Coleco Chameleon: My Thoughts - Gamester81

In this video I talk about my thoughts about the controversial Coleco Chameleon.
I'm very sorry to the Atari Age community. They're good guys, and I encourage you to check out the community on here: atariage.com
More info about CollectorVision Games: / collectorvision
For more video gaming news and reviews, visit my website: gamester81.com
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Starwarsnut77: / starwarsnut77
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Gamester81Arcade: / gamester81arcade

[@themarvelpunisher3073]

Reporting on shady business practices is allowed. Comparing deceptive business to ISIS is crazy.

[@utubepunk]

Agreed.

[@Noobsaibot21]

+theMarvel Punisher The fallacy of relative privation :( Personally, as a (recently converted) sub of NES Punk, I will say that I don't expect any kind of apology from Gamester81 (or anyone as such). Yes, even the creator of the console - I have little faith in Kickstarter projects anyway and I know that he just effectively wants to get the money for that mold machine back at this point.

[@skins4thewin]

the point was that he was NOT comparing it to ISIS. were you listening to anything he said?

[@ShadowJax04]

+skins4thewin I can't believe I'm actually about to explain this. When you say "it's not isis" or "it's not the end of the world like for the children in africa" you are comparing.

[@sistaledaren]

Benjamin Bentzen Hansen Want to taste my meatstick?

[@johnhancockretro]

I just wanted to say that I wholeheartedly feel that you did not know what was going on with the CC project, and that people close to the project were all duped. Hang in there.

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

We are all behind you John! Sexually of course! I have known John for 8 years and he is a stand up guy!

[@pjones5054]

+HappyConsoleGamer Just don't ask him about Final Fantasy!

[@RetroGameRemix]

+P Jones But he's an expert on Mag Max.... :)

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

+jumblejunkie The only thing John is guilty of is having large caring hands

[@SomeOrangeCat]

In my opinion, the only one that anyone should be pointing fingers at, is the guy behind the alleged console, and no one else.

[@johnshulz4482]

bingo

[@TipsterLIVE]

+Andrew Vrba You are so right man.

[@steveyboyXRP]

+SATAMxHand thats true . poor grammer

[@xaviermccloud4586]

+Andrew Vrba EXACTLY!

[@willcamick]

+Andrew Vrba Agreed.

[@goldensdomain]

No one lost any money? Are you serious? It's already know that Mike's partners put up a good deal of money in to the project.

[@Gamester81]

+goldensdomain OK, to clarify no backers in the community lost any money.

[@MerryWarner]

+goldensdomain What is it to you If Mike's partners lost their investment money? Tough luck then. Sh*t happens. Like the trolls on the net you're way overreacting. It's not like they publicly funded their initial capital. It's none of your business.

[@OwtDaftUK]

+goldensdomain I think it's obvious he was talking about the public.

[@goldensdomain]

OwtDaftUK What's the difference? End result is that Mike has caused people to lose money.

[@hughstewart358]

+goldensdomain investors know the risks when backing a tech project or they shouldn't be investing.

[@emmettturner9452]

You know what happens when you "go to the source" and ask Mike for answers? He deletes your question and blocks you without giving any.

[@videogamepolak0]

+Emmett Turner well thats it, blocks you and thats the end of your "concern" donate to the kickstarter and support LOL

[@PicoFromTX]

"If you're perfect , you're probably mother fuckin Jesus " ....you mean...metal Jesus ? ;)

[@GameSack]

Thanks for the video John.

[@danvincent7717]

there's something brown on your nose.

[@arcadeperfectreviews2653]

+Game Sack you guys still alive?

[@trentbergin3776]

Both sides need to be heard and this is the best comment I have seen

[@common_c3nts238]

+Ben Onyejekwe balls

[@GameSack]

***** We'll be back soon...ish

[@MetalJesusRocks]

I worked in professional media for several years covering the Consumer Electronics Show and E3 and I never got access to the inside of a upcoming prototype device. Instead media always reports on the information you have at the time and it's unrealistic to think you would somehow know something was fishy... Even early game developers are usually coding on Windows machines or clunky test machines that are nowhere near the final specs.

[@BeatEmUps]

+Game Ape what does any of that have to do with John? His eyebrows were raised just like the rest of us.

[@FireMrshlBill]

+BeatEmUps What did Pat's video have to do with John? It was directed at people still supporting/giving good PR/staying involved in the project after the Toy Fair/SNES fiasco. John dropped out, as he said in this video, and I didn't any video or comment of public support for the Chameleon after the toy fair. So why does John take it personally? After seeing this video I went and checked their twitter posts and saw Pat had one saying he was surprised John would post this video after their FB conversion (whatever that means). Whatever though, I'm not a Pat fanboy or a Gamestar81 fanboy. However, John giving Mike and the Retro team a pass by feeling sorry for him and downplaying it as a mistake instead of trying to trick people he wanted to give the project money, especially since he has posted at least 4 fake prototypes of the VGS and Chameleon... not sure if I'll be seeking out his videos in the future.

[@brianmaglinger2005]

I agree Metal Jesus!

[@omnisense5052]

That only applies if the financial risk lies on the CC team themselves, which wasn't case here. It was a kickstarter project. A very different thing. On the surface it all looked nice and shiny, but as an investor you should also have the right to know what's underneath. Correct?

[@gamepassholder]

Blah blah blah blah

[@n64glennplant]

It's a sad day in the gaming community when a stand up guy like you gets called out for this. Everyone that knows you knows that you wouldn't deliberately deceive people. Don't let this debacle ruin your passion or make you feel that the majority of people feel that way about you because most of us love what you do. You have our respect ✝

[@rerez]

I completely stand behind Gamester. It's not fair to attack people who are game devs. They release games on tons of platforms, they are NOT responsible for the platforms themselves.

[@Gamester81]

+Rerez Thanks Shane, that means a lot.

[@ScottHough]

+Rerez I completely agree as well. When he was originally talking about the console, I saw some guy that was excited about a new console that he was going to make a game for. Like he said, nobody goes to a developer and blames them for the failings of the console. At least most people don't do that anyway. I'm just upset that there will probably be no console now. I was a bit excited. Edit: I can't spell today...

[@midwestgamerglhf6791]

+Gamester81 Really no need to worry bout the gamester. He just switch into car mode and keep rolling. The trolls can't mess with that.

[@hossrex]

When people don't like you, and you dismiss the reasons they don't like you during your apology, you make MORE people hate you.

[@BSutes]

+Gamester81, I'd like to preface these statements with the fact that I am a subscriber of both yours and Pat's, and consider myself a fan of both of your work. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts about the debacle that is the RVGS/CC. However, I am disappointed with your response in this video for a few reasons: 1) Pat did not directly attack you in any way. You may have felt that he indirectly implicated you, but that is no reason to spend the vast majority of this video attacking him personally. Though you spend a couple of minutes saying that you don't have any problems with him, you spend the rest of the video attempting to undermine him. This came across as rather childish. Pat is most definitely passionate, and can be accused of hyperbole at times, but he did not deserve to be attacked. 2) You talk about Pat needing to think about the fact that he wields "great power" due to his popularity on KZbin, and the fact that many viewers take his word "as gospel." Basically, to paraphrase, you are cautioning him to be careful what he says, because lots of people look up to him. However, this seems to be his exact motivation for spreading the word of caution about the RVGS/Coleco Chameleon. Pat is serving a consumer advocacy role. The "prototypes" put forth by Mike Kennedy (who is taking the lion share of the heat due to his position as project leader) were deceptive and fraudulent. Hardware prototyping may use off-the-shelf development boards and components, but putting the proprietary board of another product (the SNES Junior) into the Jag shell does not constitute a prototype. Similarly, though more egregiously, a capture card in a Jag shell does not constitute a prototype. This is deception and fraud. These "prototype" demonstrations and images were an attempt to stoke interest in the product, and in turn, funding. These are indefensible actions, as you state. The problem isn't that you had something to do with these acts of deception and fraud. I certainly don't think that you had prior knowledge of any of the "funny business." I don't believe Pat expressed this as a concern, either. The problem is that you had a clear conflict of interest when you posted that interview with Mike Kennedy about the Retro VGS. Your company stood to benefit financially by the success of that console (and subsequently the Coleco Chameleon). In posting the interview, you were using your influence as a popular KZbin personality to provide a platform for Mike to explain himself and get things back on track. This is unethical, despite the fact that you consider(ed) him a friend. That said, I don't think you are a bad guy. I think you love gaming, love being part of the KZbin gaming community, and want to spread that joy. I think that Pat has similar motivations. I think that you may have let your emotions get the best of you this time, but as you said in the video, everyone makes mistakes. Unfortunately, it seems as though Mike Kennedy may have made one too many to be trusted by the vast majority of the gaming community when it comes to business ventures going forward. However, I feel that it would be a total shame if this debacle resulted in a feud between two great, upstanding KZbinrs like Pat and yourself. Best of luck in the future Gamester!

[@Night-Jester]

VERY well put.

[@senatortombstone]

+BSutes Best comment on this video! Thanks!

[@wantsomecorn]

+BSutes Thank you for this comment. When Pat made his video, I interpreted it as being more about uninformed gaming websites jumping aboard the bandwagon more than anything.

[@slimdabby]

Truthfully the only reason I'm here is because of comments on pats last video. I saw the one this video is referring to and he never outright said anyone's name. But who knows..

[@retro_jojo3159]

worst Kid Chameleon for Genesis review I have ever seen

[@Antnj81]

I called Pat out on that Kickstarter he was a part of and the dude got so fucken defensive. He's such a hypocrite

[@benderfender2982]

Let's not forget that Gamester81 had his own gaming convention which had a panel all about the Coleco Chameleon. The "all I know about it is my company was going to port a game" is disingenuous at best.

[@billman424]

should of just said you didn't know it was a scam and sorry. Attacking Pat and trying to downplay the seriousness of what was attempted here didn't really help much.

[@neevsmazda07]

agreed

[@neevsmazda07]

+Nosaveddata indirectly i believe

[@neevsmazda07]

Lololol

[@billman424]

+neevsmazda07 i know Pat mentioned engaget, cnet, gizmodo and people still pushing this thing after the toyfair. Which i dont see how that would relate to John in anyway.

[@billman424]

+Nosaveddata no idea what your implying but i was just saying as far as i can see pat said absolutely nothing about gamester81 in relation to the coleco chameleon

[@kenrose2523]

Stop justifying this bro, what this guy did was really messed up. "There are starving children in the world" Really? So because there are starving children in the world it's OK to commit fraud and attempt to defraud people out of their money?

[@90sGasPrices]

+Ken Rose thats not what gamester was saying at all. youre knowingly taking the comment totally out of context. he was simply saying that Pats reaction to the image was really harsh. all he saw is a picture of a prototype. to get that fired up about something you have virtually no facts on is silly.

[@Toki420]

+John Raiden Pats reaction was completely fine.Hes passionate about his hobbies and was just being real about what's happening people are trying to take advantage of retro video game nostalgia and Pat was just stating the obvious ,he never dropped names except for some companies asking them to do some actual journalism .Everyone needs to chill ,and yes everyone makes mistakes but giving Mike Kennedy a pass for what has obviously been a scam from the get go .

[@banjoguyollie]

Pat blocked on social media after calling me a douche bag recently because I corrected one of his statement ... actually he mentions the event at the end of his latest CPU vid on harassment .(he doesn't mention I apologized , twice, and I was a Patreon though ) . He's getting worse and worse, not fact checking and twisting truth lately, pissing off a lot of the community

[@MerryWarner]

+Banjo Guy Ollie BTW love your channel. You notice how he throws KZbinr's with low subscriber count under the bus at any opportunity he gets. Where's the respect on this guy? He does meet them on cons at constant basis?

[@Captain_Neckbeard]

Pats a douche. I would not worry about him.

[@megatronsfury8048]

+Nosaveddata The quicker it dies the better. Why on earth did you tag me into this on twitter buddy? lol

[@Zeldaschampion]

+Banjo Guy Ollie Blocked you on what exactly? KZbin, Twitter, etc?

[@Tornado1994]

+gg gg Pat Contri is a 35 year old e-begger pure and simple. Even Chris Bores has more dignity than him.

[@maverickblah]

Putting a SNES jr in a Jaguar shell and calling it a prototype, and then posing a clear shell on a second unit to see the board and calling it a prototype when it's a PCI capture card is not "making mistakes". It's misrepresenting your product voluntarily. It's lying to the community. There's a difference.

[@brazucagamer]

I couldn't agree more. It was clear that Pats was overreacting for publicity.

[@arcadeimpossible]

The reason things always seem so pitchforkish is the trolls and ignorants have no issue feeding drama and filling comments with I'll informed bs to seem like the majority. I never once questioned your integrity and also believe the majority of people didn't either, the idiots just happen to scream louder. Much love bro.

[@whatifindinteresting3067]

+arcadeimpossible actually John, exactly this above. Arcadeimpossible said it exactly right.

[@AtlasRevolt]

I say this with much respect. You're doing exactly what your complaining about. You're making a video because you are upset that Pat "may have" called you out indirectly. So in turn you "directly" call him out and bring up completely unrelated things.You keep saying "go to the source" so why didnt you go to Pat and ask him if he was refering to you? You guys should talk personally to each other and leave the community out of it. Theirs no need for more drama especially over the Coleco Chameleon.

[@davebladegun3009]

Excellent suggestion. It would also be a good idea for him to explain why he posted this gamester81.tumblr.com/post/139179575782/one-of-the-games-were-working-on-sydney-hunter ....... Either he is an absolute fool and was deceived by Mike Kennedy's electrical tape prototype, or he just flat out lied. Neither is very good.

[@babloo1666]

+Atlas Revolt exactly

[@FakeGarbage]

Dude there is a video called "New Cartridge Based Console & 1st Gameplay Shown! - GAMESTER81... 1st Gameplay Shown? The video gives the impression that you are playing the game on the DVR pci card (aka "prototype")!!!! and thats not nice my man !!! scam fail!!!!

[@AggroNoobs]

+FakeGarbage "Published April 7th, 2015." The talk about the console was what he had to go on. The stuff we had at the time. The gameplay isn't from the system but just to demo and show the game in early states.

[@djinnhoopa7599]

Kind of ignorant of you

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

+FakeGarbage Yep, I think John was more involved into this then he admits. He only made this video once it was 100 percent exposed as a scam.

[@AggroNoobs]

Far enough but the absence of disclaimer does not mean incrimination. I can't say what his intentions are because I am not him nor do I know him personally. I'm only taking what I see and what is discussed as it is. Personally. I'm fucking sick of this entire thing as it is and unless someone finds something to damn anyone without a doubt I could give two shits less at this point. I'm not buying one. Don't support it. End of story. Let it fade into console vaporware memory.

[@AggroNoobs]

SPQR101010 Understandable and rightfully so. But the witch hunt has gone on long enough and I'm sick of it. Just let it die. It's shitty. It's scummy. We can't confirm who is and is not involved. Just let it die. Letting it fade into forgotten obscurity is about the worst thing you could do to that team of "developers".

[@johnnyalias9596]

Pat gets views because he's got charisma. He was quite fair. Have you reached out to the source? You're talking circles around this while saying he should hit the source. Why haven't you?

[@grandered3695]

Pat has charisma, and I can understand what he's saying. John's voice is SO deep and his enunciation so poor that I can't understand him sometimes.

[@johnnyalias9596]

+Grande Red (Cat) I can see that. They both have their draw. I'm not teaming up on anybody, but I think Pat is right in this case.

[@TheRealPapaChico]

+Grande Red (Cat) I can barely stand anyhting he says lol for real though. Where does he mumble about pat in this video?

[@johnnyalias9596]

Gamester81 just has one of those voices. I get why some people think that. Again, I was mad that Gamester81 was tied to some of this project. He came out and told his side, then said he was sorry for the problems. That's cool with me. I do think his fans were owed that and he owned up to it and handled it.

[@JohnRiggs]

You're awesome. Know that. We have your back, buddy.

[@Chalexim]

If you have a problem with what he said why not reach out to him directly and talk with him instead of damaging careers? I can understand you defending yourself but calling him out when he in fact did NOT call you out is causing useless drama.

[@davebladegun3009]

Yep.

[@stephblackcat]

+Michael Kelley It's important for Pat to realize when he's as big as he is that he needs to choose his words carefully. Instead of calling out anyone with association like he did which caused the hate mob ready to lynch to go after the most ancillary of connections he should have been very specific with who he was putting fault on.

[@6WaysToSomeday]

+Michael Kelley you don't have to use someone's name specifically to call them out, esp in business... but not according to Pat, who said just that in his pitiful defense - not using the name and quoting himself exactly ("associated directly") as if that was enough...clearly it wasn't. Pat unquestionably has got something big to learn from this too. His reference to himself as just the "messenger" makes this video's opinion that there are more important things to rage over as simply unique

[@Chalexim]

+idz135 That's a good point and I agree! Pat was a bit brash in the way he went about this but I also don't think two wrongs make a right. Gamester81 could have gone about this in a healthier way and been the bigger man, reached out to Pat personally if he felt so passionate about the subject at hand and hurt personally.

[@stephblackcat]

Michael Kelley That ignores the fact that Gamester needed a way to rapidly defuse all of Pats fans who came to him to flame him because of Pat. He signaled these people by mentioning Pat.

[@braselthegamer]

I can't believe people started dragging your name through the mud over this. I don't really understand how you ended up as the scapegoat.

[@byteblok]

Gamester81 was an opportunist way before the caleco mess, which can be good or bad, depending on what he's trying to do.

[@dave4shmups]

I've been watching your channel since 2008. You are a staple of the KZbin gaming community, and I'll keep watching your videos. God Bless!

[@Tornado1994]

+David Halligan Ditto.

[@proeyebry]

+Tornado1994 Me Too!

[@VirtualRobotsRevolt]

There is nothing wrong with getting angry about the fact there's a company that is about to start taking donations for a product that doesn't appear like it will ever be finished.

[@BeatEmUps]

Behind you 100% Gamester. Thank you for the video. Sorry you have to put up with this stupidity and bullshit.

[@Captain_Neckbeard]

Me too. No one likes Pat for a reason.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

Why are you ripping into Pat? There is bigger things going on so why get mad about this? That could be said about anything. Say someone broke into your house and stole all your gaming stuff, you'd be livid. But you shouldn't be, because Isis is blowing people up. Half the time you are kind of defending the Chameleon. Maybe there is an explanation? If there was then Mike would have explained. What the heck kind of explanation is there for putting a SNES in a Jaguar shell then just sticking a capture card in there. Actually you are right, there is one explanation SCAM!

[@stephblackcat]

+Classic80sStuff Might it be because he feels like Pat sicked people on him to badmouth him and demand an apology for being in any way associated with the project? When you are as big as Pat it is important that you choose your words wisely. He may not have intended to let loose the hounds of war but those hounds of war want to be let loose so what he said was good enough for them.

[@gergalurg]

Saying things like "What, are you perfect? You've never made a mistake?" or "This isn't the worst thing in the world. ISIS is blowing people up, guys!" or "Get off your high horse!" and your various other comments that belittle people for being offended at what you now admit was a total scam... THAT'S why you're catching shade, +Gamester81, and if youre going to keep pretending you're "owning it" but spout that other BS in the next minute, you're asking to be called out as a bullshitter. If you want it both ways, tough. You can't have that.

[@RetroReaktor]

John, you are 100% right. Pat thinks that he is autority when it comes to video games. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He has bashed every new project, every new idea regarding retro video game stuff. He is big on pointing out resellers on his "Flea Market Madness" but he roams fleamarket, finds games that he sells at conventions.. Such a hypocrite. Don't let guys like that bring you down.

[@billschlafly4107]

+Retro Reaktor I like some of Pat's content but that re-seller crap has always aggravated me because we all know he does it. He goes into minutia when differentiating a "re-seller" from someone like himself because he's a fan...or he'll sell it at a discount. It horse hockey IMO. If you buy something with the intent to sell it then you are a re-seller. Pat buys stuff with the intent to sell it so he's a re-seller. He's an opportunist just like the non-fan businessman re-seller. Hypocrite is right.

[@stephblackcat]

+Ted Soto Here's the question. When he buys and then sells again is he 'reselling' (selling at a rediculous mark up) or just reselling (selling at a fair markup). As I understood it he primarily bought excess stock to sell for a slight markup and/or to use as trade fodder. I'm against 'resellers' but I would be more than willing to sell any excess stock I come across.

[@Robert-dv2ot]

+Ted Soto I couldn't agree with you more. I stopped watching his videos months ago. Don''t give him the viewership

[@02337755]

Your totally right

[@stephblackcat]

***** Pat did not name him directly sure. But he did send the Pat-sies after "anyone connected to the project" how hard is it to predict that the Pat-sies would go after even the most ancillary connections? Pat should have picked his words more carefully. John needed to defuse the griefers he's been getting and the best way to do that would be to address them directly. By mentioning Pat he made it clear he was talking to the Pat-sies. Please grow up and learn how professional communications works. They have a class for learning specifically that if you can't figure it out on your own.

[@Jayhooft]

I stand behind you my friend. Always.

[@AdamSmithisnothere]

So the dude tried to keep people from spending 120+ bucks on a system that the creators lied about numerous times and Pat is the bad guy. Personally glad he saved me some cash; you defending GS at all is BS.

[@musclemark2710]

you dont know what you are talking about. He just was creating and putting a game on the system. gamester81 was excited for the new console because of what was told to him. He was just speading the good news!!! Stop being fucking idiots, he was just making a game!! anybody got a problem with gamester81 they gotta talk to me!!!

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

+Adam Smith So what if people got ripped off? Much bigger things are going on like isis blowing people up. ;)

[@musclemark2710]

True indeed. Bottom line nobody needs to assasinate gamester81 character, that man been putting in work for years and always kept it and keeps it real everytime. Most of all he is always positive and brings good vibes through his videos.

[@musclemark2710]

pat just did not choose his wording carefully.

[@truiz123]

Pat comes off as a Know it all.

[@kgh237]

And he has too much ego and is full of himself sometimes after watching his podcast. That's just how I feel about him though.

[@HeavyMetalGamerShow]

To me all of this other bullshit is not needed. I understand why Pat did his video, and I don't think he called you out. Then again, I am a fan of both you and Pat. At the end of the day, there is only one group, or person that everyone should be pissed at, and that is the developer of the Coleco Chameleon and nobody else.

[@CandisClassicGameShrine]

+HeavyMetalGamerShow Yeah, I'm pretty sure his video was emotionally charged but still brought up valid points. He called out specific places/people. Pretty sure he would have just called John out directly TBH. What's likely the case is people that watched the video interpreted it the way they wanted to and it became like a fucked up game of Telephone. Not going to lie, I watch both John and Pat but there have been times where John may not have presented himself well around the RVGS/CC. By making this video you're only adding fuel to a fire that was started by people that weren't directly involved in the conversation. John said in this video to, "get your information from the source..." He should take his own advice and privately spoken to Pat to get the facts before making the video.

[@FireMrshlBill]

+Candi's Classic Game Shrine According to Pat's twitter, they had a convo on FB and he was surprised that this video was posted.

[@HeavyMetalGamerShow]

+gg gg That's funny, I never heard John's name come up once in the video. I am guessing you heard it though?

[@CandisClassicGameShrine]

Good to know they at least spoke about it, FireMrshlBill.

[@Space-Holiday]

+HeavyMetalGamerShow you sir, know what you are talking about. 100% agree with everything you've said here.

[@VGRetroQuest]

I like both you and Pat. And he did not call you out by name on purpose. You did promote the VGS a lot though and then went silent when crap started to hit the fan. I am not saying you are guilty by any means, but your response seems almost uncalled for against Pat. Pretty low since he didn't call you out publicly. I will keep subbed to both of you. I like all of your content. This was just disappointing to see.

[@JonathanHenry]

I figured that you were just trying to sell your games. When a new platform comes out, it makes sense to me that you would want to sell your games on it. Beyond that everything else is out of your control.

[@swoll1980]

are those game cube dev kits or something? I see a dolphin on one

[@Gamester81]

+swoll1980 Yeah, they are in the background.

[@swoll1980]

+Gamester81 cool, thanks for the response

[@MatthewBaran]

+Gamester81 That is the coolest! Good find :D

[@Kevb0ardGames]

+swoll1980 yes, the Blue/Purple-ish one even takes Dolphin carts which were giant grey cartridges with harddrives inside for prototype games :)

[@fiftymk_fox4914]

+Gamester81 you did nothing wrong obv. they were just taken you for a ride least what it looks like to me. wounder if they were serious about making it?

[@ShyGuyShawn82]

My words hold no weight with anyone, but I would like to say I really hope John and Pat can resolve things over time and be able to collaborate again. I've met both of them once, and while my opinion is based just on that short time, they were both incredibly kind.

[@TheRetrocade]

Consumers didn't lose money but the deception was there in showing off a SNES at the Toy Fair and posting that picture of a PC board in a Jag shell for thousands of people to see.

[@Liamthewaldo]

I like how he address things and he is all just calm and chilled out about it shows maturity

[@MichaelBtheGameGenie]

Well said John

[@RecommendedPlaying]

I formed my opinion well before any of this controversy. The RetroVGS was just a bad idea out of the gate. There is nothing magical about carts, they were just the most reasonable media solution at the time. It was clear from the get go it was a quick nostalgia-bomb cash grab scheme. Why would someone develop for the RetroVGS when they could develop for Steam and have a massively larger potential customer-base? If they wanted to do homebrew for the NES, or any other cartridge console, you can already do that, Sivak Games with Battlekid being the most notable example to me. The fact's are damning against the system. After the first set of controversy he rebranded it in an attempt to distance himself from the RetroVGS controversy. He never showed the board at the expo. He deleted a picture when someone called him out, and he's delayed the kickstarter. He's bullied people with content ID takedowns who spoke out against it early on. You can say theres two sides of every story, but he's done nothing to prove he is capable of delivering on his promise. I think honestly, at this point he's just trying to get back all the money he spent on acquiring the Jaguar tooling. All he has to do to prove the RetroVGS isn't a complete scam is open up the shell, show the motherboard, and show a game running, and he hasn't done that, after months of this nonsense. I understand defending your friend, but let's be honest, he's in way over his head at this point.

[@RGT85]

Gamester has done more for the community than anyone else I can think of. I'm proud to call him my friend and I think Pat handled this in an immature way. He even attacked myself over being excited for a new console. Love you John.

[@electricmastro]

+RetroGamingTube 85 Yeah, when it comes to scammers, Pat doesn't seem to be one of the most level-headed people in the gaming community. Hopefully, we can learn from this incident and move forward for all the better.

[@RGT85]

It's not even that. I mean Pat's hands have dirt on them too for past things. Everyone does. It's life. Get over it you know? Not one single person outside of those creating the console have lost any money, so who cares?!

[@electricmastro]

I have this feeling that either Pat has dealt with scammers on a personal level in the past and/or he has been seeing this for so long, that he got sick of it and just lost it. :/

[@Sneakyturtleegg]

My man Retrogamingtube85 keeping it real and being level headed. I feel John didn't even need to post this video or explain himself, but I'm glad he did. The only ones at fault are the ones with the knowledge and malicious intent. John had none of that. He was simply trying to grow his company with another business opportunity. Can't blame him for that.

[@thepumpkingking8339]

At time like this. I'm glad I Love Emulation. PS: Where can I buy a clear Jaguar case for my Raspberry PI mk3 ...

[@SeanHH1986]

lol

[@MERLK2]

+The Pumpking King Let`s be honest emu fans: There is only one machine out there that can emulate almost every console till the PS2 quite easy and run most of the games relativly smoothly. If equipped with the correct software. Its called a PC :P But lets also be honest, to get the legal rights to emulate every game on one comercial product would be a much more monumental challenge then, well for example to stuff enough good pc hardware into a jaguar frame to make it a godsend emulation gift XD Ah regarding your tongue in cheek question - i will take it absolutly 100% super serious :D - Look for an surplus store for medical equipment, especially for dentist tools.... Atari sold Jaguar cases as cheap frame for interoral cameras (Hot Rod InterOral Camera) Or you could ask they guy that bought the molding forms and tools for the jaguar on ebay 6 years ago ;)

[@ALitleBitSpecial]

+MERLK2 FPGA (what this system was supposed to use) is different from the software emulation you're talking about.

[@MERLK2]

ALitleBitSpecial I know, thats the main reason why i was sceptical of the project from the get go -and actually quite sad that it developed like it did now. A universal console for old games/games cartridges would be real sweet - and so much more legaly white ;)

[@14catorce]

+ALitleBitSpecial if only it was the FPGA machine many of us wanted it to be... cores to implement most popular retro systems, analog video output in their original resolution and digital scalated to HD as well, cart slot to play original games and miniSD to play ROMs... I wouldn't mind to pay quite a lot for such a machine, even in the Jag shell.

[@manixpc]

Sounds like you and Pat need to grab a beer.

[@locknLoad315]

I agree 100%

[@thegamingphile]

Good on you for posting this. And NOT taking it down.

[@succuvamp_anna]

As someone that watches both of you (you a and pat) I don't think he was attacking you directly at all. I think you did the right thing pulling out. Your company has bigger things to worry about. I hope you all can do a podcast together and just talk videogame, your all's friendship is bigger than this.

[@curtisesteban6477]

Alpha's got your back in his new video...Really probes the gamester81 situation....Hang in there john, people just gotta vent, this will die out soon and everyone can go back to their real consoles and start having fun again....Pat never got personal directly, and if he's your friend you should of known it wasnt directly blasted at you. I think he got caught up in the moment, and taking that personal wasnt your best move.

[@NMack-is3nb]

I 100% agree about Pat's click bait videos. I once asked him why the Video Game year's videos were so short and lacking on info. He then got attitude with me about him having editors to pay. I then told him that I would no longer watch the series as it was a waste of time.

[@Tornado1994]

+Nick Mack Unsub, I did and encourage others. Pat's channel has turned into "Gamespot".

[@NMack-is3nb]

+Tornado1994 Yeah I did. I do like Ian on the Podcast and feel he is a lot more informed at at times then Pat ever is.

[@CyanideSublime]

May I just say that Gamester81 is seriously one of the nicest KZbinrs I've ever had the pleasure to come across. He is the man.

[@Trainy2]

I Agee with you John. The internet tends to blow things way out of proportion and makes people look way worse than they are.

[@RETROGameGuide80]

You got fooled like a lot of us got fooled in the beginning. I don't think any reasonable person thinks you're a part of this mess. I've always enjoyed your channel and will continue to watch. This story is just so bizarre I don't think anyone could have predicted the RETRO VGS/Coleco Chameleon team would fake three different prototypes. Even I thought at some point they would come out with a statement that they needed more time to develop a prototype or unveil one in progress in the interest of transparency. But instead, they kept trying to pull one over on everyone to get funding for a product that didn't even exist. It's absolutely unconscionable.

[@DubiousGamingOnline]

+RETRO Buyer's Guide This is what i've always thought as well. I actually did find the all gen gamer podcast where the had that mike guy on to be pretty interesting. It's a shame things got all sketchy with the prototypes, but i don't think anyone should fault gamester.

[@HoneyMike]

No matter what the community there's always gonna be drama, I think you got the right idea John: Learn from it and move on.

[@anotherbobhead1]

I definitely appreciate this video and to hear your perspective on the entire thing. The whole situation is a mess and I'm sorry to hear people attacked you. Hope you feel better and things calm down later on and all of this just ends up being in the past.

[@Ratbigblock396]

there's a huge difference between "fu@#ing up" and deception.

[@davebladegun3009]

Pat was merely holding accountable the 3rd parties who have given publicity to the Retro VGS/Chameleon, while ignoring all the glaring warning signs that it was a joke. Additionally, I seem to recall him mentioning that Mike Kennedy has made some vague threats to him over Pat's calling Mike on his bullshit. So, I think it is perfectly reasonable for him or anyone else to be outraged by the situation. I've had zero interest in the "product" from the moment I heard about it, in fact the concept of the console is one of the worst business ideas I've ever head in my life, but I still feel angry that someone would go to such great lengths to (intentionally OR unintentionally) scam other retro enthusiasts out of their money. It is ethically wrong, no matter what his motives are, to deceive his prospective customer base whether it be due to gross inadequacy or intentional deception. Mike Kennedy has made a very calculated effort to sell people a big pile of nothing. And, I feel like my emotions are developed enough to feel outrage over ISIS and the Retro VGS at the same time; I doubt there is anyone advocating for a reallocation of military resources to be pulled from the fight against terrorism and sent to Mike Kennedy's house. LOL I agree with Pat 100%. And it isn't because I am a "follower" -- I just think he has taken a rational and measured approach to his discussion of this matter since day 1.

[@the7thlevl]

+Dave Bladegun Kennedy went after ReviewTechUSA as well.

[@chiefmegadeth]

Thank's for that video. I think we needed this to clear things up. I hope Pat calms down and realizes wtf he said,life goes on. Sorry goes a long way

[@jcau99]

Just curious, where does your picture on IG of the Chameleon running your company's game fit into this timeline? Thanks for clearing this up but anyone who takes Pat seriously is not worth wasting time on. For me personally, I never thought RVGS was trying to swindle people but it was comical that Mike and his supporters would never answer questions truthfully. Instead, they would seemingly make something up or belittle the person asking the question. And it turns out those "haters" we're right all along about the console. You said that you have a day job and I think that is key in this. Pat doesn't so this is his life. He profits off of drama. Then again, you have to question the sanity of someone who openly resents and hates a girl he knew in middle school because she tricked him into getting beat up.

[@nintendonick]

No one can think for themselves anymore. Kinda sad. I hope this blows over for ya John.

[@SeeJayAre]

I think Pat needs to get his ego in check.

[@budz2355]

agreed

[@demster001]

He really does need to check himself. I like the CUPodcast too.

[@budz2355]

+Coty Demster I used to listen to it, but I unsubbed a couple months. it just seemed to have less and less retro gaming content and more of Pats opinions about crap. if you want to hear an awesome weekly podcast that is all about retro gaming I highly recommend The Retro League.

[@demster001]

+budz2355 I really wish the all gen gamers would come back.

[@efwefwef4747]

+budz2355 Pats opinions about crap? Hmmmmm sounds like a pod cast

[@KWKBOX]

Pat has been out of control ever since Ian made him so popular.

[@psychwardsandSCENE]

+KWKBOX >ian >popular wut

[@electricmastro]

+Retrospektif When it comes to scammers, Pat really doesn't seem to be one of the most level-headed people in the gaming community. Hopefully, we can learn from this incident and move forward for all the better.

[@Zontar82]

+KWKBOX i stopped following a couple of years ago just because i dared epxress my opinion a game for the NES that he liekd so much that he hated everyone who had something against it

[@KWKBOX]

Zontar82 That must of been one helluva an NES game.

[@Zontar82]

KWKBOX if you keep in mind that,for some reasons,he offended me regarding that fact that i was Italian,like being one is an offense already,yeah you get the point.the game just a piece of crap,an expensive piece of crap

[@HikikomoriMedia]

Always love to hear a level headed approach to the matter. John, you're a solid guy

[@pinfarmer]

Your ok man. Everyone will forget about this thing in a week or two. Too bad people try to destroy others reputations. It's easy to scatter feathers to the wind but can be impossible to collect them back again

[@whitest88]

I think PAT is hiding under the guise of punk. More like a crying baby. Gamester, you the man

[@richterbelmont2]

I enjoy watching both Pat and John, my problem with some of John's statement is that after the RetroVGS was cancelled and started the Coleco Chameleon Mike basically censored anykind of communication between him and the community. Any negative comment or questioning towards the Coleco Chameleon was censored. Mike never took the time to respond to the alligations. All he had was smoked screens. Retro VGS Facebook was ruled with an Iron Fist by either Mike or his PR team. That's one of the biggest reasons why this escalated as much as it did.

[@tootyuk]

+richterbelmont2 that's exactly the point I have just made as well mate, that's the kicker for me!

[@Kousaburo]

Pat still hasn't answered for the Cheetahmen II scam.

[@abbyandhannahsdad2224]

I think you should have been MUCH more cautious before giving your endorsement to this project. I don't think Pat was blaming you for the RVGS/Chameleon scam,but you yourself kinda tarnished your own brand by not researching this a lot more before going public with your plan to support it. Sucks for you but I think its a hard lesson learned.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I'm totally out of the loop with this whole thing, but I think it's a real shame that you've gotten any flack. You're the heart and soul of the retro gaming community here on KZbin. SO many great channels can trace their success back to you in some way. Hopefully everyone can take a deep breath and just move on. Much love

[@lordcanti]

I love your content John but I feel like the personal opinions on Pat should been privately spoken about with him directly and not made into a public video.

[@16BitBrothers]

Can see your angry John, you hit the nail on the head. Everyone makes mistakes... No way your intentions were bad. You have done so much for the community and are so involved and long may that continue. Hope you and Pat can work it out too as I'm sure his intention would not to run your name through the mud xxxx

[@ArcadeRegiment]

I definitely stand behind Gamester. He's always been a humble, knowledgable guy in the gaming community. How was he supposed to know any of this was gonna happen? He didn't like we all didn't. You'll always have my support my friend.

[@Bloufo]

Gamester, you can't possibly still be defending this Kennedy guy? Yet that's exactly what you just did. There weren't just "mistakes" made. Lies and deceit can't just be swept under the rug. He had no proto, he needed one for Kickstarter. Or how do you think the SNES ended up in the Jag shell? That's not a "mistake". Dude you seem like a cool guy but you're either in some denial or far too close to the situation to see things clearly. Anyways, I'll still be following your channel and looking forward to that RetroFreak review vid :)

[@TweeterMan287]

Glad you made this video. Nice to hear your side in this. I honestly trust what you said and I hope this Chameleon fiasco clears up for everyone.

[@Cyraxthe666]

This channel was the first gaming channel I ever subscribed to. You are awesome, Gamester!

[@bluemetal04]

I'm honestly not surprised Pat did that. He (and Ian) did something similar to that last year in their podcast. Calling out a large group of people that I am involved in, saying that we're mentally ill and what-not. I was a fan of theirs until that happened. I honestly don't know how or why his channel is as large as it is today knowing that he will eventually talk BS about his viewers.

[@Chriserino]

I really don't know what's up with all these instigators going back and forth between you and pat's channels. But i have to say, my hat is off to you for handling this like an adult, both for your company and in response to all of this! All those people saying "lost all respect" never really respected you to begin with. Sort of like leaves tossed about in the wind, so are their outlooks and opinions. Again, you handled this like an adult. Much respect.

[@OptimusMaximus78]

exaggeration of pats reaction

[@lorensmith8861]

Back in the good old days, the prototypes of new consoles in game magazines where only concept drawings. The internet was not around to pry into every detail of the development cycle.

[@IITh3WorMII]

Thank you for your integrity on this whole Chameleon debacle. You are the first retro-gaming "celeb" I subscribed to, and I appreciate your time and words.

[@jacobleb420]

Pat is such a hypocrite! Cheetahmen 2 kickstarter anyone?...

[@johnnyalias9596]

Which sold EXACTLY what it claimed to sell. The game existed, worked, and could be sold. The Chameleon is a fake. It's been a lie all along.

[@jacobleb420]

Johnny Alias OK, but Pat also supported a kickstarter that went nowhere . It never sold anything, plus took money from people, this project did not. The guy making the kickstarter for Cheetahmen 2 was asking well over twice what it would actually cost to produce the game. Pius the patched ROM was already online, they didn't even have to do any new programming. AVGN apologized for promoting it, Pat never did that I'm aware of. Remember that Pat was actually promoting the scam product itself, not some unrelated side part of it. Now if we compare that with Gamester81, yeah he made a couple of videos about the Retro VGS and the Coleco Chameleon. But he did those videos not knowing exactly what was going on behind closed doors with the project. All he was doing was developing SNES games that were supposed to get ported for it once the actual system was past the prototype stage. He made the fact that he was just working on games very clear. The games he showed are actual games that will still come out on existing consoles. Going after John about this is like going after Naughty Dog because Sony fucked something up...

[@johnnyalias9596]

+Docter Zaius Cheetahmen was EXACTLY the right price. In a free market the man can charge anything. Just because most gamers and cheap brokeasses doesn't make it a scam. They new the price and what they were getting. Cheetahmen 2 is available to purchase. It was a game cart. It existed. It did what was claimed. WHO CARES IF IT WAS ONLINE? People paid for the presentation. You know I can get Mario Bros for free as a rom. Is the game store cheating me by charging for it? The CC NEVER existed. It's "real" games are SNES games running on a SNES. The new board was a verifiable fake. Pat's rage over this is simple. People like Gamester81 didn't do their homework. They plugged a fake product that doesn't exist. The CC isn't a real product. It never will be. The CC team is trying to take advantage of the easy money available from the trust of the community. That trust was purchased when people sold out. Pat has ever right to rail this thing. As a gaming community we should be pissed.

[@jacobleb420]

Johnny Alias OK fair enough, they should have done more research, does that mean we should go on a witch hunt and burn at the stake everyone remotely associated with the project? If you want to blame someone blame Mike Kennedy. He's the one who deceived everyone. I also find it funny how you twist the facts to try and fit your argument. Everyone knows the Cheetahmen 2 kickstarter was a scam. Do any amount of research on the subject and you will see it never came out, and the guy got away with a bunch of money. AVGN apologized, why would he do that if nothing bad happened? Everyone forgave the AVGN, why can't you forgive Gamester81. Obviously he feels bad and has learned from his mistake to do more research in the future, but he's not responsible for Mike Kennedy's dishonesty.

[@johnnyalias9596]

+Docter Zaius At this point I think it's safe to conclude you don't know what the word scam means. If I sell you a Neo Geo AES for $300 it would be a scam. I don't have one or the means to get one. If I sell you a Genesis for $300 it's not a scam. I own one. If I accurately represent the product and you agree to pay for it it's not a scam. Bad price? YEP! But not a scam. A scam implies faking something or lying about it. AVGN did what he did. I support Pat because I like his content and I think he's fair. He has EVERY right to be pissed. This thing is garbage and experts like Gamester81 should have known instantly this was fake. "No money was taken"....yet. The reason that didn't happen is that Pat, Ian, and several others stepped up and pointed out what was wrong here.

[@thomasstodghilliv]

This whole Coleco Chameleon thing is just a mess. Glad you told your part of the story.

[@NostalgicDan1]

I remember you were one of my earliest subscribers John, and that meant alot to me back then. Even before starting my channel I would watch all your system reviews. I think most logical peeps and long time supporters of you can understand your true intentions and that you harbored no ill will and were just as confused with this situation as everyone else. You wanted to port your guys games to multiple platforms, as most common sense indie devs would do. You fell into this silly witch hunt and guilt by association, which is wrong. I wish you the best John, just keep doing what you do. :D

[@MarvelousWesty]

This entire situation is very petty. High school drama like. It's not that serious. In just a short while, no one will talk, remember or even care about this. Flavor of the week.

[@Fygee]

This video doesn't do anyone any service. You consistently defend Mike in this video, which is he very undeserving of and further demonstrates why people were upset with you in the first place. All of the evidence of both the prototypes being clearly fake, constant lying, and flagrant censorship on his Facebook page essentially amount to "he made a mistake" in your view. This isn't just a mistake. This is willful and consistent behavior. He's doing this because he wants to. Whatever the reasons he's using to justify it to himself, its wrong and unacceptable. Also, bringing all of that stuff up about Pat is wrong. The whole thing was very passive aggressive considering you talk about wanting to put this in the past and remain friends. He didn't call you out by name. He was speaking overall about all of the people hyping this system up, and continuing to do so even when there was continuing evidence that everyone was being scammed. You are guilty of this as well, and I think your defensive response is further proof of it. You could have talked to him privately about it (and maybe you did), but putting him on blast like this under the veil of friendship is, frankly, bullshit. You knew that the only outcome of this is people going on his Twitter, Facebook, KZbin, etc. and trashing his page. Just because people did it to yours doesn't make it right. This was retaliation, pure and simple. Look, I'm not doing this because I want to beat up on you, and I don't want to pick sides between you and Pat. I'm just calling it like I see it.

[@DEEdavE]

much love john, always got your back

[@logicallydashing]

You really hit the nail on the head here, John. I literally just sent in my email to Mike that I am dropping out from RETRO Magazine as Managing Editor and being an ambassador for the console online and on the podcast Talk RETRO. I strongly believe that Mike's intentions weren't malicious based on private talks I've had with him. I won't go in great detail right here, but I wanted to show my support to this video and also extend an apology to everyone for my involvement with the project.

[@Exar_Kun]

Wow seriously people resort to calling you "ugly?" I know you're thick skinned but for what it's worth you are a very handsome gentleman. It's amazing that people would single you out for such trivial reasons but hey the Internet is a strange lover.

[@jeremiahmills5015]

Listen I no nothing about this but Pat does a podcast and tells the news. But he has the right we were all screwed twice by this guy. Maybe money wasn't taking but it was shady and a scumbag thing to do. There's no defending that system.

[@PeteSkerritt]

I think very highly of you and your standing in our community. You're a passionate and knowledgeable person, and what you do adds a lot of value in my humble opinion. I do not think any less of you or your integrity, post-RVGS/Chameleon, and I genuinely feel sad that you're basically a victim of association here. It's not fun to feel that you have to defend your integrity, on-camera, in print, or otherwise. I'm not going to pretend that I don't think that Mike deserves much of the flak that he's been getting. He had to know how to present his products better-- and that includes promptly countering criticism and potential fallout resulting from his prototypes. He failed in this regard, and now the storm is too tough to navigate. I'd be disappointed to see a Pat v. John "war". I hope it doesn't happen, because I think so highly of you both. I hope the air gets cleared and you both remain as amicable colleagues. That would be to everyone's benefit. Stay strong, and game on.

[@clubslaben]

you've always come across to me as a sincere good bloke. thanks for the vid man

[@givezerofx]

I've been watching Gamester81 since the beginning love your channel don't worry the true fans will always support you.

[@Gamester81]

+GiveZeroFX Thats for the continued support!

[@benderfender2982]

Over 600 thumbs-down for this vid. It's kind of reassuring to see that not all people are fooled by the nonsense spouted by Gamester. And his insistence on wanting to defend his pal Mike Kennedy, seemingly at any cost, is quite outrageous.

[@dalesfailssagaofasuslord783]

Quite outrageous that you can watch John lay all the cards on the table and be totally honest and still come here with your bullshit conspiracy’s. He can’t lie that good, he’s not built that way. You must be butthurt over something else involving him. 🤡

[@finngamer]

We got your back.

[@kristianlauttamus2323]

Finngamer also! awesome :)

[@Dongled]

Totally behind you 100% John! People are blowing this way out of the water. Collectorvision is a game developer/publisher. They had nothing to do with the creation of the console. Chill.

[@amylane9411]

+Gamester81 John, you have my continued support!, I publically asked Pat to clarify his comments but he blocked me from his KZbin channel and deleted my question, I was polite with my question but he refused to respond, his silence speaks volumes, please keep up the great work John, looking forward to more video's from you :)