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  •  » Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

#1 2009-09-15 05:05:04

Jonathanpb
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Registered: 2008-07-25
Posts: 1000+

Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

I have seen suggestions for the Xbox, Playstation, Playstation Portable, iPhone, iTouch, iPod, Nintendo DS, Wii, and possibly more. I am tired of explaining why over and over. So I created this topic.

Please note that the following reasons is written for all of the suggestions, so some devices may skip a few things. But it's all basically the same, with the result of Scratch not being made for those devices.


First of all, they don't support Java. You won't be able to view projects online (if you could use the internet on those).

Second, how would you program? Honestly, people don't seem to think. For all of these I have mentioned, it would be quite infuriating to drag and drop blocks. And right-clicking would be hard, and lastly, the paint editor! For some, it may be possible, but honestly, can you imagine using the paint editor with an Xbox?

Third, how would you get Scratch for your device? You won't be able to download it (though you can insert some things downloaded from the internet into your device, like the DS or Wii. And they are getting good at accessing the internet), so then what? You're going to buy it at a shop? The Scratch Team wouldn't do that.

Fourth, what's the use? You can already use Scratch on your computer. Why bother to make it for those devices? The Scratch Team would rather spend their time working on more useful things.

In other words: The reason it doesn't make sense is because Scratch works fine on a computer, and it would be hard to program on those other devices.

If you have no idea why it would be hard to program, here's some reasons:
1. The paint editor. How would you use the paint editor efficently for devices such as Wii?
2. Dragging and dropping blocks. This would be so annoying.
3. Typing. How would you type the names for variables and broadcasts? For cell phones, I suppose you could type the way you do texting. But for things like the Xbox and Playstation... it's just ridiculous.

Scratch for other devices is not going to be happening.

Last edited by Jonathanpb (2010-11-26 17:04:17)


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#2 2009-09-15 09:48:49

archmage
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Registered: 2007-05-18
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

They DO have scratch for samsung phones though.

Generally though, even very successful computer tools (gamemaker, flash, ect) don't make it to consoles.


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#3 2009-09-16 01:55:10

Jonathanpb
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Registered: 2008-07-25
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

They have made Scratch for phones? How did they do that?

Yeah, programs like Adobe Photoshop or Google Earth don't get made for phones. It just doesn't make sense!

Last edited by Jonathanpb (2009-09-16 01:57:02)


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#4 2009-09-16 09:40:27

archmage
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Registered: 2007-05-18
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Well here is samsung's site http://softboard.samsungmobile.com/

I don't think the code editor works on the phone though, but you can run projects on your phone.


Hi, I am Archmage coder extraordinaire. I do Scratch,pascal,java,php,html, AS2 and AS3. Leave me a message if you want coding advice. Also check out my personal website, lots of good stuff about web development, Flash, and Scratch (v1 and v2) !

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#5 2009-09-16 15:01:48

06dknibbs
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Registered: 2008-01-29
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

As nice as the idea is, it's probably going to be a VERY long time before this even starts appearing..  smile

However, it is on some phones but does'nt work that well  smile
I'm sticking with laptop, that's portable-ish ^^


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#6 2009-09-17 01:27:24

Jonathanpb
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Registered: 2008-07-25
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

06dknibbs wrote:

As nice as the idea is, it's probably going to be a VERY long time before this even starts appearing..  smile

However, it is on some phones but does'nt work that well  smile
I'm sticking with laptop, that's portable-ish ^^

I don't think they'll ever do it... if you can't download Scratch for those devices, you'll have to buy it! The Scratch Team wouldn't do that, and I can't picture Scratch being sold at a shop.

Yes, like you said: if you want Scratch portable, use a laptop.


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#7 2009-09-18 10:13:46

lxt
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Registered: 2008-07-11
Posts: 27

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Jonathanpb wrote:

Second, how would you program? Honestly, people don't seem to think. For all of these I have mentioned, it would be quite weird to drag and drop blocks. And right-clicking would be hard, and the paint editor! How would you do that?

This is a good point - but I'm sure there's a demand for a playback engine for mobile devices. It would certainly get a large number of people very excited about Scratch if they were able to take their programs and put them onto their iPods, etc. You'd develop on your computer, and then play it back on your mobile device.

I think it makes a lot of sense - the only problem is coding it. There's no technical reason why it can't be done, the thing that's stopping it from happening is a lack of talent willing to do it for free.

Jonathanpb wrote:

Yeah, programs like Adobe Photoshop or Google Earth don't get made for phones. It just doesn't make sense!

You can actually get Google Earth for the iPhone and iPod touch - I have it on mine, and it runs pretty well  wink

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#8 2009-09-18 21:15:06

coolstuff
Community Moderator
Registered: 2008-03-06
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Archmage wrote:

Generally though, even very successful computer tools (gamemaker, flash, ect) don't make it to consoles.

True. Those consoles were designed for more entertainment than productivity. If you want to be productive, BUY A COMPUTER.

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#9 2009-09-19 03:40:09

dingdong
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Registered: 2007-08-09
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

it doesn't make sense? it makes complete sense, who wouldn't want to run scratch game on a PS3 or Wii? it's just it's not worth the time to program for a small organization like the scratch team


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#10 2009-09-19 04:43:43

deatheater
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Registered: 2008-04-11
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Is squeak even on game consoles?

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#11 2009-09-19 11:07:00

coolstuff
Community Moderator
Registered: 2008-03-06
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

dingdong wrote:

it doesn't make sense? it makes complete sense, who wouldn't want to run scratch game on a PS3 or Wii? it's just it's not worth the time to program for a small organization like the scratch team

It's not the running a Scratch game that's the problem (if they just had a compatible Java console, it would be possible), it's the MAKING the game that's a problem. Why would you want to make a game on a Wii, which has quirky controls, you wouldn't be able to test because of lack of commands, and you can do it just fine on virtually any computer.

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#12 2009-09-20 02:51:30

Jonathanpb
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Registered: 2008-07-25
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

lxt, you make me think.

The reason it doesn't make sense is because Scratch works fine on a computer, and it would be hard to program on those other devices.

Why it would be hard to program:
1. The paint editor. How would you use the paint editor efficently? Tell me how.
2. Dragging and dropping blocks. This would be annoying to do when you are programming on those devices.
3. Typing. How would you type the names for variables and broadcasts? For cell phones, I suppose you could type the way you do texting. But for things like the Xbox and Playstation... how?

For most of these devices, you would have to buy Scratch at a shop. And that is seriously ridiculous.

coolstuff wrote:

True. Those consoles were designed for more entertainment than productivity. If you want to be productive, BUY A COMPUTER.

I know! Why don't people think?

dingdong wrote:

it doesn't make sense? it makes complete sense, who wouldn't want to run scratch game on a PS3 or Wii? it's just it's not worth the time to program for a small organization like the scratch team

People do want Scratch for these devices (they suggested it, you know!), but what doesn't make sense is what I put earlier in this post. It would be hard to program, you would probably have to buy Scratch at a shop, and it would be impossible to type (except for cell phones).

deatheater wrote:

Is squeak even on game consoles?

Why, no! But I'm covering why it would not work out, even if Squeak were made for all of those devices.

coolstuff wrote:

It's not the running a Scratch game that's the problem (if they just had a compatible Java console, it would be possible), it's the MAKING the game that's a problem. Why would you want to make a game on a Wii, which has quirky controls, you wouldn't be able to test because of lack of commands, and you can do it just fine on virtually any computer.

That's true...


"Human beings... must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.
-Charlotte Brontë

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#13 2009-09-21 05:53:41

Jonathanpb
Scratcher
Registered: 2008-07-25
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Another suggestion! This time it was for iPods. I haven't seen this before, so I added it to the list. The same stuff about why they can't make Scratch applies to iPods...

Last edited by Jonathanpb (2009-09-21 05:54:19)


"Human beings... must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.
-Charlotte Brontë

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#14 2009-09-21 17:08:09

gershmer
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Registered: 2009-02-12
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Jonathanpb wrote:

Another suggestion! This time it was for iPods. I haven't seen this before, so I added it to the list. The same stuff about why they can't make Scratch applies to iPods...

No, it doesn't.


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#15 2009-09-22 04:30:20

Jonathanpb
Scratcher
Registered: 2008-07-25
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

gershmer wrote:

Jonathanpb wrote:

Another suggestion! This time it was for iPods. I haven't seen this before, so I added it to the list. The same stuff about why they can't make Scratch applies to iPods...

No, it doesn't.

What do you mean?


"Human beings... must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.
-Charlotte Brontë

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#16 2009-09-22 17:23:06

coolstuff
Community Moderator
Registered: 2008-03-06
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Jonathanpb wrote:

gershmer wrote:

Jonathanpb wrote:

Another suggestion! This time it was for iPods. I haven't seen this before, so I added it to the list. The same stuff about why they can't make Scratch applies to iPods...

No, it doesn't.

What do you mean?

iPod touch is a mini-computer. But I don't think Scratch should be made for that, because of the same Java problem PLUS the Software Development Kit for iPods are very difficult to use.

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#17 2009-09-26 07:01:41

johnswhite
Scratcher
Registered: 2009-09-26
Posts: 3

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

My friends said it won't happen but then, i still prefer to buy those CD games for maybe RM 8 per disc at shop, instead of downloading them…etc. ... I compared Wii, NDS & PSP. But you should only compare portable with portable

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#18 2009-09-26 17:33:43

hamsandwitch678
Scratcher
Registered: 2008-10-15
Posts: 100+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Jonathanpb wrote:

They have made Scratch for phones? How did they do that?

Yeah, programs like Adobe Photoshop or Google Earth don't get made for phones. It just doesn't make sense!

Actually, there is a google earth app for the iphone.


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#19 2009-09-26 19:26:47

Keani
Scratcher
Registered: 2009-08-15
Posts: 39

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

jonathanpb wrote:

Second, how would you program? Honestly, people don't seem to think. For all of these I have mentioned, it would be quite weird to drag and drop blocks. And right-clicking would be hard, and the paint editor! How would you do that?

On Nintendo Wii you could use a and b for left and right clicking and on ds you can hold the stylus in. On scratch you can hold in left click rather than right click aswell.


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#20 2009-09-26 20:37:27

scratch_yoshi
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Registered: 2009-06-12
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Jonathanpb wrote:

How would you type the names for variables and broadcasts? For cell phones, I suppose you could type the way you do texting. But for things like the Xbox and Playstation... how?

Well, on a DS you'd be able to type with an on-screen keyboard whenever you tap a text box, and on the Wii, IT WOULDN'T WORK!!!!!


Retired from Scratch, but just the language itself. Not the forums.

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#21 2009-09-30 13:06:14

lxt
Scratcher
Registered: 2008-07-11
Posts: 27

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Jonathanpb wrote:

lxt, you make me think.
The reason it doesn't make sense is because Scratch works fine on a computer, and it would be hard to program on those other devices.

The trick is that for any portable scratch product you *wouldn't* program directly on the device.

You'd create your Scratch program on your desktop computer, and then you could play it back on your mobile device.

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#22 2009-10-14 20:40:17

bobsrules
Scratcher
Registered: 2008-10-11
Posts: 15

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

archmage wrote:

Well here is samsung's site http://softboard.samsungmobile.com/

Do they have permission with Scratch? And why isnt it called Scratch there?

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#23 2009-10-14 22:48:25

Xzeleous
Scratcher
Registered: 2009-02-27
Posts: 24

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

Ahem, Palm PC's  smile

It works though the web browsing on those.


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#24 2009-10-14 22:53:18

fg123
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Registered: 2008-11-13
Posts: 1000+

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

I wonder too...


Hai.

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#25 2009-12-16 17:22:11

waveos
Scratcher
Registered: 2009-08-13
Posts: 16

Re: Why Scratch won't be made for Xbox, PSP, PSP Portable, Wii, DS, etc...

archmage wrote:

They DO have scratch for samsung phones though.

Generally though, even very successful computer tools (gamemaker, flash, ect) don't make it to consoles.

THEY DO? plz tell me what the app is called. BTW: look at this.
MIT Media Lab claims to be working on mobile scratch

Last edited by waveos (2009-12-16 17:22:27)


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