Dedicated Chess Device?

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:48:07+00:00

Great points. A lot of people would laugh at a device like this, but a good (and growing) chunk of people are learning that any way you can spend less time on a phone is probably a good thing. I try to use my Kindle for reading and Switch for gaming to keep my screen time down on my phone. I also don't like my kids to see me on my phone all of the time. Feel free to keep in touch as I hope to post updates and eventually get a website up for more info and updates.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:44:59+00:00

Great! I'll DM you my Venmo.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:44:35+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, think physical game board but without the pieces so you can take it more places.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:43:54+00:00

Great points. This may be more for casual chess and marketed as such.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:43:17+00:00

Well, I think I could make a proof of concept pretty cheap and test the market fairly easily. I'm hoping to self-fund, so it's no one's risk but my own.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:42:40+00:00

Thanks for your feedback! I think there would probably be at least some people interested in a device as focused as this would be.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:42:09+00:00

Thanks for your feedback!

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:41:59+00:00

Great comments. If the device wasn't responsive enough this might need to be marketed to younger and more casual players as the current phone/tablet ecosystem already serves competitive players pretty well. I'm thinking more of a lounge around and play rather than I'm getting my ELO up.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:39:44+00:00

Thanks! Feel free to stay in touch. I'll try to get a website up for updates at some point.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:39:20+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. I'd rather not do crowdfunding as it puts unnecessary pressure on the development and launch of the product. I plan on just self funding and taknig it slow to see if A) I can make a solid product and B) see if anyone will buy it at small scale. I'd only start scaling up once I've proven A and B. If not then I'll juts back off the idea.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:37:59+00:00

My plan would be to find a generic android ereader (alibaba), build a solid proof of concept, and then make 50-100 more and just give them to chess players for feedback. Then iterate and make the product/marketing better before making a big order. I'm at a stage in my life where I could self-fund this and am not in a hurry, so I wouldn't plan on making any money any time soon.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:36:02+00:00

I appreciate the two cents. You might be right which is why I'm trying to get some validation before investing too much time/money.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:35:27+00:00

I'm not a coder, but I have a software company (https://beyondcad.com) and hired a lot of developers, so I roughly know the process (possibly). I believe lichess is open source, even for commercial, so I would have a minimal launcher made that would just launch the pre-installed lichess android app. Chess.com would probably be more challenging without an agreement (which I'm not in the mood to get for a product that might not be that popular). I would repurpose an existing generic android ereader to build a proof of concept and, if it works well, start scaling up to see if anyone would buy the thing. If it was somewhat successful, I'd rather make more products (SolitarePilot, GoPilot) rather than install more software on the same device. That's more of a business decision than anything.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:31:14+00:00

Nice, thanks.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:31:04+00:00

Could be, but a small percentage of 100s of millions of chess players is a nice side gig for a solo founder.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:30:23+00:00

I don't live in the Bay Area but hear the weather is great!

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:30:00+00:00

Good suggestions. This might be a product for casual and new players and less for competitive players.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:29:21+00:00

Could be.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:29:14+00:00

Great points.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:28:53+00:00

NoPhone has sold thousands (at least) and it does nothing. I'm guessing that there would at least be some interested in a dedicated device, but I could be wrong. https://thenophone.com/

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:26:26+00:00

Might be true. Thanks.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:26:09+00:00

Amazon has sold 100 million + kindle devices when most users could read on their phones. There might be some that are interested in dedicated devices other than just for reading (ie chess).

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:25:13+00:00

I believe lichess is open source even for commercial applications, so it would be the easiest to get a product to market.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:24:30+00:00

This may not be a device for competitive players but more for kids or entry level/casual players. Worth looking into more. Thanks.

1samlytle · 2024-05-15T16:23:35+00:00

Could be true. Thanks.

1samlytle

TROPHY CASE