SiLic0ne t0aD Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Bob @ RetroRGB finally reviews and breaks it down. It's not pretty. Very informative though, so give this a watch! https://youtu.be/C0Y-7GXSoRc 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybercylon Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Supplying sand paper and telling buyers to sand their carts is one red flag! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 5 hours ago, cybercylon said: Supplying sand paper and telling buyers to sand their carts is one red flag! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?! That crosses the line into destruction and consumer fraud. They should get mauled and exposed at every possible moment and location to stop anyone buying from them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, SiLic0ne t0aD said: Bob @ RetroRGB finally reviews and breaks it down. It's not pretty. Very informative though, so give this a watch! https://youtu.be/C0Y-7GXSoRc Oh yeah~ This is the one I have been waiting for. I haven't been to RetroRGB yet today since I just woke up not long ago, but I'll definitely watch this right now. Can't wait for Bob to tell me that it's complete trash~ Edit: lol this thing is atrocious! So is that sandpaper! What the hell? Seriously? I'm glad that Bob was at least able to salvage the case, since I guess it looks kind of cool. Other than the maybe semi-cool case, this is just terrible and I sincerely hope that nobody buys this thing. Edited January 3, 2021 by Steven Pendleton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZroe Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Interesting to see the prototype version for consoles support a straight RGB amp but there's no way the final DIY kit would include that. It would mean giving every DIY order essentially TWO complete RGB restore kits when the same multi-out board can be used for all three N64 encoder types if they just include a third digital-side adapter board... that's the little one that's basically just a connector on a PCB. Also, between Sep/Oct they updated to show three digital-side adapter boards instead of two. Lastly, the DIY "Installation Instructions" video only instructs users on the digital installation.I know they sent out a survey before shipping the kits but I'm pretty sure it didn't ask people to identify their console revision since I ordered one for the LULZ and don't recall any question like that. That means they aren't sending different DIY kits to different buyers. Then again, they supposedly shipped and I haven't received mine yet so maybe they are waiting for an answer. Heck, half the reason I pulled the trigger was because I wanted to use the extra adapter boards as digital break-out boards for something like eTim's N64RGB or Borti's N64Advanced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Wow, this thing looks like a white-hot turd. Imagine that: a Kickstarter didn't deliver as promised. Color me shocked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 2 hours ago, CZroe said: Interesting to see the prototype version for consoles support a straight RGB amp but there's no way the final DIY kit would include that. It would mean giving every DIY order essentially TWO complete RGB restore kits when the same multi-out board can be used for all three N64 encoder types if they just include a third digital-side adapter board... that's the little one that's basically just a connector on a PCB. Also, between Sep/Oct they updated to show three digital-side adapter boards instead of two. Lastly, the DIY "Installation Instructions" video only instructs users on the digital installation. I know they sent out a survey before shipping the kits but I'm pretty sure it didn't ask people to identify their console revision since I ordered one for the LULZ and don't recall any question like that. That means they aren't sending different DIY kits to different buyers. Then again, they supposedly shipped and I haven't received mine yet so maybe they are waiting for an answer. Heck, half the reason I pulled the trigger was because I wanted to use the extra adapter boards as digital break-out boards for something like eTim's N64RGB or Borti's N64Advanced. Yeah, this whole thing looks like it was done by people who have literally no idea what they are doing. Hell, I don't know what I'm doing either but just listening to RetroRGBob talking about it before he even got to the specific details made me instantly realize that this thing is horrible! If I was running the project, I would have at least consulted someone like Voultar or Bob or whoever before I even started designing the thing. Anyway, I'll be curious to see whatever it is that you get and whatever you decide to do with it. It seems like you're trying to salvage the parts like you did with that PC Engine (or was it TurboGrafx?) video thing a few months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Jeepers - this is crazy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 And I bet it's so cheap coarse woodgrain sandpaper no less. I could admit someone providing fine grain sandpaper (wet 2000 grains sandpaper for car work use) but even that is not a good idea on long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mr. Video Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 2 hours ago, ls650 said: Jeepers - this is crazy! What the actual hell!? What thought process lead to them thinking that sanding down the thin, copper pins was the end-all solution to dirty cartridges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youxia Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 I must admit, I do find the "Sandpaper Included" thing quite funny...you couldn't make it up. Yes, it is a bit heartless, but c'mon - the whole thing was a one giant red flag from the get go, and Kickstarter and its assorted shams have been around for yonks now. Why do people still back such things is beyond me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 3 hours ago, youxia said: Kickstarter and its assorted shams have been around for yonks now. Why do people still back such things is beyond me. To be fair, I've joined about a half-dozen Kickstarters over the last few years, mostly for boardgames, and they've all worked out well. No sandpaper included in any of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Well boardgames seem far more practical than that franken-dumpster fire of harvested N64s and sandpaper cobbled with some really piss poor design that the youtube video there exposed in all its glory. I do agree about kickstarter in general, at least as far as software/gaming development goes as it seems it's mostly selfish attempts and lots of fails. A few do slide in that get something right, but I think the story of you can count those on fingers sadly fits. I saw too many lies from the birth of kickstarter long ago to know never to fund one, damn well more so of others where they don't even have donator protection so when it's gone it is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtmonkey Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Perhaps the worst thing about this is that it proves that Kickstarter doesn't care as long as they get their money—even if the kickstarter pitch literally lies in the title. The kit was described as "plug and play" but requires console modification including soldering. Bob mentions that people reported this to Kickstarter and they basically replied that literally lying in the title of the Kickstarter is not in violation with Kickstarter terms lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZroe Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 I think Plug and Play was just a language barrier thing, since they removed that claim very early on. I believe what they meant was that you could directly plug in an HDMI cable. Yeah, big deal, but that's the only usability distinguishment over their external HDMI adapters that could also be called "plug and play." Obviously, the convenience of "direct plug and play" HDMI output doesn't consider the one-time effort of installation.Bob's already done exactly what I was hoping to do with mine (add RetroTink with a proper RGB mod) and managed to do it before I even got mine since he got his from MJR back in November and mine still hasn't arrived. Oh well. At least I'll be able to tell if the final units are somehow different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldenWheels Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Sandpaper. OMG. Just when I thought I had seen it all. I'm still playing Revenge nearly every week, on a stock system, with a CRT. Looks great to me, and no sanding necessary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 The case by itself looks nice enough, at least. If you want a transparent gray or transparent green N64 the DIY kit at least seems to have decent plastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZroe Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Still haven't received mine. Starting to wonder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Bob posted another thing: https://www.retrorgb.com/warrior-64-production-unit-teardown.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybercylon Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 After seeing Bob's video, I am not sure why they went the route that they did when they could have done things correctly. The shell isn't too bad. People might interested in the shell if their N64 is banged up. Maybe this is one of those few times where just the shell is good enough (as always... more than half the battle). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZroe Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 After seeing Bob's video, I am not sure why they went the route that they did when they could have done things correctly. The shell isn't too bad. People might interested in the shell if their N64 is banged up. Maybe this is one of those few times where just the shell is good enough (as always... more than half the battle).The same reason all those crap console-specific HDMI cables from #Pound, Xtreme, Hyperkin, LevelHike, etc exist: They don't actually engineer anything new. They just take an existing thing ($15 HDMI converters) and cram it into a new thing (console-specific cable or housing like Warrior 64).They aren't even familiar with retrogaming enough to realize that there is a problem with 240p on modern TVs... just like all the people buying those cables or the $15-$20 converters before that so I guess a lot of users perpetuate this, but a proper product is also an opportunity to educate users and show them why your product matters (ala RAD 2X cables).Speaking of users who just don't know... I couldn't roll my eyes harder when the Turbografx-16/PC Engine community jumped all over modding those HDMI cables for consoles that weren't yet supported, like TurboGrafx and Neo Geo. All they had done was paid $10 more than one of the generic boxes and put in a bunch of effort to have something that's still no better than a generic box. Yuck. Just what did they think they were accomplishing?! So many convinced themselves that it was "way better" than the generics without even checking to see if it had the exact same issues with 240p (it did).Still no word on mine. Not sure what's up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeonSpaceBeagle Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 innards aside, the shell is absolutely ugly as sin. It threw away the mid 90s curved aesthetic and went for a horribly anachronistic jagged and pointy shape for unknown reasons. I'd be embarrassed to have it on display and would have to cover it with a towel like I do with other unappealing consoles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 Taste and colors... personally the N64 overall design is quite bland (as is the design of consoles of this era anyway). This one may be anachronistic, may not please everyone but at least it took a radical approach. Also it seems to have been made with decent quality control and decent plastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeonSpaceBeagle Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 I don't think that was a radical design approach at all. Did you really find the original N64 design bland? I think it's pretty sexy, especially the ones of color. I have the jungle green one, wish I had the blue one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 As I said, tastes and colors I find it bland, but as I said, except for the 3DO, all consoles of that gen seems to have only minimal though put in the design; to be more precise, in the aesthetics (the functionnal design is mostly good). But again, it's a matter of tastes and discussing them would mostly be sterile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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