Jam.gg, formerly known as Piepacker is a service that offers cloud-based access to modern and retro titles and includes online play for classic games. Piepacker previously crowdfunded the production of a device called the PieReader designed to augment the power of the service even more. Pie Reader was designed to be a modular device to allow gamers to “bring your own cartridges to the Piepacker environment” and add online multiplayer, video chat, cloud saves, achievements and leaderboards.
The basic idea was that gamers would purchase a different cartridge adapter for each system and then use the PieReader to dump and upload the ROM. However, things did not work out and Jam.gg has announced today that the PieReader is officially dead. The company has refunded all related payments to its backers and put out the following statement:
We’ve come to the painful conclusion that we can’t possibly deliver the Piereader, in the way it and you deserve.
After a long year full of unexpected drawbacks we all remember by now (COVID, the global shortages of micro chips), insane pricing inflation and factory delays reached unmanageable levels: the initial budget was suddenly multiplied by three and the production time more than doubled. After months of exploration to find a workaround, like so many other companies out there, we simply could not get a satisfying delivery time and price for a product we felt confident about.We have decided to do the right thing, take a financial hit and proceed with the full refund.
We’re sorry for bearing such news, and your faith in this project has been legendary. We’ll never forget it.