TID: Mystic BBS 1.12 A45   
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    KM> Has anyone tried out one of the Foenix F256K machines? I was watching a   
    KM> video on them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57FuA8YuXn0) and they   
    KM> look interesting enough. I was wondering if others had experience with   
    KM> them.   
      
   I've seen a few reviews. First was with Jan Beta and then a short one with   
   Retro Recipes. It is too expensive for me but as time goes, things should   
   hopefully change. I may be wrong, but the largest expense for this device is   
   the case printing and keyboard (which is fully mechanical).   
      
   I'm not really picky about my keyboards. The one i've overused for three   
   years is a chicklet style Dell keyboard issued by my office. I really like   
   it. If they were to release the foenix with a standard membrane keyboard I'm   
   sure the price would go down sharply and I would have zero issues using it. And   
   if they were to do a kickstarter for a batch of injection molded cases, I'm   
   sure it would be cheaper and I would likely donate. I'd buy a kit too.   
      
   I wish more of these outfits were able to set their shops with their own   
   injection molding stations - but I'm sure that's really expensive and   
   requires a load of learning to utilize properly..   
      
   I had early interest in the 8-bit guys's cx16 and lost interest about two years   
   ago. It managed to scratch it's way out of vaporware territory to   
   barely-made-it-out territory - no doubt due to the generous donations of a   
   surprisingly eager community.   
      
   I grew frustrated in the project. They put up a site & forum, listed a large   
   scope of plans. As a result, a community formed around it and many people   
   wrote software for the platform. They ignored the forum they created (instead   
   focused on their facebook page), asked to be left alone (because many months   
   would pass without updates), collaborators admitted to taking multiple months   
   off of the project to do other things. It seemed obvious that the project   
   team had zero interest in continuing (I won't forget David's winter emergency   
   and flooding problem - which was beyond his control). In this time of ignoring   
   everyone, David wrote an entirely new game and ported it for every retro   
   system that has ever existed and posted videos about it. It was a bit   
   insulting to see his community waiting for updates while he was in an   
   entirely different mindset. I know everyone has to make a living - but when a   
   community is at your door knocking, you don't blow them off. That's a dick   
   move.   
      
   It really bugged me that they asked to be left alone. If they were more   
   steadfast in giving information, their community wouldn't badger them. Retro   
   recipes dude was the moderator of the forum, and soon got removed from the   
   project due to many disagreements with his collaborators. You may be able to   
   notice that I've grown to dislike David.   
      
   They raised a buttload of money on the project and spent much of it on   
   hardware that effectively didn't work well (like the auto-solder machine and   
   the solder bricks) - and were forced to outsource the board manufacturing to   
   an outfit in texas - which they could've done from the beginning and saved a   
   ton of heartache and money.   
      
   The Foenix is what the cx16 could have been - it was created quicker with   
   fewer issues. It's a small, intimate package that gives that feeling of   
   retro-goodness.   
      
   For the Foenix, I'd have to get the wifi module to connect to bbs systems   
   (which is how I'd primarily use it). I'm just waiting for applications to be   
   written. I'd eagerly buy game cartridges for it too.   
      
   Daniel Traechin   
      
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