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

[Golgo 14]

I've developed a morbid sort of curiosity about this project. The money total has flatlined and they're taking in about 7k a day now. They'll hit their original goal in the next week and then? None of the rewards for additional modules are in sight. Normally successful crowdfunded projects get a nice boost in their final days, but it's hard for me to see that happening when the coolest thing about this idea isn't going happen anytime soon, if at all. It seems like they've gone radio silent too, not even tweeting the past 6 days except for replies to people with ordering problems.

I've always wondered why people don't crowdfund on their own & avoid sites like Kickstarter with all their fees. I guess now I know.

[bmoc]

If they want to get some positive buzz going, they should be on social media every day with a video or new tidbit of information. This is especially true since they took their forums offline. Community engagement is crucial piece to any crowdfunding endeavor. The Saturn gameplay videos they posted last week were a good start and then....nothing.

It is clear that they are just winging the whole PR and marketing aspect of this project. They really need to onboard someone with experience in this kind of thing. At the very least, they should have someone on their staff doing it full-time during the pre-order campaign.

I really hope the reason for this week's silence is that they are preparing for some sort of major course correction and/or media blitz. Otherwise, I don't think they will make it much past the 500k goal either.

[nightrnr]

I'm not sold yet on this thing, but it does have me curious.

It's probably not the thing for me as I have many options with original hardware: PSIO (and PS2 POPS), Rhea/Phoebe, Super SD System 3, Everdrives, not to mention signal converters for newer TV's (even though I game mostly on CRT's)...among others. For Sega CD and Neo Geo CD, I like Xbox emulation well enough.

This all sounds like bragging, but not my intention. I just like repurposing old hardware and using it again. So do I get this too just to see what it's like?

But I do love other optioins. A better 32x player would be nice, as well as a dedicated Neo Geo CD system with little load times (if I even get into those ports).
Saturn emulation is VERY interesting, but I fear for compatibility and disappointment next to the real deal (I do love my Rhea/Phoebe's). I wonder about memory card support, unlimited space and direct save? Could be neat for Dezaemon 2, but then how to get saves on there (it must be hacked, needs a devolper mode)?

My main questions are regarding backing up the games:
-Will it convert it to a format usable on other devices rom files and iso/images? Or will it encrypt them to the system like the Retrofreak? If not, what stops you from adding roms to the SD card?
-Can you burn a game to disc and have it install the same way (for Snatcher, for example; way expensive and not enough to go around. Will a burned copy work like on a Sega CD?)
-Can it copy Sonic and Knuckle combo carts?
-Will they sell replacement disc drives for if/when the included one fails?

My money would probably be on the Genesis module, with a slight secondary leaning towards the PC-engine (although I'd rather get a hold of GDEMU's (hopefully upcoming) Super CD for full aesthetics for that system).

The Polymega really is one more thing that I just don't really need (as if that ever 1st me buying stuff).
Sounds more enticing than the PlayStation Classic though.

[bmoc]

ROM/ISO dumps are encrypted. You can't add your own ROMs unless someone hacks it. For burned games, they should work if it worked on original hardware. I'm not sure about Sonic and Knuckles combo cart dumps. I doubt they will sell replacement drives but you will save a lot of wear and tear by dumping ISOs.

[Jagosaurus]

How big is the internal memory? Disc images add up a lot quicker than ROMs.

Interested to see how it handles images of multi disc games.

[bmoc]

16GB onboard storage. Expandable to 512GB with microSD card. They say it works just fine dumping multi disc games.

[nightrnr]

I don't know, encryption kind of kills it for me, even if it is a necessary evil.
This is the Retrofreak all over again. I see the use and appeal of it, but in the end, it offers me nothing I don't already have.
I wonder if it plays well with Monster Rancher and reading other CD's?... Vib Ribbon?

I don't care much about the all-in-one solution and I think Neo Geo CD is the only system I really haven't delved into at all with few standout exclusives (Last Blade 1&2 being the best motivation with their arranged CD soundtracks, scratchy PS2 port aside).

So when do we learn the games included with modules?

[bmoc]

So when do we learn the games included with modules?

No idea. I wouldn't hold my breath for anything super exciting. I'm expecting some homebrew games similar to what RetroUSB released alongside the AVS.

[Golgo 14]

Ballz 3D or GTFO

[bmoc]

Playmaji did another interview with Nintendo Life http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/0 ... scepticism

There were two bits of new info. First, they claim to be in talks with a major game publisher to add their catalogue of games to their online store. They won't reveal who it is until the contract is done. Second, they have secured a lot of wholesale orders, especially in Japan. If they included those sales with individual pre-orders, they would have about $1.25-1.5M right now.

While I am glad that they are doing fairly well, I do wish those wholesale numbers counted on the rewards page.