Analogue Mega Sg

[dyne]

Analogue has announced their next FPGA console, the Mega Sg. Compatible with all variants of the CD add on. Also includes a Master System adapter at launch. Quoted as the sytem for all things pre-Saturn (with the exception of the 32x which they are working on).

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/201...a_sega_console

Powered by the same Altera Cyclone V FPGA that's found inside the Nt Mini and Super Nt, this system is capable of playing every single European, North American and Japanese Mega Drive game out of the box, and – via special cartridge adapters – can also play Master System, Mark III, SG-1000 and Game Gear software, all with the same unparalleled degree of accuracy. A Master System cartridge adapter will be included with every console, but the others will come later with a price tag of around $9.99. The 'OMG' moments don't end there, however; the system will also be compatible with both variants of the Mega CD add-on, allowing players to experience CD-based games with the kind of accuracy that emulation can't touch.

Taber is keen to stress that the level of accuracy present in the Mega Sg – and indeed any FPGA system produced by Analogue – is second-to-none. "Each Sega system is implemented 100 percent in FPGA – there's no BS fake 'hybrid emulation', or an FPGA in the hardware but only being used to read cartridge or controller inputs.

Including Master System and original Mega / Sega CD compatibility is something we're really stoked to offer. SG-1000, SC-3000, Mark III, MyCard/Sega Card – the goal with Mega SG is to be the ultimate Sega system; everything pre-Saturn. We'll nearly be there at launch; only 32X remains.

Indeed, the ill-fated 32X is the only format that the Mega Sg isn't currently capable of supporting – but Analogue is working on a solution. "The original 32X is incompatible in HD due to its complex reliance on analog multi-link cables," Taber explains. "We're exploring solutions for using the original hardware in conjunction with Mega Sg post-launch. There are no promises just yet, but what I'd really love to do is implement the entire 32X in FPGA – no need for the original 32X hardware then."

Just as the Super Nt and Nt Mini were timed to ride the wave of interest in systems like the NES and SNES Classics, it won't escape the notice of many people that the Mega Sg is launching in March - around the same time as the delayed Mega Drive Mini, Sega's latest attempt to cash in on the gaming public's seemingly unending appetite for retro.

https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/16/1...logue-super-nt

The Mega SG is powered by the same hardware that makes the Super NT possible, and will ask the same $190 price (available to preorder on Analogue’s site ... as soon as it’s back up).

Kevin implemented the [Yamaha YM2612] chip, totally in FPGA and it sounds ****ing perfect. We’ve got the same audio circuitry and componentry that we designed with Super NT around it, so it sounds better than any Sega has ever sounded, bar none. Absolutely no question.

“We made a slight change to this controller bundle versus the one that we sold last year,” Taber said. “The one that we sold last year for $39.99 [...] I think a lot of a lot of people weren’t or aren’t familiar with how powerful that little Retro Receiver is and how much it can actually do and kind of underused it.

“So what we did this time around is, instead of including a Bluetooth Retro Receiver, that’s the same as all the other Retro Receivers from 8BitDo, it’s a 2.4 GHz receiver that is only connectable and compatible with the controller that’s included alongside it in the pack. But because of that, it’s $24.99 versus $39.99, which is a huge price reduction and allows people to buy more controller which I think, just generally from the feedback that we’ve gotten, people would strongly prefer that.”

If you’re ready to convert an existing Genesis controller to a wireless Bluetooth version, using the already available DIY kit from 8BitDo, Taber tells me that a Genesis-compatible Bluetooth receiver should be available before the release of the Mega SG.

So out of the box you’ll be able to play Genesis games, Mega Drive games, Sega Master System games with this super small, tightly designed quality adapter, and Sega CD / Mega CD with the original hardware, obviously.

what we’re going to do next year is release these cartridge adapters that allow you to play the rest of Sega’s past like Game Gear, SG-1000, SC-3000, Mark III — you know, the Japanese equivalent of the Master System — Sega Cards, Sega My Cards, we’re going to make them available for $10 each.

The Sega MG has the same SD card slot as the Super NT, and the NT mini, so it’s probably a safe bet to assume that a hacked firmware will appear at some point post-release, though Taber wouldn’t comment on it.

[Nerdkiller likes BD]

Just remember Yanks, it's Mega Drive and ONLY Mega Drive.

[Show spoiler]Super Aladdin Boy is also acceptable.

Have they said anything regarding the digital to analogue converter they promised? I've got a tube telly in what used to be my brother's room, and my newly acquired Dreamcast aside, I want to put it to good use.

[dyne]

Originally Posted by Nerdkiller likes BD

Just remember Yanks, it's Mega Drive and ONLY Mega Drive.

[Show spoiler]Super Aladdin Boy is also acceptable.

Have they said anything regarding the digital to analogue converter they promised? I've got a tube telly in what used to be my brother's room, and my newly acquired Dreamcast aside, I want to put it to good use.

They actually did at the Polygon link.

But Taber had suggested there was a possible solution for extracting analog audio and video from the Super NT.

When asked what’s happened to this thing, Taber said, “It’s been done. It’s like 99.9 percent done and has been for like six months. We just didn’t have the time to focus on it. We had a small window of time to be able to focus on something else before we needed to get on Mega SG to be able to stick to our development schedule, and we even pushed the envelope a couple of weeks out and we just couldn’t spend another ****ing day on it. We had to drop it. So it’s basically done, ready to be produced. We even have all the parts for it and everything, we just have to pull the trigger on it. So right when we get through these last little details with Mega SG, that’s the first thing on the list.

“Basically it’s a DAC [digital-to-analog converter] that’s just like if you took all of the analog component side of the NT Mini — identical in its quality and every single detail about it — and you put it into an external component that you plug right into the back of any Analogue product and it outputs into all of the analog video signals, audio signals with some other extra special things that we haven’t announced yet.”

As for cost, Taber replied, “We don’t have the price down exactly right but let’s just say it’s not going to be expensive. It will be reasonable.”

[Nerdkiller likes BD]

Originally Posted by dyne

They actually did at the Polygon link.

Well, let's hope they get it out before they release a theoretical Turbo Pc or what have you.

[Rottweiler30]

Will Analogue get any of these back in stock? I got the Snes Nt but couldn't afford this at the time.