I wonder if they were planning software upgrades in the future, like pay a few bucks to unlock NES use, or whatever. Either that, or perhaps they want a line of handhelds with the same basic design, but one for Neo Geo, one for Turbobs, one for Genesis, etc.
I really would like to know Tommo's reaction to the hacking. Some may support it, some may not. I remember when the licensed Genesis clones with SD slots on them were released the company didn't give a shit if you pirated roms since you had bought the hardware already.