UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - 2021-01-30 UPDATE

[terzdesign]

I've had 2 kids since I signed up to round 7, the second one said her first word a few weeks ago. Whatever UltraHDMI could have given me, it's now ruined.

For all the "good things come to those who wait" trolls, there have been 6 rounds before this one and manufacturing sources have only been slowed by coronavirus, not stopped. This is not some AAA video game release, it's an existing circuit board and 20 minute fitting service. It should not take years to satisfy zero orders.

Whether you get the thing or not, you have already been fooled. It would be easy to sink 130k into stocks for 2 years, string along hundreds of people with excuses every few weeks, scoop the profits and either run, refund or deliver.

I think it's time for option 2. What's the situation with refunds?

My forum name is the same as reddit, you also have my paypal details. Do the right thing.

Hard to not agree with you. Here we are in December after hearing a couple months ago that 250 units were ready. What happened to those?

[Socalju]

I literally got a PS5 before I got a HDMI N64. That’s sad. Ready for a refund.

[Magician]

I was extremely excited when I signed up and foolishly believed that the fact that previous orders had shipped (though maybe that's a lie too) meant that I was secure in wiring the money. As more than a year has dragged on and the updates have become increasingly incoherent and infrequent, I'm certain that this whole thing is simply a scam. I will be requesting a refund

[scikoolaid]

Have a little situational awareness guys, this year has been unlike others, you already knew you were gonna have to wait.
If you want to back out and get a refund then go ask for it, no need to flood the thread with moaning. This isn't a kickstarter scam

[Landspeeder95]

N64 still receives more love from not only me, but my children (oldest now 9)....with the WiiU coming in a close second.

When the n64 started getting a bit flaky, I had it deep cleaned with DeoxIt, the plastics treated with conditioner, reflowed high-stress points, and all the system and psu recapped from consoledot5. At this time the cart slot was getting worn...

To save on the slot life I grabbed a krikzz cart and a retrode. Now I can load all my games with no cart slot degradation. As an added benefit I did a deep clean of all the carts and they are now in safe long term storage (35-40% humidity, mylar vacuum, with o2 absorbers, 68-72*F.)

When my panel that had great s-video scaling gave up the ghost I found retrotink which accepts the n64 s-video and allows nice playback on modern flat screens.

I've found solutions to continue enjoying my favorite library, and will happily await an improved solution.

Stay the course, and thanks for driving the group buy!

[ldeveraux]

N64 still receives more love from not only me, but my children (oldest now 9)....with the WiiU coming in a close second.

When the n64 started getting a bit flaky, I had it deep cleaned with DeoxIt, the plastics treated with conditioner, reflowed high-stress points, and all the system and psu recapped from consoledot5. At this time the cart slot was getting worn...

To save on the slot life I grabbed a krikzz cart and a retrode. Now I can load all my games with no cart slot degradation. As an added benefit I did a deep clean of all the carts and they are now in safe long term storage (35-40% humidity, mylar vacuum, with o2 absorbers, 68-72*F.)

When my panel that had great s-video scaling gave up the ghost I found retrotink which accepts the n64 s-video and allows nice playback on modern flat screens.

I've found solutions to continue enjoying my favorite library, and will happily await an improved solution.

Stay the course, and thanks for driving the group buy!

What does any of that have to do with users feeling lost and scammed?

[10mile]

Have a little situational awareness guys, this year has been unlike others, you already knew you were gonna have to wait.
If you want to back out and get a refund then go ask for it, no need to flood the thread with moaning. This isn't a kickstarter scam

How do you know? Beside that it isn't being run on kickstarter.

I think what's most concerning for people is the lack of urgency or effort on the parts of Marshall and Ichinisan to get us our goods. They seem to be more concerned with developing some perfect product that works with 100% of different configurations, very niche/specific use cases that most people here didn't sign up for and have no interest in. If we saw a good faith effort to produce and get us our goods by these two, people might feel differently. ie you mention situational awareness, but I'm yet to see an update from the boys that says "We sent the order for 500 units to the factory, but due to Covid their production capacity is limited and it will take 6 months". Instead we see "I tested a couple units, it works great, but when I use this specific cable with a certain type of TV, one pixel that should be blue is actually green. I sent it back to Marshall for 3 more months of development and testing."



Ichinisan should really divide this up now into Round 7 and separately Round 8.

Round 7 should consist of getting a working product out to as many paid customers as possible, as soon as possible.

Round 8 should consist of the much smaller number of people who are happy waiting another year for the next version of UltraHDMI with all the bells and whistles.

Both are equally valid, but there are clearly two separate groups of buyers here whose interests vary.

[Landspeeder95]

What does any of that have to do with users feeling lost and scammed?

Fair point. I was reading a lot of the frustration as an inability to use the n64 while awaiting release and did not address those who are feeling scammed.

My only point was that options exist for enjoying the catelog while awaiting release for those in this console for the long haul. And to the creators that voices also here exist that are content awaiting release. Of course, I'm also a lot later come to this game.

Those that are feeling scammed should most certainly inquire as to a refund - especially if commitments with a factory have not yet been slated.

I suppose the limited communication relayed from M isn't helping emotions.

[Kobeskillz]

I never do this but I created an account just to post this.

I agree with people who say that the sense of urgency and trickle of information (mostly the same thing) is frustrating.

I got mine from a hdmi installer on ebay like a year and a half ago and for a long time I didn’t know if I got scammed out of all my hard earn money or not. What he tells me mirrors what I read on this board but again that’s good money I could have use on my family and kids. All I want to do is enjoy my N64 because I grew up with it. I love it and I want to enjoy it as best as I can on my HDTV and have my kids enjoy it as well.

I love the fact that this mod exist and I’m sure everyone involved worked super hard on it and I don’t claim any wrong doing but as a fan of this beloved system is so frustrating not being able to enjoy it without giving a lot of money and then even then still wait 2 years. Unless I’m rich and caught up 1000 on email. Which I’m not.

As a retro fan this is a trend I’m seeing way too often now. Someone comes up with something super cool. All orders sell out. You don’t see it ever in stock anywhere. Ebay scalpers laugh all the way to the bank as they pray on retro fans who just want to play their games with these cool awesome mods.

Anyways just wanted to vent. Love this HDMI N64 things power to everyone who is working hard in getting it in the hands of fans. Maybe one day I’ll try it out. Or I might have been scammed out of 350. We’ll see I guess.

[crumpy]

To be frank, this is even less secure than a Kickstarter. It's a username on a forum with a PayPal account. I put my name down for units but I'm not paying until there's some movement and payment is actually required. If that puts me back in the list somewhat so be it.

Another point worth considering, this isn't like the other rounds, where short batches of otherwise out of production units were being exclusively released. This is a 2nd revision of the mod, which surely will see a proper release like the first version at some point. Meaning available to purchase from various mod stores. Factor that into whether you need to commit to this group-buy.

Ichinisan, could I ask, is marshal aware of the full scale of this group buy? How many orders, how many units, how much is prepaid, etc?

[Ichinisan]

I've spent a long time adding some of my recent updates to the OP, along with this update for today:

DECEMBER 2020
Some people are anxious. I totally understand if you are tired of waiting. Send me an email and I will refund ASAP.

Before starting the group-buy, when I found a way to reach Marshall I asked if he would just allow me to pay ahead of time for kits from the next production batch, regardless of how long it takes. The first few rounds were amazingly fast, but rounds 4, 5, 6, and now 7 have each taken far longer than any round before. Production delays are relatively insignificant compared to how long the kits spent in his possession. I’ve speculated that he has some enormous life + work priorities I haven’t heard about. If nothing else, he should be motivated by the thought of a comparable alternative product coming to market before he has come close to satisfying demand.

Part of the round 7 delay is expected due to challenges with international trade wars and tariffs, worldwide pandemics, and finalizing the new HW2 design - but I agree the delay still surpasses reasonable expectations. The unprecedented wait is simply too long for many participants. I continue to offer a refund to anyone who wants it.

Reminder: Please use email to contact me (not Shmups PMs, Reddit, Twitter DM, etc). I need to have everything in one place so I can review our correspondence when the time comes.

If there is a round 8, it think it needs to be done differently. Probably via a web site.

In a conversation yesterday (2020-12-09), Marshall discussed future pricing and the unit pricing for the DAC module.

Marshall 2020-12-09 05:11
- heading to the bank today to get more going
- how many people do you think of the 80/150 orders will want RGB
- er, analog

Ichinisan 2020-12-09 15:54
- I would say probably half of them are interested in analog. It seems like a lot more than I expected. Probably just because they know the option is there and they want full-feature.
- I told them I'm not sure of unit price for DAC modul, or if maybe they'll be included 1:1 with each HW2 kit after all.

Marshall 2020-12-09 17:13
- just got back from the bank with a new wire started
- that's interesting on the analog interest
- I agree that a lot of people will want it simply because it exists
- Price for analog board+flex is probably going to be about $25
- A bit mor ehtan i thouhgt because of the Hirose connector I used. it's a very nice reliable connector, it's just expensive
- and the ADV7125 dac still seems to cost about $8 by itself
- Also, just a heads up. I will be slightly raising the price of the HW2 mainboards. Just by a few dollars, to help offset the 20% tarriff i have to pay

I came home after midnight and found that my computer had restarted for Windows updates (again). It's possible Marshall tried to reach me while I was unavailable. I pinged him with another question but he has not responded yet.

Ichinisan 2020-12-10 00:30
- Computer restarted again for Windows updates.
- Yeah. Increased price is fine. Just want to make as many as possible!
- Sticking with China PCBA for now?

So the optional DAC add-on module may be $25 to $30. I kinda don't like the connector and placement of the module, but I don't want to suggest a design change or any delays at this point!

Regarding the last line (about UltraHDMI price going up "just by a few dollars") -- I already round-up my cost slightly to help account for PayPal fees and such. Also because round numbers are easier. I will need to check and see if there's still a margin when Marshall increases the price. This also tells me he is not yet moving production to Taiwan. I'm happy as long as he starts producing more UltraHDMI!

I've also absorbed some costs from USPS increasing prices. I can use less insurance or sometimes use salvaged packaging to save a bit. That means I'll spend more time finding the right box and measuring weight + dimensions. Sometimes it still costs more than the flat-rate box!

[Ikaruga11]

Hey Ichinisan, I emailed you saying that I am interested in the DAC add-on Module and am willing to pay more for it if it costs more.

Thanks

[juji82]

I have sent you two emails, please check them, thanks.

[AbnormalAdept]

Hello there, im interested in getting a kit

[Garboy]

Is it possible to still get in on this group buy? I'm interested in getting one with the DAC. Thank you.

[strayan]

I’ve been using GBS-C to downscale from the ultrahdmi and it’s flawless:

Spoiler

Plus it’s super easy to move and resize thanks the web interface controls.

[SonicAdvDX]

Hey guys, maybe we could all agree to try sending Ichinisan fewer emails?? I keep hearing stories about the massive amount of time he's always dedicating to responding to emails, so it must be cutting into his time that could be better spent working on the kits that we all want so badly...

It's understandable if you're asking for refunds, but surely we can continue to wait for updates via forum posts, instead of hounding him for individually personalized emails that will inevitably say all the same stuff anyway? Just a thought...

[ProgVirus]

Thank you for setting this up Ichinisan, as well as for your transparency of the situation. I've sent you an email to get signed up for Round 7, and hope your testing is going well. Thank you again!

[Dax]

My feelings towards this group buy haven't changed; I'm happy to wait for the UltraHDMI!

Ichinisan has always remained transparent and open to refunds if anyone wanted it since the beginning. To organise group buys of this size and ever-growing capacity has got to be an immense undertaking, and his ability to keep everything together, while maintaining consistent contact with us, is super admirable.

To date there are no other alternatives to getting the best out of your N64 like Marshall's UltraHDMI, so I'm content to continue waiting. It sounds like things are close to wrapping up now on our round seven, regardless.

[Delloman]

I have not used this site much just for this group buy and yes it's taking forever! I ordered April 2019 lol sigh... I live in Atlanta, the same part of the state as Ichinisan. About a month ago Ichinisan came to my house to test a 2.0 board on my framemeister it was some of the last testing Marshall was needing. That testing was positive. I am only in for 3 boards wish I had ordered more that early on the list but still happy to wait I don't think there will be easier ways to get the boards anytime soon sadly. Ichinisan is a nice guy loves his retro games like us all. Waiting is hard but there sadly is nothing as good on the market.

[Kithron]

I'll wait for the UltraHDMI v2 to be released, it's no problem for me. I'm just glad I got into Round 7 for it.

[Magician]

Another month goes by with no progress, no updates and obviously no deliveries. can't say I'm surprised at this point

[thenrz]

Another month goes by with no progress, no updates and obviously no deliveries. can't say I'm surprised at this point

If you read through the whole timeline, it is correctly derived that the only one who deserves to be the source of frustration here is Marshall. The fact is that anyone who has paid can, are doing so as they desire, have their money refunded in full makes this a voluntary wait. None of us are super thrilled with the situation. This "HW2" timeline is laughable. Nothing can change that fact, and now we find out the DAC is going to cost a fair bit more extra per unit that originally implied and part of that cost is due to using some expensive and unnecessary connector. The whole thing is the product of someone who wants to make the perfect product as imagined within his own perception and has NO grounding in the reality of serving the paying customer at this point.

I'm almost positive that Ichinisan and his brother would have handled this a lot differently had they known that Marshall was going to poop so many beds getting these paid kits out to us. The previous group buys were a couple months and everyone was happy.

Grab your refund and pick up a PS1Digital or something. Those are a fun install and have a great outcome! Pair with a recap of the PSU and mainboard and the XStation to top it off. You won't be thinking about UltraHDMI for good while

[terzdesign]

I’m surprised no one has tried to reverse engineer this thing and actually get units out the door.

[TooBeaucoup]

I’m surprised no one has tried to reverse engineer this thing and actually get units out the door.

Same. We've had Chinese clones of everything, so I'm pretty surprised, especially considering how long this device has been out. I normally don't like knockoffs coming out and stealing the hard work of others, but Lord, when the item has been, essentially, unavailable for 2+ years, what are people supposed to do?

[dryja123]

I’m surprised no one has tried to reverse engineer this thing and actually get units out the door.

Same. We've had Chinese clones of everything, so I'm pretty surprised, especially considering how long this device has been out. I normally don't like knockoffs coming out and stealing the hard work of others, but Lord, when the item has been, essentially, unavailable for 2+ years, what are people supposed to do?

In one of the tech discord’s that I’m in someone was showing off an HDMI kit that will be launching very soon. They were tired of waiting on the Ultra HDMI so they worked with an FPGA programmer to make their own. There’s obviously a lot of money to be made with these kits and it appears that Marshall isn’t interested in capitalizing on it. Competition is good sometimes too. If I see anything else I’ll try to link sources.

[Blacksheep]

I’m surprised no one has tried to reverse engineer this thing and actually get units out the door.

At least there was this strange thread: "Identifying chip on UltraHDMI board. Anyone?"

[Socalju]

Just heard you can play PS, PS2, and N64 games on Xbox Series X.

[evildede]

Just heard you can play PS, PS2, and N64 games on Xbox Series X.

True, but we all know it'll never be the same as playing on the original hardware. For me there's nostalgic value that emulators don't have, however the need to be able to play on modern TVs is also there, so solutions like UltraHDMI or the Analogue consoles is incredible for people like me who grew up with those consoles and want to keep playing with cartridges and original controllers.

[thenrz]

I've brought up the lack of clones or competition so many times. I'd surmise the cash sitting waiting for dude to get off his ass and actually produce could have bought someone's time to engineer a competitor easily.