing where this goes, but I don't really think it'll be going anywhere. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Wow, it'll be interesting to see how a new console does against the giants that are Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. I feel like it will struggle, just based on the reputations of the other three companies and most people not wanting to spend money on more than one console. There's no way it can compete with the awesome Soulja Game Console either!

IDK how to react. It's cool that we can get more options but personally I'm probably going to end up sticking to Sony and Nintendo. More consoles means more money to spend.

zanderlex : I second this.

There's no real point in buying something like this since I doubt they could manage to get any real exclusives, just like Atari tried with the Ataribox. Just like every new console tries to do, sell a console without exclusives. It's sad, and I don't think they'll ever get anywhere like that.

It's a particularly tricky situation considering it's pretty difficult to get any real exclusives in the first place, and in the modern age I think any in-house exclusives for the new console would be treated as indie games, which while a lot of people like indie games, they're stigmatized to an extent. There are some people out there who only play AAA games.

yoshirulez! : I wouldn't be surprised if they started making some of their own games exclusive to it in order to force diehard fans to get the console, but then that would only kill them faster.

This is pretty cool. It's always nice to see now developers throw their hat into the console ring, since that's so rare to see nowadays. I don't think it will actually take off, but it's still cool to see them try I guess.

It's a surprising time to enter the console wars. It seems to be getting harder and harder to compete with tablets and smartphones, and the big three are only alive because they already have a good fan base of gamers. 

Oh well, we can hope this new Mad Box can at least put the XBox out of its misery. 

The early designs of the Mad Box have seen the light. It's made quite clear that this might not be the final design, but so far it looks quite nice and flashy. Definitely not something that has a place on my room unless I make it horizontal or it features a long plug so it can stay on the ground.

Sorry for the size, but I'm a bit outdated in how to include pics in here






If only the different color schemes are to be a reality, just like they were in the times of the Game Boy Color, I'd already be very pleased with whatever the final design is. And well, if it looked less like a PC tower and more like an original console it would be great.

I hate to already put this down but I don't think it would be wise to enter the console market, especially a company that, while having experience with some high-quality titles, is just not enough for a console, since there's exclusivity deals and third party titles to deal with. Just based on the design though, it's pretty neat. I wouldn't mind getting a hold of one myself assuming it's kind of based on Android, making it a good emulator box (though the NVidia Shield is already good enough for that so I really don't need it).

This thing isn't exactly appealing looking. But any entry into the console market is a welcome one. Did the Atari VCS already launch? If it did, I feel bad for it.

Worst case scenario, Ouija 2: Revengeance The Squeaquel. What these guys ideally want is to be the cheaper alternative to the three main titans, earn a modest income, and slowly climb closer to NinSonySoft's level. They won't have the same support as the other three, they can't reliably claim to be the next big thing, but they can at least try to exist for a whole year before moving on step by step, getting more party support, a bigger company, and finding more things to develop.
Alternatively, a company might find a new way to innovate consoles that totally works, gaining a bigger following and even pioneering a new path for other companies to rip off to take inspiration from. Maybe make a gaming chair that's actually the console?
... nobody copyright that idea for the next 10 years.

Speaking of simulation racing titles, are there any racing games out there that are more on the Arcade side? Something with very easy handling, time limits and extensions via checkpoints, and maybe upgrading cars with a currency from just racing.

Well, taking advantage that this thread's still alive (or that it's been infused new life, better said), allow me to say the console has already encountered its first obstacle.

When Slightly Mad Studios filed a trademark for the name of their console, a French studio known as Madbox filed opposition to said trademark, since it would be confusing to the public. Therefore, SMS withdrew the application, officially discarding the original name of Mad Box for their home console.

Not quite a big obstacle, but it will now mean they'll have to restart the trademark process by picking a new name. Also, the slogan contest they were holding will be affected by this, as entries will need to be resubmitted when the new name is announced (and, fingers crossed, this time better be the final one).

On other news, we now know that the previously named Mad Box will have one rival, which is the recently confirmed PS5. Initially, Sony's console should come out sooner by a one-year margin at the very least, and coming out after your rivals could bear some strategic meaning (either for better or for worse, time will say which one).

This sounds like it would be really interesting to be able to watch all of this go down. :o

I'm just about as excited for the Mad Box as I am the Steam Box, Ouya, the Atari VCS and Google Stadia. The company isn't even that established yet. They won't be able to steal market share unless it truly is something unique, necessary, and affordable. Judging by that picture it is none of those things.

For me it's a matter of what the console can do, and what games will be on it. I want it to have something that no other console has, otherwise it'll just be forgotten. If it can do that, then it'll have a fighting chance, if not it'll be like the magical thing called the Game.com