@rplst8 posted:Whenever the app stops working on a given mobile OS I’m sure the answer will be “run it conventionally.” The same thing will happen to Lionel’s new Base3. All of these Bluetooth/Wi-Fi iThingies will be useless bricks in 20 years, as will the WIU, WTIU, and Base3. It gives me no pleasure to state this fact, but such is technology.
Since these are closed systems, the best we can hope for is that an open source project will get started to reverse engineer all this garbage. Or commodity DCC electronics that work well with larger O sized motors.
I certainly don’t share your pessimism about Lionel’s Legacy control system. You say everything will be useless bricks in twenty years, yet I am running my new Lionel Legacy locomotives with a CAB-1 remote and base that are physically 25 years old. I’m not talking about the technology, I am talking about the actual remote and command base themselves. There is no basis to say that the CAB3 base you buy this year will not be operating 20 years from now.
The same thing for the CAB3 app, if you have it on your device, it will work, apps don’t just stop working. And even if for some strange reason it doesn’t, then use your CAB-1L hand held remote since Lionel will still have remotes.
I am very optimistic and excited about the future of the hobby and the technology is the key to that optimism. Especially after listening to Dave and Ryan at Lionel introduce the CAB-3. Lionel legacy is a thriving and growing system that is backward compatible as well. The best part is that even with all the technological innovations I still only need one wire to hook up. It is the future and it is what will bring new people into the hobby. DCC is a non factor for three rail, DCS has reached a dead end technology wise. New people will gravitate towards the CAB3, not DCS, because Legacy is evolving and thriving.
This is a great time to be excited about the hobby! The only reason why I would feel pessimistic would be if I had a room full of DCS locomotives. I would be asking myself: “now what do I do?”
After watching the CAB3 presentation, I think the best course of action for Atlas and the MTH DCS remnant company would be to try to work with Lionel to get their locomotives compatible so they can be run by the CAB3. There is no longer a real business case to have a separate control system in the face of the CAB3. Atlas and MTH should also do it for the good of the hobby as well for their long term survival in the O gauge three rail market.
There is no doubt that both Atlas and MTH remnant would sell more locomotives if they could be run by the CAB3.
