Lu

MiSTer FPGA News & Updates – DonPachi Public, PSX Updates, GunCon 3 and more

Posted on by Lu

GunCon 3

For a while, users on the MiSTer FPGA discord have been able to get a GunCon 3 working without the need of the original IR emitters.  The GunCon 3 on its own isn’t too expensive but when packaged with the IR emitters, they are going for a lot of money online. Even the IR emitters on their own can go for over $100. So building your own is a much cheaper alternative.
To build the emmiters you have to:

  • Put 3 850nm IR leds in series with a resistor
  • Power the setup with a spare USB cable on its 5 volt line.
  • I’ve seen the values of the resistors people are using to be 10, 20, 22 and 30 ohms.

Below are links to the instructions provided by users. I also plan to build my own and create a video out of it. Also, discord user Ohverture is willing to create a dedicated IR emitter for users and willing to provide the gerber files so we have the option to build one easier ourselves. However, Ohverture does not have access to the original IR emitters, and to build a clone as accurately as possible, wants to know the specific internal components and their values. So if anyone has the original IR emitters and are ​​willing to do a non destructive disassembly and get decent photos of the inside, whether it’s just a wired up rats-nest or an actual PCB, but at a bare minimum get the physical dimensions of LED layouts, circuit and component details.

Again, only a non-destructive disassembly is being asked so don’t attempt this if you don’t feel comfortable doing it or believe that opening up the emitter would damage it.

RetroZord Adapter

This was posted back in April but it has come to my attention after doing some research on a Playstation JogCon controller I received thanks to a viewer of mine. Discord user sonik created an Arduino based adapter for retro controllers called the RetroZord. This adapter allows you to plug in original console controllers to your MiSTer over USB. Another feature it gives you, is the ability to use real multi-taps from various consoles and play games that support 3 or more players. It’s DIY only so you will have to build it yourself. You can create an adapter that supports multiple consoles or just one console.

Of interest to me, is the Playstation adapter. Sorg has actually added support for the Playstation JogCon using the RetroZord adapter, so it can be used as a paddle/spinner/or racing wheel. This is excellent for playing games like Arkanoid, or racing games in AO486. I plan on building this adapter and document my journey in a video. Anyway, if you want more detailed information on this adapter, check out the post dedicated to it on the misterfpga forums.

 

Nichibutsu Game Updates

There have been many developments regarding Nichibutsu arcade games, thanks to Darren_O and Atrac17.

There are now beta releases for the games
Terra Force
Kozure Okami
Chouiji Meikyuu Legion
And Crazy Climber

You can either install these cores manually, however if you want them to be automatically installed, get the upate_all script and turn on unofficial cores. Also check out Atrac17’s public patreon post regarding the updates and also some really good technical info.

 

Hitachi Basic Master Core

Core developer Pierco is currently working on migrating a simulation of the Hitachi Basic Master Jr he has developed and convert it into a MiSTer core. The Hitachi Basic Master Jr was a computer released in 1982 meant for hobbyists.

If you have access to software for this computer or know where we can find some, Pierco is looking for more software to help the development of the core. Currently he only has one single tape for the computer so having more software should help with the core’s accuracy. Please contact him on twitter if you can help.

 

Psychic 5 Beta

Core developer Raki has released a beta core of Psychic 5 to Patreon subscribers. Psychic5 is a platformer action game that features hovering as an important game mechanic.

Raki is also working on many other cores for MiSTer. Another one you can try out now is a Gradius/Nemesis core that’s also in beta. A future core I’m excited about that they are planning on working on is Outrun. Check out Raki’s Patreon page to see what else is on the road map.

 

New MiSTer Case

TR Fight stick on twitter has announced a new MiSTer Case with a complete aluminum body, touch screen support and other features. So far it’s only an announcement and not available for purchase yet, so if you’re interested in this follow them on Twitter to get more updates.

 

PSX Core Update

There’s been an official update to the Playstation core. Of note is 4 player digital pad emulation done by markun. In last week’s video I erroneously said that this support meant that you can connect a real multi-tap to your MiSTer. What it actually does is that you can plug in 4 USB or bluetooth gamepads to your MiSTer and use them for Playstation games that support 3 or more players. I apologize for the confusion.

Other features and fixes added are

  • An analog joystick input option was added also thanks to markun
  • Direct video stability by paulb-nl
  • Memory card timing was fixed. This fixes 007 and Ace Combat 3
  • Bus rotation was fixed which in turn fixed F1 2000
  • There’s been fixes to the CPU internal timings
  • Fixes to crashes related to CD/pause
  • And on screen display fixes.

Also Robert has now made the tests he created to compare the accuracy of the core to a real Playstation available on his github page.

New Watara Supervision core

Kitrinx has released a new core based on the Watara Supervision.
This was a budget handheld that competed with the Gameboy, but had nowhere near the developer support or success as the Gameboy. The MiSTer core:

  • currently supports the entire library of Watara Supervision games.
  • If you are playing the core on a CRT, it is recommended to use a 60Hz refresh rate.
  • And if you experience flickering, that behavior is normal because of the original handelds video output.

 

New Bit Corporation Gamate core

Kitrinx has also released another new core based on the Bit Corporation Gamate handheld. Kitrinx describes the core as another rare Gameboy clone handheld, and also as it being better than the Watara Supervision.

The core requires a bootrom to work and you should check out the readme for details regarding this. Both the Watara Supervision and Bit Corporation Gamate core will be downloaded the next time you update your MiSTer.

 

DonPachi Core Now Public

nullobject has now updated his Cave core to support DonPachi to the public. Update your MiSTer to get this latest update.

 

Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf Support

RndMnkIII has added support for the arcade version of Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf through the Athena core. This was achieved by creating a new MRA file and updating the Athena core.

Using a Computer CRT for MiSTer And OSS

This is a reminder for a couple of articles here on RetroRGB with accompanying YouTube videos. The first article goes over using a computer VGA monitor to replicate the look of a PVM or BVM. The other article is about turning the DE10 Nano into an OSSC Pro lite suing the DExx-vd_isl.

Other Miscellaneous Updates

And other MiSTer related fixes and updates are.

For the Athena beta core:

Support for screen flip has been added. Apparently this update is only applicable for CRT users, because some of them have not been able to display the game correctly on a CRT.

Also an alternative MRA file was added with a ROM patch to Fix the inverted screen issue.
The Readme for the core now includes a better explanation of the different options available.