CatPix Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 As I said, the V9958 isn't a good option for games. Too many idiosyncrasies. And we aren't looking for CV compatibility anyways. I hope so. Since I'm interested into the Xpander, I can tell you, I'm not looking to have a CV or MSX compatible machine. I guess the video chip you'll use will have shortcomings that will give it a peculiar style; the Intellivoice will allow to make additionnal sounds that the AY chip (I guess you inclide one?) won' do, etc. Enough things to make the Xpander i's own, legit system. I as thinking, since you mentionned external video and joystick ports, would it be possible to leave them on the final PCB, so that people that really want to use them could "hack" into the system? Sounds silly to say that, but what cost more for you is apprently the case molding and not the PCB so... I dunno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Indeed, we have a second PSG. Voice however isn't intellivoice compatible, reason being that the phoneme chips are too limited in scope and sounds really poor. Instead we are going with something a little more advanced and flexible that allows us to produce not only voices but all sort of sampled sounds. Want realistic sound FX? Check! Want analog like sound FX? You have you covered too. 2 channels of beautiful ADPCM sound. As for the case, the worst part is the Intellivision cartridge slot, as it takes almost 1/4 of the space inside the case. We will have to see if we can fit everything in or if would be better to just drop that slot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 (edited) Well, for me, the point of the legacy port was for it to allow Intellivoice and ECS compatibility. If neither are available, thenthere is no interest to keep it. But thats my own opinion. Maybe you should mae a poll for that? Edited August 7, 2017 by CatPix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 You know, I was thinking about that the other day, and it occurred me that if properly planned and assuming costs aren't serious affected, we could have a mold with moving parts that allows us to produce more than a version of the case. If so, then a different module can be produced down the line, one with only legacy stuff, like ECS and intellivoice into a single compact module. But no promises for now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 The chip(s) in the Intellivoice are not really phoneme based. It performs hardware decompression for audio that was compressed with a codec that is similar to LPC compression. It is capable of playinng back non-voice audio though the codec is optimized for voice-like audio (i.e. playing a Megadeth riff might sound so-so). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 The chip(s) in the Intellivoice are not really phoneme based. It performs hardware decompression for audio that was compressed with a codec that is similar to LPC compression. It is capable of playinng back non-voice audio though the codec is optimized for voice-like audio (i.e. playing a Megadeth riff might sound so-so). Interesting. Didn't know. Oh well, we have ADPCM now instead, 2 channels, stereo. Sample ROMs are placed inside the cartridge, and are optional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1980gamer Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Hmmm, Didn't Mattel plan a Colecovision expansion module? Or it could have been, Coleco planned an Intellivision module? It was 35 years ago... I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday. Might have to look over the old electronic games mags... The good old days, when I could read the print! LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 [deleted duplicate] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Interesting. Didn't know. Oh well, we have ADPCM now instead, 2 channels, stereo. Sample ROMs are placed inside the cartridge, and are optional. No prob. It's a common misconception, especially since those chips are shipped inside a device called the "Intellivoice" and that almost all sister-chips (differ only by the ROM masks) are phoneme-based or phoneme-only. Anyways, it's a LOT easier to write ADPCM compression software. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoGamer Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 As for the case, the worst part is the Intellivision cartridge slot, as it takes almost 1/4 of the space inside the case. We will have to see if we can fit everything in or if would be better to just drop that slot. I know this comment won't be popular, but I think you should drop the cartridge port in favor of A/V output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) If A/V connectors are added than an external power connector can be added. That way it can be used standalone or as an Intellivision addon. Edit: We don't have specifications yet but we do know it has it's own CPU (z80 compatible), graphics processor, and sound processor, and of course ram. Edited August 8, 2017 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 If A/V connectors are added than an external power connector can be added. That way it can be used standalone or as an Intellivision addon. Depends how much it get independant from the Intellivision. If it doesn't have a CPU then it can't be standalone, and if you want it to be standalone, then it need to have joystick inputs, and that the system recognize them as joystiks 1 & 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 When you haven't sure if you should go with a 3 bit/pixel (8 colors) video chip or stay 2 bit (4 colors)..... 3 bit was never done at home, except perhaps for the Amiga. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Well is that consistant (AKA, possible and cheap enough?) with a home system of the early 1980's? The Amiga was super expensive compared to a home system in 1984. To me that kind of detail looks more something you'd see for the PC-Engine. Maybe, if that come with limitation for the display, like most video chips had? Like 3 bits pixel possible only in low resolution mode (due to RAM limitation or something?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 (edited) And for sprites one colour had to represent transparancy or no pixel. So 2-bit sprites had three colours and 3-bit sprites seven colours. Background tiles could have the full four or eight colours. Memory was becoming cheaper in the mid 1980s but was still a limitation. Systems like the NES and proposed Intellivision III were making very efficient use of memory and having video memory expandable on the cartridge. The limitation might have been the processors and the ability to move all that data in time. Edit: looks like the sega master system had 4-bit sprites and tiles in 1985. It had a fast video processor and 16bit video bus. Edited August 9, 2017 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Yes, video tech of the time was constrained by memory bandwidth and size. Now let's take the ColecoVision video chip as an example. That is 1979 tech. It had 16KB of Video memory and about 175 memory accesses per scan line, although part of those accesses were reserved to CPU access to the VRAM. The NES used 10KB of memory and around 120 memory accesses, very efficient. Sega SMS used 16KB of RAM and about 320 memory accesses/scan line. Very well, with intelligent design you can actually do a lot more using the bandwidth halfway between NES and SMS. I can show you in a minute how to get 2 background planes using 240 memory accesses and only 16KB of video memory. That is more less a video chip running at 16MHz with 4 cycles per memory access. Very realistic for the time (SMS was running at 21MHz in 1985, TMS9918 was 10MHz in 79). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 It is coming along. Prototypes when I come back from Brazil in September... I haven't posted videos for Goonies yet as I want to get all the graphic work first. But we are close now. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 "In 2018, vampire hunters are going to groan, and brains are going to explode in stereo" I like the sound of that. Ordering some sound chips today. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 "In 2018, vampire hunters are going to groan, and brains are going to explode in stereo" I like the sound of that. Ordering some sound chips today. Lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 "In 2018, vampire hunters are going to groan, and brains are going to explode in stereo" I like the sound of that. Ordering some sound chips today. Stereo sound? Will that be possible out of the Xpander, or will it require modding the system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 Stereo sound? Will that be possible out of the Xpander, or will it require modding the system? Only through the AV out. RF is of course still mono. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 Goonies IntelliXpander WIP. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 Probably because of the lack of background, it looks more like a computer than a NES game. But I guess any game made in the era would looks like it. Early Famicom games didn't had much background either. It's coming great 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 I've been away for a while and I see this thread became active once again. I am a little confused, though. Is this an "expansion" of the Intellivision capabilities, or is it a new and modern platform which hooks up to the Intellivision in order to get power and an RF signal out to the television set? In other words, is its nature closer to the ECS or the System Changer? Will it be under the control of the CP-1610 microprocessor and constrained to its memory model? Or is it essentially a separate system? dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 Probably because of the lack of background, it looks more like a computer than a NES game. But I guess any game made in the era would looks like it. Early Famicom games didn't had much background either. It's coming great Well, I am trying to find the balance here. I don't want to go overboard and lose the retro feel. So trying to keep it technologically appropriate for the early 80s. To be honest the hardware is capable of more though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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