Inside Indrema


Photo courtesy Indrema
As you can see from Indrema's early promotional image of the L600, the machine will have a sleek design, actually looking more like a futuristic cable box than a game machine. It won't have the flash of the shiny chrome Xbox demo unit or the rainbow of colors that characterizes GameCube. The L600 console is simple in design and will be packaged with a game controller similar to that of the PlayStation 2.

Although Indrema will market the L600 as a game console, the machine is much more than a video game player. It truly will be a full entertainment system in one compact unit. It is 12.5 inches long, 10.5 inches wide and 3 inches tall. The L600 can serve as your DVD player, CD player, Web browser and MP3 storage device. It has a built-in digital video recorder that allows users to record antenna, cable or satellite TV feeds to its hard drive, similar to how TiVo or ReplayTV works. Indrema will also incorporate HDTV support in the L600.

Let's take a look at the components inside the L600 and see what they can do. If you want to compare the L600 to the PlayStation2, Xbox or GameCube, check out this detailed comparison page.

These specifications could change prior to the L600's release.

  • The L600 will be powered by an x86-based 600-megahertz (MHz) microprocessor; but Indrema has not said who will supply these microprocessors. It will have a maximum bus transfer rate of between 5 and 10 Gigabytes (GB) per second.
  • NVidia is said to be the developer of the machine's graphics chip. Indrema says that its console will produce 120 to 180 million polygons per second.
  • The L600 will also feature a GPU slide bay that will allow you to slide out the graphics processor when a newer, more powerful one is available. In effect, this will give you a more powerful console without having to buy a new $300 machine. The slide bay is said to be a first in the game console industry.
  • The console will also have 64 Megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM) and 96 MB of total memory. Part of this memory can be used by the console to store your MP3 music collection.
  • The storage medium for the L600 will be 10-GB discs.
  • Users will be able to access the Internet with a 100-Megabits-per-second (Mbps) Ethernet port. A 56K modem will be available as an optional add-on. Connectivity to cable modem or DSL modem is available through the Ethernet port. The L600 will also have a built-in Mozilla Web browser.
  • Other L600 features include:
    • HDTV support for output at resolutions up to 1080i
    • Four USB ports on the front of the console
    • Digital surround sound
    • A bundled game to be announced at launch
You've probably noticed that most game consoles, like Sony's PlayStation 2, debut at the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Indrema is using a different tactic in their marketing campaign and will launch the L600 next Spring. This might be to Indrema's advantage. A Spring release allows Indrema to avoid being overshadowed by the PlayStation2, and it will still beat Xbox and GameCube to the market, both of which debut next Fall. The L600 will cost $299, the same as the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, but $100 more than the GameCube.