This is a thing larger companies do now too, and that we are here talking about the product which otherwise would likely never have graced the front page of hac

This is a thing larger companies do now too, and that we are here talking about the product which otherwise would likely never have graced the front page of hacker news is testament to the approach having some kind of marketing value. And of course, you validate the market for the product actually exists with real paying customers. Canon recently did the same thing for a new action style cam that’s a little outside their traditionally much more conservative camera products: > https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/7/3/20680982/canon-ivy-rec-camera-indiegogo https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/7/3/20680982/ca... In the case of Sony and Canon, one probably doesn’t need to worry too much about not getting a product if funding goals reached, or your money back in the event the project doesn’t reach its funding goals either.