Which Will Come Out First Poll

[Leonard Smith]

I don't really care about the Amico or any of these retro consoles.

But if there's anything we learned from the dumpster fire that was the Coleco Chameleon (and now the Amico)...a console with a hyperactive fanboy at the helm (ie: Mike Kennedy and Tommy T) will ultimately fail.  

These guys just seem to love the marketing aspect more (ie: showing off games and prototypes), have zero business acumen, and should stay far away from anything resembling a new console launch.  Their 'qualifications' consist mainly of being Youtube creators, enthusiastic game fans, and possibly minor involvement in the games industry. 
 

These guys aren't the next Trip Hawkins or Tom Kalinske...they should leave the console launches to the folks with sound business and technical skills.

[MrBeefy]

9 hours ago, wolfy62 said:

It's gotten so bad with the A**** that no one even wants to mention the name anymore. 

[Matt_B]

I'd be really cautious of mentioning the A-word even in passing. All it takes is one of the true believers to swing by and start responding, and we'll probably be looking at another locked thread.

 

Anyway, we've seen a bunch of consoles that weren't even announced when this poll was taken - like the Ayn Odin, Anbernic RG552, GPD XP and Retroid Pocket 2+ - all start shipping in the past couple of months which ought to be enough to demonstrate that, at least for people who know what they're doing, six months is all it should really take to go from prototype to production. And that's even with the pandemic, chip shortages and everything else.

 

[digdugnate]

1 hour ago, Matt_B said:

I'd be really cautious of mentioning the A-word even in passing. All it takes is one of the true believers to swing by and start responding, and we'll probably be looking at another locked thread.

 

Anyway, we've seen a bunch of consoles that weren't even announced when this poll was taken - like the Ayn Odin, Anbernic RG552, GPD XP and Retroid Pocket 2+ - all start shipping in the past couple of months which ought to be enough to demonstrate that, at least for people who know what they're doing, six months is all it should really take to go from prototype to production. And that's even with the pandemic, chip shortages and everything else.

 

I have an RG351V, looking forward to the 552!

[MrBeefy]

2 hours ago, Matt_B said:

I'd be really cautious of mentioning the A-word even in passing. All it takes is one of the true believers to swing by and start responding, and we'll probably be looking at another locked thread.

 

Anyway, we've seen a bunch of consoles that weren't even announced when this poll was taken - like the Ayn Odin, Anbernic RG552, GPD XP and Retroid Pocket 2+ - all start shipping in the past couple of months which ought to be enough to demonstrate that, at least for people who know what they're doing, six months is all it should really take to go from prototype to production. And that's even with the pandemic, chip shortages and everything else.

 

27 minutes ago, digdugnate said:

I have an RG351V, looking forward to the 552!

What are these consoles? Emulation devices for the most part? 

[Steven Pendleton]

3 hours ago, Matt_B said:

I'd be really cautious of mentioning the A-word even in passing. All it takes is one of the true believers to swing by and start responding, and we'll probably be looking at another locked thread.

Do any of those guys even come here anymore now that its section is gone? Maybe I just don't see them since I'm only really in Classic Consoles for the most part. I guess it doesn't really matter, though.

 

Anyway, although I support it, it's not going to last much longer without some serious financial assistance from what I've seen, although I have not seen much. Hopefully they'll at least get me my $100 deposit back if the company dies.

[Matt_B]

48 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

What are these consoles? Emulation devices for the most part? 

The RG351V pretty much fits that description. It runs EmuElec, a Linux-based OS, so potentially almost anything open source could be ported to it, but in practice that's mostly emulators and associated tools.

The rest all run Android though, so you also get access to native games and apps. The Odin looks like the pick of the bunch as it's got a particularly powerful SoC, superior ergonomics and runs a more modern version of Android than either the Pocket 2+ or the RG552. I'm just waiting for it to be sold from places other than Indiegogo because I'm still rather uncomfortable about giving them my money.

 

They've all got their niche appeals though. The Pocket 2+ is very cheap and as pocketable as the name suggests. The RG552 is dual boot so you don't lose the Linux ecosystem of earlier Anbernic devices. The XP has an ultra-wide screen and swappable controls which should particularly suit native Android gamers. It's a exciting time for handhelds and not just because of the Steam Deck and Switch.

 

 

[roots.genoa]

6 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Do any of those guys even come here anymore now that its section is gone? Maybe I just don't see them since I'm only really in Classic Consoles for the most part.

Most of them were only posting in the Q&A thread and were not even AA members when all this started... So I guess it didn't make sense for them to "stay", even though one could have assumed they were fans of the OG Intellivision to begin with. ?‍♂️

[Steven Pendleton]

2 minutes ago, roots.genoa said:

Most of them were only posting in the Q&A thread and were not even AA members when all this started... So I guess it didn't make sense for them to "stay", even though one could have assumed they were fans of the OG Intellivision to begin with. ?‍♂️

Exactly. Hell, I came here for that thread, got my questions answered, and I stayed because of everything else. I guess that's just how it is.

[roots.genoa]

2 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Exactly. Hell, I came here for that thread, got my questions answered, and I stayed because of everything else. I guess that's just how it is.

Really? Since you were very active in numerous active topics, I hadn't realized that.

Edited February 11, 2022 by roots.genoa

[Steven Pendleton]

18 minutes ago, roots.genoa said:

Really? Since you were very active in numerous active topics, I hadn't realized that.

Yep. That's why I came here, but I was all over the place from the start.

[digdugnate]

9 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

 

What are these consoles? Emulation devices for the most part? 

Yup, the Anbernic series generally run Linux-type operating systems and can be rooted.  They're almost exclusively emulation devices.

[Downland1983]

12 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Do any of those guys even come here anymore now that its section is gone? Maybe I just don't see them since I'm only really in Classic Consoles for the most part. I guess it doesn't really matter, though.

 

Anyway, although I support it, it's not going to last much longer without some serious financial assistance from what I've seen, although I have not seen much. Hopefully they'll at least get me my $100 deposit back if the company dies.

IE is currently 7-8 million dollars in debt to multiple parties.  If they go to bankruptcy, it's usually only the largest investors/lendors that see any money back at all from the dismantling.  I doubt the $100 backers would see a dime returned unless they request a refund that gets honored before the company officially goes belly up.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Downland1983

[MrBeefy]

13 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Anyway, although I support it, it's not going to last much longer without some serious financial assistance from what I've seen, although I have not seen much.

There were many of us who supported it, but not necessarily in the way some wanted it to be supported. The docs don't look great. I think in a few months time we will know a little more about how bad/not bad it is. Also glad you stuck around.

[jhd]

5 hours ago, Downland1983 said:

IE is currently 7-8 million dollars in debt to multiple parties.  If they go to bankruptcy, it's usually only the largest investors/lenders that see any money back at all from the dismantling. 

 

That's right. Secured creditors (major lenders) will be fortunate to get back some fraction of the amount that they are owed; unsecured creditors (suppliers, people who pre-ordered) will get nothing. The State and/or Federal governments will have first claim on any taxes owed. 

 

I wonder what sort of assets this company has -- aside from (presumably) game consoles in various states of completion, I expect that it would mostly be original IP. There is not going to be a huge market for either of those things. The remainder is things like used office furniture and development hardware; hardly worth the effort to try and sell it. 

[youxia]

22 minutes ago, jhd said:

I wonder what sort of assets this company has

If only tweets & forum posts counted somehow...their solvency problems would be instantly gone.

[roots.genoa]

50 minutes ago, youxia said:

If only tweets & forum posts counted somehow...their solvency problems would be instantly gone.

Wouldn't that be something™️?

Edited February 11, 2022 by roots.genoa

[zzip]

57 minutes ago, youxia said:

If only tweets & forum posts counted somehow...their solvency problems would be instantly gone.

turn the tweets and forum posts into NFTs?

???

profit!

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, zzip said:

turn the tweets and forum posts into NFTs?

???

profit!

Yes!

[Steven Pendleton]

14 hours ago, Downland1983 said:

IE is currently 7-8 million dollars in debt to multiple parties.  If they go to bankruptcy, it's usually only the largest investors/lendors that see any money back at all from the dismantling.  I doubt the $100 backers would see a dime returned unless they request a refund that gets honored before the company officially goes belly up.

I know.

12 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

There were many of us who supported it, but not necessarily in the way some wanted it to be supported. The docs don't look great. I think in a few months time we will know a little more about how bad/not bad it is. Also glad you stuck around.

Thanks. Yeah, we'll see what happens with it. There's nothing most of us can do right now but wait.

[MrBeefy]

I know Steam Decks are starting to roll out. I haven't heard anything about Playdate. Last I remember was seeing a box(s) and them releasing the dev stuff. Any news on shipping?

Edited March 18, 2022 by MrBeefy

[Matt_B]

Last update from Playdate on Twitter was "Don’t worry, we’ll email everyone to confirm addresses prior to shipment!" as of yesterday, so it sounds like they're a way off yet.

 

Meanwhile, Shenzhen is under lockdown, so no electronics in China get made for at least a couple of weeks.

[MrBeefy]

On 3/18/2022 at 2:48 AM, Matt_B said:

Last update from Playdate on Twitter was "Don’t worry, we’ll email everyone to confirm addresses prior to shipment!" as of yesterday, so it sounds like they're a way off yet.

 

Meanwhile, Shenzhen is under lockdown, so no electronics in China get made for at least a couple of weeks.

Still testing batteries perhaps? 

[Matt_B]

It looks like the Playdate has finally made it out the door:

 

 

The only question now is whether the Amico turns up to accept its participation trophy for coming in last or fails to make it to market at all.

[Razzie.P]

I didn't know PolyMega made it out.  I really didn't have much interest in it, but the light gun sure has my attention and may just be enough to sucker me into buying one --