EVO Smart Console
EVO Smart Console is a line of media PCs and video game consoles developed by Envizions Computer Entertainment Corporation, a company based in Anniston, Alabama. The systems were designed as hybrid home-entertainment computers, combining PC gaming with functions such as DVD playback, digital video recording, high-definition video and Internet services.[1][2]
The original system was announced as EVO: Phase One in 2006. A later version was marketed as the EVO Smart Console, with developer units offered in 2008 and a broader release planned for 2009. Envizions subsequently announced a second-generation Android system, the EVO 2, but it did not reach the market in the form originally announced.[1][2][3]
History
[edit]EVO: Phase One
[edit]Envizions Computer Entertainment Corporation announced EVO: Phase One in July 2006 as a hybrid system intended to combine a personal computer, a media center and a video game console. The company announced an October 20, 2006 release date and a suggested retail price of $679.95.[1]
Contemporary reports described the original Phase One as a conventional PC built into a console-style enclosure. The announced hardware included an AMD Athlon 64 3200 processor, a Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro graphics card with HDMI output, an 80 GB hard drive and a liquid-cooling system. Envizions also advertised a fingerprint reader and digital video recorder functions.[1][4]
The company promoted the device as more than a game machine. It was intended to play PC games, play DVDs, record television and provide access to downloadable movies and other media through the Akimbo video-on-demand service. Envizions also planned successive versions of the EVO platform, advertising a Phase Two for 2007 and Phase Three for 2008.[1]
The original announcement attracted attention because the concept combined standard PC hardware with the form factor and living-room positioning of a console. Contemporary coverage compared it with the then-unreleased Phantom project from Infinium Labs, another attempt to bring PC gaming into a console-like system.[5]
EVO Smart Console
[edit]By 2008, Envizions was presenting a revised machine under the name EVO Smart Console. The company positioned the system as an open-source-oriented entertainment computer aimed initially at developers, enthusiasts and early adopters. Linux Magazine reported in October 2008 that the system used Envizions' own Mirrors Evolution platform, based on Fedora 8, and supported high-definition output at 1080i and 1080p.[2]
The hardware reported for this later version differed substantially from the specifications published for the 2006 Phase One prototype. Linux Magazine described a 64-bit AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, 2 GB of RAM and a 120 GB hard drive. The machine provided DVI and HDMI video output and supported H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2 video formats.[2]
The software environment was intended to provide access to Linux games and other media applications. Contemporary coverage described support for PC-style software, Internet access, high-definition video, VoIP, data archiving and biometric authentication using fingerprints or voice recognition. Envizions also planned to provide additional services through its online infrastructure, including downloadable games and video-on-demand content.[2]
Envizions offered the EVO Smart Console in more than one software configuration. The Linux version used Mirrors Evolution, while a Windows-equipped version was advertised at a higher price. Linux Magazine reported that the hardware was initially being offered to developers and other early adopters, with a wider consumer launch planned for 2009.[2]
In April 2009, The Anniston Star reported that Envizions had produced an initial batch of 100 machines and that only a small number had been sold at that point. The newspaper described the system as a local effort to enter a market dominated by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.[6]
The same period saw several different prices reported for the machine. The Anniston Star reported prices of $379 for the Linux version and $479 for the Windows version, while The Guardian subsequently reported lower prices of $279 and $350 in its technology roundup.[6][7]
The differences in both hardware and pricing reflect the fact that Envizions continued to revise the system while moving from the original prototype to developer and consumer versions. Contemporary Linux coverage likewise described the 2008 machine as a prototype or early-adopter product rather than a mature mass-market console.[2]
EVO 2
[edit]Envizions announced a second-generation system in 2011. Early material referred to the project as the GameBox; it was later presented as the EVO 2.[8]
In May 2011, Envizions announced EVO 2 as an Android-based home game console. The company said it would sell the system for $249 and include a controller, television remote and HDMI cable. The announced hardware included a 1.2 GHz Samsung processor and 512 MB of RAM, while the software was based on a modified version of Android 2.2.[3][9]
Envizions promoted EVO 2 as an open platform rather than a closed traditional console. The company said users would be able to modify the system and that developers could submit existing Android games as well as develop new software. It also proposed an online service for cloud game storage and social features, including a points system called EVO tokens.[3][10]
Envizions originally announced a fall 2011 release, but the timetable was later pushed back. The November 2011 postponement also included plans for another release of the earlier EVO Smart Console.[11]
No general retail release corresponding to the 2011 announcements is documented in the major contemporary coverage. By late 2012, Envizions founder and chief executive Derrick Samuels had moved on to another Android-console project, the OTON, through a new company, EnGeniux.[12]
EVO 2 DX and EVO 2 Pocket DX
[edit]Envizions also promoted additional products under the EVO 2 name. Coverage from 2012 described an EVO 2 DX as a gaming-oriented PC intended to run both Windows and Android software. The company also promoted an EVO 2 Pocket DX, an Android-based handheld device designed to complement the EVO 2 platform.[13]
The EVO 2 Pocket DX was described as a 4.3-inch Android device with Wi-Fi connectivity, expandable storage and support for Android and Envizions' own games. It was advertised as an optional companion to the planned EVO 2 system.[14]
The surviving material concerning the EVO 2 DX contains proposed rather than independently verified final specifications. For that reason, detailed claims about its processor, chipset, storage buses and expansion hardware are better omitted from the article unless a contemporary independent source can be located for them.
Technology and software
[edit]The EVO platform was unusual in the console market because its hardware was derived from standard PC components and its software environment was based on Linux rather than a proprietary console operating system. The 2008 EVO Smart Console used Envizions' Mirrors Evolution platform, which was based on Fedora 8.[2]
The system was intended to serve several functions at once. Contemporary descriptions included PC gaming, DVD playback, high-definition video, Internet access, VoIP, digital video recording and online media services. Envizions also promoted biometric authentication, allowing fingerprints and voice information to be used as part of its security system.[2]
A central part of the concept was the EVO online ecosystem. Envizions proposed downloadable games and other digital material, cloud-based storage and social features. Some of these plans changed over time as the company revised the hardware and software platform.[2][3]
Reception
[edit]The EVO was generally treated by contemporary technology and games publications as an ambitious but uncertain attempt to enter a market dominated by established console manufacturers. Coverage of the 2006 Phase One announcement concentrated on its use of standard PC hardware and its long list of proposed features, while later coverage noted that Envizions had initially targeted developers and enthusiasts rather than the mass market.[1][2]
By 2009, local reporting in Anniston portrayed the company as a small manufacturer attempting to establish itself against Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. The small production run reported at the time also indicated that the EVO remained a niche product rather than a significant competitor to the major seventh-generation consoles.[6]
The EVO 2 received similar attention in 2011 for its use of Android and its proposed open-development model. Contemporary reports stressed the system's $249 price, relatively modest hardware and social and cloud features, but also noted that the product was not yet available to consumers.[3][15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sinclair, Brendan (July 12, 2006). "EVO PC-game console detailed". GameSpot. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kissling, Kristian (October 21, 2008). "EVO Smart Console: Playstation Competition?". Linux Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Melanson, Donald (May 25, 2011). "EVO 2 console promises to bring Android gaming to your TV this fall". Engadget. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Jenkins, David (July 13, 2006). "Alabama Firm Unveils Evo: Phase One Console". Game Developer. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Remo, Chris (July 12, 2006). "The Phantom, Mark II?". Shacknews. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Whisenhunt, Dan (April 8, 2009). "Game on! Anniston's own gaming system is trying to take on the big boys". The Anniston Star. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Schofield, Jack (April 23, 2009). "Technology: Newsbytes". The Guardian. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ "An interview with Envizions founder Derrick Samuels". Thunderbolt. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Strange Console Lets You Play Android Games On Your TV". TechCrunch. May 26, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Android game console offers open development platform". LinuxDevices. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Pittman, Chris (November 4, 2011). "iSpy: Local gaming company delays launch of new system". The Anniston Star. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Sarkar, Samit (January 10, 2013). "The not-so-true story of OTON, a console that makes video games by itself". Polygon. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Envizions developing a gaming-based Android tablet as well as the Evo 2 console". Droid Gamers. January 4, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Envizions developing a gaming-based Android tablet as well as the Evo 2 console". Droid Gamers. January 4, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Strange Console Lets You Play Android Games On Your TV". TechCrunch. May 26, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Official website (archived)