2015 new RETRO Video Game System (VGS) console

[isiolia]

I don't see the point in it either. There are already so many options available for those who want to make a retro style game (or game in general) - and for those who want to play them. We've had indie consoles, homebrew consoles, and so on, and none have seen much demand.

Were they trying to license old consoles to basically reprint old stuff, kind of like the Neo Geo X, but more authentic...sure. That'd be neat. It'd expand the possible fan base for them. Making games exclusively for this thing would limit the audience severely.

Almost seems deliberately designed to be a rare collectible.

[KalessinDB]

I have to say, I own an Ouya and it's a nice little emulation machine. It's not a distinct console in my eyes by any stretch of the imagination, but for a pre built emulation box it does its job admirably

[Jrecee]

I've always wanted to see this happen. Would have done it myself if I had the knowledge. Unfortunately this doesn't look like the answer...

I'd rather see a bigger effort to release new games for existing retro consoles. Haven't seen any numbers, but Battle Kid 1 and 2 for the nes seem to have done pretty well, and the fact that they exist for a system that their fanbase already own gives them immediate appeal.

[GSZX1337]

I'm not sure about this. I'm all down for a new cartridge-based system, but this isn't really doing it for me. I think it's because that from the video it looks like the game is the same sort of fair that you can find everywhere on Steam and other download services. It seems that the team behind it aren't thinking large enough with this. It'd be better if the focus was on modern two dimensional games with accompanying production values (think An Elysian Tail).

[BoneSnapDeez]

Indiegogo with some more info and possible games. I am intrigued.

[Blu]

1.9Million might be quite challenging, with the OUYA coming before. What are people's thoughts about this one getting off the ground?

[BoneSnapDeez]

Almost seems deliberately designed to be a rare collectible.

This is where I'm at. Wouldn't surprise me if the console and the games are released in limited quantities to backers only and are then resold on the secondary market. I can also envision a Neo Geo X type situation where a handful of games are released at launched and then nothing else.

The Indiegogo indicates that the initial (and future) cart releases will be ports, so perhaps this system could end up featuring games that were originally released on Steam, eShop, whatever. It doesn't look like many developers are interested in making games specifically for this console.

I could be wrong. Hope I am. If this is a success I will buy it.

[Thierry Henry]

I just had a peek over at that Indiegogo page,
Early doors, yes, but as far as reaching that 2M target, No chance.
In fact they're going backwards. A net loss of over $1000 for the day.

Maybe pull the plug on the campaign and regroup.
Not having that Kevtris guy (who sounds like a brilliant hardware engineer) on board wasn't the smartest move. He would have supplied them with the working prototype they so clearly badly need.

[Tanooki]

I was on board as far as pure interest in this awhile back, but the more I've seen this tragedy unfold I don't think anyone should be supporting it. Maybe not a fair comparison but look at the Ouya and how far that went and on a 950K kickstarter. They approached that far better even if there were bugs, problems and other semi-unrelated fall out post retail. They had a working system, a working controller, and they already had some software backers lined up with specific items meant just for it.

RETRO has no working anything, soft promises on just a few games (of which I know Noah's Ark got pulled I believe by Piko, and he said they didn't take interest in his better stuff like Dorke and Ymp...why?! a new game no loss, not a derided collectors turd for SNES.) The fact they want $300 for the system, and supposedly it will go up to $350 after a certain point supposedly too is insulting...again what was Ouya priced at?

It's a true collector's box, it's almost like a NintendoAge numbered release proto cart release box set like scam. Slap a 1-50 on the thing, sell the slots, then let people fester with it until they're bored and resell it at a fat profit since it's unique, bizarre, and of course rare and limited.

It's mind blowing to me they tried to pass off a cardboard motherboard with glued on crap as what a board should look like when you have someone like Kevtris who has made a few boards that do more crap than the Retron 5 can do (without the cart slot though I bet one could be added) and in the $200 range I think I read on a post a day or two ago he made if it went into production. They even turned him down for working on it.

It just seems like one hot mess of bad ideas, missed opportunities and failure all rolled into one. And I do question his business sense in general given his gaming magazine has had so far yearly panhandling campaigns to do another year on top of selling subs to keep it going -- magazines should sell at the sticker price, not hat on the ground begging + that. It seems to me to feed back into having a general lack of good if any business sense.


Since this isn't linked for reference to stuff I said...
cardboard mock up --> http://atariage.com/forums/topic/235430 ... try3316391

Here's the post from kevtris of stuff he's made far more advanced/better for less and more then one system at that with images/description...
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/235430 ... try3325199

Now if you care to deal with that huge trainwreck of a thread you'll find another named muz(I think that was it) has made his own systems, including an arcade emulator with a board the size of a stick of gum with a little LCD attached to it for very little cash into it. Both these guys have upstaged this mess of a project and without even intending to as they came first. They turned down kevtris for this project, why?!

[fastbilly1]

I love that they decided to have MP3 playback standard and felt the need to advertised it.