Quoted from russdx:I dont understand the "runs pc hardware" is not a commercial solution? nearly ALL systems these days are just a big system on chip running linux (ie i'm pretty sure this is what Sterns new system is) Its how every thing is done these days. And if future games are going to use lcd it will HAVE to be done this way!
Stern Spike 1 and 2 use Linux (Kernel 2.6.30). However, they really only use Linux to boot the system up. Everything else happens within a large static binary which is comparable to the firmware in an embedded controller. I don't see many technical differences except ideological ones. Running that a Spike binary on another PC is also not such a big problem. Try that with the firmware of another model of an embedded controller.