MiSTer: FPGA gaming

[AceGrace]

Thanks for the advice.  I agree that the external USB will be used for CD based games or anything that looks like it might be bigger will be moved to the external drive.

If it is as easy as cutting and pasting folders, then it will be easy.

And yes, I will be using a PC to transfer files 🙂

I didn't know the Saturn core wasn't complete yet so I will stay away from that for now.

 

I'm using the MMS so it already has 128mb I believe.

 

One last question (for now 🙂 ). Do I need to run anything for the USB drive to be recognised or just plug it in before turning it on?

Will update_all, just recognise it if it is there?

[shiffy]

@AceGraceThat's a good question actually, and one that I don't actually know the answer to now! The MiSTer will see the external USB drive / HDD do there's no need to do anything special there. But I believe that update_all will put the new PSX folders onto the internal SD card. There might be some ini file setting that may need adjusting so that it downloads the PSX folder structure / bios to the external drive, although my initial look into this isn't seeing anything that's obvious. Update_all is now calling on a new script to do the main updating, this is called "downloader".

 

Just had a look at the github for the new "downloader" script ini file, slightly confusing. I don't have a spare SD card to build a new setup at the moment so I can't do a test install to see what happens. Have a look at the "options" section of the exanple ini. To me, the default setting of this in this example suggests that arcade game roms and the like will be installed to the external HDD ..... except I know that's not happening in my case. So, I don't know! It would appear that you can't specify a specific core games folder (example /games/PSX to be installed on the external drive while having everything else installed on the internal drive. But as I said, as it's only going to be CD based systems that you'll be putting onto an external HDD / USB drive it only takes a moment to cut the required folders from the internal SD card and transfer them to the external device. Things like the PSX rbf file can remain on the internal sd card.

 

After you've installed the main system using MiSter Fusion (slightly upset that this has become the main way to do this now, much preferred the old method!) take the SD card out of the system, add the new Update_all script to the scripts folder .... and off you go! The new update_all script can be obtained from here.

 

Looking at my system I've got so many old files that I'm sure that are no longer needed. Might be time for me to finally set up a new card from scratch with a fresh install. I've always been one of these stubborn bastards who thinks "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

[AceGrace]

I've been setting it up this afternoon.

Moved PSX to external drive. Works like a dream (can't find a reliable source for bin/cue files on PS1 for now).

So I currently have set up.

Coleco

Lynx

Genesis/md

32X

MegaCD

NES

SNES

Neo Geo

Vectrex

Master System

Amiga

C64

GameBoy Color

GBA

TurboGrafx/PC-Engine

SuperGrafx

 

All fully working as far as I can tell 🙂

I also did an update_all after moving PSX and MegaCD games to the External SSD and it didn't create new folders so it looks like the downloader handles it

 

Haven't done Gameboy yet. Need to find those 🙂

 

 

[roobarb]

Game & Watch are also fun!

[AceGrace]

Interesting

 

[SuperFamiTom]

3 hours ago, AceGrace said:

I've been setting it up this afternoon.

Moved PSX to external drive. Works like a dream (can't find a reliable source for bin/cue files on PS1 for now).

I’ve heard that there’s an organisation on the Internet that runs an archive that’s really good for those. Might be worth a look perhaps. 
 

Definitely recommend converting those bin/cue files to .chd files when you find them too. Save yourself a bit of space. 

[Ninja Doctor]

Also if you can find the lair of vimm then many things are at your fingertips. 

[AceGrace]

Thank you both 🙂

[AceGrace]

Is it relatively easy to convert bin/cue files to chd?

[Ninja Doctor]

 Chdman 

[AceGrace]

Thank you.

[Vimster]

Please no asking where to find roms. Ta.

[AceGrace]

Noted 🙂

[SuperFamiTom]

59 minutes ago, Vimster said:

Please no asking where to find roms. Ta.

 

To be fair, @AceGrace didn't ask, I hinted. So if anyone is gonna get a black mark against their name it should be me. 

[Vimster]

9 minutes ago, SuperFamiTom said:

 

To be fair, @AceGrace didn't ask, I hinted. So if anyone is gonna get a black mark against their name it should be me. 

Aye it's okay, was just talking generally, not aimed at anyone in particular.

[Ninja Doctor]

You can’t police me, Narc!

[AceGrace]

PS1 stuff plays like a dream. Really good.

 

[Colonel Panic]

Anyone who uses names.txt for nicer core names notice things are a bit screwed up with the latest update. Seeing. The same on both my Misters. 
 

Some of the dates aren’t there and there’s extra stuff like Mega Duck which runs a GB core. 
 

[shiffy]

@Colonel PanicI don't think there's any reason to be concerned, I vaguely recall something about this on one of the recent updates and I believe it's intentional. I think it's something to do with a few systems sharing cores (ie - Master System & Game Gear, Game Boy & Mega Duck). The reason it was done was to facilitate independent settings, mainly for video options, for the two systems using the same core.

If you were to look in your cores folder, I reckon you'll still see  RBF files for Master System & Gameboy, but a different file extension for Mega Duck & Game Gear, this will be the reason why there is no date for those two files.

 

My games system text file is set not to update so I'm personally not seeing this.
 

[spanky debrest]

I don't think anything is screwed up.

 

A bunch of cores which run multiple systems all got new folders a while back, mainly to allow for different video settings to coexist simultaneously.

 

- WonderSwan Color (WonderSwan core)

- Game Gear (Master System core)

- SG-1000 (Master System & Colecovision core)

- Mega Duck (Game Boy core)

- Maybe one or two others 

 

These folders didn't exist a month ago but they seem to be part of how things are organised now. 

 

[Colonel Panic]

Thanks all, that makes a lot of sense. 

[Mr Monday]

I completed Resident Evil tonight using the PSX core (obvs) for the first time since 1997.  It was a very nostalgic trip.  

Are the Dino Crisis games any good?  I might try one of them next.

[ianinthefuture]

1 hour ago, Mr Monday said:

I completed Resident Evil tonight using the PSX core (obvs) for the first time since 1997.  It was a very nostalgic trip.  

Are the Dino Crisis games any good?  I might try one of them next.

Dino Crisis is Resi with dinosaurs. It's great. Dino Crisis 2 is Resi with dinosaurs but with more action, almost arcadey at times. It's also great.

 

So yes, I'd recommend them both.

[Vespa Alex]

Is there likely to be a more powerful MiSTer 2 any time in the next year that would support more modern systems, or is that still a distant prospect?

 

[SuperFamiTom]

I’m far from a technical expert on these things, but from what I read it seems highly unlikely. 
 

A huge jump in price for FPGA boards with the requisite number of gates / logic elements being the first issue. Then there’s the rise in complexity of newer consoles / computers that would mean another huge jump in development effort. 

[Vespa Alex]

That’s what I thought might be the case. 

[Protocol Penguin]

Much as I love the MiSTer, I miss that it won’t be able to handle simulating N64 and later hardware. Recent experience:
 

Me: “Which really old games systems would you like to play on this?”

Younger relative: “PlayStation 2, or GameCube perhaps!”

Me: *feels old*

[ianinthefuture]

2 hours ago, Vespa Alex said:

Is there likely to be a more powerful MiSTer 2 any time in the next year that would support more modern systems, or is that still a distant prospect?

 

 

No chance, pretty much. FPGAs are really expensive, as people have said here, but also the DE10 Nano specifically - as in the Mister hardware - is subsidised by Intel to be able to be sold as (relatively) cheap as it is.

 

More powerful FPGAs already exist, but none of them will be subsidised to be sold as educational tools any time soon, I wouldn't think. And they're extremely expensive right now, as far as I'm aware.

[Dr_Dave]

24 minutes ago, ianinthefuture said:

 

No chance, pretty much. FPGAs are really expensive, as people have said here, but also the DE10 Nano specifically - as in the Mister hardware - is subsidised by Intel to be able to be sold as (relatively) cheap as it is.

 

More powerful FPGAs already exist, but none of them will be subsidised to be sold as educational tools any time soon, I wouldn't think. And they're extremely expensive right now, as far as I'm aware.

 

Basically, try to relax and enjoy the tens of thousands of games covering 20+ years that they've already squeezed into the little box  

[Colonel Panic]

For non-Mister consoles, flashcarts, ODEs and digital output mods are all a thing worth looking into.