Development for rent as SN Systems launches new scheme in Japan

UK-based dev tools specialist SN Systems is set to begin offering its ProDG development kits for the PS2 and GameCube on a 180 day rental basis in Japan, in a move aimed at increasing uptake of the tools.

Renting the kit for six months will cost a studio 90,000 Yen (â'¬720), compared with the full purchase price of the ProDG kit, which would cost in the region of 345,000 Yen (â'¬2750).

ProDG kits offer just about all the functionality required for console game development, and in association with a Windows computer, can carry out most key tasks including compiling and debugging.

SN Systems is presumably hoping that by offering studios a chance to use the systems for six months at a cut-down price, they'll increase the uptake of the tools in Japan; many devkits are only used for around six months at most during a game development cycle anyway, thus potentially making it uneconomic for a studio to purchase a large number of them outright.

The Bristol-based company has also announced that it will be taking part in the TGS Developers Workshop, which runs parallel to the Tokyo Games Show later this month. SN Systems is one of several leading middleware and tools companies which will be taking part in the workshop, along with Alias Wavefront, NXN Software, CRI Middleware and Web Technology.