BionicDodo

This world may be far from perfect, but the fact that we can get not one, but two Bud Spencer and Terence Hill games on modern consoles proves it's not all bad!

Excellent! I've always had a soft spot for the Mega Drive port of Fatal Fury 2, so interested to see how this one shapes up.

@JackGYarwood Yeah, I appreciate that it's tough to get right and also that not everyone will know him. I own loads of albums by him and have revered him for years so maybe assume more people know him than actually do. Mind you, he did (along with Motohiro Kawashima) play a sold out concert in Paris in 2018 (great video on YouTube), so his work obviously still resonates with many! Anyway, I love any place on the net that promotes new releases by Yuzo, so keep up the good work!

Great news, all of his work is fabulous. I believe his Streets of Rage soundtracks were composed on a PC-88 too. He's such an absolute legend that I'd say he deserves his name in the headline rather than 'Former Sega Composer'.

I've picked up a few of the Recharged series so far and have really enjoyed them. This one looks lovely.

Pre-ordered the deluxe version about 7s after the pre-orders went live. Can't wait!

"One of those challenges is making sure the system generates a profit."

I fear this goal is impossible. This thing will not sell well. The only way for a new product in this industry to become a hit with families is with a really affordable price. Charging the same as an Xbox Series S is crazy talk.

That said, if it ends up in the bargain bin I will definitely buy one. I see all these obscure and interesting consoles of the past going for crazy prices when they were chucked in bargain bins for pennies back in the day and am filled with regret at not striking while the iron was hot. Never again!

@MysticX Yeah, that was another Takara one using the same engine, wasn't it? Definitely aged better than the PS1 version! They all play surprisingly well, although I think Real Bout Special was my favourite.

@Bass_X0 @F_Destroyer I'd agree that Killer Instinct was better than SFII on Game Boy, but I'd say that the Takara SNK conversions - like Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown and King of Fighters - were the best fighting games on Game Boy overall.

@nessisonett Haha, I can see why that wouldn't work then!

@nessisonett I guess this thing may play clone cartridges if they exist for that. Then again as its database looks for each game you insert I don't know how it would deal with rom hacks. I definitely think devices like this should support loading of patches like translations and hacks to apply to original cartridges on the fly.

@BrandonGiesing I never said you implied that, I was referring to the implication in other people's comments that I was referring to in my original comment.

Homebrew may be a legitimate reason to want to load roms, but how many people really want rom loading on a Polymega for that reason? If someone's that into N64 homebrew I'd have thought they'd want to play them on an actual N64 anyway. As for rare and expensive games, they may make you decide that downloading a rom is excusable, but they don't make it legit in the eyes of most of the companies that may support this machine with its claimed future online store plans, and Polymega won't want to burn bridges.

The last part where you say 'you wouldn't want to keep around two separate systems'... I have 30 odd consoles in my house, so clearly I would want to!

I get that it's not absolutely ridiculous to want to be able to use an Everdrive with this, but I still think it's mostly against the whole concept of the system. To each their own though.

@BrandonGiesing Don't get me wrong, I totally get owning an Everdrive if you play on original consoles, and I guess if someone already owns an N64 and an Everdrive then being able to use the combination of their existing carts and the Everdrive with the Polymega might be useful. The idea of someone buying just an Everdrive + Polymega as a solution to play N64 games would seem nuts to me though as they'd be better off getting a Shield TV or something.

I thought the point of the Polymega was that it recognises original carts and adds the game to your database with artwork and info etc, giving you the option to rip it to the hard drive, so I don't personally think an Everdrive really fits with that design. That said, pretty sure the Polymega will get hacked in the not too distant future and side loading on roms will become a thing.

I don't really get why anyone would want to use this with an Everdrive. If you're not going to use original cartridges why pay this much for a device that provides software emulation of roms you don't own?

Saw this on the Retro Gaming Magazine website a few days ago. Looks great! There are a number of surprisingly good stripped down ports of classic 90s fighting games, including pretty much all of Takara's Game Boy ports.

Oh this is a day 1 purchase for sure. Mind you, I pre-order most Evercade carts, but this one I am really excited for.

Many modern games have cheats, you just have to buy them from the in game store with real money.

This is a great article. I love pieces like this and would be happy to see more of them on this site.

@DoctorShrunk Haha, I remember that. Now that was an example of some serious input latency!

They may not be the best versions possible but this is still possibly my favourite game announcement of the year!

I assume the reason they haven't done any home computer game releases yet (like Amiga) is that they want to keep things simple and many of those games require some sort of keyboard inputs.

Given their road map of cart releases planned for the next few months I'd be surprised if they were launching a new console that wasn't backwards compatible. It doesn't actually even say it is new hardware. Could be a competition or something! At most I expect a new Evercade that allows for either multiplayer via link cable/WiFi or online. The former feels more likely.

I wonder though, could a firmware update allow multiplayer through linking using the USB ports? Or a second controller that connects to the USB port and allows for 2 player (would need to be while using HDMI out really).

Oh my days... I need one of these. Price is perfect. Day 1. I've nearly spent £200+ on a Duo several times but stopped myself due to fears of the thing keeling over not long after I got it. This... is the business. I think I'm going to start collecting software now!

I don't think I can justify another mini console, especially as I have a working Dreamcast setup and all the games that will likely feature on any DC Mini.

(watch me buy one the minute it arrives)

@gaga64 Looks like a NeoGeo Arcade Stick Pro to me.

I'd love to get all of these, but I just can't afford those prices. They may be a lot cheaper than the 2nd hand prices of original copies (although I don't remember Zero Wing being that expensive), but they're still way over what I can pay.

I will buy one of these because I love this era of gaming, but I am really disappointed that they couldn't roll out English translations of Snatcher and Ys IV for this.

This is one of those projects where from the start I haven't been able to understand how anyone thought it was a good idea. Even a giant like Google or Amazon has its work cut out pushing into the video games business. The only way for a small company to sell hardware these days is to go for something cheap that people can buy on a whim. This seemed doomed from day 1.

The base unit does play Mega CD, PC Engine CD, Neo Geo CD, PS1 and Saturn games. It is still quite pricey but you get a lot of compatibility for your money. Like everyone else though, I want to see a finished unit working and read actual feedback on the retail units.

Well, I guess that justifies the 16:9 screen. Not all indies are made equal though, so it will be interesting to see what it's actually getting.

I get buying top quality, and top priced, FPGA hardware to play your original games, but if you're going to play roms you may as well get a real Mega-CD (for a lot less than this thing costs) and play burned discs.

Also, all the stuff I read about the issues with the RGB output of their Super SD System prevents me from having complete faith in these guys. I certainly wouldn't buy a day 1 release from them.

@PunchNpie I understand that it allows the games to be played in their native resolutions, that's why I said that every game will have borders at the sides (as no old games on it are going to be 16:9, making the extra screen real estate pointless).

That's a pretty impressive line-up. This thing officially has my attention now.

Still think it's a shame that it has a 16:9 screen though. The button layout doesn't look like it'll work for playing games in TATE mode and so every single game is going to have borders at the side when played in its original aspect ratio. Would have preferred a 4:3 screen, but I guess they're hard to source cheaply these days.

Wow, that orange variant is hideous! Nearly bought one of those Top Gun HDTV guns a few years back but could never stomach the price given the mixed reviews.

As a big fan of the Master System version of R-Type I remember being shocked at how well the Game Boy version turned out.

I have an urge to buy one, but as an owner of a switchless modded original Mega Drive and an OSSC there is simply no justification.

Glad it's good though. If the originals start dying one day then I will definitely be taking this route.

Lost a fair bit of interest when talk of FPGA became about future versions.

Will be picking up a bluetooth Saturn controller or two when they arrive.

The lack of micro switches (my original Neo Geo CD pad still works just fine in 2018) and the dodgy video output is enough to stop me from buying this. Shame.

I shall stick to my wired pads for now and will be picking up the 8bitdo pad in January. For £65 you could get a region free Mega Drive 1, two controllers and an RGB SCART cable!

Great article. I remember I was working in WH Smith when it came over here and all we heard about at the time was Pokemon. Trading cards, games, magazines... It was a phenomenon.

There is a BIG difference between converting systems like Dreamcast and PS2 to HDMI and converting a system like SNES that uses a sub 640x480 resolution. I am intrigued to see how the SNES cable performs but I am happy with my OSSC.

I can't justify the price right now given that I have a Mega Drive 1 + OSSC but if this thing had 32X support built in and a CD slot to allow the playing of Mega Drive, 32X and Mega CD games out of the box...

Likewise, if they made a single unit capable of playing PC Engine, TurboGrafx, SuperGrafx and PCE CD games I'd order in an instant. I highly doubt they'll ever do an optical drive though. Maybe support for the images from SD... (again, I doubt it)

@NinChocolate Haha, I love that you said 'when', as you're right - it will happen and the wife won't leave me over it. I think.

@NinChocolate I want one, but I just can't justify buying the games. I've already got a Master System, Mega Drive, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, Switch, PS2, PS3, PSP, Vita, Xbox One S, Lynx, NGPC and gaming PC.... I think my wife might leave me if I buy another console!

I will keep an eye on this but I would never pre-order with so little known. Besides, I own a multi-region Saturn and many other consoles along with a OSSC. The one console I don't have but want is a PC Engine.

This is possibly the only console I can think of that I have never had any desire to own - not at the time and not now as a sucker for all things slightly unusual in the world of retro gaming.

This game looks great, but I was always too wary to actually order it. Much as I love the idea of a new Mega Drive or SNES game, I would probably rather pay £15 for it as an eShop game.

Xeno Crisis looks great and Tanglewood looks like it might be decent too. Crypt of Dracula doesn't really look like my bag though.

Never really played a Sonic racing game... Can you win this trophy in them?

As an owner of a Master System, Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast I kinda feel like I should seek out a Mega CD and 32X to complete the Sega set. The 32X goes for a lot these days though!

I always wanted to add a PC Engine to my collection but was put off by the hundred different models and add-ons. This is tempting but still out of my price range at €240.

Quite tempted by this. Would be a lot easier to get away with spending £160 on this little box than to convince my wife to let me stick a big ugly CRT TV in our house so that I can recapture my youth.