FPGA Based Videogame System

[LewisD]

Im going to also recommend MiSTer for playing TG16/PCE. I never really appreciated the system when I was younger, but it has some amazing games like Soldier Blade.

[Andromeda Stardust]

@Kosmic Stardust TurboGrafx-16 is one system I never had. I would like to get a PC Engine but I'm not really familiar with it.

 

Also, are PC Engines affordable, and, if so, are games and systems readily available for purchase?

 

Cheers!

As others have chimed in, your cheapest option is to get a Coregrafx, fashion an AV cable out of a 5-pin Midi cable, and some shielded RCA cables for video. Buy an Everdrive from Krikzz, Stonagegamer, or Retrogate. Skip collecting Hucards as they are expensive, even now for the Japanese games.

 

DO NOT BUY EVERDRIVES ON EBAY! It is a total crapshoot if you get a real or fake.

DO NOT BUY EVERDRIVES ON EBAY! It is a total crapshoot if you get a real or fake.

DO NOT BUY EVERDRIVES ON EBAY! It is a total crapshoot if you get a real or fake.

If you are thinking about getting into CD collecting, be prepared to pay an assload for recapped and refurbished hardware. Nearly all surviving CD or Duo units have rotten gears, leaking/dried caps and will not function without serious modding. Sadly, unlike with Megadrive, some of the best games on the system are CD based. If you insist on getting into the CD game, skip the CD burner, refurbished hardware, and buy this (currently unavailable):

https://shop.terraonion.com/en/pc-engine/12-super_sd_system_3-pc_engine.html

 

I got a US model Turbografx in 2014 just as the prices were starting to balloon. I was able to procure an Everdrive, several games, a region adapter, more import games, a couple of bootlegs, two pads, a turbobooster, and a 3d printed composite output. By around the end of 2015, I stopped collecting. Most of the games I wanted but didn't have were out of reach, and now the imports have ballooned as well. I'm still Hucard only and will likely remain so as no affordable alternative for CDs is available. It's still a great system and I am happy with my collection. Also if you are looking for an easy way to store loose Hucards, Baseball sleeves work well.

 

Take care and good luck...

[haightc]

If you get a PC Engine, I to would recommend saving you pennies and getting a SSD3. It cost 2-3 time as much as an everdrive plays both hucards, and cd images. A super CDrom2 will cost almost as much and will likely need a recap which from personal experience is a pain. The MiSTer can do pc engine and supergraphix but doe not curretly support cdrom support.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Is there still hope for using lightguns on hdtvs? Anyone think this will work with hdmi consoles like NT/AVS?

https://www.neowin.net/news/hyperkin-announces-new-nes-light-gun-that-works-on-modern-displays?

 

Zapper was revolutionary for its time, offering gamers a chance to shoot down enemies and the like, using a piece of ingenious technology that interfaced with Nintendo's first home console. Despite there being plenty of retro gaming fans clinging to the NES, the Zapper isn't compatible with modern televisions or monitors, making it difficult to experience in the modern age. Luckily, it looks like Hyperkin is ready to solve the age-old problem with its newly announced Hyper Blaster HD.

 

The Hyper Blaster HD will make its official debut during CES but the firm made its announcement early, letting fans of the NES know that they soon be able to play Duck Hunt and other light gun titles on their modern displays. Although the details are scant at this point, the press release states that:

 

Play Duck Hunt for the NES with a light gun on an HDTV (original Duck Hunt cartridge

and NES required)

Includes special Hyper Blaster HD light gun

Includes Hyper Blaster HD Adapter to allow HDTV compatibility

AA forum thread:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/286815-nes-light-gun-for-hdtv/

[Schizophretard]

Is there still hope for using lightguns on hdtvs? Anyone think this will work with hdmi consoles like NT/AVS? https://www.neowin.net/news/hyperkin-announces-new-nes-light-gun-that-works-on-modern-displays?

 

AA forum thread:http://atariage.com/forums/topic/286815-nes-light-gun-for-hdtv/

That is cool but the author exaggerated the problem that it would solve. He makes it seem like we are already in a time where finding a CRT is extremely rare instead of the problem just being an issue of preference.

[Toth]

In the smallish city I live (~60,000 people) CRT are hard to find especially if you look for a decent brand or one with component inputs. On Craigslist for my area there is currently 3 listed going back to November (two are 32 inches and one only has RF) Otherwise I would have to drive an hour (to near Minneapolis, MN). That's one thing I miss about living near Minneapolis as I had several options almost daily. Thankfully when I did live there I picked up two PVM monitors and a Trinitron TV.

 

It's also funny how the public seems to have gotten wind of people wanting these again and now charging up to $100 for them and calling them a "gaming tv". You used to be able to take them for free most of the time as a favor to people who didn't want them. Now those people would rather not give them away or sell them for less than they will have to pay at Best Buy or wherever to get rid of it.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Toth

[Andromeda Stardust]

The local mission thrift store still has piles of working CRTs. It would be worth a look to check them out. One of them was a gorgeous Console Trinitron. The console would be large enough to support a big screen TCL flat panel for sure. Someday when I own my own house and have the ultimate game room setup...

 

Until then, we have NES (RetroUSB AVS), SNES (Super NT), and Sega Genesis (Mega SG) covered as FPGA replacements. UltrHDMI mod for the N64, the HDMI dongles for Game Cube, and Wii-U works with Wii out of the box for HDMI output, and Switch is native HDMI. Hyperkin is working on an HD Zapper solution; only time will tell if it's the bees knees or hot garbage.

 

That just leaves me with Turbografx and Atari with no HD output, though someone is working on a plug in up-scalar for the expansion port, hopefully with CD support as well.

 

Still can't forget about those lightgun games though. CRTs still have a function as retro game gear.

[VintageGamer74]

Got my Super NT today! Threw every Super NES/Famicom game I had at it. Definitely a great purchase! Still playing with the settings but I am thoroughly pleased with this product!!!

[Toth]

Anyone get the Galf game when it was available from Limited Run Games? I got it but I am hesitant to open it, LOL. It looks so nice all wrapped up in the box. I was curious if it ran fine on the Nt Mini.

 

https://limitedrungames.com/products/galf-nes

Edited January 10, 2019 by Toth

[F34R]

Anyone get the Galf game when it was available from Limited Run Games? I got it but I am hesitant to open it, LOL. It looks so nice all wrapped up in the box. I was curious if it ran fine on the Nt Mini.

 

https://limitedrungames.com/products/galf-nes

I tried and tried. Didn't get one.

[derFunkenstein]

Fragmentation? Try formatting the card, then transfer back only the NES core and roms.

 

I'd be surprised if an SD card had fragmentation issues. With solid state PC drives, Windows automatically turns off defrag because it shortens the life of the disk and fragmentation doesn't affect performance. I would be that it's just that the MMC5 has always been kind of difficult to emulate/simulate. What's been done in the JB firmware is probably incomplete or just good enough to get retail ROMs to work. Now that Sim City is out in the world, that might be another point of reference for people working on mappers to use and figure out.

 

I don't have an Nt Mini but on my Everdrive N8 and toaster NES, it runs worse than those screenshots. Probably for the same reason - mapper is incomplete. Even the title screen is messed up. Tile map is totally hosed. Using the beta 6 firmware because beta 7 doesn't reset properly; I have to power cycle the NES to get back to the menu.

[F34R]

 

I'd be surprised if an SD card had fragmentation issues. With solid state PC drives, Windows automatically turns off defrag because it shortens the life of the disk and fragmentation doesn't affect performance. I would be that it's just that the MMC5 has always been kind of difficult to emulate/simulate. What's been done in the JB firmware is probably incomplete or just good enough to get retail ROMs to work. Now that Sim City is out in the world, that might be another point of reference for people working on mappers to use and figure out.

 

I don't have an Nt Mini but on my Everdrive N8 and toaster NES, it runs worse than those screenshots. Probably for the same reason - mapper is incomplete. Even the title screen is messed up. Tile map is totally hosed. Using the beta 6 firmware because beta 7 doesn't reset properly; I have to power cycle the NES to get back to the menu.

Yeah, with the Everdrive N8, the maps are working fine. The title and government screens are terrible. Whereas on the NT Mini, the title and government screens are good, while the mapping is terrible lol.

[Tanooki]

Wow that Sim City issue. I didn't have to reset my system the hard way to get out of it. The game plays fine if you get beyond the title and pick a scenario/map to develop screen. I really wish someone would have not stopped on ti and finished the MMC5 years ago. I mean I kind of get why, but it would have been good to get it 100% for either private game makers or in case of a scenario like this.

 

I'm using a HiDefNESkit in a top loader and the NES ED N8 here, pretty sure the latest beta build too.

[spoonman]

Hey Kevtris, I was just curious if there will be any filter options on the Mega Sg which could possibly fake a composite connection.

 

I have to admit, I mostly despise anything less than Svideo since first experiencing (Y/C) Svideo firsthand with a JVC SVHS deck, CD-i, and the SNES back in 1991.

 

It's pretty well known that many developers took advantage of the RF/Composite blur to fake transparencies and color gradients with graphical dithering.

 

I.E

 

 

I wouldn't use this with every game, but it would be great to have as an option. The Genesis uses the dithering quite liberally compared to the SNES since that could handle transparencies and a higher on-screen color palette.

 

There is more info on the Anti-Dithering shader (GDAPT) here:

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?32262-Experimenting-with-Anti-Dithering-shader-(GDAPT)

 

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more info on the Mega Sg soon.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Hey Kevtris, I was just curious if there will be any filter options on the Mega Sg which could possibly fake a composite connection.

 

I have to admit, I mostly despise anything less than Svideo since first experiencing (Y/C) Svideo firsthand with a JVC SVHS deck, CD-i, and the SNES back in 1991.

 

It's pretty well known that many developers took advantage of the RF/Composite blur to fake transparencies and color gradients with graphical dithering.

 

I.E

 

 

I wouldn't use this with every game, but it would be great to have as an option. The Genesis uses the dithering quite liberally compared to the SNES since that could handle transparencies and a higher on-screen color palette.

 

There is more info on the Anti-Dithering shader (GDAPT) here:

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?32262-Experimenting-with-Anti-Dithering-shader-(GDAPT)

 

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more info on the Mega Sg soon.

I imagine it will be an all or nothing effect like when toggling the hi-rez dithering option on the Super NT while playing Kirby's Dreamland 3. The aesthetic looks like vertical scanlines for instance in the waterfall scenes in Sonic, but I can see where it gets grating on certain games.

 

One difference is the Super Nintendo doubles the resolution when using dithering, from 256 pixel counts to 512. So blending can be performed and still lock the output to a perfect 256 pixel resolution.

 

Megadrive, on the other hand, dithers at 320 horizontal pixel resolution, reducing the effective horizontal resolution to 160 pixels over composite. I believe the Genesis / JP Megadrive to be in sync with the NTSC pixel clock just like the Atari consoles, which can cause odd color anomalies when displayed as dithered instead of composite blended.

 

Try playing Tower Toppler 7800 on real hardware over S-Video, or in an emulator for an example of how raw color data can be presented totally wrong in the absence of composite blending.

[spoonman]

I imagine it will be an all or nothing effect like when toggling the hi-rez dithering option on the Super NT while playing Kirby's Dreamland 3. The aesthetic looks like vertical scanlines for instance in the waterfall scenes in Sonic, but I can see where it gets grating on certain games.

 

One difference is the Super Nintendo doubles the resolution when using dithering, from 256 pixel counts to 512. So blending can be performed and still lock the output to a perfect 256 pixel resolution.

 

Megadrive, on the other hand, dithers at 320 horizontal pixel resolution, reducing the effective horizontal resolution to 160 pixels over composite. I believe the Genesis / JP Megadrive to be in sync with the NTSC pixel clock just like the Atari consoles, which can cause odd color anomalies when displayed as dithered instead of composite blended.

 

Try playing Tower Toppler 7800 on real hardware over S-Video, or in an emulator for an example of how raw color data can be presented totally wrong in the absence of composite blending.

 

With some games, I think I would prefer an all over blurred screen with smoothed out dithering, especially with the vertical style dithering, rather than razor sharp edges.

They just don't look right. I didn't notice it as much with my HD Retrovision YPbPr component cables because I was either playing the games on my CRT, or @ 240p on an LCD where it was a very soft picture.

Anyway, an option for improvement would be great.

 

Another game where the difference is huge, and as seen in the link above, is Virtua Racing. There is a ton of dither in the 16-bit port.

 

With all of the advancements in RetroArch, it's really going to give hardware emulation a run for it's money.

 

 

Yeah, Tower Toppler is another example of heavy vertical dithering. I switch to composite when playing that.

I have the Longhorn Engineer Svideo/composite mod.

 

 

 

The new 2019 Rikki & Vikki Atari 7800 game uses it pretty extensively as well. I was considering buying it, but after seeing it running in Svideo, I passed.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

With some games, I think I would prefer an all over blurred screen with smoothed out dithering, especially with the vertical style dithering, rather than razor sharp edges.

They just don't look right. I didn't notice it as much with my HD Retrovision YPbPr component cables because I was either playing the games on my CRT, or @ 240p on an LCD where it was a very soft picture.

Anyway, an option for improvement would be great.

 

Another game where the difference is huge, and as seen in the link above, is Virtua Racing. There is a ton of dither in the 16-bit port.

 

With all of the advancements in RetroArch, it's really going to give hardware emulation a run for it's money.

 

 

Yeah, Tower Toppler is another example of heavy vertical dithering. I switch to composite when playing that.

I have the Longhorn Engineer Svideo/composite mod.

 

 

 

The new 2019 Rikki & Vikki Atari 7800 game uses it pretty extensively as well. I was considering buying it, but after seeing it running in Svideo, I passed.

Why? It's the most beautiful 7800 game ever made!

 

As for Virtua Racing: yes, the chessboard pattern dither is highly noticeable even over composite.

 

Accept dithering for what it is. I imagine there will be a pixel blend option on the Mega SG. I would probably just leave mine off. You can also increase the softness dial on CRTs and HDTVs alike, but this will likely make other games look bad. I don't even have a display that supports Svideo anymore, though my old HDTV did. On my Super Retro Trio, I immediately noticed the "vertical scanline" effect in Sonic games. I actually thought it was quite striking and beautiful.

[spoonman]

Why? It's the most beautiful 7800 game ever made!

I didn't say I wouldn't play it. I'll likely buy it during a flash sale.

I just mostly collect original licensed games (domestic and import) is all. I occasionally play homebrew games on flashcart).

 

 

As for Virtua Racing: yes, the chessboard pattern dither is highly noticeable even over composite.

 

It's not as noticeable over CRT as it is on a modern HD display.

And it looks awesome with the shader. A huge improvement in fact.

 

 

 

Accept dithering for what it is. I imagine there will be a pixel blend option on the Mega SG. I would probably just leave mine off. You can also increase the softness dial on CRTs and HDTVs alike, but this will likely make other games look bad. I don't even have a display that supports Svideo anymore, though my old HDTV did. On my Super Retro Trio, I immediately noticed the "vertical scanline" effect in Sonic games. I actually thought it was quite striking and beautiful.

I mostly play games on my Sony Wega over component, and don't have a problem with some dithering over CRT, but I've realized that dither patterns are going to be much more obvious on a razor sharp HD display. Some are OK, but others, such as the ones I posted above are very distracting. So some type of blending option would be ideal.

 

Also, vertical dither patterns, when not properly blended, can also look similar to common graphical glitching. Like this...

 

[Forsaken]

I didn't say I wouldn't play it. I'll likely buy it during a flash sale.

I just mostly collect original licensed games (domestic and import) is all. I occasionally play homebrew games on flashcart).

 

 

It's not as noticeable over CRT as it is on a modern HD display.

And it looks awesome with the shader. A huge improvement in fact.

 

 

 

I mostly play games on my Sony Wega over component, and don't have a problem with some dithering over CRT, but I've realized that dither patterns are going to be much more obvious on a razor sharp HD display. Some are OK, but others, such as the ones I posted above are very distracting. So some type of blending option would be ideal.

 

Also, vertical dither patterns, when not properly blended, can also look similar to common graphical glitching. Like this...

 

AAAGGGHHH!!! MY EYES!!! MAKE IT STOP!

[Chronos30]

Anyone get the Galf game when it was available from Limited Run Games? I got it but I am hesitant to open it, LOL. It looks so nice all wrapped up in the box. I was curious if it ran fine on the Nt Mini.

 

https://limitedrungames.com/products/galf-nes

 

I opened it so you should too. And it did play on my Nt Mini, but has anyone been able to rip it with Nt Mini CopyNES?

[F34R]

 

I opened it so you should too. And it did play on my Nt Mini, but has anyone been able to rip it with Nt Mini CopyNES?

Have you tried?

[Chronos30]

Have you tried?

 

Like a dozen different mappers, every one resulted in graphical glitches.

[F34R]

 

Like a dozen different mappers, every one resulted in graphical glitches.

Can you open the cart and take pictures of both sides of the board?

[Chronos30]

Can you open the cart and take pictures of both sides of the board?

 

Tell me if you want me to read any of the text on the chips or something

Edited January 16, 2019 by Chronos30

[F34R]

Can you do a macro on those chips so they can be read easily? Golf uses Mapper (0). I messaged the developer of GALF and asked. We'll see if they let me know.

Edited January 16, 2019 by F34R