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assuming no ROMs are being distributed
So long as no copyrighted code/information was contained on the multi, Cave would have to argue its sole purpose was to circumvent copy protection.Trying to get it covered under the DMCA circumvention definition to block sales is all they could do, it would likely fail to meet this classification however.
After all it's a development tool so you can program your own games, not intended for piracy. ;)
So.. they could, at most, try blocking distribution in the US? :P

A more pressing concern regarding a CAVE multi in my opinion are the prices and scarce availability of existing boards. A quick eBay search produces few results, most in the 1000€ price range. This severely limits the accessibility of suitable boards for use as a base for a multi installation, and I tend to think most people willing to fork out such money for a single PCB prefer keeping it in 100% original condition.
 
A more pressing concern regarding a CAVE multi in my opinion are the prices and scarce availability of existing boards. A quick eBay search produces few results, most in the 1000€ price range. This severely limits the accessibility of suitable boards for use as a base for a multi installation, and I tend to think most people willing to fork out such money for a single PCB prefer keeping it in 100% original condition.
Pretty sure this multi would be a complete board replacement (essentially a bootleg). At which point, I'm guessing one of the big zingers would be if those old cave boards have unique sound chips.
-ud
 
Pretty sure this multi would be a complete board replacement (essentially a bootleg).
This^

at $1000+ for an original PCB on the low end it'd probably be cheaper to replicate the whole PCB with the multi built in. It'd be similar to those JROK FPGA based arcade multi kits, where it's not original hardware but might as well be.
 
Pretty sure this multi would be a complete board replacement (essentially a bootleg).
This^
at $1000+ for an original PCB on the low end it'd probably be cheaper to replicate the whole PCB with the multi built in. It'd be similar to those JROK FPGA based arcade multi kits, where it's not original hardware but might as well be.
Mitsu mentioned copyright on one of my post for a Cave multi; I personally would not risk a lawsuit. Let's wait for a retropie solution.
 
If I recall correctly either Mitsu or DS said Cave is not gonna happen.

My vote goes to the PGM as well :)
 
If I recall correctly either Mitsu or DS said Cave is not gonna happen.

My vote goes to the PGM as well :)
So you are gonna get that 2nd cab for a TATE setup then ;)
I'll stick to the TV/supergun setup for those :P
If I recall correctly either Mitsu or DS said Cave is not gonna happen.

My vote goes to the PGM as well :)
People basically wants PGM because of the Cave games, actually :D
True :D
 
Pretty sure this multi would be a complete board replacement (essentially a bootleg).
This^
at $1000+ for an original PCB on the low end it'd probably be cheaper to replicate the whole PCB with the multi built in. It'd be similar to those JROK FPGA based arcade multi kits, where it's not original hardware but might as well be.
Yeah, exactly. Only sensible solution would be replicating the whole hardware platform one way or another, but this steps clearly into legal grey area. Only reason why FPGA implementations of the NES are getting away is that Nintendo has chosen not to legally pursue the matter - but they do still harass DS flashcart manufacturers and distributors.

No matter, I can wait. Good games will still be good games a decade from now, and hopefully by then CAVE won't be bothered by having their ancient platforms cloned.
 
Pretty sure this multi would be a complete board replacement (essentially a bootleg).
This^at $1000+ for an original PCB on the low end it'd probably be cheaper to replicate the whole PCB with the multi built in. It'd be similar to those JROK FPGA based arcade multi kits, where it's not original hardware but might as well be.
Yeah, exactly. Only sensible solution would be replicating the whole hardware platform one way or another, but this steps clearly into legal grey area. Only reason why FPGA implementations of the NES are getting away is that Nintendo has chosen not to legally pursue the matter - but they do still harass DS flashcart manufacturers and distributors.
No matter, I can wait. Good games will still be good games a decade from now, and hopefully by then CAVE won't be bothered by having their ancient platforms cloned.
I was under the impression that Nintendo could not do anything due to the statue of limitation and the paten expiring on the NES, SNES etc...

On another note - I wander if the Super NT (jail broken) could be used as a SAN Box like the Pie where talented people could start learning and writing cores for let's say, CPS1... the Super NT could potentially turn into a cheap and powerful dev tool.

We can take another approach - Ping the Super NT developer and ask the questions.. Can the Super NT run (insert your arcade hardware here) yes or no. My understanding is that he has a good background on arcade hardware. For the "Yes", we could start a donation page like Rewrite's CPS 1.5 to CPS2 project to get enough money were the man can write the core(s) for the community to run on the Super NT???.

Future project for the Super NT dev that we can think off - An OPEN FPGA Jamma arcade box would where capable people write arcade cores; taking a MAME Dev (a collaboration of talented people/team) approach as the amount of arcade systems cores builds up:). 3-5 years before we see something like this but I do see that happening, granted that we are talking about arcade hardware emulation from 80' and 90's, low end stuff (what I care about:) since the Super Nt dev mentioned that we can only get to Playstation 1 and NeoGeo on current FPGAs.
 
I guess a FPGA developer would more likely choose a more powerful and open source platform like MIST or MISTer for example..
 
Only reason why FPGA implementations of the NES are getting away is that Nintendo has chosen not to legally pursue the matter - but they do still harass DS flashcart manufacturers and distributors.
I was under the impression that Nintendo could not do anything due to the statue of limitation and the paten expiring on the NES, SNES etc...
The patents expiring isn't much beyond a cosmetic matter. The U.S. legal system can be used by a company with practically unlimited assets to completely destroy any aspiring small business. This is universally true, completely regardless of any actual legal grounds for it.

By far the easiest workaround would be relocating to China and establishing an anonymous business from there via an obfuscated chain of distributors, since the Chinese don't give a donkey's shit about the crazy 'muricans or the horseshit they call freedom and justice.
 
true, but we're also discussing hardware that is designed, manufactured and distributed via companies and individuals all outside of the USA. does US law even apply?
 
true, but we're also discussing hardware that is designed, manufactured and distributed via companies and individuals all outside of the USA. does US law even apply?
It doesn't apply directly, but then it isn't the Swedish law that Julian Assange is in hiding for, even though that's the only country he's actually charged with anything. The U.S. still wields tremendous power even outside its borders.

I cannot claim to be any kind of an expert on the matter, but even in any European country the basic problem of affording to legally defend yourself is very real. The problem is exponentially increased when the topic is a complex technological one, when no legal professional can be reasonably expected to fully understand the matter at hand, and they are left to interpret simplified explanations provided to them and try to judge based on that. This is a subject of much discussion and debate, and so far we've been heading directly towards the commonly described science fiction future of large corporations slowly taking over governments.

Taking the tinfoil hat off, I consider the only reasonable course of action being to determine ahead of time, one way or another, whether or not a given project would result in legal problems or not.
 
so far we've been heading directly towards the commonly described science fiction future of large corporations slowly taking over governments.
dvd-playerscreensnapz003.png

"But you, like an idiot, wanted to take over the world. Only you don't realize there is no world anymore! Only corporations..."

-Number Two
 
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