The Acedia (also known as Acedia 64) is a home video game console developed by Acedia, it is the first console by Acedia. The console was released in Halloween 2014 and it competes with Sony's PlayStation 4, Microsoft's Xbox One and the Wii U.
The Acedia was known for a kiosk-like appearance. However, it was later redesigned in a medium size, which is less heavier and more lighter.
The Acedia is also similar to most microconsoles, where you do not need optical discs or cartridges to play the game.
The Acedia received near-positive reception, despite it has a kiosk-like appearance and other few issues.
The Acedia was also criticised prior to the United States release.
The Acedia also has a clone of the Mii avatar system, also known as Personal Avatar or Acediod, similar to Cartoon Network's Noods and Toonix.
History
In 2012, when the Wii U was released, some of the ex-Nintendo, SEGA and Cartoon Network employees formed a new company called "Acedia". Around that time, they're planned to make a console to beats the sales of Wii U, however, the company denied that plan until later in 2013.
On December 2013, they announced a console called "Acedia Ultra". On January 2014, Acedia announced that the release date for this console would be on October 30, 2014.
However, Acedia's employees stated that the console's name was changed to Acedia 64, as they have to poke fun with the Nintendo 64's wordmark.
Leaks related to the proposed console "Acedia Ultra" includes the same, but almost different specifications to the Wii U and a patent for optical disc-less gaming console.
When Acedia visited the E3 2014, they unveiled the Acedia 64. Later, they unveiled some trailers for the Acedia 64 and its games.
A very few months later, Acedia announced that the North American release date was pushed back to October 30, 2015, then to July 21, 2015, to make way for the sales of Wii U.
The Acedia 64 was later promoted in the Clarence episode "Belson's Sleepover" on the release date of the Acedia 64 in Japan, Australia and Europe.
Launch
The Acedia was released on October 30, 2014 in Japan, Australia and Europe, the same date where the Clarence episode "Belson's Sleepover" was aired. The launch titles for the Japanese, Australian and European versions of the Acedia are:
- Psychopathic Ice Cream Man (Acedia)
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Namco)
- FIFA 15 (EA Sports)
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (SEGA/Sumo Digital)
- Need for Speed Rivals (EA)
- Little Inferno (Tomorrow Corporation)
- Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games)
Due to the fact that the Acedia will not be released in the United States, similar to the New 3DS, gamers imported the European and Japanese versions of this console prior to the North American launch.
Eight months later, Acedia went to the E3 2015 to announce its North American release date. Soon it was revealed that the console will be launched on near Halloween 2015. However, it was pushed back to July 21, 2015.
One month after the E3 2015, Acedia began to launch the United States version of the game console at GameStop. The launch titles includes:
- Psychopathic Ice Cream Man (Acedia)
- Undertale (tobyfox)
- Little Inferno (Tomorrow Corporation)
- Need for Speed Rivals (EA)
- FIFA 16 (EA Sports)
- Scribblenauts Unlimited (Warner Bros./5th Cell)
- Kerbal Space Program (Squad)
- BioShock Infinite (2K Games)
- Riptide GP2 (Vector Unit)
- Lego Jurassic World (LEGO/Universal)
- Badland: Game of the Year Edition (Frogmind)
- Disney Infinity 3.0 (Disney)
- Skylanders: SuperChargers (Activision)
- Lego Dimensions (LEGO)
- Guitar Hero Live (Activision)
- Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Young Horses)
- Steven Universe: Attack The Light (Cartoon Network)
- Sonic Lost World (SEGA)
The United States version has a redesigned appearance than the first one.
Software
Start-up of the Acedia 64
See also: Acedia 64 system software
Home screen of the Acedia 64 (Notes: This home screen was from October 30, 2014)
The Acedia began with a startup that features the letters "ACEDIA" from the top-left to the center of the screen with the SEGA-alike jingle on it, then it shows the owner of the console with the Mii-like avatar on it (if it's created by the user), then it will proceed to the menu. Originally, when a game is played, the computer male voice will say the rating of the video game that is being played, the computer male voice will say rated E, E10+ or T in a normal and kind voice, while the computer male voice will say rated M in a furious voice (this only appeared in US models). The rating screen can be disabled via the "Parental Controls" section. However, in a day one update after the release in North America, the rating screen and the voiceovers were finally removed.
Pressing the controller's "Home" button suspends the current game or app and opens the Home Menu: it shows basic information (such as the current time, controller battery levels, and notifications), and allows access to several "multitasking" functions, including the Acedia Store, Game Wall, download manager, a web browser, and the user's friends list.
In System Software 2.0.6, a new modular kernel and background application based on NetBSD called DASH (Dynamic Application SHared Objects Platform, also known as DASHOP) was released, it features components and its kernel based on NetBSD. It is also backward compatible with the proprietary .bin executable. Applications for the DASH platform are written in an executable and linkable file format (.elf) and in a standard binary executable (.bin). It's operating system size is around 96MB-256MB (including system drivers).
Online Service
The Acedia uses the Acedia Network platform for online services, enabling online multiplayer, downloading and purchasing games or apps via Acedia Store, the Acedia Friend Chat service, and other services. Up to twelve accounts can be created per console.
A social networking service known as Game Wall is integrated into the Acedia's system software; it allows players to interact and share content in game-specific communities using their avatar. Game Wall allows users to share accomplishments, screenshots, drawings and hand-written notes. Select games are integrated with Game Wall, where social interactions can also occur within the game, or appear within their content. Game Wall is moderated through software filtering as well as a human resource team in order to ensure that the content shared by users is appropriate and that no spoilers are shared.
Multimedia integration
The Acedia supports online video services through apps, such as Amazon Video, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube. The Acedia does not support the playback of DVD or Blu-ray Disc, due to the fact that the Acedia is a disc-less game console.
Games
See also: List of Acedia 64 games
The Acedia 64 uses digital download as the only method for distributing games for this system, all of the games that released for this system were stored in a proprietary .bin format, rather than in optical discs. Manuals for each game are only available in a digital format.
The console is region locked; software purchased in a region can be only played on that region's hardware.
The Acedia has also received third-party support from most video game companies, such as Sega, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Activision, Electronic Arts, Cartoon Network Games, and other popular video game developers.
Games that are released on the Acedia 64 costs around $4.99-$25.00/$39.00. DLCs that are released on the Acedia 64 costs around a dollar.
Hardware
The original model, in a demo kiosk form
.png){kind=link}
Redesigned model for the United States release.
The Acedia uses the same processor as the Wii U developed by AMD, IBM and Renesas (albeit it is rebranded without any Nintendo references). The processor combines an "Espresso" central processing unit (CPU) and a "Latte" graphics chip (GPU), as well as a SEEPROM memory chip. The Espresso CPU, designed by IBM, consists of a PowerPC 750-based tri-core processor with 3 MB of shared L2 cache memory and clocked at approximately 1.24 GHz. Despite belonging to the PowerPC family, the Espresso also shares some architectural concepts with the POWER7 architecture, such as the use of eDRAM cache and being manufactured at a 45 nm node. The Latte graphics chip contains a "GX2" GPGPU, which runs Acedia applications. The GX2, designed by AMD, is based on the Radeon R600/R700 architecture and is clocked at approximately 550 MHz. It is manufactured at a 40 nm node and contains 32 MB of eDRAM cache memory, which can also act as L3 cache for the CPU. The GX, originally designed by ATI Technologies, contains a 1 MB and a 2 MB banks of eSRAM cache memory. The Latte chip also includes a secondary custom ARM9 processor with 96 KB of SRAM memory that handles system tasks in the background during gameplay or while the system is in sleep mode, and dedicated hardware audio DSP module.
The console contains 2 GB of DDR3 system memory consisting of four 512 MB (4 Gb) DRAM chips with a maximum bandwidth of 12.8 GB/s. Of this, 1 GB is reserved for the operating system and is unavailable to games. The memory architecture allows the CPU and GPU to access both the main DDR3 memory pool and the eDRAM cache memory pool on the GPU, removing the need for separate, dedicated memory pools. The console includes either an 16 GB (for the original model) or 32 GB (for the redesigned model) internal eMMC flash memory, expandable via SD memory cards up to 32 GB and USB external hard disk drives up to 2 TB.
The Acedia features 802.11 b/g /n wireless network connectivity and support for Fast Ethernet with an accessory, Bluetooth 4.0, a total of four USB 2.0 ports, and an SD/SDHC memory card slot. Video output options include 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576i, 480p and 480i, through HDMI 1.4 and component video (YPBPR, D-Terminal and RGB SCART) or 576i, 480i anamorphic widescreen through composite video (S-Video, SCART and D-Terminal). Audio output options include six-channel 5.1 linear PCM surround sound or analog stereo. The console also supports stereoscopic (3D) images and video.
Controller
The Acedia Controller is designed to appeal to beginner-hardcore players, with a more traditional gamepad design that resembles those used by the PlayStation and Xbox lines (and in particular, the Xbox 360's controller), and a claimed 80-hour battery life. It's buttons were more advanced and also appeals to hardcore gamers.
Reception
Critics and most gamers know that this console is similar to the Wii U. However, its sales were roughly similar to the Wii U. Some people were criticised for the distribution of games. Others were criticised for its kiosk-like design.
IGN mentioned that most of the launch titles of the Acedia 64 were getting flopped. However, IGN also stated that sales are still going strong.
Gamespot and other video game reviewers praised for its hardware and its software.
One person stated that this console may found similar to the upcoming NX.
Trivia
- A rare model has been showed up in Yahoo! Auctions prior to the US release, it has a more store display-oriented appearance than the released version. It came with demo versions of Psychopathic Ice Cream Man, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, FIFA 15, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Need for Speed Rivals, Little Inferno, and Shovel Knight. It actually costs the same price as the demo kiosk version of Wii U. It costs ¥131,200 ($1185), which costs more expensive than the released version.
- An easter egg can be found by pressing 2-4 buttons on 1-2 controllers, when it presses, the Acedia startup will be more sounded like the SEGA scream.