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CollectorVision Phoenix Game Console


retroillucid

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So how is the schedule for early and general release looking for the Phoenix?

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, lots of stuff going on at the moment. I'll have a more detailed post a little later (still waiting to receive a couple pictures).

There was an unforseen delay in the board manufacturing that pushed things back a little so it looks like it will be April for early access. The good news is that the boards are being manufactured now and should be done shortly. I was on-site while the boards were being made and the first articles passed inspection and testing so there shouldn't be any surprises.

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My copy of Risky Rick wont work if my Super Game Module is connected. I also have a loose Mario Bros cart that wont work if my SGM is connected. And I think the Gamester81 game wont work with SGM connected. So would games of this nature not work on Phoenix since SGM is always connected? Will new Sydney Hunter game be sold separate from Phoenix?

I'm not an expert on these things by any means, but I would tend to believe that the fact that your carts work fine when the SGM is not connected indicates that the problem is a purely electronic (even electric) one. The electronics under the hood of the Phoenix are completely different, so the conditions that make the carts not work on your stock ColecoVision will not exist on the Phoenix. Risky Rick in particular has been tested on the Phoenix and it works. So I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. :)

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Speaking from ignorance but the way it was described its that Phoenix is SGM compatible which is not the same as "there's an exact SGM inside". As Pixelboy states, there's a power draw when plugging something in the expansion slot so this could be a sign that for those types of games, for whatever reason, there's a drop in voltage with the SGM plugged in so your game isn't loaded. Whatever the case, nice to hear Risky Rick works, so that answers the question.

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Ok. So does the NTT Data controller work with a north American SNES?

 

I just received mine and tested it, but only the Dpad is responding.

 

I took it apart and cleaned the board and all of the carbon dots as well with isopropyl alcohol, but no luck. No response from start, select, left, right, a, b, x, or y.

 

I wanted check first before I contact the seller.

 

Thanks!

What would you expect the extra buttons to do on a game that doesn't even know they exist and therefore doesn't even look for them? If the standard buttons work, and if you don't have the one game that actually uses the buttons, that's the best you can test for.

 

As I figured, the extra buttons just add to the normal stream of shifted bits. Most games will only read the first 12, because there are typically only 12 buttons. Following bits are just padding. After 16, the NTT adds another 16 bits that the typical game will never see because it's just going to reset the shift on its next status read.

 

https://www.raphnet.net/divers/ntt_data_sfc_controller/index_en.php

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What would you expect the extra buttons to do on a game that doesn't even know they exist and therefore doesn't even look for them? If the standard buttons work, and if you don't have the one game that actually uses the buttons, that's the best you can test for.

 

As I figured, the extra buttons just add to the normal stream of shifted bits. Most games will only read the first 12, because there are typically only 12 buttons. Following bits are just padding. After 16, the NTT adds another 16 bits that the typical game will never see because it's just going to reset the shift on its next status read.

 

https://www.raphnet.net/divers/ntt_data_sfc_controller/index_en.php

I purchased for the Phoenix console, but thought the main buttons (start, select, left, right, a, b, x, or y) could be tested on a SNES. Pixelboy already explained as to why they are not recognized. Edited by Oldschool80skid
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If you have a SNES flash cart, it looks like there is a ROM available to test the NTT controller (it sounds like it could test a regular one too). He said it's never been tested on real hardware though, just in an emulator. The zip file is a little over half way down the page.

 

I have an SD2SNES, and recently picked up the controller. I can probably give it a try later this week.

 

https://www.raphnet.net/divers/retro_challenge_2018_09/index_en.php

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If you have a SNES flash cart, it looks like there is a ROM available to test the NTT controller (it sounds like it could test a regular one too). He said it's never been tested on real hardware though, just in an emulator. The zip file is a little over half way down the page.

 

I have an SD2SNES, and recently picked up the controller. I can probably give it a try later this week.

 

https://www.raphnet.net/divers/retro_challenge_2018_09/index_en.php

Definitely interested in your results. I have a SD2SNES and I am just waiting for my NTT controller to arrive.

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Generally speaking, because Phoenix is FPGA, the 2600 core should actually play and act exactly like a real 2600. So it will be a closer truer experience playing 2600 games and should play all 2600 games, whereas the Retron has issues playing some homebrews and other games. At least that is my take on it.

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Definitely interested in your results. I have a SD2SNES and I am just waiting for my NTT controller to arrive.

The NTT controller does not work with the SD2SNES menu. But the test rom does work. You can use a regular controller to start the test rom, and then plug in the NTT and test it out. Happy to report mine tests fine. I think it needs to be taken apart and cleaned though, one of the shoulder buttons is sticky.

Edited by nick3092
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  • 1 month later...

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, lots of stuff going on at the moment. I'll have a more detailed post a little later (still waiting to receive a couple pictures).

There was an unforseen delay in the board manufacturing that pushed things back a little so it looks like it will be April for early access. The good news is that the boards are being manufactured now and should be done shortly. I was on-site while the boards were being made and the first articles passed inspection and testing so there shouldn't be any surprises.

Hi Brian - just wondering how the Phoenix is doing ?

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Generally speaking, because Phoenix is FPGA, the 2600 core should actually play and act exactly like a real 2600. So it will be a closer truer experience playing 2600 games and should play all 2600 games, whereas the Retron has issues playing some homebrews and other games. At least that is my take on it.

 

Maybe

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CollectorVision Phoenix Update:

-We have implemented the bootloader to allow loading and updating of different cores on the system.

-The system has been tested to work with the Roller Controller, and Super Action controller Spinner functions. The roller controller requires a separate power supply to work. The original ColecoVision power supply and the ColUSB have both been tested and allow the Roller Controller to work on the Phoenix. A separate adapter is planned for a later date to allow the roller controller to be powered from the expansion port.

-The Atari 2600 core is coming along nicely. It is working through the HDMI output and we will have some video demonstrating it soon.

-We are down to our last Ultimate Phoenix available, for those who might be interested.

-We have received most of the parts for the system (the Cases, PCBs, power supplies, controller, cables, etc.), but unfortunately the Labels, pack in game, and system manual manufacturing are taking a little longer then expected. We are hoping to have the labels and pack in game finished by the end of the month, which would allow us to ship sometime in May.

We apologize for the delay in getting the Early Access systems shipped out, but we want to make sure the system is done properly instead of trying to rush it out to meet a deadline.

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Will the Phoenix be a product that continues to be available for purchase for the foreseeable future or do you have a set number that will be or already are manufactured and once sold out, that will be it.

We would like to keep it available, but some of that will depend on how sales go. We might have to do pre-orders with batches being made after the produced systems run out. Obviously the more we sell, the easier it will be to keep producing them for a reasonable cost.

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We would like to keep it available, but some of that will depend on how sales go. We might have to do pre-orders with batches being made after the produced systems run out. Obviously the more we sell, the easier it will be to keep producing them for a reasonable cost.

 

Looking good! Obviously it the cartridge slot will accept Colecovision games, but what about Atari 2600 carts?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Question, do you have an option of stretching the image's width? I ask because a trick to get 480p looking better on modern HD displays is stretching the width and then turning on 4:3 mode on your TV to squeeze it back to proper aspect ratio. This really sharpens up the image. I was doing tests with the Colecovision core on Mega SG and this worked very well. 720p and 1080p still look better, but for 480p it didn't look half bad doing that 4:3 squeeze trick.

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Any update?

Phoenix Production Update:

Sorry for the late update but it has been a crazy couple of weeks.

-The Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death game boards have arrived and we should be getting the boxes later this week.

-The system labels should also be coming in later this week.

-The system Manual is running a little behind, but it is still being finished up.

Hopefully it will only be a couple more weeks until we can get the system shipped. Once we have a firm shipping date we will let everyone know.

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