Questions about using VOX+ with Stella

[quohog]

So, if I flash my daptor II so it can be used as a usb com port for my VOX+, so I can use it in Stella, is it now no longer usable as a daptor II? Trying to figure out if I need to by a third daptor II.

 

I get the impression that to do VOX+ development using Stella, I need to attach the VOX+ hardware to my PC. If there's an easier way, like simulated VOX+ behavior built into Stella, then I'd love to know that as well! That sounds a lot easier!

 

Thanks!

[+stephena]

23 minutes ago, quohog said:

I get the impression that to do VOX+ development using Stella, I need to attach the VOX+ hardware to my PC. If there's an easier way, like simulated VOX+ behavior built into Stella, then I'd love to know that as well! That sounds a lot easier!

Yes, that's what you need to do.  Emulating the AtariVox is not currently possible, since there are patents on the algorithms used, and nobody has yet figured out how they work anyway.  This has come up a few times over the years, but we (nor anyone else) has ever figured out how to do emulation of the device that works and sounds like the real thing.  And if it sounds different, then it's not really of much use.  I agree that directly emulating the device would be much easier for developers.  But it's not possible, and in fact may never be possible.

[+Karl G]

You are correct on both. You can have the normal Daptor II firmware, or the VOX firmware active at any given time. It can't do both at once.

 

Stella can't support the VOX speech software directly since it is proprietary.

[quohog]

Okay, thanks for the info everybody. Got another daptor II on order!