If you're interested in this you might be interested in 8-bit Guy's new computer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayh0qebfD2g
Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
61–70 of 214 posts
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow! Thanks for making such an interesting and detailed writeup! And using my favorite CPU too :) Definitely bookmarked to read through more times.
Z80 rules! Thanks :)
I love that there is a group of people who still love the Z80!
Such a beautifully designed chip.
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#63This is so freaking cool!!
I’ve been dreaming of building a Z80 computer for literally 20 years. I think you inspired me to stop dreaming and start doing.
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#64It's interesting how this kind of project has come into the realm of possibility of an individual's pet project (a smart individual, sure, but not a company). I guess that the availability of information and materials through the internet has helped a lot. And also more people have knowledge in electronics and programming. Great job, Sérgio. É muito giro.
I agree (and thanks for calling me a smart individual :) ) Nowadays is so much easier to get information on how to build something apparently very complex. You don't need to go to a library or seek out and go talk to experts, you actually have access to all that through the internet in forums, articles, posts and videos. Also it's easy nowadays to order all the things you need for a project online. Thanks :)
Also the access to a massive library of freely shared code libraries and examples. While working with arduino stuff its amazing how when I buy some random part off ebay I can find someone who has already spent a week writing a library that makes everything super easy to use. If I had to do it all myself this would take forever.
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#65This is such a clool project.
I would be really curious for:
A porting guide
An fpga tutorial
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#66This is something I wish I'd be able to do one day, but every time I look into getting into electronics I get overwhelmed. Can you recommend the materials you used when learning? Books or resources etc. This was a really interesting read, thanks for sharing.
There's the xgamestation boards that you put together yourself, that give you a helping hand in the initial steps of building your own retro console: http://www.ic0nstrux.com/products/gaming-systems/game-consol...
Has anyone here actually built one of these? I've eyed this project for forever, but I've always been a bit reticent for whatever reason. I think I'm nervous that either things are sufficiently put-together before I get it that I won't learn, or that they won't have time to go into everything, so it'll just be a soldering-based LEGO.
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow! Thanks for making such an interesting and detailed writeup! And using my favorite CPU too :) Definitely bookmarked to read through more times.
Z80 rules! Thanks :)
Out of curiosity, have you thought about trying to port "real" games over to it, as in running a ROM of something commercially released? This is already really cool, but it would be nerd-cred-for-life cool if you could say "Oh, you have a gameboy? Yeah, I built my own."
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#68Nice job! Are you going to do more designs in the future? Maybe Verilog/VHDL based?
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#69Nice job! Are you going to do more designs in the future? Maybe Verilog/VHDL based?
Thanks :)
Yeah, I already have another ongoing project based on a cheap FPGA board with a Cyclone II (quite old but it does the job), the idea is to keep it cheaper and much less complex.
The FPGA has a Z80 implementation, video, sound and handle the game controllers. An external Atmega328 is used to handle the SD Card and then just RAM, an ICs for composite video and an op-amp.
I also have some ideas for a better console, maybe a generation forward and an 8-bit computer, but...these are just ideas, I doubt I'll actually get around to do them.
Re: Show HN: A retro video game console I've been working on in my free time
#70This is the coolest thing I've seen posted on HN in years, very cool work. I've been playing with Atari 2600 programming on and off for the past few years and it is so fun programming directly against the specific hardware. I can't help but occasionally wonder if I could piece together a similar system, but I have 0 experience with electronics. I can only imagine how satisfying it must be to actually pull it off.
Thanks a lot :) It really is super satisfying to get this far, I still turn it on sometimes just to check if it really works. And I also had zero experience with electronics (and I still don't know as much as I should...), so yeah I think you could piece together something like this. :)
Awesome work, dude!