After all, who wouldn't want an FPGA-powered Sega super-console capable of playing Master System, Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast games? A diehard Nintendo fan, perhaps, but there's no denying that Sega's legacy is one everyone should enjoy experiencing.
However, as the months have passed, the venture has become less and less appealing; the team behind the project has been curiously reluctant to show off what's powering its prototype boards which has predictably led to intense scepticism and one of the key figures behind it has even been accused of pulling similar stunts in the past to part people with their money.
Many who pledged to support the SuperSega project by handing over a small deposit have now discovered that the full 420 Euro amount has been charged – despite the fact that the SuperSega system, as it stands now, is an unproven device – so much so that many have branded the whole thing a scam.
With the continued insistence that a crowdfunding campaign is on the way, the SuperSega team has produced a new video in which it claims to have sent two prototypes to "fans" for review (the fact that the games being played are the same across both reviews suggests that this is the exact same prototype being played by two people).
Now, the introduction to the video admits that there are things that can be "improved" and that some games still don't work with the device, but even so, this doesn't strike me as the kind of video you'd issue if you were desperately trying to tempt people to part with their cash.
For starters, many of the systems lack audio, and the Mega Drive 'core' crashes twice during the first playtest. It's not a great sign when you consider some people are expecting these guys to master the art of emulating Dreamcast games on a hardware level – something which is shown in this footage, but there's no proof the games are actually running from an FPGA chip.
It seems that, despite the instance that the reviews are impartial, SuperSega founder Alejandro Martin is clearly in the room and controlling the camera. At one point during the first "review", a child present appears to ask if the SuperSega "sucks" following a few crashes and non-starting games, to which the reviewer flashes a very nervous glance to the camera (and Martin) and says it doesn't.
"In a few days we will launch an Indigogo or Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, and the video we link here to you, are the final reviews, of just the prototypes," reads SuperSega's PR regarding the reviews, before adding:
The use of language like "We may get bad news" and "that will be difficult" in relation to the crowdfunding campaign isn't going to inspire confidence in those who have already pre-ordered the console and had the total amount taken from their bank accounts.
If Nothing Else, SuperSega's Latest "Review" Should Convince You To Keep Your Wallet Shut
"No, no, it doesn't suck"
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