In 1985, Nintendo introduced the Famicom: an eight-bit computer and video game console. In America, it was known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and garnered widespread fame with its flagship game Mario. However, the console has been made obsolete by its successors, the Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Wii. In most developed countries, this former celebrity fills landfills. However, could it be staging a comeback as the computer of the less fortunate?
Bringing Technology to The Poor
There have been attempts to bring computers to the third world. Price is the most difficult issue: some families live on a dollar a day. The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project managed to create a modern laptop for about $150, but that's still a stretch for many. When even rudimentary computer skills can make someone go from "$1 per day to $1 per hour", perhaps a less fancy solution is better.
The Dawn of Home Computing
In 1976, Apple's first computer hit the shelves. The Apple I contained a MOS Technologies 6502 processor, a cheaper variant of Motorola's 6800 processor that only costed $25. This early computer would soon be joined by others -- including the Famicom -- to begin the home computer revolution. These computers are collectively referred to as 8-bit systems because their chips only worked on single bytes (1 byte = 8 bits) at a time, unlike our modern 32- and 64-bit processors. Although they're primitive by today's standards, these chips could power basic word processors, games, and spreadsheet software -- meaning they're still quite useful.
The 6502 is still cheap today, costing $14.00 per unit on Mouser Electronics. More importantly, since the Famicom's circuitry has been known for decades, other companies have pirated the design and produced cheap clones. Third-world citizens can pick up a $12 computer that plugs right into their TV sets and does everything a NES could do. That's why, unlike OLPC, Playpower's focus is not on hardware production: the computers are already out there. Instead, they envision developing quality educational and office software for these legacy systems. However, for the computer to be cheap, the software needs to be free. How will they manage that?
Open-Source Development
The obvious solution is to make the computer available to benevolent developers in first-world countries. Many great projects have been developed for free, by programmers who see beyond the bottom line -- and have loads of free time. And if the computer's only $12, what does someone this side of the Pacific have to lose? At least it would be an interesting hobby.
However, in the United States, the computer is not $12. Instead, a complete system of keyboard (with computer inside), mouse, controllers, and cartridge is about $50 at MakerSHED. And the only three reviews did not inspire confidence. Even though the controllers and mouse were good, apparently the keyboard didn't work for some. And the documentation was lacking too. There's actually a pretty good review on this guy's blog, including some pictures of the system. The general impression of the product is that, at its current stage, it's nothing more than an enigmatic "toy" that lets you waste hours trying to figure out how to make it work. That's why I'll wait until they fix it up a bit. For now, I can get a $12 Rubik's Cube that has the same effect.
My Thoughts: Make That PC Decent...
Personally, I feel the product should be of decent quality. Apparently the mouse and controllers work, and the software is fine too. But what about the keyboard? Every review I've seen (three of them) says the keyboards are crap, and some don't even work. It should also be well-documented. When developing software, I ABSOLUTELY HATE hunting for help. A lot of computers from the 8-bit era featured complete owner's manuals with the computer's circuit diagrams in the back. I can understand the need to minimize printing costs -- why not some online help. Yes, the PC must be cheap, but cheap should just mean limited in features -- not broken or hard to use.
What About Internet?
Playpower is looking into the Famicom Modem, a device that connects a NES to the Internet via a telephone line. If it can be mass-produced again, it could indeed be promising. However, the target market doesn't have the infrastructure: many places don't even have power lines, let alone telephone lines. I highly doubt the Famicom Modem would be a success with no phone jack to plug it into.
Instead, I envision a cartridge with an antenna that can connect to a long-distance wireless Internet service, and run a basic Web browser. I think that'd be incredible for developing countries. With the new WiMAX, the successor to WiFi, Internet transmissions can travel nearly 50 km at a speed of ~40 Mbit/sec. This means only a few scattered access points would be required throughout the country, as opposed to stringing cables everywhere. The prices for the WiMAX chips are set to fall below $10 in 2011, so an Internet cartridge could end up being, say...$15-$20? I wonder if this is already in progress, and if it would actually work in developing countries. After all, the required infrastructure should be very cost-effective.
Is All This a Good Idea?
That's a good question. While computers have created many new opportunities and generally improved our standard of living, they also pose many problems. The villages that welcome the Internet are also welcoming cultural assimilation. They'll be exposed to the same advertisements, ideas, and culture that the rest of the world shares, meaning they could lose the traits that make them unique. Like in the States, parents are likely to be at odds with their techno-savvy children -- who no longer respect their ancestral culture now that they're a part of something greater. This may result in the breakdown of traditional societies, leaving people worse off than they were without PC's.
There's also the well-known risks associated with computer use. The resulting vision problems and carpal tunnel syndrome will mandate additional medical infrastructure. I don't think even the Lions Club's drop boxes have enough used glasses for these poor computer nerds. Once they become disabled, they have even fewer opportunities than when they began.
More importantly, technology is still a relatively recent thing -- and wireless networks are even more recent. Electrosensitivity is a proven condition that afflicts a small fraction of the population, but suggests trouble for the rest of us. Electrosensitive individuals can detect electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which are created in the air around electric wires, devices, and antennas. Science cannot explain electrosensitivity, even though its existence has been proven -- which leads one to question our understanding of EMFs. Studies have shown a higher rate of birth defects in families living near overhead power lines. Do we really want to expose more of the world to something we don't fully understand?
All of these concerns pose a smaller risk than the starvation many currently face. However, once this technology becomes widespread, it will be too late to undo any harm it causes. In the time before the Playpower system becomes popular, I hope the organization addresses these important concerns.
What's Happening Now?
The last post on the Playpower blog was on March 12th. That's over 5 months ago, leading me to wonder if the project died an early death -- or is waiting for the next school year to start. It looks like their present task is getting the cc65 C compiler to work for the NES. Once that works, they can use the Contiki operating system -- which has a built-in text web browser and very low hardware requirements. To be honest, I probably won't even look at coding for this until I can write stuff in C. Until then, I wish them luck. It'll be neat when giving code -- not just cash -- can improve the lives of third-world citizens.
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