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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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14 hours ago, Jagasian said:

Controller extension cords for NES and SNES are inexpensive and allow for enough freedom of movement while gaming.

 

Yeah, I mentioned a page or so ago that I finally got 2 of them recently.  Now, I can use my NT Mini while relaxing back on my couch with my feet propped up while still maintaining that authentic controller feel and no worries about interference.  Which by the way, I've noticed a couple times with the wireless and sometimes with my PS4 but I think its because my high powered router kicking out 2.4GHz signals.  It's weird how some of those devices mess with others.  My kitchen is between my livingroom and my kid's room and when I run the microwave, his PS4 stops talking to the internet.

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56 minutes ago, Mattelot said:

 

Yeah, I mentioned a page or so ago that I finally got 2 of them recently.  Now, I can use my NT Mini while relaxing back on my couch with my feet propped up while still maintaining that authentic controller feel and no worries about interference.  Which by the way, I've noticed a couple times with the wireless and sometimes with my PS4 but I think its because my high powered router kicking out 2.4GHz signals.  It's weird how some of those devices mess with others.  My kitchen is between my livingroom and my kid's room and when I run the microwave, his PS4 stops talking to the internet.

The sunlight in my room actually makes it impossible for me to play the Wii/Wii U games that use Wii controllers between the hours of 1300~1800 or so during the summer. The Wii controllers freak out and become unresponsive and think I am pointing in various directions, so Metroid Prime Trilogy is not possible to play during those times. The sun is to blame for this, and I know this to be true because I blocked the windows with some cardboard one day when they weren't working and they started working properly. Then I took the cardboard away again and they stopped working.

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3 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

The sunlight in my room actually makes it impossible for me to play the Wii/Wii U games that use Wii controllers between the hours of 1300~1800 or so during the summer. The Wii controllers freak out and become unresponsive and think I am pointing in various directions, so Metroid Prime Trilogy is not possible to play during those times. The sun is to blame for this, and I know this to be true because I blocked the windows with some cardboard one day when they weren't working and they started working properly. Then I took the cardboard away again and they stopped working.

I don't doubt it at all, there is some weird stuff that goes on with retro electronics.  I bought a 19" Sony Trinitron TV that I replaced the random off-brand TV I was using.  The screen was slightly tilted.  If I oriented the TV to face West instead of South, the screen straightens out.  Turn the TV slowly back the other way and you can watch it start tilting back further and further.

 

I don't remember ever playing a Wii game in a sunny room, so that's interesting.

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The sunlight in my room actually makes it impossible for me to play the Wii/Wii U games that use Wii controllers between the hours of 1300~1800 or so during the summer. The Wii controllers freak out and become unresponsive and think I am pointing in various directions, so Metroid Prime Trilogy is not possible to play during those times. The sun is to blame for this, and I know this to be true because I blocked the windows with some cardboard one day when they weren't working and they started working properly. Then I took the cardboard away again and they stopped working.

 

Yeah, that's because the "Sensor Bar" doesn't actually "sense" anything and is actually just some IR LEDs spaced apart for the IR camera on the controller to track. Try pointing it at two candles in a title that uses the pointer. atariage_icon_wink.gif The Wii Remote will track any two light sources with IR, which is why it goes bonkers when it sees more than two and doesn't know which to track. Before launch Nintendo warned against halogen lights and sunlight but you can't always control those things.

 

It only affects the pointer but accelerometers and buttons should work like usual. Of course, Metroid Prime Trilogy and menu navigation use the pointer but many games don't use/need it. That said, the Wii U tablet has a built-in Sensor Bar so you can always carry that around the corner to play those games on the small screen.

 

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1 minute ago, CZroe said:


 

 


Yeah, that's because the "Sensor Bar" doesn't actually "sense" anything and is actually just some IR LEDs spaced apart for the IR camera on the controller to track. Try pointing it at two candles in a title that uses the pointer. ;) The Wii Remote will track any two light sources with IR, which is why it goes bonkers when it sees more than two and doesn't know which to track. Before launch Nintendo warned against halogen lights and sunlight but you can't always control those things.

It only affects the pointer but accelerometers and buttons should work like usual. Of course, Metroid Prime Trilogy and menu navigation use the pointer but many games don't use/need it. That said, the Wii U tablet has a built-in Sensor Bar so you can always carry that around and the corner to play those games on the small screen.

Yeah, I found out about the Wii U gamepad by accident when I was testing it one day and just about died laughing when I found out that Wii controllers work with it! Totally unexpected, but not unwelcome!

Edited by Steven Pendleton
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I don't doubt it at all, there is some weird stuff that goes on with retro electronics.  I bought a 19" Sony Trinitron TV that I replaced the random off-brand TV I was using.  The screen was slightly tilted.  If I oriented the TV to face West instead of South, the screen straightens out.  Turn the TV slowly back the other way and you can watch it start tilting back further and further.
 
I don't remember ever playing a Wii game in a sunny room, so that's interesting.
That's likely the magnetic field of the Earth interfering. The electron beam is steered using electromagnets and fixed magnets are used to correct screen geometry. The mask/grill itself can become magnetized, which is why so many TVs have a built-in degausser. Try turning the TV on and off a few times in the suspect location to trigger the degaussing and see if that helps. You may have to wait a while between attempts because it won't let you do them back to back (degaussing coils get too hot and you get no degausse or a very small one on subsequent attempts).
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1 minute ago, CZroe said:
1 hour ago, Mattelot said:
I don't doubt it at all, there is some weird stuff that goes on with retro electronics.  I bought a 19" Sony Trinitron TV that I replaced the random off-brand TV I was using.  The screen was slightly tilted.  If I oriented the TV to face West instead of South, the screen straightens out.  Turn the TV slowly back the other way and you can watch it start tilting back further and further.
 
I don't remember ever playing a Wii game in a sunny room, so that's interesting.

That's likely the magnetic field of the Earth interfering. The electron beam is steered using electromagnets and fixed magnets are used to correct screen geometry. The mask/grill itself can become magnetized, which is why so many TVs have a built-in degausser. Try turning the TV on and off a few times in the suspect location to trigger the degaussing and see if that helps. You may have to wait a while between attempts because it won't let you do them back to back (degaussing coils get too hot and you get no degausse or a very small one on subsequent attempts).

I thought that was what it is. Speaking of degaussing, I actually have a spot on mine that shows up as yellow when the screen is orange or red and is highly annoying. After some reading it seems degaussing may fix it. I sure hope so, since it's a very nice Trinitron. Still do not have the remote to set it up properly, though, and the picture is off-center and does that weird thing where the scrolling looks weird. Someone probably knows what the hell I'm talking about!

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3 minutes ago, CZroe said:
1 hour ago, Mattelot said:
I don't doubt it at all, there is some weird stuff that goes on with retro electronics.  I bought a 19" Sony Trinitron TV that I replaced the random off-brand TV I was using.  The screen was slightly tilted.  If I oriented the TV to face West instead of South, the screen straightens out.  Turn the TV slowly back the other way and you can watch it start tilting back further and further.
 
I don't remember ever playing a Wii game in a sunny room, so that's interesting.

That's likely the magnetic field of the Earth interfering. The electron beam is steered using electromagnets and fixed magnets are used to correct screen geometry. The mask/grill itself can become magnetized, which is why so many TVs have a built-in degausser. Try turning the TV on and off a few times in the suspect location to trigger the degaussing and see if that helps. You may have to wait a while between attempts because it won't let you do them back to back (degaussing coils get too hot and you get no degausse or a very small one on subsequent attempts).

I've seen some screens that have a degauss button.  If they don't, you can do it manually like that?

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I thought that was what it is. Speaking of degaussing, I actually have a spot on mine that shows up as yellow when the screen is orange or red and is highly annoying. After some reading it seems degaussing may fix it. I sure hope so, since it's a very nice Trinitron. Still do not have the remote to set it up properly, though, and the picture is off-center and does that weird thing where the scrolling looks weird. Someone probably knows what the hell I'm talking about!
I have a couple with a spot like that which won't go away no matter how much degaussing I do. :( I don't know if that's because it's permanently magnetized, physically damaged/bent inside, or if the phosphors burned in that way by not being degaussed earlier or being stored near something magnetic.

I've seen some screens that have a degauss button.  If they don't, you can do it manually like that?

In most cases, yeah... especially with AG (Aperture Grill) screens like Trinitrons. This usually gets it over with before the TV warms up enough to even put an image on the screen. You hear that distinctive sharply-tapered hum the first time you turn on the tube but hear a shorter one (or none) on subsequent power cycles without a cool-down.

Even the monitors with dedicated degaussing buttons still do it when you power cycle and the degaussing coils are cold. I had a BNC-equipped KDS monitor with that button in case you rarely turned it off/on. Usage was still thermally throttled so it wouldn't let you do it repeatedly at full strength without some cool-down time.
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1 minute ago, CZroe said:

I have a couple with a spot like that which won't go away no matter how much degaussing I do. :( I don't know if that's because it's permanently magnetized, physically damaged/bent inside, or if the phosphors burned in that way by not being degaussed earlier or being stored near something magnetic.

Noooooooooooo~ I'm sad now since it's a huge 29 inch Trinitron that I paid 300 yen for and is otherwise beautiful. I really hope that I can fix it... if not, I guess it's a great excuse to get a PVM.

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That's it. Analogue Nt mini V2 sold out.  That was very quick.  I thought it would be up a week or 2 longer? They have jumped over a £1000 already on ebay.
 
Can only hope they do a cheaper nes model like the mega sg and super nt?
I'm sure they hold a certain quantity of extras for warranty spares that they will sell after they are no longer needed. This seems to be what they did with those recent special edition Super Nt and Mega Sg sales where they left out the controller (warranty units didn't need controllers).
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I can't see why they wouldn't do an NES similar to the Mega SG and Super NT at some point.  It just makes sense to have those three always available (along with the pocket and DAC but they say the Pocket is limited as well).  Or, maybe they have a deal worked out with the AVS people not to make one ?.  Not sure why they would ever do anything like that though.

Edited by Toth
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41 minutes ago, RetrogamerX said:

That's it. Analogue Nt mini V2 sold out.  That was very quick.  I thought it would be up a week or 2 longer? They have jumped over a £1000 already on ebay.

 

Can only hope they do a cheaper nes model like the mega sg and super nt?

I was hesitant to order another one but I'm glad I put in my order when I did.  

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Are they "sold out" or is it more accurate to say "they are made to order during the limited window in which we are offering them to you"? I think I got the email announcing preorders at 0100 or something on Saturday morning last week. I wonder if they "sold out" exactly a week later to the minute. I will be very interested if someone who does not work for Analogue knows if the times match up.

 

I am also extremely curious to see what would happen if someone cancelled their preorder. Will there be one unit back in stock and available for purchase? Logically, yes, there would be, but you never know for certain until you can verify the result. I love science a whole lot, but this is an experiment that I personally am not going to attempt. Someone else can try if they feel like it. If someone does cancel, check/refresh the website when you do to see what happens and tell us/me! And don't blame me if you do something you later regret just because I am curious!

Edited by Steven Pendleton
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On 3/4/2020 at 10:13 AM, CZroe said:

Recall that we never saw them showing functional Super Nt and Mega Sg consoles until the review embargos were lifted very close to launch. I certainly wasn't expecting footage of a Pocket. We don't even know when preorders start. atariage_icon_sad.gif

Review embargoes??! What is that all about?

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Review embargoes??! What is that all about?


Ever notice that all the early reviews come out on the same day? That's because they send big reviewers early units with the stipulation that they wait until a specific day to release their review. It helps things trend and gives the impression that everyone is talking about it. A lot of major tech companies do this too. Like, Intel would announce a new CPU and Anandtech and others would already have an in-depth look ready for the world.
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3 minutes ago, CZroe said:

It helps things trend and gives the impression that everyone is talking about it.

And seeing as they often release those reviews like the day of or the day before launch date, it also has another effect. It makes me think those companies have no faith in their product and are trying to hide its flaws so that people buy their thing without reading the reviews to see if it's trash or not. I know that this may not be the actual reason for this (avoiding low-quality clickbait reviews is one reason that I see mentioned), but this is only my impression.

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On 3/4/2020 at 6:55 PM, NE146 said:

Colecovision plays fine as well.. but most people have also tried it on the Mega SG. The one thing you get on the NT-Mini is the ability to use the NTT Data pad (with nes-> snes adapter) which give you a usable keypad. You don't get that on the Mega-SG.

Shouldn't it be possible to connect a real ColecoVision controller directly, seeing as used same connector? The Super Action Controllers were actually quite nice (much better than the stock ones) and I'd be really surprised if Kevtris wouldn't have supported that.

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I think a review embargo also helps ensure thorough reviews as there isn’t a mad rush to publish first. Also it allows time for firmware fixes before release if any bugs show up in the wild. It’s standard practice these days. 


Yeah, you'd think, but we still saw multiple Mega Sg reviewers ignore the sticker about the mandatory update for using the Master System adapter or say bone-headed things like that external audio should be enabled by default.

It would be unreasonable to force them to collaborate and proof-read each other but at the very least they could set up a Questions and Answers group to address these things before the reviews launch and ask that they bring up any issues there before finalizing the reviews. As soon as one of them asks why external audio isn't enabled by default then they all know and their respective reviews will improve.*

*might as well answer my example:
by digitizing analog noise even when there is no external audio from the cartridge/CD it defeats the purpose of trying to get perfect digital audio. Many if not most users will never use it with a Sega CD or whatever, so it obviously needs to default to OFF.
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On 3/7/2020 at 10:49 PM, blzmarcel said:

Shouldn't it be possible to connect a real ColecoVision controller directly, seeing as used same connector? The Super Action Controllers were actually quite nice (much better than the stock ones) and I'd be really surprised if Kevtris wouldn't have supported that.

If you're talking about ColecoVision controllers on Mega Sg, not supported due to different pin stuff between the Sega and ColecoVision controllers, even though they both use the same type of connection.

 

Also Super Nt is now completely sold out.

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