Initial Note: I'm looking for two answers and am willing to pay $50 to
two people who'll write their responses.
NOTICE: This idea is copyrighted! Although the design isn't patented,
the concept is legally copyright. So please don't think you can take
my idea. This post is a record as well.
Need consulting in: Potential development for a new product for the
Playstation 2. I'd like to list in detail what the product is below.
I'd like to ask for in a response:
1. To the best of your knowledge, will this device be able to work in
a Playstation 2? Do you believe there should be modifications to my
plan that will work better? If this product won't work, why? Are there
any workarounds?
2. If to your knowledge there needs to be more components in order to
the device to achieve the desired goal, what will it need?
3. Do you believe there is a potential market out there for this
product? Will the manufacturing costs be too high to sell the product
to the consumer?
4. Are there any legal issues that might arise with this product? If
you believe there are, what alternatives are there to avoid such
risks?
5. If the overall posts show the potential of this product being a
success.. I'd like to offer to work forther with those whom answer my
question in the development of it! :-)
DESIRED FUNCTION OF DEVICE: To act as an interfact between the
Playstation 2 and a computer, and send "signals" to the computer for
the purpose of:
I. Translation. The device would monitor the memory address used in
the game which displays the text captions from a game into the TV.
These values would be submitted to the computer and a pre-typed
translation would show the english translation. Ex:
Many RPG games will draw a box above a character and fill in text
representing the characters speech. This box would have a memory
range. Also, captions (subtitles) must have a memory range as well.
Advantage: Playstation 2 users will be able to play imported PS2 games
from Asia and not need to understand the Japanese language. Most
games, such as RPG titles like Final Fantasy are first released in
Japan and Americans/Europeans have to wait an additional 6 months to a
year or more for the same title to be released in their homeland.
Because of the huge popularity of games such as Final Fantasy 12, Star
Ocean, Xenosaga (Second Edition), I predict a large market for this
product, as fans won't have to wait a YEAR for a later release in
English.
II. Strategy/Cheating. The device may be set to listen to certain
memory addresses associated with:
A. New scenes in a game
B. New areas
C. Beginning of new puzzles.
D. Picking up new items.
E. etc..
The computer, upon detecting these changes, and if the computer's
software recognizes any of these event changes, the computer may
display hints, codes, strategies for the event.
Example:
In a game, everytime a new video plays just before facing a tough
battle, that video would have a unique value in a memory address
representing this video. The computer would then display immediate
hints on how to survive the next battle!
Essentially, it's like purchasing a strategy guide, but you don't need
to flip through the pages to follow the strategy guide, it will follow
you as you progress through the game.
III. DVD Translation- The device would also recieve the subtitles from
a Japanese DVD and the computer would provide a pre-typed up english
translation.
Example: The concept is pretty straght-forward. As you know, there is
a large demand for Japanese anime now in the US. Piracy is huge as
people download anime before it is released in the US. This shows a
potential market. People will be able to actually purchase an anime
DVD in japanese and understand what is being said.
(I know you may point out that people can't watch a computer screen at
the same time at the DVD! This feature therefore wouldn't be as
important as the first two. It would be for the most part, as just an
extra feature. You could place a laptop or computer screen next to the
TV.)
Specific details on how I believe the product will operate:
Essentially, the device is very similar to a gameshark. With the
gameshark, you insert a GameShark cd, which loads the utility in RAM
to allow the gameshark hardware device to repeatedly write to RAM. You
choose the game and the codes and your all set!
This device will work in a similar fashion, but instead of writing new
values to memory addresses so many times a second, this device will
only READ values in the memory, and send them to the computer.
A. CDROM
The device will undoutably require a CD to be inserted at the PS2 is
turned on in order to write instructions to RAM to allow the device to
read the memory addresses.
B. Device Itself
The device would most likely plug into a memory card slot. The device
would have a USB out port on the front which would connect a USB cable
to the computer. It will need to have an internal processor to manage
accessing the PS2 RAM repeatedly (the idea is to not put too many
calculations on the Playstation's processor itself which may slow the
game down.
(If an expert believes that the internal processor will be able to
handle the task and we can utilize the built-in USB port, please let
me know! :-)
C. Computer Software
On the computer's end, special software which came with the device
would be running. The software would contain a database of games which
the player can load. The database contains all of the translated text.
A third party company may create an additional database which can be
loaded to provide miscellaneous information, such as a strategy guide.
The software can be updated to recieve new fixes and new game
databases for future titles.
The player would load the database for the game they wish to play.
Then, once the game is started on the console, the device would
monitor specific memory ranges that the computer uploads to it. The
device then sends out the values that are place in these addresses and
the computer continues to check the results and wait for a known
value(s) to be recieved.
These known values represent a set of text, or a specific scene. Then
the english translation would be shown.
CONCLUSION: I believe this product has a lot of potential if it is
marketed. There are many fans of Playstation 2 titles and genres.
Players would no longer have to wait for these titles to be released
in their contenent anymore.
It is true that you will either have to own an Asian version of the
Playstation 2, or have a MOD-chip installed. It is because of this I
don't believe this product will have a large market in the United
States. Research shows that mod chips are much more popular in Europe,
especially in the UK. Also, places like Austrailia I believe as well.
Mod chips are most popular in Hong Kong.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=250801
The product of course will be available to US residents who choose to order it.
I believe that is it!
I'd like to ask if anyone that is reading this would post a comment
and tell me if they would purchase this product if it existed? What
would you look for in this product? Do you recommend any changes in
the design?
THANK YOU!! |
