The Video Game Critic

txsizzler wrote: Also curious why you changed the format of this review from other console reviews. You used to grade various aspects of the systems as well, as this particular review does not have scoring on it.

The Critic only does that breakout by library, durability, innovations, etc for the independent consoles. For all these flashback and retro consoles, its just this more informal review system.

Ahhh, okay. Thanks for the clarification, Scotland.

I updated my Retro Freak review to reflect some recent updates I had to make. (see end of review)

http://videogamecritic.com/extras/revie ... ofreak.htm

I'm surprised you had never heard of micro SD cards before this. For devices I've bought and used in the last several years, it seems to be the format that dominates. For example, that's what the New 3DS and Switch both use.

I'm glad that the update process went smooth enough for you beyond being a bit of an annoyance. I'm unsure if I've heard of bricked Retro Freaks before, but I know I've heard of more than one Retron 5 that was bricked when the updating process failed for one reason or another. I'd hate to do any sort of encouragement if it ended up with someone's console dying.

That's one thing I like about Analogue's FPGA based systems like the upcoming Analogue Super NT. They're apparently un-brickable. So even if your power cuts out halfway through an update, you can still return the system to its original state and try again.

That's how everything with updateable firmware should be.

Atariboy wrote: That's one thing I like about Analogue's FPGA based systems like the upcoming Analogue Super NT. They're apparently un-brickable. So even if your power cuts out halfway through an update, you can still return the system to its original state and try again.

That's how everything with updateable firmware should be.

I'll let the engineers among us correct me, but the FP in FPGA is 'Field Programmable' after manufacture - so if your power cuts out partway through 'field programming', its bricked. My guess is that we, the end users, don't do any field programming, but rather the console maker is sort of post-manufacture programming the FPGA. Once its set up, it is actually more like hardware emulation. Its like the Retron 3 is unbrickable in this way. The question is, let's say they have some FPGA version of a Z80 system, release it, but a month later find its got an issue. Is it correctable? Or, like the Retron 3, is that it.

From what I've heard, the original firmware is never actually erased. So even if you were to unplug your system when it was updating or in the process of reprogramming the FPGA to simulate another system, it will still be able to be returned to its original state.

I believe this is why Analogue has the confidence to allow users to jailbreak their system and load other cores on it from Kevtris to simulate additional systems, without stating that their warranty will be voided by doing so.

I will have to learn more on how this works. Thanks for the info. I love the new tech put to use sustaining a community for the old tech. Tech hobbies like ours were always imperiled by obsolescence, and tech itself is helping solve the issue.