FPGA Based Videogame System

[SubElement]

Kevtris didn't say that, but he said he wants to do a beta this time.

 

Didn't say what?

[WNivek]

Didn't say what?

 

What is the ETA of the next SNT firmware?

[Toth]

 

More than a week has passed and the Analogue customer service is still asking me to clean my carts.

I didn't expect this kind of low level support from them, It's like they're trying to exhaust me and left me with my broken unit

 

If they have said the same thing several times you will have to give them an ultimatum in the next email. Say you want an exchange or a refund. If that doesn't work I am sure your credit card company could help though I don't know about your protections in your country. Even the threat of involving your credit card company would probably help.

Edited February 22, 2018 by Toth

[SubElement]

Still watching Leo's live stream video, but JPS on the ResetEra forums states these are some takeaways from the chat:

 

 

(https://www.resetera.com/posts/4815147/)

 

More infos from Kevtris:

- New update will be released within one week.
- DSP1-4 support would be technically possible, SA-1/SuperFX are not possible, because the ROM is located behind those special chips and the memory bandwidth of the chips in the Super Nt is not good enough.
- Full Range / Limited Range is already done.
- Work on new scanlines hasn't started, he wants to fix other problems first.
- PSX and Mega CD use a BIOS and the copyright is still valid for decades, so they couldn't release FPGA solutions that work out of the box.

Edited February 22, 2018 by SubElement

[rule_z]

If they have said the same thing several times you will have to give them an ultimatum in the next email. Say you want an exchange or a refund. If that doesn't work I am sure your credit card company could help though I don't know about your protections in your country. Even the threat of involving your credit card company would probably help.

 

Already asked for the replacement, their reply was like "sure but first tell me which games did you tested" then "have you tried also with some USA carts" and finally "have you cleaned them?" It's more and more like a bad joke...

I don't know if I can do anything with my credit card's bank, I've paid the console months ago, but anyway I hope that I will not need to do this.

[Great Hierophant]

Kevtris got the Super PowerPak working last night on the Super Nt and the fix should be included in the next firmware update. You will need to check the "launch system timing" option in the new firmware.

[CZroe]

Kevtris didn't say that, but he said he wants to do a beta this time. Just to be sure there aren't any problems. He's working on a million things. It's gonna take time to get everything ironed out, and all features corrected or implemented.

 

Edit: Yeah. Kevtris keeps surprising me. What a cool guy.

I gotta say that this is probably because *some people* (cough cough) tried to use the new issues from his last update to argue against their compatibility claims. [emoji6] Edited February 22, 2018 by CZroe

[cfillak]

Still watching Leo's live stream video, but JPS on the ResetEra forums states these are some takeaways from the chat:

 

 

- DSP1-4 support would be technically possible, SA-1/SuperFX are not possible, because the ROM is located behind those special chips and the memory bandwidth of the chips in the Super Nt is not good enough.

 

This is confusing. This sounds like somebody asking if using chip enhanced carts' co-processors as pass through for ROMs is possible. People have said that this would be possible with the DSP chips, but not possible with SA-1 or SuperFX because the ROM is located behind the chips. I don't know why this is being mixed up with the memory bandwidth of the Super NT.

[Thomas83Lin]

Still watching Leo's live stream video, but JPS on the ResetEra forums states these are some takeaways from the chat:

 

is there a link to this video? I can't seem to find it.

Edited February 22, 2018 by Thomas83Lin

[Jagasian]

Kevtris got the Super PowerPak working last night on the Super Nt and the fix should be included in the next firmware update. You will need to check the "launch system timing" option in the new firmware.

I have my SNT settings configured to skip the logo, zero delay for startup, booy straight to the cart, etc. One thing I like about the old 8-bit and 16-bit area consoles is their simplicity, fast power-on to game running time, etc.

 

So will the SNT have to boot to cart slower than a real SNES would boot to cart in order to be compatible with the Super Powerpak? It is not that big a deal to be honest, as I and most other people that use a flash cart have likely upgraded to a sd2snes already.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

This is confusing. This sounds like somebody asking if using chip enhanced carts' co-processors as pass through for ROMs is possible. People have said that this would be possible with the DSP chips, but not possible with SA-1 or SuperFX because the ROM is located behind the chips. I don't know why this is being mixed up with the memory bandwidth of the Super NT.

 

Totally understandable. I'm down with plugging in Mario Kart or Pilot Wings to play DSP-1 games via the jailbreak. Shame it doesn't work with SA-1 / FX, but I've got most of the carts I want to play that use them. Just ordered a "NEw" STar Fox 2 repro the other night.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Kevtris didn't say that, but he said he wants to do a beta this time. Just to be sure there aren't any problems. He's working on a million things. It's gonna take time to get everything ironed out, and all features corrected or implemented.

 

Edit: Yeah. Kevtris keeps surprising me. What a cool guy.

 

That is awesome; thanks for sharing this. RetroUSB did beta firmwares for the AVS and I got a lot of usage out of them. And you can always downgrade if an update breaks a game.

[Jagasian]

I gotta say that this is probably because *some people* (cough cough) tried to use the new issues from his last update to argue against their compatibility claims. [emoji6]

It is reasonable for there to be minor compatibility issues right now, as long as kevtris is committed to fix them as they come up... which he is clearly doing, I dont see a problem. Analogue and Kevtris know they have a good reputation and brand that is worth maintaining. Quality retro gaming hardware.

[CZroe]

I have my SNT settings configured to skip the logo, zero delay for startup, booy straight to the cart, etc. One thing I like about the old 8-bit and 16-bit area consoles is their simplicity, fast power-on to game running time, etc.

 

So will the SNT have to boot to cart slower than a real SNES would boot to cart in order to be compatible with the Super Powerpak? It is not that big a deal to be honest, as I and most other people that use a flash cart have likely upgraded to a sd2snes already.

No. “Launch system timings” has nothing to do with the boot delay. It’s referring to the SNES having been revised many times over its life with timing differences that could affect certain games.

 

The boot delay options are to give your TV time to sync so that you don’t miss any of the game’s early screens. This was a problem even with some CRTs that would blank and mute without sync and took a second or two to regain sync when it a signal starts.

[Jagasian]

I finally pre-ordered my second Super NT (this time black). I have been enjoying my SNES colored Super NT, and I want to have one hooked up to every TV in the house. I also want to support Analogue and kevtriss continued work on refining the SNT as well as selling future hardware.

 

Lets also get real here. Once they stop manufacturing these babies, prices are going to skyrocket. Nintendo minted 50 million SNES consoles! Even 10 years from now there will be millions more original SNES systems than SNTs floating around Ebay, Amazon, and other sellers.

 

So yeah, I am buying one for each TV and will probably buy a few more as backups for the day they become discontinued.

[phoenixdownita]

....

 

Lets also get real here. Once they stop manufacturing these babies, prices are going to skyrocket.

....

Let's also get real here. Once they stop manufacturing these babies kevtris would come out with an even more powerful one.

It happened before, HiDef NES -> HDMI HiDef NES -> Analgue Nt -> Nt Mini ..... and the wheel goes round (when the NES core ships it will be Nt Mini -> Super Nt , if it doesn't ship for "legal" reasosns then Nt Mini -> Zimba3000)

 

Buy as many or as little as you see fit but given the FPGA tech is maturing for retro-gaming I only see more choices coming into the fray and not less .... even Krikzz at a point had his own FPGA NES.

Granted kevtris seems to be the first to have an outstanding SNES FPGA implementation but it won't be the last, not by a mile.

[trismegistus]

Obligatory fanboy post: I just want to thank kevtris and Analogue for the Super Nt. I've been enjoying this thing even more than I expected. It's not like there haven't been ways to play these games over the years, so I was a little worried I would try it out, play a few games for twenty minutes, and then go "cool" and pretty much be done. But there's something about being able to put in my original cartridges, load a save from over two decades ago, and have it run beautifully on a modern TV, and I've found myself getting back into the games in a way I haven't since I first played them. This thing is really something special.

[Kismet]

 

This is confusing. This sounds like somebody asking if using chip enhanced carts' co-processors as pass through for ROMs is possible. People have said that this would be possible with the DSP chips, but not possible with SA-1 or SuperFX because the ROM is located behind the chips. I don't know why this is being mixed up with the memory bandwidth of the Super NT.

 

I think the problem here is the question.

 

I don't know what the question was asked, but it was likely "could the Super NT make chip games work with my everdrive" or something to that idea.

[cacophony]

Let's also get real here. Once they stop manufacturing these babies kevtris would come out with an even more powerful one.

It happened before, HiDef NES -> HDMI HiDef NES -> Analgue Nt -> Nt Mini ..... and the wheel goes round (when the NES core ships it will be Nt Mini -> Super Nt , if it doesn't ship for "legal" reasosns then Nt Mini -> Zimba3000)

 

Buy as many or as little as you see fit but given the FPGA tech is maturing for retro-gaming I only see more choices coming into the fray and not less .... even Krikzz at a point had his own FPGA NES.

Granted kevtris seems to be the first to have an outstanding SNES FPGA implementation but it won't be the last, not by a mile.

 

idk, that kind of sounds like wishful thinking to be honest. Kevtris has already expressed that he prefers the Analogue relationship, and that he may no longer feel comfortable going it alone with a more ambitious product. Which means that there's a reasonable possibility that the Analogue business plans going forward will dictate future Kevtris projects. And as we all know Analogue has a tendency to completely drop products with no warning. The cycle of replacements products that occurred with Analogue's NES line could simply be explained by the fact that the first iterations weren't sustainable (due to the original parts requirements), and if they release one more version it will be because the Nt Mini wasn't at the more consumer friendly price-point. But once they feel they've exhausted the market and can't justify additional runs, who knows what will happen. I really hope we eventually see something like the Zimba 3000 but I wouldn't be counting on it.

[cacophony]

 

I think the problem here is the question.

 

I don't know what the question was asked, but it was likely "could the Super NT make chip games work with my everdrive" or something to that idea.

 

Here's the question (around 2 hours 47 minutes): https://youtu.be/EBG3B4MS3j8?t=2h47m

See chat for Kevtris response

 

Leods is asking whether it would be possible to have a special chip cart like Starfox in the Super Nt, and then utilize the special chip with other roms (like Star Fox 2).

 

But then at 2 hours 49 minutes Kevtris answers a chat question about the feasibility of implementing SuperFX or SA1 in the FPGA

Edited February 22, 2018 by cacophony

[cfillak]

 

Here's the question (around 2 hours 47 minutes): https://youtu.be/EBG3B4MS3j8?t=2h47m

See chat for Kevtris response

 

Leods is asking whether it would be possible to have a special chip cart like Starfox in the Super Nt, and then utilize the special chip with other roms (like Star Fox 2).

Ok so it looks like Kevtris answered 2 separate questions in that chat:

 

1. Is it possible to use expansion chips in a pass-through manner with other ROMs, to which he answered yes for DSP1-4, no for the other chips.

 

2. Does the Super NT FPGA have the specs required to add SuperFX or SA-1 implementations to the core, to which he answered: There is enough space, but the RAM is not fast enough . So I guess that kills the dream of a universally rom compatible Super NT .

 

Either way the SNT is incredible and I've been enjoying it alot. I wonder why RAM is a bottleneck for SA-1? I was under the impression that it was basically a second SNES CPU, maybe it is clocked faster?

 

Edit: I wonder if this has any bearing on the possibility of at least Super FX coming to the SD2SNES?

Edited February 22, 2018 by cfillak

[Keatah]

I gotta say that this is probably because *some people* (cough cough) tried to use the new issues from his last update to argue against their compatibility claims. [emoji6]

 

If the site says "Total Accuracy" then it's implied to mean 100%. That's how any gamer or consumer will read and understand it. Anything less is essentially a falsehood and gray area. FPGA (and these systems) are nice achievements, but they're not 100% totally accurate.

[Toth]

I finally pre-ordered my second Super NT (this time black). I have been enjoying my SNES colored Super NT, and I want to have one hooked up to every TV in the house. I also want to support Analogue and kevtriss continued work on refining the SNT as well as selling future hardware.

 

Lets also get real here. Once they stop manufacturing these babies, prices are going to skyrocket. Nintendo minted 50 million SNES consoles! Even 10 years from now there will be millions more original SNES systems than SNTs floating around Ebay, Amazon, and other sellers.

 

So yeah, I am buying one for each TV and will probably buy a few more as backups for the day they become discontinued.

Prices for this kind of thing skyrocket even before they are known to be discontinued. Look how much ebay listing for the Nt Mini are going for. (All going for $1000+)

Edited February 22, 2018 by Toth

[leods]

I gotta say that this is probably because *some people* (cough cough) tried to use the new issues from his last update to argue against their compatibility claims. [emoji6]

 

I will clarify this, because my message seems to be hard to get. I find Firmware 4.0 for the Super NT amazing, and if that was all they would be able to achieve I would still think this is an amazing console. The same day I uploaded the "analogue is lying" video, I uploaded my review for the system, and it's a super positive review of it. I don't think the Super NT needs to have "total accuracy" to be an awesome system, I think it's even unreasonable to expect it to ever achieve that.

 

But analogue has in their website the following: "No emulation. 1080p. Zero lag. Total accuracy."

 

So they have claimed and still claim Total accuracy. Firmware 3.9 isn't totally accurate. Firmware 4.0 isn't totally accurate. Firmware 4.1 is probably the worse firmware available for the Super NT. So their claim isn't true. They should correct this to something like "we're thriving to achieve total accuracy" Or whatever they want to write that is accurate, and not misleading as to what the product is. That's all I said. Nothing else in regards to accuracy.

 

Now the 8bitdo controllers have lag. And at one frame of lag that's quite a lot for a controller. So they should not be advertising these as lag free. Period. Now someone is telling me on youtube, that it's one frame of lag because of Bluetooth, so it's zero lag compared to other bluetooth solutions. But to me that's bullcrap. That being the case they have to write: "no extra lag compared to other bluetooth solutions", and not "zero lag".

 

And that is all. If you disagree that's fine, I won't duscuss this here. But these are my points and nothing else.

[cacophony]

Prices for this kind of thing skyrocket even before they are known to be discontinued. Look how much ebay listing for the Nt Mini are going for. (All going for $1000+)

 

And then there's this too: https://goo.gl/K5w8Dt

 

Some people aren't even willing to wait an extra week for the second production run