Keatah Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 I have less-than-zero respect for him, yet I don't think any of his dopey "business endeavors" have crossed the line into illegality. Mike has claimed that he was the only one who lost any money or reputation in the Coleco Chameleon clusterbug. That's not totally true -- the old COLECO brand is unlikely to recover any value, and would-be developers like Piko Interactive traveled to the Toy Fair, with nothing to show for it but an amusing story. Even so, Mike hasn't crossed the line into prosecutable fraud as far as we know. He's not worth suing because he doesn't have any money. Pfaggghh-shit.. Coleco hardly had any brand value today anyways. Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3749228 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Lest we forget, the "private investor" that made the Kickstarter unnecessary. Mike says, "leave my mom of out this!" 1 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3749236 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 I assume that's not hyperbole, good lord... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk It's not, and that's the scary part! Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3749560 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipercub Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Blast from the past!! 7 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3749571 Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Took at look at Retro Magazine's Twitter feed. I can't help but notice what's under Mike's TV... 9 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3751387 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Took at look at Retro Magazine's Twitter feed. I can't help but notice what's under Mike's TV... snesjr.PNG Four little angels under the television, because the devils all live on his shoulders, whispering into his ears. I wonder if that is THE SNEZZZZZZZZZ? 5 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3751404 Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Four little angels under the television, because the devils all live on his shoulders, whispering into his ears. I wonder if that is THE SNEZZZZZZZZZ? Well, it's somewhat curious that he happens to have that, rather than the far more common original model. Not damning, but curious. What IS damning is that it totally exposes the "playing dumb" parts of the Coleco Chameleon saga. Mike didn't recognize the SNES cartridge port or AV out? Mike didn't know what a SD2SNES was? Mike couldn't tell what was sticking out of the back of the Jag? BUSTED, Mike. And yeah, I find it a little too coincidental that both Mike and his mysterious engineer had this console on hand, and opted to use it, rather than a more common variant. 4 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3751412 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 BUSTED, Mike. Leave him be. Glad to see him actually picking up a controller instead of picking his foot from his mouth. Better to let him play Zelda in peace (Breath of the Wild or Link to the Past: take your pick) than to play the entire community for a fool the third time over... 5 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3751691 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldLeader Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Pipercub probably knew him best and for the longest out of anyone here. From what I've seen and heard he was a pretty chill guy who was just into the hobby, he'd make videos and participated in their podcast. The downward spiral began with the RETRO magazine Kickstarter and his quest to become King Retro. Then he just kept doubling down from there. It's like that little bit of success activated a part of his brain that told him there's gold to be found if he just keeps digging, not realizing he was digging a grave until he was in too deep. Money is such a destructive force to creativity. That's why I harp on about trying to keep things unmonetized whenever possible. Mike isn't alone, it is very hard to name a creator who started charging for their work and still kept up the quality and passion they had before doing so. It's a weird primal instinct that gets triggered, I don't think many humans can help but chase money after they make that first dollar off something they used to do for free. Imagine you have someone who likes to walk along the beach and collect seashells. Do you think their time on the beach will ever be the same after I give them a metal detector? I like a lot of your phrasing here. Other hobbies could be the same way. Take music for instance. I was in bands, and the music was always the important thing, not the money. Depending on the band, we played pretty extreme music sometimes (because that was what we were into) and not once did we say, "Hey maybe if we wrote some popular music we could get on the radio and make lots of money!"...The fact we got on the radio or played concerts and sold CDs and shirts and did make some money (not much) was always the icing on the cake. For us it was the act of creating and writing what we wanted to hear. I can't imagine treating it as a job and just writing what was popular in a bid to make tons of money. If I were only after money, I'd just join a bar band and listen to drunks yell "Play some Skynyrd!" night after night. Incidentally, my friends in bar bands told me this happened even if they just got done playing a Lynyrd Skynyrd song! I also imagine that if I were to, say, write a homebrew game, I'd do it because it would give me a chance to create a game I wanted to play. I'd want it to be fun, but I wouldn't be trying to make a million dollars off of it. And while I have nothing against making some money here and there, or a creator getting paid for his/her work...Personally, I'd treat any money as icing on the cake... 6 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3751724 Share on other sites More sharing options...
StopDrop&Retro Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Other hobbies could be the same way. ... And while I have nothing against making some money here and there, or a creator getting paid for his/her work...Personally, I'd treat any money as icing on the cake... I'd say EVERY hobby is the same way. I don't care if you're making voodoo dolls or collecting Pez dispensers, your passion for the hobby will change once making money becomes part of the equation. I agree with the "icing on the cake" part too. If you're doing well and people are enjoying what you do, then guess what? Other opportunities will probably follow close behind, just as you saw with getting on the radio and selling a few shirts/CDs. I might actually have some of that coming my way soon. There's a piece of hardware that a lot of my subs have been asking me to review but I have no intention of buying it because it's so expensive and I don't think I have any use for it after the review. Well, this week I was contacted by an online store that wants to send me that piece of hardware for free. I'm still working out the details but if it goes through, that's a nice little gift I get to keep for running a successful channel. Do I expect all future hardware I review to be free? No. It would just be a nice little extra that came my way. 6 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3751972 Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Be careful saying stuff like that, someone might get ideas... "Hey everyone! Want to have your new retro product professionally reviewed by an industry expert entrepreneur through and through with years of experience? Moving forward, RETRO magazine will get the recognition YOU deserve! Simple as that! Just send your product, postage paid, along with our nominal fee, and we will work on having discussions about your product, in PRINT! I solemnly promise to resell your donated product on eBay." 5 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3752032 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Not to worry. The market is saturated with reviewers and reviews. So much damned noise..! 1 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3752038 Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 yeah, but they're all drunkards, haters, and trolls. They probably don't even have a highly successful print magazine that has never been better and keeps getting even more better, and that's half the work right there. Why, I bet the executive vice president in charge of imagination could easily kickstart this unique idea for at least $2 million on indigogo. Especially if Mr. Lee has been courting them for months. 7 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3752044 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 What a cesspool. Take me back to the days of newsletters and EGM. 1 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3752052 Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 What a cesspool. Take me back to the days of newsletters and EGM. I honestly think forums like this are the best of both worlds. You get the instant content of a YouTube video, but a higher quality of reviewer. If I hear an opinion at AA, I'm more likely to take it seriously than the latest click bait effort from PaidShillGamer. 4 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3752084 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cernex Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I honestly think forums like this are the best of both worlds. You get the instant content of a YouTube video, but a higher quality of reviewer. If I hear an opinion at AA, I'm more likely to take it seriously than the latest click bait effort from PaidShillGamer. Being fair, there are some good ones out there. Not every single one of them is a shill, and some have gotten intro trouble (Gertsman comes to mind) for actually NOT being shill. Most of them being shills, tho'? Yeah, but what else is new? At the very least the market is so saturated we can reast at ease knowing that Mike will never try to stream his way out of this one. 1 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3753039 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Being fair, We'll have none of that kind of talk here in the Coleco Chameleon hater parade! 4 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3753183 Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 We'll have none of that kind of talk here in the Coleco Chameleon hater parade! Going forward... 5 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3753346 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaysWithWolves Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 I think Mike's lucky he hasn't been sued by River West Brands. I'd say EVERY hobby is the same way. I don't care if you're making voodoo dolls or collecting Pez dispensers, your passion for the hobby will change once making money becomes part of the equation. I respectfully disagree with this premise. Many people have turned a hobby into a way to make money (or finance other projects) and remained passionate. It's about where one focuses his passion--if one just sees an opportunity for money, then you're probably right. It's like Parrothead vs Kevtris: Mike had a hobby and thought he saw an opportunity to "corner the market"; Kevin just did what he enjoyed and if people showered him with money he'd still be happy with his hobby. In fact, the extra money he made could be funneled into his literal passion project, the Zimba 3000. If you get many more opportunities to review free things (and I honestly hope you do), do you think that would change your passion? 2 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3753805 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldLeader Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 "Passion" might even be the wrong word here...But from reading above, I'd venture to say we're saying (roughly) the same thing. Maybe "integrity" is the better word. Where one reviewer finds himself giving nice reviews for free stuff, another has the integrity to be honest in his review, even if it means he won't get as much free stuff...Where one band suddenly gets a taste of fame and changes their whole style to suit what's currently popular, another has the integrity to carry on with their original vision, critics be damned. Maybe if dollar signs hadn't flashed across his field of vision, Mike would have had the good sense to explain what was happening with that "prototype" in an honest way. Even if it meant a setback, having the integrity to give everyone the truth might have still saved him some credibility... 2 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3753811 Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Maybe if dollar signs hadn't flashed across his field of vision, Mike would have had the good sense to explain what was happening with that "prototype" in an honest way. Even if it meant a setback, having the integrity to give everyone the truth might have still saved him some credibility... The flaw in that theory is that there never was a prototype. At each stage of the game, Mike was asking for money to build something he said he had, but didn't. For Mike to have been honest, he would have had to have said "I've got nothing but a Jaguar shell". And if he'd said that, I agree with you, it would have gone a long way, and people might have chipped in to help design something because it would have been a cool passion project. But that wasn't what Mike wanted. He wanted to corner the market and get rich off having a monopoly on retro hardware, letting people tinker with his format as a hobby project was anathema to that. Mike couldn't have been honest because the first goal was always to cash in, actually making something the fans wanted was far, far lower on his priority list. 3 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3753918 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Mike was an idea man surrounded by "yes" men, neither of whom had any clue on how to execute said vision. When the community called him out and asked for proof, well he decided a piss poor smoke and mirrors show was somehow better than telling the truth. But hey, then there wouldn't be 600+ pages of dialog. Mike Kennedy's dream may be gone, but not his legacy! 2 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3754438 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Hierophant Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 The flaw in that theory is that there never was a prototype. At each stage of the game, Mike was asking for money to build something he said he had, but didn't. For Mike to have been honest, he would have had to have said "I've got nothing but a Jaguar shell". And if he'd said that, I agree with you, it would have gone a long way, and people might have chipped in to help design something because it would have been a cool passion project. But that wasn't what Mike wanted. He wanted to corner the market and get rich off having a monopoly on retro hardware, letting people tinker with his format as a hobby project was anathema to that. Mike couldn't have been honest because the first goal was always to cash in, actually making something the fans wanted was far, far lower on his priority list. In some ways, that would have been worse. MK has no ability to retain genuine talent, so he blew off guys like Kevtris. He would likely have given the money to a chuclkehead like John Carlsen or the morally flexible Sean "Lee" Robinson. Luckily he wasted his own money, not that of hundreds of innocent people. 1 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3754750 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 an idea man surrounded by "yes" men, neither of whom had any clue on how to execute said vision. When the community called him out and asked for proof, well he decided a piss poor smoke and mirrors show was somehow better than telling the truth. Sad! 1 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3754782 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Hierophant Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 (edited) Mike was an idea man surrounded by "yes" men, neither of whom had any clue on how to execute said vision. When the community called him out and asked for proof, well he decided a piss poor smoke and mirrors show was somehow better than telling the truth. But hey, then there wouldn't be 600+ pages of dialog. Mike Kennedy's dream may be gone, but not his legacy! Actually, it is hard to be surrounded by only two men. I'd say he was flanked by yes men : There were a few other yes men, but I can't find pictures of any of them surrounding or flanking of MK (much to their delight). Now they are all gone. Edited May 4, 2017 by Great Hierophant 1 Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page/452/#findComment-3755006 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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