Hi all,
We've received some boards, unboxed one(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjJpzl3qlE8), and had a change to explore it a little (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3k5ecltuQA).
A Few Observations:
1) The target market is not the chess professional (at this point), but rather the person that wants a quick way to play chess against a computer or a person through the app as if there was a person sitting across from them (no leds, spoken moves, etc) with minimal effort.
2) Some of the features they promised during their kickstarter campaign and in emails I had with the designers have yet to show up in this first production run.
3) However....One key plus side is that they've created a device where the firmware and app changes/updates can be delivered across the board very quickly (pun intended)--unlike other electronic units that require more user effort to accomplish the same thing.
4) Feedback can be given directly through the app too. I would imagine that they can also see stats on how the app is being used, which means they can rapidly improve it as it gains wider acceptance.
All said, I wouldn't count this one out. If Square Off can make fast changes to improve based upon public interest and data they get from the app, they can really deliver a stellar product that will expand interest in the electronic chess.
... and if anyone is interested and doesn't want to wait for the second production run, we listed one on Ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/192517124366
Remaining Hopeful,