MiSTer: the thread of cycle accuracy

[Yimothy]

My MiSTer seems to have developed some issue with my network that I can’t figure out. I was copying some files over by samba and it timed out - a few of the files got through but not all of them. Since then samba isn’t working and although I can access the SD card through FTP it won’t let me copy anything larger than 256k across. It did once manage a larger file, seemingly in 256k chunks (the progress bar would stop at 256, then 512 and so on), but every other time it times out or disconnects. No idea why. The update scripts seem to be working, so the MiSTer itself is accessing the internet ok. I can still just pull the card out and put it in the computer, but that’s not very convenient. I have just upgraded from a 32 meg sdram to a 128, but I’m pretty sure this started before I changed it so I don’t think that’s what caused it.

In other news, the wonderswan core just came out.

 

[ShakeWell]

WONDERSWAN!

Also, Jotego's on the precipice of making CPS2 public and his new beta this week was the first four games from the Sega System-16 core (Wonder Boy III, no the other Wonder Boy III; Alex Kidd; Fantasy Zone; Action Fighter).

 

[Yimothy]

I’ve gotten super annoyed at various forum posts over the last few days where people were having the same issues I was having, then either disappearing or saying they’d fixed it but not saying how, so I guess I should say how I fixed my network issues with the mister:

I copied off my files (saves, controller configs, etc), then I reflashed my SD card with the mister fusion image, put that in the mister and booted it to get the card set up, then moved it back to my computer and copied my files back, then put it back in the mister and ran the update scripts. Bit of a hassle, but probably way less so than figuring out what exactly was going wrong and fixing it.

Then I got stuck for a while after trying to get the X68000 core working. Turned out I’d copied over one of the files while my network wasn’t working properly and only the first 64k had made it across.

 

[John]

Your symptoms do sound like a hardware problem. Do you have a second SD card you can try?

 

[Yimothy]

Oh, it’s all working fine since I reflashed the card. If it starts happening again I’ll try a different card though, thanks.

 

[ShakeWell]

Technos' V'Ball (ported to NES as "Super Spike V'Ball") is now on MiSTer!

 

[Sarge]

Just gave it a go and finished the Minor Circuit. I wasn't aware it was an arcade game first - I only played the NES version in the arcade, and owned the game via the dual cart with World Cup Soccer. The fundamentals are the same, but this is one where the NES version really improved on the smoothness of the gameplay.

 

[ShakeWell]

There's a split-screen GBA core now, for couch multiplayer.

 

[muteKi]

I can but hope we get one for gamegear. That rocks

 

[ShakeWell]

In Jotego's Patreon update today, he said he's starting work on a Neo-Geo Pocket Color core!

 

[Sarge]

Ooh, nice! Definitely on board with some NGPC action.

 

[Phantoon]

There's a split-screen GBA core now, for couch multiplayer.

Amazing work! What a piece of kit this is.

 

[John]

The GBA2P core was updated with vertical/horizontal splitscreen, plus the ability to only show one screen but still have two players, in case the game is just mirrored across both systems. You can also now pick mixed audio from both sources, or put them both in mono and output each to different speakers.

That's as far as he's going with that core, but he's pivoting to an OG GameBoy version. This is a good niche, and I'll never use it, but I love that it exists. I wonder if the GameBoy one is small enough that it could do 4-players with F1 Race or Faceball 2000 on the current platform. Probably not, I think I read that for the GBA2P, one core was using the SDRAM bus and the other was using the DDR3 bus, and I don't know if multiple cores can share the same memory space cleanly.

 

[Yimothy]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1410916571736903685

 

[Klatrymadon]

I've been looking into MiSTer stuff in the hope of getting myself set up with one in a couple of months. With a little advice I've managed to whittle down a shopping list to the few components I think I'd definitely need:

DE-10 Nano
Some RAM (I'll go with 128mb)
I/O board for connecting to a CRT
VGA-to-RGB cable
USB hub
Heatsink for the DE-10

However, I'm noticing stuff like expensive "low latency" BlisSTer* USB hubs, and encoders for Neo Geo and Mega Drive controllers, etc. Just to confirm, you can plug in a USB arcade stick (a very low-lag universal stick in my case) and play games perfectly well with just the DE-10 Nano and a standard USB hub, right? Or is a standard USB hub too laggy for gaming on this thing? I'm guessing "no", but I'd like to make sure. Thanks!

*I don't know what BlisSTer is. Hell, I don't know what MiSTer is, really.

 

[Phantoon]

I wouldn't get BlisSTER, I don't think it's very well supported. The hub you've got there looks good (I think it's the one I've got, actually) and you can turn on high speed USB polling by going to /media/fat/linux/u-boot.txt, and adding (as one line):

usbhid.jspoll=1
xpad.cpoll=1

 

[muteKi]

I have a pretty basic USB hub myself and it works fine. My (wireless) Logitech F710 doesn't always work well with it (dropped inputs on occasion) but I might need to set up high speed polling for it myself. Wired controllers I've used work fine.

 

[Phantoon]

@Klatrymadon I'll also say that the site you're buying from there is excellent. I got some memory from there which I belatedly realised didn't work very well and they were answering questions at random hours and fixed it months after I'd bought it. Can't recommend them enough.

 

[Klatrymadon]

Thanks, both! Yeah, if the latency is fine as-is, or after the polling speed-up is implemented, I'll just go with the standard USB hub. It should be fine given the MiSTer is going to be hooked up to a CRT and the games controlled with an almost zero-lag stick. Glad to hear the folks who run the shop are decent, too!

 

[MCBanjoMike]

I use an XBox 360 Fight Stick with my MiSTer and it works fine. I think you won’t notice the latency unless you’re playing something very fast-paced, and in that case you can turn on fast-USB polling. For console cores, you could get a SNAC adapter, which lets you use original controllers with their respective cores, but generally not with any other cores. I don’t think it’s really necessary, but I have one and it works really well (at least, it does now that I have one of the newer generation adapters from Porkshop).

 

[Klatrymadon]

Cheers! Those lag-free SNAC adapters could be a good solution if I do encounter any issues with console stuff - I have a Brook Retro Board installed in one of my sticks, and a bunch of cables for different consoles, so I should have most bases covered.

 

[Sarge]

I suspect the biggest use case for SNAC would be for light gun games. But I'm sure some folks want zero lag with their original controllers as well. I find my USB pad just fine, but be aware that performance is highly variable depending on what you're using. I'd check this list and make sure it looks like your input latency will be acceptable. (Looking at the list, the Brook stuff is mostly sub-1ms, which is plenty fast enough.)

 

[ShakeWell]

Please tell me you didn't already order a heatsink. I got mine before it was "a thing" and I had to buy like ten. I will send you one for the cost of shipping. Please help me empty this bag of heatsinks.

 

[Torzelbaum]

Please tell me you didn't already order a heatsink. I got mine before it was "a thing" and I had to buy like ten. I will send you one for the cost of shipping. Please help me empty this bag of heatsinks.

So you need a heatsink sink?

 

[Klatrymadon]

Ah, that's very kind of you, Shakewell! If you really do just want to get rid of 'em, it'd be gratefully received! I'll send you a PM soon.

Edit: so, I may have jumped the gun slightly and grabbed the following pre-built bundle. Seller's words:

Spoiler

De10 Nano board
analogue IO board with VGA, power/reset buttons, 3.5mm audio jack
7 Port USB hub
original packaging and stickers (box does have some wear)
128MB memory (all games inc Neo Geo are playable)
128GB SanDisk SD card
power splitter barrel plug
power supply
Wi-Fi dongle (LAN connection can be used as well)
Bluetooth dongle (unused but could be used for connecting controllers)
HDMI cable
orange acrylic plates (much sturdier than some of the 3D printed cases)
some spare spacers

I still need a VGA-to-RGB cable for the CRT, but otherwise this should be more or less plug-and-play!

 

[ShakeWell]

So you need a heatsink sink?

Yes.

 

[Klatrymadon]

Alas, my friend, some cad has seen fit to pre-install a heatsink in this one! Thank you very much for the offer, though.

I got the Mister today, spent 2 mins changing the .ini files for the CRT, and have been in hog heaven since. Despite having had access to these games in MAME for years, being able to play The Punisher, Blazing Star, Last Resort and Dimahoo on a CRT in my own home feels too good to be true, the result of some terrible Faustian bargain. Aside from some minor sound issues on Neo Geo stuff (ironed out in time, I'm sure), everything feels perfect and looks incredible. Can't believe I was worried about input lag, either - the response is instantaneous in all cases, faster than any home port and often faster than the PCB. Compatibility with controllers seems amazing, too - every USB-based thing I've thrown at it has been met with "whatever mate, what you playing?"

(Sadly I can't get DoDonPachi to sync - setting 'composite_sync' to '0', as someone suggests elsewhere, knocks Mister itself out of sync - but I'm sure I'll figure something out!)

 

[Phantoon]

Glad you're enjoying it. The MiSTer feels almost too good to be true.

 

[Klatrymadon]

Finally got most CPS2 stuff working well after a bit of messing around (turned out my qsound.zip was out of date, and the Jotego updater wasn't set to install betas, or something, and probably my roms were too old), but I can't find an options menu/button config for this core, or any arcade cores, really. What is it set to on your controllers, folks? Do I just need to find a keyboard and keep it plugged in?

Cheers!

 

[MCBanjoMike]

If you want to pull up the menu with a controller, you have to configure that in the main MiSTer menu (before loading up a core). Otherwise, F12 on the keyboard should always bring it up.