PCE FPGA

[SignOfZeta]

Back to Kevtris and an FPGA PCE ... it sounds like it's definitely still on his radar, and he's recently talked about the potential difficulty with getting the PCE's fast RAM access-speed working on the Analogue NT Mini hardware.

He was complaining about the lack of public info on the PCE hardware, but he's received all the system docs now.

BIG BUT ... he doesn't want to do any console CD-emulation in the near-future, so whenever he does eventually do a PCE FPGA, it'll probably be HuCard-only for the first revision.

I guess this is just reality. I hope it gets to CD soon though. If anything we need a completely virtualized CDROM2 way more than we need yet another thing that can only play HuCARDs.

[Gypsy]

Need CDs images to play off SD card.

AMEN.

[Arkhan Asylum]

I could sit at Denny's with anyone here...... but like most dinners at Denny's, it's probably gonna end with a knife fight in the parking lot.

I don't think I could actually sit with anyone here at Dennys, because who the fuck actually eats there?   You basically go there because you have to, not because you want to.



The thing about Mike is, we can't like, applaud his antics only when it's convenient for us.   Sometimes you're on the receiving end.  It's probably still a bit comical and likely over the top.   It just isn't funny because now you're the target.


Back to the original topic though, I would like to see an FPGA PC Engine.   I honestly give two dicks about a HuCard only setup, though, since a PCE+Everdrive is such an easy thing to do.   I'd still probably support it, but I can't say I need or want it.

Once there's a CD replacement like how GD-EMU is for Dreamcast, sign me up.   CD hardware is a pain in the ass.   One minute you're good, the next minute the goddamn thing is stuck and you're wacking the side of it going CMON BITCH.  LOAD.

It's not fun.

My one PS1 is still upside down so it can read friggin CDs, lol.

Hell yeah.

[esadajr]

I like the idea mostly for the preservation aspect of it. Mimicking hardware via hardware adds another dimension.

[OldRover]

I have absolutely no issues with any currently active member of PCEFX. None at all. Y'all are good peeps.

Anyway.

I do hope he revisits the CD option.

[martinine]

Once there's a CD replacement like how GD-EMU is for Dreamcast, sign me up.   CD hardware is a pain in the ass. 

This so much. I think the better use of the processing power might be to build a hardware add-on that locked onto the back and could load CD Images via an sd card.

I'm still hoping for an all in one that has nice HDMI output solutions like the nt mini, etc. though.

I want a Frameister, but see above with my CRT addiction, etc.

Also, I think Micomsoft might be coming with something strong next.

[spenoza]

I think Kevtris has every right to make whatever he wants and we don't really get a say. I, too, want a CD-ROM substituted, but I can't do what he does, and I don't get a vote.

[CrackTiger]

I think Kevtris has every right to make whatever he wants and we don't really get a say. I, too, want a CD-ROM substituted, but I can't do what he does, and I don't get a vote.

Then why do you give your opinion of what hombrewers should do?

[spenoza]

If I had any concern about alienating our resident home brew developers, I would probably hold my tongue. But I know these guys are creating what they want to create and don't mind non-inflammatory contrary opinions.

[SignOfZeta]

In all seriousness, this is not the Megadrive we are taking about. A PCE that can't play CDs is hugely kneecapped. I wouldn't buy one with the vague possibility that a CD add in may some day exist. PCE fans already know about NEC's own deadend paths like the GT, Shuttle, to a lesser extent a TG-16  and really the Ten no Koe and Save-kun. A CD-less PCE can't play Dracula X, Sapphire, Spriggn, Star Parodia, Ys, or half of any of the other shit we usually play. Kevtris may actually want to know this before losing his shirt in a HuCARD-only system that isn't going to sell anywhere near as well as something that can play CDROM2 stuff.

I really think it would be a good idea to do the CD section first.

[elmer]

Kevtris may actually want to know this before losing his shirt in a HuCARD-only system that isn't going to sell anywhere near as well as something that can play CDROM2 stuff.

I really think it would be a good idea to do the CD section first.

???

I suspect that you're over-estimating the importance of the PCE community.

From what I see, the Analogue NT Mini is pretty-much only-selling in its current volume because Kevtris has released all those 8-bit cores for it.

If/when he creates his Zimba3K ... the flagship cores will be the SNES and Megadrive. It'll sell on those alone ... maybe even to a bunch of the folks here.

Sure, I totally agree with you about the CD, and I'm only going to be interested in it personally if it has PCE-CD support ... but the dedicated fans here are a very, very, small percentage of his potential audience.

He's not going to suffer any significant financial loss if he doesn't make us happy.

BUT ... I honestly think that he creates these cores for his own reasons and amusement.

I fully expect that he'll create a PCE-CD core at some point, for the fun of a different challenge if for nothing else.

I'll love to be able to think of a good way to show him *why* a PCE-CD core is essential ... but this community (or rather, a single member) already pissed him off once, so a letter-writing-campaign or something silly like that is just going to do more harm than good.

[SignOfZeta]

So I shouldn't have mailed him PCEngineHell's head?

[elmer]

So I shouldn't have mailed him PCEngineHell's head?

Unless he actually ever met Michael in person, Kevtris might just think that we're all crazy-enough here to "ISIS" some random SNES-fan that accidentally came by, in an attempt to win his favor! 

[spenoza]

Kevtris may actually want to know this before losing his shirt in a HuCARD-only system that isn't going to sell anywhere near as well as something that can play CDROM2 stuff.

I don't think he's doing a discrete system. I think he's doing a new core for the AnalogNT Mini. The idea is that you can just reprogram the FPGA at the heart of the system and transform it into a different machine. There's already several cores available. And I do think the HuCard library for the PCE is compelling enough to make that core worthwhile. Then if someone else wants to take that core and expand on it, they can talk to Kevtris and maybe a new project can emerge from that. But for now, he's just doing these for existing hardware.