Retroblox

[dj_convoy]

Atari Age is the worst.

 

But please feel free to give us 600 dollars, because we really, really think that you should.

[Keatah]

"Echo chamber" in the context they used it typically means "peanut gallery" or people saying things of no importance.

[00010000]

 

This is supposed to emulate the Saturn? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought such an endeavor required a bit more horsepower.

 

Eh, nah. I have a system around here w/ a Core2Duo E8400 and it runs Saturn pretty much just fine. It does clock around 30-40% CPU usage, though.

 

FWIW it also runs Model 2 flawlessly; I think its usage is around Saturn tho if not a bit lower. It has zero issues with PS1 and N64 too. I haven't tried seeing if it runs Model 3 but if it can, then Dreamcast wouldn't be an issue either.

 

And again, that's a super-old Core2Duo; I HAVE to think a modern-day Pentium is a bit ahead of that processor.

 

Addendum: To be fair, the same system also has a SSD, but also only 4GB of DDR3 RAM, while this PolyMega should have faster DDR4 at the very least. So it should handle Saturn pretty well if it's using something like SSF (the Medafen core is better but also requires more processing power to run well).

 

....but then I saw the price. Yikes! The modules really seem to add on the costs there, it would've probably been better to integrate it into one system, even if it needed to be a slightly larger one, since each module basically means a separate motherboard with separate motherboard components each (and extra costs b/c each one needs its own molding shell). Or just have slots for: SNES, NES, Genesis and 2600. Everything else like 32X, Jaguar, Neo-Geo etc., why not just do a Genesis Lock-On like thing and simply slot that in one of the other four, and it has an end connector for the other systems?

Edited September 6, 2018 by 00010000

[RampantOctopus]

this thing is never gonna ship.

[Tanooki]

Wow labrat thanks!

 

I read through that entire mess and it just seems very suspect, highly defensive, very cagey too. It's you want answers, you come into our house, show what we consider respect, and then we'll answer as we see fit. That's not how you sell product or command any trust. Sounds more like a dictatorship than a capitalist venture there. Having also read since that pic what kevtris added to the mix and a few others, any consideration I had for this thing perhaps being actually legit what they claimed it would be and me believing in their will to deliver on what they claimed is basically shot.

 

This reeks of some scheme to just reframe a question that already was answered in a very similar way by Retrofreak already outside of the optical end of it.

[Newsdee]

They need to realize that the second a unit gets out in the wild it will be dissected and details will be posted here, youtube, and broadly elsewhere.

 

Even Steve Jobs with his infamed reality distortion field wasn't immune to that. So it's really self defeating, IMHO, to build too much hype without hard evidence.

[goldenegg]

This is getting infuriating! This is their response to someone who asked if Hybrid Emulation has been removed:

 

 

 

Not gone, just changed so that we can support more systems (eg; Saturn), which was what we heard most people wanted after E3. FPGA is now out of the base unit and on the module starting with Famicom, which will make great use of it.

 

Of course it's gone! These guys are losing credibility every time the post something.

[godslabrat]

"We'll explain what hybrid emulation is on pre-order day!"

 

...Pre-orde day comes...

 

"Hybrid emulation isn't important anyway!"

[Keatah]

Well if they had a real product that was cool, they wouldn't have to generate all this hype and stuff.

[Newsdee]

Caveat emptor: if the FPGA is on the module it may be nothing more than a cart dumper. That approach is very different than something like the Analogue SuperNT or the MiST(er)s where the FPGA chip is the actual core system running the CPU, "GPU" (PPU), sound, etc.

[goldenegg]

When it comes to FPGA, their FAQ says the following:

 

 

Certain modules in the future will release with an embedded FPGA that will allow extended compatibility with hardware accessories.

 

If this is to be believed, the FPGA is only for accessory compatibility.

 

EDIT:

 

Holy crap! This one needs to be a screen grab, incase it's removed.

 

 

Wow! So they've just come out and admitted that accuracy for the system is out the window. What a joke!

Edited September 6, 2018 by goldenegg

[godslabrat]

When it comes to FPGA, their FAQ says the following:

 

 

If this is to be believed, the FPGA is only for accessory compatibility.

 

EDIT:

 

Holy crap! This one needs to be a screen grab, incase it's removed.

 

 

Wow! So they've just come out and admitted that accuracy for the system is out the window. What a joke!

That was literally their entire selling point for the past year and a half, until E3, now it's "only if we really, really need it"

 

Betcha that online storefront is intact, though.

[cybercylon]

Funny how their web site is constantly down or very slow to load. Current twitter feed is blaming it on DNS attack from some hacker.

 

At best... another rom dumper. Really need another one of those... nope.

[derFunkenstein]

That was literally their entire selling point for the past year and a half, until E3, now it's "only if we really, really need it"

 

Betcha that online storefront is intact, though.

 

Well, the whole point of this thing isn't reading carts anyway. It's the online storefront that they pimped oh so very hard at E3. But what do I know? I'm just posting on Atari Age.

[goldenegg]

 

Well, the whole point of this thing isn't reading carts anyway. It's the online storefront that they pimped oh so very hard at E3. But what do I know? I'm just posting on Atari Age.

 

 

Wait, this is AtariAge? I can't be seen with you people

 

Here's the thing ... This launch didn't have to be a disaster. They could have come out a week ago to let everyone know of the changes to the product, which would ensure people had the information they needed to make a proper decisions as to whether or not they'd make a purchase. From there, they could have used Kickstarter or IndieGoGo and not price the system like it's the end-all of clone consoles. If they did that, they could have probably been semi-successful.

 

Instead, they make misleading statements and don't answer direct questions about the product. They also retained the price point they set when the product was supposed to be drastically different. I hate how crap like this keeps happening to the community.

[derFunkenstein]

goldenegg you're absolutely right that this could have home better but I think that even backtracking a week ago would have been too little too late with all three hubris they showed this summer.

 

The retro gaming community is forever at odds with the companies that wish to exploit it. That's probably because we usually fall into one of two camps: original hardware for life, or "I'll just emulate it myself" crowd. There's very little room for a do-everything clone unless it brings something unique to the table like a kevtris FPGA system or this supposed "hybrid emulation" nonsense. Nobody has done it 100% perfect yet for a multi system so people like Polymega will come along and shaft us all

[Keatah]

Well, the whole point of this thing isn't reading carts anyway. It's the online storefront that they pimped oh so very hard at E3. But what do I know? I'm just posting on Atari Age.

 

You're in the echochamber! Don't you know that?!?

[Keatah]

Here's the thing ... This launch didn't have to be a disaster. They could have come out a week ago to let everyone know of the changes to the product, which would ensure people had the information they needed to make a proper decisions as to whether or not they'd make a purchase. From there, they could have used Kickstarter or IndieGoGo and not price the system like it's the end-all of clone consoles. If they did that, they could have probably been semi-successful.

 

Instead, they make misleading statements and don't answer direct questions about the product. They also retained the price point they set when the product was supposed to be drastically different. I hate how crap like this keeps happening to the community.

 

This "launch" didn't even need to happen. The VCS never had a "launch" in 1977, neither did most other classic systems. Not formally anyways.

 

They just appeared in the stores like magic! Many times that's how we learned there was something new out, by wandering through the stores. Or by reading contemporary magazines. Companies were respectful enough to place a real advertisement and then give us the product in the timeframe stated in the ad.

 

None of this pomp and circumstance.

[Keatah]

goldenegg you're absolutely right that this could have home better but I think that even backtracking a week ago would have been too little too late with all three hubris they showed this summer.

 

The retro gaming community is forever at odds with the companies that wish to exploit it. That's probably because we usually fall into one of two camps: original hardware for life, or "I'll just emulate it myself" crowd. There's very little room for a do-everything clone unless it brings something unique to the table like a kevtris FPGA system or this supposed "hybrid emulation" nonsense. Nobody has done it 100% perfect yet for a multi system so people like Polymega will come along and shaft us all

 

Back in the day when retro was cool the gamer was not exploited. We felt like games were made for us, to entertain us, to amuse us, to challenge us.. Most all games had a certain unspoken level of pride put into them. And same thing with the systems. I felt the industry was doing its best to develop and lay the groundwork for this new form of art/entertainment.

 

Today it's all a cash grab. These kickstarter experiments lack a certain ineffable pride. Throw shit at the wall and see what sticks. Then scrape it off and sell it to you. Their goal is to collect ooohs and ahhhhs and "hope" it translates in to $$$.

 

---

 

It's yet another thing I like about emulation. Getting and setting up the various high-quality emus that have been in development for 2 decades is a good thing. You know the developers have put honest time into them to make them fun and accurate. The history and changelog is there for you to see.

[godslabrat]

Well, FWIW, this is not going over well. Facebook and Twitter are full of comments of people skeptical that PolyMega has been totally honest about the DOS attacks, and even more comments that object to the last minute changes. Even those who have ordered one seem to have done so begrudgingly.

[Flojomojo]

Radical honesty, or complete cluelessness?

 

[godslabrat]

They really aren't trying very hard to explain the changes through other avenues, are they? If I wanted to be especially cynical, I might agree that they are definitely taking advantage of the site being down a little too much, or possibly even staging it. I still prefer to think they really are just that tone deaf

Edited September 6, 2018 by godslabrat

[Fluxgra]

Waaaait a second. This thing is shipping in April?

 

In 7 months...

 

After credit card charge backs will no longer be possible...

 

On their own website (if it is ever up), not an independent platform...

 

For a product that doesn't resemble what was initially presented...

 

And people are actually giving them money? While there is some negativity on Facebook and Twitter, there is quite a bit of positivity and YouTube 'personalities' are still defending the product.

 

I give up on humanity.

 

EDIT: I am really struggling on this one. To me, any rational person would look at the back peddling from what Polymega has been touting since day one up until recent interviews and think "Hey, maybe I should wait on this a bit and see how this plays out" but instead people are fawning over this as the second coming of Jesus.

Edited September 6, 2018 by Fluxgra

[Flojomojo]

They really aren't trying very hard to explain the changes through other avenues, are they? If I wanted to be especially cynical, I might agree that they are definitely taking advantage of the site being down a little too much, or possibly even staging it. I still prefer to think they really are just that tone deaf

 

Their Facebook page ("typically answers within minutes") says to check their Twitter for updates. I guess these hardware geniuses haven't figured out that they could synch up the two ... or (gasp) put their website information in another place. They're already using a cheapass host. why not just flip their stuff onto Tumblr or Blogger for now?

[godslabrat]

 

Their Facebook page ("typically answers within minutes") says to check their Twitter for updates. I guess these hardware geniuses haven't figured out that they could synch up the two ... or (gasp) put their website information in another place. They're already using a cheapass host. why not just flip their stuff onto Tumblr or Blogger for now?

Hey, ploymega, want my money? It's in my Twitter.