Back in 2020 I was a beta tester for the Polymega (PM). If you don't know what the Polymega is, it is an emulation based multi-console that plays legacy consoles. Several clone consoles exist that can play multiple consoles, but this is the first to have CD capability. So, for the first time you can play Playstation, Saturn, Sega CD, Neo Geo CD, and Turbo Grafx CD games all on one console, natively on your modern flat screen TV. I wrote initial reviews here. and here. Some time has passed, updates have occurred, and improvements have been made. I wanted to give an update on the system and how well it holds up.
Emulation quality is very good for the most part. The user needs to keep in mind that nothing ever really compares to original hardware, the closest being FPGA (field programmable gate array, hardware simulation) devices, which the PM is not. The original announcement of the PM purported hybrid FPGA emulation, which was quickly rescinded due to cost, so it is now completely software emulation based. There was also some poor social media discourse from the official PM publicity team that was in poor taste. This really got some people mad, and there is a lot of vitriol and harsh opinions of the PM because of this. I don't think the device should judged based on what the company spokesperson said on social media. That was six years ago, and the stigma still follows it around to this day. The rise of FPGA solutions almost make emulation sound like a dirty word, but emulation has progressed significantly to the point where is is almost indistinguishable for systems up to 32 bits. This is a weird wrinkle in the story of the Polymega, and at this point, you are either someone who doesn't care if it is emulation, or someone who can't get past the fact that it almost wasn't. Anyway, I digress...
What I can say is that 95% of games the emulation holds up and I cannot tell the difference. The controller ports on the element modules are low latency, so the lag is minimal, whether using wired or wireless 8Bitdo 2.4 ghz controllers. Lag is always my concern with software emulation, and while I know there are methods to minimize this with powerful cpus and the like, your average retro gamer is not going to configure retroarch emulator settings for run ahead mode. The Polymega does an admirable job in this regard, as long as you are using the controller ports in the element modules. I won't even consider using the USB controller port for action games as that port has noticeable lag in some games.
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| There was a lot of time spend on the GUI |
The user interface is very clean and attractive, The game thumbnails pop, and the cover art is retouched, making all artwork "fit" together better. It's hard to describe, as I am not a digital artist, but there seems to be a universal color filter that results in many different art styles and colors meshing well. There are a few instances where the cover art is absent, and only the marquee title is present for some reason. I really like looking through the collection and seeing all of the thumbnails that are sortable by consoles, genres, years, number of players, user ratings, etc. Playlists can be made easily.
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| Every game has metadata |
Next I will discuss each of the modules one by one:
EM-01: The "Power" module for NES
NES emulation is good. There are a couple of games where a seasoned player will pick up on the emulation, like Mega Man games, but even then there is not an issue as far as execution. Famicom games are supported, but you will need a cartridge adapter. I have noticed that some games with slightly recessed pins do not read reliably in the module, so some reseating is necessary. The included NES controller is fine, but the lack of concave buttons is not my preference. The right-thumb upward button angle is nice, an improvement over the original. It is a bit smaller than the original for some reason, which is not an improvement. To improve the controller, a turbo feature would be helpful, especially in shooters, hence I use the 8Bitdo 2.4 ghz controller for that.
EM-02: "Super" module for Super Nintendo / Super Famicom
This module is compatible with all regions, the opening is wide enough to accept the chunky North American carts or the curved Japanese and PAL carts. The SNES controller is OK, but similar to the NES controller, the concave buttons are missed. Tt is also a touch smaller. A controller intended for nostalgic adults should probably be the same dimensions or larger, perhaps?
EM-03: "Mega" module for Genesis, Mega Drive, and 32X
A nice bonus is being able to play 32X games with the same module. The Genesis controller has the most liberties taken in its design, and suffers for it. In some attempt to give the controller "handles", it bends downward, as if to mimic a modern controller grip. This causes the dpad to have an unnatural height over the shell, moreso than existed in original controllers. This boomerang curve is not a big deal, but the dpad on that controller is not as accurate as it needs to be. I can see what they were going for, improving the ergonomics of the controller to modernize it, but the most critical feature of the controller dooms it.
EM-04: "Turbo" module for Turbo-Grafx 16 and PC Engine
Depending on which version of this console you are referring to, the games were on credit card sized slabs of plastic that were called Hu-cards or Turbo chips. Fourteen year-old me was amazed at how a video game could fit on such a little card, especially when you compare it to a SNES or NES cart. These cards slide into the obvious center slit. I will say, that I which they went further in. The chips stick out quite a bit, its reminiscent of a diving board and even though there's no mechanical stress or threat, it just bothers me.
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| Hucards show the entire label art |
The Turbo Grafx module controller is very good. It has six buttons, with a toggle for two button mode (some games have compatibility issues). It has turbo switches, which only have two levels instead of three. I never found this to be a problem, as almost every game I play does not need the turbo function. The dpad is styled similarly to the original, with a circular disk that has a central pivot. The size is larger than the original, which was a great decision. Holding small controller over extended periods of time lead to hand cramps, and this alleviates that. The plug is the Japanese PC Engine style, not the larger Turbo Grafx style, which I appreciate, as I have many PC Engine controllers and not a single American version. For how much they messed up the Genesis controller, they made up for it with a superb PC Engine controller.
EM-05: "Ultra" module for N64
A new N64 module has been released, which comes bundled with a custom Retro-bit N64 controller that was modeled after the Japanese Horipad mini N64 controller. I am not a N64 enthusiast, so I cannot comment on the quality of the N64 emulation, but word among Polymega die hards is that it is good but needs some tweaking. Since the N64 is notoriously finicky to emulate, this is no surprise. The N64 controller is fine, but to be honest i haven't used it a lot as N64 is not my thing.
The Polymega Gun Controller was announced in 2021. As you may not know, HDTVs are not compatible with retro light gun controllers. Technology has found a way around this, and with this modern light gun you can enjoy all the classics like Duck Hunt, Lethal Enforcers, Virtua Cop, and so on. At the time of this writing the gun controller has yet to ship, so that will have to be reviewed at a later time.
The feature that I appreciate the most is the save state feature. As I get older, I have less discretionary free time. This is why my genre of choice ever since I had kids was arcade style games like shoot' em ups and brawlers. With only sporadic pockets of time, committing to a long adventure game or a role playing game was not in the cards. My game choices open up, knowing that I can save at any point. There are many games that I know the first level or two so well, but you never really get past a certain point due to time constraints. Games like Kid Chameleon, Super Mario Bros 3, Rygar, and other games that lacked save features of any kind can now be started and continued on command. Equally as helpful is the fact the the save states are represented with a screen shot, clearly indicating what is going on , which is vastly preferable to save states with file names or dates.
As someone who is way into a variety of options to play retro games, I have experience with most of the FPGA consoles from Analogue and MISTer, and those are spectacular. They have their use case, and a direct comparison is not entirely appropriate in my opinion. The different products are meant for slightly different audiences. The Polymega at one point was advertising FPGA tech in its early promos, but that was rescinded quickly, and the public relations fallout of that social media discourse has left a lot of people with a bad impression of Playmaji and the Polymega. This stigma still follows it around to this day, and in my opinion is overblown. The Polymega hardware is not FPGA, it is emulation. The rise of FPGA solutions almost make emulation sound like a dirty word, but emulation has progressed significantly to the point where is is almost indistinguishable for systems up to 32 bits. This is a weird wrinkle in the story of the Polymega, and at this point, you are either someone who doesn't care if it is emulation, or someone who can't get past the fact that it almost wasn't. Anyway, I digress...
The Polymega is intended for retro gamers with physical game collections. Piracy is not impossible, but it is clear that is not the intent. Since the unit can rip the games into storage (internal or external), you don't need to worry about scratching your discs or wearing out the cartridge pins on your games.
The all-in-one concept is a benefit to those who want to have access to several consoles libraries without the clutter of a dozen consoles wired in a rats nest of cables to the TV. Also consider the task of needing to upscale retro consoles to even be visible on modern TVs. The price tag looms large, at $550 for the base unit, and $80 for each element module, but incredibly, it's cost is less than a comparable setup using RGB modified, region-free consoles, and upscalers for all twelve consoles that it supports.
My only gripe is the lack of low-latency controller ports for the disc-based systems. Since the base module is all you need to play CD games, it's only controller interface is the USB ports, which adds latency via the usb overhead. For clarification, all of my Sega Saturn library are shmups, which are require the most precise controller inputs. I cannot use my original Saturn controllers. I know Playmaji is a small company, and the product line must make sense financially, But I would really like to see a module that has low latency controller ports for the disc systems.
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| The base unit module itself is blank, some Saturn controller ports would have been great. |
As time passes, newer technology makes more options available. One has to wonder about how long the target audience for products like this will exist, and when will product interest start to decline. I am glad that I have one, but I don't know how sustainable the product line is, given the R&D costs, small scale production, high cost of entry, etc. The retro gaming hobby is niche, and hardware like this is a small part of that niche. If this is something that you might be interested in, you should probably pick one up now.
The bottom line is, this product is for you if:
- if you have a collection of retro games and would like to be able to use them
- you don't mind emulation (high quality)
- you want to reduce clutter around your HDTV
