Is Foley really the devil..?? (Previously: RetroBlast is a traitor..??)

[KevSteele]

('course, I see the obvious joke has already been grabbed before I could finish typing this...ptooey )

Sorry for stealing your thunder, I just couldn't pass on a good rib.

[IntruderAlert]

so when do we get to see the trackball roundup?
are you having to build them yourself from scratch?

[KevSteele]

so when do we get to see the trackball roundup?
are you having to build them yourself from scratch?

I just got my trackball order last week, after what has to be a personal record for the longest-delayed order - I'm now getting a custom "test panel" built by MAMEroom.com to mount them all in, and I'm doing some preliminary testing. (Actually, I may not be able to mount the 4.5" one - it's practically a bowling ball! )

Trust me, I didn't expect getting everything for this roundup to take six freakin' months!

[IntruderAlert]

I've really been looking forward to it.
I hope you do a video review like you did with the spinners
And if it's not too much trouble I'd like to see how the construction designs differ on the insides
.. what type rollers and bearings are used.. etc.

[KevSteele]

I've really been looking forward to it.
I hope you do a video review like you did with the spinners
And if it's not too much trouble I'd like to see how the construction designs differ on the insides
.. what type rollers and bearings are used.. etc.

Don't worry - I'll have video, and I'll do some "deep inside the trackballs" video and photos...eww, that sounded perverted... 

Kevin

[Edgedamage]

found some pics.
Google Images

[Crazy Cooter]

Do I judge the company by the product or by the personalities?

Both.  You're promoting both when you review their stuff.  Buying products keeps the personality around.

[KevSteele]

Do I judge the company by the product or by the personalities?

Both.

[rchadd]

For everyone who hasn't already, be sure and check out the Ultracade site - it's been overhauled, and he's got a whole bunch of new stuff, such as standalone control panels, encoders, and more:

http://www.ultracade.com/accessories

hmmm....looks like Oscars going to be making some money out of it - his spinners are being using in the ultracade hammer control panel

[rchadd]

http://www.ultracade.com/news/93/ultracade8482-gets-playmeters-cover-story

Other Atari veterans include Vice President of Domestic Sales Elaine Shirley, Engineer Cris Drobny, and receptionist Evelyn Perez. "It

[romperwomb]

http://www.ultracade.com/news/93/ultracade8482-gets-playmeters-cover-story

Other Atari veterans include Vice President of Domestic Sales Elaine Shirley, Engineer Cris Drobny, and receptionist Evelyn Perez. "It

[DarkKobold]

Do I not review it because he's an a**hole?

Kevin

In short, yes.

Think about Walmart for example. They have good products at a price (usually) slightly lower than other places. If you ignore their heavy handed tactics, then go ahead and shop there. Forget the fact that they are forcing American Jobs to move overseas to make the lowest prices possible.

There is a strong movement in this community to boycott Ultracade. Ultracade may very well have a great product, which is affordable and easy to use. That obviously doesn't help the boycott.

[monkeybomb]

What the community could use is a factual account of what really happened with foley.  Forget opinion, speculation and BYOAC threads.   Get quotes from the vendors who were illegally sent C & D letters.  It is news worthy and worth an unbias summary.  It is also esential to verify and clarify the facts around the NAMCO ROM rights.  I have cocerns over the legitamacy of any license he wants to sell.  He can't sell rights to games, then tell people they need to erase them, then start a new service selling ROMs.  The story needs to be told to potential customers and we need this coming from someone who already has repsect and credibility.  And better yet, someone who already has a relationship with most of the vendors.

Let people decide for themselves if they want to support him, but with all the facts.

[Crazy Cooter]

I certainly don't think I'm promoting the person behind the product when I review a product. If the product's good, my review may be promotion for their company, but I'm not in the "personality assesment" business, except when it comes to customer support.

Hypothetical Situation: A person is a real jerk in person, berating and demeaning everyone he talks to. But he makes a fantastic product that's fairly priced and he provides fantastic support to the buyers of his product. Do I not review it because he's an a**hole?

Promoting (via review) a persons product supports that person in the industry.  And yes, if the guy is an a**hole that calls people up after selling them something and tells them to remove it because he never had a right to sell it in the first place... oh wait, that's not fantastic customer support now is it?

There's no reason to speak in hypothetical terms because this isn't a hypothetical situation.  This is the real deal.  This is a guy that has demanded money from people for things that weren't his, he's had auctions pulled on ebay over things he "claims" right too (that aren't his), and he sold Namco games when he had no right to do so.  Is this a guy that you want to help stay in this hobby?  When you review his products, you add legitimacy to his existence here.  Why do you want to do that?  Why would you want to steer people towards this guy?  Did this guy all of a sudden "go straight"?  No.  He has a continued track record of doing anything to make a buck (reference Namco incident).

I just don't understand why anyone would want to steer a newbie in his direction.  What people want to know is whether or not they might get screwed.  As far as Foley... ask someone that "bought" Namco games from him and then had to remove them from their machine.

I've spoke directly with Namco regarding Foley, I've spoke directly with some printers regarding Foley and I've spoke directly with some of the cabinet kit guys regarding Foley.  They are good people with a true interest in where this hobby is going.  Foley is trying to drive them out.  For every dollar you encourage to be spent on Foley's stuff, part of that goes to push the other guys out.  Where does everyone think the money for drafting the C&D letters came from?  Where did the money for the R&D of his latest project come from?  It came from the people that bought an Ultracade system and had to delete the Namco games on it.  By reviewing Ultracade products, you are encouraging the business practices of the company and the people behind it.

Buy Walmart and they will continue to do what they do.  Buy Ultracade and they will continue doing what they are.  Since reviews are essentially commercial advertisements (that's why the stuff is mostly given for free), just stop being a commercial for a company (Ultracade) that is trying everything it can to run the people that actually care about the hobby out of it.

[KevSteele]

What the community could use is a factual account of what really happened with foley.

[Crazy Cooter]

I think that would be a good idea, I know another website (which will remain nameless ) that was going to do it, but they dopped it when the MAME TM was switched.

[RetroJames]

CC?

Why don't YOU write the article?

[Tiger-Heli]

How many printers or cabinet makers have received a C&D from Nintendo, Namco, Capcom or any of the others?  None (that I know of).  It's only Foley making waves.  Take the challenge and find out why.  I've already spent hours & hours looking into it and have reached my own conclusion, I'd like to see if there's something in my rant that I'm overlooking.

Namco has hammered some individuals pretty hard.  There was I guy that made his own repro pac-man artwork and NAMCO forced him to take down his website after (2bitscore, I think) complained about it.

[Crazy Cooter]

CC?

Why don't YOU write the article?

Because I can't stand the guy and would never be able to present it without being biased.   Besides, Foley & I aren't exactly on speaking terms.  If I asked him what time it was, he wouldn't answer.

Any ideas who it was that had their site pulled?

[Tiger-Heli]

Any ideas who it was that had their site pulled?

Yep.

(You've got PM).