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Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:51 pm
by jca
The core can be setup with CPU 1 or 2 which is not very informative. Browsing the web I cannot find the use of different CPUs for this console. Are these CPUs 2 different implementations of the same CPU? If this is the case what is the difference?

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:35 pm
by jca
Yesterday I tried to run the Test cartridge. It gets stuck at the first screen and the only way I can exit it is by double clicking button 3 or 4 or even clicking one of them and the other one after that. But it goes directly to the controller test screen, skipping all other tests.
On the controller test screen a strange thing happens: I have a Logitech F310 controller which has 2 analog joysticks, no problem with the D-Pad and buttons but when I try the joysticks the left one controls the X direction and the right one controls the Y direction which is not very convenient.

Edit: I guess the problem is not with the core but with the MISTer mapping as it does the same on the TIA-MC1 core. The controller is a Logitech F310.

Edit: It was a mapping problem. I remapped the controller in the main menu and now everything is fine.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:15 pm
by jca
It looks like the Vectrex core does not get much love, even by its developer:
Overlays not auto-loading when using a USB drive -> not a single answer/comment.
CPU1 and CPU2 -> not a single answer/comment.
So I decided to install Quartus 17.0.2 and see for myself. These are 2 different implementation of the 6809: cpu09l and mc6809is.
cpu09l is the cpu used in the non MISTer Vectrex core developed by Dar and on which the MISTer core is based.
mc6809is is another 6809 which is stated as being cycle accurate and has been modified by Sorge to make it synchronous (not sure what the reason is).
I would guess CPU2 is a better one but who knows?

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 12:09 pm
by Atmosfear
Overlays autoload on my SSD USB without Problems. Overlays are in my case in media/usb0/games/Vectrex and have the same Filename but .ovr as extension.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 2:03 pm
by jca
The problem was with a HDD formatted NTFS which is case sensitive. I switched to exFAT and now it is working.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 5:45 pm
by caffeinekid
MiSTer is not here to give us game roms, and doing so would open it up to takedowns and cease and desist orders I'm sure.

It's a faff perhaps, but we have to supply the copyrighted material ourselves.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 5:55 pm
by jca
:?: :?: :?:

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 4:17 pm
by caffeinekid
jca wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 5:55 pm:?: :?: :?:
The person who posted to ask that roms and overlays were bundled in has deleted their post.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 8:47 pm
by MiSTer_Kirk
caffeinekid wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 4:17 pm The person who posted to ask that roms and overlays were bundled in has deleted their post.
Smith Engineering [Jay Smith] has given permission to make copies of all Vectrex related materials (manuals, games, overlays, etc.) as long as it is not for profit.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 11:10 pm
by caffeinekid
I was not aware of that. That's awesome.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 11:27 pm
by MiSTer_Kirk
This is awesome, yes. It's not public domain, but the fact that he allows this is great.
But what isn't awesome is the elitist Vectrex homebrew scene that has an air of Bullington Boys club, about it. Where limited runs of homebrew are sold, then ended, thus creating an artificial scarcity, and rarity, making any homebrew carts suddenly very valuable - which then just sit on shelves of assholes.

Take this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stramash-Zon ... 3446762811

£235 for Stramash Zone, simply because the author refuses not only to make more available, but also blatantly refuses to release a paid rom - not a free rom, but a rom that many of us would gladly pay him for. The Vectrex scene, as well as many Atariage scenes are full of this bullshit.
Sorry for the rant, I get really pissed about things like this.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Mon May 17, 2021 9:44 am
by RascalUK
Yeah this has been pissing me off for the last few years. Elitist attempt at profiteering. :(

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Mon May 24, 2021 9:33 pm
by ShyTalk
Sorry to derail the conversation away from homebrew bastards, but, does anyone have a 'jittery-graphics' issue with the Vectrex core? I've tried a couple of different vsync/resolution settings in the Mister.ini but nothing seems to work. Would anyone mind sharing their settings that produces rock solid graphics? Or have I missed something entirely?

For what it's worth, all the games I have work and overlays work and I'm using an LG CX display (obviously HDMI connection).

Thanks for any help!

Cheers.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Mon May 24, 2021 11:51 pm
by MiSTer_Kirk
Not trying to stir anything, but forget Mister, or even emulation for Vectrex, and just get a REAL one, you'll not regret it.
Nothing looks like a real Vectrex running, not Mister, not Retroarch, not shaders, nothing. Vectors look the best on a Vector Monitor, not on some modern display.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Tue May 25, 2021 1:11 am
by djsquare
MiSTer_Kirk wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 11:51 pm Not trying to stir anything, but forget Mister, or even emulation for Vectrex, and just get a REAL one, you'll not regret it.
Nothing looks like a real Vectrex running, not Mister, not Retroarch, not shaders, nothing. Vectors look the best on a Vector Monitor, not on some modern display.
you are 100% correct but these days they don't come cheap. You can still have fun with this core just like you can still have fun with the Asteroids core but yeah...you simply can not replace a vector monitor.

You know...there has to be a way to connect a MiSTer to an old school real actual black/white vector monitor. 1st dude who does it gets bragging rights!

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Tue May 25, 2021 1:27 am
by MiSTer_Kirk
djsquare wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 1:11 am You know...there has to be a way to connect a MiSTer to an old school real actual black/white vector monitor. 1st dude who does it gets bragging rights!
Now that, I would love to see. Or even a way to use the Vectrex as a passive vector monitor.
you are 100% correct but these days they don't come cheap.
I actually paid a lot less than I paid for a full Mister setup, for my Vectrex. Just don't go for a mint condition one, or a boxed one - those fetch silly money. Mine was scruffy, but a few hours cleaning, de-dusting, and it looks as good as new.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Tue May 25, 2021 1:40 am
by jca
MiSTer_Kirk wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 1:27 am ...
Just don't go for a mint condition one, or a boxed one - those fetch silly money.
...
You can always get the box later: there is one for sale on eBay, in a not very good condition, $300.00 only.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Tue May 25, 2021 3:21 am
by MiSTer_Kirk
Wow, only $300, lol.
I'm not in the US, but the UK. But even over here, empty boxes often go for more than the system they're supposed to house. Such as an original Gameboy DMG01 box, those go for silly money, often around £60+ ($80). Not sure if you guys in the US have anyone doing repro boxes, but over here we have an eBayer selling superb repro Atari 2600 Heavy Sixer Chess Piece boxes, Atari Jaguar Boxes, C64 Breadbin boxes, etc.. I have asked him if he intends to expand to other areas, but nothing so far, and he doesn't make the poly inserts.
I remember following an auction back in late 2019, for a collection of empty retro boxes, one being a Vectrex box in superb condition, better than anything I have yet seen. The auction ended well over £350 - or $500 - for just some old cardboard and polys :lol:
The retro scene has gone full-on, down-the-rabbit-hole insanity.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2021 10:00 pm
by CafeClimber
re: MiSTer vs. a real Vectrex, of course the real thing is best. I've had the same one since around 1986. It's in good condition. I have a light pen, overlays, and multi-carts. I enjoy the whole experience. That said, I like having the Vectrex core on the MiSTer for playing on the living room TV or taking to friends' places.

I'd really like to see light pen functionality enabled -- in the form of mouse point-and-click. That is, point with an on-screen crosshair and click to engage pen touch. I believe something like this has been effectively enabled on emulators. (Yes, I know MiSTer is not "emulation" but this mechanic could work well here.)

This would also enable good video and music capturing of Vectrex.

Vectrex with Composite Video NTSC (was: Re: Vectrex core)

Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 2:38 am
by edburns
Hello MiSTer community,

I have the Vectrex core working great on my HDMI tv, but when I hook it up to my CRT TV I get what looks like an NTSC/PAL problem. That is, it scrolls rapidly and I can't really see much except that I know what the white rectangle looks like and I can see those lines.

I don't see any settings in the Vectrex core OSD that seem to relate to NTSC/PAL. Other cores/games work fine on this same TV, for example Atari 800, SMS, Genesis. Is there something I'm missing when trying to get the Vectrex core to work with composite video?

Does anyone have a clue how to troubleshoot this? My MiSTer.ini is at https://dpaste.org/tJ7i.

Stack
  • Vectrex core version 21.03.03

Re: Vectrex with Composite Video NTSC (was: Re: Vectrex core)

Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 4:09 pm
by dmckean
edburns wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 2:38 am Hello MiSTer community,

I have the Vectrex core working great on my HDMI tv, but when I hook it up to my CRT TV I get what looks like an NTSC/PAL problem. That is, it scrolls rapidly and I can't really see much except that I know what the white rectangle looks like and I can see those lines.

I don't see any settings in the Vectrex core OSD that seem to relate to NTSC/PAL. Other cores/games work fine on this same TV, for example Atari 800, SMS, Genesis. Is there something I'm missing when trying to get the Vectrex core to work with composite video?

Does anyone have a clue how to troubleshoot this? My MiSTer.ini is at https://dpaste.org/tJ7i.

Stack
  • Vectrex core version 21.03.03
This core isn't compatible with 15khz displays, regardless of whether they're NTSC or PAL.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2022 9:48 pm
by adamchevy
MiSTer_Kirk wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 11:27 pm This is awesome, yes. It's not public domain, but the fact that he allows this is great.
But what isn't awesome is the elitist Vectrex homebrew scene that has an air of Bullington Boys club, about it. Where limited runs of homebrew are sold, then ended, thus creating an artificial scarcity, and rarity, making any homebrew carts suddenly very valuable - which then just sit on shelves of assholes.

Take this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stramash-Zon ... 3446762811

£235 for Stramash Zone, simply because the author refuses not only to make more available, but also blatantly refuses to release a paid rom - not a free rom, but a rom that many of us would gladly pay him for. The Vectrex scene, as well as many Atariage scenes are full of this bullshit.
Sorry for the rant, I get really pissed about things like this.
This is the main reason I have sold all of my old hardware. I get so tired of the elitist bull. The last straw for me with the Vectrex community was the availability of the coveted VecFever cartridge. I have been a subscriber on Atariage for a few years. Some of that does exist there, but atleast developers release there final binary more often and often ways to pay for them. The best in the business of purchasing excellent homebrew roms is Champ games. They have an awesome website and homebews worth your money.

Mainly I grew tired of continually modding consoles and all the expense that entails. I also was extremely tired of continually buying funky Micro SD cart Everdrive type solutions. Try purchasing a Vectrex and a couple good working controllers with a multicart. It will make the Mister seem cheap.

I am so glad to see an FPGA implementation of the Vectrex!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2022 4:13 am
by jd213
Is there a way to output to a CRT oscilloscope like the Scopetrex? https://github.com/schlae/scopetrex

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2022 8:03 am
by LamerDeluxe
jd213 wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 4:13 am Is there a way to output to a CRT oscilloscope like the Scopetrex? https://github.com/schlae/scopetrex
I mentioned the same idea before, as the Vectrex display on the MiSTer doesn't look great (it is drawn by the FPGA).
It isn't possible currently.

It would be great if this was somehow possible using the VGA output (it would need an x and y output for position and z for brightness). The resolution would need to be pretty high, as the resolution of the Vectrex is relative to the drawing speed you set.

Somewhat related, PiTrex developers have been working on displaying MAME vector games on a Vectrex by sending display (plus audio and receiving input) data from a desktop computer over WiFi. I wonder if a spin-off could be created where the Pi connects to a CRT scope instead.

Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 9:44 pm
by werpu

Hi I have a question. I now have a rotatable monitor attached to my mister.
Problem is, while rotating the monitor and changing the display orientation works really well in the arcade cores, the Vectrex core is missing such a possibility. Is there any way to achieve that maybe in the mister settings itself by altering the mister ini display settings for the vectrex core?


Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 7:37 am
by breiztiger

I think vertex , and some other like amstrad core, must be updated with last framework to have this capability


Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 7:23 pm
by werpu

Ok thanks, then we probably have to wait for the core authors to do that. The Vextrex definitely would need it, given that the original console was 3:4 instead of 4:3 to mimic the arcade cabinets of its time.

Reedit, I checked the core on github again, seems pretty abandone to me.
Too bad, thats basically the last really important function missing on this core
(well not the last but the most important one, some shaders also are missing which would give it a more original look, but I am not sure if that is even possible, Mame can do it, but mame has way more control over what it can do with the display output)


Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2024 10:37 pm
by werpu

Ok just checked the latest change notes, from Sorg... seems like he has added a rotate option to the Vectrex core, finally, and thank you Sorgelig for doing it. This is absolutely great, I will update asap!


Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:26 pm
by werpu

Btw. now I am getting nitpicky, the vectrex core now works fine, rotation works like a charm, thanks Sorgelig for fixing this.
The thing which irks me most and which instantly shows that the screen is "emulated" is that the vectors are badly emulated. A normal phosphor based vector display has no edges and shows a mild bloom around the lines, Mame can emulate that pretty well and for instance in star wars arcade you get thanks to modern high res displays an output which comes very close to the original if you add a few post processing filters.
In Mister you get lines with edges no bloom whatsoever, I tried to apply post processing filters and shadow masks but nothing comes close to what I want to achieve? Is this even possible with the current state of the post processing filters, or do we have to wait for someone to tackle this issue. I know this is nitpicking but I would love to see a perfect implementation!


Re: Vectrex Core

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2024 4:59 pm
by akator

^ I agree the video output could be improved.

The video output is very definitely pixelated. Even if vector effects like persistence and bloom weren't added, increasing the resolution would greatly improve the appearance.