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FPGA Based Videogame System


kevtris

Interest in an FPGA Videogame System  

682 members have voted

  1. 1. I would pay....

  2. 2. I Would Like Support for...

  3. 3. Games Should Run From...

    • SD Card / USB Memory Sticks
    • Original Cartridges
    • Hopes and Dreams
  4. 4. The Video Inteface Should be...


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The Mega SD looks cool, but like many people here, I already own a Mega Sg (as well as a Mega ED x3, which was only $39 new). So spending another $260 USD just to get the ability to play Sega CD is a hard sell for me.

 

I'm still hopeful that we can get something from Analogue, either all in core SCD, an ODE + SCD core, or an FPGA ODE add-on for a lower price price.

An ODE that that could optionally connect to a cheap portable USB drive would be excellent for those of us who own original Sega CD games. 

 

I could totally picture this sub $20 USB optical drive sitting under the Mega Sg.

https://www.amazon.com/ROOFULL-External-Portable-Rewriter-Compatible/dp/B07C1VP88H

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On 6/12/2019 at 1:48 PM, afx_acid said:

Not sure if this has already been pointed out however there seems to be an issue with hybrid scanlines in 720p mode where the scanlines don't brighten uniformly.

 

Basically the screen seems to be segmented into three horizontal sections of scanlines. If you load up the 240p test suite and display a pure white background, as you increase the scanline depth slider on the Mega Sg, first the scanlines in the centre third of the screen will lighten, then the top third, and finally the bottom third. It's only really visible on white parts of the screen but it's still a bit of an annoyance, especially in games that occasionally have large white sections being displayed on screen.

 

It's kind of hard to see in the below photo due to the moire effect but the issue is definitely there:

 

4vEbaLC.jpg

 

The settings @720p were:

 

Hybrid scanlines: on

Hybrid scanline depth:40

Scanline sub-brightness: 255

This is, like, the third time I've posted this but the message keeps disappearing into the ether. Anyway, I confirmed that it still does this with 720p on a 1080p display. Gets worse as you slide the Scanline Width down to +0. Isn't limited to Hybrid Scanlines either (does it with Normal Scanlines). Would post a pic except that AtariAge suddenly no longer works with Tapatalk.

 

Been expecting Tapatalk to quit working. It's going to suck to jump through hoops to get stuff hosted elsewhere and copy-paste on a phone that unloads apps as soon as you multi-task away from it... and I do almost all my forums and social media from my phone. :(

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Might be worth the cost with how (un)-reliable the Sega CD can be and how expensive they have become (especially Model 1).  The instant loading and not hearing the drive might be kind of nice if it is supported and works the way I have come to expect FPGA things like the Mega SG or Mega Everdrive to work.   I'll probably pick one up when SAG carries them as I like their Deluxe kits they sell and I am guessing they will have a shell that matches the Genesis cartridges really well.

 

Also, how is the company with firmware updates?  I see they lock downloads behind a registration but is that it or is it like the PSIO where they really don't distribute the firmware unless you have proof of purchase from an authorized seller?

Edited by Toth
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I've got a working Mega CD 2 and a small library of games for it, but I don't know that I love the Mega CD library enough to spend this kind of money on an ODE/FPGA solution.

 

I also don't trust Terraonion right now due to how they handled their PC Engine ODE (I have one of the latter revisions and it works, but it's still got problems), though I understand they actually worked with someone who knows what they're doing to get the audio right this time around.  Could end up being awesome.

 

One thing to worry about is if they pull the same registration stuff this time around.  For their PCE device you need to tie an email address to your serial number to download firmware updates.  I don't even like having to register with a massive company to download firmware updates for my $50 mouse, never mind registering with a somewhat temperamental handful of guys to download firmware updates for my ~$300 PC Engine optical drive emulator.

Edited by newtmonkey
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4 hours ago, CZroe said:

This is, like, the third time I've posted this but the message keeps disappearing into the ether. Anyway, I confirmed that it still does this with 720p on a 1080p display. Gets worse as you slide the Scanline Width down to +0. Isn't limited to Hybrid Scanlines either (does it with Normal Scanlines). Would post a pic except that AtariAge suddenly no longer works with Tapatalk.

 

Been expecting Tapatalk to quit working. It's going to suck to jump through hoops to get stuff hosted elsewhere and copy-paste on a phone that unloads apps as soon as you multi-task away from it... and I do almost all my forums and social media from my phone. :(

Thanks for checking and confirming, I forgot to mention in my original post that I was using a 1080p display. I've gone through the settings on both my TV and A/V receiver to make sure that the TV is upscaling the 720p signal from the Sg properly but nothing I can do will correct it.

 

I don't have a 720p display to test this with unfortunately.

Edited by afx_acid
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Terra Onion mentioned the possibility of an adapter that would fit the Sega CD expansion port so that it could be used as on ODE with 32X hardware... but they didn’t seem convinced that it was worth making. I know the Mega Sg doesn’t have 32X support (yet?) which would make it even less worth making an adapter, but I’d love to see an interface unit properly sized and designed for the Mega Sg and Mega SD combo. Perhaps Kev could add one more cartridge adapter to the plans? ;)

 

Glad someone has finally preserved the Sega CD in FPGA but I really wish this thing didn’t cost more than a Sega CD. :(

 

Hopefully MiSTer will catch up but they can always just make a slot for this if need be.

 

Edit: Meant to point out that they have been working on Mega SD since 2016 and still don’t have something compelling enough to convince a typical Mega Sg owner to buy Mega SD over a real Sega CD with a stack of CD-Rs. See why Kevin thought it might not be worth doing? ;)

 

I mostly want it for peace of mind versus unreliable CD hardware but that piece of mind can be satisfied for less just by having a 2nd “backup” Sega CD. I’d almost rather they approached it as a simple ODE that was installed in original Sega CD hardware considering the expense of this. It is relatively less complex too.

 

It sounds like they paid a lot of attention to throttling load times for proper synchronization and yet their very next demonstration video after Sonic CD, Keiko Flying Squadron, has distractingly bad sync problems by the end of the opening cinematics. If they’ve been working on it since 2006, how likely are they to be able to fix this?

Edited by CZroe
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10 hours ago, CZroe said:

.

 

Been expecting Tapatalk to quit working. It's going to suck to jump through hoops to get stuff hosted elsewhere and copy-paste on a phone that unloads apps as soon as you multi-task away from it... and I do almost all my forums and social media from my phone. :(

There is no need for a dedicated forum app when you can just use Chrome. Ditto for email.

 

I am using Android Chrome right now on the new forum software and it's flawless. ?

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7 hours ago, CZroe said:

Terra Onion mentioned the possibility of an adapter that would fit the Sega CD expansion port so that it could be used as on ODE with 32X hardware... but they didn’t seem convinced that it was worth making. I know the Mega Sg doesn’t have 32X support (yet?) which would make it even less worth making an adapter, but I’d love to see an interface unit properly sized and designed for the Mega Sg and Mega SD combo. Perhaps Kev could add one more cartridge adapter to the plans? ;)

 

Glad someone has finally preserved the Sega CD in FPGA but I really wish this thing didn’t cost more than a Sega CD. :(

 

Hopefully MiSTer will catch up but they can always just make a slot for this if need be.

 

Edit: Meant to point out that they have been working on Mega SD since 2016 and still don’t have something compelling enough to convince a typical Mega Sg owner to buy Mega SD over a real Sega CD with a stack of CD-Rs. See why Kevin thought it might not be worth doing? ;)

 

I mostly want it for peace of mind versus unreliable CD hardware but that piece of mind can be satisfied for less just by having a 2nd “backup” Sega CD. I’d almost rather they approached it as a simple ODE that was installed in original Sega CD hardware considering the expense of this. It is relatively less complex too.

 

It sounds like they paid a lot of attention to throttling load times for proper synchronization and yet their very next demonstration video after Sonic CD, Keiko Flying Squadron, has distractingly bad sync problems by the end of the opening cinematics. If they’ve been working on it since 2006, how likely are they to be able to fix this?

I have a Mega SG, Original Model 1 and 2, a model 2 cd, and an Everdrive X7; I still bought the upcoming SD.  Using it for MSU-1 and no more cd drive load times and wear and tear.. easy decision for me.  Adding the 32x is icing on the cake.

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The Mega SD looks cool, but the price is a turn off. There is a market for it since I am a Sega CD owner. Disc systems that are very old does need to be replaces, but not at the price in question besides me wanting a Mega SG.

 

I'm looking at getting Mega Sg because I want my 27 year old Sega Genesis to be replaced. I also am a Game Gear and a SMS owner and that means the cartridge adapters are must for the Mega Sg for me.

 

In general, I want as many of my old systems to be replaced by core FPGA.

Edited by 8th lutz
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The Mega SD seems to fill a specific niche: People who want a high end flash cart and a Sega CD, but own neither. The price makes more sense looking at it that way. It's going to be harder to justify for people that already have one or both, but I don't really see that as being a problem. I'm glad the option is at least there now. My Model 2 Sega CD is still trucking without issue, but in case it does bite the dust one of these days, I could see myself taking the plunge.

Edited by Austin
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16 hours ago, Austin said:

The Mega SD seems to fill a specific niche: People who want a high end flash cart and a Sega CD, but own neither. The price makes more sense looking at it that way. It's going to be harder to justify for people that already have one or both, but I don't really see that as being a problem. I'm glad the option is at least there now. My Model 2 Sega CD is still trucking without issue, but in case it does bite the dust one of these days, I could see myself taking the plunge.

I have both and I want one. Sega CD is notoriously fragile (playing imperfect burns probably hastens the system to failure), and the games are collector-inflated. MegaSD addresses both issues.

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1 hour ago, Gentlegamer said:

I have both and I want one. Sega CD is notoriously fragile (playing imperfect burns probably hastens the system to failure), and the games are collector-inflated. MegaSD addresses both issues.

Same. It's not an either/or thing for me and at the current price it's not a cost thing, either. It's a matter of reducing wear and tear on the Sega CD unit. I'm just waiting for StoneAgeGamer to get them for preorder, which probably won't be until after this initial release in August. 

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3 minutes ago, derFunkenstein said:

Same. It's not an either/or thing for me and at the current price it's not a cost thing, either. It's a matter of reducing wear and tear on the Sega CD unit. I'm just waiting for StoneAgeGamer to get them for preorder, which probably won't be until after this initial release in August. 

 

So this little cart essentially emulates a Sega CD, and runs CD ISOs loaded on an SD cart? Wow, that's quite impressive.  :)

 

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20 minutes ago, Pixelboy said:

 

So this little cart essentially emulates a Sega CD, and runs CD ISOs loaded on an SD cart? Wow, that's quite impressive.  :)

 

It does that and it runs Genesis/Mega Drive and Master System ROMs, so if you're currently an Everdrive user, that flash cart becomes redundant. 

 

Definitely waiting to see what people who buy it have to say first, but I'm very hopeful. 

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I'm conflicted on this one.  I have two Sega CDs and both of them work fine.  One of them I use Taiyo Yuden burns on, the other I only use real games.  This cart isn't urgent, but I'll eventually want it.  Between my jailbroken Mega SG and Everdrive X5, the only thing that this would add is CD games and the potential MSU-1 stuff.  But I was less than thrilled with the SSDS3 to the point where I sold mine.  Hopefully by the time Stoneage Gamer gets them, there's enough information about it to make an informed decision.

 

Edit: And on the subject of MSU-1 enhanced games, that's something that rom hackers would need to understand how to make and create the hacks and sound files for, correct?  I don't think those will come along for a while.  I'm not aware of any Genesis emulators that can do anything like that, so it would only be for this cartridge.

Edited by zetastrike
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On 6/18/2019 at 12:26 PM, CZroe said:

Meant to point out that they have been working on Mega SD since 2016 and still don’t have something compelling enough to convince a typical Mega Sg owner to buy Mega SD over a real Sega CD with a stack of CD-Rs. See why Kevin thought it might not be worth doing? ;)

 

 


- Compact form factor.   Can easily take a Mega SG + Mega SD with you on trips.  Have fun lugging around a real CD unit and it looks absolutely ugly hooked up to a Mega SG.

- No extra PSU needed.   

- Easily swap multi disc games at the touch of a button

- Save States for Genesis games

- Built in Save Ram pack for CD games

- Never have to worry about laser assembly/belt drive again.  

- Ability to add CD quality music to standard Genesis games a la MSU1 for SNES.   

I don't know about you, but all those features are pretty compelling to me.

Edited by SegaSnatcher
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15 hours ago, Slipard said:

The question is: do Analogue have plans to do something like the MegaSD? If no, I'll buy. If yes, I'll pass.

 

Also, would love Analogue to do PC Engine. Really, it is MUCH needed Nintendo and Sega are covered.

They aren't.  I mean Kevtris just bought a Mega SD for dev purposes, so that should tell you everything you need to know.

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I am going to hold off on the Mega SD as well until SAG has them and some reviews are out. The initial releases of the SSDS3 was a complete mess, and it took the community to get it mostly right (I have a revision B now which has most of the big problems fixed, but it is not without its faults).

 

For the amount of money these things cost, they need to get the big things right. It shouldn't take 4-5 hardware revisions.

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I'm not interested in CD quality music, but I hope to see some hacks for those games that had optional music tracks at the expense of sound effects. I believe there are several dozen such games in the Genesis library such as the Lotus games from Gremlin Interactive. Being able to have the original music and full sound effects simultaneously would be nice in such games. 

 

And I'd love to see Outrun hacked. While music and sound effects aren't mutually exclusive there, Sega did have to sacrifice engine sounds from your Ferrari in order to do justice to Outrun's music. If well implemented, it would be nice to see the music tracks offloaded to recordings played back by the flash cartridge hardware with the freed resources of the Genesis put to use to for engine sounds.

Edited by Atariboy
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22 minutes ago, cybercylon said:

I am going to hold off on the Mega SD as well until SAG has them and some reviews are out. The initial releases of the SSDS3 was a complete mess, and it took the community to get it mostly right (I have a revision B now which has most of the big problems fixed, but it is not without its faults).

 

For the amount of money these things cost, they need to get the big things right. It shouldn't take 4-5 hardware revisions.

FWIW,  the same people who fixed SSDS3 initial problems were hired to make sure MegaSD shipped without any serious hardware defects.   FirebrandX took care of the audio portion and Mobius checked over the general signal levels.  I'm confident that the actual hardware will be fine and that any bugs will be fixable through software updates.

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On 6/18/2019 at 8:30 PM, F34R said:

I have a Mega SG, Original Model 1 and 2, a model 2 cd, and an Everdrive X7; I still bought the upcoming SD.  Using it for MSU-1 and no more cd drive load times and wear and tear.. easy decision for me.  Adding the 32x is icing on the cake.

Just making sure you know since it sounds like you might be expecting something more: 32X support is cart-only (for now) and requires an original 32X (always). Pretty much any Genesis flash cart already does this, so it really doesn't add much "icing on the cake" there. :(

The 32X support I was expressing optimism for from Analogue is just the possible a loop-back with the analog adapter, which we still don't know the prospects for.

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6 hours ago, SegaSnatcher said:

They aren't.  I mean Kevtris just bought a Mega SD for dev purposes, so that should tell you everything you need to know.

Would you please clarify if "They aren't" is a reply to the Analogue TG16 console idea or adding CD support to the Mega SG? It's great to know that Kevtris bought a Mega SD and "for dev purposes" but doesn't that imply a YES that we might see Mega SG get CD support?

 

Also, revisiting my firmware question: RetroRGB reports that FirebrandX updated video settings for the latest firmware, and about the latest jailbreak. I saw the first bullet point: "CD BIOS replacement works now after a reboot"

I noticed the same fw revision (7.5) but thought maybe they patched 7.5 and forgot to update the rev#. The Mega SG ignoring any cd bios changes is not an issue in 7.4 but is in 7.5 so I tried downgrading and upgrading between the two, but sadly the problem remains. It was worth the try.  For now, I will choose the benefits of 7.5 even if I can't play Japanese Cd titles. Sigh... off to redo all the Firebrandx settings. I really hope saving settings to sd becomes the next firmware highlight.

 

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