Faster! Faster!

Robin,

We've had this same discussion in a number of threads here, so I'm going to start by responding to you with one of my previous responses to you.

"Changing the hardware in the console isn't going to affect how frequently it crashes.

Changing the hardware on the console would be a *huge* undertaking. If you want hardware that can be installed into existing consoles then we would have to design a custom motherboard, which is an expensive and time consuming project.

All of the resources that would be dedicated to designing, developing, and testing this new hardware are resources that would no longer be available to work on other development projects, including improving the stability of the console."

That fairly well sums things up. The Wholehog 3 uses a custom motherboard. We would not be able to find a motherboard that could retrofit into existing consoles. We would have to design one. Designing a custom motherboard is a far larger project than you seem to understand. In addition to being possibly the most complex hardware component in the product line, it also requires much more firmware to be developed. You also seem convinced that this new hardware would somehow reduce crashing. Crashing is caused by problems within an application. That is currently where our efforts our focused. A new motherboard wouldn't cause us to crash less, it would just allow us to crash faster.

As we have *proven* with the development that has happened in the past 18 months, it is very possible for us to improve performance and stability with software changes to our application. This offers actual solutions to legitimate software bugs rather than throwing faster hardware at the problems and also gives us a solution that our users don't have to spend money to get.

You mention that we should sell this new motherboard for $1000. I have no idea how you've arrived at this number, but as I've mentioned above, I don't think you understand the costs involved in a project like this. Your $1000 price is far less than our current motherboards cost. Remember that we don't have the benefits of the economies of scale that a major PC motherboard manufacturer would have.

I'd like to close by quoting myself in another previous response to you.

"We are constantly working to improve the performance of the console in ways that will have the greatest impact for the majority of our user base, as you can tell by the recent views improvements. If we make hardware changes to the console, we will need to sit down and find the best way to make those improvements available to existing users. This decision will be affected by a number of factors, including cost, mechanical compatibility, and customer needs. I think you're putting the cart in front of the horse here. Keep in mind that we're all happiest when our users are happy and that's what we strive for, but we do need to make feasible business decisions that allow us to continue working to improve the product."

I belive I've "chewed on" everything you said. If my responses don't answer your questions, please feel free to ask for clarification.

Thanks.

Robin,

We've had this same discussion in a number of threads here, so I'm going to start by responding to you with one of my previous responses to you.

"Changing the hardware in the console isn't going to affect how frequently it crashes.

Changing the hardware on the console would be a *huge* undertaking. If you want hardware that can be installed into existing consoles then we would have to design a custom motherboard, which is an expensive and time consuming project.

All of the resources that would be dedicated to designing, developing, and testing this new hardware are resources that would no longer be available to work on other development projects, including improving the stability of the console."

That fairly well sums things up. The Wholehog 3 uses a custom motherboard. We would not be able to find a motherboard that could retrofit into existing consoles. We would have to design one. Designing a custom motherboard is a far larger project than you seem to understand. In addition to being possibly the most complex hardware component in the product line, it also requires much more firmware to be developed. You also seem convinced that this new hardware would somehow reduce crashing. Crashing is caused by problems within an application. That is currently where our efforts our focused. A new motherboard wouldn't cause us to crash less, it would just allow us to crash faster.

As we have *proven* with the development that has happened in the past 18 months, it is very possible for us to improve performance and stability with software changes to our application. This offers actual solutions to legitimate software bugs rather than throwing faster hardware at the problems and also gives us a solution that our users don't have to spend money to get.

You mention that we should sell this new motherboard for $1000. I have no idea how you've arrived at this number, but as I've mentioned above, I don't think you understand the costs involved in a project like this. Your $1000 price is far less than our current motherboards cost. Remember that we don't have the benefits of the economies of scale that a major PC motherboard manufacturer would have.

I'd like to close by quoting myself in another previous response to you.

"We are constantly working to improve the performance of the console in ways that will have the greatest impact for the majority of our user base, as you can tell by the recent views improvements. If we make hardware changes to the console, we will need to sit down and find the best way to make those improvements available to existing users. This decision will be affected by a number of factors, including cost, mechanical compatibility, and customer needs. I think you're putting the cart in front of the horse here. Keep in mind that we're all happiest when our users are happy and that's what we strive for, but we do need to make feasible business decisions that allow us to continue working to improve the product."

I belive I've "chewed on" everything you said. If my responses don't answer your questions, please feel free to ask for clarification.

Thanks.