21 replies to this topic

[nathanallan]

I am purely seeing what the demand may look like. There is a deal in the works for me, and I want to see how people would react to:

A) A portable game system that uses SD cards/MD/Genesis cart adapter
B) Is a genesis at its heart but there are plenty of homebrews being run on emulators now
C) Is about the size of a PSP with a 3" screen and seems to work pretty well.

Features include a rechargeable battery, charger, TV-out, comes in several colors, *possibly* an SD or CF card adapter, **possibly** is pin compatible with original MD/Genesis games.

Hopefully I can figure it at less than $70 plus shipping. It's all up in the air at this point.

I was approached by a person that "has a friend in China" that has these, and wants to sell them in the USA. They are very similar to the pic attached, though not identical; same mold, though that one uses AAA's and is not rechargeable. I demo'd it and it plays nice-- great button feel, solid in the hand without being too heavy, nice bright screen.

I do not know about the battery life, shock protection or anything like that. I think I played it for like, four minutes.

But I was impressed.

The best thing would be if it is pin-compatible with the original carts, that would simply rock, and I'll be stocking up.

Please let me have some feedback on this. No games will be available **with** the unit.

Nathan

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[MrBeefy]

nathanallan, on Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:51 AM, said:

I am purely seeing what the demand may look like. There is a deal in the works for me, and I want to see how people would react to:

A) A portable game system that uses SD cards/MD/Genesis cart adapter
B) Is a genesis at its heart but there are plenty of homebrews being run on emulators now
C) Is about the size of a PSP with a 3" screen and seems to work pretty well.

Features include a rechargeable battery, charger, TV-out, comes in several colors, *possibly* an SD or CF card adapter, **possibly** is pin compatible with original MD/Genesis games.

Hopefully I can figure it at less than $70 plus shipping. It's all up in the air at this point.

I was approached by a person that "has a friend in China" that has these, and wants to sell them in the USA. They are very similar to the pic attached, though not identical; same mold, though that one uses AAA's and is not rechargeable. I demo'd it and it plays nice-- great button feel, solid in the hand without being too heavy, nice bright screen.

I do not know about the battery life, shock protection or anything like that. I think I played it for like, four minutes.

But I was impressed.

The best thing would be if it is pin-compatible with the original carts, that would simply rock, and I'll be stocking up.

Please let me have some feedback on this. No games will be available **with** the unit.

Nathan

I think it sounds pretty cool. I'm currious about the Genesis cart adapter part. But I think alot of people would like a portable genesis that uses sd card for roms. Tell him to make a portable Atari 2600/7800

[nathanallan]

A 2600/7800 would be nice, but he's not got those-- I already asked, of course.

Nathan

[the.golden.ax]

All depends on the screen, get a sample. The Pluto is coming out and it may kill you on price, I heard it will be $59.99, Sega Licensed, and have 20 games plus a cart slot (but no SD, making yours a little nicer if the screen is as good). Plus those Pluto jerks didn't reply to my legit wholesale CORPORATE inquiry.

AX

[nathanallan]

Pluto, hmm, I must be behind the power curve, that's news to me. Thanks for the tip.

/edit I looked at the Pluto and it looks like something I would go after for sure. They wouldn't reply to you? Well, too bad for them. I like the six button setup. The one above also has six buttons, but it's set up with shoulder buttons.

Plus, if the SD/CF works out, that much nicer (d/l homebrews, etc). Maybe get more people interested in programming for it with a easy to use hardware platform and not have to worry about burning off roms.

Edited by nathanallan, Fri Apr 10, 2009 2:56 PM.

[nathanallan]

bump, I don't want this one to get lost.

[the.golden.ax]

Me personally, I'd buy both. As far as wholesale on the Pluto, if you can crack that nut, let me know I may invest in them for resale myself.

AX

[nathanallan]

No chance to get to the Pluto just yet, otherwise I have an update.

The guy met with me again today and is convinced that an SD card adapter would be no problem at all. With the machinery already in place for this particular design, a redesign of the whole thing for SD cards would jack the price way up.

I also showed him the Pluto, and he was worried that the price point would not be matchable. We discussed WHY redesigning it would cost more, and that an add-on adapter would be the most inexpensive route. He tried to talk me into onboard memory and USB-style data loading (which would be really nice) but would make it have to be totally redone. Costs more.

He's going to get back with me on the details, and all that jazz, about making an external SD card adapter. Making a small adapter would cost far less than redesigning the whole thing.

Also, waiting on the pinout from the cart slot. It isn't a small thing, it is not pin compatible.

Just an update.

[Esper Wizard]

I would buy one only if it had three, or even better, six buttons, arranged the way they were on the original Genesis controllers: three horizontal buttons, and probably three horizontal buttons above them. Four "diagonal" buttons, plus two shoulder buttons are not acceptable. This is not a Super Nintendo.

[Warriorisabouttodie]

I've seen something like what fits your description before, but I'm not sure if it took SD cards or Genesis carts instead it had a bunch of built in games. 70 dollars does sound a bit steep but that depends on the quality. I would be interested in the build quality and the brightness of the LCD for starters, but I would love to be able to play Contra Hard Corps when I am supposed to be working!

Edited by Warriorisabouttodie, Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:16 PM.

[nathanallan]

Esper Wizard, on Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:12 PM, said:

Four "diagonal" buttons, plus two shoulder buttons are not acceptable. This is not a Super Nintendo.

I agree, the button configuration is a bit off, but there was a pad like it, called the Asciiware AsciiPad SG-6, and it was interesting to get to know, but worked good after that.

Warriorisabouttodie, on Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:15 PM, said:

70 dollars does sound a bit steep but that depends on the quality. I would be interested in the build quality and the brightness of the LCD for starters, but I would love to be able to play Contra Hard Corps when I am supposed to be working!

YES! The whole point is to have something quick and working-- plus with an SD card reader homebrews that have never seen a Genesis console will get played kiind of like they were meant to be.

I can vouch for the screen, it's nice and bright, not blurry at all and has no "hot spots" where you can see LEDs shining out.

[Flojomojo]

I think it all depends on the emulation quality. If it's as good as the AtGames mobile, I'd love to have more choices. If it could save gamestates I'd get one immediately.

[nathanallan]

quick non-update, I haven't heard from the guy since he came in last time. Also, haven't had a chance to talk to the Jupiter people. The store is very busy and keeps me occupied. Plus house calls.

[triverse]

As mentioned in a previous post up there, savestates would be awesome (surely this can be accomplished with minimal programming). I would absolutely support this if it was available with savestates and an SD card adapter (is there a way it could include USB of some sort which would remove the need of the adapter, just have the user use a thumb drive or an adapter over to USB).

Looks interesting (love my PSP for basically being a portable version of a lot of systems but this could push it to the side for Genesis stuff if the button layout is more like the Sega 6-button controllers and maybe have shoulder buttons to save and load the savestates).

[yuppicide]

I think the Dingoo A320 is a better deal. It can play NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega Master System, Neo Geo, CPS1, CPS2, Wonderswan, and a few others. It has 4GB built in and an external SD slot.

[Flojomojo]

yuppicide, on Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:39 PM, said:

I think the Dingoo A320 is a better deal. It can play NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega Master System, Neo Geo, CPS1, CPS2, Wonderswan, and a few others. It has 4GB built in and an external SD slot.

But the Dingoo is just software emulation, and people say it doesn't do so well with SNES and Genesis (though NES and GBA are perfect).

Nathan's thing looks to be Genesis on a chip, just like this item which has gotten a little press lately (is it the same thing?)
http://www.crunchgea...sis-cartridges/

[nathanallan]

Flojomojo, on Fri Jun 26, 2009 9:27 PM, said:

yuppicide, on Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:39 PM, said:

I think the Dingoo A320 is a better deal. It can play NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega Master System, Neo Geo, CPS1, CPS2, Wonderswan, and a few others. It has 4GB built in and an external SD slot.

But the Dingoo is just software emulation, and people say it doesn't do so well with SNES and Genesis (though NES and GBA are perfect).

Nathan's thing looks to be Genesis on a chip, just like this item which has gotten a little press lately (is it the same thing?)
http://www.crunchgea...sis-cartridges/

Not the same thing I was working on, but similar. The Dingoo looks nice, but it's just too small! The Innex one (looks a lot like the one you pointed out, Flojo, may be the same) looks nicer but I have yet to see any pics of it compared to a known item, like a CD or drink can. Is it so hard to ask for at least a three inch screen?? I detest the GB Micro for this, and my sore, sore hands.

I really wish that guy had gotten back to me, I'd have them damn near shipped by now After seeing samples of some of these things in real life, ge ready to replace some plastic or get a Nerf armor coating.

[atarian63]

Must have missed this, I would buy one for sure at that price with the SD adapter, maybe 2 or 3!

[onmode-ky]

I would advise caution and at most guarded optimism regarding this newly announced cartridge-capable Genesis system. I can't access videogamecentral.com right now for some reason, but I recall that the product they are advertising is the one being released by a company named Innex. Their device is actually coming from AtGames, with the role of Innex primarily just being that of distributor. Curiously, AtGames apparently has two North American companies filling this role, the other being Hyperkin. Both companies have some retro product experience (Hyperkin's FC Mobile, Innex's Retro Duo) and are primarily peripherals manufacturers, and both were at E3 promoting their new Genesis products. For Hyperkin, at least, the news that they were not the exclusive agent for AtGames was a surprise, as discussed in a recent DigitPress.com thread where one of the participants is a Hyperkin employee. At any rate, corporate politics aside, these are AtGames devices. This means, in all likelihood, they are based on the same hardware as AtGames' previous Genesis game players, which have been cited as having poor sound fidelity and imperfect cartridge compatibility. In an earlier posting I made in a thread about AtGames' systems, I revealed my findings about what was under the hood of AtGames' Genesis products, namely that it is an ARM-based 32-bit architecture which runs emulators, produced with some consultant help, for the various Genesis hardware components. Unfortunately, the emulation is apparently not 100% binary compatible, resulting in those reports of certain cartridges not working properly. Granted, AtGames may have changed either their hardware and/or software and improved this, but since this probably would have required more hiring of consultants, I think there is a fair chance that this did not happen.

Incidentally, the "Firebox" name being thrown about regarding the new software to be created for this upcoming system sounds suspiciously like a rebranding of the "Redkid Cartridges" announced over a year ago for AtGames' Genesis/Mega Drive Twin Pad Player, the product that is available at Play-Asia.com. These cartridges have never been anything but "tba" status at Play-Asia. Firebox could just continue the vaporware trend under a better-sounding name.

onmode-ky

P.S. Does it bother anyone else that the E3 interview of the Innex executive had him claiming the Genesis was 32-bit (and that the Firebox games would be 64-bit)? What kind of executive, being interviewed at a major industry event, is so misinformed about his company's new flagship product?

[TwinChargers]

onmode-ky, on Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:47 AM, said:

P.S. Does it bother anyone else that the E3 interview of the Innex executive had him claiming the Genesis was 32-bit (and that the Firebox games would be 64-bit)? What kind of executive, being interviewed at a major industry event, is so misinformed about his company's new flagship product?

Yes, that was very unprofessional. I would have liked to seen "Old School Fool" call him on that, but I question his own knowledge on classic gaming as well so...

[nathanallan]

I have been contacted. When I find out more, I will let you know. Love this stuff.

[tjb]

I just now noticed this thread. I'd buy one.

tjb