Spectrum Vega Plus Poll

[kiwimike]

Been a few more cross exchanges over social media leading up to the second part of the meeting in the last day. Also photos of what has claimed to be production photos have been posted...which is interesting considering the 'production' consists of a single tray of half finished items. What is much more interesting is the claim they were taken on Friday, yet there are now claims dates within the photos debunk that.

Who needs Netflix when you have all this to watch?! It would be funny and as amusing cringe as Fawlty Towers if it wasn't for the fact poor buggers have invested in this

[Matt_B]

Yeah, there's no EXIF data, and two shots with a computer screen have the corner where any visible date would be cropped out. It could just be a coincidence, but that's precisely what you'd expect if someone was trying to hide when the photos were taken.

Still, aside from that, you can plainly see that the buttons on the unit in the photos (the only one that actually has buttons on it at that) are different to the unit shown in their latest video in that they're solid colour rather than just a ring around the outside. So presumably they're not production units but just more prototypes if we're to believe RCL's previous denial.

Also, it seems that the second part of shareholders' meeting won't happen until Tuesday, and reports that it was today were just people guesstimating the date. Still, what's another day when we've waited so long?

[adippm82]

Another two updates today, the first urging everyone to change all passwords connected to their email, not rcls fault of course, the second claiming that backers who asked for a blank machine will get units shipped this week, as soon as we confirm details that don't need confirming.

I have also had a couple of people now tell me that the user cannot put their own games on the sd card, apparently it simply will not work that way, don't know if that is confirmed elsewhere.

[The Laird]

I am surprised to nobody has mentioned the big reveals that happened over the weekend!

Firstly that RCL don't currently have a licensing agreement with Sky so can't even release the unit: http://www.zxvega.co.uk/levy-leaks/sky-licence/

Secondly the email exchange with SMS Electronics that shows just how many Vega+ units really have been made: http://www.zxvega.co.uk/levy-leaks/sms-electronics/

And lastly the Fogarty fallout: http://www.zxvega.co.uk/levy-leaks/lee-fogarty/

[Matt_B]

I wasn't going to bring up the e-mails, since they're hard to verify and don't really tell us a huge amount more than what we already know, but seeing as someone else already crossed the Rubicon on that, what the hell.

In addition to the above, it would seem that RCL's directors still have some rather large unsettled legal debts:

http://www.zxvega.co.uk/levy-leaks/michelmores/

Hopefully we'll have a more concrete source for this later in the week if things go to plan at the meeting on Tuesday.

[The Laird]

Let's just say that several notable people have confirmed that these look genuine.

[adippm82]

Mind you, as usual for the Vega plus fiasco, some information on zxvega had been complete nonsense too, haven't bothered reading it for a while, so those links would have passed me by.

[Matt_B]

Yeah, although much of the content of the e-mails is strongly corroborated by other trustworthy sources it's probably best not to trust them as they might well have been cooked up by some troll who has been following the project closely, or possibly even the directors themselves. After all, they've proven to be serial liars and I wouldn't put it past them to sow a false trail that they can prove to be inaccurate during the meeting in order to sway the Sinclair Research vote their way.

That said, if the e-mails are true, there's going to be a lot at stake for them in this meeting. They wouldn't just be looking at getting the sack and having their activities (or lack of them) exposed, but possibly going down for fraud. There might be practically no laws against pocketing the money from a crowdfunding campaign, but I'm pretty sure that you don't get to just walk away from false accounting and defrauding your solicitors.

[learnedrobb]

Dr Levy has apparently used a technicality in the company's documents to postpone the vote for another 30 days.

The saga rolls ever on...

[Antiriad2097]

So...

Who's buying one?

[Matt_B]

More leaks have sprung out. It would seem that there's another law firm they owe money to:

http://retro-computers.co.uk/levy-leaks/teacher-stern/

And a strong suggestion that those leaked bank statements are genuine:

http://retro-computers.co.uk/levy-leaks ... tatements/

As ever, don't take these things as gospel as such things can be faked.

Adding up all the numbers though - from the two law firms, SMS, Indiegogo, Smith and Andrews - it would seem that they're now being pursued for over a million pounds in total! They've managed to rack up debts double the size of the money they took and have absolutely nothing to show for it other than a tray of prototypes and, presumably, the money they pocketed for themselves.

[kiwimike]

To me, incompetence doesn't come into now as it seems they know exactly what they are doing....what loopholes and technicalities to use to their advantage.

[Matt_B]

To me, incompetence doesn't come into now as it seems they know exactly what they are doing....what loopholes and technicalities to use to their advantage.

I'd think that suggestions of their incompetence only ever applied to their ability to make a working games console. They've long appeared to be well versed in using the finer points of company law to obfuscate their activities.

[kiwimike]

So...

Who's buying one?

Seriously, it's harder to know what you'd prefer, to have blown 100 quid on getting nothing at all, or have blown 100 quid on those sorry things they have been showing in the past week that you may or may not get if you are one of the handful selected...that look the quality of a multi platform retro machine/MP4 player handheld that I bought from Ali express at quarter of the price! I should post pics of it, it looks far superior to those, better builds and cost around 25 quid incl post. And it exists!

...I guess those that knock the quality (and the existence for that matter) of the C64 mini... in glasshouses, one shouldn't throw stones...

[Antiriad2097]

Outside of us retro lot, is the wider gaming press talking about this thing at all?

I'm just wondering if we can add it alongside the Gizmondo as a spectacular fail story, or if its too niche to be anything but a footnote against crowdfunding tales.