Coleco Chameleon .... hardware speculations?

[atm94404]

 

I disagree. Believe it or not, the SNESgate scandal was starting to die down. It feeds off of Mike's denials and new proof. But people had already concluded with 99% certainty it was a SNES Jr., and Mike had gone silent after the KS reward tier updates stopped coming in, so there wasn't much to talk about without repeating the same point.

 

I still can't figure out why he waited until the afternoon of his Kickstarter reveal date to postpone the project. Maybe just for dramatic effect? To show- we've been working very very hard up to this second, and if you don't believe us, here's proof with pics of the proto. But it still makes no sense, why keep up the suspense of the morning, there had to be something else going on that we're not seeing.

 

My theory is that Mike is an old-school marketing guy that just doesn't have a clue about modern realities. Another member here said that having a fake prototype was standard and used the PS2 as an example. Well that was true then, but that was probably the last time (around 1998) that you could get away with that.

 

Back in the day, most people's source of information was print magazines. Game makers (software and hardware) could feed those magazines BS and odds are it would get repeated verbatim. Or worse, it would get sort of repeated and mutated- which could lead to all sorts of technical hilarity. It reminds me when the N64 was about to debut and the magazines were scrambling for info. One magazine reported that it had this killer new feature called "MIT Mapping". Clearly the reporter misheard what the guy said (it's MIP Mapping). Other magazines ran with that incorrect term (because there was nothing like Wikepedia for a reporter to look up a term they didn't understand). Some magazines even embellished the wrong info ("it's a new graphics technique invented by MIT..."). It was hilarious to those of us in the know and talking on Usenet newsgroups. "Blast processing" flourished in this era.

 

Today, if someone tries to pull a fast one, everyone has a phone that takes not only pictures but video. Seconds later, those photos are posted to any number of social media sites. People can Google information and find photos of every blue PCI capture card in minutes. Heck, if you have a good enough photo, Google can even tell you where that photo came from or find things that are the same. If you yourself aren't an expert on a particular area of gaming or electronics, there's a forum full of them. You can crowdsource knowledge. Imagine prior to Google image search how hard it would have been to find Mike's capture card and then prove it to other people. It would have taken pure luck for you to have seen the card before, remember it from a catalog, and then it would take weeks or months to get that information out to people. You'd have to write a letter to a game magazine or something.

 

If the CC "SNES-in-Jag" had made its debut at E3 or PAX, it would have been minutes (instead of hours) before a gamer at the show would have said "Dude, that's a SNES! I had one of those in my bedroom" and had multiple photos and videos of the chicanery. Fortunately for us, Mike himself provided the photographic proof (multiple times!) that led to his own downfall. This just shows that he doesn't get the era he's living in- as if the whole non-updating cartridge console wasn't proof enough. You can't just say BS and not have it come back to haunt you. He doesn't get that removing a video off Youtube or deleting a Facebook picture doesn't destroy the evidence because it's now "in the cloud". It's like trying to remove pee from a swimming pool. Once it happens, it's too late.

Edited March 1, 2016 by atm94404

[PlaysWithWolves]

Vanta, right after he bought the molds he sold translucent Jaguar shells and cartridges over in the Jaguar subforums.
Via a June 1st post in the RVGS thread:

In a recent podcast interview, Mike Kennedy mentioned that the translucent sales covered the cost of the molds, the transport and set-up -- about US$10,000.

[shawnphase]

he didnt even need to show those pics of a network card in a jag shell. all he would have had to do is say 'sorry folks, the kickstarter's delayed' and taken whatever kind of backlash there would have been. it would have been much less damage control. at this point, its as if he wants to do everything completely wrong.

[+remowilliams]

3) Scrap the high-grade (P7) steel molds for spite and profit.

 

 

Bury them deep underground or fire them off into the sun so that the concentrated Jaguar fumes emanating from them can never cause this level of disaster again.

[enoofu]

At that point most people viewed his team as not technical enough to do the project for what was promised, after the DVR Scandal just about everyone will view him as a scam artist.

[nathanallan]

You guys have said it all, I don't have anything to contribute. I really do regret that now I'll never get a chance to get the newly made Jaguar shells for my own projects and tinkering (NOT an SNES Jr.).

[NE146]

Did anyone buy that Capture card off ebay so maybe we can make a duplicate prototype and test it out?

[VectorGamer]

Where's the guy that sold him the Jaguar shells? He must be laughing his ass off at this!

[MotoRacer]

This is from his latest vid. The face pretty much sums up my thoughts on this whole experience.

 

[enoofu]

Where's the guy that sold him the Jaguar shells? He must be laughing his ass off at this!

He may now be amazed on what can fix inside there, also

[Cybermario]

ThioJoe needs to make a "how to play Coleco Chameleon games in your PS4"

[dommie]

In case anybody was in doubt to this project ever seeing the light of day, the old Retro VGS is an officially dead trademark and the Coleco Chameleon was never even registered at all. They apparently officially abandoned the RVGS shortly after filing.

 

 

Also, I find it weird that Game Gavel was the rights holder to RVGS TM. That doesn't seem kosher to me. It was one thing for GG to loan money to the other business enterprise, but to own one of their assets seems "not right" to me. Or maybe I'm reading into it too much...

Edited March 1, 2016 by dommie

[Breakpack]

 

Bury them deep underground or fire them off into the sun so that the concentrated Jaguar fumes emanating from them can never cause this level of disaster again.

Bury the Jaguar molds in the Alamogordo,New Mexico landfill

Edited March 1, 2016 by Breakpack

[btbfilms76]

So I've been sitting on this story for a while but I think its now time to tell another part of the story... The Jag Bar was once involved with the Coleco Chameleon kickstarter.

[Cybermario]

Well played, well played *claps*

 

[MagnaRyuu]

AHAHAHA

 

Well played, well played *claps*

 

ELGATO ELK.jpg

[PlaysWithWolves]

Saw BTB posted a video; dropped everything to watch.

 

 

So I've been sitting on this story for a while but I think its now time to tell another part of the story... The Jag Bar was once involved with the Coleco Chameleon kickstarter.

[sh3-rg]

Well played, well played *claps*

 

ELGATO ELK.jpg

 

Did I get him, or was he playing along?

[dj_convoy]

So I've been sitting on this story for a while but I think its now time to tell another part of the story... The Jag Bar was once involved with the Coleco Chameleon kickstarter.

Good for you not getting into bed with this guy.

[Cybermario]

 

Did I get him, or was he playing along?

i want to believe you got him, but no way he is such an idiot right?

[galax]

So I've been sitting on this story for a while but I think its now time to tell another part of the story... The Jag Bar was once involved with the Coleco Chameleon kickstarter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv9cPXW1HLM

 

It's all just pure fantasy: "The Coleco Chameleon is the first new home console in nearly 20 years that will play new games on cartridges and once again give today's gamers something to buy, trade, and collect for a lifetime." - he wanted to trade in his and anyone else's good names for his own profit, you did well to stay out of it. "the guy that was supposed to be doing the video for the campaign was being lied to" - it really is crazy.

 

Thanks for an insider's view; if Mike was willing to lie to those closest to him it is less surprising that he also flat out lied to people like Piko. You also managed to calm the forum down for 14 minutes!

 

Good for you not getting into bed with this guy.

 

Bullet dodged I think.

[enoofu]

Hopefully this train wreck will get John Carlsen to talk

[jaybird3rd]

So I've been sitting on this story for a while but I think its now time to tell another part of the story... The Jag Bar was once involved with the Coleco Chameleon kickstarter.

Thanks very much for coming forward with this story. I'm glad you had second thoughts about getting further involved.

[+madman]

So I've been sitting on this story for a while but I think its now time to tell another part of the story... The Jag Bar was once involved with the Coleco Chameleon kickstarter.

Great stuff, thanks for sharing an insider view of this. I think we have enough evidence that Mike isn't a pawn being duped by "the hardware guy," I think he's fully aware of all the deception taking place.

[MagnaRyuu]

hey you know what, if Mike does try to resurface with the same "console" but with a different name I have a few ideas for him. Cause as you all know we he is reading this thread.

Going by his love of trying to fool people here is what I have come up with.

The Illusion

The Deception

The Grifter

and finally The Screw Job