This is all slightly mad
Slightly Mad Studios is a London-based developer of racing games, probably best known for Need for Speed: Shift and Project CARS. However, it’s looking to make a name for itself outside of racing in the next couple years — specifically, as a new console manufacturer.
Slightly Mad CEO and founder Ian Bell created a Twitter account today to reveal the studio’s plans to enter the console market. Bell says the Slightly Mad console (dubbed The Mad Box) will be “the most powerful console ever built.” Its projected specifications, according to Bell, have it capable of 4K output and VR gaming at 120 frames per second. Bell also states that it’ll include a full engine for free game development.
Bell gave more details to Variety, saying that The Mad Box is approximately three years out, that it’ll be a standalone console that’s compatible with most major VR headsets, and that it’ll be comparable to a top-of-the-line PC two years from now. He also mentions that it’ll be priced “competitive with upcoming console prices,” presumably meaning the upcoming PlayStation 5 and the next Xbox (both of which we’ll probably learn more about in 2019).
Don’t expect Slightly Mad to go the crowdfunding route for this venture. Bell says “We have multiple investors already offering the required funding for us to see the product to completion, but it’s still early days and we’re looking at the best offers right now. All that we have approached are discussing standard partial ownership investment deals.”
Even if the timeline is long on The Mad Box’s release, Bell mentions that we should see more of it quite soon. Images of its early design concept should be released within four to six weeks. As for the elephant in the room, Bell responds to someone asking if this is another Ouya by saying “Absolutely not. Seriously.”
