R.Cade Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 When I was in middle school in the 80s we were imagining how cool it would be if there was a horror-themed Karateka except over the top and super gory. Fast foward ten years and bam, Mortal Kombat. Haha, we missed out on that one. I recall in the 80's playing Double Dragon with a friend and we thought it would be cool if you actually kill them and punch their heads off instead of them just blinking and disappearing. Lost opportunities, eh? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusecsy Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 You sound like a glass half empty kind of person No, I'm just a realist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusecsy Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Well what *IS* hybrid emulation? Because that seems to be the point of contention.. Best I can come up with is: 1- Real hardware like old-school cartridges, consoles, and controllers, and cabinets. 2- Traditional software emulation, like M.A.M.E. 3- FPGA hardware simulation. 4- Hybrid emulation/simulation, a mixture of any of the above. ..which is still very vague. They said multiple times it was some way of reading the electrical inputs directly and bypassing all manner of mappers or system bios, etc. I.E. bullshit. Anything else is just a backtrack, another lie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 They said multiple times it was some way of reading the electrical inputs directly and bypassing all manner of mappers or system bios, etc. I.E. bullshit. Anything else is just a backtrack, another lie. Cool!! So by reading the cartridge electrically one can bypass the bios?? Awesome for us. But that bios isn't gonna be too happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newsdee Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 (edited) No, I'm just a realist.It is worded a bit harsh, but I can understand where you're coming from. A few people/projects got so far because of people giving them the benefit of the doubt, and kept making decisions that became indefensible (even ignorance was no longer an excuse). This might sound cynical but I feel like this Hybrid emulation business is just an attempt at patenting something. How valid that patent is will be known once it's done, but that doesn't mean it will translate into a workable or desirable product. People can promise whatever they want on paper, but if they start asking for random people's money then I think the criticism, scrutiny, and scepticism is not only justified, but necessary. Edited March 16, 2017 by Newsdee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 yet another emulator box. Exactly. This and the Lythium are both YAEBs. But calling either of them scammers at this point is a bit much I think. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
androvsky Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 They said multiple times it was some way of reading the electrical inputs directly and bypassing all manner of mappers or system bios, etc. I.E. bullshit. Anything else is just a backtrack, another lie. Is there a quote about letting them bypass the system bios with hybrid emulation? I know they've said they've got the bios problem solved somehow, but I don't recall it being in relation to the hybrid emulation, as that doesn't make any sense especially for the CD systems. In short, it makes perfect sense that it bypasses the virtual mappers of the emulator (but definitely not the bios for CD systems). The game the emulator is running can write directly to the mapper on the actual cart because the GPIO library can make the real pins show up in the memory space of the emulator. It's something that looks very reasonable from the software side, but as kevtris points out it might have some issues in the actual implementation, especially for 16-bit systems. The memory mapper (not to be confused with the mappers on the game carts) GPIO library I'm using for the Beaglebone Black tops out at around 2 MHz writing speed, so they'd have to have a notably faster one. Which isn't outrageous, they're using a much faster ARM and likely a completely different library. My concern would be that they've just discovered this capability and are looking for funding to implement it in emulators for higher-speed systems, like the Genesis. The biggest problem of course is the only thing that bypasses is the memory mapper portion of the emulator, which is probably one of the easier parts to emulate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusecsy Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 (edited) Exactly. This and the Lythium are both YAEBs. But calling either of them scammers at this point is a bit much I think. They've said it's 100% NOT another emulator box. So ya, they're scammers. Are people in this community really this naive? After what happened with the Chameleon? It's kinda sad to think but I guess a fool and his money are easily parted. I would be completely on board with the 1st emulator box that actually played cd games, since one doesn't exist. But of course that is not their claim. Edited March 16, 2017 by Tusecsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 If the Retroblox were to be a viable product, then you could draw a Venn diagram and see the three-way intersection between "Technically Feasible", "Legal", and "Easy for the End User". I'm not convinced there's anything in that intersection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 If the Retroblox were to be a viable product, then you could draw a Venn diagram and see the three-way intersection between "Technically Feasible", "Legal", and "Easy for the End User". I'm not convinced there's anything in that intersection. It's like one of those type deals where you pick any two items, though according to Meatloaf, "2 out of 3 ain't bad..." Ideally you would want something legal and easy, but without the technically feasible bit, it won't get off the ground. Raspberry Pi type deals are technically legal products but a pain to set up. Retrobit /Rfreak do have some legal issues but don't require piracy to operate. Retroblox problem is they have chosen "Legal" and "Easy" categories, but have neglected the "technically feasible" part. :facepalm: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enoofu Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Their is legal issues with Retroblox much like Retrobit/Rfreak Also this project maybe "technically feasible" just not economically feasible since their physical platform of a ARM SoC would need lots of programming hours to design the software to run as they describe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newsdee Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 They've said it's 100% NOT another emulator box. So ya, they're scammers. The Lithium guy said it's an emulator box; basically a Retron 5 with a better CPU and open so you can install what you want. Now, you can do the same on a PC, but I think their claim is clear at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 The Lithium guy said it's an emulator box; basically a Retron 5 with a better CPU and open so you can install what you want. Now, you can do the same on a PC, but I think their claim is clear at least. Yeah, I've no real beef with Lythium because they've not promised anything that they couldn't be expected to deliver. Retroblox is. And that'd be okay if Retroblox could at least show how they were getting from Point A to Point B, but they aren't. If we can once again use the RVGS comparison, when the system was getting ready for its first crowdfunding venture, Mike would say "It's going to do this! It's going to do that! It'll be your dreams come true!" and when confronted with reasonable concerns about the feasibility, he'd dismiss it with "Just wait! You'll see!" And I'm sorry to say, this is strikingly similar to what Retroblox is doing, though to their credit, Retroblox isn't oozing smarm and condescension. Then when the jig was up with RVGS, we found out that Mike had nothing to show for his claims, had no product at all, and his promises could very generously be called "pipe dreams" Mike wasn't intending to crowdfund a console, Mike was crowdfunding the creation of a console. (and, from his conduct, I can only assume a lifestyle of coke and whores) Us potential backers were being offered a product that was designed and ready, but the reality was that even the back-of-napkin specs wouldn't exist without our money. That's why it's so important to see what Retroblox has ready to go, because there's a huge difference between sponsoring a console and sponsoring its development, and we shouldn't be throwing our money toward one when in reality we're getting the other. I really hope Retroblox understands this. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PikoInteractive Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 They posted an update. Something about the name of the console being to similar to a trademark and that's what delayed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 I wonder which product it was in conflict with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Lol, are they delaying the Kickstarter to make it even better? This is all just a little too convenient. They were contacted by another company? Who can't be named? Who apparently has zero internet footprint? Who has a product similar enough as to cause confusion? And they would rather go through a substantial re-branding? On the other hand, they're promising a 100% working prototype before crowdfunding launch. I wonder how they define that? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepdreamin Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 hmmm ClassicsCubez, EvocativeBrix, Slabs-O-Nostalgix, PasséChunkz? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewart_Pidd Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 hmmm ClassicsCubez, EvocativeBrix, Slabs-O-Nostalgix, PasséChunkz? ColecoBlox...Retroleco? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaineb Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Is this Mike Kennedy in disguise? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 They can use the legal smokescreen all they want... fact of the matter is, they just admitted their prototype isn't ready, at the point when they were supposed to go on Kickstarter, and they can't go on Kickstarter without one. And what was shown at the convention is anyone's guess, but they just admitted that wasn't a prototype. The trademark dispute may have happened, it may not. But obviously it provides for them a reprieve they desperately need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Yes, if it wasn't for this "legal smokescreen" would they have a proto and have been ready to roll? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Well, the name is a crucial part of the prototype, just like the shell is 90% of the console. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Well, the name is a crucial part of the prototype, just like the shell is 90% of the console. As long as it's not Jag-shaped!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaineb Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 How did he even get the jaguar tooling stuff anyway Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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