Polymega/Retroblox: New 1080p "Clone" 2600 to PCE-CD to PS1

[racketboy]

My interest in this has really died a lot. Another emulation machine with seemingly expensive modules isnt that enticing.

The main appeal that remains for me is that it has good industrial design and theoretically is much easier to use and setup for the average person.
Also, the modules let you use real cartridges and controllers. There is value there, but I agree its much more limited in its appeal.

I was thinking I might go with this for Turbografx/PC Engine stuff, but now I'm just thinking about a Core Grafx plus a Super SD System 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embglSBWF8E

[Jagosaurus]

Really surprised there's not just a USB CD attachment for the Retro Freak or Retron 5. I guess streaming data versus temp ROM dumps?

[bmoc]

Here's a neat thing I read about. If you look at the source code of the Rewards page, you can see the hidden reward tiers.

$2.25M - Make a profile, create a friends list, chat with other users on Polymega
$2.5M - A digital cheats database will be implemented for supported systems.
$3M - The Classic Colecovision system will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega
$3.25M - A fully integrated social network for sharing your screenshots and game videos to other players on your Polymega
$3.5M - 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.
$4M - The Classic Gameboy (GBA/GBC/GB) systems will receive a module release on Polymega
$4.25M - An Achievements System will be implemented to Polymega so you can share your accomplishments with friends and followers.
$4.5M - 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.
$5M - The Classic Sega Master System will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega
$5.25M - Create and participate in tournaments using Polymega’s Matchmaking service.
$5.5M - The Classic Philips CD-i System will be playable on Polymega
$6M - The Classic Sega Dreamcast will be playable on Polymega
$7M - The Classic 3DO system will be playable on Polymega
$8M - The Classic N64 System will receive a worldwide module release on Polymega

Unlike the first 6 tiers, there isn't a lot of filler here. There are some legit good features to be excited about. I like the translations and online matchmaking the most. The order is a bit puzzling on some of the modules. Maybe this isn't final and that's the reason it was hidden?

$8M is a lofty goal though. Ouya raised 8.5 million through Kickstarter so anything is possible I guess.

[racketboy]

Interesting that there’s Dreamcast before N64!

[Golgo 14]

With less than 400k in their first week, I don't see any of those hidden rewards coming into play. This thing is stillborn.

[bmoc]

They are still doing damage control from the botched pre-order launch. Most of the people that know about the launch are folks that follow Polymega on social media or are deeply entrench in retro gaming news. They haven't really gone out of their way to remind the gaming community at-large that they exist and are taking pre-orders.

As far as I've seen, the major gaming news outlets haven't covered the pre-order launch. When the likes of IGN, Destructoid, and Polygon start reporting on it, there will probably be a large uptick in sales. That is assuming that the coverage is positive. If I were them, I'd start rolling out gameplay and behind the scenes videos on their own Youtube channel/website like crazy to garner some positive coverage. Assuming that they get some positive coverage from big gaming sites, I can see them potentially attaining at least Atari VCS numbers ($3M).

[JoeAwesome]

Really surprised there's not just a USB CD attachment for the ... Retron 5. I guess streaming data versus temp ROM dumps?

That would require writing some code

[samsonlonghair]

I feel vindicated. I’ve been calling “hybrid emulation” snake oil for a while now. I’m not outraged that Polymega is using software-based emulation... because that’s just what I assumed would happen all along.

I’m surprised that they’re supporting Sega Saturn. Also, I think it’s cool that they’re utilizing a programmer from Mednafen.

These guys should have just been more honest with the public from the start. There’s no need to be so secretive. Maybe programmers assume that the rest of us are stupid? I mean... who did they think they were fooling with “hybrid emulation” really?

Really surprised there's not just a USB CD attachment for the ... Retron 5. I guess streaming data versus temp ROM dumps?

That would require writing some code

I see what you did there!

[Sarge]

Actually, I don't know that the "hybrid emulation" was necessarily snake oil, I just think that perhaps they didn't know what it would take to create a good FPGA-based core for several of these systems. You have to someone that is really in the know that can handle VHDL/Verilog, like kevtris and the Super Nt. It's entirely possible they had planned on using the FPGA for the base-level emulation, or for the simpler systems, and figured out that it just wasn't cost-effective.

Or it could have been snake oil. Who knows? I can see where it could work, is all I'm saying.

[marurun]

I think the cost of successfully integrating FPGA emulation with software emulation, especially if you break things down to various functions, would be far higher than either fully FPGA or fully software emulation. I suspect their FPGA emulation goal was really to just handle IO, or controllers and cartridges, because software emulation already separates and compartmentalizes those functions. They likely appropriately determined it would be more affordable and practical to drop FPGA-based IO and just beef up the CPU, and then keep the FPGA tech in their pocket for the two console instances (SNES and Famicom) that really benefit from it (you can emulate the base platform in software and rely on the FPGA to handle the interface with the various chips on the cartridges).