If you don't have one of these cartridges and have been wanting to get one, you'll have likely noticed that they have been "Out of Stock" for quite a while on Gideon's site. On top of that there is now this big image currently at the top of the front page:
From a user's perspective, very little should be noticeably different. But due to the worldwide parts shortage, Gideon Zweijtzer decided to redesign the guts of the device with what he could source today.
This redesign includes:
- New FPGA
- New Flash
- New USB chips
- Different package of audio codec
- Different voltage regulators
- Additional IEC buffering
- Smaller caps
- WiFi add-on (this sounds new)
The only other difference is the price may go up slightly to account for inflation.
Gideon explained further:
He also mentioned that manufacturing was being moved to Europe"This design is based on components that I have already been able to purchase. Not everything has *arrived* just yet, but I have been scavenging the net for whatever I could find, clicked "BUY NOW", and adapted the design on the fly."
I think it is fair to assume that when this new pre-order opens the new carts will go fast. Back when I was waiting for the pre-order to open for the 64 Ultimate I was nearly visiting the site every day for months. Eventually it did open and thankfully a friend told me before I ran out of time.