Be Suspicious of This New Proposed Mini-Console
Nintendo has this uncanny knack for lucking its way into survival again and again. This should have been their worst holiday season in history. The Switch won’t be available until next year, and they have zero new attractive offerings for the Wii U (unless you count Color Splash). What they do have is a mini-NES that is restricted to 30 old games and has a terribly short cord. AND EVERYBODY WANTS IT!
The NES Classic is the hottest item this Christmas, and you stand zero chance of finding one at this point. This leaves the market wide open for illicit knockoffs, which are easier to make than most realize. One such product is the RetroEngine Sigma, which is currently being crowdfunded on Indiegogo and brags of emulating 28 different classic systems.
There are many reasons to be wary of things like this, and I’ll start with the fact that it’s a crowdfunded product — there’s no guarantee you’ll actually get the device. That’s not always the case, of course, but this time the thing is operating in a legal gray area and by using the logos of Nintendo and other companies in their promotional effort, they run the real risk of being shut down before they produce anything (reason #2).
And reason #3: if you really want something like this, you can make it yourself for less money than the makers are asking. Several eagle-eyed people have called out the fact that the RetroEngine’s specs and ports are identical to that of the Raspberry Pi, a small circuit board that can serve any purpose (a Raspberry Pi served a function in the plot of Mr. Robot’s second season, so you’ve seen at least one). All these people appear to be doing is loading a Pi with an altered version of Retropie, an all-in-one emulator. If it’s not the definition of a scam, it’s close enough.
Ammyfan
December 6, 2016 @ 9:22 pm
My first thought was that it was the gizmundo all over again, but it actually looks worse! I think I'll stick with getting my NES out of the loft and wait for the Switch. Now that looks like a nice piece of kit.
to7update
December 7, 2016 @ 8:59 am
Haha, gotta love when you say that "What they do have is a mini-NES that is restricted to 30 old games and has a terribly short cord. AND EVERYBODY WANTS IT!". If it's offering 30 old games and has a short cord, why would people possibly want it? Thanks for the feedback, it's a good eye opener!
kamai
December 9, 2016 @ 4:17 am
Just by the look of it one can tell that it will not be a good idea to own one of these mini consoles. Thank you for giving us a heads up on how terrible this device could be. I bet some people will still buy them by curiousity and to make sure it's not a good buy.