Drauger OS is an ambitious project that focuses on providing a good gaming experience on the Linux platform without compromising the security.
Even though I haven’t tried it yet, it is definitely something that would appeal to Linux gaming enthusiasts.
In a recent blog post, they addressed that the development for the upcoming release Drauger OS 7.6 is underway while also revealing some exciting details for their plans to launch a Game console and develop a Game Console Desktop Environment (GCDE) tailored for that.
Not to forget, they also mention postponing their plan indefinitely to develop Drauger OS for ARM.
Here, I’ll be focusing to give you the details of the new game console.
A New Game Console – Vetala
The most exciting information in the blog update is their new venture to make a Linux game console powered by Drauger OS but with a different desktop environment.
As mentioned above, it will be known as the “Game Console Desktop Environment” with a focus on east of use on top of Linux without sacrificing the modularity and customizability. It is in early alpha stages but will be using GTK 4 when the stable release approaches. And, yes, it will also make use of Xfce in some way to keep the code-base minimal.
The game console itself, “Vetala” derives its name from Hindu mythology which is also comparable to vampires from western mythology. It refers to someone who is a revenant (back from dead).
The console is still in the design phase, but they plan to have three variants of the game console with a low-end option, mid-range variant, and a high-end configuration ranging from $600 to $1000.
It would include a dedicated graphics card, Wi-Fi, and off-the-shelve PC components. Even though they haven’t decided any particular configuration yet, they do plan to utilize the same CPU architecture across the variants to make it easy for the developers to optimize and compile for specific hardware.
The game console will potentially have an All-ABS plastic body and the enclosure design will be made public as well.
Here’s what they mention about the idea:
CAD files for the enclosure will be made available, for free, whether Vetala ends up coming to market or not.
The idea behind this is twofold: If you like the way Vetala looks, but don’t like the hardware, you can build your own PC in a Vetala enclosure. (or) If you buy a Vetala console and break the enclosure somehow, you can 3D print a replacement part.
They want to make the hardware design open-source with the potential to easily collaborate with the community.
Overall, the idea sounds exciting theoretically. But, looking at the availability of PC components and their pricing, it would be definitely tough to provide a great bang for the buck Linux game console that would appeal to the general consumers and not just limited to Linux enthusiasts.
Of course, depending on the design, we can get an idea on how they plan to keep the console cool while providing the best performance. For now, we can’t comment on anything.
They have shared this idea to see how the community feels. Personally, I like the idea, and we definitely need more Linux-focused platforms/hardware to let the average consumers roll their eyes to experience the potential.
What do you think about Drauger OS’s new project idea of making a game console? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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