PC1 'Mad Box' Release Possibly Under Threat?

[Paul Jeffrey]

Slightly Mad Studios 'Mad Box' console future "questionable" as project suffers setbacks.

At the start of the year, Project CARS developers Slightly Mad Studios made some bold claims about a proposed new console they plan to develop - however recent events may have hurt the chances of seeing this ambitious project come to fruition.

Having achieved a remarkable commercial success with the first two Project CARS racing games, Slightly Mad Studios, via studio head Ian Bell, announced their ambitions to create and launch a brand new SMS designed gaming console into the world, one that the studio claimed looked set to be the most powerful console created to date, 4K capable and able to support VR at 60FPS.

However, since the stories first broke via Ian Bell's twitter account, the 'Mad Box' concept has hit a number of challenges, not least of which is the withdrawal of two investors following details of Google's new Stadia gaming solution.

According to Online Marketing Manager Nathen Bell, the move to taking gaming away from the traditional console based service might be hurting Mad Box in the long term:

“We had some solid investment lined up but Google saying ‘the future of gaming isn’t in a box’ hasn’t done us any favours,” said Bell. “Two investors pulled out after the announcement of Stadia. All I can say at this stage is the future of the project is questionable.”
​

Although solid news on the console remains scarce aside from some early Ian Bell twitter messages, it is still an exciting prospect to see a potential new player step up and take on the might for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo in the console gaming marketplace, and it would be a shame if these impressive sounding plans from Slightly Mad Studios fail to see the light of day in the long term.

Despite the setback, it is still early days within the project, and at this stage it is entirely possible that the 'Mad Box' console will still see a release in the long run, especially considering the questions that still remain unanswered around Stadia, and the future of cloud based gaming platforms.

Like what we do at RaceDepartment? Follow us on Social Media!

 

 

[larre90]

Nah, guys, no problem.

This project will be buyed by Epic, so no harm to anyone.

 

[Neils on Wheels]

Gutted was going to pick one of these up.

 

[R1Joel]

I'm more surprised by the fact that they had people investing on it lol
He must be pretty good at selling an idea if he managed to convince anyone to put money on it. You'd expect rich people are smarter with their money at least when is about investing it... who the hell would try to get in the console market with the well stabilished big guys there...

I wouldn't be surprised if the 'investors' were made up..

 

[CobraCat]

oops! I guessed SMS couldn't be arsed to Google search their console name before attempting to get it trademarked.

https://wccftech.com/mad-box-trademark-cancelled/

 

[Enagee]

I did wish SMS well but knew deep it wasn't going to happen just like that....All aboard the Hype Road to PC3.

 

[Miguel Batista]

In my experience with custom ffb on an AccuForce it's now just slightly behind iR/AC (further behind ACC)/R3E/rF1 (further behind rF2)/AMS. Distance behind ACC/rF2 is about the distance of iR/R3E behind ACC/rF2. Clean up that rough ffb signal and it would be on par with those lesser titles.

The whole problem is exactly that you have to go out of your way to get the ffb files and tune the in-game settings to something satisfactory.

If PC3 just simply integrates the already good ffb solutions, cleans up the noisey ffb signal a little bit, improves AI so they're not so dumb in corners and digital in their turning, and keeps improving their multiplayer towards an iR-like platform, I'd say PC3 is easily on par with ACC and, at least as a complete package, surpasses rF2.

Not a PCars fanboy, not a hater, either. I like quality sims and I can feel there is a sim living inside the PC2 body you just have to coax it out. The combination of outstanding graphics, that performs well on lesser hardware compared to ACC, and real sim features has amazing promise. I hope they keep it up if at least to keep Kunos/SimBin/S3/S397 honest.

Funny how these things work. For me, with the right ffb, pcars2 is superior to AC or r3e and on par with AMS (sims I own). I just know what is going on better. And I used to be an AC fanboy and recently I completely changed my mind. I don't use a dd wheel however, just a TS-PC so the roughness you speak of might not be feelable for me due to the natural dampening of a belt driven wheel. I use raw flavour btw.

 

[CreamyCornCob]

Stadia's biggest hurdle is to over come the data latency issue, with the gaming hardware being on the server side.

But this console was a bust from the beginning. You just aren't going to compete with Sony, MS and now Google.

 

[DaVeX↯]

Latest news reports that Chris Roberts and Ian Bell are working on a new IP togheter...

 

[nogoodnames]

I wonder why I'm not surprised

 

[Hor-hay]

If Steam couldn't get there's up, what made them think they could lol

 

[Dirk Steffen]

This is hilarious. It shows a special kind of character to punily try to shove the lack of success to move forward towards google having made an unrelated announcement.

This guy is a tool.

 

[kondor999]

I guess it couldn't play Crysis.

 

[CreamyCornCob]

This is hilarious. It shows a special kind of character to punily try to shove the lack of success to move forward towards google having made an unrelated announcement.

This guy is a tool.

It is related. If Stadia takes off, Sony and MS will be counting every console sale more than ever (console sales will take a big dive). That means this Mud-Box doesn't stand a chance, which is why two of its biggest investors pounded sand.

 

[dumdidum]

As if he/they ever had two investors with 1.2 billion for this project.

 

[Dirk Steffen]

It is related. If Stadia takes off, Sony and MS will be counting every console sale more than ever (console sales will take a big dive). That means this Mud-Box doesn't stand a chance, which is why two of its biggest investors pounded sand.

It would be related IF the project would have only had a glimpse of a realistic chance to begin with but as we all very well know an individual with colossal Delusion of Grandure and an impeccable track record of douche-ness and not delivering on incredibly glorious promises is involved, hence, …

I would not buy a second hand rock from that guy.

 

[E304LIFE]

PCars3 should be their main focus and keeping hype for the game their main strategy imho. I think a lot of snide remarks here are because Ian Bell is not the best PR ever. He is short in his temper and bites back people who are honestly just pointing out flaws in a product they love. But i definitely want to see a PCARS 3.

Agreed.

 

[The Walker]

Funny how these things work. For me, with the right ffb, pcars2 is superior to AC or r3e and on par with AMS (sims I own).

Well far then from being able to call it "best sim hands down" having tried just 3 sims and call PC2 the best sim hands down. Try at least rF2, iR and ACC

 

[Raikku]

Not so surprised, big players use billions to develop/make consoles so how could little company go to war against them.

 

[OzzyNeil]

I would have loved a MadBox so i could smash it to pieces with a sledge hammer, something I couldnt do with my digital copy of PC2.

 

[wombat999]

Was never going to fly.
Why did it get any air here?