1) When you came up with the idea for the Lectrosonic UCR portable video game “Single Player Pong” what inspired you to add a 470-700mhz RF radio receiver? A real first for portable video game consoles.
Well, while developing video games is extremely challenging, both technically and emotionally, we knew that adding a cutting-edge receiver would be quick and easy. The utility of this choice has been proven!
2) UCR “Single Player Pong” is the most expensive Standalone Handheld ever made beating your main competitor Tiger Electronics. How does that make you feel?
Price equals quality, so we knew people would flock to it.
3) So elephant in the room. Why Single Player Pong and not Player versus Computer?
Shhh – that’s coming. Please keep this under wraps until the CES show.
4) Following the UCR series, you guys at Lectrosonic launched the Venue; A rack mount arcade machine featuring the game Whack-A-Mic. When the Venue came out, shopping mall video game arcades were closing left and right. What guided you to push forward and launch Whack-A-Mic?
We had a hunch that those who spent countless time in arcades would also be many of the same people who would one day be sitting behind sound carts on set.
5) Now you guys stopped making video game consoles about the same time SEGA also stopped. Were you guys feeling the same pressure Sega was feeling between the Nintendo / Sony console wars?
Indeed, the Sony/Nintendo juggernaut intimidated us as well. Our reaction was to diversify into other types of entertainment electronics. If we couldn’t be on the content consumption side, we felt the best bet was to go more into the content creation side.
6) Recently Lectrosonic came out with a new product, the PDR. Did you guys draw on your video game history and go to the standard three letter naming style that is used when naming video game consoles? Examples: Playstation PSP, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS, XBox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo N64, Playstation PS4
Indeed, that was foremost on our minds. Everyone here has read “Ready Player One” so we knew that the 3-letter name would resonate with people, if perhaps only unconsciously.
7) Now the PDR doesn’t feature any games just solid TC and crystal clear audio recordings, Is that enough?
As always, the market will tell us!
8) SEGA has since sprung back, got back into making consoles, and licensed its characters to Nintendo. Can we except some MicroSD cartridges from Lectrosonic preloaded with some Pong, Brickbreaker, or Space Invaders?
Shhh – just wait until CES!
About the Author
Andrew Jones is a location sound mixer based in Los Angeles. He started in the TV and Film industry in 2004. You can email him at Andrew@HoldForSound.com
www.HoldForSound.com
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