tecmocerealbowl Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I don't get it. E3 was the time to make a big push, but this is half-hearted. There was a video on a Twitter account, perhaps it was linked to from this thread, of the demonstrator at the booth stating the system was overheating. The release date gets pushed back again, for maybe the 4th time. I'm currently working on a compact pc build. I think with a gaming monitor I could turn it into a retro gaming machine with a front-end, and it probably has more promise. I had money set aside for this thing for ages, but I haven't been able to hold on to it forever. I also have concerns about the cost of additional modules considering that controllers are being bundled. I think most retro-gamers already have decent options for most consoles. I posted a question on the forums about not seeing the universal controller on display when the new controllers were announced, and the reply they gave was that it was a wireless controller that wasn't as well suited for input lag. But, the demo unit at their E3 both had a wired universal controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 So what you do is you get yourself a re-programmable cart and a USB flash kit and then flash a ROM, install it, flash another ROM, install it...ad infinitum. LOL They have no interest in anything other than the store platform. If they'd said that from the get-go, I don't think people would have taken this slow revelation so badly. That's what they get for not being up-front. Mmm yes. Technology in general, and retrogaming in specific, is just the industry's way of getting into your wallet. The "stores" are just one of the latest incarnations designed for that purpose. None of these kickstarter consoles are built out of love of the hobby. None are crafted with the finesse and attention to detail shown in the recent Champ Games releases for the VCS - for example. Granted they're two different things, but the sentiment holds true. Gimme Gimme! Cash Grab! And the idiots support them, look at the brewing fiasco of the new vcs. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 ^^ that's a well-stated reminder of why things like Libretro (Retro Arch) and RetroPie are so great. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fluxgra Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Based off some threads over on Polymega's forum it seems like quite the toxic community over there. Also, their "spam filter" definitely loves to make it hard to post semi-critical content on their site such as: When I read the Nintendo Life article I will admit to being a bit concerned regarding the comments of not being able to play the enhancement chip games. I have read Polymega's response to this (it is only referring to saved games - not off cart) but their choice of which module to exhibit at E3 (the Turbografx-16) leaves me a bit concerned. Of their choice of 4 launch systems they have, they did chose the system that has no carts with enhancement chips to show off. I feel a lot of doubt and concern shown by some would have been deeply minimized by having a SNES module on hand to demonstrated enhancement chip games or even the Super Gameboy which Polymega has claimed compatibility. I guess it was just a missed opportunity by Polymega to help eliminate some questions people have of this project. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 The PolyMega forum seems to be four or five pigeons and an admin who tells everyone to read the FAQ, believe, and stop asking questions. Basically, where the Ataribox was three months ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 My posts did eventually start showing up later in the thread, but I had to complain VERY LOUDLY for them to get pulled out of the ether and back into the real world. And even then they weren't really critical, just kind of skeptical with a little hope. I tried to phrase my concerns nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevtris Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The PolyMega forum seems to be four or five pigeons and an admin who tells everyone to read the FAQ, believe, and stop asking questions. Basically, where the Ataribox was three months ago. Don't forget the haters from Atariage, too! I have to say that was the first time I had seen the words "kevtris" and "lust" in the same sentence though. chortle. Cue the "Official Atariage Hater's Brigade" badge. http://polymega.com/forums/topic/hybrid-emulation/page/2/#post-32746 (I have a screenshot in case it gets edited) Re: someone asked earlier in the thread what I thought about their PCB. Well, it's obviously a development board and not anything finished. It has a Xilinx Spartan 6, and appears to be an XC6SLX25T in a 484 BGA, so 24K LEs, 958K bit BRAM, and 250 IOs. The board has two .1" ribbon cable connectors on it (similar to IDE cables) which I assume would connect to the modules, and everything else seems to be what I thought it was last time. I see what looks like a serial configuration flash ROM, a bunch of power supplies and lots of test points and some LEDs. It's interesting that they showed this board off but not what it plugs into. This is just a development board though, so it will obviously be vastly shrunk down with all/most of the test points and LEDs removed, and different connectors that would plug into the modules. I'd hope some major cost reduction on the power supplies too. As it is, the modules most likely cannot directly plug into this board, since this board is designed for ribbon cables by the looks of it. Of course this is all just a bunch of guessing so take what you will from that. I found a good high-rez picture of the PCB here: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dfm2c7GU0AACBsm.jpg:orig 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_convoy Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Nothing wrong with some Kevtris lust/worship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Well if they haven't implemented software emulation of SNES accelerator chips yet, then that seems to indicate they're not using third-party emulators. Just about every worthwhile emulator already has all this work done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmer Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Re: someone asked earlier in the thread what I thought about their PCB. Well, it's obviously a development board and not anything finished. It has a Xilinx Spartan 6, and appears to be an XC6SLX25T in a 484 BGA, so 24K LEs, 958K bit BRAM, and 250 IOs. The board has two .1" ribbon cable connectors on it (similar to IDE cables) which I assume would connect to the modules, and everything else seems to be what I thought it was last time. I see what looks like a serial configuration flash ROM, a bunch of power supplies and lots of test points and some LEDs. It's interesting that they showed this board off but not what it plugs into. This is just a development board though, so it will obviously be vastly shrunk down with all/most of the test points and LEDs removed, and different connectors that would plug into the modules. I'd hope some major cost reduction on the power supplies too. As it is, the modules most likely cannot directly plug into this board, since this board is designed for ribbon cables by the looks of it. Of course this is all just a bunch of guessing so take what you will from that. Well, their patent doc clearly (IMHO) talks about having a main system board with a standard processor on it (to run their GUI, store, emulators, etc), and then having an FPGA/CPLD on each-and-every module board to do the actual physical hardware interfacing to the module's cartridge and controller ports. The picture of that dev board doesn't actually show any main system board I/O, such as HDMI or USB, and that 24K-LE Spartan 6 is going to be too small (I think) to run all of their OS, background tasks, and video-out needs. I believe that it is most likely to be a flexible development board for them to prototype the actual modules themselves for each system, with the .1" ribbon cable connectors breaking out to cartridge slots, and the connector at the bottom of the picture plugging into their main system board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepdreamin Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 So.. still no direct answer on the expansion chip thing? If I plug up Star Fox, or a Yoshi's Island cart. The WayBackBrix is going to run the stock SNES side in emulation, but utilize the onboard SuperFX chips in direct operation? But, if I was then to install Yoshi's Island to the WayBackBrix, everything would then be handled by emulation? Still doesn't make sense, might as well just handle everything via emulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 So.. still no direct answer on the expansion chip thing? If I plug up Star Fox, or a Yoshi's Island cart. The WayBackBrix is going to run the stock SNES side in emulation, but utilize the onboard SuperFX chips in direct operation? But, if I was then to install Yoshi's Island to the WayBackBrix, everything would then be handled by emulation? Still doesn't make sense, might as well just handle everything via emulation. I believe what they're saying is that right now WayBackBrix doesn't play dumped ROMs that need special chips unless the cart is in the system (kind of like the Super UFO tries to do). They claim that down the road it will play without the cart. And it will have to, if they ever hope to sell any of those games on their store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepdreamin Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Proper emulators to handle everything out the gate would make more sense to me. Yet they've gone through the trouble of developing this supposed "hybrid" setup, only to render it entirely pointless down the road? I guess they missed out on the longstanding KISS principle for engineering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The desire to invent and market something different is strong with this project. And that can lead to all sorts of twisted and overly complex contraptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepdreamin Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The desire to invent and market something different is strong with this project. And that can lead to all sorts of twisted and overly complex contraptions. I'm sticking with eventual Rube Goldberg machine to play rom dumps. Would be like a TurnTable that can rip vinyl to digital, only it then also has a built in lathe to cut the songs back to vinyl. That it then rips again to digital before you listen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) Well, it's not out yet, so I'll take a "wait and see" approach to whether they'll have the chips emulated. In theory this thing could resurrect my Genesis Virtua Racing cart, which has corrupted graphics. Some blue lines at the top of the screen, then eventually the Sega logo, and then it dies. If they emulated the SVP then I could dump the ROM and play the game. Same with carts that use battery backup. Dead battery? No problem. Of course, an Everdrive takes care of the latter. Edited June 25, 2018 by derFunkenstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepdreamin Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Well, it's not out yet, so I'll take a "wait and see" approach to whether they'll have the chips emulated. In theory this thing could resurrect my Genesis Virtua Racing cart, which has corrupted graphics. Some blue lines at the top of the screen, then eventually the Sega logo, and then it dies. If they emulated the SVP then I could dump the ROM and play the game. Same with carts that use battery backup. Dead battery? No problem. Of course, an Everdrive takes care of the latter. Sounds like your cart would still technically be toast. Might as well just play a dump already to "resurrect" it. That's the one Genesis game I'm aware of that no Everdrive has an answer for, which is why I own a physical copy. I'm more likely be playing Sega Rally on the Saturn, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Sounds like your cart would still technically be toast. Might as well just play a dump already to "resurrect" it. That's the one Genesis game I'm aware of that no Everdrive has an answer for, which is why I own a physical copy. I'm more likely be playing Sega Rally on the Saturn, though. I figured my cart might at least have a valid ROM on it. It'd be in the spirit of the Polymanji box to play that way, I think? Yep, that's also why I own a physical copy. Plus the cart is super cool. Fortunately I can play Virtua Racing Deluxe on my 32X. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) Pay no attention to the overheating!! It was hot at E3!! Edit: this may be of interest to those wondering about emulation for games with onboard hardware: Edited June 25, 2018 by godslabrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) 82 degrees is not "HOT", but it might be a little warm. My house has to get up to 86, 87, 88 before I'll cave in and turn on the AC. Note that is not the outside temp, it's the thermostat reading indoors. Edited June 25, 2018 by derFunkenstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PikoInteractive Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 I was there, and that room WAS hot, I chugged a cold beer while I was at the booth and I was still sweating like a pig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Apparently this is "The User Interface That Launched 1,000 Ships" Brace yourselves. Nothing, NOTHING can prepare you. https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=772&v=xP2th2UHmJo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Which Kodi skin is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_convoy Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 The hybrid one they made themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaguarandine Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 (edited) Coming up with a psx, NGCD, snes, PCEngine, Genesis etc.. from scratch all in house in the time frame is quite unbelievable. Unless they've licensed available emulators and claiming them as "in house". Everyone should know just how ridiculous their statements are in that interview. It can take YEARS to create just ONE fairly accurate emulator from scratch. Not accounting for the bugs in emulation which pop up and have to be patched (will there be a beta test of their "proprietary" emulators before launching to paying customers?). If they actually accomplished this feat however, it would be the crowning achievement of the project. You'd think they'd be shouting it from the rooftops: talking to people in the scene or doing interviews discussing the technical details. Instead they crap on free and open source software software, without which this project would be dead in the water. I find it hard to believe that they didn't take advantage of all the already existing code and documentation on emulation to do what they're doing. Shameful. Apparently this is "The User Interface That Launched 1,000 Ships" Brace yourselves. Nothing, NOTHING can prepare you. https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=772&v=xP2th2UHmJo I actually like the UI. A bit rough around the edges navigation-wise, but pretty slick and some interesting ideas. You can tell that this is where they've spent a lot of their time (that and the packaging). When the Polymega goes belly up due to an unsustainable business model or violations of the GPL, I hope that they'll open the source to the UI. Edited June 27, 2018 by Jaguarandine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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