Jump to content
IGNORED

CollectorVision Phoenix Pre-Order is now live!


Bmack36

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, Keatah said:

Emulator Stella does it right on the money.

This I don’t get, since fpga is supposed to hardware accurate. Must be some limitation in the fineness of the accuracy, or why can it not be hardware exact. We have these terms in science - accurate and exact, which are not the same. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hardware can have bugs too.  Even different models of the original atari 2600 aren't hardware exact with eachother.  The intellivision ii isn't hardware exact with the original intellivision and some cartridges sound different.  Programmers have to take into account all known hardware differences.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm fairly certain current FPGA cores only simulate the VCS console hardware and nothing extra. Any special hardware or logic or BankSwitch aids or DPC+ or sound chips IN the cartridge is not simulated in the FPGA. So if you use ROM + FPGA, where does that leave the other logic? Missing! And that's why you can't play all the new DPC+ games like Scramble or SuperCobra or Draconian as a ROM from an SD card on an FPGA console.

 

Emulator Stella is aware of these bits and pieces of extra cart hardware, including the ARM processor. And in rough layman's terms it patches them in and turns them on as needed. Now the game code is happy and sees all the hardware it needs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Keatah said:

I'm fairly certain current FPGA cores only simulate the VCS console hardware and nothing extra. Any special hardware or logic or BankSwitch aids or DPC+ or sound chips IN the cartridge is not simulated in the FPGA. So if you use ROM + FPGA, where does that leave the other logic? Missing! And that's why you can't play all the new DPC+ games like Scramble or SuperCobra or Draconian as a ROM from an SD card on an FPGA console.

...

Well, we know the open-source atari 2600 fpga can emulate the custom chip in pitfall ii and therefore also does bankswitching with rom files.

 

It probably doesn't emulate DPC+ cartridges, but it could certainly play DPC+ cartridges through a cartridge port.  People who buy FPGA consoles do so to replace old original consoles and that means cartridges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, mr_me said:

Hardware can have bugs too.  Even different models of the original atari 2600 aren't hardware exact with eachother.  The intellivision ii isn't hardware exact with the original intellivision and some cartridges sound different.  Programmers have to take into account all known hardware differences.

I’m pretty sure if the core did a four switch woody exact replica it could handle pretty much anything (except cart internal hardware, which I guess can be added, too) as this is considered the most compatible of the 2600s. I do know sd card to fpga may not be handled as well as cart to fpga for technical reasons. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

An fpga intellivision can support flashback controllers internally.  If only sears/II intellivision controllers are supported, only a simple external adapter would be needed to use flashback controllers.

 

That leaves the question open though: Is the DB9 pinout on the Phoenix compatible? If the ground pin is different between the ColecoVision and Inty controllers, then that alone will make the use of a passive adapter necessary. It probably wouldn't be difficult to do, but someone has to go ahead and do it.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First someone has to create an Intellivision in fpga, from scratch no less.  I expect each core to interact with the controller ports independently.  Even if there is some limitation you could go through the expansion port in the back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, romeoteknik said:

Looks interesting. Why is it only 480p? 

The HDMI is being driven directly by the FPGA instead of going through an extra HDMI transmitter chip. 720 is possible but might conflict with F18a as far as FPGA clock resources go, so that is being evaluated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, Bmack36 said:

The HDMI is being driven directly by the FPGA instead of going through an extra HDMI transmitter chip. 720 is possible but might conflict with F18a as far as FPGA clock resources go, so that is being evaluated.

Could your solution also lead to less input lag considering it’s not going through an extra chip?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, mr_me said:

First someone has to create an Intellivision in fpga, from scratch no less.

Well, Kevtris did it, so how hard can it be?

 

(* Runs away and hides behind the sofa *)  :P

 

Edited by Pixelboy
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I've first subscribed here in 2008, I did my very first game with the help on another fellow member here, I never ever thought we would someday release a ColecoVision FPGA console. 

I feel blessed and very thankful to have been part of this community for 11 years now, I would never have been able to do most of what we did so far all alone
Since then, a bunch of folks joined CollectorVision 

Same goes for the Phoenix, Brian (bmack36) lead the project and surround himself with awesome people wich are all members here as well. 
They did a tremendeous job and almost did the impossible in only just 1 year (from prototype to final version) 
Also, a HUGE shoutout to Toby (coleco_master) who is doing all the assembling and shipping
 

Just surround yourself with good people, awesome things can happen! :cool:


Thanks to EVERYONE of you who are supporting us and believe in our crazy ideas

Cheers!

Edited by retroillucid
  • Like 9
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Loafer said:

Could your solution also lead to less input lag considering it’s not going through an extra chip?

Bunnyboy's AVS doesn't use an HDMI transmitter, but he still buffers a few scanlines for his NES core.   I'm sure you'd still have to buffer a couple scanlines for Coleco core as well. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, retroillucid said:



We're planning a cartridge adapter as well 

 

 

 

 

This is the add on I am most looking forward to!   I have all of these amazing homebrew games and carts and don't care much to run ROMS, its that tactile experience of playing a cart.  

 

I never cared for "the kid in the candy store syndrome" of having all the ROMS and only skimming through a few before I say.. I think I will play something else..  carts for some reason don't give me that phenomenon.

 

Hey Collectorvision, if you are going to do a 7800 core, can the add on slot work for both?  If I can play my Colecovision, Collectorvision, 2600 and 7800 carts that would be ideal!  Most of my homebrew carts I own are those 3 systems.

 

 

I plan to use the SD Slot for any systems, if implemented,  that are hard to get or are just rare.. (eg MSX, Astrocade, Super Cassette Vision, Casio PV-1000, etc.)

 

This system is going to be so hype!

 

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, imstarryeyed said:

 

This is the add on I am most looking forward to!   I have all of these amazing homebrew games and carts and don't care much to run ROMS, its that tactile experience of playing a cart.  

 

I never cared for "the kid in the candy store syndrome" of having all the ROMS and only skimming through a few before I say.. I think I will play something else..  carts for some reason don't give me that phenomenon.

 

Hey Collectorvision, if you are going to do a 7800 core, can the add on slot work for both?  If I can play my Colecovision, Collectorvision, 2600 and 7800 carts that would be ideal!  Most of my homebrew carts I own are those 3 systems.

 

 

I plan to use the SD Slot for any systems, if implemented,  that are hard to get or are just rare.. (eg MSX, Astrocade, Super Cassette Vision, Casio PV-1000, etc.)

 

This system is going to be so hype!

 


Thanks!

A L L  N O T E D !  ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JF, Toby and Brian, thank you all (as well as others who have been part of project Phoenix) for creating this system for the community.  Your passion and love for the Colecovision is beyond reproach and I personally cannot thank you enough.  When I got back into the Colecovision scene several years back, and found this forum, I had no idea what a homebrew was lol, let alone the hardcore following the CV really has!

 

I feel blessed and honored to be apart of all of this and to be able to buy your products to continue supporting ongoing projects that you all make available for us to enjoy.  Through the ups and (sometimes) downs of this hobby I have seen you persevere through it all and this system is the culmination of all of the efforts you have pursued.  Seeing you continue on has also helped me stay interested and active in this hobby.  I almost threw in the towel a few times when there were, what I considered, low points and infighting within our community.  But seeing you pressing forward through it all made me realize how special everyone here truly is.

 

So I just wanted to tell you, THANK YOU, I cannot wait to see what the future may bring from you guys as well as the other talented "homebrewers" (that doesn't seem to be a good term to me anymore as I consider what you and the other publishers put out to be high quality products) have in store for us all.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...