MiSTer FPGA Forum

I have question how to boot game. I use rbf from mega server, last version was from end of february. Only option to boot this thing is to set option to that do sth with roms, but I am unable to go past the bios screen.

mrtomato wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:40 pm I have question how to boot game. I use rbf from mega server, last version was from end of february. Only option to boot this thing is to set option to that do sth with roms, but I am unable to go past the bios screen.

Are you pressing the F12 key to get to the screen to select something to launch?

Vic20-Ian wrote: ↑Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:40 am

mrtomato wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:40 pm I have question how to boot game. I use rbf from mega server, last version was from end of february. Only option to boot this thing is to set option to that do sth with roms, but I am unable to go past the bios screen.

Are you pressing the F12 key to get to the screen to select something to launch?

Yes I loaded rom from Mister Menu, but it is not booting past BIOS screen

It loads games but crashes pretty quickly. I am able to run Tempest 2000 for about 2-3 minutes, then it just goes black.

rcade wrote: ↑Tue Aug 11, 2020 12:13 am It loads games but crashes pretty quickly. I am able to run Tempest 2000 for about 2-3 minutes, then it just goes black.

It's a WIP core so this is normal at the moment.

Hello from the new MiSTer user.

Could anyone share Jaguar compiled beta core?

Link from the first page doesn't work any more ...

Thanks in advance!

The link is in the description:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCKsYtjAySU

Thank. The file from a.m. link were disabled, but author (NML32) just re-enabled it after my question.

BTW: It's really impressive work!

Anyone any news on this core? Would be so great if it becomes more stable, the RetroHQ GameDrive is so hard to get ^^ ...

Ash has been talking in the discord about working on the core again and some others are hopefully going to help him, so fingers crossed we see some progress.

I have raised a ticket for the BIOS getter script to grab the jaguar BIOS, so hopefully they add that which would make things easier for people wanting to try out the core.

https://github.com/MAME-GETTER/MiSTer_B ... S/issues/9

Moondandy wrote: ↑Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:25 pm Ash has been talking in the discord about working on the core again and some others are hopefully going to help him, so fingers crossed we see some progress.

I have raised a ticket for the BIOS getter script to grab the jaguar BIOS, so hopefully they add that which would make things easier for people wanting to try out the core.

https://github.com/MAME-GETTER/MiSTer_B ... S/issues/9

Great to hear, I was worried he'd given up on it given it hadn't been updated for a while. But Ash seems to move between projects fairly quickly so glad to see he's potentially moving back

no one is talking about this core?

https://twitter.com/KristopheTorres/sta ... 2845193216

oh wow, I would love to try this core out

pbsk8 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 10:12 pm no one is talking about this core?

https://twitter.com/KristopheTorres/sta ... 2845193216

This is just ElectronAsh's alpha core. It does run a handful of games.

I would love to try the alpha as well!

rangoth wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2021 8:32 pm I would love to try the alpha as well!

https://mega.nz/folder/OH41SCiJ#YoaDbidzNCO8Fn-cuRBkCQ

Man. I would love to play Tempest 2000.

Defender 2000 would be awesome to play

I stupidly sold my Jag and games many years ago for very little money. I miss Tempest 2000 - Jag version is the best, and emulation is still not very good AFAIK. A good Jag core for MiSTer would be great.

I still check this thread to see if the core will be ever updated. I really hope someone decides to complete it. Considering how expensive the real hardware goes for now... it would be amazing to play Jag on the Mister.

Keep the faith, after PS1 and Saturn arrive the Jaguar is going to look much more appealing as a next console for someone to take on.

Rysha even did a wee clean up on the core a few months back:
https://github.com/Kitrinx/Jaguar_MiSTer

Yeah tbh, the best way to view MiSTer cores is as a process of elimination. With Saturn, PS1, and NGPC cores being worked on right now, that only leaves the Jaguar, 3DO, 32X, Virtual Boy, CD-i, PC-FX and debatably the Neo Geo CD as the last major consoles without a core (that can fit on MiSTer). The first 4 are the most appealing with the CD-i, PC-FX, and Neo Geo CD being less appealing.

Given the similarities between the 32X and Saturn, wouldn't be surprised if that's the next project srg320 decides to tackle. After that, 3DO and Jaguar are the most appealing. As much as I shitpost about wanting the 3DO as a core, which I unironically do want, Jaguar is more important for the time being. I've heard that there are only 20K Jaguar CDs out there so getting a Jaguar CD preserved in FPGA is really important for preservation sake, especially considering how notoriously faulty the Jag CD is. Plus, it'd be great to have the whole Atari console family on MiSTer.

I've said this repeatedly, but one of the unique selling points of the MiSTer could be preserving consoles that aren't well emulated. Getting great Saturn, Jaguar/CD, 3DO, CD-i, and 32X emulation would be so cool and give playing on MiSTer that greater feeling of authenticity over software emulation.

I would add the CD32 to that list as well. And what about the Nuon? Would that be possible on MiSTer?

KremlingKuthroat19 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 29, 2021 6:44 am I've said this repeatedly, but one of the unique selling points of the MiSTer could be preserving consoles that aren't well emulated. Getting great Saturn, Jaguar/CD, 3DO, CD-i, and 32X emulation would be so cool and give playing on MiSTer that greater feeling of authenticity over software emulation.

Aren't the reasons for lack of FPGA core similar to the reasons for lack of good software emulators... Limited interest and knowledge? Heck it seems software emulators are more often a starting point for good FPGA cores than the "its not emulation" crowd might like to admit.

Emulators are definitely a help for many devs when making a core, and it is true that 5th gen emulation is lacking.

May as well chat through the odds and sods 4th and 5th gen cores since we have gone down that road here, so running through the 4th and 5th gen not on MiSTer here is what there is and some notes (keep in mind I am not a dev, but have marked * ones I own). Have taken list from The Game Console 2.0 book, which I just got and it's great.

Fourth Generation:

Interactive Vision
-VHS system, educational, only a few games, if Action Max happens then may be low hanging fruit for someone.

Gamate
-Cheapo Asian handheld (on the NT Mini) could be done by a dev within a few days.

Hartung Game Master
-Another cheapo Asian handheld (not on the NT Mini) not sure if there is much info out there on this one but if there was could likely be done by a dev within a few days.

Amstrad GX4000*
-Surprised no UK devs have looked at this one, but could potentially have support added to Amstrad CPC core, would be interested to hear a dev who knows the system weigh in on this one.

Commodore CDTV
-As far as I understand it, if someone adds in CD read and Red Book Audio support to the Amiga core then this should be supported, or close to it.

Neo Geo CD*
-Furrtek did quite a bit of work on this previously, and there is even code for it in the Neo Geo core, but hit issues and hasn't come back to it since. Hopefully he does one day, but he spends a lot of his time decapping and tracing out chips which is very useful to the wider community.

Philips CDi
-This seems like it would be a very large undertaking, so would need to be a passion project for an experience dev so I am not holding my breath. I also don't think it shares much with other consoles, however Ash was looking at it so his work may help pave the way for a core one day (like he has done for Jaguar).

Memorex VIS
-a system from Tandy similar to the CDTV and CDi that I am guessing most people reading have never heard of, is more a computer in a set-top box than a console, and I don't think it shares too many parts with other things. Maybe a dev who likes doing computer cores may be interested one day, but again I really would not hold my breath on this one ever happening.

Watara Supervision
-Yet another cheapo Asian handheld. This one is on the NT Mini and there is actually a playable alpha core of it from Pierco, that runs pretty well. It wouldn't take much to get this core cleaned up and released so hopefully it happens in the not too distant future.

Mega Duck
-More of a meme than a consoles, but it is yet another cheapo Asian handheld that is on the NT Mini Noir. If we are lucky maybe we will get this one for April Fools, if only to stop people memeing about it in the discord.

Pioneer Laseractive
-This is a really big question mark. Laserdisc games in general really do need to be preserved, but what it would take to get a Laserdisc games system running on FPGA and how games would be preserved and loaded I just don't know, and sadly I don't think any dev has really dug into it either.

Fifth Generation:


Sega 32X*
-Assuming that Saturn is doable (which is looking likely) then 32X feels inevitable, as a lot of the groundwork is done in creating the Saturn core. Hopefully srg320 already plans to move on to it next.

FM Towns Marty
-Puu san, who has done the initial cores of the Japanese computers x68000, PC-88 and PC-98 is currently working on an FM Towns core, which is essentially the computer version of the FM Towns Marty. Assuming he pulls it off, then some of the western devs here take what he has done and get it running well on the MiSTer, then adding support for FM Towns games should be very doable into the core, possibly even trivial. However I would not expect to be playing FM Towns Marty games on an official MiSTer core for a couple of years.

Amiga CD32
-Like with the CDTV, if someone adds in CD read and Red Book Audio support to the Amiga core then this should be supported, or close to it.

3DO*
-The effort to do this core will be on par with the PS1, so it would take a top tier dev a lot of work to do this one which is also not emulated well. Maybe Robert will take it on one day, as it will look more appealing once PS1 and Saturn are done, but who knows. It would be a nice system to get for sure.

Atari Jaguar
-This does feel inevitable that someone will pick up the work Ash did and have a proper go at it, but there are some difficult chips in there to do and it would be a lot of work. My understanding is if there is a working core then it wouldn't require much more than being able to read CDs to be added to get Jaguar CD support - it's more a disc reader rather than a full console like the Mega CD. There is a big homebrew community for the Jaguar CD and the consoles are so expensive and junky, it would be great to get the Jag and CD preserved.

Bandai Playdia*
-This was a CD systems aimed at kids in Japan and was more a glorified VCD player than anything else. I suspect it would be a lot of work to get a core for it, and I can't see anyone wanting to spend the time doing it - unless it shares chips with something else which I don't think it does. Maybe one day...

NEC PC-FX*
-This I am much more hopeful for, I would take good odds on this being on MiSTer within the next couple of years. Virtual Boy would pave the way for it, and although it will not be trivial to do, and the library is very Japanese FMV centric, there are interesting things in there (it's not just hentai games, which is a lazy and unfair assessment). I know David has an interest in the system, and in terms of localisations it is a near untapped mine of games that hopefully we will see more from in the future. A betting man would put a few quid on this being one 5th gen core we do get in the next couple of years.

Virtual Boy
-Robert has mentioned he could be interested in doing a 2D version of this core, which personally I think would be great, so hopefully he decides to look at it in the future after PS1. As mentioned one chip is also used by the PC-FX, so would be a stepping stone to that.

Tiger R-Zone
-This is a rather odd handheld that you had a screen in a visor, I don't think it is terribly complex, but I also don't know if it shares chips with anything else and nobody has expressed any interest in it, so I wouldn't hold your breath on this one.

Super A'can
-Here is a real curio. A Taiwanese system that is impossibly hard and ridiculously expensive to get these days, that is sort of a bastard child between the SNES and Mega Drive, but only got 12 (not very good) games. It has been said that to make a core for this would require as much effort as making the SNES core. I know that Kevtris has said he has three of them and it is the system he would most like to make a core for if he had the time, although that doesn't help MiSTer community much. That being said, someone has sent the chips to Furrtek who has decapped them, so someone out there is possibly interested in this system. Maybe someone in touch with Furrtek could ask him who sent the chips and what for (maybe it is for Mame). This systems has a big question mark against it, but I am not expecting it any time soon if at all.

Casio Loopy*
-The Japanese cartridge based system with a handful of games, all targeted at Japanese school girls and had a built in sticker printer. Such a bizarre system and ultimate failure. I don't see anyone stepping up to take this one on, and I think it has unique chips so would be a lot of work.

Nintendo 64*
-This isn't doable on the DE-10 nano. We all wish it was but it just isn't.

Apple Pippin
-Another console that is more a meme than anything else, that I do aspire to own in the next few years. The only way I could see this happening is if someone does a 90s Apple computer core and it's possible to add support to run the Pippin, but I don't know if that is even feasible. Also considering that nobody has added support for CDTV and CD32 into the Amiga core yet, if there were such an Apple core would anyone put the effort in to support it? Highly unlikely we will ever get this.

Tiger Game.com
-Yet another dodgy Asian handheld, Kevtris hasn't done this one, which makes me think there may not be much info out there on it but if there was someone could make a core fairly quickly if they were so inclined.

Neo Geo Pocket
-We will have an unofficial core from Jotego relatively soon, although who knows when it will be available to non patrons. Personally I really dislike the idea of there being unofficial console cores and I hope someone just takes the code and makes their own official core of it.

There may be some obscure ones I have missed, and I haven't covered 6th Gen as can assume these aren't doable, or nobody would be interested in the work for any that are, certainly not any time soon.

These are just my thoughts on things, but would love to hear some insight from anyone who has any on any of these systems and how doable or not doable they would be, or to flag up any I have missed. It is a era of gaming I am interested in as there are a lot of systems and games I never explored, and have been picking up a few in the past couple of years.

Not to forget: 32x <3
Maybe we could get this soon after the Saturn core is finished...

Good spot, added in 32x.

I thought the 3DO had been ruled out already.

dmckean wrote: ↑Wed Dec 29, 2021 9:57 pm I thought the 3DO had been ruled out already.

Not that I have seen, unless I have missed something consensus is that it is (likely) doable but would require as much effort as the PS1.

Fantastic overview there Moondandy.

I think the next 12-24 months could be very interesting if someone decides to take on the challenge of a Jaguar/Jaguar CD core, as currently there are no software emulators which will play the full library from the system.