Can Indie's make game consoles?

[DarkCore]

Hello everyone. I was wondering is it possible for indies to make a game console and sell it?

[PoV]

Successfully? No.

If you have the know how, you can make whatever the heck consumer product you want. But you're not going to have any success with a gaming device. Tapwave, Gizmondo and Nokia couldn't do it, explain how an indie with no money will?

The closest thing you're going to get is the GP32 or the GP2X (http://www.gp2x.com/), which someone else made mind you, but it's an open enough and available device. And there's the X GameStation, but all that's really good for is giving you a crash course in nostalgic game development or basic IC's and hardware, that you could *maybe* throw together something like those all in one TV game in a joystick devices. But that's probably pushing it.

[MrPhil]

Garage Games would say yes: Marble Blast Ultra (http://www.garagegames.com/news/9638)

[whisperstorm]

Seems like there is a market for some indie games via XBOX Live. But getting in the door there is going to be difficult.

[Greg Squire]

Are you talking about creating a "game console" (meaning the console platform or hardware to run the games on)? If so, then take POV's answer. Doing that would be EXTREMELY dificult and take LOTS of money, time, and people. Something an Indie generally doesn't have.

If you are talking about a "console game" (meaning a game that would run on an existing game console), then the answer is "Yes, but it won't be easy". There are avenues to get an Indie game onto Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA). Although the opportunity window seems to be closing some, as the "big boys" are now rushing in to push smaller downloadable games of their own through this channel.