appletesticle wrote:Is it possible to change over to the N64Digital and be guaranteed it? If not, I'd like a refund and attempt to acquire the N64Digital whenever it drops. I've sent an email regarding this and my alias is appletesticle. I've paid the minimum $130 through Friends and Family on PayPal so there there aren't any fees that you need to absorb.
Thank you. N64Digital cost more than UltraHDMI and we were not promised nearly enough to satisfy everyone in the first round. The immediate plan was to incentivize everyone seeking installation to BYO N64Digital so that the ones we receive directly for the group buy could stratch further down the list. I believe Ichinisan is planning to offer heavily discounted installation.
If he has to eat the cost difference then we certainly can't send multiple N64Digitals to a DIY installer, so there will be limits, like limit them 1 per person for self-installs.
We were supposed to have all of this laid out by now but... nature. Despite our attempts to get things moving again we are still having extreme difficulty even receiving consoles so we have made very little progress in weeks. I mean, check out the FedEx tracking history for group buyer fluxcapacitor15:
773347410415
It actually said it was on the truck for delivery many more days than the history shows but they would often delete it from the previous day's history and copy it to the next. FedEx would repeatedly assure us that it was actually out for delivery this time and would definitely be delivered today or that they definitely stopped it from returning to sender and there was no way it would go back. All lies, of course, wasting untold hours and we still don't have it.
alucard971 wrote:Oh, I was looking at the main post for this channel for updates. I was unaware there was a list for trade up as well. Honestly, I would much rather have the digital. No offense to Marshall, I appreciate all he's been through to get high quality retro gaming to the consumer. It's just the digital seems to have a bit more features that I want. Where is the list for the trade up and how does #318 fit in on that list?
Yes, I am not able to edit that post and it seems a lot of people have the impression that no update there means no update anywhere. Internet was never restored to the old place and demolition finally started this week, forcing us out. We had Internet service transferred to the new place and are finally back online. Ichinisan has a lot of catching up to do but he's busier than ever since he has to shuttle everyone around now.
Syphron wrote:
Thanks for posting the video. Pretty neat to see you working on my system specifically.
Just got my N64 back and everything looks/works great. Thanks for putting this group buy together and for offering the install service.
Obviously this batch didn't go as planned and took way longer than any of us hoped, but you guys aren't at fault for that, and you were very up front when I asked to join in the group buy that things might take a while based on how long the last batch took to get your hands on them. I just want to remind folks that at the end of the day we are talking about video games and a shared passion for an awesome retro console. Please be excellent to each other.
Thank you! My intent was to demonstrate that installs would continue with little disruption since power was restored and shipping services resumed. I was wrong but I had every reason to believe we'd be able to continue doing installs like yours without bizarre shipping disruptions that are somehow still happening. This is another reason I want to just go ahead and do every group buyer's console we have on-hand regardless of their position in the list but the main reason is that it's risky to have all those consoles in any of the places we have available to us (temporary place in a bad neighborhood; unsecured workshop; unlocked home with roofers, restoration service, handymen, etc in every day; etc). Yes, many sent extremely early and we literally have a room staged with their consoles. We shouldn't have a problem bringing a stack of them to the post office.
ThinFizzy wrote:@CZroe and @Ichinisan I sent in a request for a refund on Feb 1, 2021, and have still not received a response. My alias is ThinFizzy. If you could please process my refund it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Sorry for the delay. He will get to you!
Kithron wrote:Please remove me from the spreadsheet (slot 341) for the UltraHDMI, I do not want anymore and want the N64 Digital instead which I want to pay more for when it comes out.
I understand. If you were seeking installation Ichinisan should be contacting you with an option to help you transition to N64Digital or to get your refund.
trsteve87 wrote:When will we know if we can switch to the n64 digital?
Wirewizard wrote:Hi Guys,
I'm 298 on the list (Wirewizard). The more I read about the n64digital, the more I think I want to switch to this (if possible). I will be trying to purchase one on release, but my luck with these things are usually not great, so I'm holding on for an either or situation at the moment.
I can understand why you haven't replied to my email a little while back now and no stress / dramas as I can sympathise with your predicament at the moment, not only with this group buy and Marshall, but your housing situation and the storm as well (that's just S**T luck).
Can you confirm / deny if you will be offering the n64digital (depending on stock of course) and if we will be offered a swap?
The plan was to continue processing UltraHDMI and allocating N64Digital as we worked our way through the list until we had all of them allocated ahead of the launch, then create an incentive for people to BYO N64Digital that would extend the allotment even further through the list. The tornado messed that plan up. We just got moved into another place but we certainly aren't settled enough to catch up before N64Digital preorders start. My advice for anyone on the list is to attempt to get your N64Digital directly from PixelFX. If you manage to get one then I'd love to offer installation. Ichinisan is working on a special offer of sorts for BYO N64Digital which should reward people who have waited on the list for essentially no other reason.
blurt92 wrote:I asked for a refund on February 4th via email. Username is Blurt92 and I'm #222 on the list. Would you please process it when able?
Thanks!
Sorry for the delay. Even after the tornado I expected to be well beyond that point, but we've been paralyzed with all the unexpected hang-ups.
Simoncino wrote:Hello to everybody. I'm the n. 113 in list, and should be one of the next. However, i think it's creating a big confusion for ichinasan.
Those who wants refunds, just take refunds and go off list, and be deleted.
But, for guys like me that is waiting the N64, ichinasan can you tell us when is preview the next round of shipping?
I'm trying to contact him with email... but no answer. Maybe he is very busy with work, mods, etc and plus ... it's creating a lot of confusion the n64 digital and those who wants the refund.
@ichinasan, can you reply us and ship who want hdmi mod?
Thanks.
Hey, Simone. I know you've been one of the most excited and you sent your console many months ago. For months I've been pressuring Ichinisan to let me go ahead and do yours since I'm excited to try the dual frequency, dual region, UltraPIF mod you requested. It seems that circumstances are forcing us to prioritize consoles we have on-hand, especially the international ones like yours. It still isn't my call but I expect Ichinisan to announce this change today, which means I will be able to finish your console.
dubesinhower wrote:Where does the second piece of foam go? I know one of them goes over the multiout pins, not sure about the other one
I didn't get to answer here before your YouTube video because that was the day the doctor put me back in the sling for two weeks (follow-up visit after MRI revealed a fracture at the rotator cuff). I answered in your YouTube comments but for anyone wondering the same thing:
According to the install guide the soft foam goes under the AV multi-out pins and the hard foam goes under the UltraHDMI where a part would otherwise be floating in the bottom shell... that would be the programming header for HW1 and under the DAC module's HiRose connector for HW2.
The No-Cut kit is not part of the official instructions and does not need the foam that goes under the UltraHDMI board since the riser is designed to fill that spot. Since the UltraHDMI sits higher and closer to the N64 board some installers place the extra piece of foam on top of the UltraHDMI to further isolate it from the main board.
samson7point1 wrote:I've been emailing about a refund since January 30. My first message was asking for a refund. My second message in late February was expressing my interest in swapping my order with an N64Digital before it was obvious that at #403 on the list there was no way I would get in on that. My last message was earlier this month confirming that I just need a refund since it's obvious I won't be getting an N64Digital via this preorder. None of these messages have received replies. Ideally I'd like to receive my refund before I shell out for an N64Digital (assuming I manage to get one), but I'm not asking that you prioritize my refund as I know there are a lot of people in line, but can I get some acknowledgement that you received my request?
Even if he did not get the message, he will reach out to you before proceding with anything. I'll make sure he gets the message but he still can't process it until he gets to it. Once UltraHDMI and N64Digital were allocated he was supposed to offer everyone remaining who requested a refund a BYO N64Digital installation deal or a refund, but the tornado disaster meant we still haven't got that far.
jfosheezy2 wrote:I am in the exact same situation as you. Multiple emails, no reply, for months.
At this point I'm thinking about just doing a paypal dispute and trying my hand on the n64 digital.. Really a shame. He was quick to respond when I wanted to join the GB way late, but completely ghosted when I wanted to leave.
Yeah, it's been difficult to even get online after the tornado and he was already prioritizing people in order of group buy position. We obviously weren't planning around a natural disaster like this so we expected to be done and you'd have your response weeks ago. It seems you may not have been aware of what was going on which is why I suggested an auto-responder or something that explains the tornado situation if he is going to continue processing in order. He didn't want that to concern people and instead wanted to resume processing as quickly as possible.
That proved to be overly optimistic since we only finally got out of the destroyed house a month later and we still need to empty the garage and basement. The basement still has my old workbench that we need at the new workshop but we couldn't get it out with the collapsed balcony. A contractor finally removed the debris from there today but we have already returned the landlord's truck and my orthopedic surgeon will not even let me pick up groceries, much less, workbenches and tables and shelves. I'll be asking my friends if they can help.
Someone came in the house a couple days ago to "pick up equipment" so I followed him into every room of the mostly-demolished house. He didn't find any of the equipment he was supposedly looking for and claims to have been at the wrong address, which is especially concerning since he saw our collection in the basement/garage and commented on it. No telling how many of the other handymen, roofers, framers, etc have been down there. I know they've been rooting around in the garage since they moved my PS2 kiosk to plug in and use one of my microwaves when I wasn't there. I mean, it's no big deal since they were authorized to be there but
so was that FEMA inspector who came back and murdered some dude for his gun collection.
shadestreet wrote:@CZroe @Ichisan
I am currently 183 on the list - should I ship you my N64 now? Is the address you provided a year ago the same?
Sent email as well, but last one didn't get reply due to how busy you guys have been so cross posting here.
Thanks
If you are number 183 then it is definitely past time to ship except that the postal service and even private carriers have been ridiculously inconsistent since the tornado disaster. I mean, the roads have been passable but it seems the carriers are still disrupted somehow (see my posts about DHL, FedEx, etc). Despite limited utilities, one of us has stayed watch at that address every day since the tornado until demolition started earlier this week, so now we are setting up address forwarding to our mother's place. Ichinisan should contact you with instructions.
NeverCameBack wrote:I remember reading that the next batch of kits were on the way and expected any day now (month or two ago). My theory on the current situation is that Marshall told the brothers the next batch was as good as sent. Then proceeded to ghost out as per always. The kits never showed up. The brothers are probably sitting there thinking "wtf do we do? - We can't tell everyone that Marshall is clowning all of us on the rest of the kits - it would be a mass rush of refund requests - We need to buy time". Why is it that Marshall can't comment once on this forum. Does he not have access to this part of the internet. Zero interest? People don't deserve a transparent update every now and then? Is it that he considers himself a celebrity and is just too legendary status to read anything here? Can't find a couple mins to jump in and write a quick response? I get the mad genius persona and all, but once you agree to sell to 800+ people, maybe then they deserve a little transparency.
My other theory is that the bulk of the money is tied up in DOGE coin, or another investment vehicle and is doing too good to cash any out - Meaning they never manufactured more HDMI kits. Just an initial 200 some and the rest of the money went to buy investments. Well played boys, well played
I had a good chuckle at the last scenario but I wouldn't be spending the insurance check from my car on my medical expenses if that were true.
However, there is a kernel of truth to the previous speculation.
We were expecting and received the first package of the second HW2 batch literally hours before the tornado on March 25th. That's when we took a direct hit from an EF-4 tornado which completely wiped out houses only feet away and largely destroyed our place, but at least it was still standing... with no roof, balcony, crushed car, trapped car, etc and no power for a week. We were still stranded there when water started coming down directly on the UltraHDMI kits and I injured myself trying to put up a tarp (ceiling collapsed beneath me). It was a long time before we even got to look at the package to see that it didn't contain everything we ordered and even longer before we could get back online with Marshall. Couldn't test anything anyway with no power so we weren't in a rush to go through it.
I don't know if Marshall is even on Shmups, and I should clarify that the group buy was never his thing. The idea was to leverage our contact to place orders and put enough money on the table to motivate him to produce more. It worked several times and despite ENOURMOUS delays it still resulted in many of you guys getting UltraHW2 before anyone else. He only ever accepted payment for the kits he has produced (most, but not 800+).
So, yeah, the bit of truth is that Marshall is still being Marshall, though his intentions are not so sinister. For example, he told us that we didn't have to worry about any of the next 400 kits "walking away" from us (selling to someone else) like 50 of them he sold when we didn't respond within a half hour (yeah, we would have had 280 back in Jan/Feb). Since then he said that he offered GameTech 100 but GameTech prordered 200 to which Marshall said it was just Jason being Jason (whatever that means). I assumed that meant he still had 400 for us. I understand that he owed Jason after ghosting him for so long, and I don't begrudge either of them, but did Jason get 100 or 200? Did any of the 400 "walk away" from us or not? I still don't know for sure since we never got to order the rest. Why were we only allowed to order 300 in the second batch of HW2 if he had 400? We were ready to go. Even so, 530 kits was enough to make a huge dent in the queue ahead of N64Digital if the tornado had not disrupted things.
So GameTech's kits may not have come from the 400 he was offering us (in addition to the 230 we already had), but then why did he only let us order 300 more and why didn't we get them before GameTech when we ordered first? When we could finally ask he said that he wanted to provision the rest with a new firmware he was working on and they'd ship in the next couple days regardless. Of course, that's what held up the first 230 kits but I wasn't concerned since he was promising to ship them in the next couple days with the new FW or not. Recall that those 230 (really 280!) should have shipped back in August since he ultimately shipped without the new FW and they were just as done then (early kit he sent had the same FW). He also didn't want it to sound like history was repeating itself which is why he said he'd ship them in a few days regardless of whether or not he finishes the new FW. He probably feels the tornado disruption bought him time since it's not like we were ready for them with the aftermath but since it also disrupted communication he still should have shipped the rest by now. Talked to him last night to impress that on him and let him know that we shouldn't use that address.
devsfan1830 wrote:...Honestly now that I found and saw the recent videos from them about the tornado damage. If it helps at all in the slightest I'd be fine with no UltraHDMI and they keep the money. Its money long gone at his point and I'm not hurting for it. So even if it at least helps blunt the fees they're eating from refunds I'm all for it.
Thanks for offering but we still intend to eventually meet all our obligations including kits, installs, and requested refunds. The gesture still means a lot to us, so thank you, but we will be in touch to offer you what you are entitled to.
capsule01 wrote:Hi, all.
I requested a refund on January 31st and have yet to hear anything back from James/Evan. I actually tried to open communication through PayPal but was met with an instant denial as a potential case can only be opened within 180 days (I sent the money June 2020). Lovely.
If James/Evan is reading this; can you please just refund me? I know you guys are drowning in emails and other refund requests but it's been nearly three months. I've sent multiple emails over these past few months since 01/31 so I don't think I'm being impatient/unreasonable.
You definitely should have heard something and would have it if were not for a direct hit from an EF-4 tornado, which you probably were not even aware of, so you are not being unreasonable at all. I appreciate that you are being so patient. Let me reassure you that Ichinisan will get to you. Sorry for any distress this may have caused you.
kronflux wrote:NeverCameBack wrote:This goes without saying in any business deal that isn't a SCAM.
This isn't a business. At all. Nobody said it was. If you believed it was, you simply lied to yourself. This is an attempted group buy of a "product" that is not mass manufactured, nor sold at any official store. There is no business backing this. This is an exchange between a very small number of people who are trying to cater to a MASSIVE amount of participants.
There have been updates, albeit very infrequent and lacking, but they are there. There's literally a global pandemic going on right now, people have real lives to deal with which are far more important than something they do on the side.
They literally owe you absolutely nothing. This is a risk for anyone in a group buy situation. It's like backing a kickstarter, you're not guaranteed ANYTHING.
I, and many others here, fully accepted this risk and the potential to lose the money we put into it. That said, they are slowly processing requested refunds as well - which tells you a lot about character.
On top of that, other options are being investigated, while original orders are still going to be processed as possible - they have to test each board, and are also waiting on flex cables. Shipping also takes time.
Thanks for reminding people that this is a group buy and not a for-profit business. People sometimes forget or equate us with GameTechUS or RetroActive. ...but I definitely have to disagree with the idea that we don't owe anyone. We do, and we still plan to follow through with our obligations with what you paid for, an agreeable alternative like N64Digital, or a refund.
nmalinoski wrote:kronflux wrote:They literally owe you absolutely nothing. This is a risk for anyone in a group buy situation. It's like backing a kickstarter, you're not guaranteed ANYTHING.
Gonna disagree with this bit. Backing a crowdfunding campaign is a glorified donation, and you are correct that anyone to whom you give your money in this fashion does not legally owe you anything; however, this group buy is explicitly money in exchange for goods and/or services, with the understanding that the collective payments will be used to purchase the product--this is more akin to preordering or backordering product, not making a donation with merely a hope that you will get a selected kickback.
I would say those who would prefer a refund are entitled to it, but with the understanding, and the patience that should come with it, that you expressed about this being run by a small team that has been inundated with reasonable and excusable setbacks.
Yeah, and crowdsourcing is often a for-profit venture while the the group buy is not. I absolutely agree that we owe every participant their kit, an agreeable alternative (N64Digital option), or a refund and don't want anyone to think we would use the disaster as an excuse to reneg on our obligations.
capsule01 wrote:If this were the case, then why was it not stated in the main post? I personally would have never sent my money had I known that there was no guarantee of receiving the product I ordered.
I agree that we are still obligated to everyone and we still fully intend to meet all obligations no matter how long it takes.
capsule01 wrote:I am not going to pretend that losing $130 is going to irrevocably alter my life, so I may not be as enraged as others. However, none of this risk was ever mentioned in the main post and there’s been absolutely no communication from OP. The tornado could have blown my house away completely from the foundation, but I would still find a way to let me customers know what’s going on.
We did update here. Sorry you missed it since it wasn't in the OP. I also expected Ichinisan to find a way but after a week with no power or Internet at home I had to make the update here myself and, of course, I can't edit the OP. I essentially took over situation updates since I was the only one with semi-regular Internet access (public WiFi at work where I'm not even supposed to have my phone).
...and we very nearly had the house completely wiped off the foundation and the home was largely destroyed so that really isn't much of an "even if" exaggeration. We were extremely lucky the house was mostly still standing and only a hair away from losing everything.
This is literally my neighbor who lives feet away:
https://weather.com/news/weather/news/2 ... ornado-ef4
Yes, that is an empty foundation (what very nearly happened to us). This is what it looked like before (car was parked in the garage):
This is the geyser of water Ichinisan and I shut off:
...not that it limited his property damage but maybe it helped restore a bit of water pressure to our neighborhood. Heck, that's Ichinisan you see at the end of this video where you hear us discuss retrieving the water meter shutoff tool we have:
https://i.imgur.com/3OEsv4L.mp4
The neighbor's exact home is where National Weather Service confirmed it was an EF-4 (red spots where the survey observed damage that requires 170MPH winds):
The tornado varied between half a mile to a mile wide and covered 38.9 miles. It came from our direction and was still hitting us when it hit that neighbor so we definitely took a direct hit from the strongest part of an EF-4. Just because the foundation wasn't wiped clean like the neighbor doesn't mean we avoided catastropic damage. DHL even assumed our place was uninhabitable when they tried to deliver:
My brother's footage of the tornado impacting us even shows that we almost lost it where you can see the basement wall starting to split just above the foundation level:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouzt7K3mjfU
The video would've shown him opening the basement door to discover the collapsed trees/balcony if the recording weren't interrupted by a call warning us of the toranado that had already hit us.
So, yeah, this was ALMOST as bad as your worst case scenario and the only thing that really distinguishes it is that the kits and consoles inside are mostly OK. The rest of the impact is largely the same since we literally went through the same tornado (utility and service disruptions, loss of transportation, impassable roads, exposed to the elements, physical injury, no place to sleep, etc).
samson7point1 wrote:It's not my intention to interpret anyone's actions or guess at their intentions. It has been four months since I started asking about a refund and there has been no acknowledgement from Ichinisan or CZroe. I get that Marshall is not a great communicator, there was a virus panic, and a tornado and that a lot of people have feelings about this that inspire them to argue on the forum and nothing I can say is going to alter any of that. My sympathies on your personal hardships and no hard feelings for anyone. I'd just like some idea that my request for a refund is eventually going to be acknowledged and I plan keep gently, respectfully asking every once in a while in hopes of getting a reply from Ichinisan or CZroe.
Rest assured: We will take care of you! Feel free to continue reminding us if you like.