CollectorVision Phoenix Game Console

[Bmack36]

6 minutes ago, Swami said:

I wondered about the PAL possibility but seemed remote. I suppose maybe it was first designed there. I’ll give the region change a shot and try not to accidentally erase the core. ?

The region selection is just a color palette change so it shouldn't have an effect on anything else  

Edited August 14, 2019 by Bmack36

[zaphro72]

44 minutes ago, Bmack36 said:

I think the 2600 defaults the color palatte to PAL. There should be an option in the menu to switch to ntsc.

 

The missing roms issue I think is related to a bug with the FAT32 filesystem on the 2600 core. We are looking into this. 

Is there a way to change the default on the 2600 core to the NTSC colour palatte if desired? Was there a specific reason I might not be aware of why somebody would want the PAL over the NTSC?

[Bmack36]

Just now, zaphro72 said:

Is there a way to change the default on the 2600 core to the NTSC colour palatte if desired? Was there a specific reason I might not be aware of why somebody would want the PAL over the NTSC?

I don't think there is a way for you to change the default, but we can change that in the next release.

 

The default is probably PAL since the dev is from Finland.

[digress]

not sure if anyone mentioned this. my mastersystem runs all the sg-1000 roms on a stock master system as long as you have a sd card such as the everdrive.

 

so in effect if you have a master system core working in the future you should also be able to run sg-1000 roms

[imstarryeyed]

3 hours ago, digress said:

not sure if anyone mentioned this. my mastersystem runs all the sg-1000 roms on a stock master system as long as you have a sd card such as the everdrive.

 

so in effect if you have a master system core working in the future you should also be able to run sg-1000 roms

 

Ooh a Mastersystem core would be amazing if possible.  That system had such bright candy looking colors for its games and they were very excellent, especially the PAL exclusives us USA folks did not get.

 

[rodge2001]

Hopefully an updated CV core will be the fix for my HDTV.  I may get an HD signal convertor which I assume would work on my other inputs.  Though I'm not sure which one would be best; maybe just an HD "upscaler" for my HDTV.  Or else convert to RF for my CRT TV.  Or else convert to VGA for my HDTV but I'm not sure if that carries the audio signal with it.  Or convert to composite and route to my composite switchbox.  I'm short on power sockets so hopefully I can convert free of charge. 

 

In the meantime I've been greatly enjoying the new Sydney Hunter game on my original CV.  It's quite a departure from the gameplay format of the Sacred Tribe which was all one big map.  I've only gone through the first few stages but so far it's incredible. 

 

Edited August 14, 2019 by rodge2001

[retroillucid]

7 minutes ago, rodge2001 said:

I've been greatly enjoying the new Sydney Hunter game on my original CV in the meantime.  It's quite a departure from the gameplay format of the Sacred Tribe which was all one big map.  I've only gone through the first few stages but so far it's incredible.  

Now, try this one
This is by FAR, my favorite Sydney adventure

 

https://collectorvision.com/sydney-hunter-and-the-curse-of-the-mayans/

[zaphro72]

52 minutes ago, retroillucid said:

Now, try this one
This is by FAR, my favorite Sydney adventure

 

https://collectorvision.com/sydney-hunter-and-the-curse-of-the-mayans/

Think you will ever release a physical copy for Switch?

[imstarryeyed]

I have been meaning to ask do these Sydney Hunter games have a connected timeline between games?  I always assumed each one was its own universe and timeline but I wanted to ask.  I wasn't sure as I like to play games in chronological order if possible.

 

I can only imagine a younger Sydney and then one with a beard one day haha..

 

[retroillucid]

1 hour ago, zaphro72 said:

Think you will ever release a physical copy for Switch?

Only if digital sales goes well 
It's quite expensive to do physical format 

[retroillucid]

46 minutes ago, imstarryeyed said:

I have been meaning to ask do these Sydney Hunter games have a connected timeline between games?  I always assumed each one was its own universe and timeline but I wanted to ask.  I wasn't sure as I like to play games in chronological order if possible.

 

I can only imagine a younger Sydney and then one with a beard one day haha..

 

Shrines of Peril and Caverns of Death are side adventures

The Mayan trilogy goes like this:

- The Sacred Tribe (Part 1)
- The Yucatan Jungle (Part 2)
- The Curse of the Mayan (Part 3) 

 

[Swami]

20 minutes ago, retroillucid said:

Shrines of Peril and Caverns of Death are side adventures

The Mayan trilogy goes like this:

- The Sacred Tribe (Part 1)
- The Yucatan Jungle (Part 2)
- The Curse of the Mayan (Part 3) 

 

where is the Yucatan Jungle game?

[retroillucid]

3 minutes ago, Swami said:

where is the Yucatan Jungle game?

 

I'm still working on it

Here's a sneak peek: 

[SegaSnatcher]

Congrats on successfully shipping this project.   While I had my concerns and freely spoke about them, never once did I want to see this project fail, so I'm happy to see this product finally reaching people's homes. Looking forward to see what this product will offer down the road. 

[Shawn]

On 8/13/2019 at 3:33 PM, Master Phruby said:

Great job Phoenix team and Collectorvision! I can't wait until mine arrives in a few weeks. 

 

I would love to see a 7800 core with XM built in. ?

 

 

That would require the XM to actually be finished (or would it ) after the decade it's been aggravating it's backers. The Phoenix came out at light speed compared to the XM that still doesn't seem anywhere near reaching those who paid for it. In XM land we have the current options of  1)being led on with lies or 2) ignored for months on end\all together. It's been much more the later than the former as of late. When the third option of "actually receiving completed and working units" comes about, I'm sure the masses will rejoice. So ya, Phoenix is the exact opposite of the XM and that is good thing for all Coleco fans.

[Swami]

Here is a website from Kevtris that has a lot of useful information to help you get the most out of the 2600 FPGA:

 

http://www.classic-games.com/atari2600/bankswitch.html

 

For games that have an "X" in the SC column, you need to have a check, not x, next to supercart in the 2600 menu. For games with E0 or E7 in the "BS" bank switch column, you need to have a check next to E0 or E7, depending, next to that designation in the 2600 menu. If this does not make the game work, like for Montezuma's Revenge, shorten the name to something like montezuma and change bin to e0 (montezuma.e0) or e7, depending. You will see the E0 or E7 is automatically checked when you load the ROM and it will probably work. Games marked with (UT), it appears, do not work by any means, like Robot Tank. CBS games with RAM Plus do not work. Frostbite has flashing icebergs with ones not there in a lighter shade. Mysteriously, Bump'n Jump does not work with or without extension. 

 

However, there is a thread, here, on atariforum, where someone quite talented named "slingshot" has managed to fix most of the remaining issues with games that don't work, including homebrews, although a few other bugs seem to have crept in...  I don't know if these improvements can be incorporated into the next release of the core.

 

http://atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=115&t=34847

 

It also mentions a DPC fix for Pitfall 2, which I don't think was implemented. Let me know if it can be played.

 

Currently, about half the more popular 2600 homebrews I have as roms (40) work, some of these that work are 32k - 'Dungeon' and 'A Roach in Space'.

 

Potentially, many of these problems can be fixed with the Atari cart adapter that is planned, since they often involve DPC, special bank switching or other special cart features that work automatically with carts on the actual 2600s. That would be an advantage over systems that can only play ROMS from an internal SD.

[zyzzle]

The Phoenix looks perfect in every way except one: it outputs only 480p. My TV like others is a native 1080p display and looks its best in that resolution. Everything else about the new console is a dream come true, and this system is a de facto modern replacement for the aging 37-year-old one we have loved for all those many years. That it is FPGA will make it vastly superior to any emulator. I just can hold out a little longer for a 1080p HDMI native rendering of the image. This is not meant as a criticism, I'm not a 'hater' (I'm happy and grateful that this has been released!), I just feel like saying that I'm comfortable waiting to purchase until it outputs a full 1920x1080 pillar boxed to the 4:3 aspect ratio of the Colecovision.

Edited August 15, 2019 by zyzzle

[retroillucid]

10 minutes ago, zyzzle said:

The Phoenix looks perfect in every way except one: it outputs only 480p. My TV like others is a native 1080p display and looks its best in that resolution. Everything else about the new console is a dream come true, and this system is a de facto modern replacement for the aging 37-year-old one we have loved for all those many years. That it is FPGA will make it vastly superior to any emulator. I just can hold out a little longer for a 1080p HDMI native rendering of the image. This is not meant as a criticism, I'm not a 'hater' (I'm happy and grateful that this has been released!), I just feel like saying that I'm comfortable waiting to purchase until it outputs a full 1920x1080 pillar boxed to the 4:3 aspect ratio of the Colecovision.

We're working on that
That's why we did Early Access, so we people can share their inputs/suggestions 

[zyzzle]

9 minutes ago, retroillucid said:

We're working on that
That's why we did Early Access, so we people can share their inputs/suggestions 

Thank you, I am very glad. I was just sharing my thoughts in a constructive fashion.

[Bmack36]

21 minutes ago, zyzzle said:

The Phoenix looks perfect in every way except one: it outputs only 480p. My TV like others is a native 1080p display and looks its best in that resolution. Everything else about the new console is a dream come true, and this system is a de facto modern replacement for the aging 37-year-old one we have loved for all those many years. That it is FPGA will make it vastly superior to any emulator. I just can hold out a little longer for a 1080p HDMI native rendering of the image. This is not meant as a criticism, I'm not a 'hater' (I'm happy and grateful that this has been released!), I just feel like saying that I'm comfortable waiting to purchase until it outputs a full 1920x1080 pillar boxed to the 4:3 aspect ratio of the Colecovision.

1080 won't be possible. There is no HDMI transmitter as the video is driven directly by the FPGA, and the FPGA is not fast enough to do 1080. 720p is theoretically possible.

[retroillucid]

1 minute ago, zyzzle said:

Thank you, I am very glad. I was just sharing my thoughts in a constructive fashion.

Remember, the Phoenix was made by fans, for the fans

[retroillucid]

1 minute ago, Bmack36 said:

720p is theoretically possible.

That's right, and it's more than enough for ColecoVision 

[Loafer]

4 minutes ago, retroillucid said:

That's right, and it's more than enough for ColecoVision 

I would have to agree with that.  Considering the low resolution of the console, I can't see how sharpening it up any further would make it look better (though as my wife reminds me, I'm often wrong :))

[jblenkle]

I'm not one of the early access people, but I guess I'm lucky. My Westinghouse TV seems to adjust itself automatically to whatever is plugged into it as far as screen resolution goes. It handles my NES (composite), ADAM (VGA), ColecoVision (composite), Atari Computer (composite), Playstation 3 (HDMI) all equally well. Hopefully it will perform the same with my Phoenix when it comes.

[retroillucid]

8 minutes ago, Loafer said:

I would have to agree with that.  Considering the low resolution of the console, I can't see how sharpening it up any further would make it look better (though as my wife reminds me, I'm often wrong :))

^ EXACTLY ^