Retro VGS Game Console

[Gentlegamer]

I have somehow mostly avoided reading about this. All I can say is el oh el.

[Bloufo]

RETRO VGS first quick demo

Uhh...that video doesn't tell me anything about the product. Also, that is no workbench. I have very limited electronic repair experience but even my paltry setup is not that crowded. I couldn't begin to test or repair anything with shit everywhere, like that guy has. Surely, this guy knows what he is doing, right?

I just now watched that vid.
Didn't they make mention that they switched from KS to Indiegogo because of some (lack of?) prototype issue?
So going by what the vid claims to show, they had a proto of this thing all along. So the reasons why they didn't go the Kickstarter route were apparently.. lies?

[ProfessorProfessorson]

Lol all I see in the video is a kitchen table with some gear hastily thrown onto it to make it look like a test station. Better still is the Jaguar shell, only the top of a shell rather, laid on top of some kinda ITX looking computer board. I mean nothing is actually really being shown to prove its a real prototype.

[esteban]

Lol all I see in the video is a kitchen table with some gear hastily thrown onto it to make it look like a test station. Better still is the Jaguar shell, only the top of a shell rather, laid on top of some kinda ITX looking computer board. I mean nothing is actually really being shown to prove its a real prototype.

Exactly. This all looks staged, with props, to give the illusion that some progress has been made.

No progress has been made.

Well, the lulz have gotten better.

[lukester]

What the hell was even on the tv?

It looked like a white grid or something.

[BlueBMW]

Every day brings new lulz with this thing.  Just when I thought it had started to stagnate those guys come up with that "prototype" video....  who the hell works at a work bench like that?  I mean I'm sorry, I don't have space for a proper work bench etc so I use my computer desk for repair work and such.  Its not nearly the clusterfack that kitchen table was.  Random extra equipment and parts scattered about?

[DarkKobold]

Kirkland James Hrabik No PR campaign could fix the underming of this project (from the beginning) from the haters in the world in this hobby. We've all seen it countless times before and this is just another one one of those times. These same haters are there dissing anyone that wants to go out there and make the gaming hobby a more fun place and I can't for the life of me see where their motives lie. One thing PR people would do is ban people and keep these public attacks at bay, and that is one mistake we've made in the beginning to show transparency. Big mistake and one we are learning from.

A PR person would actually tell you to treat your trolls with grace and respect. A decent PR person would tell you not to act like a passive-aggressive little bitch. Seriously, they've posted other kickstarters that got funded, and whined about how kickstarter wouldn't accept their two million dollar crap show. They keep talking about the "haters" bringing the project down, rather than seeing people with legitimate concerns.

This train wreck has been massively entertaining. Over the last 2-3 days, the funding has dropped, rather than gained. I don't think they'll even make it to $100k at this point. I don't know why they are even trying.

[SignOfZeta]

That video...holy shit. That can't possibly impress anyone, right? What is that scope there for? Why is the "prototype"* in one of their dumb Jag shells? WTF could possibly be patentable on a project like this even if the guy did know what he's doing, which he doesn't. 

These guys are legit crazy. I almost feel bad a of shitting on them because there are diagnosable issues in those dudes' heads for sure.


* not actually a prototype of anything, but rather other people's finished work.

[Punch]

Comments are disabled for this video.

ahahayylmao

[elmer]

That video...holy shit. That can't possibly impress anyone, right?

Sadly, there are actually some FaceBook people out there that don't have the faintest clue about electronics ...

I have been one of the more critical voices over the last week and agree COMPLETELY. This is the kind of info that should have been out there a month or so ago. If your marketing guy can't communicate information that needs communicated and then keep his mouth shut when he needs to keep his mouth shut then you need a new PR guy. Sorry.

Anyway, THIS has helped immensely. I am back in, I will be supporting the IGG. PLEASE have John keep us up to date though no more Mike.

There are even idiots that think that it's so nearly done that they're worried about how it'll look inside a transparent case ...

Yea someone pointed out the shape of the mainboard. He was wanting to buy a clear one and was concerned it would look ugly. I agree.

But ... their funding keeps on going down, so it doesn't look like the new "information" is going down that well.

However, with the revelation of John Carlsen's hopes of getting the RETRO VGS's IndieGoGo backers to fund his dreams of becoming a patent troll, this has now moved from being a sad joke into being a potential drain on the future homebrew (and even, potentially, the professional) video game hardware scene.

That's probably way over-inflating his chances of getting something patented, but I really have very little confidence in the current US patent process, so there's definitely a worry.

WTF could possibly be patentable on a project like this even if the guy did know what he's doing, which he doesn't.

From Kevtris's post about his experience with talking to Carlsen, I'd suspect that it'll have something to do with post-processing the output of an FPGA-generated video buffer with an ARM SoC's pixel-shaders, or maybe the reverse.

[SephirothTNH]

I lost any shred of respect I had for any of the RVGS guys when I watched that video. 

"Power goes into our system, and out from our system we get high resolution digital and analog video"

I mean who the f*ck does this guy think he's talking to.  This must be their three point system development play:

            .  No patches and scratches
            .  Power goes in; High resolution video goes out.
            . 

[NightWolve]

RETRO VGS first quick demo

Now their tech guy is claiming that there is a prototype, but he's not told his "boss" because he's afraid that it would spoil his ability to patent all the new inventions ... that he's already started to patent ... without telling his boss ... and so presumably by himself ... meanwhile leaving his partners flapping in the wind for a week with a failing crowdfunding campaign.

What a f**king great guy to go into business with!

Ah, that's where it came from, just saw this video on Andrew's Facebook. I honestly thought at first it was a follow-up parody, but then somebody here had posted a photo of the 3 knuckleheads that compose this team and the guy looked like one of them as far as my recollection, and sure enough, it was indeed him and this video actually was something they decided to go live with... :/

So that's the answer to "where are the specs" - C'mon guys, give us a break, we gotta first patent a lot of this stuff beforehand, don't ya know... No worries, we found great lawyers, but it's expensive... Somebody could make off with the great ideas that we're coming up with here! Hahahaha! I'm sorry, I don't see the danger there...

I am sorry, but everything on that table looks like a prop.

He elaborated on irrelevant things (the power supply? The power supply?), but did not provide much beyond these gems:
(1) we are working with some of the best attorneys in Silicon Valley
(2) we must protect our patents
(3) no cooling fans necessary!
(4) did you see how I carefully arranged all the props on my table? Doesn't it look "organic" like an actual workbench, where actual work is conducted? Yeah, I cut a few cables. I really did.

Yeah, exactly, it's beyond amateur hour, that's why I thought it had to be another parody at first! That focus on the power supply...like there'd be something "special" about that even... How did that video even get loose, did they not review it beyond 1 or 2 other guys ? I guess so...

[ProfessorProfessorson]

The bigger issue with the video is the guy himself. There is a point where you can see someone believes in their product. They are passionate, serious, and convincing. This guy, I mean, this could have just as easily been some comedy skit on Tim and Eric Great Job. This guy looks and sounds like every fake tech a$$hole I have ever seen on any given parody tech video or similar strange infomercial parody shit.

[NightWolve]

Yeah, you have to know your strengths and weaknesses, and he was simply not meant for unguided, unscripted live presentations, at least, not by himself - he needed an experienced, lively interviewer at the very least to guide him, keep him on track... There's a level of charisma that you need, and being able to "wing it" on-the-fly without a script, etc. Few people possess such abilities... It also seems he did this on the 1st or 2nd take, when he needed MUCH MORE practice...

Poor example, but recent is the Kevtris and GameTechUSA project and that recent video where clearly GameTechUSA is much more comfortable, less nervous in front of the camera... It would be very hard to watch without GameTech's enthusiasm and focus.

Anyhow, yeah, it's all amateur hour here and coming from guys asking for $2 million dollars makes it an even bigger joke... :/

[esteban]

The bigger issue with the video is the guy himself. There is a point where you can see someone believes in their product. They are passionate, serious, and convincing. This guy, I mean, this could have just as easily been some comedy skit on Tim and Eric Great Job. This guy looks and sounds like every fake tech a$$hole I have ever seen on any given parody tech video or similar strange infomercial parody shit.

Agreed. Sincerity, genuine sincerity, is a foundation. Something to build on.