I don't know much, but I know this: NuCore requires both RFM and SWE1 ROMs. Now you would just think, no problem, they are on pinball.com (aka Planetary Pinball). But those are just patches to the masked EPROMs inside the P2k prism card. You need those ROMs to even get started. It's apparent that NuCore had a deal with WMS/IPB/TPF to supply the ROMs via a redirect from the NuCore site to Pinball.com.

NuCore was dependent on the full ROM package being available to work. We don't know why NuCore was made to stop making kits, but it happened about the same time that Planetary Pinball took over the WMS rights from TPF. Coincidence or whatever it appears the events are related but I'm just guessing. For all we know IPB could have pulled out.

Pinbox stirred the pot. I think if NuCore gets produced again, it will sell. If it takes a long time to sell, people with dark machines will be desparate enough to search out the less than legal alternative.

My opinions are my own. My facts can be documented.

Al

In defense of NuCore, they wanted to keep this a legitimate solution and wanted to work within the legal rules. To make it work, they had to disassemble the original OS and the software and that is a copyright violation whether you include the ROMs or not. They did the right thing and really couldn't have done it any other way if they wanted to actually sell it. MAME is totally different in that it's not for sale.