SNES Classic - Sold Out Everywhere, Round 2

[Mabubeezareel]

Yup, there's no support for enhancement chips when loading roms via the SD slot, so cartridge-based rom loaders like the sd2snes, super everdrive, etc, are your only option. Even then, the sd2snes doesn't (currently) support all of the chips. They recently implemented Super FX support, but the biggest remaining chip still not supported is the SA-1, though it's an active WIP.

[Roranora]

As of Dec 2016 and MLiG's Everdrive/Sd2Snes video,

the Sd2Snes will handle most, but not all, of the additional chip sets. DSP, ST010, Cx4, and OBC-1 are all handled by the robust FPGA, but SA-1 and Super FX are not. (no Mario Kart, no Kirby Super Star, no Mario RPG, and no Starfox)

Edit: looks like Super FX support has been added but not SA-1

[Nitsuki]

The sd2snes however can be firmware updated correct? So just getting one now would mean just awaiting for a firmware update for the SA-1?

[Roranora]

Yes, but there's no real guarantee it will happen until it has happened.

[Mabubeezareel]

Exactly why I'm holding off on getting one for the time being.

[Sho]

You guys are a bit behind -- the SD2SNES can play Super FX (officially) & SA-1 now (very-soon-to-be-officially). SA-1 is pretty much done and works well, but has some final bugs the team is working on to stomp out. The great thing about SA-1 is that the chip can be "stacked" along with other chips through the FPGA, providing extended support for certain games that have slowdown due to multiple onscreen sprites.

SDD-1 (Star Ocean, Street Fighter Alpha 2) was also recently added unofficially (3 days ago) as well:

http://retrorgb.com/sd2snes-gets-s-d...p-support.html



SDD-1 it's in a playable state, but you would have to be able to compile the code yourself from the source code and build the .rbf (temporarily taken down).

This leaves the SD2SNES being able to play every single SNES game sans 5 games -- all of which are Japanese and use exclusive special chips (2 Shougi games, Far East of Eden). There are also rumors of a successor to the SD2SNES that will come in a year or so, which will have a much larger FPGA, the ability to play SGB, cheats, save states, and other enhancements. It's just a rumor however.

The sd2snes however can be firmware updated correct? So just getting one now would mean just awaiting for a firmware update for the SA-1?

It can be, so you could technically purchase an SD2SNES and not worry about it not being able to handle a future update, regardless of which revision of the hardware you got.

[Sho]

So just to verify the current state of things...

If I want to play original NES cartridges:

- without using RF or composite
- on a (non-CRT) HDTV
- with scanlines

then it seems my options are:

a) RGB-modded NES with scanline-capable upscaler (Framemeister, OSSC)
b) Emulation-based consoles that can read cartridges (Retron5, RetroFreak)
c) FPGA-based console (NT Mini, AVS NES)

I don't believe there is a way to achieve my goal without buying one of the six products mentioned above. Am I wrong?

Yes, pretty much. There is a 4th option, which ties into a) -- having your NES modded for HDMI:



The easiest option right now is to purchase an AVS. I'm actually in contact with bunnyboy, the guy who created the AVS. He's a pretty cool guy, very down to earth and answers a lot of questions. Absolute NES-only freak as well. However, he's always very busy and prone to an illness atm, so the updates to the console have been pretty sparse. He more or less wants to add extended support to the console for more palettes, fix some final bugs and then call the project complete. The AVS works perfectly out of box if you don't mind 720p only (upscales to 4K sets perfectly).

There is another guy I'm talking to who's interested in putting together his own FPGA implementation of an NES, but no concrete plans atm.

[Sho]

Finally, with the recent unveiling of Analogue's Mega SG, there actually might be hope that the Super NT will receive further jailbreak support soon.

Kevtris has been working very hard to release this new console, so the support for both the NT Mini and the Super NT has come to a temporary hiatus until it's completion. The Mega SG will release in April -- Kevtris has been on record saying that he will return to supporting the other two consoles once he's had a few rounds of Mega SG bugfixes after release. Analogue will also be releasing and selling their very anticipated DAC for both the Super NT, Mega SG, and future consoles.

It should be around this time (May 2019) that the Super NT will miraculously have updated jailbreak support. The official support that remains for the Super NT is this:

1) Compatibility with their unreleased DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)
2) SPC (SNES) Music Player
3) Scanline generator overhaul
4) Bug fixes with Top Gear 3000
5) Various bugs commited to the Jailbreak Github.

[Corrderio]

Jeebus you nerd.

[Spider-Dan]

I can't imagine we'll ever get a jailbreak like the NTmini firmware, where we can play SNES games on the MegaSG or vice versa. Analogue has too much skin in the game, and (if they're not idiots) they'll have paid Kevtris enough to make sure he also has skin in the game.

Maybe after a hypothetical Analogue TurboPCE is released and they feel they've fully mined the base demand for 16-bit consoles, they'll allow Kevtris to release cross-compatible firmware. But there is clearly too much money remaining on the table to do that now.

[Sho]

Jeebus you nerd.

Don't be jelly son! You knew I was a SNES addict for years.

I can't imagine we'll ever get a jailbreak like the NTmini firmware, where we can play SNES games on the MegaSG or vice versa. Analogue has too much skin in the game, and (if they're not idiots) they'll have paid Kevtris enough to make sure he also has skin in the game.

Maybe after a hypothetical Analogue TurboPCE is released and they feel they've fully mined the base demand for 16-bit consoles, they'll allow Kevtris to release cross-compatible firmware. But there is clearly too much money remaining on the table to do that now.

It'll likely be console specific jailbreaks, so you have the right of that. Since it's themed, it makes sense to continue the trend, even via jailbreaks.

If you remember the cart connectors I spoke about and linked over a year ago, Analogue is implementing a version of those connectors for the Mark III/Sega Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000, and SC-3000. It'll allow you to play those specific games on the Mega SG, but the theory behind them is that they will engage the specific game cores within the FPGA. There will more than likely be a jailbreak that will allow you to play ROMs of all of the consoles (sans Sega CD) out of the box on an SD Card. What this also opens up the idea that other cores could also work with the Super NT (NES, other 8-bit consoles) as well, but this remains to be seen. Both the Super NT and Mega SG will use mostly the same FPGA and hardware.

Kevtris has already mentioned that it would take him only a few weeks to implement a PCE, but has little appetite to do so due to how the PCE community treated him years before. The reason why there's a lot of uproar over the idea of different cores for the Super NT/Mega SG now is due to Analogue stating that they are discontinuing the production of the NT Mini. I personally think what will happen next is the PS1, due to following Kevtris' comments he's made in various places.

[Corrderio]

Don't be jelly son! You knew I was a SNES addict for years.

At least I know who to go to when I recreate my NES/SNES Library

[Kaisha]

There are also rumors of a successor to the SD2SNES that will come in a year or so, which will have a much larger FPGA, the ability to play SGB, cheats, save states, and other enhancements. It's just a rumor however.

Isn't there worries about the power draw of these carts possibly being harmful for the console itself?

[Sho]

Isn't there worries about the power draw of these carts possibly being harmful for the console itself?

There is a bit of a snafu that was caused by dbElectronics on how flash carts improperly drive 5V current into a 3.3V input without a level translator. However, the SD2SNES has a proper translator that solves this problem:

SD2SNES
Verdict = Pure Gold!

The SD2SNES is not part of the Everdrive family and is a prime example of how to properly design a flash cart. Excellent work! Every signal is properly translated between the two different voltages. I should also note that the SD2SNES actually uses a ground plane as opposed to most Everdrive designs.

Could expect the same level of competence in the successor to the SD2SNES.

[Mabubeezareel]

Well now, this sure is pretty!!