When I mean by the title of this blog, I don't mean something like an electric chair or being electrocuted. I'm talking about when someone dies suddenly and you're left in utter disbelief that it actually happened. So what is the deal? This past Saturday, Hollywood actor Bill Paxton passed away from complications following heart surgery at the age of 61. It's weird noticing that a few days prior, I saw a scene of him on the CBS show, Training Day, and then seeing he died a few days later.
While 61 is not young, it's not really old, either. The thing is Paxton's passing is similar to what happened to comedian Rodney Dangerfield in 2004. Although much older at 82, Dangerfield went for heart surgery and died from complications. I'm no expert on medical knowledge, but the impression I get is this. As you get older, your heart starts to get weaker. There are certain things that you can't do compared to 30 to 50 years earlier. I think surgery is a lot more harder for someone at the ages of people like Paxton and Dangerfield. You don't know how that body is going to react.
That being said, people grow up watching certain films and have that big shock of finding out someone died. It's not just them. It's also people who worked with the person that passed. Considering the work Paxton did for over 30 years, there was a love for this guy throughout the people that worked for him. Was it shocking? Yes. This actor should have lasted another 15 to 25 years.
With that in mind, there are some people who should have stayed alive today. In Hollywood, I think Phil Hartman, who was murdered in May 1998, would have lasted another 30 to 35 years. That was during a dark period for Saturday Night Live, losing alumni Chris Farley six months earlier and then Hartman. Still, it's one of those things that is shocking to this day. A lot of people talk about musicians as well. There's that group that make it to the age of 27 and something bad happens to where they wind up on a coroners' table. You look at some of the names like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse and you are just bewildered by the fact they are gone. They were on top of the world with their songs and bands, it makes no sense to go off to a different path and resort to taking drugs or committing suicide.
With sports, I don't think anything will ever top the death of baseball player Thurman Munson in a plane crash in 1979. When you think dark moments for any sports, this takes the cake. Munson was one of the biggest names for not only Major League Baseball, but also the New York Yankees. He and a handful of others were bringing success back to a team that struggled for a decade before making it to three straight World Series appearances, winning two of them. He was a tough cookie and he was capable of getting hits and playing well behind the plate as a catcher. When it comes to shocking deaths in a sport, it comes mostly when the player is currently playing or in the early stages of retirement.
Sticking with baseball, this past September saw the death of Jose Fernandez, a star pitcher for the Miami Marlins. He was on a boat that crashed and ultimately killed him and two others. It was something that you couldn't believe would happen. Those tears were real when Don Mattingly spoke at the press conference discussing Fernandez. I wish it was the only time this ever happened, but it happened in 1993 with Steve Olin and Tim Crews. The Cleveland Indians were hopeful on bringing in some good pitching to help out their starters. One night, they were on a boat along with former Met Bobby Ojeda. They crashed into a pier and died from their injuries. Ojeda survived, but didn't do much in the very late stages of his career. These were guys in these two examples that were a big deal to the sport and put in the effort to play well as anybody else in the league.
Still, it can happen to anybody. A prime example is Nick Adenhart. A young prospect for the Los Angeles Angels in 2009, he started his first game of the year in decent fashion following a lackluster 2008 season where he only appeared in a few games and was in the minors for most of the year. After that game, he never pitched again as he was killed by a drunk driver when it hit the car he was in. It took not only his life, but two others. The drunk driver had prior incidents involving alcohol, and today serves a 50 plus year sentence on six felonies including murder and drunk driving. Ultimately, the guy got what he deserved and, personally, should rot in prison. But that doesn't dampen the shock and pain that happened to Adenhart. It was a life gone too soon. Who knows what could have happened. The Angels could have had a great pitcher for a good seven to ten years.
This blog has got me thinking about some of the stuff that happened in other sports, it would be too much for one blog itself. Stop by Thursday for part 2 where I look at some shocking deaths in other sports like basketball.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Sunday, February 26, 2017
What is this blog?
I have been doing this blog for almost a week and want to talk about what my intentions are and hope this thing picks up as I continue to do more and more of these. I really hope that there are people that can enjoy someone's opinion.
I do love watching movies, and I would like to every once in a while maybe talk about certain aspects like censored for television or being overplayed on cable. As far as sports go, I would like to focus on baseball, basketball, and football, but I would be open to talking about some other sports. There are other things I may want to talk about, and I want to try to stay away from politics, though that will be next to impossible. That being said, I do want to post things that are on my mind.
I'm kind of a geek. My goal is to try to post a few times a week or every day depending on what I want to put on the blog. If you know people that may like what I am doing, get them over here. That's my blog for tonight. I hope you look forward to many other blogs in the future. That is all.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Too Many Commercials
As television has grown to where there are lots of cable networks competing, there is always a constant. That is the constant feed of commercials. In a time of watching stuff on AMC and Spike, you will always find five minutes of commercials before going back to the show or film before getting another five minutes. With that in mind, here is one that will creep up and anger people more. It is seven minutes of commercials per break.
Last year, I watched a few movies on cable. Early in the year, I watched an airing of Jackass: The Movie on MTV. It's not lengthy, but there was a point in the middle of the film where it was bombarded with two straight breaks of seven to eight minutes. A few months later, I watched the 60s version of The Jungle Book on Freeform. That film was not lengthy, either, but it was reaching points where it had some of the commercial lengths as Jackass did and had a two hour fifteen minute air time on the channel. As I look at some of these channels, it's been very evident for years that they are desperate for money and a few extra commercials is their way of getting more revenue in a time where people are going to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and other sites to get their TV or movie fix. The thought of every channel going seven minutes is a scary one.
As of now, the biggest offender is Viacom. Most of their channels employ tactics to get extra commercials. The air times on stuff like Comedy Central, MTV, and BET is beyond absurd and stupid. Looking at what is on for films for the rest of the week, two films had three and a half hour air times. These weren't dramas or even mob films. They were comedies that aren't that long. One clocked at below an hour fifty and the other was a few minutes past two hours. The tactic might work for Viacom in the short term, but long term is going to be a rough road if it backfires.
Syndication cuts are pretty obvious when it boils down to TV shows, but that's for another topic if it gets made. The tactic is time compression, which is speeding up shows to fit in the half hour time span of the syndicated version of the show to get more commercial time. Some movies do that, but they go more for cutting stuff for both time and content. This was a big deal a few years ago when sites and a few entertainment shows talked about a video one did on YouTube in 2013 on Seinfeld reruns ten years earlier at the time. He did a test in 2015 to see how much of a difference it was and it was sped up a little more.
It's not just TBS. It's pretty much the case with any network that has shows up until the 90s to early 2000s. Even some of the early SpongeBob SquarePants episodes suffer because of the era it was in. Yeah, original content like The Walking Dead may get millions of viewers, but for anyone wanting reruns of shows, the choice is obvious now these days. Networks are still going to wonder why they keep losing viewership. Netflix, Hulu, and other sites have access to all episodes of a show and barring certain things like Saturday Night Live and South Park, should be uncut and unaltered. You can watch as many times as you want before deals expire on shows.
Movies, on the other hand, is tougher. It's hard to know when a deal can be made on some films, popular or unpopular. Networks envy the most recent ones and try to get them on HBO or Showtime before going to a cable network like FX or AMC. Companies are making deals to stream exclusively on one platform, though, making them adjust pretty well to the modern era of watching things. Unfortunately, not every film will make it to an online site and unless you're not able to find on DVD or Blu-ray, you might be stuck with the cable version.
Could we see a time where there is ten minutes of commercials in one break? I hope not. With losing viewership from a number of networks (some of which cannot be blamed on commercials) and rising costs per household, it could be a reality that will be dreaded, even if you are dedicated to something like a 15-hour South Park marathon. Only time will tell, and it may look no good.
Last year, I watched a few movies on cable. Early in the year, I watched an airing of Jackass: The Movie on MTV. It's not lengthy, but there was a point in the middle of the film where it was bombarded with two straight breaks of seven to eight minutes. A few months later, I watched the 60s version of The Jungle Book on Freeform. That film was not lengthy, either, but it was reaching points where it had some of the commercial lengths as Jackass did and had a two hour fifteen minute air time on the channel. As I look at some of these channels, it's been very evident for years that they are desperate for money and a few extra commercials is their way of getting more revenue in a time where people are going to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and other sites to get their TV or movie fix. The thought of every channel going seven minutes is a scary one.
As of now, the biggest offender is Viacom. Most of their channels employ tactics to get extra commercials. The air times on stuff like Comedy Central, MTV, and BET is beyond absurd and stupid. Looking at what is on for films for the rest of the week, two films had three and a half hour air times. These weren't dramas or even mob films. They were comedies that aren't that long. One clocked at below an hour fifty and the other was a few minutes past two hours. The tactic might work for Viacom in the short term, but long term is going to be a rough road if it backfires.
Syndication cuts are pretty obvious when it boils down to TV shows, but that's for another topic if it gets made. The tactic is time compression, which is speeding up shows to fit in the half hour time span of the syndicated version of the show to get more commercial time. Some movies do that, but they go more for cutting stuff for both time and content. This was a big deal a few years ago when sites and a few entertainment shows talked about a video one did on YouTube in 2013 on Seinfeld reruns ten years earlier at the time. He did a test in 2015 to see how much of a difference it was and it was sped up a little more.
It's not just TBS. It's pretty much the case with any network that has shows up until the 90s to early 2000s. Even some of the early SpongeBob SquarePants episodes suffer because of the era it was in. Yeah, original content like The Walking Dead may get millions of viewers, but for anyone wanting reruns of shows, the choice is obvious now these days. Networks are still going to wonder why they keep losing viewership. Netflix, Hulu, and other sites have access to all episodes of a show and barring certain things like Saturday Night Live and South Park, should be uncut and unaltered. You can watch as many times as you want before deals expire on shows.
Movies, on the other hand, is tougher. It's hard to know when a deal can be made on some films, popular or unpopular. Networks envy the most recent ones and try to get them on HBO or Showtime before going to a cable network like FX or AMC. Companies are making deals to stream exclusively on one platform, though, making them adjust pretty well to the modern era of watching things. Unfortunately, not every film will make it to an online site and unless you're not able to find on DVD or Blu-ray, you might be stuck with the cable version.
Could we see a time where there is ten minutes of commercials in one break? I hope not. With losing viewership from a number of networks (some of which cannot be blamed on commercials) and rising costs per household, it could be a reality that will be dreaded, even if you are dedicated to something like a 15-hour South Park marathon. Only time will tell, and it may look no good.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Nintendo Switch: Last Hurrah or a Comeback?
I really do question what Nintendo thinks in their offices in Japan. For over 20 years, they have lost a lot of their home console audience due to bad decisions such as the Nintendo 64 using cartridges and a number of things from the GameCube. They rebounded a bit with the Wii, but stumbled heading out of it and failing miserably with the Wii U. Their handhelds, however, have been a consistent seller, even without much competition and the their biggest threat being the PlayStation Portable. All things considered, Nintendo is putting their eggs in one basket to bring in a unique way to play games. Coming March third is the Switch.
What Nintendo is trying to do is to combine the experience of playing on the go like people would with a 3DS, but also have the experience of playing it at home like any of their home consoles since 1983. Their aim is to focus on one system and one system only. The hope is for their to be no multiple versions of the same game like what happened to Super Smash Bros.. They seem to get the grasp somewhat on what needs to be done in order to succeed.
Regarding the Wii U, it was a big failure due to a lack of marketing, the name, pricing, and a bulky gamepad which contributed to the price, just to name a few of its mishaps. Nintendo seems like they understood the problems that plagued their predecessor and are trying to fix any damaged caused by it. I find the price to be a little high, but not a dealbreaker. Three hundred dollars is manageable. The controllers, named Joy-Con, looks to be something that will not add to the price. However, getting a set of two and a Pro Controller altogether is going to cost over a hundred dollars, which will hurt a little bit if you instantly want four player action.
You can't have a launch without having games. The lineup when Switch debuts is very small. Of course, the big one will be The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It has been in development for a very long time and will also come out on the Wii U. Nintendo launched the Wii with Twilight Princess and it served as a strong launch game in 2006, so hopefully for the big N, they didn't anger a lot of their fanbase. That being said, the rest of their lineup as of now won't have as much of an impact like Zelda, but there is stuff that will keep some owners occupied. The next biggest franchises are Just Dance, which was still being made on the original Wii along with the newer consoles, and Skylanders, the toy based game that has been a seller since 2011. Other notable games include 1-2-Switch, Super Bomberman R, and I am Setsuna.
For the rest of 2017, Nintendo seems to understand to space the game releases over this first year to keep people interested in the Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes out in April, but they hope its enough until Splatoon 2 releases in the summer. Then there is the Christmas season, which is when Super Mario Odyssey hits shelves. If Nintendo plays their cards right and advertises the system and the games, this could make people buy a lot of product and somewhat compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
A big problem with Nintendo is getting third party support. For now, it looks okay. A lot of companies are looking to test the waters with a game or two. Getting past the launch titles, some of the notables include Skyrim, Dragon Ball Z, and Sonic Mania. A lot of companies have been confirmed into making games for the Switch. It's just a matter of wondering if they come out and when. The first year of support for the Wii U had quite a bit of third parties, but by the end of 2013, it dwindled down very fast. Nintendo really needs to keep these companies and still give them a big reason to put their heavy hitters on their system.
One of the things that Nintendo has lagged at was online. The way they have been, they are trying to make up for lost time ever since they underestimated online back in the GameCube days. Now, they are going the Sony and Microsoft route of charging instead of it being free. Cost wise, it could potentially be around 17 to 26 dollars going by what the yen costs are going to be, but it will start the charging in the fall. That's not a bad price if that is what it's going to be throughout the world. Their online chat, on the other hand, requires a smartphone app, which is one of my issues regarding Nintendo. It seems like they move a step forward and then move two steps back. Without much information, it's hard to know if it's possible to do chat without a phone.
Then there is the free game with online. Nintendo hasn't really explained the reasoning, but similar to the Xbox systems, you get a game if you are using the paid online. Unfortunately, it's an NES or SNES game that is free for a month. I don't know if you can keep the game or you have to pay for it after a month, but if it's the latter, this could potentially fall flat on its face. I get that there is a wealth of games from the 80s and 90s that are loved, but it would have made more sense to look at the GameCube or Wii. Maybe even the Nintendo 64, but the way it is being done, this pales in comparison to what Microsoft does.
A big thing with the Switch is that it is a cartridge format. It should be obvious if anyone has played a 3DS or DS what the cart is going to look like. There's not much else Nintendo could have done. The memory size is still abysmal. Thirty two gigabytes is still not enough, and some will be forced to buy SD cards, especially if you are going digital. There is no backwards compatibility, which I don't see as a dealbreaker. It would be a nice option, but it won't be the end of the world.
My assessment on it before it launches is this. There is enough positives that will help the system sell. Nintendo is playing it smart with their releases. The big question will be how they market it and how often they will promote it. If it does well, they have to carry that momentum and give people more old and new franchises, provide some price cuts and put improvement into their online and show that they can still be a competitive company with a huge comeback. If it fails, who knows what will come next for Nintendo.
So overall, I would have a little optimism regarding the Switch, but I wouldn't be too scared of it once its library starts to pick up during the year. I somewhat expect this to do better than the GameCube and Wii U if things go well for it. Hopefully, Nintendo knows what works and what doesn't. There's a lot riding on what could be the last hurrah if things don't translate to success.
What Nintendo is trying to do is to combine the experience of playing on the go like people would with a 3DS, but also have the experience of playing it at home like any of their home consoles since 1983. Their aim is to focus on one system and one system only. The hope is for their to be no multiple versions of the same game like what happened to Super Smash Bros.. They seem to get the grasp somewhat on what needs to be done in order to succeed.
Regarding the Wii U, it was a big failure due to a lack of marketing, the name, pricing, and a bulky gamepad which contributed to the price, just to name a few of its mishaps. Nintendo seems like they understood the problems that plagued their predecessor and are trying to fix any damaged caused by it. I find the price to be a little high, but not a dealbreaker. Three hundred dollars is manageable. The controllers, named Joy-Con, looks to be something that will not add to the price. However, getting a set of two and a Pro Controller altogether is going to cost over a hundred dollars, which will hurt a little bit if you instantly want four player action.
You can't have a launch without having games. The lineup when Switch debuts is very small. Of course, the big one will be The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It has been in development for a very long time and will also come out on the Wii U. Nintendo launched the Wii with Twilight Princess and it served as a strong launch game in 2006, so hopefully for the big N, they didn't anger a lot of their fanbase. That being said, the rest of their lineup as of now won't have as much of an impact like Zelda, but there is stuff that will keep some owners occupied. The next biggest franchises are Just Dance, which was still being made on the original Wii along with the newer consoles, and Skylanders, the toy based game that has been a seller since 2011. Other notable games include 1-2-Switch, Super Bomberman R, and I am Setsuna.
For the rest of 2017, Nintendo seems to understand to space the game releases over this first year to keep people interested in the Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes out in April, but they hope its enough until Splatoon 2 releases in the summer. Then there is the Christmas season, which is when Super Mario Odyssey hits shelves. If Nintendo plays their cards right and advertises the system and the games, this could make people buy a lot of product and somewhat compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
A big problem with Nintendo is getting third party support. For now, it looks okay. A lot of companies are looking to test the waters with a game or two. Getting past the launch titles, some of the notables include Skyrim, Dragon Ball Z, and Sonic Mania. A lot of companies have been confirmed into making games for the Switch. It's just a matter of wondering if they come out and when. The first year of support for the Wii U had quite a bit of third parties, but by the end of 2013, it dwindled down very fast. Nintendo really needs to keep these companies and still give them a big reason to put their heavy hitters on their system.
One of the things that Nintendo has lagged at was online. The way they have been, they are trying to make up for lost time ever since they underestimated online back in the GameCube days. Now, they are going the Sony and Microsoft route of charging instead of it being free. Cost wise, it could potentially be around 17 to 26 dollars going by what the yen costs are going to be, but it will start the charging in the fall. That's not a bad price if that is what it's going to be throughout the world. Their online chat, on the other hand, requires a smartphone app, which is one of my issues regarding Nintendo. It seems like they move a step forward and then move two steps back. Without much information, it's hard to know if it's possible to do chat without a phone.
Then there is the free game with online. Nintendo hasn't really explained the reasoning, but similar to the Xbox systems, you get a game if you are using the paid online. Unfortunately, it's an NES or SNES game that is free for a month. I don't know if you can keep the game or you have to pay for it after a month, but if it's the latter, this could potentially fall flat on its face. I get that there is a wealth of games from the 80s and 90s that are loved, but it would have made more sense to look at the GameCube or Wii. Maybe even the Nintendo 64, but the way it is being done, this pales in comparison to what Microsoft does.
A big thing with the Switch is that it is a cartridge format. It should be obvious if anyone has played a 3DS or DS what the cart is going to look like. There's not much else Nintendo could have done. The memory size is still abysmal. Thirty two gigabytes is still not enough, and some will be forced to buy SD cards, especially if you are going digital. There is no backwards compatibility, which I don't see as a dealbreaker. It would be a nice option, but it won't be the end of the world.
My assessment on it before it launches is this. There is enough positives that will help the system sell. Nintendo is playing it smart with their releases. The big question will be how they market it and how often they will promote it. If it does well, they have to carry that momentum and give people more old and new franchises, provide some price cuts and put improvement into their online and show that they can still be a competitive company with a huge comeback. If it fails, who knows what will come next for Nintendo.
So overall, I would have a little optimism regarding the Switch, but I wouldn't be too scared of it once its library starts to pick up during the year. I somewhat expect this to do better than the GameCube and Wii U if things go well for it. Hopefully, Nintendo knows what works and what doesn't. There's a lot riding on what could be the last hurrah if things don't translate to success.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Retroblox: A Potential Future?
Over the past decade, companies have been releasing game systems that have been dead for a very long time. A lot of it is focused on the Sega Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Of course, those are the biggest names to anybody looking to get their hands on an old system. Various pros and cons have been seen on these multi-game systems, ranging from sound issues to certain games not being able to work. However, a company is willing to go all out to change the game. If this does well following a Kickstarter campaign and actually producing these systems, the future could be different. Enter the Retroblox.
The Retroblox is a new type of system that has an approach similar to a Pioneer LaserActive. For those that never heard of the LaserActive, (I never owned one but I have seen some videos on it.) it was released in the fall of 1993 and was very expensive. Putting tax into the equation, it was over a thousand dollars. Outside of the utilization of LaserDiscs, it also ran some PACS that could be bought. That was the way to play Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD/Mega CD, an PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 cards and CDs depending on the region of the PAC. That is what the Retroblox is looking to be like.
The systems that the Retroblox is going after are some run of the mill systems, but they are also taking a big risk on some other systems. Looking at their website, obvious ones include the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. The support does not mean just U.S. only. European and Japanese Mega Drive is also present along with the Super Famicom. There is actual support for the Sega 32x, a failed add-on from 1994. The Sega Master System can also be supported, but it's through the Power Base Converter, a peripheral for the Genesis back in 1989. The website says there will be other systems after launch, and the odds of other systems showing up is there.
However, there are plenty of new systems to look out for. One of the most surprising is the Atari 2600, and that will be the thing with Retroblox. They are going to take a chance and give Atari a bit of love. There is a mention of the 7800 which as of February 2017 has not been confirmed yet, but could potentially be out there at launch on Kickstarter. Another system is the Turbografx-16, known in Japan as the PC-Engine. They are going all out on NEC's 16-bit wonder, going with every media format from both regions, which includes the SuperGrafx. It does lead to the big thing that could change gaming with multi-systems, which is CD systems.
It's going to do NEC's CD add-on, which includes both regions of the Turbografx and PC-Engine. They will also have the Super CD-ROM and Arcade CD-ROM working on the Retroblox. That's not the only CD system, though. The last few included are the Sega CD/Mega CD and the original PlayStation. Both are going to have all regions of their regions, as well the 32x CD games for Sega's add-ons. What is supported is really important, especially for anyone who may not have played a Turbografx or Sega CD considering how much they sold in the 90s.
How they are doing this is basic. The base system is going to be similar to a LaserActive and Sega CD. Each system has a module. Taking the module, it is placed into the base unit, and there you go. You can play whatever system's games that you've put in. The CD optical drive is part of the base unit, so there is no worrying about buying individual ones for the CD systems. As I mentioned, this is going to be a huge risk. Nobody's ever done this sort of thing, and it seems like the sort of project that would work the kinks out as time goes on if it does well.
As far as other systems that are not mentioned, they do mention that they could support more consoles later on. They addressed the Nintendo 64, which they are not doing because Nintendo putting out patents on it. It would be intriguing to see if they go after other Atari systems, handhelds, and many others. Game Boy can be used, but on the Super Game Boy peripheral for the SNES. They mention that the Game Boy games will not be backed up when using the Super Game Boy. One would hope that they make modules for not just the Game Boy line, but the Game Gear as well. There's also the obscure systems like a 3DO and Atari Jaguar, or something along the lines of a ColocoVision and Intellvision.
So what is Retroblox's goal? They are using something called hybrid emulation and trying to get as accurate as possible to every game that is being used in their modules. It is explained in detail on their website. Not every game is supported. They addressed the light gun issue, which is obvious. The LCD TV's render a game like Duck Hunt useless. What is mentioned is that they are going to tackle the issue. They are also trying to combat piracy by not allowing SD cards with an entire system's library on it. Backing up the games that people own is something that is allowed, but the main goal is towards the people that own the cartridges and CDs of the systems that are put on the modules.
Another thing that hasn't been done is selling games digitally. These guys expect companies that own rights to original content to play by the rules and not go the hacking route. What I mean by hacking is is putting a character from one series into another one, such as Mega Man being in a game like Contra. With the way they are presenting it, Retroblox is looking to be a very cautious company while taking big chances on their multi-system release. They have done demonstrations and are going to continue doing so until they start doing their Kickstarter campaign in April. They will also mention a price for the system before the campaign, which they are making several bundles.
Rambling aside, my thoughts are that this seems like a cool idea. The ability to play CD games is a huge plus, especially for anyone who wants a Sega CD or Turbografx CD. Retroblox is putting an effort to avoid the usual problems associated with multi-systems. Playing with imports, while not the first, it's still a nice incentive. Not much else bugs me at the moment other than wondering what other systems they might go after following the launch, and figuring out how many of the CD games will work. Personally, I hope they look to some of the pre-NES stuff like ColecoVision and also look at obscure stuff like a 3DO.
In conclusion, I hope they stay on track to make something that pleases a lot of people. If it catches on, this could be the future and a lot of systems, popular or unpopular, will get attention from people that really want to play the libraries if they get modules. Good luck to Retroblox.
Retroblox's website is http://retroblox.com/. They have a news section with only a few articles at the time of this blog, explaining their intentions and what people should know regarding the multi-system. There is a forum via their community section where topics can be created and discussed.
The Retroblox is a new type of system that has an approach similar to a Pioneer LaserActive. For those that never heard of the LaserActive, (I never owned one but I have seen some videos on it.) it was released in the fall of 1993 and was very expensive. Putting tax into the equation, it was over a thousand dollars. Outside of the utilization of LaserDiscs, it also ran some PACS that could be bought. That was the way to play Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD/Mega CD, an PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 cards and CDs depending on the region of the PAC. That is what the Retroblox is looking to be like.
The systems that the Retroblox is going after are some run of the mill systems, but they are also taking a big risk on some other systems. Looking at their website, obvious ones include the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. The support does not mean just U.S. only. European and Japanese Mega Drive is also present along with the Super Famicom. There is actual support for the Sega 32x, a failed add-on from 1994. The Sega Master System can also be supported, but it's through the Power Base Converter, a peripheral for the Genesis back in 1989. The website says there will be other systems after launch, and the odds of other systems showing up is there.
However, there are plenty of new systems to look out for. One of the most surprising is the Atari 2600, and that will be the thing with Retroblox. They are going to take a chance and give Atari a bit of love. There is a mention of the 7800 which as of February 2017 has not been confirmed yet, but could potentially be out there at launch on Kickstarter. Another system is the Turbografx-16, known in Japan as the PC-Engine. They are going all out on NEC's 16-bit wonder, going with every media format from both regions, which includes the SuperGrafx. It does lead to the big thing that could change gaming with multi-systems, which is CD systems.
It's going to do NEC's CD add-on, which includes both regions of the Turbografx and PC-Engine. They will also have the Super CD-ROM and Arcade CD-ROM working on the Retroblox. That's not the only CD system, though. The last few included are the Sega CD/Mega CD and the original PlayStation. Both are going to have all regions of their regions, as well the 32x CD games for Sega's add-ons. What is supported is really important, especially for anyone who may not have played a Turbografx or Sega CD considering how much they sold in the 90s.
How they are doing this is basic. The base system is going to be similar to a LaserActive and Sega CD. Each system has a module. Taking the module, it is placed into the base unit, and there you go. You can play whatever system's games that you've put in. The CD optical drive is part of the base unit, so there is no worrying about buying individual ones for the CD systems. As I mentioned, this is going to be a huge risk. Nobody's ever done this sort of thing, and it seems like the sort of project that would work the kinks out as time goes on if it does well.
As far as other systems that are not mentioned, they do mention that they could support more consoles later on. They addressed the Nintendo 64, which they are not doing because Nintendo putting out patents on it. It would be intriguing to see if they go after other Atari systems, handhelds, and many others. Game Boy can be used, but on the Super Game Boy peripheral for the SNES. They mention that the Game Boy games will not be backed up when using the Super Game Boy. One would hope that they make modules for not just the Game Boy line, but the Game Gear as well. There's also the obscure systems like a 3DO and Atari Jaguar, or something along the lines of a ColocoVision and Intellvision.
So what is Retroblox's goal? They are using something called hybrid emulation and trying to get as accurate as possible to every game that is being used in their modules. It is explained in detail on their website. Not every game is supported. They addressed the light gun issue, which is obvious. The LCD TV's render a game like Duck Hunt useless. What is mentioned is that they are going to tackle the issue. They are also trying to combat piracy by not allowing SD cards with an entire system's library on it. Backing up the games that people own is something that is allowed, but the main goal is towards the people that own the cartridges and CDs of the systems that are put on the modules.
Another thing that hasn't been done is selling games digitally. These guys expect companies that own rights to original content to play by the rules and not go the hacking route. What I mean by hacking is is putting a character from one series into another one, such as Mega Man being in a game like Contra. With the way they are presenting it, Retroblox is looking to be a very cautious company while taking big chances on their multi-system release. They have done demonstrations and are going to continue doing so until they start doing their Kickstarter campaign in April. They will also mention a price for the system before the campaign, which they are making several bundles.
Rambling aside, my thoughts are that this seems like a cool idea. The ability to play CD games is a huge plus, especially for anyone who wants a Sega CD or Turbografx CD. Retroblox is putting an effort to avoid the usual problems associated with multi-systems. Playing with imports, while not the first, it's still a nice incentive. Not much else bugs me at the moment other than wondering what other systems they might go after following the launch, and figuring out how many of the CD games will work. Personally, I hope they look to some of the pre-NES stuff like ColecoVision and also look at obscure stuff like a 3DO.
In conclusion, I hope they stay on track to make something that pleases a lot of people. If it catches on, this could be the future and a lot of systems, popular or unpopular, will get attention from people that really want to play the libraries if they get modules. Good luck to Retroblox.
Retroblox's website is http://retroblox.com/. They have a news section with only a few articles at the time of this blog, explaining their intentions and what people should know regarding the multi-system. There is a forum via their community section where topics can be created and discussed.
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