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A promising new gadget; Ben Heck is involved. . .
ahofle:
Can someone explain how this is going to be better than software emulation? I'm not sure what "synthesized versions of the original hardware" means? The only way I could imagine it being better is if it actually housed each of the CPUs used by the emulated systems.
vidmouse:
--- Quote from: RandyT on May 29, 2007, 10:10:29 am ---
--- Quote from: ahofle on May 28, 2007, 11:04:58 pm ---Agreed. Although I'm still waiting for the day a handheld device like the GP2X has enough horsepower to run most emulators and systems, including MAME.
--- End quote ---
MAME is doing pretty well on the GP2X if your focus is mostly on the classics and there are a bunch of console emulators that are already up to speed. They are still works in progress, but are maturing quickly. They have also recently released a "docking station" that allows the unit to be attached to a large screen, as well as USB Keyboards, gamepads, etc. Worth a look in any event.
RandyT
--- End quote ---
Another portable system is/was the Tapwave Zodiac, although the company folded, there's still a second-hand community. Plays MAME (v0.36), all Palm games, SNES, NES, GBC, Genesis, some DOS, and even a PSX emulator (albeit really slow there), C64, Amiga (again, slow), and movies, photos, mp3's no problem.
Easier to get than the GP2x and lighter/smaller; only downside (?) is that like most palms the Li battery is not removable/replaceable easily.
SavannahLion:
--- Quote from: ahofle on May 29, 2007, 03:06:18 pm ---Can someone explain how this is going to be better than software emulation? I'm not sure what "synthesized versions of the original hardware" means? The only way I could imagine it being better is if it actually housed each of the CPUs used by the emulated systems.
--- End quote ---
From what I could gather from my cursory reading, ie without reading the actual specs, I think there's a slaved FPGA being used. When you select a game console, the primary CPU selects and loads the FPGA with the hardware specification of the original console. I suppose if the FPGA is powerful enough, it could literally act like the original CPU + Hardware of the original console reconfiguring itself for every console you want to run.
I can see where the appeal for that comes in. You use the same FPGA to become either a 68XXXX, 6402, or a Z80 and the associated hardware and you essentially have your own console-on-a-chip. Even better, if there's an annoying bug in the FPGA programming, you can download updates and place them on the SD card to be used by the game system.
I wouldn't really go so far as to say it's exactly like the true hardware. It does mention that the microcontroller does (amongst others) decryption, software emulation and pre-processing. At first I thought this meant that it supported that bastard DRM (which it probably does), but now that I think about it, it probably works to offload some little used functions. Like decrypting ROMS the first time they're loaded (why waste FPGA space for that?) or emulating the hardware validation in some consoles.
ahofle:
Wow, very interesting. Thanks for the link.
DarkBubble:
--- Quote from: SavannahLion on May 29, 2007, 12:30:51 pm ---The only reason he's wowing anybody these days is the existence of Digg. A huge mass of bored halfwits clicking on random links put on a page by other bored halfwits all day long would generate the kind of traffic that supposedly made him famous. Those guys will hump anything that appears different, whether or not it was done well.
--- End quote ---
Exactly. I've been on a few other forums where people just gush over his work. I mean, hey, it's great that he knows what he's doing and I found his early work to be informative and inspiring, but his love for the CNC has replaced any talent that he may have had. I'm sure it saves a lot of work and makes some things easier, but it's not worth it if you're trading convenience and practical, logical design for clean lines. Besides, if he got down with a little hand shaping or custom molding, he could charge double. :laugh2:
--- Quote from: SavannahLion on May 29, 2007, 12:30:51 pm ---Bleh, I never made the connection between the CNC machine and the quality of his handiwork, but I see what you're saying.
--- End quote ---
Yup. Heckendorn's work is one of the best of examples of breeding weakness by overspecializing.
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