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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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Ugh.  If Kevtris sees this post- please convince Analogue to do another run of the DAC. I wish they would time things so we don't have to pay the heavy shipping for each and every item.  I would have bought or pre-ordered the DAC with my order of my much beloved MegaSG. If anyone cancels their order please let me know. 

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10 minutes ago, Slipard said:

I regret everyday not buying an Nt Mini when it was available.

I curse Analogue everyday for their shitty marketing ways.

And because I gave up on Analogue, I hope everyday for bootleggers to release their own Nt Mini.

 

https://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=78

RetroUSB AVS. You are welcome.

 

It's 720p only, has built in Four Score and Japanese style expansion port. It also takes both NES and Famicom with expansion audio. Looks great side by side with the Super NT and Mega SG and equally capable when compared with the current non-JB firmware. If you've got a PowerPak or Everdrive, you can load ROMs on it too!:ahoy:

 

Absolutely no reason to knock Analogue's products simply because the NT Mini is no longer feasible to manufacture.

Edited by Kosmic Stardust
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https://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=78 RetroUSB AVS. You are welcome.  

It's 720p only, has built in Four Score and Japanese style expansion port. It also takes both NES and Famicom with expansion audio. Looks great side by side with the Super NT and Mega SG and equally capable when compared with the current non-JB firmware. If you've got a PowerPak or Everdrive, you can load ROMs on it too!atariage_icon_piratehat.gif

 

Absolutely no reason to knock Analogue's products simply because the NT Mini is no longer feasible to manufacture.

 

 

Unless Bunnyboy opens it up with an official "jailbreak" of his own containing a comparable number of cores, I don't think the AVS is particularly comparable. AVS is a great alternative to Nt Mini if you're only after NES/FC, but I really don't think that's why people are lamenting that they missed out on it. It's the other cores. That's why I sold one for $1,200 in 2018... and also why I regret it.

 

Specifically excluding the JB FW is hard to swallow since even the JB is official from the creator for that one.

 

Still hoping Nt Mini gets reborn with a cheaper plastic model. The original was just too rich for my blood! Hopefully that's what "Analogue 8" is supposed to be.

 

 

 

 

 

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I've a question about FPGA cores accuracy.

I mean: without that, an FPGA core is not different from any RPi.

Now, we know Kevtriss's stuff is accurate (I own both MegaSG and SuperNT), but is it the same for all MisTer cores? In which measure? Is there any reliable source or a % status of the cores completion?

 

I ask with no malice, it's just to understand if I can put my NeoGeo MVS and games in storage and replace it safely with Furrtek's core on MisTer. What about T.O.'s MegaSD-Sega CD vs MisTer Sega CD vs actual SegaCD?

Is MisTer PCE core cycle accurate? NES? T.O.'s Super SD System 3 ?

 

On a final note: I really hope Kevtriss will work, in the future, on some arcade cores (Sega boards, Taito boards, CPS1/2/3 and pre-1994 2d stuff in general): that stuff is REALLY expansive, bulky to manage etc..., so I think it will benefit a lot from some FPGA love. ?

 

Edited by pedroTFP
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18 minutes ago, pedroTFP said:

I've a question about FPGA cores accuracy.

I mean: without that, an FPGA core is not different from any RPi.

Now, we know Kevtriss's stuff is accurate (I own both MegaSG and SuperNT), but is it the same for all MisTer cores? In which measure? Is there any reliable source or a % status of the cores completion?

 

I ask with no malice, it's just to understand if I can put my NeoGeo MVS and games in storage and replace it safely with Furrtek's core on MisTer. What about T.O.'s MegaSD-Sega CD vs MisTer Sega CD vs actual SegaCD?

Is MisTer PCE core cycle accurate? NES? T.O.'s Super SD System 3 ?

 

On a final note: I really hope Kevtriss will work, in the future, on some arcade cores (Sega boards, Taito boards, CPS1/2/3 and pre-1994 2d stuff in general): that stuff is REALLY expansive, bulky to manage etc..., so I think it will benefit a lot from some FPGA love. ?

 

It might be worth your time to watch SmokeMonster's big Mister core countdown he put together last month on YouTube, where he tells you what he thinks some of the best cores are, and how accurate they are. If I ever get a Mister, it will because of people.like him and not the jerks that give Kevtris a hard time simply because he figured out how to get paid for his work.

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I've a question about FPGA cores accuracy.

I mean: without that, an FPGA core is not different from any RPi.

Now, we know Kevtriss's stuff is accurate (I own both MegaSG and SuperNT), but is it the same for all MisTer cores? In which measure? Is there any reliable source or a % status of the cores completion?

 

I ask with no malice, it's just to understand if I can put my NeoGeo MVS and games in storage and replace it safely with Furrtek's core on MisTer. What about T.O.'s MegaSD-Sega CD vs MisTer Sega CD vs actual SegaCD?

Is MisTer PCE core cycle accurate? NES? T.O.'s Super SD System 3 ?

 

On a final note: I really hope Kevtriss will work, in the future, on some arcade cores (Sega boards, Taito boards, CPS1/2/3 and pre-1994 2d stuff in general): that stuff is REALLY expansive, bulky to manage etc..., so I think it will benefit a lot from some FPGA love. [emoji846]

 

Due to the open-source nature, some cores can be extremely accurate and other cores not so much (accurate enough). Luckily, it's always improving. For example, when someone makes a cycle-accurate Motorola X68000 core, all the arcade and consoles which use a 68000 get their 68000 cores updated.

 

Neo-Geo is one of the best cases because Furrtek was literally exposing the cores of the chips so he could map out the logical elements himself under a microscope and then make compatible clones/replacement chips. After MiSTer took off, people begged him to convert his documentation into MiSTer cores and set up a Patreon to fund it. His method is about as accurate as any clone hardware could ever be without getting the HDL used to build the original ASIC.

 

Even alternative methods for developing "soft cores" are typically better than emulation in several ways. First, unlike emulators, they make no attempt to figure out what the code is doing in order to translate it to the host platform. They have to be accurate enough to run the code agnostically and in real time while interfacing with real hardware and do this all without crashing. For even a simple game, this requires a great deal of accuracy. Since there is little to no hardware abstraction for the hardware executing the code, it will be lightning-quick and low-latency... especially without framebuffers and operating system input stacks getting in the way.

 

Do check out Smokemonster's Neo Geo video from yesterday. It's great!

 

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11 hours ago, Kosmic Stardust said:

You are welcome.

 

Absolutely no reason to knock Analogue's products simply because the NT Mini is no longer feasible to manufacture.

 

Not welcome, nope.

I don't trust AVS or Bunnyboy, not even Analogue, BTW, since Analogue people personally lied to me twice, which is a good reason to me to support bootleggers if Analogue doesn't stop this shortage bullshit and the bootleggers beat them to the market.

Of course, I rather support Kevtris – He has my trust –, and I would even send Kevtris a personal donation to cover the fact I would buy a bootleg.

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11 hours ago, CZroe said:

Unless Bunnyboy opens it up with an official "jailbreak" of his own containing a comparable number of cores, I don't think the AVS is particularly comparable. AVS is a great alternative to Nt Mini if you're only after NES/FC, but I really don't think that's why people are lamenting that they missed out on it. It's the other cores. That's why I sold one for $1,200 in 2018... and also why I regret it.

 

Specifically excluding the JB FW is hard to swallow since even the JB is official from the creator for that one.

 

Still hoping Nt Mini gets reborn with a cheaper plastic model. The original was just too rich for my blood! Hopefully that's what "Analogue 8" is supposed to be.

Not to sound like a retrousb fangirl, but the AVS is comparable both in price and featurewise to the non-jb firmwares features on the super nt and mega sg. In fact both Analogue's 16-bit consoles make perfect spiritual successors to the RetroUSB AVS.

 

There is no means to jailbreak the AVS. Much smaller FPGA and no SD card to load firmware or store ROMs. You'd have to connect it to a PC to flash a different core, if one existed.

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I sold my Analogue Nt Mini for £1800 last April.  I do somewhat regret it, but I also have a RetroUSB AVS as well and though I'm very happy with the AVS and just sell the Nt mini.  The AVS is a great console and I don't lose any game functionality, just the Nt mini cores.  I made a very healthy profit so I can live with that?

Edited by RetrogamerX
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16 hours ago, Toth said:

Someone on Twitter asked about the DAC awhile back and Analogue responded it would be available again.  

 

 

JOY!!!!

 

I also think the people that sold an NT mini for 1000 to 3300 (be it euros pounds or dollars) will have the last laugh when the Analogue 8 comes out.

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Not to sound like a retrousb fangirl, but the AVS is comparable both in price and featurewise to the non-jb firmwares features on the super nt and mega sg. In fact both Analogue's 16-bit consoles make perfect spiritual successors to the RetroUSB AVS.
 
There is no means to jailbreak the AVS. Much smaller FPGA and no SD card to load firmware or store ROMs. You'd have to connect it to a PC to flash a different core, if one existed.
You're absolutely right that it fits right in line with the others, but I don't think that's what people paying thousands for the Nt Mini are after. Similarly, I don't think that's what the people demanding a new Nt Mini are after... or else they would just buy an AVS. It's hard to consider the base FW functionality in a vacuum when the creator himself openly touted the extra functions of his FW at launch. Instead of just NES, SNES, and Genesis with AVS + Super Nt + Mega Sg, Nt Mini + Super Nt + Mega Sg crosses off quite a few more.

Perhaps RetroUSB should make a new version with an SD card. ;) AVS-101?
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I love my AVS+N8 combo and if you’re looking for NES/FDS gaming then you don’t really have to go much further than that. It is a terrific combination and plays very well, IMO. That said, it lacks several important features worth mentioning...

 

- 1080p output

- Custom pallet support (coming to AVS in new firmware, release date TBD)

- Analog output

- Music player 

- ROM playback without an Everdrive

- FPGA core support for tons of 8-bit consoles and handhelds


That said, when it comes to NES/FDS gaming there are two killer features that I prefer the AVS+N8 for: horizontal interpolation and save state support, which I don’t believe the Nt Mini has. Still, to each their own. 

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34 minutes ago, Drunk_Caterpillar said:

I love my AVS+N8 combo and if you’re looking for NES/FDS gaming then you don’t really have to go much further than that. It is a terrific combination and plays very well, IMO. That said, it lacks several important features worth mentioning...

 

- 1080p output

- Custom pallet support (coming to AVS in new firmware, release date TBD)

- Analog output

- Music player 

- ROM playback without an Everdrive

- FPGA core support for tons of 8-bit consoles and handhelds


That said, when it comes to NES/FDS gaming there are two killer features that I prefer the AVS+N8 for: horizontal interpolation and save state support, which I don’t believe the Nt Mini has. Still, to each their own. 

Its hard for me to recommend the AVS at its current price point outside those that need cart support.  Otherwise the MiSter is gonna be the best way to play NES for your money.

I owned the AVS and its a solid option, but just kinda overpriced imho at this point for what you get.  

For cart people I'd try and hold out for a bit longer and see what that Analogue 8 trademark ends up being.  It might be the sub $200 NES system from Analogue we've been wanting since Super NT was announced. 

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6 hours ago, SegaSnatcher said:

I owned the AVS and its a solid option, but just kinda overpriced imho at this point for what you get.

I hear ya, and I don't disagree; the DE-10 is a crazy value for what it is. It's also subsidized by Intel though, so it's kinda hard to think of its value in an objective sense. That aside, I have a romantic connection to something that reminds me of the consoles I used in my childhood, so loading up a cart and sitting back with an original controller gives me the warm fuzzies.

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I pre-ordered the Analogue DAC, and I have several CRT TVs.  So while I will definitely use it with my Analogue consoles, I hope support gets added for use with other gaming consoles.  The DAC options for 1080p HDMI to 480i are pretty bad, and having better options for playing modern consoles on CRTs would increase demand for the Analogue DAC.

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6 hours ago, Jagasian said:

I pre-ordered the Analogue DAC, and I have several CRT TVs.  So while I will definitely use it with my Analogue consoles, I hope support gets added for use with other gaming consoles.  The DAC options for 1080p HDMI to 480i are pretty bad, and having better options for playing modern consoles on CRTs would increase demand for the Analogue DAC.

Why oh why ... modern consoles are tuned to be using LCD/LED progressive displays.

 

If it's true that you want CRT support to recreate the feeling of those old consoles ("as they were intended" someone would say, not me) then you should be using LCD/LED direct HDMI displays for the modern ones (as they were intended, 'cause they are).

As a thought exercise the only possibility I can see is to try to go the 240p route and throw away 4.5 rows out of each 5, that is blend/average 2 lines together (I think I just puked in my mouth) and throw away the remaining 3 .... smear-fest galore, or average 4 and throw away 1 (my eyes, my eyes!!!!).

 

Many modern consoles perform specific steps on their rendering pipeline to cater to LCD/LED display (subpixel rendering when possible is one of those).

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15 hours ago, phoenixdownita said:

Why oh why ... modern consoles are tuned to be using LCD/LED progressive displays.

 

If it's true that you want CRT support to recreate the feeling of those old consoles ("as they were intended" someone would say, not me) then you should be using LCD/LED direct HDMI displays for the modern ones (as they were intended, 'cause they are).

As a thought exercise the only possibility I can see is to try to go the 240p route and throw away 4.5 rows out of each 5, that is blend/average 2 lines together (I think I just puked in my mouth) and throw away the remaining 3 .... smear-fest galore, or average 4 and throw away 1 (my eyes, my eyes!!!!).

 

Many modern consoles perform specific steps on their rendering pipeline to cater to LCD/LED display (subpixel rendering when possible is one of those).


Just like it is fun to play old 240p consoles on modern 4k TVs, it is fun to go the other way around.

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3 hours ago, Jagasian said:


Just like it is fun to play old 240p consoles on modern 4k TVs, it is fun to go the other way around.

I'm still waiting for 4k tube sets to be a thing? ?

 

Have you tried a VGA converter on an old late 90s era crt monitor? A device like AVS would be ballin' out at 720p. Some old 1024p max resolution crt monitors may be able to sync to 1080p without issue, but I wouldn't push my luck.

 

Just use 720p with 5x horizontal stretch and medium dark scanlines. The monitor will have the necessary dials to position the resultant screen to your liking.

Edited by Kosmic Stardust
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On 1/4/2020 at 12:20 PM, Drunk_Caterpillar said:

I love my AVS+N8 combo and if you’re looking for NES/FDS gaming then you don’t really have to go much further than that. It is a terrific combination and plays very well, IMO. That said, it lacks several important features worth mentioning...

 

- 1080p output

- Custom pallet support (coming to AVS in new firmware, release date TBD)

- Analog output

- Music player 

- ROM playback without an Everdrive

- FPGA core support for tons of 8-bit consoles and handhelds


That said, when it comes to NES/FDS gaming there are two killer features that I prefer the AVS+N8 for: horizontal interpolation and save state support, which I don’t believe the Nt Mini has. Still, to each their own. 

I’m considering an AVS myself. Anyone know if it can properly play NES Final Fantasy VII Advent Children? The NT Mini has graphical corruption. This is with the N8 Pro of course

Edited by mario64
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