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OPCODE GAMES announces: IntelliXpander - Castlevania & Goonies! RESERVE NOW


Rev

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With the Atari expansion module you had to use the Atari joysticks. With OPCODE games & once this expansion module is plugged into the main unit will the keypad controllers be used or another type of controller to accommodate the game play since the game play & graphics will be increased?

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Adding extra audio isn't a problem on the Inty I or II. The ECS already does that when it adds the three extra sound channels. I'm also thinking that, if this is in fact real, it's akin to a Harmony cart: extra RAM and coprocessing capabilities. For example, I spent ages trying to speed up my raycasting demo enough for the engine to be viable for a game, but performing at least some of those calculations in a coprocessor would have taken it to a whole new level.

 

My understanding is that the Keyboard Component could genlock to each frame by looking at the SR1 signal on cartridge pin 14. The STIC uses that to assert ~INTRM on the CPU once per frame.

 

According to the Inty II schematic, the original video input on cartridge pin 8 is still connected and is "viable" as an input, but there are indeed differences in how the signal is used between the two consoles. It appears to be a difference in voltage bias, but I'm not entirely sure about that. It might be useful for someone to look at the signal coming from a Keyboard Component on an oscilloscope and note the voltage range. From looking at the two schematics, though, I think that if a capacitor was used to isolate the pin from whatever is providing the video signal (i.e. isolate any voltage bias), it should work on either console.

 

It should be possible to detect an Inty II by reading from the new video input on cartridge pin 2 and looking for voltages higher than ground. That might also provide an easy way to get the color burst signal (see below).

 

The Keyboard Component does appear to only output white text overlaid on top of the existing video. Its easy to push a color to white because all you have to do is saturate the voltage of all four pixel timeslices by 1 volt. To create any color other than white means having to synchronize to the phase of the color burst signal, which isn't directly output to the cartridge. I'm thinking that in theory it *might* be possible to pick up the color burst signal by *reading* from the video input pin during that time, but I don't know if the AC signal would get through to the cartridge on both the Inty I and II (it looks to me that it's more likely to be possible on the Inty II). Basically it would require some experimentation. Theoretically, it should be possible to create lighter versions of any existing pixel by adding a voltage that lies somewhere between 0 and 1V -- not enough to saturate to white, but basically you're just adding to the luma signal. It *might* be possible to darken a pixel as well since we're talking about AC, but I can't be certain. If darkening is possible, care would have to be taken to not create a non-color result like a sync or test pulse.

Edited by JohnPCAE
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For $150, couldn't someone shove a PI into an Intellivoice shell and let you play N64 games on your Intellivision? The comparisons to the 2600 add-on are apt, if it's just using the Intellivision as a video/controller box.

 

Now if it's doing CO-processing, or memory/graphics expansion, or adding to the original hardware in some other way, that's super cool!

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With the Atari expansion module you had to use the Atari joysticks. With OPCODE games & once this expansion module is plugged into the main unit will the keypad controllers be used or another type of controller to accommodate the game play since the game play & graphics will be increased?

You can use the Intv controllers on the main console when using the Atari expansion module. I've done it numerous times as a kid.

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This is a really cool idea and although I can understand some of the reservations that others have with adding capabilities to an existing system, I am exited to see another new product to breathe life into a classic system. I anxiously await my Opcode SGM and SGM carts, but then again, I am one of those dopes that bought into the Sega 32x and still love it :dunce:

 

I have to say this has piqued an interest in the intellivision that I did not previously have, and I am now looking to acquire one.

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Adding extra audio isn't a problem on the Inty I or II. The ECS already does that when it adds the three extra sound channels. I'm also thinking that, if this is in fact real, it's akin to a Harmony cart: extra RAM and coprocessing capabilities. For example, I spent ages trying to speed up my raycasting demo enough for the engine to be viable for a game, but performing at least some of those calculations in a coprocessor would have taken it to a whole new level.

 

LTO's "JLP" cartridge already offers generous ram and flash ram as well as hardware accelerated multiply, divide, CRC and random number generation.

 

Unless the graphics are improved somehow, I think it might be reinventing the wheel.

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The way I look at the expansion is this. Today you can buy something like an LTO "JLP" cart that offers "generous ram and flash ram as well as hardware accelerated multiply, divide, CRC and random number generation" and you can pay for it over and over each time you buy a cart, or you could put all of the "extras" into a box that hooks up to the INTV and you pay for it once, and then when you buy the cartridges you are only paying for the rom (coding, shell, box, etc) not the extra hardware. Seems like a win win, the consumer pays less for each cartridge, the producer has an easier cartridge to create.

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The way I look at the expansion is this. Today you can buy something like an LTO "JLP" cart that offers "generous ram and flash ram as well as hardware accelerated multiply, divide, CRC and random number generation" and you can pay for it over and over each time you buy a cart, or you could put all of the "extras" into a box that hooks up to the INTV and you pay for it once, and then when you buy the cartridges you are only paying for the rom (coding, shell, box, etc) not the extra hardware. Seems like a win win, the consumer pays less for each cartridge, the producer has an easier cartridge to create.

 

Not quite. The JLP cartridge costs no more than other cartridges that are available for the system.

 

The cost of those features on the cartridge are marginal and in no way would affect the final price of the game they come on.

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I read it again. I'm not trying to be a nay sayer, but really, what does this expander offer that a JLP cartridge stuck inside an ECS and Intellivoice doesn't?

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I read it again. I'm not trying to be a nay sayer, but really, what does this expander offer that a JLP cartridge stuck inside an ECS and Intellivoice doesn't?

 

Maybe they want a board of their own, so that they can put whatever games they wish to without worrying about copyright/trademark. Plus an added benefit of better graphics.

 

(im just speculating, i have not heard anything from opcode, its just my opinion (eric) :P :P :P

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The System Changer, although it had its own controller ports, was also suppose to use the controllers through the master component. Did this work well? Just wondering if a system changer type enhancement add-on would work well with master component controllers.

I wrote about this last year (when I finally got m own System Changer). The answer is that it did indeed allow use of the built-in Intellivision controllers, but since they were sampled by the EXEC at 20Hz, it makes Atari VCS games almost unplayable.

 

dZ.

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Yeah, so what? I'm offended... I'm insulted. Let's ban you! Let's ban everyone, damnit! :mad:

Your attempt at a joke is stupid. Nothing about Rev's comment was directed at you or anything you have ever programmed, designed, manufactured, drew, folded, glued, flashed or otherwise released for sale, therefore it makes zero sense that you would be offended...you really need to buy a clue with regards to human interaction.

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Your attempt at a joke is stupid. Nothing about Rev's comment was directed at you or anything you have ever programmed, designed, manufactured, drew, folded, glued, flashed or otherwise released for sale, therefore it makes zero sense that you would be offended...you really need to buy a clue with regards to human interaction.

 

1. Rev's original post started with this line: "its just my opinion (eric)..."

2. I'm not really offended. It's called sarcasm.

3. Don't ever take anything between me and Rev too seriously.

4. I thought you were ignoring me. :?

Edited by Eric7100
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I've been thinking of getting the Colecovision SGM. Is there a definitive list of titles available?

 

Will those titles for SGM work on a Pi? (If the ROM is made available by publishers)

 

Opcode mentioned 700 sold??? Wow. Thats a lot!

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I've been thinking of getting the Colecovision SGM. Is there a definitive list of titles available?

 

Will those titles for SGM work on a Pi? (If the ROM is made available by publishers)

 

Opcode mentioned 700 sold??? Wow. Thats a lot!

http://cvaddict.com/list.php?filter=8

25 and counting, with a crap load more coming from Team Pixelboy

http://teampixelboy.com/

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I wrote about this last year (when I finally got m own System Changer). The answer is that it did indeed allow use of the built-in Intellivision controllers, but since they were sampled by the EXEC at 20Hz, it makes Atari VCS games almost unplayable.

dZ.

Thanks, and thats something that could have been fixed with better programming. I read in the instructions that instead of mapping 16 disc directions to 8, they only mapped 8 disc directions, if that's true it would be a problem too.

 

The intellivision hardware addons were a bit awkward. We had to get a bigger table for the intellivoice. I wish there was a better way.

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I've been thinking of getting the Colecovision SGM. Is there a definitive list of titles available?

Will those titles for SGM work on a Pi? (If the ROM is made available by publishers)

Opcode mentioned 700 sold??? Wow. Thats a lot!

The CoolCV emulator emulates the SGM.

 

The same question can be asked about Intellivision hardware accelerators. RAM might be addressed in the CFG file. Does Jzintv support LTO cart acceleration? What about Groovybee cart acceleration and now Opcode's?

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