I understand both points, but the fact is any company making a consumer product asks the customer to grow the business by giving them a desired product at an attractive price. Typically, businesses don't ask for donations but for investors who will financially profit if the company succeeds. Getting in and staying in the console business is tough. Just ask Coleco, Mattel, Magnavox NEC, 3DO, Sega, Atari and many others.
I'm a retro fan. There are a lot of things I like about the VGS. I like the guys behind it. I want it to succeed. But as someone who is familiar with the history of gaming, I know that it is foolish to buy a system based on promises of what is to come without any firm evidence that it will come out or a proven track record. Ironically, the Atari Jaguar, from which the VGS system shell is based, is a prime example of this and they had more support and a better track record. They promised a VR system, an all in one CD and cartridge system, real hits like Mortal Kombat 3 and even a Jaguar 2. Even the Tiny Toon's game originally shown when it first came out never surfaced. If you bought the system based on the promises, you would've been disappointed.
Originally they were going for a cartridge based system that could produce up to Neo Geo graphics. There were talks of bringing new games from popular franchises to the system. The goal price was $150. This excited me. I was very much considering saving up to buy one.
Now the price has doubled so, from what I understand, it can be able to do more. But most of the titles announced can already be purchased elsewhere and no established franchises from the past have been announced. Not only has my excitement waned, but now I couldn't afford one if I wanted.
I wish they would have stuck to the original plan and if that was successful, then they could've announced a follow up system. Perhaps it would have also been more economical to wait for some tech prices to lower.
The timing is also bad because right now at Walmart for the same early bird price you can buy a Wii-U with Mario Maker and pixelated Mario Amiibo. Of course for a little more you could get a Xbox One or PS4 or you could get a 3DS (my current favorite system) with some games.
So basically, let's pretend I had an extra $300 in my pocket.
I could buy:
1) A bunch of retro games and maybe some systems I don't have like a Colecovision or Atari XE
2) The Wii-U Mario Maker Bundle
3) The Retro VGS basic set
I'm sorry, but right now #3 would be trailing.