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FPGA Based Videogame System


kevtris

Interest in an FPGA Videogame System  

682 members have voted

  1. 1. I would pay....

  2. 2. I Would Like Support for...

  3. 3. Games Should Run From...

    • SD Card / USB Memory Sticks
    • Original Cartridges
    • Hopes and Dreams
  4. 4. The Video Inteface Should be...


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19 hours ago, ErebusMaligan said:

I've been saying for years that 8BitDo's dpads are horrendous.  Although I have never had an issue with the receivers and connectivity.   I've praised the receivers as great if you like to use PS4 controllers for most things, which... I do.  

 

The M30 is the first controller I liked from them, and I actually prefer it over Krikzz' controller because it is just a little more comfortable fit in my hands.  It is the only controller i use for genesis now, and I use the bluetooth one on MiSTer.

 

I grabbed the new 2.4ghz NES and SNES style controllers.  In initial testing the dpads on mine seemed fine, but I haven't spent a ton of time with either of them yet.

I have a pretty similar story.

 

I had the Bluetooth ones that came out along side the SuperNt and I had a receiver just stop working unless you were like 2 feet away. The actual feel of the controllers were super solid, but the d-pad issues were really annoying in a number of games. Tried the tape and hole re-enforcement mods, but only minor success. I'd either not get much improvement, or make the d-pad feel too stiff and just not input without having to really press on the direction pretty hard.

 

Like you I really liked the M30 2.4Ghz controllers. It was solid all round. Just plug them in and go. I prefer it to original 3 or 6 button Genesis controllers.

 

So hoping something changed I also picked up a couple new 2.4Ghz SNES controllers to try it out. I was pretty sure I was just going to be disappointed again, but the d-pads on these new ones are much improved. You can still get wrong inputs, but it's much harder to do now from my initial testing and I was having to try to do. Normal gameplay I don't think I'd have any real noticeable issues.

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On 8/12/2020 at 9:20 AM, jamon1567 said:

Do you know if it's possible to swap the insides of a 2.4ghz controller to the shell of one of the old SN30's? I just really can't get into the redesign of them and the old SF30 I have that is basically identical to the actual SFC controllers would be ideal to swap out with.

 

Edit: I guess that prob wouldn't be possible since the start and select buttons are set differently on the new ones....ugh....and on a side note, they need to release a dogbone style NES controller. They made the DIY kit, so just release the damn thing!!! Dogbone 4 life!!!

Well, I decided to try it tonight and it actually works.  The start and select may be slanted but they are in the same positions and work after the swap.  The DPADs and the PCB thickness are the exact same so the button feel and everything is good.  The mounting holes are the same as well.  Even the micro usb port and the led lights work and are lined up perfectly.  It is pretty clear that they fixed the dpad in the newer controllers.  The contacts are the same style as original SNES controllers. Also, the new 2.4ghz controllers switched to Torx screws instead of regular Philips head screws for some reason so a set of Torx are needed.  The bit I used was the Torx TR6/T6H from the iFixit set though it doesn't have to be the "security" style Torx.

 

IMG_20200815_200201.thumb.jpg.8d42d1256f960cc26f422cb04c65599f.jpg

 

IMG_20200815_201536.thumb.jpg.d71baabdc1ca0a8176c208ade299fcac.jpg

Edited by Toth
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16 hours ago, Toth said:

Well, I decided to try it tonight and it actually works.  The start and select may be slanted but they are in the same positions and work after the swap.  The DPADs and the PCB thickness are the exact same so the button feel and everything is good.  The mounting holes are the same as well.  Even the micro usb port and the led lights work and are lined up perfectly.  It is pretty clear that they fixed the dpad in the newer controllers.  The contacts are the same style as original SNES controllers. Also, the new 2.4ghz controllers switched to Torx screws instead of regular Philips head screws for some reason so a set of Torx are needed.  The bit I used was the Torx TR6/T6H from the iFixit set though it doesn't have to be the "security" style Torx.

 

IMG_20200815_200201.thumb.jpg.8d42d1256f960cc26f422cb04c65599f.jpg

 

IMG_20200815_201536.thumb.jpg.d71baabdc1ca0a8176c208ade299fcac.jpg

Oh wow, nice test my man!

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On 8/15/2020 at 9:18 PM, Toth said:

Well, I decided to try it tonight and it actually works.  The start and select may be slanted but they are in the same positions and work after the swap.  The DPADs and the PCB thickness are the exact same so the button feel and everything is good.  The mounting holes are the same as well.  Even the micro usb port and the led lights work and are lined up perfectly.  It is pretty clear that they fixed the dpad in the newer controllers.  The contacts are the same style as original SNES controllers. Also, the new 2.4ghz controllers switched to Torx screws instead of regular Philips head screws for some reason so a set of Torx are needed.  The bit I used was the Torx TR6/T6H from the iFixit set though it doesn't have to be the "security" style Torx.

 

IMG_20200815_200201.thumb.jpg.8d42d1256f960cc26f422cb04c65599f.jpg

 

IMG_20200815_201536.thumb.jpg.d71baabdc1ca0a8176c208ade299fcac.jpg

Awesome, thanks for taking a look. I guess I'll have to look into one after all.

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On 8/13/2020 at 2:46 PM, ErebusMaligan said:

I've been saying for years that 8BitDo's dpads are horrendous.  Although I have never had an issue with the receivers and connectivity.   I've praised the receivers as great if you like to use PS4 controllers for most things, which... I do.  

 

The M30 is the first controller I liked from them, and I actually prefer it over Krikzz' controller because it is just a little more comfortable fit in my hands.  It is the only controller i use for genesis now, and I use the bluetooth one on MiSTer.

 

I grabbed the new 2.4ghz NES and SNES style controllers.  In initial testing the dpads on mine seemed fine, but I haven't spent a ton of time with either of them yet.

I finally got fed up with the inaccurate dpad on the 8bitdo BT SNES controller, so I eventually just gave up on it and swapped it out for an extension cable and genuine SFC controller.

 

I didn't notice the issue with the dpad so much with typical side-scrollers or even games like Zelda that allow you to move in eight directions, but the dpad absolutely ruins most typical JRPGs with four-way movement, unless you force yourself to really concentrate on pressing the four cardinal directions only.  Walking around in areas with pits or poison floors or whatever is an exercise in frustration.

 

I did buy one of the new 2.4g SFC controllers, but the right directional is faulty and requires much more pressure to activate... which of course makes pretty much every game borderline unplayable.

Edited by newtmonkey
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Is anyone using either the Super NT or Mega SG at 720p or 480p?  I am encountering maddening issues with every single resolution these consoles support.  I'm running the latest firmware on both.

 

1080p is the least problematic, but still has issues if you want scanlines, as you need to use either a 4x or 5x scale which means either having large black bars on the top and bottom (1920x1080), or the top and bottom of the image cut off (1920x1200).  Even then, scanlines are too thin regardless of how you set them and still look quite strange.

 

720p is almost problem-free, but has major issues with scanlines.  On the latest firmware, the scanline filter doesn't even line up correctly with the screen, so you have to offset the vertical position until it locks into place (I had to bump it up roughly 10 pixels upward on my TV).  On previous firmwares, you either get inconsistent scanline brightness or a strange glitch where the scanlines disappear for a solid block in the middle of the screen.

 

480p looked like a good solution with no issues whatsoever with scanlines... but now I've discovered that even 480p is broken.  Setting the resolution to 640x480 for some reason causes part of the image to be cut off (stretched past the "screen") on both sides roughly 10 pixels.  This is definitely not an issue with my TV, as 640x480 works perfectly fine with no image cut off on my Framemeister and RetroTINK.

 

[EDIT] I'm just going to go back to 720p for both consoles.  It's the best resolution for scanlines, and having to nudge the image up vertically a few pixels isn't so big a problem!

Edited by newtmonkey
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On 8/22/2020 at 7:30 AM, newtmonkey said:

Is anyone using either the Super NT or Mega SG at 720p or 480p?  I am encountering maddening issues with every single resolution these consoles support.  I'm running the latest firmware on both.

 

1080p is the least problematic, but still has issues if you want scanlines, as you need to use either a 4x or 5x scale which means either having large black bars on the top and bottom (1920x1080), or the top and bottom of the image cut off (1920x1200).  Even then, scanlines are too thin regardless of how you set them and still look quite strange.

 

720p is almost problem-free, but has major issues with scanlines.  On the latest firmware, the scanline filter doesn't even line up correctly with the screen, so you have to offset the vertical position until it locks into place (I had to bump it up roughly 10 pixels upward on my TV).  On previous firmwares, you either get inconsistent scanline brightness or a strange glitch where the scanlines disappear for a solid block in the middle of the screen.

 

480p looked like a good solution with no issues whatsoever with scanlines... but now I've discovered that even 480p is broken.  Setting the resolution to 640x480 for some reason causes part of the image to be cut off (stretched past the "screen") on both sides roughly 10 pixels.  This is definitely not an issue with my TV, as 640x480 works perfectly fine with no image cut off on my Framemeister and RetroTINK.

 

[EDIT] I'm just going to go back to 720p for both consoles.  It's the best resolution for scanlines, and having to nudge the image up vertically a few pixels isn't so big a problem!

Which settings do you prefer on the SNES to make scanlines look best, while filling more of the screen?

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@spoonman

 

I don't remember the names of the individual settings, but I use hybrid scanlines and have them set in order from top to bottom: 15, 30, 150.  You can adjust the first setting to a lower number for a more pronounced contrast (even thicker scanlines on brighter colors and even thinner scanlines on darker colors) if you prefer.

 

Note that the scanline filter for 720p doesn't line up with the image correctly by default, so you will need to adjust the vertical position upward until the scanlines click into place (it will be obvious when it happens if you have hybrid scanlines enabled; they are otherwise completely broken).

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IF there will be more hi-def NES, in my understanding there is end of life components so the bord needs a redesign to be produced again.

I have no clue if there is any bigger parts such as the FPGA or some other passive components, BUT if there will be an overhaul.. it would be neat if there where a built in DAC so there is an NESRGB "built in".

That would be really nice.

 

So, end of wishlist. :)

Missing my hi-def, sold it since i rarely use it on the flat screen, end up keeping my NESRGB modded AV Fami. All in one solution would be neat.

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Just to add my $0.2: I too used to use 720p modes on my SuperNt and my MegaSg, but I think when the firmware with "hybrid" scanlines came out I noticed the 720p scanlines had become uneven. I just assumed it was because my television wasn't upscaling 720p to 1080p correctly, because when I switched to 1080p the scanlines looked correct with a 4x vertical scale. I never thought of adjusting the vertical positioning. If that fixes it, then yeah, there might be a bug somewhere. I'd like to see better documentation about what the settings do, because I don't understand the interplay between some of the scanline options.

 

Is the best place to report bugs the jailbreak github?

 

I mostly play through my DAC now--which has been great.

 

I was also interested to read that the new Nt Mini Noir supposedly has improved composite quality. I'd love to see that in the MegaSg too.

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I gave up on attempting to get 720p to work well on both the Super NT and Mega SG.  I was annoyed at having to move the image off-center vertically for the scanline filter to line up with the picture, and, besides, 720p results in large borders on all sides on my 4K TV.  I instead switched to 1080p with height set to 5x scale and width set to "4:3 for 16:9."  This gives a more-or-less accurate to CRT aspect ratio and fills the screen, with a few rows of pixels cut off on the top and bottom (very similar to most consumer CRTs, actually).

 

The scanline filter lines up fine at this resolution no matter where you set the vertical position, but in order to get the scanlines to look right you need to set the bottom-most setting (scanline sub-brightness?) very high (from 225-255 or thereabouts). Lower settings break the scanline effect—the black lines begin to bisect the actual scanlines themselves.

 

I think the intent was for a lower sub-brightness setting to cause the scanlines to "bloom" more so that the black lines would be less noticeable, but the way it works seems clearly broken.  Instead of individual scanlines becoming brighter/thicker (or black lines becoming lighter), setting it too low causes the scanlines to bleed past the black lines above/below... so you end up with (for example) a solid light blue scanline, a black line below it, and then a phantom dark blue scanline below that, then the next actual scanline.

Edited by newtmonkey
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/23/2020 at 6:24 PM, Steven Pendleton said:

So was there ever a plan to add a cart dumping function to the Mega Sg? It's been requested on the GitHub, but I'd really like to see this added if possible.

I don't think it's even possible because this is not emulator.

Edited by nasta18
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