RIP RetroVGS/Coleco Chameleon: Retro Console Epic Disaster (2015-2016)

[Tanooki]

Ehh, that one last piece he put up there, the bit with Coleco holdings. If that's a legit quote there, let's wait until the 9th and see if they set them on fire or not for fraud. Everything else is just granstanding and speculation even if it may be right. Coleco won't go down in flames over this and would I think refuse to.

[TonyTheTiger]

Here's the catch, Flamdini--it doesn't matter. Look, it's a 99% certainty that there was a Super Nintendo inside that shell. But let's say it's the 1% and for whatever crazy reason it was just the ass end being used for power and video. That makes these guys incompetent. Either they've produced nothing or they've produced nonsense. Neither scenario demonstrates they have the ability to handle this undertaking. It's six of one, half dozen of the other. Either way this has to stop.

[fluid_matrix]

See, you keep saying this but they already offered an explanation for the SNES gambit (power supply and video, like I speculated!!!) and I'm sure they'll have an explanation for this. You act like it's 100% CONFIRMED GUYS EXPOSED EXPOSED and it's not.

Even if their explanation was true, that's NOT what they showed a pic of on the 29th. Hell, even in Sept. of last year they were claiming they had a working prototype. See bullet #2 of THIS (https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/retro-vgs-indiegogo-campaign-changed-title.75929/page-6#post-1342243) post. That was 6 months ago and in that time they weren't able to figure out how to provide their own power or output a video signal without using an SNES? Seems a little suspect, doesn't it? It would a helluva lot harder to incorporate an SNES pwr+A/V instead of just doing your own because you'd be wasting a lot of time.

[PapaStu]

Well from the look of things, Flamdini isn't actually SoCalMike. Not sure if that helps the feels the forum has much towards one of it's newest users, but at least we can be relatively confident that it's either someone who's reaaaaallllly passionate about the Coleco Chameleon, or someone who's trying to buffer the negative that the thread has built up.

I've been peeking back in on the AA thread over the last week or two. While it's become hard to find info within the thread, seeing what Kevtris, BenHeck and others are saying about all of this is has just been incredibly mind opening. When major companies have thrown millions and millions of dollars into systems to see them never make it out or just implode a year or two into it's life, a whole brand new system from a person not in the business of making electronics is the biggest red flag.

I still don't see why people are clamoring for this 'retro style' system. What kind of support are they truly expecting besides something that will never ever be remotely close as to what's been hyped.

[stardust4ever]

Go fly a kite Flamdini. The writing on the wall is clear as day and any simple Google search will lay the facts out. Photographic proof was presented for the DVR card, and unless the prototype was an SNES mini with the CPU removed and an FPGA in it's place, you can bet your ass it was just an SNES mini in there. They've been through this before with the RetroVGS. paperboard PCB with components placed or glued on. Team Chameleon must really take the community at large for a bunch of morons. And you fell for it. Do not drink their Kool Aid.

[badinsults]

I believe you misunderstood me, there was a prototype later but the one shown at E3 was a phony.


There's that young ol' dang ol' plant accusation again. It's like whenever you say something contrary to the contrarians on Youtube comments and get called a troll, only this place thinks it has some sort of quality control.

See, you keep saying this but they already offered an explanation for the SNES gambit (power supply and video, like I speculated!!!) and I'm sure they'll have an explanation for this. You act like it's 100% CONFIRMED GUYS EXPOSED EXPOSED and it's not.

It's not fraud.
Here's something-

Off of Coleco Holdings' Facebook from yesterday. Wait for March 9th for nothing to happen before you flip out.

This is absolutely ridiculous. This could have ended days ago if they posted the actual pcb of the "prototype" rather than covering it up with a translucent shell. Of course, they can't, because they don't have a prototype and just used a SNES and a PCI card for them. The burden of proof is on them to prove that they aren't a bunch of liars. As far as I am concerned, yes, it is "100% CONFIRMED GUYS EXPOSED EXPOSED".

If you aren't Mike Kennedy, you must be the most naive person in the world to give them the benefit of the doubt. Congrats.

[Cav]

Man, you genius. You complete genius. You did a good job there, implying I'm a plant. That was really original of you. Your mom must be so proud, I'm actually proud by proxy already. You're a genuine credit to the race.

Y'know...if you want to kill the speculation you could just simply say who you are. I'm betting 99.9% of the members in here would gladly say their real name without hesitating. It's hardly the Justice League in here.

[Tanooki]

Hah the justice league.

I'd put this whole thing going on more on the lower level of their B-team the wonder twins.

Wonder Twin powers activate. Form of a 'a raging jackass.' Form of a 'wet blanket.' Seems appropriate at this point.

[Janus]

Yeah, this will probably be my last post because I had underestimated just how stoogey this board actually was. Later.

I really want the Coleco Chameleon and I really like Mike. I was a long time listener of his show, gamegavel, RETRO, met him at a expo. He's a nice guy. People are suggesting that he is some evil thief and that is just wrong. I know I'm new here, so I'll probably get booted. People can't stand to believe he has a following.

[stardust4ever]

I really want the Coleco Chameleon and I really like Mike. I was a long time listener of his show, gamegavel, RETRO, met him at a expo. He's a nice guy. People are suggesting that he is some evil thief and that is just wrong. I know I'm new here, so I'll probably get booted. People can't stand to believe he has a following.

Preach it, sista!

In all seriousness, I wanted to believe Mike too. But writing's on the wall. There was a point, in everyone's mind, where the enthusiasm turned into bullshit. For me, it was the paper prototype. But then Mike announced the rebranded Coleco Chameleon, and I said, "let's give him another chance..." Then the SNES Mini at the Toy Fair, then the DVR PCB...

To quote Pat, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, FU!"

Janus, don't be like fooled by the BS. Mike has shat the bed and now he has to sleep in it. We all wanted this to be real, but it's not. You seem really nice person, and please don't take it the wrong way. At this point, there is no redeeming the RVGS/Chameleon.

[Tanooki]

Actually this site doesn't boot people for having an opinion, it will boot them for rule breaking or being a mouth a-hole bad enough it's a disruption to where they need to be removed. You're fine, just don't expect most people in this thread to agree with you, but at least unlike Flamdini there you're not being a complete jerk about it. Mike may be a nice guy in person, have no idea, or maybe he's just a nice guy at shows as a public face too. The only ones who really would know are those stuck in his local area/friends/acquaintances in person who bump into him regularly and none of us are that.

[Cav]

Janus, don't be like fooled by the BS. Mike has shat the bed and now he has to sleep in it. We all wanted this to be real, but it's not. You seem really nice person, and please don't take it the wrong way.

Just an FYI...Janus is a troll from the AA boards. It's just moving over here virus-like. Nothing to see here.

[Janus]

Actually this site doesn't boot people for having an opinion, it will boot them for rule breaking or being a mouth a-hole bad enough it's a disruption to where they need to be removed. You're fine, just don't expect most people in this thread to agree with you, but at least unlike Flamdini there you're not being a complete jerk about it. Mike may be a nice guy in person, have no idea, or maybe he's just a nice guy at shows as a public face too. The only ones who really would know are those stuck in his local area/friends/acquaintances in person who bump into him regularly and none of us are that.

Thanks for the welcome Tanooki! I'm taking a wait and see approach. If the tech engineer guys say it's fake, I'll believe that. I'm not technical at all.

[Tanooki]

I don't even think they deserve the benefit of the doubt anymore, but I'm also about hard evidence. The stuff out there so far which isn't hard to get at is fairly damning, but considering it's Coleco on the line for these shenanigans with their name and logo on it, I'm sure if it's pure BS which is probably the case, they'll grind the project to a halt if not sue Mike and friends for defrauding their company and the public at large. The 9th is only 5 days off so I'm taking a wait and see approach.

[OldSchoolGamer]

https://youtu.be/h2pYkDR3Zqs

[bb_hood]

If the tech engineer guys say it's fake, I'll believe that. I'm not technical at all.

I dont think you have to be technical to put 2 and 2 together here, they just threw some random computer part inside a clear shell. Im not technical either but its obvious the photo was not of a real, working, original video game system.




I don't even think they deserve the benefit of the doubt anymore,

They really dont. They dont have anything substantial to show anyone and they are intentionally trying to fool people with all this fake crap.
The sad truth is that laughing about this whole mess is alot more fun than playing the actual system will be (if it ever gets made).

[stardust4ever]

Just an FYI...Janus is a troll from the AA boards. It's just moving over here virus-like. Nothing to see here.

I was there when Janus got booted from the Chameleon thread. She's still not banned on the forum and I hope she can be active and productive in the other threads. Main issue she didn't vocalize her thoughts properly. But Janus, I don't think you were deliberately trolling, just misunderstood.

@Oldschoolgamer, video is private.

[triverse]

For anyone interested, here is an article I wrote that actually brought down my site due to sudden traffic and data transfer earlier this week. It collects everything from the big AtariAge thread discussing the third fake shown on the day of the Kickstarter's supposed start date.

http://retrogamingmagazine.com/2016/03/01/coleco-chameleon-prototype-3-proven-fake-by-community-of-retro-gaming-sleuths/

Also, for those interested in hearing more about what was going on around the time leading up to the failed IndieGoGo can head over to the Retro Gaming Roundup site to read my interview with John Carlsen (I believe he was engineer #3 in the linup). For the interest of having pertinent, key, pieces of information on one site, I am working with the RGR team to host it (I will post it on my site sometime Sunday after the hoopla has died down a bit).

http://retrogamingroundup.com/blog/?p=1233

For anyone interested in listening to a really good episode of Retro Gaming Roundup (they all are pretty good) that covers A LOT of the stuff around the time of the Toy Fair, Kickstarter and such from behind the scenes, listen to this interview that Eli of Piko Interactive did today:

http://retrogamingroundup.com/blog/?p=1229

[Steven]

The fallout continues... David G. who works on Retro the magazine as an editing manager, just announced he sent Mike his resignation letter. The dominos keep falling

[Dangerboy]

The fallout continues... David G. who works on Retro the magazine as an editing manager, just announced he sent Mike his resignation letter. The dominos keep falling

Link?

[fultonbot]

Hey Digital Press! I've been a lurker on this site for almost 15 years (it feel like it's been that long anyway).
I've written a few retro history articles for Gamasutra.com in the past, and I have an "expert" (whatever that means) blog there, but my current job doesn't let me write about technology openly, so it's been sporadically dormant for a couple years (as has the web site my brother and I run, 8bitrocket.com).
Recently I've been looking for a new forum to participate in, and while I've sampled other places, I've always thought, correct me if I'm wrong, this site had a the best percentage of reasonable people participating.

So that's me and why I'm new, but not really new at all.

Anyway, I have a lot of feelings about this Coleco Chameleon thing, but I'll keep that to myself for now. I just wanted to point out that if there are any positives out of this, it's that people like me, who have kept silent for a long time, are now trying to find homes for their retro obsessions and become involved in a positive way.

[Steven]

Link?

It's in the comments section of gamester81's new coleco video.

[Speed Racer]

So if a company were to actually try and make another cartridge based console what would be the best way to go about it from a technical standpoint?

[Az]

I'm blissfully ignorant of how crowdfunding platforms work, so here's a question: how is this a "scam"?

Take everything at face value. Say they have nothing but some Jag shells, cardboard, random components and a lot of pie in the sky statements with nothing to back them up. Let's say the everyone behind this is out to scam money.

How exactly would that happen? The Indigogo campaign didn't result in them gaining one penny, right? With Kickstarter, if they don't deliver on what people invest in can't the investors cry foul and get their money back?

By no means am I taking up for these guys and I have zero interest in the product. I just don't see how there's an ability for this group to "scam" people out of money when they're not accepting any kind of preorders or anything else straight to them. Think about it... track record aside, several different groups take preorders for newly released retro games that don't even exist yet and you're shown absolutely nothing about, and even some that will flat out tell you a product won't be shipping for years. These places sometimes charge your credit card immediately, and if they do and then wait 6 months and fly the coop you've got zero recourse to get your money back.

Being so full of shit you could blow up an onion sack and being a thief are two totally different things.

[shawnphase]

mike straddles that line of being a thief and a conman. all you have to do to see this is to check out some episodes of his youtube show 'big game hunter' to see that. i went back and watched a few of em this week and theres some deals he makes which are quite pushy. going back and asking people if they'll take a lower offer on games several times after they said no, that kind of thing.. if mike is good at only one thing in life, its getting what he wants. though i dont know how he can get this big of a goal that he's set up for himself, especially not at this point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQXAqPBkgaA

[stardust4ever]

For anyone interested, here is an article I wrote that actually brought down my site due to sudden traffic and data transfer earlier this week. It collects everything from the big AtariAge thread discussing the third fake shown on the day of the Kickstarter's supposed start date.Thanks Triverse. I think I remember reading this the other day on your site. I LOL'd at the "round doohickeys" Bit. They're called capacitors, by the way.


The distinctive chip layout is there, so are the round doohickeys (I am not a technical person), this is a match of a good 80%-LOL


For anyone interested in listening to a really good episode of Retro Gaming Roundup (they all are pretty good) that covers A LOT of the stuff around the time of the Toy Fair, Kickstarter and such from behind the scenes, listen to this interview that Eli of Piko Interactive did today:

http://retrogamingroundup.com/blog/?p=1229
Anyone up for a good listen, I know the audio interview with Piko is two hours long, but IMO it is an awesome exposé with an inside look at Mike's world, with absolutely no filler or rehashed BS. If you have the time, I encourage you to listen it.

[stardust4ever]

How exactly would that happen? The Indigogo campaign didn't result in them gaining one penny, right? With Kickstarter, if they don't deliver on what people invest in can't the investors cry foul and get their money back?

Many kickstarter campaigns have failed, some of them somewhat fantastically. Although most start out in good faith, it is a sad fact that sometimes developers run into hurdles or out of funds and fail to deliver what was promised. In such an event, there is no recourse for investors. Kickstarter is a platform for people to invest in an idea or product. Just like in the business world, not all investments are sound and yes there is an inherent risk involved with any investment, as there is no guarantee that contributors will receive their rewards or legal recourse if they do not.

One guy famously got an anime book kickstarted and had them published and printed, but ran out of money and was unable to ship the books to backers. He ended up burning like the majority stock of his books which failed to ship. I am not making this up; stuff like this makes me a sad puppy. :puppydogeyes:


WICKER PARK — A 30-year-old webcomics artist who raised more than $50,000 on Kickstarter has burned the books his donors paid for because, he says, he ran out of money to ship them.
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140305/wicker-park/kickstarter-fail-artist-raises-51k-publish-books-burns-them-alley

[celerystalker]

So if a company were to actually try and make another cartridge based console what would be the best way to go about it from a technical standpoint?

The big thing would be to develop the system parameters and chipset first. Making another emulation machine is just lumping yourself into a crowded market. Create whatever hardware first. Have a functioning unit so that you can have development specs for developers to create unique content. This is expensive, and the reason that crowdfunding isn't always a good route for technology. Even major retail consoles leave little if any room for profit initially, but still sell even sometimes at a loss in order to get units into homes in hopes to make the money back in licensing fees and software sales. It's conceptually like building a PC with the desired parameters, then paring it down to a closed circuit board that consolidates the relevant components in an economic fashion.

That's not a quick, easy process, and should probably not happen without a real vision for what the console is going to be so that the build can be focused. It's not a simple hobbyist thing to do, and would a time consuming, expensive process in terms of man hours, and having unique parameters makes a situation that isn't so accessible to indie developers without a known toolset.

Point is, you'd really need to be able to fund the development of the chipset and prototype without any crowdfunding, and be able to make development tools available to software teams. The crowdfunding would be used in order to fund actual production runs and distribution, not development, and then sales revenue should be used to market and maintain necessary production.


As far as how it's a scam, there's two groups to consider. First and most obvious, the potential consumer. There is not a financial scam in that sense, but rather an attempt at a scam in that they have tried to create the illusion of having a working prototype, which Kickstarter requires. Should they have successfully convinced Kickstarter with these "prototypes," they would have been taking crowdfunding to fund a false product. As of yet, though, the public has been less scammed and more insulted by the attempt.

Secondly, though, you have developers and other external partners, whose brand identity is a valuable asset in marketing products. Any time they have spent developing for, helping to market, or making software available to this project is a loss of time, money, and brand value. Good faith with the customer base is invaluable to a small developer, and damages by this association due to the practices of the Chameleon team who are using their name and software to hype a fraudulent project scams the developer.

Overall, the whole thing has basically been an insult to consumers and a scam to their partners.

[Speed Racer]

The big thing would be to develop the system parameters and chipset first. Making another emulation machine is just lumping yourself into a crowded market. Create whatever hardware first. Have a functioning unit so that you can have development specs for developers to create unique content. This is expensive, and the reason that crowdfunding isn't always a good route for technology. Even major retail consoles leave little if any room for profit initially, but still sell even sometimes at a loss in order to get units into homes in hopes to make the money back in licensing fees and software sales. It's conceptually like building a PC with the desired parameters, then paring it down to a closed circuit board that consolidates the relevant components in an economic fashion.

That's not a quick, easy process, and should probably not happen without a real vision for what the console is going to be so that the build can be focused. It's not a simple hobbyist thing to do, and would a time consuming, expensive process in terms of man hours, and having unique parameters makes a situation that isn't so accessible to indie developers without a known toolset.

Point is, you'd really need to be able to fund the development of the chipset and prototype without any crowdfunding, and be able to make development tools available to software teams. The crowdfunding would be used in order to fund actual production runs and distribution, not development, and then sales revenue should be used to market and maintain necessary production.


Thanks for the explanation. What if it were situation where a company wanted to reproduce an older console but release it with the ability to support today's higher definition TVs? For example, if a company were to release a new licensed NES with upgraded display capabilities, could the homebrew community develop games for it or would dev kits still be needed?

[celerystalker]

Thanks for the explanation. What if it were situation where a company wanted to reproduce an older console but release it with the ability to support today's higher definition TVs? For example, if a company were to release a new licensed NES with upgraded display capabilities, could the homebrew community develop games for it or would dev kits still be needed?

If it was actually licensed by Nintendo, then it would depend on the nature of the contract between Nintendo and the hardware developer as to how licensing fees would be shared or not, and what software would be officially sold. Homebrew games developed independently in that case would have the opportunity to seek/pay for Nintendo's official license or to release unofficially much like the Camerica and Color Dreams games of the past. Officially licensed titles tend to at least access to support in game development and potential partnerships for marketing and distribution, but at the cost of fees and shared profit. Homebrew unofficial games yield their profit directly to the developer, but marketing, distribution, and production costs are all direct hits to their bottom line.

[Speed Racer]

If it was actually licensed by Nintendo, then it would depend on the nature of the contract between Nintendo and the hardware developer as to how licensing fees would be shared or not, and what software would be officially sold. Homebrew games developed independently in that case would have the opportunity to seek/pay for Nintendo's official license or to release unofficially much like the Camerica and Color Dreams games of the past. Officially licensed titles tend to at least access to support in game development and potential partnerships for marketing and distribution, but at the cost of fees and shared profit. Homebrew unofficial games yield their profit directly to the developer, but marketing, distribution, and production costs are all direct hits to their bottom line.

I see, thanks again. It's too bad the Coleco Chameleon has become such a trainwreck. I definitely think the concept could be successful if someone were to go about doing it the right way.

[Herb Tarlek]

Yeah, this will probably be my last post because I had underestimated just how stoogey this board actually was. Later.

I'm betting 99.9% of the members in here would gladly say their real name without hesitating. It's hardly the Justice League in here.
OK, I admit it.

*takes a deep breath*

My real name is Shemp Howard.

I'm glad that's finally out there.

[Steven]

The fallout continues... David G. who works on Retro the magazine as an editing manager, just announced he sent Mike his resignation letter. The dominos keep falling


Link?


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/SFCGamer/DavidGLeaves_zps4tmlaiz1.png

[Tanooki]

Hey Digital Press! I've been a lurker on this site for almost 15 years (it feel like it's been that long anyway).
I've written a few retro history articles for Gamasutra.com in the past, and I have an "expert" (whatever that means) blog there, but my current job doesn't let me write about technology openly, so it's been sporadically dormant for a couple years (as has the web site my brother and I run, 8bitrocket.com).
Recently I've been looking for a new forum to participate in, and while I've sampled other places, I've always thought, correct me if I'm wrong, this site had a the best percentage of reasonable people participating.

So that's me and why I'm new, but not really new at all.

Anyway, I have a lot of feelings about this Coleco Chameleon thing, but I'll keep that to myself for now. I just wanted to point out that if there are any positives out of this, it's that people like me, who have kept silent for a long time, are now trying to find homes for their retro obsessions and become involved in a positive way.

Since people are involved in this torch and rope event here, I'll say you're right. At least it finally pushed you to sign up. I read the place off and on or hit the main site for useful info for years and eventually signed up a few years back as you can see from the date. You have a pretty low douche/useless to good person ratio here which is kind of harder to find in old gaming stuff as things have gone so far it makes people get defensive and testy.

[stardust4ever]

Thanks for the explanation. What if it were situation where a company wanted to reproduce an older console but release it with the ability to support today's higher definition TVs? For example, if a company were to release a new licensed NES with upgraded display capabilities, could the homebrew community develop games for it or would dev kits still be needed?
It exists (in the near future, the AVS will be available for sale at RetroUSB.com), and since patents are expired, no licensing in needed to produce clone systems! Unlike cheap clones, this is 100% FPGA hardware outputting pure digital signal with 100% compatibility with existing and future games...
:cheers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKZIoq7pp34


If it was actually licensed by Nintendo, then it would depend on the nature of the contract between Nintendo and the hardware developer as to how licensing fees would be shared or not, and what software would be officially sold. Homebrew games developed independently in that case would have the opportunity to seek/pay for Nintendo's official license or to release unofficially much like the Camerica and Color Dreams games of the past. Officially licensed titles tend to at least access to support in game development and potential partnerships for marketing and distribution, but at the cost of fees and shared profit. Homebrew unofficial games yield their profit directly to the developer, but marketing, distribution, and production costs are all direct hits to their bottom line.
That's never gonna happen, unfortunately. Homebrewers are on their own...

[stardust4ever]

OK, I admit it.

*takes a deep breath*

My real name is Shemp Howard.

I'm glad that's finally out there.

Name is Alfred E. Newman...
http://media.dcentertainment.com/sites/default/files/MAD-Magazine-Alfred-E-Neuman-Norman-Mingo.jpg

[Bratwurst]

My real name is Shemp Howard.

So nice to meet you, my real name is Fisty McTwisty.

[fluid_matrix]

I'm blissfully ignorant of how crowdfunding platforms work, so here's a question: how is this a "scam"?

Take everything at face value. Say they have nothing but some Jag shells, cardboard, random components and a lot of pie in the sky statements with nothing to back them up. Let's say the everyone behind this is out to scam money.

How exactly would that happen? The Indigogo campaign didn't result in them gaining one penny, right? With Kickstarter, if they don't deliver on what people invest in can't the investors cry foul and get their money back?


I could be wrong, and I usually am. But I believe that on KS, if you don't reach your goal, then you simply don't get paid. But in IGogo you get whatever you raise regardless if you hit your goal amount. But, as stardust4ever mentioned, that still doesn't mean they will come thru with said product.

[badinsults]

I could be wrong, and I usually am. But I believe that on KS, if you don't reach your goal, then you simply don't get paid. But in IGogo you get whatever you raise regardless if you hit your goal amount. But, as stardust4ever mentioned, that still doesn't mean they will come thru with said product.


That is actually only true if the person setting up the IGG does it that way. At least Mike Kennedy had the integrity to set it so that it doesn't take people's money when the IGG failed.

Trying to pass off a Super NES as a "prototype" for the system at a major trade show? That is getting into scam territory.

[fluid_matrix]

That is actually only true if the person setting up the IGG does it that way. At least Mike Kennedy had the integrity to set it so that it doesn't take people's money when the IGG failed.

Trying to pass off a Super NES as a "prototype" for the system at a major trade show? That is getting into scam territory.

Ah, ok. I've never used any crowdfunding services before, so what I know is only what I've heard second hand.

[stardust4ever]

Ah, ok. I've never used any crowdfunding services before, so what I know is only what I've heard second hand.
I would only trust Kickstarter. IndieGoGo has a history with shady projects (not that KS doesn't, but KS has higher turnout and a more rigid screening process), and other sites like Gofundme are more for donation type stuff rather than investors.

So far most of the campaigns I've backed have delivered, although some of the games I backed are still in development and exceeded timeline projections, none of them have gone bankrupt or have given any indication that they won't deliver.

Ironically, the first campaign I ever backed on Kickstarter was Animusic 3 in 2012. They guys needed funds for a new server, and I had DVDs and Audio CDs from both their prior projects, so it was a no brainer. The expected delivery date was Oct 2013 and I backed the CD+BluRay. Early 2015 I received their Audio CD, no word yet on the BluRay but I haven't given up hope yet as they are nice guys and still in business and would never screw anyone.

Ironically I backed Year two of Retro Mag and so far have been underwhelmed. After the RetroVGS/Chameleon SNAFU, it is safe to say I will not be supporting these jokers ever again.

Do continue to buy games from PikoInteractive and Collectorvision; they are both great companies who basically got shat on and thrown under the bus by Mike Kennedy and his posse.

[Speed Racer]

It exists (in the near future, the AVS will be available for sale at RetroUSB.com), and since patents are expired, no licensing in needed to produce clone systems! Unlike cheap clones, this is 100% FPGA hardware outputting pure digital signal with 100% compatibility with existing and future games...
:cheers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKZIoq7pp34


Wow! Wasn't even aware that existed. Are they planning to fund development and production on their own or are they going the crowdfunding route? I checked their Facebook page and really didn't find anything about that.

[Gentlegamer]

My name is Rusty Shackleford.

[buzz_n64]

My name is Rusty Shackleford.

You don't know who I am, but I know where you live.

[Tanooki]

Bunny's retroavs seems nice, but I still think the asking price of just under $200 is high for a one off system. At that rate I'd rather just own the original hardware. At that price I need the swiss army knife approach to be enticing to buy like the emulated retron 5 does. I'm not knocking it, it's great it's in 720p but it offers me nothing I can't do already without 720p and still sharp thanks to the good tv I have with no lag issues.

[Greg2600]

Sad to hear Dave left the magazine. Gotta wonder if we'll ever get the remaining issues due for year 2?

[portnoyd]

Sad to hear Dave left the magazine. Gotta wonder if we'll ever get the remaining issues due for year 2?

Not a chance considering SoCalMike dropped all the remaining Retro money into Chameleongate. I don't have the link to where I read it, because there is just an endless online "paper trail" for this debacle, but someone on the inside coughed up some info about what had been invested into the endeavor and oops, there goes the rest of the Retro cash.


Bunny's retroavs seems nice, but I still think the asking price of just under $200 is high for a one off system. At that rate I'd rather just own the original hardware. At that price I need the swiss army knife approach to be enticing to buy like the emulated retron 5 does. I'm not knocking it, it's great it's in 720p but it offers me nothing I can't do already without 720p and still sharp thanks to the good tv I have with no lag issues.

Even though I think bunnyboy is a putz, $200 is not high for high end, upscaled NES gaming. Considering the swiss army approach for real systems can run you $300+ just for a Kevtris HDMI kitted NES, it's not bad. Or you can go full retard and spend even more like I did to run every system you have through a XRGB. But my god, everything is so perfect.

*gets tackled by Anthony1*

[Emperor Megas]

You NEVER go FULL retard.

[Steven]

Not a chance considering SoCalMike dropped all the remaining Retro money into Chameleongate. I don't have the link to where I read it, because there is just an endless online "paper trail" for this debacle, but someone on the inside coughed up some info about what had been invested into the endeavor and oops, there goes the rest of the Retro cash

If true, I know there are some people who Kickstartered it to have a certain game written about. I feel sorry for these people because it probably won't ever come to light. I almost pledged for this tier... Boy am I glad I held off.

I would be shocked to see the magazine last beyond two more issues. They're toast.

[ColecoFan1981]

I would rather see the Chameleon be born as to play ColecoVision (the only console worthy of Coleco's name to date), Sega SG1000, MSX and Creativision games than to play Sega Genesis or Super NES games.

It should have these Texas Instruments chips:
TMS9918A VDP
SN76489 PSG

~Ben

[triverse]

Sad to hear Dave left the magazine. Gotta wonder if we'll ever get the remaining issues due for year 2?

According to the rules of Kickstarter, Mike will have to complete that Kickstarter before he can create another. Of course, we have seen at least two different Kickstarters by Mike (one for the magazine's two years and one to "reboot" Intellivision games of some sort). Ever notice we don't hear about that other Kickstarter? Or the "game company" he owns that apparently has Steve Woita working on updating old games for Android devices?


If true, I know there are some people who Kickstartered it to have a certain game written about. I feel sorry for these people because it probably won't ever come to light. I almost pledged for this tier... Boy am I glad I held off.

I would be shocked to see the magazine last beyond two more issues. They're toast.

Hold on, are you saying Mike took money from publishers/developers in return for writing content about those games in the magazine?

[Tanooki]

If it's true that nitwit took the magazine cash to flounder and twist it into the wind on his vapor console there should be some form of hell to be reckoned with on that by those who paid for one item and then got neither, including the one they didn't want. It would throw an added reasoning for that one guy to bail on the magazine effective immediately too.

[badinsults]

I would rather see the Chameleon be born as to play ColecoVision (the only console worthy of Coleco's name to date), Sega SG1000, MSX and Creativision games than to play Sega Genesis or Super NES games.

It should have these Texas Instruments chips:
TMS9918A VDP
SN76489 PSG

~Ben

The big problem is that the only two people who have games to license that he could convince to support this endeavour had SNES games. So of course it has to support the SNES. That is why we get the Super NES in a Jag shell as a "prototype".

[triverse]

The big problem is that the only two people who have games to license that he could convince to support this endeavour had SNES games. So of course it has to support the SNES. That is why we get the Super NES in a Jag shell as a "prototype".

Actually, Piko has games on NES (8-Bit), Sega Genesis (16-Bit), Super Nintendo (16-Bit), Game Boy Advance (portable) and Game Boy/Color (portble). Here is a link to their store page-

https://www.pikointeractive.com/store.html

Piko is always on the look out, searching for, unreleased titles that could be completed (such as Dorke & Ymp) and finally released, not just on the aforementioned platforms either.

[shawnphase]

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/page-253#entry3462108

[Dangerboy]

Just going to leave this here:

8596

Edit: Jinx!

[PapaStu]

I can confirm that Janus is Mark thanks to 'her' info used when registering on DP. Didn't try to hide anything at all.

[Cav]

OMG! I'm shocked!!! Shocked I say!

[shawnphase]

why try and hide anything when a lie is perpetuated this heavily? shit is hardcore pathetic. mark kaminski, you're a real piece of work.

[Cav]

why try and hide anything when a lie is perpetuated this heavily? shit is hardcore pathetic. mike kaminski, you're a real piece of work.

Hardcore pathetic indeed.

...and it's MARK Kaminski. Let's make sure when people Google his name they get the real story.

[shawnphase]

corrected for troof.

[PapaStu]

And lifting an avatar from someone's G+ page to propagate their lie further. We're done with Janus here. **banned**

[OldSchoolGamer]

@Oldschoolgamer, video is private.

Yeah I am aware.

It is not my video, the creator switched it to "Private" sometime after posting, shit happens. X_x


I was there when Janus got booted from the Chameleon thread. She's still not banned on the forum and I hope she can be active and productive in the other threads. Main issue she didn't vocalize her thoughts properly. But Janus, I don't think you were deliberately trolling, just misunderstood.



Heh, you were saying? ROFL

[stardust4ever]

I was there when Janus got booted from the Chameleon thread. She's still not banned on the forum and I hope she can be active and productive in the other threads. Main issue she didn't vocalize her thoughts properly. But Janus, I don't think you were deliberately trolling, just misunderstood.

@Oldschoolgamer, video is private.

Guess I was wrong about Janus... :oops:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/247145-coleco-chameleon-hardware-speculations/?p=3462108




Heh, you were saying? ROFLDERP.

[stardust4ever]

Bunny's retroavs seems nice, but I still think the asking price of just under $200 is high for a one off system. At that rate I'd rather just own the original hardware. At that price I need the swiss army knife approach to be enticing to buy like the emulated retron 5 does. I'm not knocking it, it's great it's in 720p but it offers me nothing I can't do already without 720p and still sharp thanks to the good tv I have with no lag issues.Did I fail to mention the AVS works with flash carts and homebrew, something the Retron5 or Retrofreak never will. Given the $400 price tag on the comparable Game Tech HDMI mod, the AVS ain't such a bad deal. I'd rather keep my NES stock composite and buy a new toy.
:band:

Read about the developments here, in this thread announced on Jan 1st, 2013.
http://nintendoage.com/auth/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=92557



Even though I think bunnyboy is a putz, $200 is not high for high end, upscaled NES gaming. Considering the swiss army approach for real systems can run you $300+ just for a Kevtris HDMI kitted NES, it's not bad. Or you can go full retard and spend even more like I did to run every system you have through a XRGB. But my god, everything is so perfect.
This. The SRGB Mini is IMO a ripoff at $300+, plus I'd need to mod most of my game systems to get the best possible RGB image. For me, it's either RF. composite or HDMI, because I don't even have a display that takes RGB without buying a bunch of expensive upscaler crap that only adds lag.

Looking at all the extra equipment I would have to buy, the option to just buy a new console that does HDMI out is great. I love my Retro Freak, but Retron5/RF and the like simply don't work with NES homebrew or the vast majority of repros due to mapper hell. Most 16-bit games don't use mappers or enhancement chips, but there are still some games it just won't read. So while I'm keeping my original systems and tube TVs (IMO the best way to experience retro systems and the only way to play lightgun games) and the AVS or any other new system built out of all new parts that come out whicht might run games natively (not emulation) and output HDMI.

I'm tired of half-assed clone shit. Whenever someone comes up with a real clone system that has the same love and care of passion for our hobby, we as a community need to support it.

[stardust4ever]

Hold on, are you saying Mike took money from publishers/developers in return for writing content about those games in the magazine?I have heard this too. Do we have actual confirmation of these rumours from an insider?
:devilish::devilish::devilish:

[Tanooki]

Stardust I don't read NA anymore sorry and don't plan to unless re-invited. :D

Now funny I guess it's word play, but I see Janus, then I see anus, I think ass, j-ass, jack ass...yup that fits.

That's pretty bad acting like a woman, stealing a random image, and then posting like that while being dumb enough admin viewable side not to hide your tracks at all. But I will add, I guess we should be honored, the site it still considered big leagues enough for a tool like that to sign up and try and play damage control. :D


I did follow bunny's work when I was on the site. I guess since I have zero cares for scoreboard, and with the kid around, I value the instant save at menu feature along with the HDMI the R5 offers, but if I didn't need that anymore I'd still use stock systems as I am just fine viewing them as the makers intended and not overly sharp. If they had an 80s/90s filter on there that didn't look like 2xsai/eagle muddy shat I'd use it.

[Gameguy]

I can confirm that Janus is Mark thanks to 'her' info used when registering on DP. Didn't try to hide anything at all.
I would assume he did try to cover it up but messed up, because that's the same quality devoted to the Retro VGS console. They try but can't help themselves from making horrible mistakes and outright lying at every opportunity.

[Dangerboy]

Hold on, are you saying Mike took money from publishers/developers in return for writing content about those games in the magazine?


I went through the KS page to to check, and I think what was implied was that a certain tier pledger could choose a game for them to review (as in "Hey! I pledged $$$, can you review 007 Racing?"). NOT they were taking money from devs for stories.

[PapaStu]

I would assume he did try to cover it up but messed up, because that's the same quality devoted to the Retro VGS console. They try but can't help themselves from making horrible mistakes and outright lying at every opportunity.


Not in the slightest. When it was mark@..... there wasn't anything but some derp involved with that. If they didn't have access to the email, they'd not have been able to verify the username and start posting. He just wasn't expecting us to take a look at it.

[stardust4ever]

Stardust I don't read NA anymore sorry and don't plan to unless re-invited. :D

Not trying to drudge up past bygones, but a number of fairly decent people have been raked through the coals with Nitendoage's ban now and ask questions later approach. A number of good guys on here at Digit Press are past NA forum members who for whatever reason had one little fuck up with the mods or screwed up with one deal gone south, and are permanently banned or HOS. You mouthed off once; I think Satoshi Matrix had a deal go south, and Piko contacted an eBay seller regarding a prototype he sold, and was accused of backdooring and insta-banned. All three people whom I have good respect for, and I tried to defend Piko by linking to a podcast he did regarding his involvement with Mike Kennedy / RVGS, and quickly got corrected by the naysayers.
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?StartRow=201&catid=22&threadid=141995

I also got chastised publicly a couple months back for sharing my detailed text review of the 150-in-1 NES cart I picked up on Aliexpress like I'm some sort of pirate or bootlegger while they openly sell repros in the community. Bunch of hypocrites.
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=157123

Honestly I spend a lot more time on AtariAge lately, but I mainly use Nintendoage to keep posted on new products and homebrews related to the NES scene and post replies in relevant threads. I'm not as hardcore collector and I tire sometimes of searching NA by latest post to see what's going on and see page after page of people trying to sell me their shit.

Regardless, I need to browse DP more often. Take care Tanooki and sorry if I'm OT...

There isn't much to discuss until at least Thursday or thereafter when Coleco either publishes the results of Mike Kennedy's "prototype inspection" or revokes the license to use their brand. Honestly I'm kind of glad. The AA thread has been moving way too rapidly and a guy's gotta sleep and live their life sometime.

[Steven]

Hold on, are you saying Mike took money from publishers/developers in return for writing content about those games in the magazine?


I went through the KS page to to check, and I think what was implied was that a certain tier pledger could choose a game for them to review (as in "Hey! I pledged $$$, can you review 007 Racing?"). NOT they were taking money from devs for stories.

Correct on what I meant. I think those people will never see their requested title featured, thus getting ripped off. Inexcusable.

[Az]

I think Satoshi Matrix had a deal go south, and Piko contacted an eBay seller regarding a prototype he sold, and was accused of backdooring and insta-banned.

I have little experience with NA due to not being a big Nintendo collector. In all honesty I don't know of any decent forums that will allow you to continue to participate after you break specific, well defined rules like those two specific accounts you mentioned. Rip someone off? Banned. Shady, hypocritical scenarios while hiding behind the goodguy badge? Banned.

I've heard dozens of tales about how certain NA mods do conduct themselves poorly and ban access to people that might not be justified but I don't know if those two specific instances are good examples of unjustified actions. It shouldn't be personal; one shouldn't be banned because you don't like them personally but on the other hand one shouldn't get by with breaking rules because they're just a swell guy.

The personalities behind the RVGS seem to have contributed to the hobby and had fairly good reputations until this one instance yet everyone's calling for their head on a pike. In that sense shouldn't they be given a free pass since nobody's perfect?*

[fultonbot]

Weird. I just noticed that MK "unfriended" me on Facebook.

I've tried to stay pretty neutral about this CC thing, checking Facebook a couple times a day to see if there have been any updates on the RVGS page of MK's page hoping that there would be some snippet of news that would show that this has all been a misunderstanding.

I'm sure it was some kind of mass "unfriending" and not personal, but I felt like "hey, I've only ever been supportive, what gives?"

I honestly want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but it gets harder and harder and harder each day.

[stardust4ever]

Weird. I just noticed that MK "unfriended" me on Facebook.

I've tried to stay pretty neutral about this CC thing, checking Facebook a couple times a day to see if there have been any updates on the RVGS page of MK's page hoping that there would be some snippet of news that would show that this has all been a misunderstanding.

I'm sure it was some kind of mass "unfriending" and not personal, but I felt like "hey, I've only ever been supportive, what gives?"

I honestly want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but it gets harder and harder and harder each day.
Friends and Likes on Facebook are meaningless. I wouldn't pay too much attention. Mike has been :deadhorse: for a long time now.