Re: Is digital racing dying?
Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 10:18 am
I was just reading the slotbaer site as I was looking into some technical information on the data protocol. I found it interesting to see that Scalextrics has opened up its architecture for other 3rd party developers, and I guess that is why we have seen Slot it using Scalextrics protcols.
This is kind of what I was talking about when I said that slot car manufactures need to work together. This means everyone else has open access to all the Scalextrics protocols and can copy and use anything they want. So rather then invent their own system any company can get into the game and use the Scalextrics design
I never realized Scalextrics had done this, and it is a big gift to the industry.
So respectfully to Dave, I would suggest to say this will never happen in slot cars is incorrect as it already has. Maybe Carrera will never share, but the fact is Scalextrics has, so we are now looking at a Betamax /VHS type situation. On one hand you have the very good proprietary Carrera system, and the now wide open Scalextrics system. Not sure where it will lead as all the smoke surrounding the Hornby financial situation. This uncertainty was enough to make me choose Carrera as I was afraid that if I chose Scalextrics, the system might be orphaned. Should have done my homework, because the opposite is true. With the Scalextrics wide open approach anyone can make Scalextrics compatible equipment. So the Slot it connection becomes very clear now. They never worked out any special deal with Scalextrics, it is a simple case of Scalextrics opening the vault to their system for everyone to use. In my opinion this is an important fact that means all the other slot car manufactures who think the future is digital can make their own chips copying the Scalextrics design. Pioneer, Cartrix, Ninco or whoever does not need to redesign the wheel and employ capital to support their own system. Think of the support and reseach capital required to produce and support a unique Digital system. With Scalextrics opening the barn door, the need to employ capital for digital manufacturing and support disappears. Far better to just adopt the Scalextrics system and spend the saved capital on profit generation producing Scalextric compatible cars, and controllers. We can already see the benefit this has on the industry with the evolution of the Oxigen system that adapts the Scalextric system.
Interesting to see where this goes. On the one hand you have the very good Carrera proprietory system backed by probably the most succesful slot car manufacture, and the now wide open Scalextrics system that eveyone has license to use. I am either unaware or a little surpised we have not seen third party Scalextrix equipment on the market already.(Other then Slot it so far and this is more of a hybrid system)
Cheers
Dan
This is kind of what I was talking about when I said that slot car manufactures need to work together. This means everyone else has open access to all the Scalextrics protocols and can copy and use anything they want. So rather then invent their own system any company can get into the game and use the Scalextrics design
I never realized Scalextrics had done this, and it is a big gift to the industry.
So respectfully to Dave, I would suggest to say this will never happen in slot cars is incorrect as it already has. Maybe Carrera will never share, but the fact is Scalextrics has, so we are now looking at a Betamax /VHS type situation. On one hand you have the very good proprietary Carrera system, and the now wide open Scalextrics system. Not sure where it will lead as all the smoke surrounding the Hornby financial situation. This uncertainty was enough to make me choose Carrera as I was afraid that if I chose Scalextrics, the system might be orphaned. Should have done my homework, because the opposite is true. With the Scalextrics wide open approach anyone can make Scalextrics compatible equipment. So the Slot it connection becomes very clear now. They never worked out any special deal with Scalextrics, it is a simple case of Scalextrics opening the vault to their system for everyone to use. In my opinion this is an important fact that means all the other slot car manufactures who think the future is digital can make their own chips copying the Scalextrics design. Pioneer, Cartrix, Ninco or whoever does not need to redesign the wheel and employ capital to support their own system. Think of the support and reseach capital required to produce and support a unique Digital system. With Scalextrics opening the barn door, the need to employ capital for digital manufacturing and support disappears. Far better to just adopt the Scalextrics system and spend the saved capital on profit generation producing Scalextric compatible cars, and controllers. We can already see the benefit this has on the industry with the evolution of the Oxigen system that adapts the Scalextric system.
Interesting to see where this goes. On the one hand you have the very good Carrera proprietory system backed by probably the most succesful slot car manufacture, and the now wide open Scalextrics system that eveyone has license to use. I am either unaware or a little surpised we have not seen third party Scalextrix equipment on the market already.(Other then Slot it so far and this is more of a hybrid system)
Cheers
Dan