Sabertooth Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 (edited) What do you all think of the Polymega? At it's core its another Linux-based multi-system emulation device. What set's it apart is the ability to play original physical media, both CDs and carts (via expansions). Current CD support is for Sega CD, Sega Saturn, TurboGrafx CD, Playstation 1 and Neo Geo CD. Cart expansion slots include Genesis/32x, NES, Super NES/Famicom, TurboGrafx 16. Other systems like 3DO, N64 and Dreamcast could be supported in the future. Apparently, they are currently shipping Beta and review units and the early impressions seem favorable. I'm somewhat interested due to space limitations. It would be nice to have "one ring to rule them all" and reduce the number of original consoles in my set-up. Also, you can dump your physical media to an onboard storage library and there seem to be a host of features for hacks, save states, etc. Plus, with the 20+ year old cd-drives beginning to fail, the idea of a new drive that works for multiple platforms is intriguing. That said, it seems pretty expensive. The pre-order for the US is $399 and the cart expansion packs are $80/ea. You'd get into PS5 territory pretty quick with the base unit and full expansion packs! Plus no Atari console support as of yet. 😉 Edited August 25, 2020 by Sabertooth Justin and RickR 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperTrooper Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 At the original announcement it was going to blend FPGA and software emulation to give a great experience, but now it's just a computer in a box that's using all software emulation at a price that competing with the PS4 Pro. You could also get a dedicated emulation computer for a little more and do everything up to Wii U and PS2 and they make controller to usb adapters if you want to use original controllers. It was originally a neat idea, but two plus years later they have priced themselves out of the market, and for lower end systems MISTER is the way to go at the moment. nosweargamer, socrates63, RickR and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosweargamer Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 14 minutes ago, SuperTrooper said: At the original announcement it was going to blend FPGA and software emulation to give a great experience, but now it's just a computer in a box that's using all software emulation at a price that competing with the PS4 Pro. You could also get a dedicated emulation computer for a little more and do everything up to Wii U and PS2 and they make controller to usb adapters if you want to use original controllers. It was originally a neat idea, but two plus years later they have priced themselves out of the market, and for lower end systems MISTER is the way to go at the moment. Yeah, pretty much my thoughts too. I like the idea in general of a new system that can play old physical media, especially CD games, but for the amount of money, I'd just get the original systems themselves. Justin, Sabertooth and socrates63 3 Quote The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 When the word "emulation" comes up, it has to do something special to beat just a plain old Windows PC. I like the expansion packs that let you use real media. But that price! I'd love to see one in person and maybe that would tip the scales of consideration... socrates63, Justin and Sabertooth 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socrates63 Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 I agree with what everyone has said so far. Outside of saving physical space, I don't see benefits that justify the price to me. I'd rather use original hardware with a tube TV and call it a day. At this moment, I'm done with trying to get older consoles connected to a modern TV. For casual fans like me of other consoles outside the PlayStation and Xbox world, there are cheaper alternatives like the mini consoles, PC emulation, and maybe even MiSTeR. Sabertooth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 I was really excited about the Polymega way back when it was announced as the RetroBlox. I thought the blend of FPGA and Emulation and modular design would be a perfect way to enjoy original cartridges and discs in HD, and even be able to save them to the hard drive. I've lost some interest along the way, I hope they do well though. Part of it was FPGA and the whole Coleco Chameleon thing just turned me off. Also my "tastes" for collecting have gone in the direction of just collecting real hardware, original games, and not worrying too much over new Flashbacks and Minis or Retrons. It's a cool idea though, and I love that the product design is reminiscent of the TurboGrafx-16, one of my all time favorite video game systems. Here's an early photo of the "RetroBlox": socrates63 and Sabertooth 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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