Hey folks,

Just a quick update regarding the GameDock delivery timeline. From as early as late February to almost the end of April, we attempted to work with a PCB vendor that had been recommended to us. After many weeks of back-and-forth, trying to work with them, we just couldn't get what we needed. As such, we have switched to a local, trusted vendor. This has set our expected delivery date back from mid-April to late May. 

One lesson learned in this process has been just how slow things can move with vendors abroad. Both the gamepads and the enclosures had taken easily 8 weeks longer to deliver than promised, despite great communication and friendly folks whom I'd gladly work with again. But this particular component proved that even after lengthy delays and much persistence, things can still go awry. 

My apologies for the delay. But we want to make sure that we deliver the best product possible and potentially flawed circuit boards just wouldn't have been acceptable. With that said, during this final push, expect more small updates like this. The plan is to share screenshots of the circuit board production as it progresses. 

Thanks,
Chris

Almost There!

First, let me start off by saying that I never expected to be writing an update in April that preceded GameDocks shipping out. It has been a long, winding journey and I want to thank everyone for their patience. Since February we've simply hit delay after delay, thanks to a combination of slow communication, vendor problems, and "real world" issues that had to take precedence over project work.

Everything critical is complete with exception to the circuit board assembly. Our partners FunGizmos and Autosports Labs are putting in the final due-diligence needed before we can greenlight production on those. We should know by early next week if everything is ready there. This is about two weeks behind schedule of where I thought we'd be, given the other issues we had to overcome. Otherwise, we are effectively ready to go.

The added time hasn't gone to waste. We have put a good bit of work into optimizing the firmware for better game performance. Our original beta firmware was too slow for high speed games like Super Mega Worm and League of Evil. It now plays those games perfectly. (More on that below.)

We are also putting together the required specifications for volume production aka the "big" run of GameDocks. 

Rewards

Because of the delays, we're going to roll out rewards a little differently than planned. The game download codes for the $150-tier backers will be emailed as soon as possible. For non-US backers, we will be mailing out Cascadia Games $20 Visa Gift cards in place of codes due to unexpected restrictions with iTunes gifting that prevented us from buying codes for international backers.

Games

If you haven't seen the games on list on GameDock.tv, I recommend you check it out. We're at over 60 games compatible and over 20 integrated into the dashboard app. Many games like League of Evil and Cavorite have been updated for GameDock compatibility, some games have launched GameDock-ready (like Gunslugs), and our critical developer partners like (the always awesome) OrangePixel are working hard to get their entire libraries ready. There are over 100 iCade games we have queued up to test in the near future as well. Oh, and Cascadia Games is co-developing an as yet unannounced two-player game with Fully Illustrated!

Beta Dashboard App

We also have a version of the GameDock dashboard app nearing beta. If anyone has an interest in testing, either now with compatible accessories, or after GameDocks arrive, please send your info to support (at) cascadiagames (dot) com.

Cowlitz Gamers for Kids Video Game Expo

I had the pleasure last weekend of taking a couple of GameDocks on the road to a retro gaming expo in Kelso, Washington. The event, now having run for four years, is an annual fundraiser for the Children's Justice & Advocacy Center, which provides assistance for abused children. It was a fun experience and perhaps a little humbling and embarrassing about how seriously I take making toys and games when there are truly serious concerns that need attention. With that said, I hope to make it a tradition to attend. Here are some pics from the event.

The setup:

A boy playing Super Mega Worm. Many folks stopped by to ask "what that worm game was called."

Another young fellow playing the same game:

A couple of boys playing Gunslugs, which was referred to as "awesome" and "radical" throughout the day.

So that's it for now! The next update will be about when the GameDocks ship -- it really is down to a matter of weeks, not months, at this point. I fully expect to have news before April ends.

Thanks,
Chris, Team GameDock

It Fits!

Earlier this week we received our first enclosure production samples. One of the last potential delays was an enclosure - circuit board size mismatch. Fortunately, the enclosure fits the board perfectly. That enabled us to green-light production earlier this week!

We styled the GameDock exterior to evoke a retro game console and match the gamepads as closely as possible. It is also smooth, glossy, and meant to match the clean look of Apple accessories.

One change we had to make was the switch. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons we couldn't supporting the front-facing round power button. Instead, we went for a small but accessible slider switch on the back.

On the top is the GameDock brand, created by our campaign's big backer Fully Illustrated. 

The "Famous" Picture

One of the most common pictures of the GameDock found on the internet is this one:

It's time to admit that the case in that picture is a 3D-print, covered in spray-paint. It's solid -- no board can fit inside. It can't open. There are no real holes. But it was an effective way to demonstrate our idea. (And, in our defense, we had otherwise a complete prototype playing games before we launched our campaign.) In that spirit, Chris tried to recreate that image now with our finished GameDock hardware, at his same desk at ISITE Design.

So, What's Next?

There is one final delay with GameDock production -- Chinese New Year. Yes, our boards and enclosures are fabricated abroad. We should be seeing those components shipped out by mid-month. Then circuit assembly and product packaging will happen here in the Northwest USA. If things go well, we should start shipping by the end of February or early March. We will do a few test shipments to ensure everything is travel-worthy, followed by shipping boxes in the order we promised during the campaign. Until then, here's a final shot of what you'll be opening up in a few short weeks.

Until then!

Team GameDock

The GameDock packaging arrived today. It has turned out very nicely. So, as promised, here are a few pictures.

The boxes were designed by Fully Illustrated and manufactured by Yebo Group.

Here's a quick size comparison with an iPad box, to give you a feel for what to expect in the mail.

Here are the shipping box and retail box together.

Here is a closer look at the back of the box.

Finally, here's what they all look like stored in Chris's garage! That's 1,000 retail boxes, 1,000 shipping boxes, 1,000 foam pads, and 1,000 foam inserts. (Hopefully they will soon be moved to a more permanent home.)

We are now literally just waiting on the plastic case samples to fit with our PCB and kick off the last leg of production! 

The next update should be within the next two weeks.

Thanks,
Team GameDock

Hello everyone! 

We had delayed posting an updated delivery timeline (other than "February") until we had one last piece of information come in. Now we have it all, so here's what's going on.

First, pretty much every part and / or component has arrived. All of the electronics components are on-hand and circuit board production is just waiting to start. Here's a big pile of some of the parts! (Courtesy of the ever awesome FunGizmos, our electronics partner.)

The packaging (aka "retail" and shipping boxes) are in production right now and should be here in a week. We'll share a picture of those as soon as they arrive.

So what are we waiting for? Unfortunately, our plastic cases aren't ready yet. There was a production mistake and we've been set back a couple more weeks. We were on schedule to review the case samples next week and approve production. That will now happen in the first week of February. To be safe, we are going to do one last fitting of the board and case to make sure everything fits perfectly. If things go well, we'll start shipping by the end of February. If not, then early March.

All in all, we're about 10 weeks behind schedule at this point. Hopefully, we won't be hit with any more delays!

Progress Continues!

We continue to refine the GameDock firmware. It now has improved responsiveness, which was already by all accounts considered great, and cleared out a couple of minor bugs. At this point, everything is looking very on that front.

The all new iOSGameDock.com is online and looking fantastic! We are continually working on improving the customer experience there. We've had a solid number of orders come in post-Kickstarter as well.

Also worth noting, Gunslugs is out today and is, quite frankly, insanely awesome as a two-player game on GameDock. You can get it here. Check it out!

In fact, there are five games in the App Store today that support two players on GameDock, with at least two more due this year! There are at least 20 games currently set to be fully GameDock-ready by release. We'll soon have about 60 or so verified compatible iCade games that we'll list soon too.

Also this week, video game blogger RadiumZ1 posted a video from last Fall's Portland Retro Gaming Expo. It shows the V2 prototype (V3 being our current model) running the upcoming Wacky Wheels reboot (in 720p)!

Thank you

Thank you everyone for being patient with us. Let's hope the delays are done with and we can all look forward to GameDocks shipping soon! Be sure to follow @cascadiagames and @iosgamedock to get little updates on progress faster than we share here.

Team GameDock