Retroblox

[Flojomojo]

did we all catch that it has another new name? "Playmaji"

 

yeah, I noticed that. I don't like it, but I don't have to work there.

 

Playmaji, Inc. is a California-based specialty developer, producer, and manufacturer of next-generation video game related products for new and retro game consoles. The company was founded by video game development veterans Bryan Bernal and Eric Christensen. The Playmaji team at large has a diverse background and has shipped products such as AAA video games like Ratchet & Clank and Titanfall. We’ve also shipped digital storefronts like the Google Chrome Store, consumer electronics like the Vizio M-Series TVs, and TV boxes like the Roku 2, 3, and 4k.

[derFunkenstein]

"We've also shipped..." as if they created those things.

 

In other news I wrote a half-way intelligent and level-headed post in their forums expressing a little doubt but a lot of grace, and it was promptly deleted.

 

edit: I can see it on my profile, but it's gone from the thread.

Edited June 13, 2018 by derFunkenstein

[godslabrat]

Playmaji has been the company's proper name for a while now, they just don't advertise it.

 

They're still touting "Hybrid Emulation" as a key feature. It was one of the main bullet points on their E3 signage. So... even putting aside the question of WHAT hybrid emulation is... how well does it perform? Is it better than a Super NT? Is it better than a Pc running CD emulators? Does it give them some sort of magic bullet to get around CD BIOS issues?

 

 

I honestly appreciate finally getting some prices, that does help. But... the key is still going to be WHY do I want this?

[Keatah]

How about the fact that this "hybrid" approach has never been used, and more than one hardware expert has said it's either grossly impractical or downright impossible? It's not like "hybrid emulation" is a bullet point on any other system. R-Blow is the only one claiming it, and they've done zero to substantiate it.

 

As for how it looks the same as any other box... it was running a front end with Sydney Hunter and Super Mario All-Stars ROMs loaded. The fighting game wasn't actually being played off the disc either.

 

Facebook? Seriously? I have a device that can play ROMs and post to Facebook. I call it "the 15 year old computer I haven't even turned on since Bush was in office."

 

I personally believe that accessing and reading and "playing" a cartridge in realtime via software emulation is possible. It just won't happen easily in current emulators, the way they are structured. there needs to be a whole new approach, a different approach, not necessarily more complex or radical in thinking.

 

I may not be as god-like as the better hardware gurus here and all that. But, c'mon, your average intel chip being sold at wal-mart can do billions of operations per second. Your smartphone? Perhaps more! And the newest chips? 4GHz quad-cores.. How many operations per second is that again? What's the read times on vintage rom chips? I thought so!

 

Let's make use of that capability instead of sandbagging them with social media, advertising, OS'es, and languages that have to drill down through 6 layers of translations before you hit assembly! Before you hit the USB ports, or any type of cartridge interface.

[Keatah]

I really resent this razor-and-blades approach of buying a whole new box every time I want to swap stuff out. If I didn't want to play on OG hardware but wanted to use original controllers, I'd just get a RetroFreak. At least those come with a bunch of cart slots and ports, and it's up-front about being an emulation box. Plus no opposition to ROMs.

 

Back in the 1970's when cartridges with ROM on them were invented they were invented out of necessity. Actually the 1960's if you count science and industrial applications. And it was cool. The industry was looking for a way to change out the fixed program in a fixed-function computer. And everyone loved it.

 

I don't know what all this farting around they're doing today is. All these half-assed tedious approaches. Seems like it's designed to make money. And that's it.

[Keatah]

Well, I dunno. We'll see. I was just reminded that I plunked down very close to that for a PC Engine and SSDS3.

 

Still need to be able to load CD-Rs (or better yet, just let me copy over ISOs; why is this so hard?), and prove it can play games from flash carts. The online features can all go DIAF. Online on a retro console is stupid. I'll pay less and they can stop developing that garbage.

 

edit: did we all catch that it has another new name? "Playmaji"

 

I'm true oldschool. Online this and online that are actually turn-offs for me.They're iffy in operation, short in longevity, and the other end is full of immaturity.

[keepdreamin]

Spend $300+ to easily share with folks online that you're playing Bonk's Adventure. Seems worth it.

Edited June 13, 2018 by keepdreamin

[derFunkenstein]

 

Back in the 1970's when cartridges with ROM on them were invented they were invented out of necessity. Actually the 1960's if you count science and industrial applications. And it was cool. The industry was looking for a way to change out the fixed program in a fixed-function computer. And everyone loved it.

 

I don't know what all this farting around they're doing today is. All these half-assed tedious approaches. Seems like it's designed to make money. And that's it.

 

Exactly this. Retro is in! Let's make money while we can!

 

But the real point of this is to sell digital games on their store. TechCrunch talked about an extra round of fundraising so they can license games to sell. Just what I want - digital licenses from some fly-by-night store that could just dry up and disappear at a moment's notice. It's hard enough to swallow from the big names (MS, Sony, Nintendo). It's untenable to expect anything better from some fly-by-night shop that has been less than open with the public to date.

 

And you're absolutely right that online is a turn-off. I hate it on my PS4 and I won't do it on a retro console.

Edited June 13, 2018 by derFunkenstein

[godslabrat]

It's another whiff of Eau Du Chameleon... can't talk about the guts of the machine, but the "corner the market" gaming empire is planned out completely.

[keepdreamin]

I also don't see how this thing would be convenient to set up at a main entertainment center away from a "retro room". So you're going to be carrying parcels of controllers, modules, carts back and forth?

 

For that money you could set up a small Media Center PC to play all those systems you want and pair with one decent controller like an Xbox One controller. No bundles of stuff to lug room to room.

[nullity]

I also don't see how this thing would be convenient to set up at a main entertainment center away from a "retro room". So you're going to be carrying parcels of controllers, modules, carts back and forth?

 

For that money you could set up a small Media Center PC to play all those systems you want and pair with one decent controller like an Xbox One controller. No bundles of stuff to lug room to room.

 

Lol, you make is sound like

 

 

Thing let's you install games so you don't have to lug games around all the time. Comes with a Bluetooth controller. And why would you store modules away from the console?

 

I don't begrudge anyone their opinion. If you don't like the concept, that's cool. Plenty of people will prefer and be better off with a media center PC or some kind of Pi setup. I love my Pi. I'm looking forward to seeing how all of the online/community features shape up for Polymega, though. Not everyone cares about that stuff, but it seems to me that there's a lot of potential there.

[keepdreamin]

Lol, you make is sound like

 

 

Thing let's you install games so you don't have to lug games around all the time. Comes with a Bluetooth controller. And why would you store modules away from the console?

 

I don't begrudge anyone their opinion. If you don't like the concept, that's cool. Plenty of people will prefer and be better off with a media center PC or some kind of Pi setup. I love my Pi. I'm looking forward to seeing how all of the online/community features shape up for Polymega, though. Not everyone cares about that stuff, but it seems to me that there's a lot of potential there.

If you're installing them, then what's the point? I thought the whole supposed point of this thing was popping in carts and CDs.

 

A PC would let you install ALL of them. And you won't have a pile of shoebox sized plastic modules stacked nearby.

[godslabrat]

If you're installing them, then what's the point? I thought the whole supposed point of this thing was popping in carts and CDs.

 

A PC would let you install ALL of them. And you won't have a pile of shoebox sized plastic modules stacked nearby.

 

There's no harm in a system that lets you do both. That's what initially attracted me to the RetroFreak over the Retron 5. However, I opted against either because of performance/price concerns. PolyMega is positioning themselves to go down the exact same path. When the R-Blo was first announced, it was full of promises of CD playback and "hybrid emulation". Literally everything since then, however, has been jabbering over shell colors and low serial numbers, err, I mean... element modules.

 

Now we've just finished Day 2 of E3, and all they've talked shown are repro controllers and prices. Thanks, but Hyperkin offered that five years ago.

[nullity]

It's another whiff of Eau Du Chameleon... can't talk about the guts of the machine, but the "corner the market" gaming empire is planned out completely.

 

Except they have a working console and aren't crowdfunding. And we should expect that a company should aim for failure rather than success because if they show any ambition they must be shady (though the "corner the market" thing is your words, not theirs)?

 

 

 

When the R-Blo was first announced, it was full of promises of CD playback and "hybrid emulation". Literally everything since then, however, has been jabbering over shell colors and low serial numbers, err, I mean... element modules.

 

Now we've just finished Day 2 of E3, and all they've talked shown are repro controllers and prices. Thanks, but Hyperkin offered that five years ago.

 

They have literally never mentioned shell colors or serial numbers, nor have they reneged on CD playback or hybrid emulation. Apparently it is bad somehow that they are showing of functional prototypes of the modules they've advertised since the start?

 

And you're upset now that they revealed pricing and shown the actual hardware they've developed because Hyperkin had pricing and hardware 5 years ago?

 

I understand there will always be sour grapes, but man... find some real things to gripe about. I realize I'm probably not making any friends by showing up and going against the popular opinion here, and I'm sorry for that, but it does seem a bit over the top the level of shade getting thrown at the Poly.

[keepdreamin]

Months upon months of overly cryptic "advertising" filled with meaningless buzzwords and mock up photos that don't relay any real information tends to be a great way to let skepticism fester.

 

Take note PR people.

[nullity]

Months upon months of overly cryptic "advertising" filled with meaningless buzzwords and mock up photos that don't relay any real information tends to be a great way to let skepticism fester.

 

Take note PR people.

 

Can't argue against that. Hoping the recent trend of releasing real info continues.

[godslabrat]

 

Except they have a working console and aren't crowdfunding.

 

 

DO they have a working console? How do we know? We're still at the point where it could be a Raspberry Pi in that shell. I don't care about crowdfunding. They're ready to start taking money, according to TechCrunch. Who does the transaction is immaterial.

 

 

 

 

They have literally never mentioned shell colors or serial numbers, nor have they reneged on CD playback or hybrid emulation. Apparently it is bad somehow that they are showing of functional prototypes of the modules they've advertised since the start?

 

 

You can't reneg on something that's never been shown. We have more footage of Bigfoot than we do of the Polymega.

 

 

 

And you're upset now that they revealed pricing and shown the actual hardware they've developed because Hyperkin had pricing and hardware 5 years ago?

 

 

 

I'm going to assume you're deliberately side-stepping my point for rhetoric's sake. I'm not "upset" that they revealed pricing. I just said I was glad that they did it. What concerns me is that we're near the end of the biggest trade show in the world, pre-orders start in a few months, and there's been no reveal on the stuff that actually matters.

[nullity]

@godslabrat Dude, this is the 2nd time they've had a playable hardware on display. I'm sidestepping nothing- what is it they have yet to reveal? Detailed schematics of how they read cartridge games on the fly? I'm sure that'll come at some point, either from them or from Kevtris or someone. They'll either be vindicated or crucified. And, yes, I realize you said you were glad they revealed pricing and had demos, but those were some of the holy grails of info that hadn't been released. Now you're fixating on the fact that they haven't released super-dry tech info on a product they've not yet put up for sale. It's not like there's Chinese bootleggers who copy everything, right?

 

Man, i really don't mean to sound pissy or condescending, but the bar keeps moving.

[Flojomojo]

I haven't read or seen anyone write up an independent review of whatever they showed. Last I heard it was tightly controlled and there was reasonable doubt about what was really happening. We have seen enough tricky dicks not to blindly accept a demo as reality.

[derFunkenstein]

I don't begrudge anyone their opinion. If you don't like the concept, that's cool. Plenty of people will prefer and be better off with a media center PC or some kind of Pi setup. I love my Pi. I'm looking forward to seeing how all of the online/community features shape up for Polymega, though. Not everyone cares about that stuff, but it seems to me that there's a lot of potential there.

 

 

It's weird that you've only ever posted in this thread, right?

 

I mean it'd be great to get some official Polyjumanji input in this thread and something to assuage our fears but instead we get the guerrilla war tactics.

Edited June 14, 2018 by derFunkenstein

[cybercylon]

If I weren't scheduled to ref a tournament this weekend, I think I'd be making good on my promise to post burger pictures.

 

And another box to do streaming? Can I really let friends online know that I am playing Shaq Fu, The Cheetah Men, or Bible Adventures #tossbabymoses ?

 

Hybrid emulation sounds as useful as blast processing, toy story graphics, and other such gimmicky nonsense.

 

Assuming this exist, most of it looks like what a retrofreak can already do. Or your PC. Or everdrives for real hardware. Okay.... there is a CD module. To play what exactly? The CD systems have copyrighted bios to go a long with them.

[godslabrat]

 

 

It's weird that you've only ever posted in this thread, right?

 

I mean it'd be great to get some official Polyjumanji input in this thread and something to assuage our fears but instead we get the guerrilla war tactics.

Yeah, gotta love it when someone gets REALLY REALLY into one obscure thread. I mean, what makes you wake up one day and say "Imma gonna go on Atariage and argue Polymega stuff"?

 

The bar hasn't moved. All I've ever asked is that they prove they have some amazing new emulation, like they claim. Everything else is just piled on top of that. Show me that they have it, it works, and it's legal (all have been claimed by Polymega) and I'll shut up.

[dj_convoy]

It's upon them to back up their claims. Period.

[nullity]

What makes you wake up every day and say "Imma go on atari age and argue hypothetical conspiracy theories about something someone is making because no way could anything be real"? I already said I've been a lurker for a long time and decided to jump in after I saw what I thought would be universally accepted as compelling proof that, at the very least, this thing wasn't another Chameleon.

 

I posted an intro thread a bit ago. My home turf burned down, and despite disagreeing with folks here about the Polymega thing, it seems like a good place. But whatever. If I'm mistaken and Polymega is a scam designed to... get peoples hopes up (?)... then I'll throw them right under the bus.

 

But if this thing is real, will you guys call me Senpai? For reals! Let's make this a bet!

[Flojomojo]

Here's the thing, "nullity," we've seen trolly shills boosting the "Atari VCS" and Atari SA stock, to the exclusion of all other topics. When someone breezes into this forum, which is somewhat niche to begin with, and they start talking up a system that looks like vaporware to most reasonable people, our suspicions are aroused.

 

How about you make an effort to join a few other conversations before telling us how great this product, which is totally not your thing you are selling, might be?