Concerto: where is it going from here?

[+x=usr(1536)]

Not wanting to to clog up either @batari's pinned threads or ones discussing other cartridges, this thread is being started so that issues addressing the future of the Concerto have a place to be discussed.  This came about from discussion in another thread, quoted below.

 

3 hours ago, batari said:

I have been wanting to stay out of the drama in this thread, but now people are talking about me, so...

 

Concerto's design was finalized in 2014 and it was designed to play everything available at the time. But of course Concerto does have a flexible architecture so with good programming it can support some things it was not designed for. So if anyone is disappointed, they should be disappointed not in my product but in me for not figuring out how to add enough features, not being expedient at tracking down all of those corner cases the 7800 throws at you, and for not releasing as many firmware updates as expected. And I accept that criticism as life gets in the way sometimes, and I am not able to be as prolific as some of these rockstars like Evie!

Now that being said, I get that there are soon to be other options in the arena. So you ask, does Concerto have a future? So my answer is, of course it does! So I assume the questions on people's minds are whether Concerto will support certain titles? What can it do and what can't it do? Well, I am not going to use this thread as a soapbox for Concerto, this is about Evie's amazing work. So visit one of the pinned Concerto threads for info about that, as I should probably post a status report on various things in the next day or so.

 

Fred,

 

As I was the person being responded to, let me start out by saying that I don't have a problem with either you or the Concerto.  I (like others I have spoken with) am disappointed in how it has progressed over the last 3 years or so, but do see it as a device with a great deal of potential in it.  However, most of the concerns that I and others hold can be boiled down into three main areas:

 

1. Lack of continued development.  This has largely been brought about by the (in)frequency of firmware releases.
2. Communication.  Not hearing anything regarding any potential ongoing work for months on end isn't good.  Ditto when questions are asked and no responses received.
3. Difficulty in knowing what may or may not be a current firmware release.  There is no one static source to check for them; it's necessary to dig through a thread to find the updates rather than going to its first page, another site, etc.

 

Everyone understands things like Real Life™ taking over at times, sometimes for extended periods - it happens to all of us.  That is something that none of us control, and it's difficult to think that anyone could hold that against you.  The thing is, however, that all three of the points raised above boil down to communication in one way or another, and communication regarding the Concerto frankly hasn't been great.

 

By no means is any of this intended to be directed at you in a personal way.  It just isn't.  But these are the concerns that have come up, and I feel it would not help things to not bring them to your attention - particularly after you took the time to write your response.

 

On a purely personal note, I like my Concerto and plan on hanging on to it.  Thank you for creating it; it really is one of my favourite pieces of hardware.  Hopefully there are great things ahead for both you and it in 2023.

[Bratwurst]

7 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Difficulty in knowing what may or may not be a current firmware release.  There is no one static source to check for them; it's necessary to dig through a thread to find the updates rather than going to its first page, another site, etc.

This is something I've been meaning to suggest myself, the Concerto needs to have a dedicated webpage with current and past firmware iterations, it'd also help if the particular instructions required to load them was put somewhere nearby too. I used the HarmonyCart software once to load some build a time ago, but apparently now some firmware packages can be loaded through the cart but others still need to be flashed via USB- I've pressed a lot of this knowledge out of memory since then, and there's a lot of information to keep track of with the functionality/support for this device being all over the place. Really you need a curated space where all the niche information can be accessed in one spot, like the fact I had to modify the Concerto PCB to unlock louder HOKEY volume in my specific use case.

 

All that said, I too intend to hold onto mine as it does what I need it to. You've been expedient at responding within the capacity of technical support for the device so far that I've seen.

 

 

[Goochman]

I requested a few times having a sub forum for the 7800 Multicarts to allow more freedom in creating threads that can be harvested vs 1 thread where important information keeps getting buried.  I still think it would be a good idea.

[madmax_2069]

4 hours ago, Goochman said:

I requested a few times having a sub forum for the 7800 Multicarts to allow more freedom in creating threads that can be harvested vs 1 thread where important information keeps getting buried.  I still think it would be a good idea.

Just like the harmony cart does on the 2600 forums, I was sort of expecting that for the Concerto Cart to have its own sub forum on the 7800 forum but was surprised it's all in a single thread.