tcdev

Yeah, what's going on with the predictions? Was 50% for the first few days, then down to 3% (or current funding level) yesterday where it remains. It's either a stupidly naive curve-fit algorithm, or completely f*cked. I would have thought (hoped) that it employed statistics from other campaigns (eg. likely distribution of backers/pledges) in its algorithm(s). Apparently not. EDIT: OK, maybe I'm a bit premature here. Maybe for 50% the sample size was too small, and 3% is actually a pretty good estimate? I'd be prepared to believe that!

Typo in the number of backers for Day 5 (should be 187). [bTW in case you're not aware this information is available graphically on CrowdChart] Not sure why they haven't pulled the pin yet. Flat-lining can only harm the chances of a reboot, IMHO. Save face now and admit it was too soon, otherwise holding out until the end is just stubborn refusal to admit they're wrong. I know they're hoping some press will bring backers in droves, but seriously, who out there that would want this hasn't already heard of it?

Not sure if it's a bug on their page, but the CrowdCharts prediction is now 3%.

I almost fell off my chair when I read that, thinking it had to be a mis-quote. Pretty sure someone got their ass chewed behind closed doors after that announcement - or at least I hope so!

I think what has been overlooked here with respect to the PCB rendering is that it's a pretty serious lie IMHO especially considering it features prominently on the IGG campagin. I think they should be taken to task over this and possibly have IGG made aware of the situation which arguably amounts to fraud where soliciting funds is concerned. EDIT: On reflection and re-reading the post I guess technically they're not claiming anything other than the rendering was produced from their Altium Designer files. They're not claiming it's any more functional than something they could produce in Minecraft.

Impossible to say definitively without any copper details but it looks very symmetric and too neatly laid out on a grid to be authentic. Also, there appear to be a mind-boggling large number of passives clustered around what I believe to be the two DB9 ports at the back, yet practically nothing surrounding all the I/O at the front of the rendering. I call BS.

For the base option, hell no! The current FPGA implementation (reportedly) requires a Stratix II that is (again, reportedly) roughly equivalent to an EP3C40, only faster! They're saying the base option can't even emulate classic systems which fit easily into an EP2C20 - half the size of the EP3C40. So they're obviously looking at something smaller again for the RetroVGS (although to be fair it's not clear whether it's the logic, RAM or I/O count that is the limiting factor in the chosen FPGA), but my guess would be the EP3C5/10. If the stretch goal is reached, apart from being inundated with Flying Pigs, it's still unlikely that the larger FPGA (my guess EP3C16/25) would be adequate. It would be somewhat ironic if it could emulate most classic systems, excepting the one whose case it is housed in!

In theory, no. The bitstream in most FPGA's is stored in SRAM.

I too chuckled when I read this! The only other candidates I can think of are MikeJ & co. and Tobias & co. MikeJ is invested in his own Replay board and Tobias is invested in the Turbo Chameleon 64.

Everyone has their own set of requirements and the longer this thread goes on, the more varied the responses are going to be. Of course no one response is right (except mine) and none are wrong, although the odd response does exhibit a lack of understanding on some finer technical points (not a criticism, not everyone is an electronics engineer). IMHO Kevin you need to go ahead with your own vision and take a gamble on the uptake. Otherwise your design is at risk of being diluted into something no-one wants.

To which she'd reply, "If that's so, then why is there no high speed circuitry on your so-called 'patch board'? There can't be anything on there running more than about 200MHz!"

Astrocade is a no-brainer as the source for a core already exists. IIUC there is also an 8-bit Atari core, though I'm not sure of the availability of the source. I also believe the author is assisting in porting it to the Replay and the Turbo Chameleon.

This is a subject that has consumed me for years as I have been dabbling with FPGA emulation of classic arcade and microcomputer systems, plus the odd console, for around a decade now (though not so much in recent times with a young family and business to run). I have also been thinking about producing a 'commercial' product throughout that time but, like you, I have always thought the price point just isn't there yet with current technologies. Most of my HDL cores were developed to 'proof of concept' level only, leveraging off a framework I put together early-on in the piece to expedite development. Once I had the game/system more-or-less running, I moved on to the next core. My aim was to implement many cores in order to ascertain hardware requirements for my eventual PCB. I also ported others' work as it became available. I've also had the good fortune to be involved at work in producing a video product with a rather large (70K LE) FPGA (plus a 2nd 16K LE one) which made for some rather nice prototyping hardware! Lately though, I have had plans for an over-the-top prototype platform to target the NeoGeo specifically, and to that end have developed and laid out a prototype flash cartridge for the same as a means of generating funds for the ultimate development. Years ago I had Joy Joy Kid running on an Altera DE2 (FIX layer only) and you could watch the attract mode running. To be honest, you could probably knock that up in a few days too. As for Vectrex, I actually had it running too, but without a cycle-accurate 6809 core it's actually impossible to get the video right. And you probably know the source for the Genesis running on a DE1 is freely available. I should also bring up the topic of Mike's Replay board, which is oddly obscure. You'd be forgiven for thinking it's a secret... If you're asking what I'd pay for such a system, I'm probably not your normal customer as I was willing to outlay thousands for my own. What I would definitely want to know is if the system would be 'open', at least in the sense that the FPGA pinout was made public and you'd actively encourage and support 3rd party core development? If this did become a reality and render my (hardware) efforts pointless, then I'd at least want to have a crack at a complete, robust implementation of a platform that has yet to be emulated. I'd also probably finish off my 8-bit micro cores as well, as a few of those are pretty much complete. I even have a working WD179X core that can read from SD. Then there's the few dozen arcade games... I understand the benefits to loading from SD etc, but I'd also definitely be interested in cartridge adapters, regardless of cost. Running from SD on a hardware emulation seems 'half baked' to me; either go the whole hog or stick to software emulation IMHO. Not that I don't want SD ability, but not at the cost of cartridge adapters. One really silly stipulation of the RetroVGS was the "no internet (network)" capability. Granted you could add Ethernet via USB or a cartridge but biting off your nose to spite your face is just plain stupid. So yeah, I'm all for this and, unlike RetroVGS, I know you have the track record and the ability to get this done, and done right. And obviously I'd love to contribute some cores.

I don't think it's going to take quite that long for it to be obvious that the Indiegogo campaign is dead-in-the-water.

I think the important thing to note is that this campaign has been heavily marketed for some time now, and you'd think that most likely backers would already know about it, and would have jumped on the bandwagon ASAP. It's not the type of product that would appeal to casual consumers that just happen across it; you pretty much need to be an enthusiast to appreciate and understand what the point of this console is. And odds are, if you are an enthusiast, you already knew about it. For this reason I don't see any hope of a surge in backers at any point, and I think it'll stagnate below 25% before the team silently disappear after a conspicuous absence on social media. A pity because it could have been so much more.

I too dream of a cart-based console but sincerely doubt the promise of 'new' retro games will be successful. I think Kevtis is on the right track; it needs to be developed with the emulation of classic systems in mind in order to sell units. If someone wants to develop a custom core for new game development, then all power to them, but I don't believe it'll be a significant drawcard. Personally it would hold no interest for me given the experience playing a new game on the console wouldn't differ from playing it on any other platform. And this is exactly where RetroVGS seems to have focused their efforts - yet another indie console.

They've put as much thought into this as they have the design of the system, obviously. Do they seriously think that while they're scrambling to produce consoles and games they're going to drop everything to chase down a bug in one game and issue a recall? Or that we're going to believe that they will?

Given that the FPGA won't be capable of emulating classic systems, it has to be something (considerably?) less than an EP2C20.

But what you forget Kevtris is that they have guys with decades of experience in the games industry. So they must know what they're doing - right?

Much like Kevtris, I've been dabling in FPGA emulation of classic systems for a decade now and, much like Kevtris, I've been considering producing a 'commercial' product over that time. Unlike Kevtris I haven't actually produced a PCB, mainly because I don't believe the price-point is quite there yet. I have another related project in the pipeline for which a PCB has been designed... but that's for another time. Of course I've been following the RetroVGS story for months now too. At first I was excited, then I started to get dubious, and now I can see what a complete and utter clusterfuck it has become. Even more enlightening are comments in this thread, and any remote chance that I might fork out for a console purely out of curiosity has well and truly disappeared. A day into the Indiegogo campaign and it's looking like this will struggle to get 25% funding. Can we expect some Jaguar case molds to appear on eBay in about 44 days?

Wow, it certainly looks nice, I just hope it plays half as well! I might be up for porting to another platform when the time comes... Regards,

The C-One is way too under-powered now. And whilst the Cyclone III extender board is reasonably capable, IIUC you have to jump through too many hoops to access the rest of the circuit. I've never really understood the attitude of the developers/vendors though; trying to get any real information about it is like extracting teeth... anyway IMHO it's also too expensive for what it is - i.e. very old hardware. I wouldn't worry too much about the proliferation of FPGA boards; the HDL cores themselves are very portable - more-so than software in some respects. The TerASIC DE1 has become a sort of de-facto standard for these retro cores; unfortunately I believe they're no longer being manufactured though stock is still available. The FPGA on it (EP2C20) is no more than adequate though, and Minimig is a squeeze. TerASIC's bigger-brother offerings are nice (the DE2 is pretty much a DE1 on steroids) but disproportionately expensive. You might want to look out for the Replay by Mike of fpgaarcade.com. It looks promising with plenty of interesting interfaces but very slow to get out of the gates so far.

Apple II+ (Alex Freed) Apple II+ (Stephen Edwards) Apple IIe (Gary Becker) Vector-06C (Viacheslav Slavinsky) ZX-81 (Alex Freed) and a few others in various stages of completeness on my site of course (TRS-80 I/III, Coco 1/2, & the Adventure Vision Console)

Wow, that's awesome indeed! I've got a DE1 myself, so I'll try out the SOF when I get the chance (work is super, super busy atm) - thanks! I'm also using the T65 core, and grabbed the POKEY and PIA from other projects. Everything else is my own design. I'll be interested to see your clocking architecture! No doubt I'll hit you up with some questions as I progress if you don't mind answering them!?!

Heh, sorry for being at least partly responsible for ruining your surprise! Actually on that point, it's not the first time I've started on an (FPGA emulation) project only to find that I wasn't the first (or only) one to work on it. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by these other projects... In any case, I'm enjoying learning about the Atari so I'll continue for now at least... getting very close to the point where my GTIA will be generating the video signal and showing the background (borders)...