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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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No doubt, if you are in the market for a quality HD NES system that plays original carts then AVS is a really good option.  Hi-Def NES is another good option that is still availble to purchase as well if you already own an original NES system.  

 
...but a Hi-Def NES console won't fit Famicom and NES with the FDS RAM adapter. INTOLERABLE! ;)

J/K

Hi-Def NES is my favorite HDMI solution for that platform by far.
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72 to 60 pin adapter.  

Ah! I seem to recall that this whole tangent was about avoiding that kind of awkwardness ...like the FDS RAM adapter mushrooming on the AVS with no support. atariage_icon_wink.gif

 

That was my half-serious point. Obviously, I don't care that much since the Hi-Def NES is my favorite solution. Still wish GameTech.us and Kevtris would work out twinFAMICOM support. atariage_icon_sad.gif

 

 

 

 

 

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22 hours ago, kevtris said:

Then you're in the wrong thread ?

Sorry, I was under the impression that this thread for all FPGA based Video Game Systems, and not just Analogue consoles.


I was simply agreeing with Kosmic Stardust, that the AVS + Super Nt + Mega Sg are a nice way to go for the current 3 FPGA consoles.

AnalogueMegaSg-vgo-10.jpg

 

I've suggested these to countless people over the years to many gamers who were considering buying a Retron product, but instead, now they are happy Analogue/RetroUSB owners.  - I do feel I'm in the right place.


I enjoy all 3 and will continue to provide my opinions all of them. 
 

Edited by spoonman
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17 hours ago, GarrettCRW said:

THE CORD IS PINCHED. Period. That's not perfect. And that's without even considering that you can't fully close the large door when playing Famicom games, or how this all fails to take the short cord length of the RAM adapter into account.

Not with mine it isn't. And if it were pinching the cord (It's not), I'd simply remove the door.
That would also fix the "problem" with the FC carts keeping the door open.
zzFamicomDiskSystem-vgo-03-s.jpg
 

Was the issue with the FDS Stick not working properly on the Nt Mini ever addressed?

The FDS Stick + RAM module is the ideal way to experience FDS games, and is how I currently use mine on the AVS.

 

According to MLiG the Nt Mini displayed significant corruption with this arrangement.

AnalogueNtMiniFDSStickCorruption.png

 

Quote

And come to think of it, wasn't there some issue with the cart slots that required replacement parts to be sent out? Complain as you will about the Nt Mini's cart doors scuffing games, having to send replacement parts to buyers is generally a sign that something got messed up.

Yes, very few "green strip" NES games had trouble. These are games which have less copper accessible at the tips of the 72 pins and didn't fully reach the cartridge port.
I believe Brian had anticipated this, but the earlier measurements were mistakenly used. It was of course fixed with subsequent AVS manufacturing.  

BD7A2C68-F3D4-6486-224CC33F184D0E80.png

 

Brian made the replacement part available for free on his store. I grabbed 2 since a friend of mine had also ordered an AVS from the second batch and we weren't sure if it would be the same as mine, but it wasn't needed. I've only experienced a problem with 2 games out of around 400 carts so I haven't even bothered to swap mine out just yet. So the way I see it is I have spare 3 cart connectors just in case they ever wear out, but that's probably unlikely.

 

RetroUSB-AVS-FixedCartridgePort-01-vgo.j


You can try and trash the AVS all you want, but it's a great little system. Even the die-hard Analogue fans owe a debt of gratitude to the AVS since it gave Analogue some needed competition, which of course is good for the consumer. 

My main gripe with the Analogue Nt Mini, aside from them being out of stock for years now, was how unstable the NES carts were. Stability is an issue with the long NES cart design, and is why I prefer the AVS with it's horizontal front loading. MLiG also showed how finicky the Nt was with NES carts. Another live streamer kept causing his Nt to glitch out just by touching the cart with a single finger.  

 

 

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5 hours ago, spoonman said:

My main gripe with the Analogue Nt Mini, aside from them being out of stock for years now, was how unstable the NES carts were. Stability is an issue with the long NES cart design, and is why I prefer the AVS with it's horizontal front loading. MLiG also showed how finicky the Nt was with NES carts. Another live streamer kept causing his Nt to glitch out just by touching the cart with a single finger.  

 

 

Yeah, The cartridge ports were the biggest issue with the NT Mini. A lot of reviewers noted that the carts that were working normally on original NES/Famicom systems needed more cleaning when plugged into the NT mini. Coury said you will need a lot q-tips and isopropyl alcohol for your games to work. If it wasn't for the jailbreak, it wouldn't have sold out. 

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1 hour ago, Intense.Mark said:

Yeah, The cartridge ports were the biggest issue with the NT Mini. A lot of reviewers noted that the carts that were working normally on original NES/Famicom systems needed more cleaning when plugged into the NT mini.

 

Mine has been fine. I've never had to clean any carts to get them to work.

 

Quote

If it wasn't for the jailbreak, it wouldn't have sold out. 

 

Sure it would have. It would have just taken a bit longer and the demand after selling out wouldn't have been as strong. The previous Analogue console (regular Nt) was pretty much inferior in every way to the Nt Mini (bigger, didn't support both hdmi + analog, no 5x scaling, issues with Everdrive, less UI features), and yet that thing still sells for hundreds more than retail on eBay.

Edited by cacophony
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19 hours ago, spoonman said:

You can try and trash the AVS all you want, but it's a great little system. Even the die-hard Analogue fans owe a debt of gratitude to the AVS since it gave Analogue some needed competition, which of course is good for the consumer. 

My main gripe with the Analogue Nt Mini, aside from them being out of stock for years now, was how unstable the NES carts were. Stability is an issue with the long NES cart design, and is why I prefer the AVS with it's horizontal front loading.

I don't know that anyone is trashing it, so much as pointing out some annoyances with it.  I have both an AVS and NT Mini. I originally owned an AVS before the Nt Mini came out and sold it, but recently picked up another AVS to try out after so many people on this post talked about how much they liked it.

 

They are both great systems, but each definitely has some minor design flaws.

 

The AVS door design is just annoying if you want to use famicom stuff.  I don't have a lot of space in my setup so i really don't have room to have the door wedged open.  I could see it being genuinely annoying for people who do favor famicom stuff. 

 

Also the NES connector on mine seems especially tight for certain games... particularly ones I purchased from RetroUSB.   This isn't a big deal, it's just odd.

 

 

 

The NT mini as you mention has the NES cart stability issue.   It was bad enough that I swithced to using my famicom everdrive for the most part instead of an NES one, just because famicom carts are considerably more stable in it due to their lower center of gravity.  I mean I can understand the cost would be higher for the aluminum if it arched up instead of down like it does... but it's definitely a bit problematic.   I wish someone would release a 3d printed "collar" or something that would hold the carts tighter up higher... at least I think something like this could potentially work.

 

Additionally, not so much a problem but more of a "would be nice", some of the newer video options on super nt/mega sg would be really nice to have on the nt mini.

 

I can honestly say I never had an issue with having to clean carts excessively to read them on any that I tried.
 

 

Most of the time I just use everdrives, a famicom one for the Nt mini, and a NES one for the AVS.   This for the most part mitigates the issues i have with both... and I call it a day.   They are both great systems and either one is perfectly fine for my nes gaming needs.   If analogue released another one maybe smaller, plastic, without analog video and with maybe only 2 controller ports.  I'd buy that as well just for the space savings if anything.

 

 

 

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On 11/11/2019 at 2:23 AM, ErebusMaligan said:

   If analogue released another one maybe smaller, plastic, without analog video and with maybe only 2 controller ports.  I'd buy that as well just for the space savings if anything.

 

Make sure if it has two ports, that they are spaced correctly to work with a Four Score.

 

On my AV Famicom, I put a jumper from the expansion bay to the player 2 controller port for Zapper/Vaus support.

 

AVS has a mode that lets you remap the exp bus to allow NES Vaus/Arkanoid controllers to function with Famicom games, as well as Player 3 and 4.

 

Multiplayer Famicom games and Vaus Famicom games read the inputs in a way that is incompatible with the Four Score or US Arkanoid.

 

Something to consider when/if Analogue releases an NT Mini Lite. The Super NT and Mega SG use a beefier FPGA than the Mini, and AVS matched the price range with four controller ports.

 

But I love my AVS side by side with the Super NT and Mega SG. Now just give me a Turbo PC with Supergrafx capability and the rear expansion port.

 

There's already a CD emulator available, so a Turbo PC would be amazing! ??

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On 11/11/2019 at 2:23 AM, ErebusMaligan said:

The NT mini as you mention has the NES cart stability issue.   It was bad enough that I swithced to using my famicom everdrive for the most part instead of an NES one, just because famicom carts are considerably more stable in it due to their lower center of gravity.

 

Most of the time I just use everdrives, a famicom one for the Nt mini

Why not just use the JB firmware for NES (and other core) ROM loading from the SD card? I just use the cart slot for my FDS RAM Adapter.

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2 hours ago, bikerspade said:

Why not just use the JB firmware for NES (and other core) ROM loading from the SD card? I just use the cart slot for my FDS RAM Adapter.

I don't know about him but the reason I use an NES Everdrive on the NT Mini (even though it has a full duplicate romset on its SD card for jailbreak) is for the Save States functionality. Gotta love being able to save in Blaster Master. :)

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On 11/10/2019 at 3:52 AM, spoonman said:

Sorry, I was under the impression that this thread for all FPGA based Video Game Systems, and not just Analogue consoles.


I was simply agreeing with Kosmic Stardust, that the AVS + Super Nt + Mega Sg are a nice way to go for the current 3 FPGA consoles.

AnalogueMegaSg-vgo-10.jpg

 

I've suggested these to countless people over the years to many gamers who were considering buying a Retron product, but instead, now they are happy Analogue/RetroUSB owners.  - I do feel I'm in the right place.


I enjoy all 3 and will continue to provide my opinions all of them. 
 

Thanks. The clear unit is clearly the odd duck. I got the NA purple Super and the Blue/Red Jamanese Mega.

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14 hours ago, bikerspade said:

Why not just use the JB firmware for NES (and other core) ROM loading from the SD card? I just use the cart slot for my FDS RAM Adapter.

I'm not sure which games are effected, but I know at least my Startropics rom works on my everdrives just fine but doesn't play audio on the JB core.  I read it has to do with the header or something in the rom file.  I'm sure I can track down another copy, or figure out how to rip my cart, but I just never felt like screwing around with it since I already had the everdrives.

 

i'm incredibly lazy.

 

If I had an FDS setup i probably would care more about it... but meh.

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2 hours ago, Kosmic Stardust said:

Thanks. The clear unit is clearly the odd duck. I got the NA purple Super and the Blue/Red Jamanese Mega.

Maybe so, but I'm a sucker for transparent video game systems so I'm glad I went with it. Like others who bought it, I was a little annoyed by the difference from the production crystal clear renders and final version, but I still like it..

SuperNt-SGB2.jpg

 

It allows the LED light changes to be a little more significant - and is great for dance parties at home! :)

SuperNt--rainbow.gif

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9 hours ago, spoonman said:

Maybe so, but I'm a sucker for transparent video game systems so I'm glad I went with it. Like others who bought it, I was a little annoyed by the difference from the production crystal clear renders and final version, but I still like it..

SuperNt-SGB2.jpg

 

It allows the LED light changes to be a little more significant - and is great for dance parties at home! :)

SuperNt--rainbow.gif

You should put my "SNEZ POLICE" LED theme on there. It's an attention getter for sure! ?

 

 

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I hope Kevin gets his day and Analogue presumably provide him with some of the resources and support for and help him promote his own personal project, when whatever contracts that hold him in place, allow him sway enough. I'm sure he's quite capable and don't want to say his talent is being exploited, but it looks like between all that is expected of him or he expects of himself (I know he says he likes the challenge), and heck pumping out those recent cores seem a gargantuan feet, on top of everything else, I can't imagine he has much free time, except to sleep....hopefully. Take care of yourself, somewhere, in all of this and know that we approve of you, for yourself, not just for what you provide for us.

 

Time for me and Mr. Bimbo (Muppet reference), to take our rest for the day, as well. ;)

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