NGDEV - What are they thinking?

[LazerFlux]

I reached out to NGDEV about trying to buy their entire MVS catalog...

Does anyone understand what their business strategy is?
Are they doing this as a hobby or something? If that's the case, why go through the trouble of having a distribution network?
They're not even trying to meet demand.
I'd really really like to purchase legitimate copies to play these, however they're making it very difficult.

The email thread I had with them is as follows.

 

[ReplicaX]

They control their release and reprint quantities. They have always been this way, especially with a niche system. As far as the fine details, I have no idea. You are better off buying used if you really want them.

 

[XtraSmiley]

I agree. I'm not clear on why a company wouldn't keep stock on hand, other than scarcity driving up prices/demand.

I mean, if you can sell a product, why not sell it?

Not sure what is going on with them. Maybe it costs too much to keep stock on hand?

I would just do pre-orders. Get full price out of people, leave it open for a week, then order that many plus some extras in case of damage/missing and be done.

Do pre-orders quarterly or twice a year or something.

 

[rewrite]

I would just do pre-orders. Get full price out of people, leave it open for a week, then order that many plus some extras in case of damage/missing and be done.

That's what they do already. And they leave them open for months on end. They just don't open them terribly often.

I'm sure though that they know their demand more than we all do. Maybe all we see is a small vocal minority, and in reality they've had 17 emails for a Neo XYX reprint over the past two years and there is no real demand.

You are better off buying used if you really want them.

Yep. Games get reprinted every 3-5 years, and that's about it.

There's a Kraut Buster for sale in our FS section right now.

 

[PXL Bill]

I'd really really like to purchase legitimate copies to play these, however they're making it very difficult.

Just search for the rom and play it on a flash cart - NGDev games are mediocre at best.

 

[LazerFlux]

That's what they do already. And they leave them open for months on end. They just don't open them terribly often.
I'm sure though that they know their demand more than we all do. Maybe all we see is a small vocal minority, and in reality they've had 17 emails for a Neo XYX reprint over the past two years and there is no real demand.

You might be right about that. I'll just have to keep an eye open I guess.

There's a Kraut Buster for sale in our FS section right now.

That's a very bold statement.

I don't expect I'll ever be doing any business with you again, beyond our arrangement for the pcb I sold to you.

I'd really really like to purchase legitimate copies to play these, however they're making it very difficult.

Just search for the rom and play it on a flash cart - NGDev games are mediocre at best.

This is not something I'd prefer to do, however I also haven't had any luck with finding MVS dumps.

@XtraSmiley I am in the same line of thought. I have no idea why they wouldn't keep some stock on hand.

 

[rewrite]

That's a very bold statement.

I don't expect I'll ever be doing any business with you again, beyond our arrangement for the pcb I sold to you.

Huh. I thought we'd put that behind us. I guess reality is I put it behind me and you have not. I learned something today.

This is not something I'd prefer to do, however I also haven't had any luck with finding MVS dumps.

Sounds like DC copies are for you then! They are indeed mediocre games, and you can play before you pay to see if you even want to buy them. Save yourself $700/cart by spending $0.07 on a CD.

 

[LazerFlux]

Just because I've put it behind me doesn't mean I trust you or want to have any monetary interactions with you.

Don't be an ass.

 

[rewrite]

Don't be an ass.

I wasn't. I made a statement that I meant: not realizing you hadn't put it behind you. And then gave actual good advice about the games.

Where was I an ass?

 

[ReplicaX]

I have no idea why they wouldn't keep some stock on hand.

Cart shell, pcb runs, packaging, and printing costs. It all adds up and its for an audience much smaller than the official titles.

 

[rewrite]

I have no idea why they wouldn't keep some stock on hand.

Cart shell, pcb runs, packaging, and printing costs. It all adds up and its for an audience much smaller than the official titles.

Not to mention they're not MVS PCBs. Big ol' FPGAs on them bad boys.

It's more they "work on MVS motherboards", not "are MVS games".

 

[PXL Bill]

This is not something I'd prefer to do, however I also haven't had any luck with finding MVS dumps.

Thats an awful lot of cash to spend on disappointment, but to each their own.

 

[ReplicaX]

Just because I've put it behind me doesn't mean I trust you or want to have any monetary interactions with you.

Don't be an ass.

Then ignore him. He didn't start anything and you took it upon yourself to start drama as you still hold a grudge.

@Darksoft

Plus rereading his FS link I interpret as him showing they are out there for sale.

 

[LazerFlux]

I have no idea why they wouldn't keep some stock on hand.

Cart shell, pcb runs, packaging, and printing costs. It all adds up and its for an audience much smaller than the official titles.

Not to mention they're not MVS PCBs. Big ol' FPGAs on them bad boys.
It's more they "work on MVS motherboards", not "are MVS games".

That makes quite a bit more sense now. all those extra components can get expensive.

 

[rewrite]

That makes quite a bit more sense now. all those extra components can get expensive.

Took me a bit to find a pic. That's one of the two PCBs (well, the AES variant anyway). I can't find the other, surprisingly.

 

[LazerFlux]

That makes quite a bit more sense now. all those extra components can get expensive.

Took me a bit to find a pic. That's one of the two PCBs (well, the AES variant anyway). I can't find the other, surprisingly.

Those are indeed some big bois on there. I'd imagine each of those is 20usd or so minimum.

 

[XtraSmiley]

I would just do pre-orders. Get full price out of people, leave it open for a week, then order that many plus some extras in case of damage/missing and be done.

That's what they do already. And they leave them open for months on end. They just don't open them terribly often.
I'm sure though that they know their demand more than we all do. Maybe all we see is a small vocal minority, and in reality they've had 17 emails for a Neo XYX reprint over the past two years and there is no real demand.

You are better off buying used if you really want them.

Yep. Games get reprinted every 3-5 years, and that's about it.
There's a Kraut Buster for sale in our FS section right now.

That's something I didn't know (as I don't follow them). Only doing it every 3-5 years seems to be the weird thing! Why not more often? At least once a year?

That probably falls into your statement of they know the demand, we are just guessing.

I guess I would check them out on Dreamcast if I wanted to do so. Are there DC versions at least easy to buy?

I prefer not to steal from a small company that is making retro games, regardless of how they manage sales.

I would buy a $50-70 version from them to try out, if I actually could...

EDIT: I just looked on their website, and uh, only one game is listed for sale, a Switch title.

So you can't even buy their Dreamcast versions?

Well, I guess I'll sign up for an email and see what happens!

 

[rewrite]

So you can't even buy their Dreamcast versions?

Oh wow, that's new. For YEARS you could buy all of their DC games. They even had a pack you could buy that netted you some savings for getting all of them. The limited editions went in and out of stock, but the regular releases were always available.

I know when KB was being made they were talking about how DC piracy made them decide not to port KB to DC. It'll be interesting to see how Gunlord does on Switch and if they find rampant Switch piracy affects them or not. Maybe KB'll go to Switch one day.

And I don't necessarily advocate pirating from NGev or anything, just that if I'm debating a $700 purchase, I take whatever opportunity I can to try the game first. Even if that comes down to burning a CD.

 

[twistedsymphony]

Took me a bit to find a pic. That's one of the two PCBs (well, the AES variant anyway). I can't find the other, surprisingly.

MVS Scans has high res pictures of all of them: https://www.mvs-scans.com/index.php/Main_Page#MVS_Games (below the official games are the NGDEV games)

 

[XtraSmiley]

So you can't even buy their Dreamcast versions?

Oh wow, that's new. For YEARS you could buy all of their DC games. They even had a pack you could buy that netted you some savings for getting all of them. The limited editions went in and out of stock, but the regular releases were always available.
I know when KB was being made they were talking about how DC piracy made them decide not to port KB to DC. It'll be interesting to see how Gunlord does on Switch and if they find rampant Switch piracy affects them or not. Maybe KB'll go to Switch one day.

And I don't necessarily advocate pirating from NGev or anything, just that if I'm debating a $700 purchase, I take whatever opportunity I can to try the game first. Even if that comes down to burning a CD.

Yeah, I can't deny that makes sense, but...

This will sound weird. As I've gotten older, I've wanted to capture a feeling I had as a kid where i would save up my money for something and with little information (other than word of mouth or magazines) I'd make the dive! Sometimes it would be awesome! Sometimes, it would be an LJN game...

I know it sounds crazy, but that's why I don't load up MAME anymore. If I want it, I just get it. If it sucks, I still play it to try and get my money out of it and I guess I can always sell it.

The demand is clearly there!