Retroblox

[Keatah]

Self-destructive seems to be a massive understatement, especially when they want to play the blame game on their former customers/supporters and critics after they failed.

 

Yes. That says something about the team behind whatever it is they're trying to make. Their inborn nature finally comes through sooner or later. And the question you should ask yourself is if you want to support and encourage such behavior.

 

Sadly many customers want to support that behavior. Mega-threads are born. Social media buzzes. Money is literally given away for free! .. to the project's organizers.. Temporary fame is handed out in spades and droves.. The project downgrades or peters out. And something new comes along to capture attention. And round and round it goes!

[kevtris]

The website is back up. Not impressed with the crowdfunding goals on something with an already-set release date.

 

 

 

 

I mean really, wtf?

 

 

 

If you give us enough money, we'll make another piece of Lego for you to buy!

 

 

 

Eat turds, PolyMegaBuxx. My Xbox 360 can do that and it only ran me $200 seven years ago.

 

and it goes on from there. PC-FX and classic Atari system modules. Not that it matters. After the initial "rush" of orders it'll die down.

Don't forget that level 20 is N64, for a cool $8 million. (check the html for a list of the hidden reward tiers. they go up to level 20). level 10 is an "Advanced social network" for only $3.25 million.

 

For some reason, 3DO is below N64, at level 19 for $7 million.

[Fluxgra]

Finally I can actually get on the website and view it properly. Only took 4 days.

 

Seemingly they have managed to get $71,302 in "pre-orders" *cough* crowdfunding so far, which is a bit terrifying. People apparently really want a x86 emulation box that isn't the computer they already have...

 

I find it really interesting that on Twitter they refuse to discuss how much funding is required to make a N64 module a reality, just saying its a rewards level - despite the fact that it is plain as day on their website that they need to get to a mere $8m to make it happen.

 

Now, OCD time.. even if I was willing to ignore every warning sign from this project, the fact that the SNES module's controller port labeling is in a different format to the rest of the modules (IE SNES is 1 [PORT] [PORT] 2 compared to all other modules being [PORT] 1 [PORT] 2) I could never live with it haha.

[Keatah]

Seemingly they have managed to get $71,302 in "pre-orders" *cough* crowdfunding so far, which is a bit terrifying. People apparently really want a x86 emulation box that isn't the computer they already have...

 

Yes they do! Amusing phenomenon isn't it?

[phoenixdownita]

So money talks and bullshit walks .... it's time they walk.

 

 

LOL:

LEVEL 17 LOCKED. REWARD: PHILIPS CD-I SYSTEM. The Classic Philips CD-i System will be playable on Polymega 5.5M

 

At 5.5M they give us the Philips CDi ..... I almost collapsed on this one. And I have one and I kind of like it but thanks but no thanks

 

The next level at a cool extra 500K is the DC, then at extra 1M we have the 3DO, another 1M for the N64 .....what ... no Jaguar? how dare you buffoons!!

 

 

 

 

EDIT: you know you're onto something when "Mike is in da haus":

 

 

When I captured that snap I saw kevtris alias there shivering for a moment

[godslabrat]

What this is I don't even.

[derFunkenstein]

Why do preorders have a closing date? We'll take your money until October 1 but then you get nothing and like it for 6 months afterward.

[Fluxgra]

Why do preorders have a closing date? We'll take your money until October 1 but then you get nothing and like it for 6 months afterward.

 

You would think that they would want as many unsecured creditors as possible.

[goldenegg]

Up to $148,920. I'm done watching this project, as it's making me physical ill.

[cacophony]

Up to $148,920. I'm done watching this project, as it's making me physical ill.

 

Where'd you see that? The rewards page only says $71k

[DurradonXylles]

Wow, these rewards are all kinds of f###ed. These rewards should be red flags for potential customers since it either shows a cocky scam artist or a team that has zero damn idea of what they're doing if they think these amounts are necessary at all to add these features in. Even assuming incompetence is a dangerous thought here.

 

Level 1 ($500,000) is a light skin theme for the UI. A feature that even Discord can offer without needing to pay for a Nitro subscription.

 

level 2 ($750,000) is a stats screen for games played on the Polymega. A stats screen for gameplay habits on the Polymega. A feature that has been standard for Steam, Xbox and PlayStation users since ~2005.

 

Level 4 ($1.25 million) is CD and DVD playback on the console. Again, a feature that has been standard on personal computers and consoles as early as 1991 for CDs and 1996 for DVDs. A feature that could be hacked in by a script kiddie with a rudimentary knowledge of Linux, access to VLC media player's github, and a couple of free afternoons.

 

Level 6 ($2 million) gives customers an Atari 2600/7800 module, twice as much as the reward that gives the already unnecessary dedicated Famicom module (the NES module can just use a 60-72 pin converter regardless of FPGA or software emulation to play Famicom games). How the hell does Playmaji justify requiring two six figure subs to add in emulation for two consoles that are easier to accurately emulate than even the NES/Famicom.

 

I cannot find the higher reward goals, it makes me wonder if they were removed after people started complaining at them, but after reading the posts above I can see they get little better from there. If any of you from Playmaji are actually stalking this forum, I want you to respond to me on Twitter (Same username as here) and explain to me why the hell you think these rewards are a good idea when in your FAQ you explain that the system is supposed to be a x86 machine running a Linux-based operating system and thus could have these features added in by a bored Linux or Unix enthusiast with a weekend to spare.

[goldenegg]

 

Where'd you see that? The rewards page only says $71k

 

[cacophony]

 

 

yeah, I think that's a bug. Try in a browser with incognito mode (zero cache or cookies)

 

On facebook somebody wrote: "With a empty cart, the rewards stay to $71,302, if i add one article in my cart, go to $120,851"

And Polymega responded with: You might try clearing your browser cache, sounds like there's some old page data still around from a few days ago.

edit: Now it says $148k for me... seems like they might have a db replication problem across different servers or something

Edited September 8, 2018 by cacophony

[cybercylon]

After numerous examples of these ventures either delivering a product that is far short of expectations or just become flat-out vaporware... why do people throw money away at this garbage?

[godslabrat]

The actual goal of half a million isn't remarkable. That's 2,000 units at $250, even less if they buy accessories. Once the True Belivers empty their wallets, what will happen to the "wait and see" crowd? I'm betting most of them don't bite.

 

This will be like the Ataribox... craziness for about five days, then slow to a crawl. And the end result will be a user base smaller than the enrollment at a community college.

 

Edit:

 

 

Mike, I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on the matter. What do you think about these clowns who don't know what they're doing telling crazy lies in order to build a console?

Edited September 8, 2018 by godslabrat

[zappi]

 

I cannot find the higher reward goals, it makes me wonder if they were removed after people started complaining at them, but after reading the posts above I can see they get little better from there. If any of you from Playmaji are actually stalking this forum, I want you to respond to me on Twitter (Same username as here) and explain to me why the hell you think these rewards are a good idea when in your FAQ you explain that the system is supposed to be a x86 machine running a Linux-based operating system and thus could have these features added in by a bored Linux or Unix enthusiast with a weekend to spare.

 

The higher rewards are not live yet (if ever?) but can be viewed in the HTML code (rightclick rewards page, view source page)

 

in case they remove them, here they are for posterity/your amusement

 

LEVEL 7: BASIC SOCIAL NETWORK ($2.25mil)

"Make a profile, create a friends list, chat with other users on Polymega"

LEVEL 8: CHEATS DATABASE ($2.5mil)

"A digital cheats database will be implemented for supported systems."

LEVEL 9: EM07: COLECOVISION MODULE SET ($3mil)

"The Classic Colecovision system will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega"

LEVEL 10: ADVANCED SOCIAL NETWORK ($3.25mil)

"A fully integrated social network for sharing your screenshots and game videos to other players on your Polymega"

LEVEL 11: SIDEBAR APPS ($3.5mil)

"A new application ecosystem will be created that allows you to create and share custom per-game widgets for on-screen tools like timers, strategy guides, tweaks, translations and more."

LEVEL 12: EM08: GAMEBOY MODULE SET ($4mil)

"The Classic Gameboy (GBA/GBC/GB) systems will receive a module release on Polymega"

LEVEL 13: ACHIEVEMENTS SYSTEM ($4.25mil)

"An Achievements System will be implemented to Polymega so you can share your accomplishments with friends and followers."

LEVEL 14: NETPLAY MATCHMAKING ($4.5mil)

"Starting with select games, go head-to-head with other players using Polymega’s online Matchmaking and Netplay service. Create game lobbies, invite friends, and see who’s best."

LEVEL 15: EM09: SEGA MASTER SYSTEM MODULE ($5mil)

"The Classic Sega Master System will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega"

LEVEL 16: TOURNAMENT NETPLAY ($5.25mil)

"Create and participate in tournaments using Polymega’s Matchmaking service"

LEVEL 17: PHILIPS CD-I SYSTEM ($5.5mil)

"The Classic Philips CD-i System will be playable on Polymega"

LEVEL 18: SEGA DREAMCAST ($6mil)

"The Classic Sega Dreamcast will be playable on Polymega"

LEVEL 19: 3DO ($7mil)

"The Classic 3DO system will be playable on Polymega"

LEVEL 20: NINTENDO 64 MODULE ($8mil)

"The Classic N64 System will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega"

[Parrothead]

The actual goal of half a million isn't remarkable. That's 2,000 units at $250, even less if they buy accessories. Once the True Belivers empty their wallets, what will happen to the "wait and see" crowd? I'm betting most of them don't bite.

 

This will be like the Ataribox... craziness for about five days, then slow to a crawl. And the end result will be a user base smaller than the enrollment at a community college.

 

Edit:

 

05C4E1B4-263B-46CB-9D0C-4DC433854EF2.jpeg

 

Mike, I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on the matter. What do you think about these clowns who don't know what they're doing telling crazy lies in order to build a console?

 

Touché!

Edited September 8, 2018 by Parrothead

[DurradonXylles]

The actual goal of half a million isn't remarkable. That's 2,000 units at $250, even less if they buy accessories. Once the True Belivers empty their wallets, what will happen to the "wait and see" crowd? I'm betting most of them don't bite.

 

This will be like the Ataribox... craziness for about five days, then slow to a crawl. And the end result will be a user base smaller than the enrollment at a community college.

 

True, but beyond that is starting to make some overly ambitious assumptions of demand, especially for an emulation box that at minimum costs as much as one of the big three before we even get into the costs of the modules if one desires them.

 

 

The higher rewards are not live yet (if ever?) but can be viewed in the HTML code (rightclick rewards page, view source page)

 

in case they remove them, here they are for posterity/your amusement

 

Oh, well that would explain it.

 

 

 

LEVEL 7: BASIC SOCIAL NETWORK ($2.25mil)

"Make a profile, create a friends list, chat with other users on Polymega"

LEVEL 8: CHEATS DATABASE ($2.5mil)

"A digital cheats database will be implemented for supported systems."

LEVEL 9: EM07: COLECOVISION MODULE SET ($3mil)

"The Classic Colecovision system will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega"

LEVEL 10: ADVANCED SOCIAL NETWORK ($3.25mil)

"A fully integrated social network for sharing your screenshots and game videos to other players on your Polymega"

LEVEL 11: SIDEBAR APPS ($3.5mil)

"A new application ecosystem will be created that allows you to create and share custom per-game widgets for on-screen tools like timers, strategy guides, tweaks, translations and more."

LEVEL 12: EM08: GAMEBOY MODULE SET ($4mil)

"The Classic Gameboy (GBA/GBC/GB) systems will receive a module release on Polymega"

LEVEL 13: ACHIEVEMENTS SYSTEM ($4.25mil)

"An Achievements System will be implemented to Polymega so you can share your accomplishments with friends and followers."

LEVEL 14: NETPLAY MATCHMAKING ($4.5mil)

"Starting with select games, go head-to-head with other players using Polymega’s online Matchmaking and Netplay service. Create game lobbies, invite friends, and see who’s best."

LEVEL 15: EM09: SEGA MASTER SYSTEM MODULE ($5mil)

"The Classic Sega Master System will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega"

LEVEL 16: TOURNAMENT NETPLAY ($5.25mil)

"Create and participate in tournaments using Polymega’s Matchmaking service"

LEVEL 17: PHILIPS CD-I SYSTEM ($5.5mil)

"The Classic Philips CD-i System will be playable on Polymega"

LEVEL 18: SEGA DREAMCAST ($6mil)

"The Classic Sega Dreamcast will be playable on Polymega"

LEVEL 19: 3DO ($7mil)

"The Classic 3DO system will be playable on Polymega"

LEVEL 20: NINTENDO 64 MODULE ($8mil)

"The Classic N64 System will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega"

 

Level 7: "For only $2.25 million you can now do the same type of social networking with your games system that people could do on the OG XBox in 2004, and people on microcomputers could do on BBS systems back in 1986!"

 

Level 8: "For $2.5 million we can add in the cheat systems that would've already been in the source code of the emulators we licensed to put into our system!"

 

Level 10: "Just give us another million to upgrade your social networking experience to be more like Xbox Live, PlayStation Plus, Steam, Skype, and Discord! This is a feature AIM had when it was at its peak of popularity over a decade and a half ago!"

 

Level 11: "For the price of only ten custom Aston Martin Vanquishes plus shipping and delivery we'll give you that widget crap you disabled in Windows 7 when you bought your new laptop a decade ago!"

 

Level 12: "For the annual budget of an inner city school system we'll give you a Game Boy core because it's not like Game Boy and GBA emulation hasn't already been worked on extensively and is actually damned near perfect in the year of our Lord 2018, oh no!"

 

Levels 13 and 14: "Pay us the north end of $5 million to give you achievements and netplay matchmaking! Only stuff that has been around for over a decade thanks to consoles and the Kaillera client!"

 

Level 16: "Pay us just north of $5 mil to add in a few lines of code so that you can have a dedicated tournament mode for netplay!"

 

Levels 17 and 19: I have no joke here. While I don't hate the CDi like a lot of others do, and respect the ambition of the 3DO, there's zero need for two $60 dedicated modules just to use the original deadass controllers. If they have the means, just add CDi and 3DO compatibility and allow for generic controller support on it.

 

As for the other reward goals pertaining to modules, I don't care enough to give any more snark about it. These are even more f###ed rewards that simply further illustrate the actual madness the people at Playmaji must be suffering from if they think that in just over a month they can put out these rewards and hope to somehow gain up to 32,000-ish preorders in that time. Atari SA couldn't get half of those numbers on IndieGogo for the VCS, and these people are somehow hoping to coax enough people to get them within spitting distance of OUYA's numbers ($8.9 million on Kickstarter).

 

Most of these features can easily be added in through coding and the bare minimum R&D, the cartridge based modules only require making a cartridge slot and 1-4 controller slots that will be connected to the main unit (which again will require the bare minimum R&D and likely require very little costs). Again, they're hoping that adding in arbitrary features that every PC and console has had dating back to the early nineties is going to get them to 30,000+ preorders and cash amounts most crowdfunding campaigns in the same vein would kill to have. This is starting to give me a headache trying to figure this logic out.

[phoenixdownita]

Touché!

Not in this thread but I'd love to hear what happened to yourself (you know .... life, the universe and everything else) after the dust settled on the CC fiasco.

Not to revel on your misery (I take it wasn't easy) as that is not my intent but just to understand how many unforeseen collaterals really ended up being involved in your majestic flamboyant fall.

 

Likely whatever you say some people would call you names or tell you "you deserved it", personally I can promise I wouldn't do either, just interested in a "where are they now" kind of a story. Not sure it's the time for that yet, but if you'll indulge us ....

[marc.teeters]

What, no PS2 module?

 

Sent from my Z965 using Tapatalk

[goldenegg]

What, no PS2 module?

 

 

 

That's their $50M stretch goal. It will feature an FPGA that powers a flashing LED.

[phoenixdownita]

What, no PS2 module?

 

That's there if they reach 1Billion dollars.

 

If they reach 1Trillion dollars instead they're gonna go and show their naked asses to the face of Tim Cook (Apple CEO) to the tune of "We are the champions" making it to the trillion dollar companies extremely short list in just 2Y of BS.

[Fluxgra]

I wouldn't mind betting for some of these stretch goals for CD systems an additional module will be required for the "enhanced processing" required and to give control ports.

 

Got to keep the cash flowing in after the pre-order afterall.

[RetrogamerX]

I wished the pic's of Polymega weren't renders. I need to see real pics of the hardware. It does look and sound cool tbh. I wonder why Analogue hasn't capitalised on this situation yet? This would be a great time to shut down this emu console for good.

 

 

 

Cmon Analogue! Show them how it should be done

Edited September 8, 2018 by RetrogamerX

[Flojomojo]

Cmon Analogue! Show them how it should be done

They've done that a few times now. The trick is to make the thing first, describe and demonstrate it in detail, THEN ask for money. Then ship it to satisfied customers.