Swinxs is a portable game console for children between the ages of 4 and 12 years. [1] The screen-free console was marketed as suitable for in-and-outdoor play and used RFID technology, audio, and light as a replacement for a monitor. Games for the console typically have users engage in physical or educational play by using a synthesized voice in combination with other sounds and a light.
The console was designed by Khodi Feiz of Feiz Design before October 2, 2008. [2] The system was developed by Dutch company Swinxs BV. [3]
Swinxs was first introduced in 2008, [4] starting in the Netherlands that spring.[ citation needed ] On October 2, 2008, the Swinxs launched in the United Kingdom. [2] In the fourth quarter of 2008 Swinxs was also available in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. The Middle East and South America followed in early 2009. In August 2009 Swinxs was made available in the United States.[ citation needed ]
The system cost $150 US Dollars in 2009. [1] In December 2010 the system cost 3,000 pesos in Mexico. [5] The system was sold with 4 wristbands included. [6]
The system and associated online services were discontinued in 2020. [3]
Swinxs works via either a tangible user interface or a simple natural user interface. Because the system lacks a screen, output consists nearly exclusively of a simple light and speaker. [1] [4] The input is generated by three buttons (white, green, red), the RFID-reader, an accelerometer, a microphone and a USB port. The system supports between 1 and 10 players. [4]
A USB port on the system makes it possible to connect to a PC or Macintosh. The USB port allowed new content to be downloaded and permits scores to be uploaded. [7] [8] The USB port is also used to recharge the internal battery, [9] [4] which when fully charged could run for approximately four hours. [10]
The Software Development Kit (SDK) was made available to the general developer population [5] and did not cost money to use, making it possible for users to create Swinxs games. [7] The SDK and the game source codes could be downloaded from the Swinxs' website. In order to program and test new games the SDK is equipped with an emulator.[ citation needed ]
The games are written in the Swinxs Talk programming language, originating from the field of Industrial robots (programmable Logic controllers) and is based on the concept of finite State Machines.
The wristbands, known as XS tags, are equipped with RFID chips that communicate with the Swinxs console. [2] The wristbands are used as a controller for the Swinxs. [11] Other objects could also have RFID chips embedded in them to act as game controllers, such as a frisbee. [12]
There are over 25 games [13] ranging from active games like relay and duel to quizzes and ‘educational’ games. In October 2008, Swinxs launched card games. By linking Swinxs to a computer using a USB cable it is possible to upload gamescores to a personal homepage on the Swinxs website. This website is also used for downloading new games until the service was discontinued.
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2022) |
A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device or input/output device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers include keyboards, mice, gamepads, and joysticks, as well as special purpose devices, such as steering wheels for driving games and light guns for shooting games. Controllers designs have evolved to include directional pads, multiple buttons, analog sticks, joysticks, motion detection, touch screens and a plethora of other features.
The GP32 is a handheld game console developed by the South Korean company Game Park. It was released on November 23, 2001, in South Korea and distributed in some parts of Europe.
The Wii is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, following the GameCube, and is a seventh-generation console alongside Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.
The Visual Memory Unit (VMU), also referred to as the Visual Memory System (VMS) in Japan and Europe, is the primary memory card produced by Sega for the Dreamcast home video game console. The device features a monochrome liquid crystal display (LCD), multiplayer gaming capability, second screen functionality, a real-time clock, file manager, built-in flash memory, and sound capability. Prior to the launch of the Dreamcast, a special Godzilla edition VMU, preloaded with a virtual pet game, was released on July 30, 1998, in Japan.
The DualShock is a line of gamepads developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation family of video game consoles. It is named for vibration-feedback and analog controls. Introduced in November 1997, it was initially marketed as a secondary peripheral for the first PlayStation console. The console's bundle was updated to include DualShock, and phase out the original PlayStation controller and the Dual Analog Controller. The DualShock is the best-selling gamepad of all time by units sold, excluding bundled controllers.
Homebrew, when applied to video games, refers to software produced by hobbyists for proprietary video game consoles which are not intended to be user-programmable. The official documentation is often only available to licensed developers, and these systems may use storage formats that make distribution difficult, such as ROM cartridges or encrypted CD-ROMs. Many consoles have hardware restrictions to prevent unauthorized development.
The GP2X is a Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on November 10, 2005, in South Korea only.
The Zeebo is a discontinued home entertainment and education system from Zeebo Inc. It enabled users to play video games, and also connect to the Internet using its 3G modem, communicate online and run educational applications. The Zeebo was targeted at developing markets such as Brazil and Mexico.
Various accessories for the PlayStation 3 video game console have been produced by Sony and third-party companies. These include controllers, audio and video input devices like microphones, video cameras, and cables for better sound and picture quality.
The HyperScan is a home video game console from the toy company Mattel. Marketed towards tweens, the console is unique in that it includes a 13.56 MHz radio-frequency identification (RFID) scanner that reads and writes to special cards called "IntelliCards" which, in turn, activate features in and save data from the game. Players are able to enhance the abilities of their characters by scanning cards.
Net Jet is a Windows PC-based game system introduced by Hasbro in 2007. The game system is a controller that is somewhat similar in design to a PlayStation 2 gamepad. The Net Jet controller is plugged into the USB port in a computer and automatically started up. It downloaded games via a required Internet connection. A dozen featured games could be played on a trial basis, or unlocked via plug in "game keys". The Net Jet came in seven different color variations. Net Jet support officially ended December 31, 2009.
The PlayStation 3 system software is the updatable firmware and operating system of the PlayStation 3. The base operating system used by Sony for the PlayStation 3 is a fork of both FreeBSD and NetBSD known internally as CellOS or GameOS. It uses XrossMediaBar as its graphical shell.
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a division of Sony.
Kinect is a discontinued line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB cameras, and infrared projectors and detectors that map depth through either structured light or time of flight calculations, which can in turn be used to perform real-time gesture recognition and body skeletal detection, among other capabilities. They also contain microphones that can be used for speech recognition and voice control.
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in Europe, South America, and Australia, and on February 22, 2014, in Japan. A console of the eighth generation, it competes with Microsoft's Xbox One and Nintendo's Wii U and Switch.
Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox network and Xbox Game Pass. The brand is produced by Microsoft Gaming, a division of Microsoft.
The PlayStation 4 system software is the updatable firmware and operating system of the PlayStation 4. The operating system is Orbis OS, based on FreeBSD 9.
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North America, and South Korea, and was released worldwide a week later. The PS5 is part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, along with Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S consoles, which were released in the same month.
The Intellivision Amico is a planned home video game console being developed and marketed by Amico Entertainment. It was originally slated to be released in October 2020, but repeated delays followed, leaving the console without a release date.