engg100 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Hello everyone, I am sure some of you have seen the Ultimarc post about his "NEW" device. I posted a reply on his post which he promptly deleted, I find this VERY unprofessional. He copied the Howler functionality nearly 100% even down to the number of LED drives (96) and he can't even own up to the fact. I thought he would consult me before copying the Howler 100% but I had no idea that he would copy it down to the smallest detail. I thought the group of people in this small niche community worked together, not go behind each others back and steal others ideas. I originally made the Howler for myself and showed a few people on the forums and they asked if they could get one so I made a Kickstarter project out of it. I am not making very much money on this project at all and did it out of love for the hobby. It is VERY disappointing that someone would take my many months and months of work and basically copy it 100%. The awesome thing about the Howler is that it is 100% open source (hardware AND firmware) so that an LED driver can be made for ANY OS. I will be releasing the firmware source code in the next few weeks (I have been very busy shipping out product). If anyone is interested in the ORIGINAL All-In-One OPEN SOURCE arcade controller WITH ACCELEROMETER for pinball nudge and TILT that I poured my heart and soul into check out: http://www.wolfwaretech.com It is not so much that someone copied the idea (I expected that one of the 2 would), it is that they copied it 100% and then bashed my product on their site. It also really bothers me that they deleted my post on their forum (it was not negative or bashing them in any way, just stating truths) Check out the youtube video of the Howler in action: If anyone has any questions about the Howler controller send me an email at: [email protected] Thanks, (a very disappointed) Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigapig Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Sorry to hear that Josh, that's very unprofessional and makes me pretty sick to hear it. Fwiw, I won't be placing any orders with Ultimarc, and if I need a Howler, I'll come to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacworms Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Total BS. I've had issues in the past with my ultimarc products. This pushes me over the edge. My next build will definitely be on a howler board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Black Arm Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I'm coming to the party late, so this is all fairly new to me. Having it setup to light up the usable buttons and give a button description when the game is paused is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polemicist Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I'm caught between a rock and a crazy place. I really like the U360 sticks and the Howler has some great features ... ... now I'm seriously conflicted. ... ... Would like to hear from Andy to see the reason behind all of this... Josh if you purchased this new controller and compared them to yours and the date of the patent differs then you could be able to claim royalties etc etc. I'm not a legal eagle but could be worth looking into ... kinda sucks either way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engg100 Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Thank you very much for your support guys. I also posted this in the BYOC forums and had hundreds of views and dozens of comments in a few hours, most of which were supporting me and guess what happened. It was removed from the site. I think it is pretty ridiculous that When someone puts an opinion of something that they don't like tey remove it when everyone gets involved!Also, I have yet to hear a peep about out of this from ultimarc. Thank you hyperspin community for being very supportive! Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristeele Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Wow. I've spent a more then a few hundred with Andy myself and he has always been standup. I may just have to stop supporting him if this is true. Hope that middle ground of any kind can be found.... not sure there can be. Sorry Josh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zomboided Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I've bought GGG and Ultimarc interface products, including the u-hid and all of these boards do the same thing! Surely the Howler is just what a u-hid could do 3 or 4 years ago, albeit across 2 boards? I'm not trying to detract from what you've achieved here dude, and I really like the number of IO options you have, but all you are all doing is 'copying' each other. I'd also say that both GGG and Ultimarc have introduced properly innovative products to the market beyond these type of boards (such as the Turbo Twist and the U360). Personally I'm really pleased that I have the choice. It sure beats hacking a keyboard, which was the only game in town when I started this hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rascaluk Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Personally I'm really pleased that I have the choice. It sure beats hacking a keyboard, which was the only game in town when I started this hobby. This. It's rubbish really but welcome to the free world. All you can do is be flattered man. Otherwise it will drive you mad. Henry Ford would have felt the same I guess. We are all just trying to copy arcade machines of yesteryear because we are geeks and dorks anyway (I have a fit wife by the way I wish you all the best with the Howler Josh, have only kept an eye on it it from a distance but it looks cool, and maybe ultimately your epitaph will be to have added a cool product to a great scene.. Paul Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtslade Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Support your product, build up its brand image and remember that yours is open source so anyone can find new and innovative uses for it beyond the original design. It's not very nice that is certain. I'm disappointed in Andy. Business is business so take this as a business lesson. Make some money from the Howler, then when new and fresh idea comes up from the fact your open source product fosters innovation, pounce on it, patent it and then seek sweet business revenge. Business is business. But there is no doubt its not cool what he did and in the end you will beat him on price and functionality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langersld Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Hi Josh..... This is really disappointing to me as well... I have been following your project on Kickstarter and pledged a Alpha Vs Beta (2 Player Deluxe Kit) as soon as it came available... Cant wait to receive it! I hope this doesn't detract you from continuing with the Howlers and perhaps future innovative projects. Unfortunately this world is full of people trying to make a quick buck from someone's great idea.... Just remember to keep your head-up, support and build your brand.... People will know who the original and best supported controller comes from. As far as Im concerned I can tell you Ultimarc has lost a customer.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigapig Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 What strikes me is how quickly this has been copied by Ultimarc. I understand this is "business" but couldn't they have at least waited a year until Josh got established. Better still they could have stocked The Howler and had an exclusivity deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zomboided Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I'm totally missing the point here....the Howler is just another me-too product, copying a bunch of products that have been around for years. If there was innovation here, then it could be patented, but there's not. I'm not supporting any party here, just pointing out the realities and what appears to be a total over reaction. It's not as if this guy has come out with something original and had it copied immediately. What we've ended up here with is choice. Vote with your credit card and stop your whining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinwebb Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Andy replied over at arcade controls, and he explained everything in great detail. I had thought about ordering a few howlers, but honestly you seem childish. Sure it's a similar idea but that is what drives competition. So either get used to it or get out. I know I will buy from Andy as I have done in the past, and dont really want to support someone who acts like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zomboided Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Here's the thread on BYOAC, which presents both sides of the story. Closing this thread now as it's not helpful to any of the vendors that support our hobby http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,138790.0.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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