FPGA Based Videogame System

[Toth]

I can't believe Nintendo of all companies managed to screw up the dpad.

[cacophony]

How Analogue remade the Super Nintendo: Go behind the scenes with the team behind the Super Nt

 

https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/5/16965328/analogue-super-nintendo-super-nt-making-of

[leods]

How Analogue remade the Super Nintendo: Go behind the scenes with the team behind the Super Nt

 

https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/5/16965328/analogue-super-nintendo-super-nt-making-of

To me this was a huge blablabla of PR BS. I mean, fine. He likes videogames. That's the bare minimum you should expect of anyone in this industry. Except at the end he said, talking about Sega "maybe we're already working on it".

 

Last time they said maybe, it was about their DAC for the SNT. So maybe they are working on that Mega Drive... Makes perfect sense.

 

We'll see. Till they release that, I'll be playing mine through the OSSC.

 

Only 2 days now guys.

[Nomenclature]

The new snes receivers only come paired with controllers. I'm betting you got one of the old ones. I have no clue what the difference is between them but I heard they were not compatible (unless you bought one loose from someone that bought the bundle and only wanted the bluetooth snes controller, or bought the snes classic version by mistake).

 

I think that is simply an issue with the size of your hands. I'm betting yours are probably small because I wear xl gloves and the controller fits me perfectly.

 

Nah I'm 6'6" and wear size 15 shoes. Switch Pro is just shaped poorly compared to say the Wii U Pro or probably the best shaped controller of all time the Xbox 360. And I can't use the Joy Cons because they're way too small.

 

The Switch Pro isn't the worst controller ever, don't get me wrong, it's just a major step back compared to how far they'd come with the 3DS and Wii/Wii U controls. I put up with it until Celeste came out and I started getting blisters on my fingers because of it. Wii U Pro with the mayflash adapter is just a way more comfortable solution. Even if there is a bit more lag (would like to see a proper test).

Edited February 5, 2018 by Nomenclature

[leods]

 

And I can't use the Joy Cons because I'm a human being.

 

Sorry. I kinda had to go there.

 

Why does nintendo want us to suffer? I mean, they've gotten this all down over 20 years ago. Why do they just refuse to use the industry standard everyone copied from them in the first place? Well. Doesn't matter. Now the SNES is back we don't need Nintendo to play Nintendo anymore.

[Bill Loguidice]

 

Nah I'm 6'6" and wear size 15 shoes. Switch Pro is just shaped poorly compared to say the Wii U Pro or probably the best shaped controller of all time the Xbox 360. And I can't use the Joy Cons because they're way too small.

 

For what it's worth, I don't like the feel of the Switch Pro controller either in comparison to the Xbox One or PS4 controllers.

[brentonius]

 

Sorry. I kinda had to go there.

 

Why does nintendo want us to suffer? I mean, they've gotten this all down over 20 years ago. Why do they just refuse to use the industry standard everyone copied from them in the first place? Well. Doesn't matter. Now the SNES is back we don't need Nintendo to play Nintendo anymore.

Nintendo created a new industry standard with the SNES. While Sega and Atari were arcade/action focused, Nintendo had a lot of neat things going on. Many games had a cinematic feel to them (Super Metroid, Final Fantasy 2/3, Secret of Mana) and veered far away from the arcade genre. The audio was sample based rather than synthesis which also gave it a unique sound, also suitable for classical music.

 

Their controller was and still is my very favorite to this day. Great Shape ergonomically and just enough buttons to make it not confusing... just right, very comfortable. The SNES is by far the gem in my collection.

 

I believe its the one console I couldnt live without. Yes the NES has a special place in my heart but I feel the SNES was so unique, and is just the right combination of ingredients for me when it comes to gameplay, cut scenes, graphics, and sound. Its a true HOME console and set itself apart from the others. Sony did a great job with the PlayStation brand, ripping away the crown from Nintendo with the PlayStation 1 and still remaining the best with the PlayStation 4... in the home console department in the style of the SNES, not the quirky fun thing Nintendo has been up to recently.

 

And Im OK with that. Nintendo has veered off from being the home console champion in some ways. But if you think about it, the SNES was ALSO an experiment. Its hard for us to put ourselves in that mindset but back then the thing was innovative as hell. The mere idea of shoulder buttons was brilliant, and all the stuff I listed above (going for a cinematic feel rather than arcadey feel). Its amazing how the hardware drove the software to feel and play a certain way.

 

And we now have that with the Switch. Take it or leave it, Nintendo is still the great innovator... PlayStation 4 is the modern Super Nintendo (almost down to the controller really). And I like that. I love that. PlayStation grew up with us, giving us that steady appetite of games, slowly adding more levels of maturity as we became adults. While Nintendo veered off into crazy land (damn look at that Labo cardboard stuff lol) and remaining family friendly for the most part and focused on local multiplayer.

 

We live in the best times for gaming ever. I am so happy that the Super NT will keep the SNES alive! My favorite system of all time, the one I could never be without, which even drove me to appreciate classical music and thus get even more into music to picture and now I work in the freakin video game industry doing what I love!

[hyrulebr]

How Analogue remade the Super Nintendo: Go behind the scenes with the team behind the Super Nt

 

https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/5/16965328/analogue-super-nintendo-super-nt-making-of

"But it isnt the Genesis that Taber describes as his dream project. True to form, its Steve Russells Spacewar!, one of the earliest space combat games, developed back in 1962 on the PDP-1 computer, which boasted a little over 9 kilobytes of memory. Almost everybody has played Spacewar!, but almost nobody has played it on the original hardware, he says.

 

I want to make that happen.

 

PDP-1 core confirmed!

[HuckleCat]

This is an interesting read..

 

https://byuu.org/articles/fpgas-arent-magic/

[Kismet]

This is an interesting read..

 

https://byuu.org/articles/fpgas-arent-magic/

 

He sounds more than a little mad.

 

But the thing is, a bare metal "Gaming OS" does not exist, and "99.9% accurate" Higan is out of reach for the vast majority of x86 PC's due to the CPU requirements alone. Once you add in monitor and controller latency and the thousands of combinations possible on a PC, you can no longer make the claim of "software emulation better" It will only be at parity in a configuration that less than 24% of PC owners have access to just for the CPU requirement alone. http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

[D3ltax55]

When should I expect it to arrive to Canada? I picked the 1 day one the cheeper one. THe other option was more expensive but didn't have a description? 1 day does that mean Ill get it on the friday or am I putting my hopes up.

[haightc]

I live in the Seattle area, so when there were shipping in on the the 6th in theory I could have been on by doorstep on the 7th. Now that they are shipping from Nevada I am assuming it'll be several days, which is okay that's I am not going to get that instant gratification. My SFC has been having random crashes with the SD2SNES. When the SuperNT shows up I can more the SFC into the garage and see if I can figure what it's deal is.

[cfillak]

RetroRGB interview with Kevtris:

 

[Namdor]

 

Oho, I've made a repro cart of the same one you're talking about I think:

 

 

Been using it to fix up some of the the busted SNES systems I've come across as a means to learn about the console.

 

Does that PPU demo swap between 240p & 480i modes as it cycles in the static images? Running this cart over the Framemeister & SCART freaks it right out, but it's fine over composite/RF.

 

I'd imagine the Test Suite will work just fine just as it does on a normal SNES -- helps people to calibrate their TV monitors for the best possible 240p output as well as for calibration of other things. I think you might find it interesting to check out:

 

http://junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php?title=240p_test_suite

is that screen from the below test cart?

 

https://tcrf.net/SNES_Burn-In_Test_Cart

 

can it run from an sd2snes?

 

Thanks

[DadsGlasses]

This is an interesting read..

 

https://byuu.org/articles/fpgas-arent-magic/

I feel a little sad for this guy. Hes bitter and upset. Im sure his product is fine for people that have the means and want software emulation. What I dont get is why he wants to take out his frustration on people that want to produce and consume FPGA based products? Edited February 6, 2018 by DadsGlasses

[F34R]

Interesting read regarding both the poly link and the byuu read. Right off on the Poly read, the author seemed so far up Taber's, um, rear, you can't tell where one of them ends and the other begins.

[Jagasian]

 

I already regret buying one... I should have bought two instead. One for using, and another to keep new, mint in box.

[Sho]

is that screen from the below test cart?

 

https://tcrf.net/SNES_Burn-In_Test_Cart

 

can it run from an sd2snes?

 

Thanks

 

Yes, it should run on a SD2SNES.

[D3ltax55]

D1809126-61BA-4804-98C1-7202A968B346.jpeg

 

I already regret buying one... I should have bought two instead. One for using, and another to keep new, mint in box.

YOu could just get the next shipment one to use. but that means you have nothing to play even thou you have the thing in front of you.

That is the one I got.

[F34R]

I already bought the black version, but I will get each one of the other three as well.

[Great Hierophant]

You could get a "sour grapes" vibe from like other individuals who have made software or hardware with a similar level of accuracy to the Super Nt such as byuu (higan) or jwdonal (VeriSNES). They may be resentful because they put a lot of time and hard work into their own projects only to see someone else reap substantial monetary rewards. But nothing ventured...

 

There are other HD SNES consoles out there, but they are made by faceless companies (Hyperkin, GamerzTek, Retro-bit) that don't focus on hardware accuracy, have output that is less than perfect and put out second-rate products. (Thankfully atgames doesn't make a SNES clone). It must sting a little when it's a fellow traveler's design that gets all the plaudits and the cash.

 

Even though Chris Taber's marketing may be a little over-the-top and in-your-face at times (we need more seizure inducing videos and website animations), it keeps excitement and anticipation high. Who gets excited for the "GamerzTek 16-bit HD" or the "Hyperkin SupaRetroN HD" except the guy who got one to review for his Youtube channel for free?

Edited February 6, 2018 by Great Hierophant

[Sho]

I really respect Byuu's work and contributions to the SNES community. However, I can't help but think he's very angry about something beyond his scope -- All he's looking at is the piles of money Chris Taber stands to rake in (and it's a lot), but very clearly neglected the fact that the Super NT (and NT Mini, FPGA products in general) fit a niche in the community at large that wanted to be filled. The argument could be made that Chris doesn't exactly care about preservation or the console (especially now that he made a Sega fanboy comment); but if he didn't envision the console(s) in the first place, it would be very likely that Kevtris wouldn't have put this together and would instead still be at the drawing board for his Zimba 3000. There are people who research and preserve content, and people who develop products that consumers can consume. Just as Hierophant stated, nothing ventured, nothing gained -- you have no one to blame but yourself if you don't take [monetary] advantage of your years of knowledge ... someone else will eventually.

 

Normal people don't exactly care about what it means to preserve the console and it's game library/legacy... they only care about playing these video games in the highest fidelity possible, using their HDTVs in a contemporary setting. You can see this by looking at the excitement that people have reading Twitter/Facebook or various Discords. Yes. they want to purchase a Super NT and play their aging carts and media (and hopefully/ironically ROMs) on the big-screen. If people want to consume and play on FPGAs (or even generic clone systems), that's their prerogative and they shouldn't catch flak any more than someone else who instead wants to play on a Raspberry Pi or at their PC desk.

 

It's unfortunate that his page comes off as grandstanding and firing off of his personal achievements though they have exceptionally great merit.

Edited February 6, 2018 by Sho

[F34R]

You could get a "sour grapes" vibe from like other individuals who have made software or hardware with a similar level of accuracy to the Super Nt such as byuu (higan) or jwdonal (VeriSNES). They may be resentful because they put a lot of time and hard work into their own projects only to see someone else reap substantial monetary rewards. But nothing ventured...

 

There are other HD SNES consoles out there, but they are made by faceless companies (Hyperkin, GamerzTek, Retro-bit) that don't focus on hardware accuracy, have output that is less than perfect and put out second-rate products. (Thankfully atgames doesn't make a SNES clone). It must sting a little when it's a fellow traveler's design that gets all the plaudits and the cash.

 

Even though Chris Taber's marketing may be a little over-the-top and in-your-face at times (we need more seizure inducing videos and website animations), it keeps excitement and anticipation high. Who gets excited for the "GamerzTek 16-bit HD" or the "Hyperkin SupaRetroN HD" except the guy who got one to review for his Youtube channel for free?

I'll be honest. The only thing that secured my purchase is kevtris. He's the only reason I trusted getting the NT Mini, and the only reason I trust the quality with the Super NT.

[cfillak]

I really respect Byuu's work and contributions to the SNES community. However, I can't help but think he's very angry about something beyond his scope -- All he's looking at is the piles of money Chris Taber stands to rake in (and it's a lot), but very clearly neglected the fact that the Super NT (and NT Mini, FPGA products in general) fit a niche in the community at large that wanted to be filled. The argument could be made that Chris doesn't exactly care about preservation or the console (especially now that he made a Sega fanboy comment); but if he didn't envision the console(s) in the first place, it would be very likely that Kevtris wouldn't have put this together and would instead still be at the drawing board for his Zimba 3000. There are people who research and preserve content, and people who develop products that consumers can consume. Just as Hierophant stated, nothing ventured, nothing gained -- you have no one to blame but yourself if you don't take [monetary] advantage of your years of knowledge ... someone else will eventually.

 

Normal people don't exactly care about what it means to preserve the console and it's game library/legacy... they only care about playing these video games in the highest fidelity possible, using their HDTVs in a contemporary setting. You can see this by looking at the excitement that people have reading Twitter/Facebook or various Discords. Yes. they want to purchase a Super NT and play their aging carts and media (and hopefully/ironically ROMs) on the big-screen. If people want to consume and play on FPGAs (or even generic clone systems), that's their prerogative and they shouldn't catch flak any more than someone else who instead wants to play on a Raspberry Pi or at their PC desk.

 

It's unfortunate that his page comes off as grandstanding and firing off of his personal achievements though they have exceptionally great merit.

He also just assumes that the cartridge expansion chips will never be implemented or have never been implemented for other systems. Kevtris' NT Mini NES core covers pretty much every single mapper and all expansion audio chips.

[LewisD]

The creator of Higan targeting Chris Taber/Analogue for advancing mass market retro gaming is equivalent to IBM targeting Steve Jobs/Apple for inventing the modern GUI. Ridiculous.

Edited February 6, 2018 by LewisD