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Coleco Chameleon .... hardware speculations?


phoenixdownita

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If it turns out to be a SNES Jr or a Super-Famiclone in there, I'm sure they'll claim the FPGA part is inside the cart... like in the SD2SNES

 

If (and that's a big if) there are super nintendo equivalent of famiclone chips, they might be good enough to be paired with an FPGA cart to run several SNES games good enough.

I have a super cheap Famiclone that amazingly runs with an Everdrive, so this kind of setup is possible in principle (Subor D99 if you want to know, has the cheapest plastic I've ever seen on a console).

Well their "prototype cartridge 1" was an sd2snes. Edited by mickcris
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If it turns out to be a SNES Jr or a Super-Famiclone in there, I'm sure they'll claim the FPGA part is inside the cart... like in the SD2SNES

The FPGA that runs the core could be put on the cart, that would be an expensive (the FPGA is the most costly component of the whole thing) and somewhat strange way (the killer feature of an FPGA is that it is reconfigurable- why have it on a cart where it is never reconfigured?) to arrange things. But it isn't on the cart because Piko brought a standard SNES cart to the show and plugged it into the 'prototype', so whatever is in there runs unmodified SNES carts.

 

I don't understand all the haters! Socal Mike is trying to create something awesome for the gaming community and everyone just keeps giving him a hard time.

I'm sure he's a great guy in person, but he would be given an easier time if he didn't keep lying.

 

I was behind him 100% in the beginning- love that he kept the Jag cases alive and bought a couple of thr transparent ones. I lost faith when they asked for $1.5 million based on a pile of lies though.

Edited by galax
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I don't understand all the haters! Socal Mike is trying to create something awesome for the gaming community and everyone just keeps giving him a hard time. I met him at Seatle Retro Gaming Expo and he clearly knows his stuff. If you listened to his show or read his magazines, you would know the guy can rip apart arcade machines, so making a system would be easy for him. The guy should be praised for buying the jag cases and having the great vision to come up with a revolutionary product. He has single handily redefined Classic gaming. Look how awesome GameGavel.com ReadRETRO.com are. He was the best part of Retrogamingroundup.com as well.

If he wanted to do something 'awesome' for the gaming community he could disappear.

He's a liar, a fraud, and a failure, and I'm sorry that there are people out there who haven't seen through him yet.

 

Before this project he had a somewhat decent reputation, but he's since cashed all that in and then some.

Edited by Reaperman
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There's that magic word again! If you read the previous posts with an open mind, as well as the thread about the "Retro VGS" iteration of the project, it should be abundantly clear where the criticism is coming from.

post-39360-0-90124800-1455552606_thumb.jpeg

Edited by galax
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I don't understand all the haters! Socal Mike is trying to create something awesome for the gaming community and everyone just keeps giving him a hard time. I met him at Seatle Retro Gaming Expo and he clearly knows his stuff. If you listened to his show or read his magazines, you would know the guy can rip apart arcade machines, so making a system would be easy for him. The guy should be praised for buying the jag cases and having the great vision to come up with a revolutionary product. He has single handily redefined Classic gaming. Look how awesome GameGavel.com ReadRETRO.com are. He was the best part of Retrogamingroundup.com as well.

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If you listened to his show or read his magazines, you would know the guy can rip apart arcade machines, so making a system would be easy for him.

If you listened or read closely you would hear him say he can't fix arcade machines and would admit he isn't a hardware guy.

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Actually, no. MIke has been pretty open about the fact that he is not a hardware guy.

 

Right, Mike has never claimed to be able to do the hardware (or software) side himself- he has repeatedly tried to bring in other people to do the technical stuff: Curt Vendel, Kevtris, Ben Heck, John Carlsen, and others. Mike has states this. This is not 'hating'. Mike is an ideas/management/marketing guy. Edited by galax
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Just another dumb hater!

Haha. Right.

 

I in no way hate Mike and worked happily with him for 6 years on the show.

 

You will no doubt have done your homework though and read where we asked for the old socal back. The one who enjoyed doing podcasts and got drunk on air and hung out in vegas with us.

 

You read all of that before calling me a hater right? Sure you did.

 

Apt username.

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I'm guessing that it's someone other than the team listed on the Web page; otherwise, there wouldn't need to be so much secrecy about the person's identity, since we'd already know who he or she is. But if that's the case, one has to wonder: who would set up a company specifically to create a game console, but not have a single full-time "hardware guy" on staff? Isn't that like opening a garage but not hiring any mechanics? One could say that they simply outsourced the design, that this kind of thing happens all the time, etc. But that only makes me wonder: if the "hardware guy" is doing all the work, and if the "management team" knows so little about hardware that they can't even tell the difference between an FPGA prototype board and an SNES Jr. board, then what do we need the "management team" for at this point? Why not just let the "hardware guy" call the shots and bring in the suits only after the product is done, like the Silicon Valley pioneers of yore ... the way it's supposed to be done?

 

 

Duuuuuh!!!!!!

 

Someone needs to be able to drive so we can back the truck full of money up to our headquarters and unload it! That's a job for a COLECO EXECUTIVE.

 

The 'New Business' way of doing things is to do it backwards: File for bankruptcy first, then you'll have a pile of money you can give back to the gaming community!

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It's waaaaaaaay past 8:30 ET, where is the KS tier 2 announcement?

 

I demand a Coleco Chameleon "day of reckoning" Edition for my collection.
I have an open spot on my shelf just between the RVGS "caught with your pants down" Edition and the RVGS "I told you so" Edition.
[something tells me those 2 editions will be making a come back for the CC too, but I can't say for sure]

 

EDIT: UKMike, thanks for joining us, quite an hermetic style of writing, man of a few words.

 

EDIT2: nevermind found it, just 15US$ more to them, no big deal!!!
Why is it called a Reward?
Kickstarter Reward #2 $150: Standard Retail Coleco Chameleon. Includes black Coleco Chameleon system, one Coleco Chameleon USB controller, HDMI cable, AC Adapter + pack-in game.
Edited by phoenixdownita
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Just a question - Can Mike run another Kickstarter while the previous RETRO Kickstarter hasn't completed yet? It's been over a year and still waiting on 3 of my 6 Magazines to be created/delivered. Or because he started a new company with the assets of the previous companies can he do it? Anyone know?

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Just a question - Can Mike run another Kickstarter while the previous RETRO Kickstarter hasn't completed yet? It's been over a year and still waiting on 3 of my 6 Magazines to be created/delivered. Or because he started a new company with the assets of the previous companies can he do it? Anyone know?

Of course he can, because that's the only way we would see the pictures of the PCB, if KS would block him then KS would be the cause of the Coleco Chameleon "money grab" Edition demise and nobody wants that.

I changed my mind wrt to the previous post and now I want a Coleco Chameleon "one more joke" Edition^.

 

EDIT: ^ -> that's the edition in which at random times the 4 directions on the DPad randomly swap position, sometimes with the 4 fire buttons, sometimes it's just a shuffle .... that wouldn't even begin to mimic the fun of yore when playing on a VCS and to add to the difficulty level (A and B. "Remember When") when playing 2P games I would reach to the back of the console and disconnect the cable of the other player .... it quickly degenerated in a brawl but that was all good fun .... that just gave me an idea Coleco Chameleon "wrestling match/brawl" Edition.

Edited by phoenixdownita
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Just a question - Can Mike run another Kickstarter while the previous RETRO Kickstarter hasn't completed yet? It's been over a year and still waiting on 3 of my 6 Magazines to be created/delivered. Or because he started a new company with the assets of the previous companies can he do it? Anyone know?

 

They probably need to be aware of it first, but from their FAQ (emphasis, mine):

 

 

Can I run more than one project at once?

We rarely permit running multiple projects at the same time, or launching a second project before fulfilling your first one. Having multiple live projects can confuse backers and split support. Running a project is a lot of work, and more than one live project will likely dilute your attention and energy.

If you're a first-time creator and have multiple project ideas, we recommend selecting the one that's most developed and trying that first.

 

I'm not sure if that includes a different business run by the same person.

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FYI, the only reason I'm posting this is because of my ridiculous level of disappointment, shock, flabbergastedness, etc. at how this is all panning out.

 

I noticed one of my acquaintances in one of Mike's videos from the Toy Fair, not going to mention names. But on FB the other day he sent out a photo of the booth with the caption "Our booth...". This surprised me as I had no idea he was involved with the Chameleon project in any way, shape or form. But he implied by this that he is either now employed by River West Brands or Retro VGS. Perhaps he is the mysterious "hardware guy"?

 

Actually, probably not, just because I have a take on that - I don't think MK has been able to hold on to a hardware guy long enough for them to make him a prototype, which is why he somehow ended up with only a frankenstein SNES to show to the industry reps. The industry reps is all he cares about trying to impress this weekend, not us. I'm sure he is doing whatever it takes to get some attention from anyone in the industry... and he has no prototype. After 3 years with the idea, one epic failure and a rebranding, he still has no prototype. That's why I had to make up the word "flabbergastedness" because I couldn't think of any other word to describe it.

 

I've been connected to the electronics industry for over 30 years, once had my own electronics business and have done a few trade shows in my day, and good lord above I can't believe how unprofessional the Coleco booth looks at this Toy Fair. There is nothing there except promises. They have nothing tangible. I'm so disappointed as I was sincerely wishing that MK would be ready and would show everyone something real this weekend. I have plugged this for him for free on my social media pages up to this point and I don't even think he's aware of it or even cares, not that I was looking for any reciprocation or even thanks but the lot of them are sure playing hard to get. Yet it actually hurts when you see someone you have/had respect for just keep dragging the good Coleco name through the mud, while none of the parties involved seem to be able to stand back and see what they're doing to it.

 

And that's what bothers me the most - bothers me enough to post about it - that I don't want the Coleco name to become laughing stock.

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....

I don't think MK has been able to hold on to a hardware guy long enough for them to make him a prototype, which is why he somehow ended up with only a frankenstein SNES to show to the industry reps. The industry reps is all he cares about trying to impress this weekend, not us. I'm sure he is doing whatever it takes to get some attention from anyone in the industry... and he has no prototype. After 3 years with the idea, one epic failure and a rebranding, he still has no prototype. That's why I had to make up the word "flabbergastedness" because I couldn't think of any other word to describe it.

....

And how exactly do you know that?

Did your acquaintance confirmed/spread the rumor or is it your speculation?

[this thread is all about HW speculation as it should be so feel free to do your own, but please disambiguate]

Edited by phoenixdownita
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Knowing mike and his abilities and limitations he needs a hardware guy and would not have built that proto himself even if it is a SNES of some kind.

He would absolutely know what was in there though.

I'm sorry. I actually missed 2 pages of the thread as I post this. But I do believe So Cal did this prototype. This required 0 knowledge of electronics. He literally removed the board from an SNES Jr,, turned the Switch on, plugged two Controllers in there, and stuffed it into a JAg Shell. Since there was shit hanging out the back he just wraped tape around it. This could have easily been done by a 10yo. Would take the kid around an hour considering some stuff would Need to be filed and cut. I had friends that at 10yo would have found a way to make the power button function. Maybe not the LED since there is no LED on the Jr. But with a bit of creativity and a battery, even that would be easy to do.

 

And as for the "even if it is a SNES of some kind", It is an SNES. an SNES Jr. You don't Need to pretend you don't know.

 

And then he taped an SNES Flash cart on the back of a Jaguar cartridge, and printed a Label called "chameleon prototype 1" or something like that.

 

Again, a work some 10yo would do. I bet not only me, but many other users on These Forums have seen Kids doing a much better Job than this.

 

Too bad Mike aparently DIDN'T ask his Hardware guy to do this. (or he did, but the Hardware guy refused). Because if someone with even slight competence had done this we wouldn't be able to prove this was an SNES. All you'd Need to do is place the components in a more hidden way, Change places, and not use fucking electric tape to stick stuff together, and People wouldn't immediately identify the SNES Jr in there.

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