Turbo EverDrive

[Guntz]

The quality of your MVS depends on how you're playing the MVS. I have a MAS Supernova that I use with a 1-slot MVS, and my MVS quality is outstanding and just on par with my AES.

That doesn't really mean a whole lot. That MAS Supernova could have a NeoBitz encoder for all you know. That's where the difference lies. MVS systems all output pretty much the same quality RGB, I've never found anyone or any sources saying otherwise. All you need is a good quality video encoder and you're good to go, unless your MVS has been damaged in some way (which is always possible).

Here's a pretty cheap arcade-standard RGB encoder. It's composite isn't very good, but the S-Video is incredible.

http://www.jammaboards.com/store/rgb...?sef_rewrite=1

[Azathoth]

Its like comparing eating a choice cut t-bone steak to a hamburger patty. Both are beef, but only one is really a worth savoring and enjoying.

While I agree with what you've said; I'm confused on your analogy. Do you mean a flash cart is the choice cut, to be savored and enjoyed?

If that's what you meant, then I disagree. A nice condition cart of a game I really like, compete with box and manual, that's something I can pour over and enjoy. A great condition MVS kit or AES cart of a game that is valuable either monetarily or for emotional attachment holds much more attraction to me than a blank cart with an SD cart jutting out of the side.

I guess you're not much of an enthusiast to understand. You'd be happy eating a hamburger patty. I hope you're not a vegetarian, lol.

Wow, way to read into a statement there. My post didn't say anything about my personal stance on flash carts or gaming at all. I can play the strawman game too. A true "enthusiast" of a nigh 25 year old system would already have found avenues to own the games they really want or enjoy.

And how is never owning the hardware being irrelevant? If a person never owned a Mega Drive and only has faded 20 year old memories of playing Sonic at a friend's house, do you really think they're going to pick up on a muted audio channel in some GOAC clone? If you never owned the original hardware, how can you judge if emulation or some knockoff clone is somehow inaccurate? I can pick up on NOAC clone sound issues because I've played these games for the majority of my life on real hardware, I didn't come out of the womb knowing it.

[goldenband]

I'd say it lowers the barrier for entry to enjoy a system. You can locate and buy the hardware, and play the games with this device for as long as you desire. Then it's up to you to start collecting any/all of the real games if you wish.

Yeah, knowing a flashcart/multicart is out there has definitely encouraged me to get a few systems, even if I didn't pick the flashcart up immediately. As a gamer, I usually get more out of games when I play them on real hardware, simply because of the mindset with which I approach them. But I can't afford to collect for more than a couple systems, so flashcarts are my baseline, and I buy the real carts here and there where I can afford it.

Vectrex comes to mind -- I suppose it's obvious why emulation wouldn't suffice -- and I bought my Vectrex planning to get a flashcart, which I did within a few weeks. But knowing a flashcart was out there also affected my decision to buy the Odyssey^2, ColecoVision, and Atari 7800. As it happens, so far the only one of those I've gotten a flashcart for is the Odyssey^2 (technically a multicart).

(The funny thing is that getting a flashcart hasn't stopped my Genesis/SMS/32X collecting. OK, perhaps it's made me more selective to some degree -- I have no reason to buy loose carts -- but it also helps me to focus on those games where having the complete package makes a real difference, vs. a game like Sunset Riders where you can just jump in without looking at the manual once.)

Anyway, I've been wanting to pick up some sort of PC Engine hardware for a while, and this definitely sweetens the deal -- but truthfully, my hands are full with the systems I have now. However, if a yardsale Turbografx-16 comes along for five bucks, then...

[Barone]

Why has Kirikzz said that he'd never make a Neo Geo Everdrive? Did he receive death threats from the Neo Geo community? That honestly would not surprise me.

He explained it in assemblergames.com but I don't remember in which thread.

Neo Geo carts were not like MD carts or SNES carts. Besides the roms, they had a lot of other components that are very rare and expensive. And looks like some games (not just one or two IIRC) used different components. So, it's like there were several "types" of Neo Geo carts and each one is expensive as hell.
KRIKzz don't want to waste a lot of time trying to design a very expensive cart that will not be compatible with several games. Or a ultramegablaster expensive cart that just a dozen would be able to afford and that would cause a huge financial problem in the first DOA case or just malfunction.
For what I read in assemblergames forums, if someday a Neo Geo flash cart appears it will not be an everdrive.


EDIT:I found the old thread:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums...OGEO-EVERDRIVE!!
Some interesting posts:

FYI, the NeoGeo Multi Carts are only as cheap as they are because the Flash chips used are salvaged from other machines and not bought new. Also, atleast the Multi Cart I have works very well. I've had some minor issues with it. Just because there are hacked versions of games doesn't mean you have to play them. You can get a huge amount of games for very cheap. And they work fine.

The reason a NeoGeo flash cartridge will not happen, unless as Assembler suggested someone really puts up thousands of dollars for it, is because the NeoGeo carts themselves were expensive.

There isn't just 1 big ROM chip in a NeoGeo cartridge. There is a 68000 Program ROM (up to 8 Megabytes I think), there is a Z80 Program ROM (256K maybe up to 512K on some games, I can't recall), there is up to 16 Megabytes of Sound ROM Samples, and then up to 64 Megabytes of Graphics ROM data. So that's possibly 4 different simulated ROM areas. You can't use just 1 big RAM chip for that. And the way these areas are decoded may vary from cartridge to cartridge. Not to mention some cartridges have program rom encryption, graphics rom encryption, etc. Sure you could just not support those I guess and require all be pre-decrypted.

But still the bill of materials is not going to be cheap.
8 Mbyte Program ROM
512 Kbyte Z80 Program ROM
16 Mbyte Sound Samples ROM
64 Mbyte Graphics ROM

I'm not sure if there is even any communication between the 68000 and Sound Samples or Graphics Data so you will probably need some hardware for allowing these areas to be loaded or to somehow bank that memory into 68000 space.

To sum it up it isn't that it can't be done. It's that if it is done it'll cost so much that you won't be complaining that it doesn't exist but that it costs too much. But if you really want it do like Assembler said and offer Krikzz a huge amount of money to do it.

Right, the 68000 cannot talk to ANY other bus, so multiple bus arbiters are needed increasing I/O. You can multiplex a few buses together, but not all of them because you'd need to pull off 25ns fetches, even modern RAM is too slow without a caching system.

Also things nobody has talked about are the Z80 bankswitching, 68000 bankswitching, S ROM multiplexing and S ROM bankswitching. Also if this is supposed to be an AES cart you need tile serialization logic, something few people have been able to figure out, and something nobody has publicly released because it's the key ingredient to a MVS converter.

The project really is Everdrive 64 x 10. I know, I set out to make an AES RAM cart years ago and I've designed all the hardware pretty much through many many hours of my own reverse engineering and special insight I lucked into. I've barely touched it in a couple years though due to time, money, lack of equipment, lack of high frequency board design skill and more interesting projects. As someone who has gotten half there, I really doubt anyone will be making this any time soon irrespective of the money offered to them.

Didn't someone state in the neo geo threads that some company used their own homebrewed neogeo flashcarts for a recent release?

It's also not nearly compatible with licensed games or fully in-system programmable... Instead of reimplementing SNK chips they designed their own platform which is vastly different; it utilizes a fast MCU or two for *streaming* audio and perhaps as a co-processor.

i sure that in some day one neogeo fan will made some solution (:
probably i would have try to make something if i loved neogeo as i love genesis, but neogeo just a complete zero for me

[Chilly Willy]

While I agree with what you've said; I'm confused on your analogy. Do you mean a flash cart is the choice cut, to be savored and enjoyed?

I do believe he means playing on real hardware, whether it be with the normal cart or a flash cart, is choice cut, while using an emulator is chuck. And I agree completely. Some emulators are good enough to get that from chuck to decent hamburger, but they never reach choice cut level.

[Drakon]

And the SD2SNES: http://sd2snes.de/blog/

I said the mega everdrive is the only ram based everdrive, not the only ram based flash cart. Powerpaks use ram chips too.

I always found it puzzling to see people who don't own a console (and never did) get excited over flash cartridges or copiers.

At the risk of sounding like a dick; what's to be excited over? If you never owned the original hardware (thus aren't used to the original controllers) and you don't plan on buying any "real" games for it, what's to get excited over? Why not just stay with emulation? It's not like you can say "Well, the real hardware experience is better" because you never had that.

Uhh what? I've been playing lots of games on the mega everdrive that I tried before in emulation. On the real hardware in pixel perfect s-video it's wayyyy better of an experience than emulation felt. I never picked up the genesis and 32x games before but I'm certainly enjoying them now.

[Lan Di]

I do believe he means playing on real hardware, whether it be with the normal cart or a flash cart, is choice cut, while using an emulator is chuck. And I agree completely. Some emulators are good enough to get that from chuck to decent hamburger, but they never reach choice cut level.

Bingo!

[sheath]

I got mine in today and can confirm it works great on my region modified DUO/R. It is also a lot sturdier than it looks in pictures, I don't see any problem using the end to insert/remove the Everdrive.

[Lastcallhall]

I got mine in today and can confirm it works great on my region modified DUO/R. It is also a lot sturdier than it looks in pictures, I don't see any problem using the end to insert/remove the Everdrive.

Same here - the board is about 2x as thick as the other ever drive PCBs, and is sturdy as hell. Still, for those concerned about breakage, StoneAgeGamer is experimenting with vacuum forming to create a "shell" around the Turbo Everdrive. Other than some directory problems that were fixes with DriveSort, it works great.

[Drakon]

I hate you all with jelousy I don't even know if mine's shipped yet...

[sheath]

Also, I just loaded a System Card 2.10 ROM and booted a CD just fine. So aside from Arcade Card games, or CD-ROM games that you want to load your own saves to the Ten No Koe bank, there is no reason to remove the Turbo Everdrive.

-edit-

Scratch that, it treats all of the games like they don't have the right system card. I assumed the intros would require the correct card to boot.

[Joe Redifer]

I have no idea if mine has shipped yet, either. I ordered from Old School Gamer. Or Stone Age Gamer. Whatever the hell he's called.

[ELabit]

I'd rather spend the money on a Coryoon

[MIZPHIT]

Got the shipping notice this morning from retrogate! Can't wait to get it.

[keropi]

I said the mega everdrive is the only ram based everdrive, not the only ram based flash cart. Powerpaks use ram chips too. [...]

Don't forget the Everdrive64 , it is ram-based too