2002
The Dawn of a Revolution: The Launch of the LSeries (Part 1)
| Logo | |
| Codenames | Indrema Entertainment System, L600 |
| Full Name | Indrema LSeries Entertainment System |
| CPU | Custom Intel Celeron @ 800 MHz |
| RAM | 64MB DDR SDRAM, with an additional 64MB for the GPU |
| GPU | Custom ATI R200 GPU (Radeon 8500 based, on par with the GeForce3) @ 275 MHz |
| Media | DVD, CD, digital distribution |
| Storage | 10 GB IDE hard drive (with plans for larger storage later) |
| Operating System | DV Linux (modified Linux kernel) |
| Video | Composite, component, S-Video, via the LSeries’ proprietary AV cord, “Indrema AV”, VGA, HDMI |
| Audio | Analog stereo, optical audio (TOSLINK) |
| Input | 6 USB ports (4x front, 2x back) |
| Connectivity | Fast Ethernet/LAN, 56k USB modem (sold separately) |
| Release Date | US: February 22nd, 2002 |
| Initial Price | $299.99 |
Final final specs at launch (for reals this time)
“The day before its launch at 6 PM, I left my job at Taco Bell early and started camping out at Best Buy with like 25 other people (and more during midnight) to wait for the LSeries. There was a couple that gave all of us free food so we wouldn’t starve. When Best Buy opened its doors, I got my LSeries.” - YouTube comment from “LSeries launch day (February 21-22, 2002)” by Vampire Robot (exists IOTL)
In December the year prior, Indrema started partnering with the rental giant, Blockbuster, in a promotion that allowed gamers to rent the LSeries before its official release (3). These systems came with a DVD-ROM with demos of LSeries games. Indrema promoted the LSeries heavily on TV, print, and on the internet, with advertisements stating the slogan “2/22 4 $299 (99!)” (1), with
The Book of Aeri,
Astro the Armadillo, and
Railpunchers headlining the advertisements for the system. The backlash had died down more as the hype grew.
By February 21st, the day before the LSeries officially launched in North America, many people camped out at stores such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart as the first public LSeries units were shipped Indrema expected to ship out 75,000-100,000 units during launch week. Many retail chains threw launch parties, with some providing food, while the system was being officially launched at midnight. When stores opened, people got the system they’d been waiting for almost two years. Despite all the troubles Indrema had while bringing the system to market, the LSeries launched, being the most powerful system at the time in theory, as it one-upped the Xbox's 750 MHz processor ITTL and its nVidia GPU (same IOTL and ITTL) and mostly positive reviews. The LSeries would be shipped into stores across North America throughout the year.
By the time the LSeries released, InterAct’s controller, known as the “LPad”, had changed significantly, with it being a hybrid between their AxisPad and Hammerhead controllers, with 4 face buttons and “start” and “select” buttons, rumble (powered by the LSeries), a D-pad, two analog sticks, in a layout not unlike the DualShock, while the chrome casing on the prototype was replaced with with a matte silver with textured rubber grips for better handling. As a last minute decision, Indrema swapped the 766MHz Celeron with a faster 800MHz one.
The system included:
- The LSeries itself
- 1 LPad (controller)
- Indrema AV to composite
- Power plug
- The Book of Aeri
- …and of course, a manual and some other documentation.
Its user interface, the Launchpad, which was designed by MANEX [2], who made the SFX for The Matrix, was shown if a disc was not inserted or if the user exited the application. It could be controlled by the LPad, the LBaton (remote control), or a USB keyboard and mouse. It had these apps built in:
- Indrema Game Channel: where one could download some LSeries games, including indie titles, from the Internet
- Indrema Music Channel: allowed playback of audio files, which also could be burned onto the LSeries’ hard drive
- Indrema Web Channel: a Mozilla-based (not Firefox) browser functioning like a PC's browser, complete with add-ons such as Flash and the ability to download
- Indrema Cinema: launched when a video disc was inserted, also supported progressive scan DVD playback
- Indrema Photo Channel: allowed photos to be viewed on the LSeries
The Launchpad could be customized with skins, from original skins to skins that imitated the UIs of the other consoles.
The LSeries could play CDs, Video CDs, and DVDs. LSeries games were distributed digitally, on DVD-ROM, and on CD-ROM.
Consumers praised the LSeries’ sleek design, widely known as “a product ahead of its time”, the Launchpad user interface, its multimedia functionality, and its online connectivity. The concept of browsing the web on a console had been attempted by Sega and InterAct, but Indrema’s browser was based on the same technology as Netscape’s and allowed access to the full internet like a PC did, complete with Macromedia Flash support. However, it was criticized for its heaviness (thank to its use of PC components, shared by the Xbox) and some of the earliest units had failure-prone DVD drives. Because of that, Sanmina and Indrema repaired the drives with improved ones for free. Regardless, the slot loading drive was one of the LSeries’ innovative features although it couldn’t read irregularly shaped discs or mini discs. It was capable of rendering and playback up to 1080i (with a Indrema AV to component cable).
The game bundled with the system,
The Book of Aeri, proved that the LSeries could be a success and was praised for both the gameplay and the visuals, while the story was an interesting twist on the isekai formula. Its other flagships,
Astro the Armadillo was a fun platformer not unlike Crash Bandicoot, and Railpunchers gave Indrema the attitude that could fill in Sega’s shoes.
The LSeries was attracting more than just consumers. Not too long after the launch, not unlike the Xbox, hackers started modding the system, leading to a community that made their own software/hardware for the LSeries, finding new ways to install unofficial Launchpads, exploits, and even tricking the LSeries to load pirated games by modifying the optical drive’s firmware to bypass the security check. Indrema was not fond of the hackers pirating their games and filed cease-and-desists to remove websites that encouraged Indrema game piracy. However, Indrema embraced the hacking community, unlike the other manufacturers, as long they weren't pirating their games. As the system was not officially released outside of North America yet, people outside of the continent imported the LSeries.
The LSeries was a moderate success with general consumers and Linux geeks alike, selling 96,300 systems during launch week. It would inspire a boom in the Linux gaming industry as more developers, indie or not, flocked to the LSeries as a gateway to make Linux gaming as big as gaming on Windows and console gaming. Indrema officially became a fourth competitor, as companies welcomed Indrema to the gaming industry. One of those companies was a company famous for
Half-Life and its inability to
count to three. That's right, Valve, who was invested in Linux gaming earlier ITTL, supported the LSeries with ports of its titles.
But other games are on the LSeries at launch? Stay tuned! (psst… if you want to suggest launch titles for the LSeries, original or not, write ‘em down in the conversation! [or maybe a thread?])
[1] - pronounced as “two twenty two for two ninety nine (ninety nine!)”
[2] - wanted to make the IES’s UI IOTL, too IIRC
[3] -
inspired by a similar promotion with Sega and Hollywood Video
