Retro VGS Game Console

[esteban]

Iirc they already covered the cost of the moulds. They sold clear console and cart shells over at Atari age earlier this year.

Ok, they did something right.

[Black Tiger]

Iirc they already covered the cost of the moulds. They sold clear console and cart shells over at Atari age earlier this year.

Yeah, I was going to say that they already sold a limited batch of clear console and cart shells. If the RVGS doesn't pull off a miracle and get off the ground, the guy with the mold can make decent money continuing to sell plastic shells in various colors.

[Jibbajaba]

If the RVGS doesn't pull off a miracle and get off the ground, the guy with the mold can make decent money continuing to sell plastic shells in various colors.

They can also sell cartridge shells to home-brewers.  I think that's more sustainable than selling the system shells, as at some point basically everyone who wants one will have one. 

[Arkhan]

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/235430-how-has-this-not-been-posted-yet-retro-vgs/page-60#entry3325199

Even Kevtris is kicking them in the tip of their peepees.

lol

[esteban]

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/235430-how-has-this-not-been-posted-yet-retro-vgs/page-60#entry3325199

Even Kevtris is kicking them in the tip of their peepees.

lol

Yeah, someone posted this in the (other?) thread...



By the way, are you working on MSX stuff now? Or are you fleshing out some PCE stuff?

[Lost Monkey]

Can we get Dan to come back now?

[elmer]

The fallout is really beginning to take it's toll, the ship is sinking, and people are starting to jump overboard ...

From FaceBook:

Think I have to cancel my contribution. Been reading in the forums, looks like there's quite a bit of stuff going on behind the scenes, and that last minute lack of proper FPGA implementation (that is what was being advertised all along) unless stretch goal is made kinda ruined it for me. Also I hear that Kevtris is no longer involved, which is disheartening for sure. Sorry guys. If it gets off the ground I'll be first in line to buy one from your online shop, no doubt.

[BlueBMW]

I wont lie its an awful lot of fun watching this trainwreck.

[Jibbajaba]

I wont lie its an awful lot of fun watching this trainwreck.

Agreed.  I feel like a bad person for enjoying it so much.  Initially I thought this was a cool idea, but it has been so badly mismanaged that it doesn't deserve to succeed.

[elmer]

I wont lie its an awful lot of fun watching this trainwreck.

Agreed.  I feel like a bad person for enjoying it so much.  Initially I thought this was a cool idea, but it has been so badly mismanaged that it doesn't deserve to succeed.

It's fascinating to watch.

The thing is ... it didn't have to go this badly. It really is just a case of total mismanagement.

The idea was never going to work long term, because the economics for their potential developers are just wrong.

But I truly believe that if they could have kept the whole thing under some form of control, then they'd probably have got to the point of being funded and then producing a console and a couple of cartridges before the whole thing collapsed.

But it's been terribly bungled from the start. Mike Kennedy is definitely going to be one of the first candidates to get on the Golgafrincham "B" Ark.

The new "update" on the IGG page is an absolute joke.

To paraphrase ... "Everything is going well. Ignore the doomsayers, they're just misinformed. Trust me." 

That's it ... no new information about the hardware and the developers, just "Trust me and my team ... we're awesome!". 

[BlueBMW]

Lol as I suspected:

....bringing you a piece of hardware that you will be proud to own and display next to the other great gaming consoles in your collection.

That's all its really going to end up being good for.  Shelf candy.  Buy something like the Super A'Can if you want that.  No mention of actually "playing" the darn thing.

[wildfruit]

Mmmm Schadenfreude. Delicioso.

[johnnykonami]

I wont lie its an awful lot of fun watching this trainwreck.

Agreed.  I feel like a bad person for enjoying it so much.  Initially I thought this was a cool idea, but it has been so badly mismanaged that it doesn't deserve to succeed.

It's fascinating to watch.

The thing is ... it didn't have to go this badly. It really is just a case of total mismanagement.

The idea was never going to work long term, because the economics for their potential developers are just wrong.

But I truly believe that if they could have kept the whole thing under some form of control, then they'd probably have got to the point of being funded and then producing a console and a couple of cartridges before the whole thing collapsed.

But it's been terribly bungled from the start. Mike Kennedy is definitely going to be one of the first candidates to get on the Golgafrincham "B" Ark.

The new "update" on the IGG page is an absolute joke.

To paraphrase ... "Everything is going well. Ignore the doomsayers, they're just misinformed. Trust me." 

That's it ... no new information about the hardware and the developers, just "Trust me and my team ... we're awesome!". 

Besides what everyone has already said, especially the lack of working prototypes to demonstrate, the whole approach to this thing is wrong.  If I were going to attempt the same sort of thing, I would really ease up on the "retro" aspect altogether.  I think far more exciting would be a brand new console (with it's own distinct shape and character) and more importantly, exclusive games that you couldn't get anywhere else.  The cart idea I think is the real charm of this thing, but even to use the jaguar cart mold turns me off.  The thing needs it's own identity.  And it can be inspired by things we have loved in the past, but it can also be brand new at the same time.  So cartridges, 2D graphics and old school game design applied to brand new games: yes, please!  Calling a new system "retro" seems so limiting and almost places this in the same category as the Retron or other clone consoles in my mind.

+1 for Hitchhiker's ref, btw!

[DarkKobold]

... exclusive games that you couldn't get anywhere else. 

It was hard for the original Atari Jaguar to court game devs, and that was back when there was some prayer of success, as the console at least was running on similarly powered hardware to the rest of that Console Generation. (It was, however, 64 bits, if you did the math! ) Even with that, the Atari Jaguar's library was an entire 44 games, only about half of which were exclusives.

Now you have this Jaguar-wannabe, which is under-powered compared to the Xbone, PS4 and WiiU, has no market penetration what-so-ever, and doesn't even have prototype hardware or a dev kit? The chance of someone willing to sign up as an exclusive dev is nill.

In short, its the right idea, but they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting someone to develop exclusive games.

[johnnykonami]

... exclusive games that you couldn't get anywhere else. 

It was hard for the original Atari Jaguar to court game devs, and that was back when there was some prayer of success, as the console at least was running on similarly powered hardware to the rest of that Console Generation. (It was, however, 64 bits, if you did the math! ) Even with that, the Atari Jaguar's library was an entire 44 games, only about half of which were exclusives.

Now you have this Jaguar-wannabe, which is under-powered compared to the Xbone, PS4 and WiiU, has no market penetration what-so-ever, and doesn't even have prototype hardware or a dev kit? The chance of someone willing to sign up as an exclusive dev is nill.

In short, its the right idea, but they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting someone to develop exclusive games.

Tru dat, homie.  I think a lot of successful consoles started with a good set of in-house, 1st party programmed titles.  Once everyone out there saw what was possible, third party support just starts to trickle in.  If they had the means to produce even 3 "1st party" exclusives, that would give them the credibility needed to draw other developers in.  Of course that won't happen.  Exclusives are the real heart of any system, I think.  They are the reason you go back to playing that console time and time again.  Of course there are great multiplats for the TG/PCE but do you really think of Populous first when you think of its game library?