You could also see it as an opportunity to save around $6k on a vintage one and use the leftover money to buy a MIDI-to-CV converter and, oh, I dunno, a boat or something.
If you are like me, you never let the lack of MIDI sync deter you from using your old 2600 in a modern music-making environment. The new one makes it a lot easier to do so and without the threat of scratchy sliders ruining a good take. 
An owner on gearsluyz has verified this doesn’t achieve syncing of the clock:
“
Nope, doesn’t affect the arp, sorry. It’s just for using something other than the default sine LFO for vibrato. For example, patch in the triangle or square LFO, an audio rate oscillator, a complex LFO from your eurorack, or any other signal you can think of, and use Vibrato Depth as an attenuator. But the arp speed still is tied to the internal LFO rate.
”
My mistake, and you’re absolutely correct. That’s probably why I didn’t have it in my notes for the review. On my original, I have routed, say, another instrument’s LFO or sequencer gate out to that input and then used the source to control the rate of modulation, but I just double-checked, and this is indeed separate from the LFO rate.
eh, I tried 
Well, it’s an obvious assumption, really, and Korg’s Rather meagre manual didn’t dispel the possibility. I am sure I tried it while it was here, but probably didn’t take note of it since it behaved as the original’s.
As an aside, I really liked having a new 3620 keyboard at my disposal for a week. Despite the fact that it used a different connector, it was still possible to control my old MKIII with the new keyboard - albeit with the new 2600 as an intermediary. It drove the point home that I need to give my own 3620 a good overhaul.
Oh man, arp speed only tied to internal LFO rate?
That’s it, I’m not going to spend a whole $3900-ish on a remake of a PRE-MIDI era synth!!!
…j/k
Yep, for sure. I see the arpeggiator and sequencer as bonuses. It’s just as easy to use external sequencers with the Korg as it is with original. I love multing out an external sequencer’s gate (usually Analog Keys) to the 2600’s envelopes and S+H clock and then using the S+H to modulate the filter or amp ever-so-slightly. Great fun.
same. I’ve had mine a decade and it’s never worked. I’ve always just used the synth standalone via analog sequencer or midi/cv converter. I should have mine serviced soon anyway, so the keyboard will then be repaired as well. it transmits cv but not gate. internally, nothing obvious is wrong, so I dunno…
thinking over purchase of this reissue though made me realize it’ll be a lot cheaper to just get mine back to 100%, and it has extra features the reissue doesn’t.
Indeed. For my part, I can do the repairs and servicing myself (I have already fixed a number of things that were wrong with it when I got it), though I dread the thought of cleaning all those sliders. And that 40-year-old internal wiring is quite fragile. Luckily, mine has non-potted modules, so most repairs aren’t too bad.
My 3620 only has two issues: the CV output is slightly shifted. It’s properly scaled, but a little sharp across the full range, so I have to retune whenever I switch from the keyboard to an external sequencer. Plus, the keys need re-bushing.
Like I said, it was joy to play with a new one. Still, I’d not want to give up my osc sync, range and waveform switches or envelope scale mods.
sounds like ours are similarly modded 
All mod cons (mods)!
Richard Devine jamming on the KARP 2600… and some other gear too
Alright, I’m in. Found one store still taking orders - zZounds.
Despite being very happy with my own MkIII, having played with the Korg, I find that I am having a hard time resisting. Gotta be strong - there are other things I need! 
Started checking out how-to videos to get ready, whether my KARP arrives late January, April, or some later date. Found this video which is a sort of foreshadowing, as it was made after Tatsuya Takahashi, the man behind Korg’s return to the analog synth business, left Korg in 2017, and before his reported return in 2019. No idea if he knew that his former and future employer was working on a 2600:
Wow. A beginner synthesis tutorial for a £4000 synth. after seeing the Ozzy Osbourne video, I guess might be necessary for some people to follow videos like these until they get used to it 
There are other tutorials out there for sure. This one just stood out because it had Tats’ face on it.
saw on GS: “Korg told informed their distributors already that there are no plans for a slimmed down version and the photos’s that were leaked were in fact mockups of what became the FS.”
Anyone know how many in total have been allocated to the Australian market? The shops don’t have a specific number allocated.
I spoke to 2 Sydney retailers today - neither were sure how many they would receive but they had sold 12 between them.