once upon a time, simple digital watches cost hundreds of dollars.
shortly thereafter, technology reached a point where they could be produced cheaply enough to be given away in cereal boxes.
the Intel corporation stopped producing these watches, and moved on to do greater things.
technology moves forward.

in the past few years, the rise of smartphones has caused a sudden, drastic improvement in mobile technology, sharply driving down the cost of production.
for instance, a handheld game console such as the DS- containing a 66mhz ARM processor- cost $180 in 2004.
today, smartphones containing a 1200mhz ARM processor (18x faster!), can be had for the same price.
do handheld games really need all that power? what happens to the older technology?

convenient, inexpensive digital distribution has emerged as the clear winner over the risks and costs of traditional game software manufacturing and retail methods.
the industry leaders of the past have relied on this physical distribution and retail method in order to control their place in the market.
there are only so many spaces on the store shelves, after all.

much like the record industry, the true artists and creators in the traditional video game industry do not receive proper compensation for their work.
rather, large profits are absorbed by a publishing company in order to make up for losses and development costs of other games.
this has led to game studios unable to take risks- only developing sequels to proven franchises, or titles targeted to specific demographics: so-called "shovelware."
the argument for a strictly controlled retail market is that it protects high-value software- but where is the value?
the retail prices continue to rise: $40 for a single handheld game title, which may or may not be of any quality at all- and most aren't.
times are changing.

as computers have become vastly more powerful, cheaper, and widespread, development has become far more accessible.
there are more developers with more ideas and more ability to create their vision, and the old methods only serve to stifle this creativity.
over the past decade, thousands of aspiring developers lovingly hand-crafted their unique visions, only to hit a wall when it came time to publish their work.
websites such as newgrounds and kongregate emerged, collecting thousands of these projects- a sort of dumping ground for dreams.

the industry has spoken clearly: they will not work with small developers.
this is hypocritical of an industry that started in garages, lovingly creating their visions out of passion- not from a technical document, not from statistics.

several years ago, a new system emerged- the "App Store" method of digital distribution.
iPhone and Android devices harnessed this vast pool of neglected developers, eager to release their games by whatever means necessary- even on a platform not meant for games.
almost overnight, thousands of unique, interesting, quirky titles entered the market, some becoming more successful than any traditionally produced title.

unfortunately, for the traditional publishing entities, this new method is not sustainable.
the profits from a successful title go directly to the authors, not towards paying the overhead of a skyscraper full of lawyers and executives.
in this system, the success of a game relies on its quality- not its marketing, not by its movie tie-in, and not by its strategic vertical placement on the store shelf.
it is unpredictable and uncontrollable, full of human ingenuity, creativity, personality and style, and even error.
we believe this is the way electronic entertainment should be.

furthermore, we believe that there is a place for a dedicated handheld game console. especially an inexpensive one.
we don't think that large, fragile phones or expensive high-end devices are appropriate for kids, one of the largest demographics for video games.
as developers ourselves, we want a device where players can enjoy total immersion with proper video game controls- without being interrupted by phone calls.
we think a handheld game system doesn't need to have cutting edge graphics- we liked the cartoon look of 2D graphics and pixel-perfect game mechanics as kids, and kids prefer this style today.

the nD is the solution to this. the shelf space is infinite. the possibilities are endless.
a system created by indie developers for indie developers- designed from the ground up to be as fair as possible to all involved- gamers and developers alike.
cheap to produce, sold roughly at cost, and distributed through all possible means to reach the widest audience possible.
of course, large studios can develop for it too, and will surely find the rates attractive- if they can still create interesting content.

there are many more surprises on the way.


this is the nD -
the indie handheld console.

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