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JB0

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  1. JB0
    The Guncon 3 did it. PS Aim does it today. There's problems with mounting the sensor(Aim) or emitter(GunCon/Wii) properly, and subsequent calibration(particularly if the player is moving around). The frame inlay is meant to avoid the necessity of added devices and calibration. The shape and size of the frame in the device's view give it all the information it needs to calculate precisely where on the screen it is pointing, creating a "plug and play" interface. External sensors or emitters don't do that unless they are appreciably more complex. (Speaking of complexty, the GunCon 3 used two separate emitters mounted on opposing corners of the screen, and that would give screen-accuracy if they were mounted properly. My impression is they often weren't. And they were ugly by necessity, lending them a low wife-acceptance factor.)
  2. JB0
    Licensed the Sinden Lightgun... which uses a digital camera and image recognition software. Smart design. I hadn't heard of this before, and I'd kinda like to get a Sinden now. And I DO give Polymega credit for actually licensing things instead of just stealing it and letting the community scream into the void. It doesn't fully make up for the "hybrid emulation" nonsense they were spouting during their original panhandling campaign, but it does mitigate things a lot. I'm also giving them credit for putting a low-end x86 in there instead of an ARM, it gives them the horsepower needed for more thorough emulation and avoids any unfortunate performance issues(particularly with more complex systems). *grumpy old man rant here* I'm just sayin'... this is mostly a case of polish and presentation, not anything revolutionary. I find the asking price rather steep for what it is, particularly the "system modules", which are all "a cartridge slot, a couple controller ports, and some caps and resistors". They looked at the Retron 5 and (especially) RetroFreak and said "We could sell this for TWICE what they're asking, but strip all the cartridge slots out and then charge people an entire system's cost for each cartridge slot." (If they tell me they never saw the RetroFreak before they launched their Kickstarter campaign, I will call them liars to their face.) ... And I'm still baffled by the use of Kega Fusion on a Linux-based system in 2020. *end grumpy old man rant* There is a non-zero chance I will buy some of their controllers. If they're decent quality and actually work with the original hardware, they're very tempting. (Still overpriced, but ... what controller ISN'T?)
  3. JB0
    Pr'ly not, but I never said the guys in charge of Trek were in touch with current trends.
  4. JB0
    Arcee's finally unlocked her GERWALK mode!
  5. JB0
    Tube amps provide a warmer and more satisfying converging-energy cannon blast.
  6. JB0
    But making Star Trek shows that are like Star Trek shows won't attract the hip, edgy Game of Thrones fans that are the exclusive viewers of television!
  7. JB0
    I mean, so did the Retron 5. Granted, the Retron 5 was also a big ball of license violations, which this thing's taking care to get right. And the Retron wasn't very good at its job.
  8. JB0
    "These are the voyages of the starship Tiberius. Their five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly shag where no man has shagged before."
  9. JB0
    Trek has always had opinions on current events. The key difference between old Trek and new Trek is this: Old Trek used the alien as a mirror the writers can reflect an aspect of society upon without casting these issues directly upon the Federation, thereby keeping the familiar clean. New Trek imports the problems of modern society directly into the Federation and uses the familiar as a mirror the writers can reflect an aspect of society upon. Critically, the Old Trek approach allows the Federation to exist as a beacon of hope for a better future while commenting on the failings of the past. More often than not, it creates an uplifting message in the end. "These are real problems that we are dealing with in the real world, but we can and WILL overcome them, because humanity is fundamentally better than we give ourselves credit for." That's what Old Trek has to say about social injustice. The New Trek approach, unfortunately, makes the problems of today seem timeless, immortal, and insurmountable. "These are real problems that we are dealing with in the real world, and they will be problems FOREVER because humanity is fundamentally wretched and incapable of finding a better tomorrow." That's what New Trek has to say about social injustice.
  10. JB0
    Query: WHY did the Protoculture build this? Was it an anti-Protodeviln thing, or what? Heck, even the ones that AREN'T concealing insanely powerful technology, deadly superweapons, and deadlier bioweapons are dangerous. Mac7 crew found one that was intended to be completely benign, helpful even, and it... tried to stab them to death just as a way of checking their identity.
  11. JB0
    No argument here!
  12. JB0
    Because the original Gundam was made of lunar titanium.
  13. JB0
    Probably that it'd look pretty okay once the pilot was in the seat. Moreso than most of the line, that mold really shows they were designed to be piloted robots.
  14. JB0
    Oh. It's a tiny x86 PC running a collection of emulators. "Emulators: Legally licensed versions of Mednafen, Mesen, Kega Fusion, and MAME." There ya go, that's what you need to install on your PC to get the authentic Polymega experience. ... Wait. Waitwait. Kega Fusion? Seriously? They licensed a Windows-only emulator last updated in 2010 for their 2020 Linux computer?
  15. JB0
    Oh, goodie. Nothing says quality show like illegal DMCA takedown requests targeting reviewers. Okay, I just laughed my butt off at that one.
  16. JB0
    Ultimately, I think the anger is mostly from people who liked the older style MP toys. Look at it from their perspective. They have been cast aside in recent years, despite being the ones that proved this line could be a success as a line instead of just "that one really cool Optimus Prime toy". Everyone else that wanted more detail has moved on to the unlicensed toys or the War For Cybertron line, depending on their priorities. There actually IS a difference between folks complaining about Macross and folks complaining about Transformers, though. In the case of Macross, the toys are imperfect realizations of the original design, which was created for animation first. In the case of Transformers, the cartoons are imperfect realizations of the original design, which was created for toy shelves first. Also, well, the character models for the cartoon are SO different in some cases that it is more like a completely different character that just happens to share a name. Personally, I like the extra detail and random bits of car hanging off the robot from the original toy designs. The simplified animation designs to me are ... well, they're ugly, but they also deny the essence of the line by no longer looking like they can turn into the thing that they turn into(Optimus Prime's got no wheels, but turns into a truck with six of 'em!). But I'm not judging Takara for pursuing the toon-accurate-or-bust market. It is clearly where the most money is, even if it isn't where MY money is. I AM judging them for turning some utterly insane engineering out in the process, though. The recent MP toys have been a case study in how NOT to make a transforming robot.
  17. JB0
    As I recall, ADV failed to acquire Animeigo's heavily-restored footage when they stole the license, so the ADV release has old, faded, off-color footage and the exact same subtitles and japanese audio track. Literally the only reason to get the ADV version is you want the english dub.
  18. JB0
    Like a bulletproof plate in his head?
  19. JB0
    It's twice as good as mono-of-the-art sound. (Full disclosure: I ripped "with stereo-of-the-art sound" for a signature in a forum many years ago. It is memorable engrish.)
  20. JB0
    Transformers in a nutshell, right there.
  21. JB0
    I actually noticed that, though I didn't have the right words to describe it. They actually look like it was designed with the double-delta, then the armature that lets the wings rise up to spine level in creature mode got added, and that took up a lot of the front slope area. The wings were each left with a "fang" sticking forward to complete the outline, that was then cut off and rounded for child safety. You can actually see the change in wing slope starting right before they cut off. To my eye, the shuttle wing outline is still implied, though the armature gets in the way. I would've molded the forward delta into that armature. It doesn't look like it would interfere with articulation, and it would make the shuttle look more complete. Oh god... I can't unsee it. He's got spider-eyes now! It isn't the shuttle I would've made, admittedly. Honestly, I'm amused that they molded so much faux-tech detailing into a toy that would've been more accurate to the real-world inspiration if they'd just done it on the cheap with featureless flat surfaces like it was still nineteen-eighty-something.
  22. JB0
    It is highly probable. I almost put an order in last night(there is exactly zero chance I will ever see this in stores, and it gets high enough on my interest to be worth actively ordering)
  23. JB0
    Works for me. I'll rescind my complaint. He does look pretty fantastic. And has a good long tail too! (the CW one had a tail that was just long enough to remind you it should be longer)
  24. JB0
    That's lovely. I still appreciate the actual NASA logo. And I adore that his shuttle mode has an actual name, and that it is the Magnificence. I am a little grumpy about the lack of either pair of three OMS thrusters in the top of the nose. I sort of feel it is an iconic part of the space shuttle's look(you know, after "white plane shaped like a stick of butter with wings"), there's so much OTHER detail molded in that isn't accurate to anything, and both the original and Combiner Wars Lynxes of the Skies have had both sets of three*. But I'll get over it. *And the CW Sky Lynx had 'em even though he wasn't even close to a proper space shuttle.
  25. JB0
    Stores in my area still have mostly Siege stuff stocked. Also about half that amount of shelf space given over to Transformers in general.
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