FPGA consoles are my NEW favorite way of playing older consoles
Posted: November 1st, 2018, 4:56 pm
I’ve mentikned here before that I had to give myself a cutoff for collecting video games. I decided I would collect everything from the 5th generation (N64/SS/PS1) to current but would just emulate everything before that. I was nervous about the old hardware failing, batteries running out on carts and not knowing how to do RGB mods to get the best picture. Also, getting a PVm monitor has been unsuccessful for me thus far. As such, I was cool to collect Newer stuff and run the older games through component cables on the Wii on an SD CRT and HDMI through the Retro Freak (emulation).
That was until the Analogue Super NT. I know I’m SUPER (get it?) late to the party, but this thing is amazing. I resisted for a few months but hearing everyone’s glowing praise for the console’s picture, convincing scanlines, superior sound, zero lag and 100% compatibility (sans Super Scope), I had to get one. And it’s been glorious. All those years of holding off on reaquiring a real SNES... this is what I was waiting for. I’m really looking forward to the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) solution Analogue has coming up for the Genesis (the Mega SG) and I might even get RetroUSB’s AVS (an FPGA NES console), too, since it far cheaper than Analogue’s now out of print NT Mini. I love that with FPGA tech, talented programmers can reconfigure circuits post production and make these consoles act just like the intended hardware. It’s not a “system on a chip” or running through a different OS, so they’re not even technically emulation. Yes, they’re expensive— FPGA chips alone are pretty pricey— but you really do get what you pay for. It’s also cheaper than buying these systems and getting an aftermarket Framemeister.
I know a lot of purists will prefer their original hardware+CRT set ups but for me, this is perfect. Anyone have experience with these systems?
That was until the Analogue Super NT. I know I’m SUPER (get it?) late to the party, but this thing is amazing. I resisted for a few months but hearing everyone’s glowing praise for the console’s picture, convincing scanlines, superior sound, zero lag and 100% compatibility (sans Super Scope), I had to get one. And it’s been glorious. All those years of holding off on reaquiring a real SNES... this is what I was waiting for. I’m really looking forward to the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) solution Analogue has coming up for the Genesis (the Mega SG) and I might even get RetroUSB’s AVS (an FPGA NES console), too, since it far cheaper than Analogue’s now out of print NT Mini. I love that with FPGA tech, talented programmers can reconfigure circuits post production and make these consoles act just like the intended hardware. It’s not a “system on a chip” or running through a different OS, so they’re not even technically emulation. Yes, they’re expensive— FPGA chips alone are pretty pricey— but you really do get what you pay for. It’s also cheaper than buying these systems and getting an aftermarket Framemeister.
I know a lot of purists will prefer their original hardware+CRT set ups but for me, this is perfect. Anyone have experience with these systems?