Mister Fpga Ssh

[Darth Sanderson]

Manyof us have been playing around with classic game emulators and ROMs for quite a while and a few years back, the Raspberry Pi scene did quite a lot to re-ignite strong interest the emulation environment. However, the most discerning retro gamers are increasingly looking at the world of FPGA for opportunities to bring the conveniences of emulation to a hardware that is closer to original console hardware.

For those that are relatively content with their emulation setups and the flexibility it gives them, it may be easy to question what the big deal is with FPGA setups. The short answer is that FPGA is programmable hardware that, when utilized well, typically provides a more accurate and efficient replication of the original hardware compared to software emulation. (Also see Wikipedia for a more general and technical definition of what FPGA hardware is)

One of the leading voices in the FPGA and MiSTer community is the man known as SmokeMonster. I talked to him about his perspective on FPGAs and how he would explain their powers. He shared a more involved, but eloquent explanation:

So for those of us that are going to greater lengths and investments to enjoy a more idealized retro gaming experience, FPGA-based setups are very appealing. There are currently still many limitations due to it being early in its development phase, but the possibilities are exciting.

While FPGAs are just the building blocks of a full console system, the MiSTer project is an organized project to allow people to build their own hardware emulation consoles (or other customized gaming hardware setups) while supporting many different vintage gaming and personal computer platforms.

The two platforms that come to my mind are the PC Engine/Turbo Grafx-16 and the Neo-Geo (others would be quick to add the likes of the 3DO or Atari Jaguar). And while software emulators have been fairly solid for these two platforms for a while, there is still a reason why many gamers still want to play their interesting game libraries on original hardware. However, with these two hardware platforms not being in abundant supply (and not even especially inexpensive in their original retail presence), they are prime candidates to have solid FPGA-based alternatives.

Not surprisingly, MiSTer support USB controllers out of the box (they simply need a PC keyboard to configure them at setup). There are so many USB controller options out there, so we will share a few recommendations to help you out.

While USB and Bluetooth controllers are cool and all, most retro gamers would also like the ability to play with original controllers for a given console for a more authentic/nostalgic feel. There are actually two projects can help MiSTer fans utilize the classic controllers they love.

Revisiting the topic above of Console-Like Presentation, both the LL Cool Joy and the BlissBox Bridge will get us closer to having that streamlined presentation while also giving gamers total flexibility and increased authenticity of using original console controllers.

In the section above, I wanted to share an overview of the controller landscape for MiSTer FPGA, but I also had a nice conversation with Sean from Bliss-Box and he also introduced Kitrinx (aka Rysha), a very active developer in the MiSTER scene, into the conversation as well. This interview format should be interesting for those that are intrigued by the topic and would like to learn more of the technical background of the project.

Sean/Bliss- Box: The Bliss-Box Bridge is an upcoming product that communicates from the Bliss-Box 4-play or Gamer-Pro to a console. So essentially you get any controller on any console. Though the magic in communication is where things get interesting. Bliss-Box had to come up with a way to communicate from the 4-Play to the Bridge in a fast and reliable means without adding to the existing hardware. The solution was simple. We designed a protocol that can be invoked by holding both USB pins high. Once the 4-play sees this signature it goes in to bridge mode and disables all USB communications. The bridge can now begin listing for commands. If you plug in a normal USB to a device holding the pins high, it does not communicate and an error shows on the bus. So, it is a perfect solution that can be turn on and off or switch from USB to Bridge mode via software.

So, when this concept was mentioned, kitrinx immediately had a thought. The idea was a low latency controller poll mechanism directly between the MiSTer and the Bliss-box. We will be able to align the poll rate to the core and be sure the data are ready. This does not mean we will not still pursue the board but it does attract the Bliss-Box to the MiSTer quite nicely. Kitrinx had this to say in regards to that.

How would you describe the experience on most of the completed major console cores right now? [Keep in mind, this is based on February 2019 experience and these cores are still being developed and improved]

Both are in early development, but memory bandwidth, and IO ports (see above) are the biggest hurdles. Those systems are more memory dependent and the current SDRAM (32MB) is insufficient for them. In the case of Neo Geo, multiple EPROM chips were used for each game. The total size of those eproms is often larger than the 32 MB SDRAM. Additionally, there are SDRAM and timing issues to work through but Furrtek is hard at work solving these problems.

My goal with this article and set of interviews was to present an introduction to the the MiSTer FPGA project, its current status, and its potential. There is obviously a lot of ground to cover, and I may have missed something. Or perhaps, there was something that was unclear or confusing.

I would love to hear your response to this article in the comments section below. Feel free to share your praises, questions, or concerns below. All feedback will help us improve this guide over time. I hope to keep this updated and/or do yearly updates, when useful.

Great article, has me very excited for a future of hardware-based emulation. The number one barrier of entry for me is price, but I imagine that will eventually drop down to a much more impulse-buy realm at some point.

i own a super nt and a mister board and i can say there is no comparison between the two, maybe someday it will get there but the community seems to be fragmenting and having a lot of disagreement lately

There is no video lag if you play it on a CRT, and the upscaler HDMI lag some people complain about is about the same an XRGB Mini, which is not a small feat. There are a few options to eliminate lag, but like for Analogue products, they each have caveats. Still, there are plenty of options to accomodate all tastes and displays you may have available.

There are also five new beta arcade cores. These are Asteroids, Canyon Bomber, Dominoes, Sprint 1, and Sprint 2. The only bug I found in any of them so far is the sprites are a little cut off of Canyon Bomber. Hopefully that will be fixed in the near future.

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