Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by mrpg on Monday June 11 2018, @10:50AM   Printer-friendly
from the don't-you-dare-touch-my-trs-80 dept.

Crowdfunding site Indiegogo has called time on a high-profile British project to create a retro handheld console.

[...] "Indiegogo asked for proof that we are ready to ship the product and requested that we send them a unit to their San Francisco office," added Dr David Levy, RCL's chairman

"We responded yesterday saying that we would sooner give a demonstration of a unit to their UK representative, and asking Indiegogo to request that he contact us to fix an appointment. Their reaction was this latest statement."

[...] The Vega+ campaign raised a total of £512,790 from more than 4,700 people on Indiegogo before the US firm blocked it from accepting more funds in March 2017.

[...] RCL has missed multiple deadlines over the past two years and given a variety of reasons for doing so, ranging from problems with the buttons of the Vega+ to disputes with former company directors - the details of which are contested.

The company had originally pledged to deliver the console in the summer of 2016.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by Arik on Monday June 11 2018, @06:16PM (3 children)

    by Arik (4543) on Monday June 11 2018, @06:16PM (#691522) Journal
    "it can't be "faster" (but still the same speed as a Spectrum), it can't have more memory (but still exactly emulate a 16/48k Spectrum) it can't have better graphics (exactly the same as the Spectrum)"

    I don't know if you mean these things are impossible, or just that they clearly aren't what's being done here.

    I can imagine it being done, in the abstract. It could be faster and have more memory with a 16-bit version of the architecture, allowing expanded memory and graphics capability and giving the ability to run multiple 8-bit programs via VM seamlessly.

    But yeah, doesn't look like they're doing any of that. So I saw the headline and had to investigate, but afterwards I just go meh.
    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by choose another one on Monday June 11 2018, @07:51PM (2 children)

    by choose another one (515) Subscriber Badge on Monday June 11 2018, @07:51PM (#691564)

    > I don't know if you mean these things are impossible, or just that they clearly aren't what's being done here.

    What I meant was that it isn't possible for a V2.0 (or "+") replica to be faster than a v1.0 replica - each of them either replicates the speed of the original spectrum, or it's a poor replica.

    This is actually a real issue - the games then were programmed to run as fast as the hardware would go, it was very very rare that there were enough spare cycles to wait for a timer sync. If you made a faster emulator the games would be mostly unplayable - this is also the reason why PCs in that era had "turbo" buttons added when they got faster.

    • (Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Monday June 11 2018, @08:54PM

      by maxwell demon (1608) on Monday June 11 2018, @08:54PM (#691600) Journal

      The turbo button is a good example: It allowed to run games at original speed, while still allowing the computer to run at a faster speed.

      A more advanced interface might allow to give a speed factor, that is, you can play a game at original speed, at 1.5x speed (for the challenge, or because the original game was just unbearably slow), at half the speed (if you want to study the game mechanics in more detail, or simply to allow you to beat that game that always was too fast for your reaction times), or whatever other speed you want (as long as the hardware supports it).

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    • (Score: 2) by Arik on Monday June 11 2018, @11:24PM

      by Arik (4543) on Monday June 11 2018, @11:24PM (#691661) Journal
      Sure it's a real issue but there are solutions - ranging from the simple turbo button to virtual z80 mode, it could be done. Just wasn't ever on the agenda it looks like.
      --
      If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?