Retro-Gaming on an FPGA: worth the fuss?
549 sats \ 5 comments \ @toshitoshi 29 Jul gaming
Hello folks, I've been kicking around this idea of getting into retro-gaming on an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) for a while now, and I'm curious to hear from all seasoned FPGAmers out there. Has anyone else tried their hand at running classic consoles/games on these chips? What are the benefits compared to just using emulation software or handhelds? Do they really offer a "better" gaming experience due to realistic latency and stable gameplay etc.?
I'm thinking of picking up a FunnyPlaying FPGBC kit and look for original GameBoy cartridges or chinese repros. But I'm still wondering if something like a Miyoo Mini Plus or some Anbernic handheld would be better, especially to playretro Pokemon games.
https://funnyplaying.com/products/fpgbc-kit
Thoughts?
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21 sats \ 2 replies \ @nout 29 Jul
I think the best option for FPGA is https://www.analogue.co/pocket , over the years it got fairly extensible, it can play multiple systems, etc. If your focus is Gameboy, then this is a good option. My preference is Miyoo Mini Plus and similar, since it can play more platforms and it has things like pico8 with splore (you can browse the online "pico store" for any of the thousands games...), it can play DOS games (like Keen).
If you want to tinker with the solution, then the board you highlighted is pretty good...
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @toshitoshi OP 30 Jul
Yeah I'm mostly interested in Gameboy and GBA games (mainly pokemon hack roms - through flashable cartridges - and a few other titles), but the analogue pocket is a bit pricey and seems hard to find in stock. I heard that Taki Udon is working on an affordable FPGA console, maybe I'll wait for that one... In the meantime, I ordered the FPGBC, curious to see if it works well and how the overall gaming experience is :)
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @nout 30 Jul
Btw, I just noticed there's quite cheap Miyoo Mini Plus on Ali. So just highlighting that as an option. The display isn't the exact resolution/ratio for GBC/GBA, but it plays these games really well (I got through Pokemon Modern Emerald on it...)
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21 sats \ 1 reply \ @nullama 29 Jul
I've got this cool FPGA board that can be used for retro gaming, the ulx3s.
It's an awesome board, and it's all open source.
It can emulate arcade machines and retro computers like the Minimig (Amiga) or modern systems like the F32C (MIPS/RISCV). It has 56 GPIO pins, all routed as differential pairs, and a PMOD compatible pinout, which opens it up to a wide range of expansion options.
It's also very easy to use, and versatile
Finally, if you are just starting out with FPGAs, you can use the Arduino IDE to program ULX3S in seconds
I've even programmed a CPU with it, a RISC-V one. All open source.
At the end of the day, it's a very niche product. You will get exactly the same hardware, so no emulation needed really. That in itself is a cool thing in my mind.
But, is it worth the money and time to make it instead of using an emulator that just works, for free?, of course... :)
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @toshitoshi OP 30 Jul
Seems like a cool product, thanks for the pointer! Yeah emulation would be easier, but I value the overall gaming experience (also the hardware) quite a lot. Can't wait for the FPGA console that Taki Udon will release soon, curious to see how it turns out.
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