Damo

@Boldfoxrd There's demand on consoles, sure, but let's not forget that the smartphone market is huge. They're not releasing games on phones to annoy core fans – they're doing it because it makes more sense financially.

@edannunziata Given that some critics of the Amico and Tommy have suggested that several games - Dolphin Quest included - aren't even close to being finished yet, could you tell us how it's shaping up at the moment? And how freely can you discuss the comms between your studio and Intellivision? Were you in any way warned of a delay? Finally, what's your opinion of the hardware itself, from a developer's perspective?

@HamatoYoshi The comms has been dire, for sure. And I can appreciate it's frustrating to have handed over your cash years ago and not have the product yet. All I can say (as someone who has been using a beta Polymega for a year now) is that the system is brilliant and has exceeded my personal expectations, and I'm sure when units do eventually make their way to those who ordered (I understand the first batch is literally on the water as we speak), they will be very pleased. But none of that changes the fact that it's been a long and painful wait.

@HamatoYoshi Did you read the original news story? We're not 'sticking up' for anyone. The launch has been a disaster, but it doesn't change the fact that the product is excellent.

@BloodNinja We covered Mister here: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/02/hardware_review_mister_fpga_-_a_tantalising_glimpse_into_the_future_of_retro_gaming

@HamatoYoshi As of September, that changes.

@Nietzsche I heard one report (which I can't confirm 100%) that the factory next to where the machine was being assembled was burnt to the ground. That Playmaji has anything to ship at all is nothing short of remarkable when you think about it - combine that with a global parts shortage and the impact of Covid and they literally couldn't have picked a worse time to launch this thing.

@NinChocolate The stick in the photo is the one I got with my Japanese Mega Drive back in 1990. It's built like a tank!

@abdias Retro Freak doesn't do CD-based systems though.

@EmmatheBest Polymega runs original media. So if you have a large collection and you want it all in one place, this is the only machine that does that right now.

@jipiboily Yep, it's got both - I'll add that in!

@ibis_87 It's defo a bit hit and miss with the N64 and DC. Some games run well while others are slow or refuse to run at all.

@TryToBeHopeful Oof! It is indeed. We wouldn't recommend steaming ANY piece of hardware.

@HamatoYoshi Resellers often remove the ROMs, though. That was the case with the units supplied to us by DroiX.

@LegatoSkyheart Of course, can't believe that slipped my mind. I've updated the piece to reflect this.

@noobish_hat As stated in the piece, being able to charge using your phone charger is more convenient than having to carry around a bulky (and slow) AA battery charger. The unit is also lighter with this mod, and can even reserve-charge USB-C devices.

@Jaguar_Wong Even with the bits removed due to the XL install, you can still use AA batteries.

@Jaguar_Wong There's no "tearing up" here - the mod is totally reversible

@Siskan As stated in the piece, this mod is totally reversible.

@Ghost_of_Hasashi Standard AA batteries give you about 15 hours, not 40.

@Ash-Versus No problem!

@BloodNinja No, it's purely cart-based.

@Bunkerneath Apologies, fixed!

@illsellyoursoul Other outlets (and, indeed, anyone who cares to visit their website) have their email address; not our fault that none of them bother to ask for comment before leaping to conclusions.

@dew12333 "Is it just the fact we have newer tv's that causes such a problem for people using the actual consoles instead of buying these machines?"

There are a whole host of issues when it comes to using vintage hardware today. The most obvious is that machines from the '80s and '80s were not created with HDTVs in mind, so just getting the signal to your modern TV is tricky - a lot of TVs don't handle sub-480p signals well and that can lead to lag and muddy image quality. Then there's the obvious problem of older hardware failing over time, which is more common than you might imagine. Another issue is the sheer cost involved; if you were to buy the original hardware supported by Polymega (including the regional variants of each system) then it would cost you much, much more than $450 – and you'd still have issues such as failing components, CD drives which no longer work, etc.

@impurekind It's certainly taller than the OG PlayStation, but in terms of footprint, I'm not sure it's bigger – perhaps a little smaller, in fact. Our review unit is at the office (along with a Mk1 PS) so I'll check for sure next time I'm in. I actually found that the Polymega was smaller than I was expecting - I had in my mind something the size of an OG Xbox!

@cleveland124 Again, I must stress that options are good. I wouldn't talk to someone with four kids who was thinking of buying an SUV and tell them to instead buy a two-seater sports car. This is the same thing; yes, if you're into PCs then it would make more sense to buy a gaming rig and use that for your retro fix, but not everyone has the room for one of those, and even then, it's still not as convenient as a Polymega, which has a streamlined UI, OTA updates and other stuff that takes the pain out of the process. Plus you can use your original games / controllers, etc. Polymega will, in the fullness of time, allow you to legally buy games and support the people who own the IP – something straight emulation doesn't offer.

Is it the perfect option for everyone? Nope, just like Switch isn't the perfect option for everyone, either. But for someone like me, who has limited space under the TV and a massive collection of retro games, it's the dream system.

@cleveland124 Yup, the USB port on the main unit introduces a little more lag, but the controller ports on the EM are much lower latency.

@cleveland124 No one is contesting that - but the team behind this have done a lot of other work which seems to go unnoticed when people compare the Polymega with an 'emulation' box.

First up is the very slick UI, which is a joy to use. The machine also supports original controllers (via additional cost, admittedly), which emulation boxes and PCs don't. They've reversed-engineered BIOS files for the systems which need them (the first time this has been attempted on this scale) and have spent months of time pulling together a definitive database of all of the supported titles. The end game of that work is most likely going to be a digital storefront where people can legally purchase retro games from a wide range of publishers. While that's nothing new as such, a system that can offer access to thousands of games hasn't been achieved yet - at least not to this scale.

So yes, you can compare this to a cheap PC packed with emulators, but that's a very narrow view of what the goal is here. That's a bit like saying a PS5 / Xbox Series X is just a PC in a smaller case.

@blondeandy This does seem to be a bit of an issue at present. UK buyers appear to be paying over the odds for the machine, which is a shame. I'll keep you updated if that changes!

@Azuris "Better" is very much down to personal preference.

I own all the original hardware, an OSSC, all the Analogue consoles, all the micro-consoles and a MiSTer, but I play the Polymega the most out of all of them, because I can hook it up to my TV in the living room and it doesn't take up a lot of space, yet it allows me to access 100s of games in my own personal collection and play them in HD without the need for additional hardware.

@Azuris If you can get all of the systems this thing supports (plus regional variants) AND an OSSC for less than $450, can you sort me out too while you're at it?

@ThanosReXXX Yeah, the messaging was a little muddled at the start, but then again, this is an insanely complex project which has no doubt evolved and changed over time. And I'm sure the Polymega guys will admit that in a perfect world this would have been released months ago; the delays won't have helped, either. But, sitting here in 2021, I'm of the opinion that this is a really special piece of hardware, especially if you love collecting / playing retro games.

@ThanosReXXX This is what people don't seem to grasp; if you consider it 'just' an emulation box, then yes, a Raspberry Pi is going to be cheaper. But this isn't that - it runs original media and controllers and behaves like a proper games console. And like you say, if you add up the cost of all the supported systems, you're talking a LOT more than $450.

@Toliveistobe Once the game is installed, you don't need the module to be attached to play it - but, if you want to use your original SNES pads, the controller ports are on the module. You can, of course, simply play using the wireless pad or a USB controller, but those are subject to increased input latency.

@dew12333 There's no 'vested interest' - this is a machine that runs NES and SNES games (as well as many other formats), so why wouldn't it get coverage on a Nintendo site?

I love retro games because I'm an old fart, so it's only natural that I'd be interested in this (and micro consoles, and the MiSTer, and Analogue's FPGA machines - which we've also reviewed on this site) - and with over 200 comments, it would seem that many of our community are interested, too.

@KillerBOB I was speaking more along the lines of how this compares to a standard console, which requires literally zero setup and just plugs in and works. A lot of people won't want to mess about slotting boards together and using FTP to transfer files. I know it's not a massive task in the grand scheme of things, but compared to say, a SNES Classic, this takes effort to get up and running.

@everynowandben Exactly.

@the8thark Nintendo own the rights to the Goldeneye code, apparently - while MS did indeed purchase the rights to many Rare titles when they bought the studio, they didn't get everything. There's still a bunch of Rare titles which are owned by Nintendo, so yes, they did need Nintendo's blessing in this case, hence it not happening.

@Mach_Rider My Japanese copy cost me £5 in around 1997... it's worth a lot more now!

@Ooyah I believe Quartet 2 is literally the same game but with the ability to pick which character you wish to play as, rather than the stick you choose doing it for you (so P1 was always the guy with the moustache).

@Ooyah I love Alien Syndrome, did you check out the reboot they did on Wii / PSP? Quartet 2 is basically the first game with with minor modifications.

@Ooyah It's on the final 3D Classics collection on 3DS, but only in Japan.

@Rodan2000 "Walmart contracts etc. are not the customers issue"

No, but given that Walmart most likely won't have shared customer info with Playmaji at this stage, they can hardly start selling the consoles to other people. If the Walmart orders "go live" again, they'd have 1000s of disgruntled people who have already paid money and won't get a machine.

It's an annoying situation, but the blame doesn't seem to fall all on Playmaji here.

@Friendly Lots! Haha!

I'm using a Lumix GH5 with the standard lens at max zoom, combined with the aperture priority mode. Gives you sharp focus with a lovely, soupy background.

@Res462 Apologies, I thought you were merely mentioning that SW Racer also used the two controllers – that's my bad. I'm having to juggle so many conversations that it's hard to keep up – threaded replies are on the to-do list for the site's comment section!

@impurekind You're really lost me on this one. He wanted to reply with "Yes", and "Yes" is one of the poll options, so my point is that if you're not going to elaborate further on "Yes", what's the point? You're not really adding to the conversation by just typing "Yes" in the comments, and I'm afraid you won't convince me otherwise. Have a good one!

@Res462 SW Racer WAS mentioned in the article?

@impurekind The page literally has an option you can tick to say "yes" so what value does also posting "yes" in the comments serve? Sorry if you think I'm being "a douche", but I don't see your logic here.

@noobish_hat The ads which pay to make the content you get entirely for free, you mean?