# History of video games/Platforms/ApeXtreme
## History

Apex Digital was founded in 1997.
The ApeXtreme was set to launch in spring, and then the summer of 2004 at a cost of around $399 for the full unit, and $299 for a reduced capability console. The announcement of revised specifications around March 2004 also included raising the price to $499. This would also cause VIA to seek a partner in the handheld gaming space, which they would find in the VIA MOMA.
At E3 2004 Apex Digital showed support for DISCover.
In December 2004 the chairman of Apex Digital was arrested by authorities in China on charges of fraud. At the time Apex had 113 employees.
By January 3rd, 2005 development on the ApeXtreme was postponed, with DISCover support being dropped from the planned console.

## Technology
### CES 2004 Specs
#### Compute

The ApeXtreme uses a VIA CN400 processor clocked at 1.4 gigahertz
The GPU of the ApeXtreme is a S3 DeltaChrome.

#### Hardware

The ApeXtreme had planned to use a 40 gigabyte IDE hard drive and a DVD player for storage.
Via Vinyl Audio was going to be used to offer Dolby 5.1 sound output.
The ApeXtreme offered 10/100 megabit ethernet, and also a dial up modem with a speed of 56.6 kilobits per second for internet connectivity.

#### Software

The ApeXtreme runs an embedded version of Windows XP.

### Mid 2004 specs
#### Compute

The ApeXtreme was supposed to use an AMD Athlon XP 2000+ processor.
The ApeXtreme was set to use a GeForce 4MX GPU built into a motherboard using the nForce2 chipset by Biostar.
RAM used was 256 megabytes of DDR SDRAM clocked at 256 Megahertz.

#### Hardware

The revised system still included a 40 gigabyte hard drive.
The ApeXtreme was supposed to be capable of recording video.

## Notable games

The ApeXtreme was intended to play existing PC games.

## External Resources

* Video Game Console Library - DISCover technology and ApeXtreme page.

## References

* 1 2 "Apex Digital, Inc. -- Company History". www.company-histories.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
* ↑ "Nine Toys the Techies Are Drooling For". Washington Post. 21 March 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* 1 2 3 4 "CES04 Live: Driving to Convergence". Sound & Vision. 11 January 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Widescreen Review Webzine News Apex Digital Announces Final Specifications And Partners For Its Revolutionary ApeXtreme DVD Player And PC Game Console". www.widescreenreview.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "VIA Plans Handheld Gaming Console?". Neoseeker. https://www.neoseeker.com/news/3342-via-plans-handheld-gaming-console/.
* ↑ Becker, David. "Game handhelds to take spotlight at E3" (in en). ZDNet. https://www.zdnet.com/article/game-handhelds-to-take-spotlight-at-e3/.
* 1 2 "US company boss arrested in China". 30 December 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ Maragos, Nich. "Gamasutra - The Art & Business of Making Games". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* 1 2 3 4 5 "Spot On: The ApeXtreme PC Game Console". GameSpot. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* 1 2 "VIA/Apex Game Console Details Leaked - Slashdot". games.slashdot.org. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "mini-itx.com - news - ApeXtreme Gaming Console shown at CES". www.mini-itx.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* 1 2 3 4 "ApeXtreme specs revamped". The Tech Report. 26 March 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "E3 2004: DISCover Discovered - IGN". Retrieved 12 November 2020.