Polymega's Grand Vision For The Ultimate Retro System Includes A Virtual Console Successor

I don't know if I feel better or worse about finding out they plan to seek out official licensing and whatnot.

Wow, $ 250 ?
Quite expensive, but it can PS1 All Region as well.
I will wait the Review how good is the machine.

all i think is if its too good to be true then its a con. I just dont buy it would love to be wrong and would love a system like this. But this just has so manyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy alarm bells rining. And the price look at price then look at the awsome analogue consoles which are best at what they do. now look at price for the cd system that can play soooooooooooo many formats mmmmmmm and footage isnt saturn footage

interested but a little expensive for my wallet

i was following this with great interest, but now heard their saturn trailer was actually using arcade footage, not so excited now

Hmmm.... I have been a staunch supporter of this but now I'm not so sure. That previous promise of hybrid emulation sounds hollow. Why would i buy a non fpga snes module when I can get a better super nt? I like that it does cd games but no fpga except for very specific modules puts me off somewhat. Especially because they dropped this nugget of info last minute.

Aside from cd support how will this compare to a crappy retron 5? Im especially nervous about Genesis sound emulation now....ugh.

Edit: I reread and see a future fpga module for snes will be released. That's crap. Either I double dip or have to wait an unknown amount of time.

I think $250 is reasonable if the compatibility out of the box is as they say. Between PS1, Saturn, Mega-CD and Turbo Duo you have a vast assortment of classic games that are not available on any digital store, previously only playable on original hardware, with the convenience of one box compatible with modern TVs. a LOT of questions remain, of course, and nothing here to drag me away from my Super NT (incredibly professional launch and support) or original hardware. Look forward to the reviews

Their wbesite ordering issues aside, it was also posted by others on Twitter that their launch day ad they just released this week is using Sega Arcade Rally arcade version footage in their Saturn montage, that's a HUGE red flag among the many other things they've failed to communicate properly. I would love for this to be a success but it screams Ouya to me all over again. Unless they can show Analogue's level of expertise in hardware/software design they're not getting a penny from my wallet.

@Jimgamer8 It's $250 for the base unit, you still have to buy each individual console module to plug into that at $59.99 each. So right off the bat you'd be spending $490 to play those systems you just mentioned.

Their site has not been able to take pre-orders. It might be an indicator the company can't deliver if they were not prepared for simply taking orders. I'm surprised this article just alludes to the trouble this company is having.

The fact that their website is inaccessible is amateurish and a big red flag. The cost for this is a bit too high as well.

@EightBitMan After reading your post I find your username ironic.

Taking a look at shipping cost to Italy (125$) i think I can't care less, honestly.

I will be getting one, and probably hacking it to put my entire rom collection on it since it is FPGA primarily for the add-ons.

If and when they have production units to look at, I'll care. But given the past history of such projects, no interest in a pre-order thingy.

@EightBitMan wow! You are forgetting that every minute there are new people born that have never had a chance to experience early gaming classics? and lots of other people that loved these systems and had them in thei childhood but no longer have them, there is nothing wrong with being able to get these classics again

@Dreamcaster-X I'll clarify my point - out of the box, it will play the CD-based library of those systems - without the added modules (which add the ability to play carts/use OG controllers, i.e. nothing to do with what I was ascribing value to). Thanks for the input.

@Jokerwolf It said in the article that the FPGA was removed from the core system, only certain modules in the future would use FPGA.

@Dreamcaster-X Ya, it is unfortunate but if they are using RetroArch cores it can all easily be emulated almost perfectly, so it might not be too bad. I will wait for reviews.

I have been following this like a mad man for the past year and a half. This would be perfect for my SEGA colection.

@Jokerwolf Yeah, I hope they're using good cores as well. The Saturn stuff though seems pretty sketchy, even on good PC's Saturn emulation still isn't up to snuff on most games.

No fpga = system-on-a-chip = garbage.

Until it got 3DO, N64, Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2 support then I may eventually throw money at it but for now I'm not too interested in it just yet. Not really a fan of the PS1 library that much even though I own a lot of them games especially Tekken 3, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy IX, Crash Bandicoot, and the Legend of Dragoon, don't own that many Sega Saturn games at the moment, the Sega CD library are basically just garbage other than Lunar and Sonic CD which already got better remastered on modern consoles, already got better versions of NeoGeo games on Switch via HAMSTER, and already got too many HD clones that could do HD better with Famicom, NES, SNES, SFC, Mega Drive, Genesis, SMS, Game Boy, GBC, GBA, and Game Gear games.

@Dreamcaster-X Well, since the Saturn was finally cracked after like 20 years, I imagine if they got buddy that did it they may have a chance to make it sweet.

Why is arcade Sega Rally shown off in the trailer when they're showing off how it allegedly plays Saturn games?

All these concerns... pffff.
If a SNES Classic Mini, running on a simple ARM processor, can play SNES, NES, Genesis/Megadrive, GBA, N64, GBC, TurboGfx16 and PSX games almost perfectly, with only minor issues on most games, then this system, based on a considerably more heavy x86 processor, should more than easily be able to improve the emulation on pretty much all of the systems mentioned in the press release.

The Saturn part might be the only thing to have a wait and see attitude about, because like others have said, that's still pretty hard to pull off.

But, if that license deal they made, is with the guy who already made quite a bit of headway (forgot his name, but others will probably know) with his version of the Saturn emulator, then they'll have the best emulator around so far, and that is most certainly nothing to scoff at.

@Deanster101 Only the base unit has no FPGA, the modules do.
Have you actually read everything, or are you just rushing to post?
First off, not every system needs FPGA to have good or decent enough emulation. Case in point: the Nintendo Minis.

Second, the system is based upon x86, and emulates multiple CD-based systems right out of the box, so a system on a chip doesn't seem like a very likely candidate.

It would stand to reason that we would first need to learn more, before we throw this device on the scrap heap already.

@retro_player_22 How do you know that these HD clones do HD better? I'd say that this system certainly seems superior on paper, since most of these clones, except for consoles like the Analogue NT and the RetroUSB only either use SoC's and/or ARM chips.

This system's base hardware is already more than twice as powerful as that. It also needs to be, due to all the systems that it is supposed to be able to handle, but still...

I think we gotta wait and see first. This might either be a bridge too far, or on the other hand, it might very well become THE retro gaming system to beat them all...

@Jokerwolf Fingers crossed. I have a Super NT but would really like to see a GOOD Genesis/Sega CD/Saturn option. I still keep hoping Kevtris is working on a Mega NT

@ThanosReXXX Only the NES module is fpga, all the others are not. They said they might have FPGA modules in the future in which case I may be interested but if they’re using a system on a chip solutions for the SNES and Megadrive then economy tends to win over quality and you’re left with something which does not reflect a quality product. I hope I’m wrong as it does look cool and I like the styling, but I’ve got quite a few clone consoles and....yeah they have quirks shall we say.

@Deanster101 The matter is still open, so that's no certainty.
As clearly stated in the article, only the NES module has FPGA for NOW, but that does in no way exclude other modules also getting FPGA support, and it certainly seems to point to that seeing as they mentioned select modules, plural, so it's not going to be just the NES module.

And they also leave the door open for third parties to come up with their own FPGA modules, so there's that as well.

But again: not all of the supported consoles really need FPGA on board. Most NES/SNES/Multiconsole clones don't have it either, and this system here will probably use RetroArch cores, which of themselves are already highly compatible and all but problem free.

And like I also mentioned to another user in the previous comment, this system has a far more powerful processor than any of these clone systems, so I don't think that emulation is going to be a worry, and I would say that a separate core processor and individual modules is actually also a FAR better solution than a 5 systems in 1 clone...

But let's first wait and see if they manage to pull it off, and if they can then meet demand, because if this system is going to deliver on it's promises, then it's more than likely going to fly right off the shelves...

Agreed on the looks, though. It does look pretty good. I like the controllers as well.

Glad they went x86 instead of ARM which is fine for retro emulators but I think is smarter for the disc based stuff which runs more complex stuff.
I probably won't preorder this though until I see the consensus on forums since emulation can be so hit and miss. If this thing can run the Saturn well then I'll probably get it, hoping its emulation is more like SSF than Yabause.

@ThanosReXXX Retron 5, Analog Super Nt, that one Fei Hao Genesis clone, the Retro Freak, and my PC which can be plug to the TV, and the damn Retro Pi all could handle most of the platform this supports. I don't see why I need this one right now unless I only care about Sega Saturn and Sega CD games which I don't as a majority of them were garbage games and the good ones are mostly ports or import titles. Also still got my PS3 for PS1 games so yeah not sure why I would need this one for that, like I said if I want to play better versions of NeoGeo games I already got a majority of them on the Switch without load times. Like I mention this thing would be worth it if it supports 3DO, N64, PS2, and Dreamcast games then that would be sweet but nope as of now it's not worth it yet.

@ThanosReXXX The NES is not FPGA, in fact no launch modules are. Here is what the article says:

"Second, certain systems are going to be FPGA based. The first example of this is going to be the dedicated Famicom module, which will be released after the launch of the system."

It goes on to explain that will be FPGA to support the Disk system.

Superb choice for a cartridge slot-occupant in the article picture! Odd not seeing it occupy a Super NES slot, though.

The fact that their website is constantly down is a bit of a red flag. Although I do hope this is real I honestly have my doubts.

If I want to play retro I'll stick to the originals, so thanks but no thanks

Like I said in yesterday's article...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - this is a scam. Nothing about this is real. It's the RetroVGS (Chameleon) only amped up by a factor of 10. It's astounding the number of people who are being taken in by it. Call it RetroBlox, call it Polymega, call it whatever you want - but I call it a scam. They've been using the same tired renders and promos since the beginning of 2017, where they were already purporting to show a near- perfected system in action.

I don't know why NintendoLife continues to promote it. Look at NintendoLife's own coverage...

Feb 2017: "The goal is to ship within 8-10 months after the close of funding from Kickstarter. So, we will be shipping RetroBlox around this time next year."

That would have been February 2018, 7 months ago. But of course, no Kickstarter, because people would sniff out the scam too early. Instead, "Last year, Playmaji eschewed going down the crowdfunding route and instead raised $500,000 from undisclosed angel investors, according to chief executive and co-founder Bryan Bernal. " (Techcrunch) And yet, here we are today with a huge round of product changes and a pre-order campaign to raise - wait for it - $500,000. Hmmmm.

Feb 2017: ""For the people who are speculating $300, it won't be nearly that much"" Update Sep 2018: "Polymega™ can be pre-ordered for the discounted price of $249.99 USD. After pre-order the system will retail for $279.99 USD. Polymega™ Element Module Sets start at $59.99 USD."

I guess $50 shy is not nearly $300, for the base experience. However, it's well over if you want (and of course people will) the element modules. Which they know full well.

Feb 2017: "So, thats why we've announced the product two months before the anticipated launch of the Kickstarter. This will give us time to release more technical information and provide live in-person demonstrations to assuage any concerns some may have. Before even the first second of the Kickstarter campaign, many will have had the opportunity to play their games on Retroblox and have a taste of the final product."

So, it's almost ready? Search all the coverage around the web. Does any site have video footage? Photos? Doesn't anyone wonder why not? Because it doesn't exist! Oh wait, it's September 2018 and nothing has changed? Why gosh golly wow, colour me surprised!

April 2018: They released a video purporting to be their 14 layer PCB (...lol). "According to Polymega maker PLAYMAJI's Bryan Bernal, more of these "development" videos will be shown prior to a "bigger marketing campaign" which occurs this year."

Haven't seen any more of those, but then they have to learn from their contemporaries. We haven't seen any real product, video, photos, or anything else since February 2017. Come ON. If this this was real, they would be cranking out constant video, being completely transparent. If it were real, it wouldn't need marketing, seeing it in action would be enough to sell itself. But they can't do that, because they don't have a product - and this article today proves it. Those are some very sudden, very deep hardware level changes for a product that's been 'almost ready' for 18 months.

June 2018: NintendoLife claims to have played the unit: "The Polymega is a sight to behold in the flesh; it looks every bit as beautiful as the professionally-made product shots would lead one to believe."

And yet not one photo of the unit in the article, again - just the same tired renders. Those aren't product shots, guys. The tiny PC they shoved in the black box to 'demonstrate' was something you could have built yourself at home. CD drives that read PSX/NeoGeo CD/etc games are as easily available as you were fooled. Probably the same box they used on the E3 floor. The only place anyone has ever actually "seen" it.

There are endless quotes from articles all over the web. In April 2019, when the system is supposedly going to launch, I'll be waiting for the NintendoLife article detailing the scope of fraud committed by Bryan Bernal and Polymega. Because this thing is never going to see the light of day.

Now we're talking about a virtual console style service, where just 3 months ago he was saying they want to have 50-100 licensed titles of their own available by the end of 2018. They aren't going to distribute any BIOS files, but they "might license the PSX BIOS - FOR NOSTALGIC REASONS!" LOL, give it a rest already.

Like I commented in June: "This kind of scam has been pulled before - promise something that's too good to be true, yet the public allows themselves to be fooled because they so badly want it to be true. This project smells rotten. The people behind this project will float away on a boat made of your stolen money, on the river of your tears."

Hm, first Ive heard of this but its very sleek and interesting. Not sure that I love the modules idea, you'd have to buy alot of those and then have them lying around. I love the interface though and I guess you can copy your actual games/carts/discs to the unit to create your own library, which is cool. Everyone's gonna dbzdbndgnzdgdg, but xan you load roms? If so, then this thing is a beast. If not, then it still would be an awesome way to play some of the old games I have hard copies of but no current-gen system to play them on. (Like Castlevania SOTN and Rondo of Blood on Saturn). Not sure I love paying $250 to do that but for the right customer its a great idea. Didnt see anything in there about GC games, not that there were many worth playing again, but there were a few that i loved.

Or I can simply download all those emulators to my PC for free.

Let's be realistic here, how many games are going to be licensed for sale on their store? Nintendo? Sony? Sega might do but most 3rd parties won't.

I either have those consoles or emulators on a much more powerful PC already so I see no need for this. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a fully licensed version of some of those consoles to be brought back but this just sounds like a very expensive way of using existing emulators.

Wonder how impressed Nintendo will be with the video showing so many downloaded Roms to advertise the sale of this thing 😉

@bazzaro @ThanosReXXX What bazzaro said. No fpga at launch with only 1 planned for certain IF goals are met. If they bother with the snes fpga model it means double dipping for early adopters. Its disappointing and not what they originally promised. I went ahead and bought a Super NT after reading this article. It's a shame because I have been following this for so long. I'll probably grab the base unit at some point after seeing real hands on analysis.

@ThanosReXXX Sir, you’re painfully right.
This is a future vaporware And possibly a ponzi schème as now they announce their store... third parties modules... unclear modular emulation.

Pure train wreck of loosy communication, a future crowd funding heist...

Have we all already forgotten the ouya ? The wonderswan?

@SDF_Macross77 Super NT is fantastic, you wont be disappointed. That was an easy buy for me because they had a track record of high quality.

@Anguspuss That was my same thought. An analogue SNES system is 200 and this is only 50 more and does so much more ... I don't really trust it. I want it all to be true and for it to be amazing but I think I'm really going to wait for some reviews before I move forward with anything.

I'm excited. My buddy has one and loves it and I'm glad to hear another opinion. I figure even if Polymega turns out great it can't have better SNES emulation. I'm hoping Analogue is working on an fpga Genesis/Mega Driveas we speak!

@EightBitMan thats a bitter and incredibly selfish way of looking at the world. The reason retro games are popular is because they hold fond memories people had when they were younger. Retro games for most were the entry into the culture of gaming and that is special to so many.

This isnt corporate exploitation. Its passionate people hoping to preserve what they love. Why dont you outlaw museums while you’re at it and burn all the history books?

You’ll eat those words when you become old and “senile”. You’ll regret them when some narrow minded youngster wishes your precious memories would just die because they aren’t fresh and exciting.

@SDF_Macross77 I was a day one purchaser of the Analogue NT and the Super NT. They are both amazing pieces of hardware. If you are looking for the best SNES experience, you will not be disappointed in the money you spent.

Reward tiers was enough to make me skip this.

I'm really curious to know what the five officially licensed games are for each module.

This somehow seems too good to be true and lacking in enough features to win me over.

Too good because I can't imagine they will be able to get permission and licensing to do all they are promising.

Lacking features because the features I'd be most interesting in using, it lacks. N64, Gamecube, Game Boy, GBC and Game Boy Advance support.

@Yorumi Only if they were writing code directly to the hardware. It looks like they have customized a version of Android TV though. In that case, they are just writing software to run on top of Android, which already runs on both chips, and the code doesn't care what hardware you are using.

@ThanosReXXX

I think it's pretty disengenous that they were pushing the whole hybrid emulation thing and thats now been dropped. I figured they were overpromising and only wanted fpga cores because they offer a no lag solution. Retroarch does not. Either way, if you want to emulate, you should use your more powerful pc. I know you generally try to be positive. But unlike Nintendo, this company has earned no good will based on their history.

@EightBitMan

Dude, put away the toy shovel, you're trying to dig way to deep with it.

Everything you said could also be said about people who get super excited just because somethings new. Look how many people throw money at the new Iphone.

If something was good in the past, its usually good today. You're missing the point of the idea behind these consoles. Sega Saturn has a lot of great games-- almost none of which have ever got a remake or a sequel or a port. The only way to play some of those games and trust me, some are incredibly worth playing, is to own the hardware, which is unreliable. These kinds of things are not meant to appeal just to nostalgiatards, but gaming historians who actually want to experience a part of gaming history.

You're lumping everyone who just doesn't bend over and buy into new concepts into a mold of religious nostalgiac zealots-- while being a "NEW STUFF IS BETTER" dogma preacher.

I think to truly appreciate how amazing modern technology is, its imperative to see how far its come by enjoying the old technology.

@EightBitMan

Now that I've lived through nearly 4 decades, I truly believe there is no better generation than another. It's just how we take what life has to offer and make the best of it. Sure, technology can make things easier and change the way we interact. But what makes life special is the people in our lives and our interactions with them. To that point, somehow my parents managed to find each other, enjoy each other, and make babies in the 70s. I managed to find someone, enjoy them, and make babies in the 00s. And I have little doubt my kids will be able to find someone, enjoy them, and make babies in the future. So maybe things haven't really changed that much.

@LittleMac78 The only delusional folks are the ones who believe this is real. Did you not read the same post as I did above? Have you not seen the 20 reward tiers to be activated once they scam their initial $500,000 USD? "Hybrid emulation," "14 layer PCB." It's a more obvious scam than the Nigerian prince who desperately wants to bequeath his fortune to me.

With statements like: "That means you can now play backed up games such as StarFox and others regardless of whether you have the cartridge inserted, a convenience that most gamers will appreciate," how are you not laughing out loud? Why yes, I do appreciate it ... my phone can do that! That one single statement proves the whole thing is nothing more than a charade. A collection of emulators wrapped up in a box with a silly name and a high price tag.

You can be incredibly lazy, and still produce the same thing in the comfort of your own home:

Step 1. Get your favourite hardware - heck, it can be anything. A raspberry pi, your phone, your linux / chromeos / windows based computer.

Step 2. Be really lazy and install Retroarch if you aren't familiar with individual emulators. The interface is pretty snazzy though.

Step 3. Hook up a Retrode if you want that real stick-in-my-cart-and-it-rips-a-rom experience, and/or your trusty GDR-816[0, 1, 2, 3,4]B / GDR-H10N, or one of the many drives that reads all the discs if you need that real stick-in-my-disc-and-it-rips-an-iso experience.

Step 4. The controller of your choice.

BAM! A DIY Polymega. You can stick it in a cool plastic box if it makes you feel better. The only thing these oafs have developed is a menu to "demonstrate" the "working product".

A fool and his money are soon parted.

@lillith Your alternatives to the Poly Mega are not really good enough in my opinion and would be just as expensive if not more expensive anyway.That kind of traditional emulation on PC or retro pi introduces all sorts problems including lag both by the system and controller lag since PC's etc don't have ports to support retro controllers. Yes, it's disappointing that the PolyMega won't be using FPGA's from the outset but a purpose-built system will likely perform better and will have other benefits not found on other systems. I think its way to early to judge. Lag tests need to be done before anything.

Is There a way to bet that thing will never exists for real ?
At least a poll to have a good laugh in a few month... « ahah fooled again »

@LittleMac78 I hear you, though I disagree on the expense. Aside from something like the Retrode, or the appropriate CD drive, many people have a combination of hardware and controllers already in their house to pull it off without issue, or with very little expense. The Android stereo deck in my car handles PlayStation and Nintendo DS games with a Bluetooth controller for goodness sake. My phone could probably handle the moon landing while relaying 4k video of the whole experience. Now if you want to run something like Higan for example, well, you're going to need something more powerful than the Polymega, and the average computer of the average user. But most people are not that anal about their emulation.

RetroUSB (https://www.retrousb.com) has been producing USB dongles for NES/SNES/N64/Atari for years, as well as kits to modify your own controllers, should you be evil enough to destroy an original controller. It's about $15 for a little dongle, and you have the original controller to hook into your system. Lag free.

Yes, the FPGA is a far better option. Anyone who has touched a Super NT (https://www.analogue.co/pages/super-nt/) can attest to that. Polymega isn't even in the same universe as the Super NT. The folks at Polymega probably went "oooooh, FPGA," invented a bunch of marketing drivel, and then just assumed they could put it inside their magic black box and it would work.

But it didn't, and now they're back to bog-standard emulation in a box. It isn't too early to judge - they've been at this for almost 2 years now, with the same tired marketing speak, no demos or videos, nothing but renders for imagery, and endless promises.

If they make any more changes mid-stream, Duke Nukem Forever is going to look in their direction. He's here to kick ass and chew bubblegum - but he's all out of gum.

@cleveland124 Sure, that's a decent point you got there. But if you look at it in a broader perspective, then it would appear that the choice to drop FPGA for those earlier consoles coincides with the move from ARM to x86, and perhaps tests have indicated that they were able to get the games emulated more than well enough based on that hardware alone.

And we obviously don't know what else is in that base unit, besides the CPU, so who knows? Which is also why I've mentioned several times that it's probably best to just wait and see until we find out more.

NLife has already done a preview, so chances are, they'll also do a review of the final unit, and then we'll learn for sure how it'll stack up against other offerings.

One thing it does have over the others, is obviously the amount of systems emulated, and having a CD drive right out of the box, so that's something, at least.

@SDF_Macross77 I don't really see the need for double dipping. You could just buy the base unit without a module first, that already gives you access to emulation of several CD-based consoles.

And then, when the FPGA modules arrive, people can buy those later on. I wouldn't mind the wait, long as it delivers, and there's only one way to find out if it does, and that is to wait for final units to reach the hands of reviewers and or early adopters, so that's what I'll do, instead of already slamming the hammer down on it, because there are simply some more answers needed before we can do that.

@SenseiDje I think you've misunderstood me. I don't see this as Vaporware at all. Especially seeing as so many people, INCLUDING the NLife crew, have already gotten a hands-on experience. And pretty much all previews I've seen/read are for the most part very positive, so believe what you will, I will remain cautiously optimistic.

@bazzaro No offense, but you don't have to explain to me what they said, thank you. The article clearly stated that the NES module will come in both versions: one with and one without FPGA. It's only the launch model that won't have FPGA.

@retro_player_22 Well, I never claimed you NEEDED one, I only said that because of the superior hardware, it would stand to reason that it emulates all those systems you mentioned better than the current clones, except for the Analogue NT and RetroUSB, which are also more powerful than most clones.

And that N64 support is coming, from what I've understood from their own website, as well as Dreamcast emulation, and perhaps even some of the other consoles you mentioned, so who knows?

I'd say it's at the very least interesting enough to keep an eye on...

P.S.

You haven't given me an answer to my question yet, about how/why you think the other consoles are able to do HD better...

@ThanosReXXX I fully agree with you on waiting. I went ahead and bought a Super NT so snes emulation is covered. I am interested in the cd and famicom emulation however so I'll wait and see reviews.

@SDF_Macross77 Indeed. I'm no fool with blinders on, but I also don't think this is vaporware anymore, since previewers have seen and played with the actual device, and it seems promising, regardless of some of the changes now made, but I will wait for final reviews, and preferably, for a chance to have a hands on experience of my own.

@ThanosReXXX No offense, but you are obviously misreading the article. I am not explaining, I am simply quoting the article.

"Meanwhile, there are no plans for TurboGrafx/PCE, NES, or Mega Drive / Genesis to use an FPGA module for the time being..."

@bazzaro Well, it does say all the following, including the piece you took out of it:

"Changes have also been made to the 'Hybrid Emulation' system; FPGA has been moved out of the console itself and into select modules to accommodate the larger CPU and addition of more systems. The first FPGA module will be Famicom, if its reward level is reached. The base unit is compatible with FPGA modules from day one and no hardware upgrade will be required. The SNES Launch module will not be FPGA based, but a later revision will include this functionality. Meanwhile, there are no plans for TurboGrafx/PCE, NES, or Mega Drive / Genesis to use an FPGA module for the time being, but it has been confirmed that third parties will be able to create FPGA-based modules for Polymega post-launch under a special licencing agreement."

And:

"Second, certain systems are going to be FPGA based. The first example of this is going to be the dedicated Famicom module, which will be released after the launch of the system. Famicom is particularly important to be implemented in this manner as it included accessories such as the Famicom Disk System (FDS), which was a critical part of its library and one that we will not be creating a dedicated module for. The tech to support FPGA modules is built in to the launch version of the Polymega™ Base Unit, and we may continue to release other FPGA modules in the future. FPGA modules will have a slightly higher price point than standard modules."

So, a Famicom module with FPGA will be available, and seeing as this thing is region free, Famicom and NES will act as one and the same.

Second, later versions of certain other modules (such as SNES) WILL have FPGA, and third parties are allowed to come up with their own FPGA-based modules, so there's definitely no certainty about what will have what.

Things to note in this whole article are the specifics and the nuances, which a lot of people seem to miss, making them throw everything on one large heap. It's either/or with them. But it's not as black & white as that. FPGA will most certainly come, just not in ALL modules, and there are more options, so we should wait and see what ultimately happens.

And even that part you quoted, ends with: for the time being, which also clearly indicates that literally nothing has been set in stone yet. It's just a lot of people being a bit too quick with coming to certain conclusions, while it's still WAY too early to do so.

@ThanosReXXX I am not trying to be a meanie, but I am not sure specifically what I am supposed to get from that. All I see is the information from the Polymega website in quotes. "No plans..." for NES with FPGA. Then below that conjecture from the Nintendo Life Author saying Famicom will have it and it's region free so it's one and the same as the NES.That piece is from the Author's mouth and I would guess they mean you can use NES games in the Famicom module. If they mean they are going to be the same, that's not true as they aren't even the same tech.

The only reason I can see they claim they will use FPGA in the Famicom module is it's needed for the Disk system, at least that is what I gather from Polymega's comments.

I think another thing important to remember is the Famicom module only comes if a rewards tier is met. But honestly how can we believe that? For two years we have been told FPGA, Hybrid Emulation, and everything is written in house and proprietary. They promised a full run down of how the tech works before pre purchase.

What we got is no FPGA and licensed emulators. No rundown on how the tech works.

Forgive me if I am not not excited about this project anymore. I have followed them since this thing was first announced as Retroblox. I have been on their forums, following the updates, following the promises. This isn't what they promised, this is something else. Now it's just a fancy emulation box, a nice looking one at that.

@bazzaro The parts in italic and in between quotation marks are article quotes, the rest is mine.

And I mentioned the region free part, because that is a fact, and Famicom is the Japanese version of the NES, so the internals are pretty much the same, other than one being PAL and the other being NTSC, but then again: the USA NES was also NTSC, so little difference there, other than the outside shell and the controllers.

I wasn't really trying to convince or enthuse anyone, just expressing my own views on this and stating that I personally think that people are jumping to conclusions way too fast and that people put too much (negative) emphasis on partial info.

I'd rather take a wait and see stance, instead of serving the whole project off, just because they made some changes. The loss of FPGA being used in all modules is unfortunate, but I'm sure they had their reasons (and please don't react to that with something along the lines of "yeah, cost reduction"), and they've already partially explained it, with the move to other hardware:

"This decision / change overall has freed up our team to focus on matters that more factually push the needle in terms of overall system compatibility, as evidenced by our recently-announced support for the Sega Saturn, adding over one thousand new compatible games to Polymega™. What made this possible is that by removing the larger size FPGA from the base unit, we were able to opt for a higher clock-speed dual core chip rather than a slower quad-core chip for the main CPU, which now opens up the door to more demanding systems like Saturn, N64, Dreamcast, and more — which is what many people have expressed to us that they want."

Hardware that is better and more compatible with their overall plan, so why not wait and see instead of writing it off already?

I have no stake in this device, so I don't mind people wanting or not wanting it, but I do find it rather silly to make decisions based upon partial information, that's all.

And that includes lack of info that you want, and I for one, am pretty sure that the info will come at some point. And if people REALLY want to know, why not contact them directly?

Besides their own FAQ page, which already explains several things, they also have a contact option, so people that are interested, can always reach out to them directly.

@ThanosReXXX I understand your points, they are all valid. Personally as someone that has followed this project from the beginning, on the forums we were led to believe this would be a different product, up until the pre orders started. We were promised for months they would show us how their tech works, since it was new and innovative. We are told it was all proprietary. We were basically told Hybrid emulation would change everything. I would love to grab quotes from it, but for some reason the forums were deleted the day this thing went on pre order.

Look I don't know why they really changed their minds on the tech, my honest opinion is they bit off more than they can chew (but that is my guess). But I do know you don't change the architecture the day before pre orders. They probably had months or longer to communicate to their closest followers they were changing course, and they didn't. They let us believe we were getting exciting new technology.

For me they lost my trust. Now they are a company that has zero proven products on the market trying to sell an emulation box (a very nice looking one) that is a money pit.

I hope this is the best thing since sliced bread. I love the look, I love the interface, I love the idea of only buying what you want. What I can tell you is with the broken promises (intentional or not), I have no interest in testing the product for the asking price.

@bazzaro @ThanosReXXX You're correct on all points, Thanos, except the pcb is a different size between Famicom and NES which is why there will be 2 different modules. That being said you could always grab a 72 pin to 60 pin converter and play NES games on the Famicom module to solve the fpga issue. So both of you are technically correct

@bazzaro Well, that's fair enough then. I jumped in a little later than you, and haven't been active on their forums, so I'll take your word for it.

The tech having been changed, could indeed have been about it being more difficult than they expected, or in other words: the tech they previously used not being adequate enough, which would most certainly explain the switch to x86 and a stronger processor, but it does indeed leave the question if they believe, or have actually already found out, that they didn't need FPGA on certain modules to achieve good emulation.

I do hope we get an answer soon, because I'm most definitely interested, and like you, I really like the look and idea of this system.

@SDF_Macross77 Theoretically, you could have a point there, but I don't think they're going to use 1:1 PCB's, because all modules have the same size, so the PCB's will have to fit into their case mod.

But still, thanks for the addition anyway.

Release date 1st April 2019. An elaborate April fools joke?

@EightBitMan “There’s nothing new under the sun” as they say!

@hippoeater - Escept the Analogue is REAL. This thing most likely will never see the light of day and everyone the put $$ into it will be left with nothing.