$550 Emulation console Polymega is now getting a free app version

Emulation console Polymega is getting a free app version, its manufacturer Playmaji has announced.

The Polymega is a retro console, which currently costs $549 with one controller, and enables players to insert their own PlayStation, Saturn, TurboGrafx CD, Neo Geo CD and Mega CD games, rip those discs to storage, then play the games without the discs on the console’s bespoke emulators.

Extra ‘modules’ are available for $80-90, which include adapters for cartridge-based consoles – NES, SNES, Mega Drive / Genesis, TurboGrafx-16 and N64 – and come with extra controllers designed to match those of the legacy systems.

Now Playmaji says it’s releasing the Polymega App, which will be available on “all of your devices” and offer the console’s basic functionality for free.

Players will be able to use any standard disc drive to rip their CD-based games, and then use the Polymega emulators to play them on PC or mobile apps.

There will also be a subscription service called Polymega XL, which adds ‘premium features’ such as cloud storage, cheat codes, an audio player and the ability to apply third-party patches to games (with translation patches, for example).

For players who don’t have access to a disc drive, the company will also be selling the $150 Polymega Remix, which is essentially a USB disc drive which can be used to rip discs, but also adds support for the cartridge modules.

According to Polymega, a closed beta for the app will launch in March and will be available to anyone who’s ever made an order on the Polymega website.

In addition, anyone who purchased the Base Unit or Deluxe Bundle before December 31, 2022 will get access to Polymega XL features during the beta test period, as well as a year’s free upgrade to Polymega XL when the app comes out of beta.

Many players who have pre-ordered a Polymega Base Unit have still yet to receive their orders, with some claiming to have been waiting years. Polymega cites “very long lead times for components on the motherboard” as the reason the base units have been taking so long to manufacture and distribute.