FPGA Based Videogame System

[CZroe]

That's not great as I can only think of around ten genesis games supporting battery saves. So the only way of saving, even using the custom firmware, is using an Everdrive X7? That's a little bit disappointing.

 

Also, can any European tell me if import fees (20% for non-EU countries) had to be paid when buying a Mega Sg from the company's website?

 

Thanks again

Well, there's also the MegaSD, which could be an even better Mega Sg companion device. Pretty sure it lets you do save states.

 

[SegaSnatcher]

4 hours ago, Molteno said:

That's not great as I can only think of around ten genesis games supporting battery saves. So the only way of saving, even using the custom firmware, is using an Everdrive X7? That's a little bit disappointing.

 

Also, can any European tell me if import fees (20% for non-EU countries) had to be paid when buying a Mega Sg from the company's website?

 

Thanks again

Well, it'll save the few games that use EEPROM and FRAM for saving as well.     But yeah if Save States is what interests you then yeah you'll need an X7 or Mega SD.

[Molteno]

8 hours ago, SegaSnatcher said:

Well, it'll save the few games that use EEPROM and FRAM for saving as well.     But yeah if Save States is what interests you then yeah you'll need an X7 or Mega SD.

That's true, I will definitely go for a Mega SD as I already own an X5. I wish it was a little bit cheaper as I just bought the mega sg but I understand it's a complex "device". Had anybody tried Mega SD yet? I can see an August delivery date at TO website. 

[SegaSnatcher]

13 minutes ago, Molteno said:

That's true, I will definitely go for a Mega SD as I already own an X5. I wish it was a little bit cheaper as I just bought the mega sg but I understand it's a complex "device". Had anybody tried Mega SD yet? I can see an August delivery date at TO website. 

Yes there are reviews out already.

[Flojomojo]

But watch out for inaccuracies in reviews. This page says that the MegaCD plays 32X games, which contradicts the actual product page. 

 

https://www.retrorgb.com/mega-sd-full-review.html

[Molteno]

1 minute ago, Flojomojo said:

But watch out for inaccuracies in reviews. This page says that the MegaCD plays 32X games, which contradicts the actual product page. 

 

https://www.retrorgb.com/mega-sd-full-review.html

Yeap I just saw that. Mega SG emulates only the Mega CD hardware so it's pretty obvious an actual 32X add-on is needed for 32X games. I can't understand how reviewers can get this so wrong. 

[SegaSnatcher]

3 minutes ago, Flojomojo said:

But watch out for inaccuracies in reviews. This page says that the MegaCD plays 32X games, which contradicts the actual product page. 

 

https://www.retrorgb.com/mega-sd-full-review.html

It does if you have a 32x.

[Flojomojo]

1 minute ago, SegaSnatcher said:

It does if you have a 32x.

And it can drive you to school if you have a car. 

 

Part of this complete breakfast (along with toast, juice, milk, bacon, and eggs)

[CZroe]

But watch out for inaccuracies in reviews. This page says that the MegaCD plays 32X games, which contradicts the actual product page. 

 

https://www.retrorgb.com/mega-sd-full-review.html

It does play 32X games, just like the Mega Everdrive. What it doesn’t do without a special adapter are 32X CD games.

 

Yeap I just saw that. Mega SG emulates only the Mega CD hardware so it's pretty obvious an actual 32X add-on is needed for 32X games. I can't understand how reviewers can get this so wrong. 

What reviewer got this wrong? The only one linked here sure didn’t. Also, it does replicate more than just CD hardware... it’s also a cartridge emulator. That’s how it plays standard Genesis and 32X games.

 

Seems a bit odd to complain about multiple reviewers getting this wrong when they don’t.

[Molteno]

6 minutes ago, CZroe said:

It does play 32X games, just like the Mega Everdrive. What it doesn’t do without a special adapter are 32X CD games.

 

 

What reviewer got this wrong? The only one linked here sure didn’t. Also, it does replicate more than just CD hardware... it’s also a cartridge emulator. That’s how it plays standard Genesis and 32X games.

 

Seems a bit odd to complain about multiple reviewers getting this wrong when they don’t.

When reading the first paragraphs, one get the impression that 32X hardware is not needed, it should be more clear. But this is just me.

[CZroe]

When reading the first paragraphs, one get the impression that 32X hardware is not needed, it should be more clear. But this is just me.

That’s fair, ...and worth correcting/explaining.

However, I don’t think the confusion is the reviewer’s fault. It’s our assumptions. Did anyone get the impression that it played Genesis games without a Genesis or MegaSg? The MegaSD simply eliminates game cartridges and CD hardware/discs. It can also support 32X CD games with a simple adapter.

The accusation was that multiple reviews get this wrong when, in fact, we have yet to see a single review that gets this wrong. It’s how we interpret it that’s wrong.

[Flojomojo]

Anything that requires an 11x5 matrix to explain compatibility is pretty complex to begin with. See attached for a direct paste from the MegaCD product page. 

 

In a world where cheap devices can play cartridge and CD games as data files, it's best to be super explicit about what works where. 

 

It is not unreasonable to ask for 32X emulation in 2019. My OUYA could do it many years ago. FPGA simulation of 32X is more complex, but I think it's far from obvious. 

 

[CZroe]

Anything that requires an 11x5 matrix to explain compatibility is pretty complex to begin with. See attached for a direct paste from the MegaCD product page.   

In a world where cheap devices can play cartridge and CD games as data files, it's best to be super explicit about what works where. 

 

It is not unreasonable to ask for 32X emulation in 2019. My OUYA could do it many years ago. FPGA simulation of 32X is more complex, but I think it's far from obvious. 

 

 

Well, yeah. Sega had a lot of similar hardware permutations. Do you see how this reasoning applies exactly the same way to playing Genesis games without a Genesis? You didn't seem to think that was a reasonable expectation for 2019 yet, if anything, it applies even more. 

There is no way to interface a 32X clone with an original console without video loop-back which can't be done through the cartridge connector. Nothing about it being 2019 changes that. If you were going to clone the 32X in FPGA you'd be better off cloning the Genesis with it.

 

 

 

[Molteno]

Finding a 32X is not easy as only 700,000 were sold worldwide and most machines will start failing at some point anyway, they can't live forever. The time will come when FPGA will be the only way to play 32X.

 

Its library is VERY limited anyway but some interesting games do exist.

[Flojomojo]

@CZroe I agree that an all-in-one solution would be preferable, like a Sega Neptune with solid state support for CD ISOs.

 

Look, I'm not trying to argue with you. Unless you're the person who wrote the words ...

Quote

The Mega SD is a Genesis / Mega Drive ROM cart that plays Genesis, SMS, 32x AND Sega CD games, from all regions, all on one cartridge!  

... I don't get why anyone would take issue with someone pointing out that the phrasing is confusing at best. In truth, it plays everything on that list EXCEPT 32X games. "The Mega SD is a Genesis / Mega Drive ROM cart that plays Genesis, SMS, AND Sega CD games, from all regions, all on one cartridge!" There, I fixed it. 

 

The video review spends about 6 minutes talking about the (lack of) compatibility with 32X, starting at about 9:52.

 

[NE146]

I'm not exactly a noob but even I was wondering at first whether it supported 32x games without a 32x. After all, it supports Sega CD games without a Sega CD right? 'Course it only took me a few minutes to figure it out, but the question was indeed there for me at the very beginning. 

[Molteno]

1 minute ago, NE146 said:

I'm not exactly a noob but even I was wondering at first whether it supported 32x games without a 32x. After all, it supports Sega CD games without a Sega CD right? 'Course it only took me a few minutes to figure it out, but the question was indeed there for me at the very beginning. 

Yeap, as the Mega is in essence a hybrid ''device'' that works as a flash cart for Mega CD, MD, SMS and 32x but at the same time it provides FPGA simulation only for Mega CD. That's why I would like more clarity when presented a hybrid device due its more complicared nature.

[SegaSnatcher]

1 hour ago, Molteno said:

Finding a 32X is not easy as only 700,000 were sold worldwide and most machines will start failing at some point anyway, they can't live forever. The time will come when FPGA will be the only way to play 32X.

 

Its library is VERY limited anyway but some interesting games do exist.

There isn't much to fail in the 32x outside possibly having to clean the pins and maybe replace caps down the road.   2600 consoles are 40+ yrs old these days and you can find plenty that either still work or can be made to work with very little effort. 

[CZroe]

 

 

 

 

[mention=4949]CZroe[/mention] I agree that an all-in-one solution would be preferable, like a Sega Neptune with solid state support for CD ISOs.  

Look, I'm not trying to argue with you. Unless you're the person who wrote the words ...

 

The Mega SD is a Genesis / Mega Drive ROM cart that plays Genesis, SMS, 32x AND Sega CD games, from all regions, all on one cartridge!  

... I don't get why anyone would take issue with someone pointing out that the phrasing is confusing at best.I'm not taking issue with that. That's fair. What you said before was that reviews were inaccurate and that the statement contradicted the product page. I took issue with that because neither were true. Heck, that wasn't even the review. The review itself was a video where the particulars were all explained.

 

 

In truth, it plays everything on that list EXCEPT 32X games. "The Mega SD is a Genesis / Mega Drive ROM cart that plays Genesis, SMS, AND Sega CD games, from all regions, all on one cartridge!" There, I fixed it. 

"In truth" it plays everything on that list INCLUDING 32X games. Obviously, one of us is wrong. The "ROM cart" plays 32X ROMs every bit as well as it plays Genesis ROMs. Every single 32X ROM runs on this cart. Heck, it can't even make that claim for Genesis ROMs (Virtua Racing) or Master System ROMs (SG-1000 graphics modes). 

Rather than fixing it, you really just left out an important bullet point that every Genesis flash cart is sure to list in their capabilities. The reasoning is contradictory and only makes sense if you also leave out Genesis and SMS for the same reason. Again, by the same logic where it doesn't play 32X games (because it requires 32X hardware), it doesn't play Genesis games (because it requires Genesis hardware). Get it? The base assumption for flash carts and even for some ODEs is that they only replicate the game data and that the original hardware or something else approximating it is still required. Indeed, that's usually the point (playing on original hardware).

 

For fixing any ambiguity, I MUCH prefer the way the actual paragraph handled it by distinguishing the CD support from the usual "ROM cart" functions with the line you left out of your quote: "Unlike many other Optical Drive Emulators, this doesn’t replace the existing optical drive…and in fact, it doesn’t need any original Sega CD hardware at all!!!"

 

Did he say the same thing about 32X, Genesis, or Master System? Nope. That's obviously because it does require hardware for those. Anyone interested who might assume otherwise obviously needs to do more research and would benefit from watching the review where he did an excellent job explaining pretty much everything.

 

The video review spends about 6 minutes talking about the (lack of) compatibility with 32X, starting at about 9:52.  

 

It is a "ROM cart" that plays every 32X cartridge game just as well as it plays every Genesis cartridge game. The review is explaining the particulars about the six CD32X games which require an adapter and how you can play the CD games with a 32X attached (also matters for non-32X Sega CD games and yet you aren't characterizing them as incompatible).

 

Earlier you used it as an example of an inaccurate review for saying that it plays 32X games and now you're saying that the review spends an inordinate about of time saying exactly the opposite. Come on now. I thought you didn't want to argue?

 

Are there some "gotchas" for 32X support? Yes. You can't play CD games through the 32X, including standard Sega CD games, which means it requires a passive expansion port adapter to play the six so-called "CD 32X" games which require a 32X to be inserted.

 

While I would generally expect all 32X games to include the "CD 32X" titles, "CD 32X" games are distinct from 32X games... even as far as the logo on the package. You could even say that the MegaSD plays all 32X games perfectly without the adapter if your audience understood that distinction. Obviously, saying that it supports 32X games does not imply "all" 32X games any more than saying that it supports Genesis games (Virtua Racing). Even without considering the adapter, I can't find fault or inaccuracy in the statement from either perspective.

 

If I was looking for something wrong or inaccurate with that paragraph to take issue with, I'd point to where he calls it a "ROM cart" to distinguish it from other cartridges. Even original store-bought single-game carts are ROM carts. He's stubbornly doubled-down on that one though. Perhaps that's even why he links to his own page where he attempts to redefine it.

 

"Flash cart" even works for carts that use RAM instead of EEPROM or Flash because even RAM carts use flash memory for storage (SD, CF, etc). The few old devices that don't? Well, no one would call something like V64jr or Z64 a "flash cart" or "ROM cart." Those were backup units or cartridge emulators or unofficial devkits. Zero issues with using "flash cart" whether it uses flash for storage or execution.

 

 

 

[CZroe]

Yeap, as the Mega is in essence a hybrid ''device'' that works as a flash cart for Mega CD, MD, SMS and 32x but at the same time it provides FPGA simulation only for Mega CD. That's why I would like more clarity when presented a hybrid device due its more complicared nature.

Yep... and the video review in question went to great lengths to clarify. Even the paragraph about what was being reviewed clarified by differentiating the CD support as the one which does not require original hardware. It takes careful reading with the question in mind but that basic info was there in one succinct paragraph summing up the capabilities of the device. It's hard to do better summarizing so much in one paragraph. I'm rather impressed by it and somewhat surprised to see the summary get singled out as a review with "inaccuracies."

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

10 hours ago, CZroe said:

 

 

 

 

 

... I don't get why anyone would take issue with someone pointing out that the phrasing is confusing at best.I'm not taking issue with that. That's fair. What you said before was that reviews were inaccurate and that the statement contradicted the product page. I took issue with that because neither were true. Heck, that wasn't even the review. The review itself was a video where the particulars were all explained.

 

 

 

"In truth" it plays everything on that list INCLUDING 32X games. Obviously, one of us is wrong. The "ROM cart" plays 32X ROMs every bit as well as it plays Genesis ROMs. Every single 32X ROM runs on this cart. Heck, it can't even make that claim for Genesis ROMs (Virtua Racing) or Master System ROMs (SG-1000 graphics modes). 

Rather than fixing it, you really just left out an important bullet point that every Genesis flash cart is sure to list in their capabilities. The reasoning is contradictory and only makes sense if you also leave out Genesis and SMS for the same reason. Again, by the same logic where it doesn't play 32X games (because it requires 32X hardware), it doesn't play Genesis games (because it requires Genesis hardware). Get it? The base assumption for flash carts and even for some ODEs is that they only replicate the game data and that the original hardware or something else approximating it is still required. Indeed, that's usually the point (playing on original hardware).

 

For fixing any ambiguity, I MUCH prefer the way the actual paragraph handled it by distinguishing the CD support from the usual "ROM cart" functions with the line you left out of your quote: "Unlike many other Optical Drive Emulators, this doesn’t replace the existing optical drive…and in fact, it doesn’t need any original Sega CD hardware at all!!!"

 

Did he say the same thing about 32X, Genesis, or Master System? Nope. That's obviously because it does require hardware for those. Anyone interested who might assume otherwise obviously needs to do more research and would benefit from watching the review where he did an excellent job explaining pretty much everything.

 

 

It is a "ROM cart" that plays every 32X cartridge game just as well as it plays every Genesis cartridge game. The review is explaining the particulars about the six CD32X games which require an adapter and how you can play the CD games with a 32X attached (also matters for non-32X Sega CD games and yet you aren't characterizing them as incompatible).

 

Earlier you used it as an example of an inaccurate review for saying that it plays 32X games and now you're saying that the review spends an inordinate about of time saying exactly the opposite. Come on now. I thought you didn't want to argue?

 

Are there some "gotchas" for 32X support? Yes. You can't play CD games through the 32X, including standard Sega CD games, which means it requires a passive expansion port adapter to play the six so-called "CD 32X" games which require a 32X to be inserted.

 

While I would generally expect all 32X games to include the "CD 32X" titles, "CD 32X" games are distinct from 32X games... even as far as the logo on the package. You could even say that the MegaSD plays all 32X games perfectly without the adapter if your audience understood that distinction. Obviously, saying that it supports 32X games does not imply "all" 32X games any more than saying that it supports Genesis games (Virtua Racing). Even without considering the adapter, I can't find fault or inaccuracy in the statement from either perspective.

 

If I was looking for something wrong or inaccurate with that paragraph to take issue with, I'd point to where he calls it a "ROM cart" to distinguish it from other cartridges. Even original store-bought single-game carts are ROM carts. He's stubbornly doubled-down on that one though. Perhaps that's even why he links to his own page where he attempts to redefine it.

 

"Flash cart" even works for carts that use RAM instead of EEPROM or Flash because even RAM carts use flash memory for storage (SD, CF, etc). The few old devices that don't? Well, no one would call something like V64jr or Z64 a "flash cart" or "ROM cart." Those were backup units or cartridge emulators or unofficial devkits. Zero issues with using "flash cart" whether it uses flash for storage or execution.

 

 

 

My understanding is the flash cart plays genesis and 32x roms plugged into a 32x, and it plays sms, genesis, and cd games when plugged directly into a genesis. And some frankenstein adapter that let you plug the 32x into the expansion port and the flash cart into the genesis to enable 32x cd games.

 

Be that as it may, the 32x is useless currently with the mega sg. Perhaps you could stack the crt and the hdtv by plugging the mega sg to the hdtv and the 32x to the crt.

 

However the background graphics generated by the genesis and foreground 32x objects will be on different displays potentially making the games an unplayable mess. 

[Austin]

12 hours ago, Molteno said:

Finding a 32X is not easy

How to remedy this in three quick steps:

 

1. Open your web browser and navigate to ebay.com.

2. In the eBay search bar, simply type, "Sega 32X system". Click "Search".

3. Bask in the glory that is all of the 32X add-ons that you have easily found!

Edited July 18, 2019 by Austin

[Enragedwhale]

On 7/16/2019 at 10:43 PM, Molteno said:

Also, can any European tell me if import fees (20% for non-EU countries) had to be paid when buying a Mega Sg from the company's website?

I’m in the UK and with the Mega SG I had to pay import fees. The shipping company analogue used declared the correct value (as they should).

 

But with the Super NT before it they declared it’s value as £0 and I didn’t get stung for anything.  

[Enragedwhale]

Has anybody tried plugging a 32X into a mega SG? Correct me if I’m wrong but shouldn’t it work but only output the 32X layer via the analogue output on the 32x?

 

And the megadrive layer via HDMI? 

11 hours ago, SegaSnatcher said:

There isn't much to fail in the 32x outside possibly having to clean the pins and maybe replace caps down the road.   2600 consoles are 40+ yrs old these days and you can find plenty that either still work or can be made to work with very little effort. 

 

I believe an internal ribbon cable can become detached requiring a slightly more involved repair. Still very much salvageable though.

[Austin]

2 minutes ago, Enragedwhale said:

I believe an internal ribbon cable can become detached requiring a slightly more involved repair. Still very much salvageable though.

Yes, this is a pretty common issue. Even had to do it to my current 32X. It was more of a pain than it should have been (everything is really crammed hard into that tiny 32X shell), but reseating those connectors did do the trick.