Which homebrews are multistandard?

[highinfidelity]

Going through the list of homebrews available at AA stores, I couldn't seem to find any easy reference about multistandard games.

 

I know that INV+ allows to switch from NTSC to PAL via the color/B&W selector, which is cool. Are there any other offering the same feature or a PAL version anyway?

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Are there any other offering the same feature or a PAL version anyway?

 

All Xype games are either PAL/NTSC switchable or available in both formats.

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Albert]

Yes, there are several homebrew games which support switching between PAL and NTSC. There are also several games that can be ordered in either PAL or NTSC formats. Let me see here...

 

Switchable between PAL and NTSC:

 

INV+

Jammed

Okie Dokie

Oystron

Thrust+ Platinum

 

Available in either PAL or NTSC formats:

 

Climber 5

Euchre

Gunfight

Marble Craze

Skeleton+

Space Instigators

Space Treat Deluxe

Star Fire

Synthcart

 

..Al

[Gateway]

Globetrotter is switchable between PAL and NTSC.

 

I wanted this to be a feature of this demo program because it would be traveling to PAL and NTSC countries.

 

Don't forget, The Holiday Greeting Cart was available in either PAL or NTSC format during Christmastime 2003. I'm guessing that this was due to the need for Andrew Davie's Interleaved Chronocolour code to use the full 4K ROM to work, in cartridge form.

 

[ErikM]

To my knowledge, INV+ is the first game to support three-way switchable video modes. It has standard NTSC, and also has PAL modes for both 50 Hz and 60 Hz. The former allows the game to display and play on PAL TVs that can't sync to 60 Hz, while the latter allows correct colors on PAL TVs while maintaining the 60 Hz gameplay speed.

 

The third mode of PAL 60 Hz isn't necessary for games that make the gameplay speed independent of the TV frame-rate, but it's a good solution for games where conversion to nonsynchronous game timing would be difficult or impossible.

[phimseto]

I'm curious - if something is advertised as "switchable TV format for NTSC or PAL", is it something that the rom on the cart detects when the console is powered on? I'm unclear as to how that is. 

[+SpiceWare]

24 minutes ago, phimseto said:

I'm curious - if something is advertised as "switchable TV format for NTSC or PAL", is it something that the rom on the cart detects when the console is powered on? I'm unclear as to how that is. 

 

Most that are switchable will use a console switch, such as TV Type, to select between NTSC or PAL.

 

Newer games that make use of the Melody board can use a timer on the ARM chip to detect if the console is NTSC, PAL, or SECAM.  I think Draconian is the only released homebrew that does this so far. If you're interested,  part 6 of the CDFJ tutorial goes into technical details on how this is accomplished.

[phimseto]

Hey SpiceWare, thank you (and also for Medieval Mayhem!). I managed to pick up a copy of Boulder Dash recently, and that description was on the box. It got me curious, and it also reminded me that I have a few PAL carts that I've picked up through the years like "Bobby is Going Home", "Hell Driver", and "Acid Trip", and I was wondering if there was some way to play PAL carts here in the USA. 

[+SpiceWare]

You're welcome!

 

You can play them in the USA provided your display can handle the lower frame rate like my C=1084S monitor can, though colors will be wrong, as seen below.  Other option would be to download a TV Format Conversion for those games which fixes the frame rate and colors, and play them on your 2600 using something like the Harmony cart.

 

PAL Wing War in Stella with proper PAL colors:

 

PAL Wing War on an NTSC 2600: