FPGA in Retro

Intro

So… It’s been a while since I last updated my blog. It was never a “job” for me, I just wrote when I wanted to say something that I can easily recall in the future and share. I do need to make an update on the last subject I posted (about Retro Collections), since many things happened since… exactly 2 years ago (oups!), but staying on the main subject of “retro”, I will write some things about the current state of this branch of re-living older machines, that is called FPGA.

For people that may not know the concept, a very rough sketch of what this is, with crude generalizations that some may bother some, but I will do it anyway:
So FPGA is a kind of integrated circuit, that doesn’t work like a general processor (CPU), but rather emulate the actual circuits that comprise the “normal” chips. This way you can make the FPGA “be” a specific “CPU” and/or “GPU” and/or other custom chip (depending on the “capacity” of the FPGA). Normally FPGA was created exactly to simplify testing of chips under development, but emulation community saw the opportunity of using those chips to instead work as existing older hardware. Current “nicely priced” FPGA are able to “dress” like most 8bit hardware we know, which depending on documentation we have on that hardware, may be astonishingly accurate, “like the real machine”.
FPGA fans will attack you if you talk about FPGA like “emulation” as they (I do it to) fight that FPGA is NOT emulation, but actually the closest thing to the real thing. This of course in the end has to do with the actual implementation, for example some machines’ custom chips are not well documented, but rather “reverse engineered”, so in practice some parts MAY be in actuality “emulated”. These of course are semantics to most people and in the end, to the user, the idea is that FPGA in general is “closer to the real bare metal than emulation can be”.

With the above explanation aside (and hooray to me for not using AI to write it), let see the state of things as is in  late 2026. Note that I am clearly biased towards Commodore family and may have ignored FPGA developments, towards other retro machines. Some are ignored on purpose as they are “too small”. Feel free to add extra info.

 The systems

MiSTer

This probably will be 80% of the article, as it is “MAME” (or for some the “RetroArch”) of FPGA, from which many other projects stemmed, it is the most generic out there, with super active development.

So, MiSTer is an open source project, that was born as the successor to MiST (which btw still gets some hectic development), which as the name suggests, started as an ST 🤮(sorry) and Amiga (“Mi”) FPGA project. It made many improvements on the board and sub-boards and used a stronger FPGA, DE10-Nano, that had the cool characteristic, that was sold as a ready made dev board with special pricing for students and includes basic I/O and even a (not very strong) ARM that can be useful to things that are not to be “within” the FPGA. Later, things became a bit more expensive (it is not that DE10-Nano boards grow on trees), but Chinese knock-offs became available and even some serious DE10-Nano based “re-implementations” we’ll discuss later.

So, MiSTer is sold as a modular system, where you have the base dev board, you get sub-boards (like extra I/O, USB, RAM, audio etc.) that plug on it and some nice (or not so nice) boxes to pack them all together. Then you get the software and cores (core is the actual software module that “teaches” the FPGA what to do – what machine to be), that nowadays is a very streamlined operation, easy to follow and keep updated.

This is where the fun begins. MiSTer’s wealth of cores, beats the hell out of other FPGA projects. Actually other FPGA projects, just port MiSTer cores to similar or different FPGA chips (after all FPGA programming languages AFAIK are exactly two – maybe two and a half). You will find most, if not all 8bit systems you remember, many many 16bit systems also (be it computers, consoles or whatever) and even many arcade cores! There are at least a few core developers and as I said the project is VERY active (even though it is a few years old now) and new breakthrough is still happening, like hybrid cores (cores that use FPGA for what matters and ARM CPU for what doesn’t need that kind of handling). I will not go into details, this article is not to give all the details but mostly to trigger you to look up the extra details yourself.

Just some of the capabilities of MiSTer are:

  • Ability to use virtually zero latency controller connectors (something Emulation can never ever touch), that you can swap and connect your favorite retro joystick (not just DB9).
  • Ability to display both to digital (HDMI) and analog (VGA/RGB/Composite), with the analog side again being virtually latency free.
  • Ability to have tricks like NFC triggering. In other words you have a “Pac-Man” NFC card, you touch the system with it and in a few seconds, you get arcade Pac-Man. Or some other game, or a machine. It is like a modern “cartridge” feeling.

So, now there are 3-4 retro-shops worldwide that will sell you “full” systems (i.e. include all the modules you need, even pre-assembled) and as I said even some re-implementations I will refer to below:

MiSTer Pi

This is just an alternative to the main DE10-Nano board, in a much cheaper price (no relation to actual Pi hardware, which -Pi- had nothing to do with FPGA). Hard to find nowadays as its creator Taki Udon, now works mostly on…

SuperStation One

This is a custom DE10-Nano system, fully compatible with MiSTer, but is All-In-One and PS1 themed, with PS1 controller ports (which does make it a no-no for me, but this is just me, after all it is a “normal” MiSTer). A very good option for people that want MiSTer but want less bother and a more polished system.

MultiSystem2

This is also an All-In-One alternative DE10-Nano system, that is fully compatible with MiSTer. To me is a more attractive project than Taki Udon’s, but also possibly a more “risky” one. It comes from a UK based company, but the box is 3D printed (which at this point I would prefer to print myself but they don’t give me the option) and still has extra modules to add to make it (more) complete, that may rise the price bar, but does give you everything you may need in a more console like box, that is not PS1 themed (I say this as a plus). I am a bit scared of how strongly they can support their system though – possibly for no reason, just a feeling (sorry).

Of course with ALL these systems, I probably need to make a disclaimer for them, you understand that you do get a system “as is”, with the limitations they have and without huge companies backing them up.

MiSTer successor

This is purely theoretical right now. Eventually as MiSTer was born from MiST, a stronger “MiSTer 2” has to evolve. FPGA experts though, say that this cannot be a revolution right now (i.e. suddenly be able to build a PS4), as current FPGA resources are mostly OK for all 8/16bit systems except some late ones that are more complex and POSSIBLY even moderately stronger FPGA will still not be able to implement. But I believe a MiSTer successor WILL eventually come.

Apollo/Vampire

This is an Amiga based project I initially didn’t see with much sympathy, as I thought the team that is involved in it, was trying to split the Amiga world (and I am very biased with everything Commodore and Amiga), capitalize on something it was not their to capitalize (mostly because of their AmigaOS build and selling it).

I am less aggressive nowadays and have to admit the serious work they have put on this, that is not just a “retro” Amiga project, but also an attempt to EVOLVE the Amiga.
What do I mean. Well, instead of just implementing known 68000 variants, and known Amiga chipset variants (OCS/ECS/AGA), they also made an imaginary 68080 CPU (trivia: there is an 68080 in reality but is NOT a CPU and not successor to 68000 series), that is much stronger than 68060 (last real 68K CPU), with all known 68K series instructions and many extra ones and also “SAGA” chipset that is a much stronger successor to AGA, with included RTG – something that Commodore themselves didn’t have time to really evolve. It is definitely interesting and as a team (and company) they seem to endure over the years, evolving the original project.
Add to that (for those interested because they had the wrong machine back then), that ST core also gets advantage of SAGA and virtual 68080, so they actually evolved ST line also.

Right now Vampire exists as an add-on to A500, A1200, A600, A2000 even A1000, but for some reason I don’t see A4000 mentioned (WTF… I have an A4000) AND ALSO as a stand-alone computer with embedded keyboard, that looks like a modern A600 (would prefer a modern A1200 shape as I want to have num keyboard) and another stand-alone model that is just a small box you can plug peripherals on.

I have to say the extra features and faster response, is something I would like to… have the option to use (read: play with). It is nice to play that old Amiga game you remember, but if you did own the computer, you also would love to see what machine never happened and could happen.

Ultimate64/Commodore 64 Ultimate

So this is interesting. Once upon a time, a guy called Gideon, made an FPGA board, that could replace your broken down C64, in the original case, with even some extra features (like freezer actions and multi-SID support). This project evolved with a couple of newer versions. This was already very interesting, as also breadbox and C64C cases, were made and people could in the end have an almost real NON-emulated C64, using modern hardware and some modern fascilities.

Years after this project already existed, there was a guy (I will make this VERY brief, I don’t want to divert the article), that dreamed to wake up Commodore, get the patents, the name, get even some of the still-on-this-planet people involved in original Commodore. He recently DID succeed to a point (this deserves a whole article by itself, but you will find some if you search), so now we DO have an “official” Commodore once more, although we know now that they didn’t get ALL we hoped, some things are under license and Amiga is out of reach still (hello Mike, I see some action by you recently – the keyword man, is “co-operation” – please consider). The decisions new Commodore take are not always to my liking though. For example they started by pushing down to our throat a supposedly “new Commodore” machine that is (as they still sell it) in reality a mini-PC in a breadbin case, with a Linux distro that is skinned in a very weird “early-2K web page” way (flashing colors all the things we want to forget), that gets tiring very soon and has no-relation to feeling like Commodore (except using Commodore colors, fonts and such) and in reality you get “stock” CBM and Amiga emulation (not even complete, they don’t even include the roms!), via VICE and fs-uae (in turn based on WinUAE), things that people that want to emulate CBM machines and Amiga machines already use and not need get a weird breadbox PC. I have more examples of what I believe is money-grab policy, but not a matter of this article.

But another project of theirs, was actually interesting. They actually collaborated with Gideon and made some further evolution to Ultimate64-II and sell it as a complete “new” C64 “Ultimate”, which in many ways accurately describes the machine, as it is an FPGA C64, with many extra features, we would love to have back in the 80ies anyway. The price is also not super expensive.

So yes, an interesting project, but then you are struck with the (forced if you ask me) limitations. First of all this is “just” a C64 (even Ultimate). This is the only core in there and they definitely could (and are even legally allowed AFAIK), include all other CBM 8bit machine cores (if I have to remind you, PET, VIC-20, +4, 128 etc.). I even tried to talk them into doing it (to the point of being “that weirdo”). Also they could maybe implement (actually port) other 8bit cores or even some 16bit cores (Amiga, hello?) to make the machine even more attractive. And scratch this, not even include those cores BUT allow people to run other cores that 3rd party would port. Why on Earth NOT allow this? The FPGA in the machine can do it. They actually just didn’t allow for it. So although I loved the project (as Ultimate64-II before it), I have many second thought and for now I am not touching it.

Analog (Pocket)

This is an interesting company, that originally came up with a very nice idea. Implement FPGA in handheld format! So they did!

They made a very nice handheld, originally (officially) made to run well known handheld machines (and be modular enough to accept their catridges directly!),  but also other cores got implemented, so you can for example have a “handheld C64” (although I think the core is experimental). Definitely an one-of-one FPGA project that deserves mention.

They also made some brand-specific non-pocket FPGA consoles. I won’t talk about them, because they are on purpose too specific (for example Sega based and Nintendo based) and AFAIK with no extra cores and you already know from the rest of the article that this is something I do not love.

Mega65

I will start with the elephant in the room. Mega65 is a very expensive project. Even now that people start to like it more (more on this below), it is still difficult for most to just get it. It is almost 1K to buy it. BUT, is a very good quality product made by a small team (not a big company, even if the company is a startup like new Commodore) and to get to you this kind of quality in such small quantities, you need to pay for it.

But what is it? A tiny bit of history first. Some time after C64 (and its immense success almost worldwide) and after Amiga sub-brand was already established (at the time of A500 and before A1200), they saw a gap between C64 and Amiga 500 (and maybe they were right, if the price was right – although I have to say that similar projects like Amstrad CPC6128+ were failures). Something compatible with the HUGE library of beloved C64 (on hardware level, UNLIKE the Amiga), but way stronger and with more features (and yes, way better BASIC). We heard about this machine much later, as it never got released and just around 200 early dev devices got spread around. They are VERY expensive collectible items now. C65 would be a nice all-in-one with a 3.5” drive, facing front not side (i.e. like CPC6128).

Years later and after some of the early firmware was already found and immortalized, a small team, thought of actually implementing something close to C65, in FPGA. The result was Mega65. Mega65 is actually earlier project than many of the others mentioned here, but was always a niche product, that recently got a new look by many people (including yours truly), after the release of C64U by new Commodore (see above).

Why? Because it is what C64U COULD (or better SHOULD) be, it is a bit what Vampire is but for 8bit CBM, but with the openness (but not spread) of MiSTer.

You get a C65 shaped machine (i.e. something looking nice and very “Commodore like”), not 3D printed or anything, that implements NOT only C65 (from the available hardware specs we now know and KERNAL ROMs that exist), but also other Commodore AND non Commodore cores. You also get a C64, an (early) C128, +4, VIC20, Spectrum, QL and few others. More over (this is where the Vampire parallel comes), it comes with Mega65 core. In other words a machine that COULD be C65 or even an evolution of C65, as it has features and strength close to many 16bit systems. It comes with a very nice like original C64 printed manual (who didn’t love that manual and in general the complete manuals of the era?) and box. But you get financial pain for it. Again, it is what C64U could be (and would also be cheaper than Mega65 as the scale and scope would be different), which is why people start seeing it again, comparing and discussing it.

Misc FPGA

Well not an exhaustive list, but those projects are too small to get their own section and even smaller than THESE, I don’t even mention.

  • ZX-Uno, a nice Spectrum ZX based FPGA, that also has some other 8bit cores implemented. Not sure if you can buy it currently, as it is mostly of the MiST generation.
  • ZX Spectrum Next, another one, not very active currently (was mostly a kickstarter project), with very few extra cores.
  • Suska, Atari ST (and even Falcon) based project. I don’t know much about it, I think mostly an one guy project. Not very active.
  • Game Bub, potentially a game changer, as it will be the only competition to Analog Pocket, and also be Open Source! Right now only Gameboy family (and cartridge slot) is implemented, but when more cores are developed/ported… who knows. I think it does not have the cartridge slot modularity of Analog Pocket though. Also has stronger FPGA but less screen resolution. We’ll see.

Etc.

Upcoming Projects

I will mention just one actually, as is the only one I see serious enough development actually happening. I am waiting for it, VERY eagerly. It is called Replay2.

Replay2 implies there was a Replay project and indeed there was. It was an FPGA board, Amiga based (they even implemented a physical 68060 slot on it), supporting cores, but in reality it never got many sales, it never got much development, it never got many cores (there are a few).

Why I am eager about Replay2 then? Well there are a few reasons…

  • Although the team’s marketing plainly SUCKS (they really look dead to people not really looking deep into the project – I have asked them to improve this very important thing called marketing more than once), the actual development is very active and we are very close to a real new board.
  • Since now MiSTer exists, actual cores will be easier to find and eventually port. It is a different playground than the era of Replay1.
  • It is the only actual “next gen FPGA” project I can find, not theoretical, but actually almost ready to build. Potentially it CAN be the next MiSTer (in a less modular way, but that already implements most that you would add anyway), if the team (and resellers) handle it right.

The only half decent source of info about Replay2 (in their site you can find only some ghost small article), is their discord and even there, you will have a hard time actually get “user friendly” data on the status, features etc. It is mostly like the discord is from dev board devs to dev board devs. But you can see work done.

Aside from Replay2, we may hear about MiSTer with stronger (compatible) FPGA in the next few months and who knows what else.

The makers of MultiSystem2 are (early) in the development of a pocket version, with modularity being the stepping stone (they intend to make it usable for consoles, arcade, computer cores). This would be the 3rd portable FPGA player, but it is still early.

Other projects have popped from time to time (like the disaster called MARS), but I do not see other really active projects big enough to attract attention right now.

Closing…

This is a very exciting field of retro “emulation” (ok not emulation, but you know what I mean), that has two important factors that may trigger you:

  1. You get something with a strong family-acceptance-factor (FAF, used to be WAF), because it is something that can be as plug’n’play as a console of yesteryear. Nothing to “boot”, nothing to go wrong. If it works, it works.
  2. The way you come “close” to the real machine implemented, cannot be achieved even with modern hardware running modern emulation. It is something you can “feel”, the no-latency of the real machines, esp. if running on a CRT monitor.

I for one eagerly wait future development in the field. Here is my dream machine, that will probably never come:

Something in a “pizza box” very similar to Commodore 128D or Amiga 1000 (machines that I dream of getting and getting to display them), with the flexibility of MiSTer, but actually a stronger FPGA like the ones that are already upcoming (Replay2 board?), an actual CPU (a multi-core modern ARM?) on the side (also for emulation) and plenty of cores (all 8bit and 16bit computers/consoles/handheld/some arcade), even some weird ones like C65, Mega65 and Vampire V4. Esp. for the last part, it would involve many people to agree together, something that in my (allow me to say vast) experience in retro-computing has taught me, it is VERY rare and many times even starting nicely, results in conflict. For some reason such a small community instead of uniting to become stronger, tends to split up.
With that (negative) comment, I close this article.

Until next time.

Retro Collection News (Sep 24)

Here are the latest updates on big retro collections and other related news.
I would like to refresh the unwritten “inclusion rules” to be in this article: For actual retro collections, they need to be >1TB (or close, or have the potential), they need to be for Windows, they need to be actively developed and I need to… like them. (It is my blog, ain’t it? I am definitely not claiming impartiality, although I do try)

Although only two months since last update and August usually being a “dead” month for some, we did have interesting updates!

So…

  • Core Type-R. They have no sign of taking the foot from the pedal, although they have slowed down a tiny bit. A few updates both official and community. Definitely a collection to follow… if you can and have the space.
    (I am still waiting for someone to give me a rough idea of the current official metrics and unofficial if possible)
  • Complete Play. Colpipes78 has released a few older packs to public and will probably continue to do so, to “release pressure” from private tracker (and his seedbox). There were 3-4 interesting private updates and more coming according to his update post. One collection that is not slowing down.
  • Pixel Nostalgia RGS. I am using the complete name for once. Not only RGS is what I call one of the “Big Two”, but is slowly becoming my favourite. I have GREAT news about this collections and this team and is the main reason of the article you are reading.
    Well, remember The One Build I mentioned in my last article? Well, for ONCE in Emulation (where splits and fights are way too common), they joined forces with RGS! This will help both of them as Pixel Nostalgia will eventually be FOUR collections. One “full” and one “best of” and each of them in RetroBat (Windows) and Batocera (Linux/stand-alone) versions!
    For now, we got a huge “update 1” for Retrobat, plus some separate Batocera packs (be careful to get Atari 2600 from the stand-alone new packs and get the media from it and throw them on update 1). This turns RGS Retrobat to a “monster” of more than 200 systems and more than 65K games! There are still some rough edges, but this will eventually be smoother out. Namely, update 1 and stand-alone (retrobat/batocera) packs came close together and some people got confused what overlaps what and what is not needed at all. Also One Build (although being the “small” version) still has a couple of systems with more games than RGS Retrobat. Finally the choice of “doubling” the same roms for more than one similar systems, is questionable (notably, C64 and C64GS seem to use same roms… Which are not even all cartridges, although GS is a cartridge only system – you CAN hide the system yourself, though).
    Another GREAT new feature (which might be way too powerful, but I always hoped for it to return since VMan collection days), is the update service it includes! Now, if bugs or small missing are found post-release, can easily be fixed when using the update service. I just hope the scripts are always smart enough and error proof (not updating systems that are missing, overwriting newer files etc.). Up to now (they already released 4 or 5 patches), seems to work ok.

Smaller related news:

  • CoinOps seems to finally slow down (to a stop). I am not sure if this came any newer “outburst” from the builder or people just became aware he just recycles things, I am not following on the intrigue that this project suffers from. I would probably not mention it at all, but I do, to at least give credit to nice unofficial spin-offs, like CC Reloaded that seeming DID have a new pack.
  • Sleyk still hasn’t released anything. Also wouldn’t mention these “news”, but he seems to still have his own (empty) section in a well known emulation tracker.

More emulation news:

  • Total DOS Collection #22 is out! Like every summer, here is the new (always huge) update to the project. Everything DOS is there, until more are found.
  • C64 Dreams. I will keep posting, wishing the project resumes. It is too good to just not mention it.
  • eXo released eXoDREAMM (the alternative emulator by Aaron Giles that emulates many Lucas Arts games). In the usual eXo quality of course (nothing less than great). I do hope eXo becomes more active with something like old defunct Gruby Adventurepack project, in other words something more generic than eXoScummVM (and monthly updated) to become the one-stop-for-emulation. Please eXo?
  • AmigaVision AGAIN got a new release, with the highlight being that you can mount CD32 disc images through it (esp. for MiSTer use).
  • DamienD and RetroPlay, release their packs as always, check my previous blog entries for details.
  • FPGA to the outsider (me), didn’t seem to have HUGE news this time around (there is the usual core progress of course), EXCEPT that there is more mention both about official MiSTER successor to DE10 (getting a stronger FPGA) and MiSTER alternatives/clones that have started to kick off. I am not an expert, but excited that there are signs of evolution.

I include the latest sheet (old link still works): Big Two (and a half)
Note that I will probably eliminate One Build in the future, as it will become the (much needed) “lite” version of full RGS Retrobat and Batocera. Also note that possibly in the 66k games mentioned for Retrobat, MAYBE there are duplicates I failed to recognize (see what I mention above about update 1). Finally, in next version, I may point within the article the notable misses of one against the other (for people bored to read spreadsheets).

Until next time, all the best!

Retro Collection News (July 2024)

Well, mirroring my last intro, it’s been EVEN longer than I thought. I am very sorry, but RL seems to have taken over hard. At least nothing too serious, but definitely taking over precious free time and when that free time is there, resting on my couch is getting the better of me.

One more reason I don’t level up to a YouTube channel. I cannot follow up consistently.

Anyway, many things have happened since February!
Let’s get to it…

• Steam Deck (and similar) seems to be getting love by retro builders, as we now have at least three Deck based builds. I won’t go deeper, as my articles are not “specialized” on this. I do not talk about things I cannot personally test.

• CoinOps. Although I said I won’t mention it any more, I have to report there are a few “new” collection names, as always no real explanation of the differences (although I am sure, people that follow him, probably find out). I see “ATARASHII” and “Forgotten Worlds” used interchangeably and infinite mixes of them. Also something called “1UP Play”. If someone follows those projects still, feel free to DM me (on discord) and explain – just out of curiocity.

• Staying on CoinOps, but not really CoinOps, CC Reloaded independent builds based on (some) CoinOps, still adds a healthy amount of “Addons”, now up to number #38 and even addons to… addons (for example “CC Reloaded – Racing Games”, is now on “addon#5”). I’ve lost contact with the builder (hi Crusader), wish him the best, I just cannot stand anything CoinOps any more. 😀 Sorry.
Maybe a good choice for people that want builds that also specialize in genres (something that “Big Two” are not too great in doing).

• CORE Type-R. One of the builds I definitely endorse, is still going strong, both in “official” and “unofficial” (called “Community Packs”) flavors. Type-R (same as CC Reloaded) specializes in genre collections and not so much in specific machines any more (although machines also get a few updates now and then). If this is what you want, Type-R is the way.

If someone following the project can give me an idea of the storage size needed for official and official + unofficial, it would be great, as I am curious.
Seemingly, for someone that wants a serious build complete (I mean any of the builds in the article), the current trend is “get a 20TB (dedicated) disk”, no less. 22TB is better.

• Complete Play. One of my personal “Big Two”, although not showing much in public torrents (maybe CP78 needs to refresh them a bit) is definitely going strong in its Patreon version. Since February we got a healthy amount both of some big packs and (my favorite) some older obscure systems that need to be documented. Although Patreon became more expensive I believe it is (still) worth it. Plus CP78 is more or less one of the “fathers” of this whole thing.

• RGS. Well, this is the other one of the “Big Two”. RGS really grew the build to greatness. It really fights hard Complete Play, much longer established (and paid) builds. Spreadsheets don’t lie and I will have one in the end of the article for you to check out.
The great thing is that now we get TWO builds, one based on RetroBat (so you use it on your Windows machine) and one based on Batocera (so you can boot from it and have an underlying Linux environment). Since both are in their core, spin-offs of Emulation Station, we more or less get THE SAME add on packs for both! I hope (they know my wish) that some day we get a hybrid build.
So, RGS has a very clean philosophy. Possibly the cleanest. Batocera and RetroBat update from within their own environment. They both have their official update paths. But machine ROMs and metadata are self-contained in the addon packs. The add-on packs are purely ROMs and metadata (no “executable” or anything to interfere with the core), so they are mostly for BOTH builds (with some exceptions of course) and REALLY irrelevant of install order. Not many builds can claim this “cleanness”.
Keep up the great work RGS!

In other related news…

• The One Build, got released and I got my eye on them, as they passed my unofficial threshold of 1TB. This one specializes in getting ALL systems supported by RetroBat, even if it includes just a few “best” games for each system. Worth a look for a smaller build for us weirdos that want to scroll among so many obscure systems.

• Sleyk. Sleyk is not a… build, but we expected a build from him. I mention Sleyk because of… the lack of news. Nothing is released that I know off and I mention this because, Sleyk split from RGS project, basically because he wanted to make something different. We have yet to see it. Hope the guy is ok btw.

In other more generic news (things I keep you updated on)…

• C64 Dreams. Unfortunately we are more than a year since last release. RL has also sucked Zomb deep inside it, he says he will resume work on his great project, but that time has not come. Hope I mention a new version in my next update.

• Gruby’s. No news (nor do I expect any more), but I mention it just to say that I hope that somebody makes a similar project, because SCUMMVM has new VERY interesting releases.

• TOSEC. Yeap! There is a new TOSEC. Although I feel sad about the change of relationship we had which also I feel was unjust (as I contributed to the project in many ways, that are not dats – not everything is dats), I hold great respect for the team and the project that is the Mother of documenting retro software after all.
So we have a new release, seems the main branch is “out there”, ISO is hard to collect if someone wants the whole thing and PIX is not available yet, last time I checked.

• eXo. Except if I missed something, I don’t see anything new released, BUT this is normal, as eXo unless discovering some serious issue, likes more spaced out bigger releases. The team is very active as always. eXo’s projects are all great and the attention to detail is hard to beat.

• AmigaVision recently got a new release. Go get it.

• AGS, the original Amiga Game Selector, also got a new release. Get that too.

Although both the above, are very similar (and stem from the same ancestor), they seem to have a different philosophy. Their size is not that huge, so get both and see which you like more or keep both.
(like my portable WinUAE that has both and DamienD’s collection).

• Speaking of DamienD’s WinUAE Collection. It gets regularly updated as always. The definite source of working WHDLoad in a complete package. Note that it recently repackaged with all updates, so grab it now that it is clean.

• …but of course you can just manually collect RetroPlay’s WHDLoad Packs. But you make them work yourself in your physical or emulated (or “FPGAed”) Amiga.

• And since I mentioned FPGA, I am definitely not the expert, but there are some news I can brief you on this field too.
MARS got a kick back, then got delayed (?) again and who knows how current it will be when and if it gets released.
Another FPGA project seems to run fast towards release (but also has no release date yet), is Replay2. Keep it in your radar.
The absolute ruler of FPGA market, MiSTer, aside from soft updates (cores etc.) that always come, also has some interesting developments hardware-wise. There is a new “cheap” (sub-100) clone with some interesting improvements. There is also MiSTeX, that allows for MiSTer’s Linux subsystem to be used with alternative FPGA, opening the door to more alternatives (cheaper and more-expensive). Also there are new IO boards both official (new version, both analog and digital!) and 3rd party.
Another interesting rabbit-hole to dive in.

Not sure if I forgot something, but here is my gift for getting this update so late, a spreadsheet comparing the “Big Two”.
Big Two
(since it will certainly have some errors, feel free to contact me and help me clean it up more)

Retro Collection Projects (February 2024)

It’s been longer than I thought. Well anyway, here are the news as I filter them on the projects this list of articles concentrates (feel free to tell me of other projects I should have in my radar).

  • CoinOps. I will copy/past what I wrote in the previous article, to give it one more chance: Unless something drastically changes and someone points me to a real NEW project that is worth mentioning, I will not reference it at all in future updates.
  • CORE Type-R. A few new add-ons official and unofficial. Not just new systems, but what seems to be special to Type-R, also new “collections” (thematic collections). To be honest, I find it a little confusing nowadays, but this is the view of an outsider, as I am sure people that follow the project step by step, know what is what. It is just overwhelming for a newcomer though, but definitely a great project (and very nice looking).
  • Complete Play. Patreon is more expensive now, but CP78 needs to get around the expenses of dedicated seed-box and storage etc. Still worth it. There has been a steady stream of new systems and “2.0” rebuilds (that really – mostly – cleanup things rather well and modernize them too). Also a steady stream of “patreon-to-free” packs. I really love how I can really use my own themes and usually fully work. “Usually” because sometimes a specific theme may need resources that the expected theme doesn’t use so CP78 doesn’t fully have them. Usually the community fills the gaps though.
    Also I almost forgot, there is a brand new “Emu-Deck” edition as it seems to be… a thing nowadays. 😀
  • RGS. Unfortunately some bad news here and some good news. Sleyk no longer participates in RGS’s projects, as he needs to move on to make his own personal collection. We’ll see how it goes. If you ask me (and for people that know me in the field, all these years), it is always bad to fragment an already too fragmented and small field. But the sun will still shine tomorrow, life goes on.
    The good news are that both batocera and retrobat projects are still on track.

Other things I usually update you on:

  • Zomb (C64 Dreams) is (still) not actively moving towards a next release, but DOES keep the project organized and follows all C64 news that can affect his project. I am sure soon he will revert to “full steam ahead”.
  • Gruby’s AdventurePack. No news here unfortunately. It could very well be dead (the project I mean), which is a pity. We’ll see. At least I have some good news if you read below.
  • TOSEC. I am very sad to say that I don’t follow much nowadays. I want to, but cannot (at least for now). I really hope for the best for this “Mother Of All Retro Cataloguing Projects”, that TOSEC is. Maybe they are re-forming, maybe all is for the best. Definitely hope so.
  • eXo. Well eXo is full of surprises and the quality of his (team) projects are in an other level. Could very well be professional. Well we HAVE a new eXoScummVM! Yeap. We do. This is BIG news for adventure lovers, esp. now that Gruby’s project seems to be dead. The size is way smaller than that of the latter (Gruby’s was closing to a TB), but this is because of two factors… eXo is concentrating in English versions for now AND is only ScummVM whereas Gruby’s also had a few couple non-ScummVM additions. I am not sure how complete eXoScummVM is though (didn’t have much time to go really deep), but I couldn’t find things like DejaVu or Colosal Cave adventure, which is weird. I will definitely ask…
  • I need to mention about two C64 projects (that Zomb takes actively into consideration when releasing new versions), that people that love C64 need to have in their radars:
    OneLoad64 (which actually includes MultiLoad64) is now on version 5. No need for introductions for this GREAT cartridge project.
    Ultimate Tape Archive is also on version 5 now (after a quick pass from version 4.5… go figure). This project is definitely nice, but does have a long way to organize their work process.
  • In the same vein, Amiga projects that Amiga lovers should be aware:
    AmigaVision (ex MegaAGS). Very nice project that AFAIK is also great for real Amigas, MiSTer etc.
    AGS UAE. Yeap, the name… They both come from the same older project, but both need mention.
    DamienD’s WinUAE Collection. While the two above take you to Amiga environment and you select titles from WITHIN Amiga, this one has separate config per game in WinUAE, so you can either use WinUAE OR a very simplistic own launcher (on PC side).
  • I mentioned MARS FPGA in my last article and I was excited about it. Well… things may turn out good, but for now, they are mostly… sketchy. They still don’t have an organized web page (or project page), no videos in their YouTube channel for months and their X (yeah yeah… twitter) is only… MiSTer related news retweets!
    But here things become more curious… I actually commented on a retweet, very politely, told them they should eventually post some news of their own project instead. Next thing I know… I got blocked. 😀 😀 😀
    Food for thought.

That’s all for now folks, till next time.

Retro Collection Projects (November 2023 update)

Well, there are news that dictate writing one more update in 2023.

  • CoinOps. Unless something drastically changes and someone points me to a real NEW project that is worth mentioning, I will not reference it at all in future updates.
  • CORE Type-R. Haven’t noticed anything revolutionary new, but it is still a very active project, with a serious (erm…) core team.
  • Complete Play. Colpipes1978 was forced to make his Patreon base charge, more expensive, as people don’t seem to actively help with seeding. Still WORTH it though.
    I hope he comes back with some special discount for people that DO actively seed (which IS a cost for seeders, both in space and bandwidth). Yes, talking about this subject because it involves me (too).
    For the project itself now, CP seems to concentrate more in rebuilding older packs to a new “2.X” level, which eliminates the complexities of having to follow a complex path of pack updates. These new 2.X packs will eventually become like 1.X of course (at least one 2.X already has a couple of updates), but well, I don’t see another way.
  • RGS projects. With the help of Sleyk (and others), a side project is under development, something to take the place of RBL (see below), a “cousin” to Batocera main project, based on Retrobat. This will be very very interesting and waiting to see how it evolves.
  • RBL. One more group of projects that I will probably not reference at all in the future. VMan is supposedly still active (there was a new video lately that didn’t seem particularly interesting), but so “underground” that is probably not worth it.

To other news…

  • Zomb of C64 Dreams fame, is active (in his own pace) in improving his 0.60 content (to be up to date for extra 0.7X release). With StatMat (of OneLoad64) they have a very good cooperation to really bring out the best content for C64 lovers. No set date for next release of this “initially based on Gamebase64 project” (also see below).
  • Gruby’s AdventurePack. Unfortunatly things don’t look too bright for adventure lovers. Gruby seems to be absent from retro field for quite long now (hope he is really all right), and there seems to be none yet to take over the project or start a similar one (including eXo – see below).
  • TOSEC. An interesting change of the project is the shift (?) to a rolling wip. Not sure how it goes, I don’t follow that close any more (some people made sure of that, hope they are happy). Also, I hear (and seems like that in the trackers) that not everything is “green”, there are ISO misses (i.e. actually saving the content, not just documenting it) for many people this time around, which is a pity, but well, that’s life I guess. In any case, a project I still “believe” much of its worth.
  • eXo. Last but definitely NOT least, actually here are the big news of the month, eXoDOS v6 IS OUT! Seems eXo’s team, maybe the most professionally organised team (that are not really professionally involved) out there, finished this VERY VERY big update, which is structurally and in content very very much evolved over the last (also great) release. This is the one-stop-shop for DOS gaming. This is the one, don’t look further.
    Seems now eXoWin3X will be the next main project for release.
    As for us, we only hope more retro platforms get the eXo treatment (SCUMMVM which after all was the start of it all?).
  • A small mention, loosely related. There is a new FPGA retro player as it seems to compete (?) / replace / evolve-on MiSTer. It is called MARS. Remember the name.

So, this is where this article finishes, I cannot give my usual suggestions and even “lesser” news, as I somehow lost connection to my server now that I write this (will fix). So it will be a more abrupt ending this once. Until next time…

Retro Collection Projects (August 2023 update)

So let see how things changed in the last four months)…
(you probably need to read the last few retro collection projects I posted in the last few months to understand what I am talking about – a main article and two updates, this is the third update I think)

  • CoinOps is definitely irrelevant lately. I have to admit I don’t follow at all any more and I hear less and less people using it.
    BUT I see there is an active stream of spin-off projects, which I also don’t follow any more, but I see their evolutions. For example ex “Computer Classics” collection, now “CC Reloaded” still gets enriched and definitely is a full-fledged collection on its own.
    Also there is “RetroArcadePC” collection.
    Both for people that liked the original CoinOps style but don’t want to bother with weird project managers.
  • CORE Type-R. No major updates on the (erm… ) core, but definitely still many releases of official and non-official packs. Especially non-official. Definitely interesting, definitely nice that they also group games in “collections”, but a bit too involved for the casual user. Definitely on the radar!
  • Complete Play. I am way more active with CP nowadays. An external 20TB disk helped. CP78 definitely keeps working on his project. New packs are expected, older ones are getting released as free. All ok.
    What I like with CP is that it used LB (and actually BigBox), which allows me to use the themes I like more. I actually use a different theme for platforms (machines) and different for actual games. LB allows even different theme PER platform if I wanted.
    Unfortunately the XBox port died, because of MSFT.
  • MBU-R by RGS got a major update due to Batocera V37. It is actually a fantastic collection (with a very nice 1TB base), but it is something you BOOT to (it boots to Linux based Batocera). It cannot work inside your Windows environment. For some people this can actually be a good thing. Very rich support for weird old systems (which are part of MAME of course, but is good that they get some attention). Very good solution for people that don’t want to touch their own Windows setup, but want to boot inside a “clean” (i.e. more controlled) emulation environment. You cam just use the core, or add the huge system packs.
  • RBL. It is not relevant any more. Its creator has deleted all public references to it, there is rumour of “underground” work, there is rumour of even “inner circle” people getting kicked. Too much drama for my taste (a la CoinOps), so bye bye. Pitty, it was a very interesting and “different” project.
    There was a user movement to actually “save” the resources and use it anyway, but this is slowly dying (as there is no point to bother so much when alternatives exist).

Other related news…

  • Zomb RELEASED C64 Dreams 0.60. I DEFINITELY suggest people to use this if they love Commodore 64. It is a product of love, it is elaborate work and it shows. There is already talk about next version, but understandably not that much in August… (or any talk)
    0.60 has 500 new games, MANY MANY improvements (switching to OneLoad64 versions where possible – the two guys even cooperate), many new manuals etc.
    The only thing I miss was an option to enable borders to make it like *I* remember C64.
    Go get it now! It doesn’t even need an LB license at it doesn’t use BigBox (I hope video sub-project wakes up, to make support for BB easier).
  • Gruby’s AdventurePack is on ice for now (and unfortunately indefinitely), as Gruby has some RL things to take care. I hope this fantastic project wakes up again, as SCUMMVM had some major updates and definitely want them in.
  • Definitely newsworthy, is that TOSEC made a new release. Very interesting additions, but for the first time the actual files haven’t surfaced “soon enough” for torrent release in all three major sections main, ISO, PIX. I am not sure what happened this time, maybe just “August” – really hope this will be rectified.
  • eXo is preparing new things, but they are not ready yet. Whenever eXo releases something it is major, it is good and deserves attention. It is a whole team now.

So, my August suggestions? The only thing that changed is that I don’t suggest a #4.

I still suggest Complete Play if you don’t mind two tiny payments (one for CP78 patreon – which is REALLY cheap, no excuse to not get it – and one for LaunchBox which I suggest anyway). Very good work, mostly bother free.

CORE Type-R is a close #2, for something different, but only if you can follow the overwhelming list of releases (esp. if you also want to follow the unofficial ones). If you can, you will probably be rewarded.

MBU-R is #3 even though it doesn’t work inside Windows. A reboot from a separate partition or a USB disk is not that hard though. For some people it is even better to do that.

Until next time…

Retro Collection Projects (April 2023 news)

A small news update for April.

First major change, I make changes in my proposed retro build list. Actually, this may be the first time I clearly propose anything. More on this, below.

  • CoinOps got a couple more of the same. Tiny tweaks, new names. If someone can follow and pinpoint exactly what is new and why something changed, let me know (or don’t, because in the end, I don’t care much any more). Even the guy that used to make videos on new CoinOps builds, doesn’t seem to do it any more, probably got bored and didn’t have what to say.
    Yet I can say something positive for every build. All CoinOps builds are clean, fast enough and just work. Are they the builds of choice, no. Are they good enough for an arcade cabinet. Yes.
  • CORE Type-R. There is a significant update here. They split community packs from official packs, which makes things WAY cleaner for people that just want to install and use. That said, they released the usual stream of official (1G1R seems to have woken up) and community packs. I personally cannot follow, but I bet if someone can, the reward will be great.
  • Complete Play. Colpipes78, still hasn’t forgotten non-Patreon users with a few (small) releases. Also released a new showcase video, for people that want to actually see the VAST collection of systems he has released (or are in WIP, so already semi-released).
  • RBL (RetroBLISS) hasn’t made any significant update, an updated skin only. I do expect new “surprise” packs though. VMAN and his team, do a good work.
    Yet, I got a hint of toxic behaviour (with sufficient proof), which is a big NO-NO to me, especially when in retro scene we already have enough toxic people.
    When someone asks something (instead of stealing outright), proposing to acknowledge work, the result normally is not ban. The scene is rather small, cooperation is a must. A “plain user” possibly couldn’t care less, which is understandable yet I cannot turn a blind eye myself.
    This is the last I mention about this (except if there is something very significant to update).
  • MBU-R by RGS. New releases. This is starting to be big. Since the project seems to be serious after all, it rises higher in my personal preference list. Keep up the good work!

On other news…

  • Zomb has yet to release 0.60. Still “Any Day Now” (TM) – probably.

Last but not least. What I actually propose, depending on needs. Note that this is a strongly subjective market, yet I consider my opinion, educated.

If you want the most complete build, easy to follow and don’t mind a small purchase:
Complete Play by CP78. I also propose you join his Patreon, to get more packs (some packs cannot be released outside Patreon and there is a real reason for that) and sooner for the rest of the packs.
Also, I suggest this, if you are a fan of LaunchBox (and BigBox).
This involves paying (a tiny amount) for Patreon and paying for LaunchBox to get BigBox (price depends on type of license, I propose lifetime) – but you won’t regret any of the two.

If you can live with a big stream of updates and packs (to the point of being overwhelming, esp. if you also get community packs) and probably the most beautiful skin (although this is subjective), you should go for CORE Type-R. They are machines and don’t seem to slow down.

MBU-R is now probably #3 in my (I stress again) subjective list. Already big enough, with plan and potential.

RBL dropped to #4 (from a previous #2), for the toxic incident and because it slowed down. Still a worthy build and work done (including documentation), cannot be denied.

I will, for the third time, point that the preference list above is subjective and I understand some people may (and will) disagree.

Cheers!

Retro Collection Projects (follow up March 2023)

So a small update to my last article, with what I consider worth mentioning.

I am scrolling through the original article, to make “addendum” on everything I read.

  • RetroBat made a couple of small updates over new 5.0, solving issues AND adding a couple of new supported systems.
  • Another EmulationStation side-project, like RetroBat, is Batocera. Batocera used to be a stand-alone Linux based system, ready-made to fill with roms and metadata. This is now also a custom compile for Windows and we will see below why it is important.
  • Launchbox always makes new releases. I don’t even consider it “news”. It is still the most actively developed front-end.
  • CoinOps collections. The usual burst of weirdly named “collections”, more or less specialized, nobody knows why and how (as BP never explains and lets his followers discover why he made just another tweak every time). I don’t consider those worth mentioning. He is yesterday news, which I am glad, as I also don’t like the guy’s character AT ALL (and for which whoever hasn’t discovered, WILL do in good time, the hard way).
  • CORE Type-R. It keeps growing way too fast to follow (like “update #30 of something”). This for some could be great, for others just too much hassle, especially since there is a mix of official 1G1R, official best-of, official base, unofficial etc.
    Still, in the end, a VERY live build. There is a google sheet that tries to clean things up, which at this point is a MUST (and I insisted they created for long).
  • Complete Play. The shut down of public discord (only keeping Patreon support) does have an impact on the project. There is no easy way to even report a bug. That said, there is a more or less steady stream of Patreon-to-free packs, which is great. The collection is easily more than 12TB right now.
    CP78 Patreon is not expensive and CP78 is probably the longest standing builder out there, so it not much of a risk either.
  • RBL. This RetroBat based collection is already more or less complete, but there is always some small surprise. Also they follow the updates of RetroBat and made a script that makes the smaller RetroBat updates not break RBL.
    If you want something modern, clean, not too much hassle to follow, with VERY detailed “how to”, this is the one.
  • MBU-R! (Motion Blue Unified Revamped) A new build! A very new contender (started in 2023). This is based on Batocera (thus the mention above), which is great. Batocera itself is a very live project. MBU-R is right now based on a big 1TB base and a few (large) packs already released (which already make it around 5TB).
    Definitely keep an eye on this.

On other news…

  • Zomb hasn’t yet released 0.60 update to C64 Dreams (but seems to be “any day now”).
  • Gruby just made the first 2023 release.
  • There is a new MAME, which is the first release in two months (they needed to skip a release to make some core changes).

So, there you are, what I consider worthy updates over my last article.

Retro Collection Projects

Intro

NOTE: This is (mostly) current, for the end of 2022. The field, sometimes stays rather stagnant and sometimes updates pop like pop-corn.

Since I have well over 35TB emulation data, aside from following some cataloguing projects (like TOSEC and No-Intro), aside from full MAME, aside from maintaining own collections and emulators, aside from following “gender specific” projects, like Gruby’s AdventurePack or eXoDOS (and other eXo projects)… aside from all that, I realized the usefulness of “ready-to-run” collections, for the other members of my family (ranging from 6 y.o.), that cannot be bothered with weird intricacies of every emulator, or where the games are actually stored.
For me it is easy to fire up specific emulator and go find the game I want in TOSEC or wherever and make it run (I am comfortable with the operation of most 8/16/32 bit computers), but I cannot expect the same from others.

So, I started following those projects too, starting from some older CP78 collection. I had to stop using and stop following CP78 work for some time, but later after a couple (?) of years, I went back following his work.

Co-operating with the builder of a given collection is vital to me. I need to be able to ask, propose, assist (fixes etc.) and even express my appreciation. If I cannot do it, I prefer to stay clear. Some builders evolve to be more open, some people evolve to be worse. CP78 belongs to the first case. Then there is the other case…

After I stopped using CP78 work, I moved to CoinOps projects. Then, mostly because of BP (who builds CoinOps), I started looking towards other such projects.

Another reason I started looking around, is that I love computer history, so I also love front-ends that present some info about the emulated machine and game (or the option to do that at least). For machines I mostly know their history, but for games, sometimes it is very interesting to read brief info before actually playing (in that respect, even mame own GUI using mameinfo.ini was great a few years back).

This made me look into the differences between the front-ends themselves. Because you see, the collections would never work if there wasn’t a good front-end in the erm… back. So you will see a separate table presenting the rough advantages and disadvantages of the front-ends.

I am writing this, partly to decide for myself (something I revisit every few months), as I cannot really have all big collections, updated, all the time.
Imagine, big collections are easily 5TB+ to keep and seed and 6TB+ to actually use… each (and getting bigger).

NOTE: I got some arguments, saying that there are other builds (in other words the “base” over a front-end, giving it shape), that I should have mentioned, although they are much smaller, because people (users) can add to them and make them as big as they want. This is NOT the point of this article. ANY front-end and possibly ANY build can grow as much as someone can provide the games themselves and the metadata needed (arguments specific to game, screenshots, videos etc.). I am dealing specifically with builds that along with RELEASED add-ons (or specifically planned and claimed for upcoming release), are big enough to cover most known systems (consoles, computers, handhelds, arcade, pinball etc.) and providing the whole content ready (or almost ready) to use and they have so much content (with the add-ons) that are over (usually way over) 1TB. This article is very specific about that. Some people fail to understand the point of the article and still bash it. No problem.

The front-ends

The advantages and disadvantages, as everything in this document anyway, are my personal feelings about the front-ends. If you see something blatantly wrong, feel free to contact me to correct me. That said, I will not discuss my own opinion about things. It is what it is.

I am only listing front-ends used in the collections that are the discussed of this very document. This is very very far from complete. Yet, I can safely say those are the most influential front-ends currently.

NameAdvantagesDisadvantages
RetroBat/EmulationStation
RetroBat project uses EmulationStation as its actual front-end. What RB does, is to “auto-config” the front-end and used emulators and maintain some central list of emulated systems and information.		– Free and Open Source.
– RetroBat part, mostly actively maintained.
– Looks nice and seems light.
– Windows and Linux.		– Not sure how much ES is maintained. Seems it is, but the original project I think died around 2015!
– Nobody seems to be interested to improve ES although it is FOSS. I mean really improve in giving new features.
– Seems French love it and follow it more. Which wouldn’t be a problem, if most French didn’t like to only talk in… French. In other words, you won’t find very active English discussions about this project.
LaunchBox
Started as a front-end for dosbox but expanded to a very complete front-end.		– By far the most actively developed front-end.
– Very good communication with the devs. Devs allow for voting of new features and follow the list of proposals.
– Dual-mode front-end. Can be “computer friendly” and “cabinet friendly”.
– Integrates with gaming platforms like Steam etc.
– Easier to make sections and subsections.		– Its most beautiful part (BigBox) is not free. (that said, I don’t care since I have a license)
– Some things are maybe more complex than needed.
RetroFE– Free and Open Source.
– Actively developed.		– …although some claimed “private” changes (but not proven).
– …but not that much (and mostly around BP needs).
HyperSpin
No collection I follow uses this, but I list it, as it is the inspiration of newer “cabinet friendly” front-ends. The first “ready-to-run” collections started in HS and then moved to other front-ends.		– Looks very nice (all the above can look like HS nowadays).– Painfully complex to configure and made popular exactly because of the ready-made collections for it.
– Not maintained at all.

Based on the above, there is no ideal front-end.
Someone with the proper expertise could probably make a set of (filesystem) links and make a collection “multi-front-end” (supporting at least two of the three major). I am looking into this option in the future.

If I had to choose one, I would possibly choose LaunchBox (since I also have the license so I can use the full potential), as active maintaining of a project is vital to me. LB is improved every few weeks, for the last few years.

If multi-OS is vital the most common choice is EmulationStation.
Linux is actively becoming an entertainment alternative OS, with stand-alone specialized for gaming machines using it, especially low-cost ones. That said, most such systems, have made the choice of front-end (and general GUI) for you already. And as I mentioned, it is EmulationStation.

The builds

Again, few things to clear up for noobs (that is ok to be):

  • Builds are not “front-ends”. They are BASED on (and under the hood use) front-ends.
  • Sometimes builds are not even using their own front-end themes (the way they look). Although the experience is more complete (and more identifiable) if they do.
  • Builds are not meant to be “complete” (except in the context of their own “mission statement” …which admittedly is not always clear). For many of the machines emulated, this is not even possible (because either the number of games is immense or the size of the “roms” is huge, which is the case with latest gen and PC gaming).
  • Builds are not always easy to find. ESPECIALLY if they include newer systems and systems made by the company that starts with “N” and likes to sue everybody.
    Do not help big companies strike such projects.
  • The generic term “roms” usually doesn’t even mean “ROM” in the purely Computer Science meaning of the term. It is just an umbrella term that may mean “cartridge dump”, “disc image”, “tape dump” or whatever and in the end means “a game” (and a way to store it as an entity).

NOTE: I do not include every single project. Doesn’t mean I don’t know about those missing (although it is possible of course), just that it doesn’t “qualify” with my own prerequisites (being for Windows, being huge, being mostly complete and not just be pipe dreams in their infancy… also should deal with arcade AND consoles AND retro computers).

This time I will use alphabetic order. So here we are:

CoinOps Next 2 and Retro ARCADE 2 (RetroFE)

To me the two most important projects made by the guy (let’s call him BP). Next 2 is by far the most recognized (and most ripped) version BP has made. The big advantage of N2 is that it started from the beginning as a modular project with a (mostly) well organized method to add official and non-official packs. To me, this is a good thing and I find it unfortunate that most other projects do not implement an ORGANIZED (and documented) method for people to add packs AND enforce some minimum quality requirements.

A fully “populated” N2 is a few TB large, although for this you need to include unofficial packs, as no new official packs are coming (official I think will get you to less than 2TB).

RA2 is newer and does follow the modular scheme, but for that, mostly unofficial packs came out (and porting of N2 packs is easy), rather than official (which are very few).

PLUS: Themes are smooth, free, work out of the box and have plenty of “self-help” scripts. Also (for N2) very organized pack implementation plans.

MINUS: First and foremost, BP. You are guaranteed to get punched in the face (usually banned from discord which happens regularly in “packs”) for various non-reasons (like BP seeing you JUST PRESENT in “enemy” build channels). Also, his packs are more or less the same, just new names, confusing to EVERYBODY and new selections of the same games (more or less of them depending on the “specialization” of each build). You will very quickly get mixed up on why something exists and how it differs. There is a reason most people stay in N2 (or RA2 if they want to port N2 packs). One thing (I personally) find negative, is that CoinOps themes are “arcade” (cabinet) centered, there is no real info on a plarform or a game. Just the name. On a computer you expect to be able to see more info.

CoinOps “all other projects”. (RetroFE)

BP has plenty of other projects older and newer than N2 and RA2. There is an issue though that his fans (until he bans them, and they stop being his fans) seem to ignore: They are in 99% of cases “more of the same”, with tiny theme tweaks (and improvements) or back-porting (ahem) of “new tricks” other RetroFE theme makers introduce. Many times, casual users cannot even distinguish CoinOps builds. Also, the games included are 99% the same.

So, they do not deserve a special mention, sorry, make your own FAQ if you disagree. Some builds are rightfully custom made (like Linux version or made for Steam Deck), but those also don’t deserve a mention as they don’t fulfil my prerequisites.

CORE TYPE-R (RetroFE)

CORE TYPE-R has most probably the best looking themes among all others. Custom made and really really nice. Which is what led someone else rip them and use parts of it as his own (while claiming they stole him – when someone that can follow the traces can see where it all started).

The build is SUPER actively maintained, with very regular official and fan made packs.

Also, TYPE-R is as I said in my previous post, the “spearhead” of 1G1R project (although this has slowed down a bit). That is supposed to be the “de facto” collection for each platform.

That said, 8 bit computers (and 16 bit) haven’t seen much love just yet.

TYPE-R is also probably the richest build in custom made “playlists” (Collections, like for example Wipeout collection or Persona collection) which is a rather nice way to find the game you want.

I will quickly move to PLUS and MINUS, as this will paint better what TYPE-R is (and is not).

PLUS: As I said, the nicest looking by far. If you want to make a cabinet in some living room or lobby, get this. Very active project (also by fans of the project). Very helpful discord, with experienced people that can help you.

MINUS: It grows too much and seems that it might crumble under its own weight. And I explain: It has a very helpful discord as I said, but almost completely lacks any documentation. A new user of this build will probably quickly get confused and cannot really make a clean plan on sizes needed, interconnections and conflicts between packs etc. Also the team actively denies the need of documentation. Time will show if they are correct. Also there is a rough plan on how to make a pack, but really no enforcing on any minimum set of quality prerequisites. It’s FFA and survival of the fittest. Also, like CoinOps, the themes are “cabinet” oriented, no real info about consoles or games presented… but still soooo… nice looking.
LAST MINUTE UPDATE: There is now a Google sheet, helping very much with what is available!

CP78 Complete Play (LaunchBox)

CP78 could possibly be the “oldest” build maker (which I know people from other teams will argue against) and probably the first that rose to relative “fame” between casual users of retro builds. He has made various builds using various front-ends, but the most complete (and still active) project, is Complete Play.

This is not centered around a custom theme (you can really use any LaunchBox theme, although some fit way better than others) and the priority is to make things work and be complete on needed metadata (although misses DO happen).

It is actively maintained in a mix of (mostly) free and patreon (less but newer platforms) packs. Most patreon packs, end up free, except those that need to remain more restricted (for various reasons). A complete build is around 11TB currently and growing.

Recently he closed his free Discord server (so no real support for free pack users and free pack users cannot really even help and report issues) and kept his patreon Discord. Seems that packs still eventually end up free, but there is no real info about this any more, you just have to watch his favorite (and our favorite) tracker site for new releases. I have to say I believe this will make the project lose some “traction”, but who knows.

PLUS: LaunchBox. It is by far the most elaborate and actively developed front-end. Size. It easily grows to multi-TB, but you really “see” them. Being developed by a single person. Which means you won’t get half backed packs with lower standards (this is also assisted by that there is also a patreon side of the project). You get patches etc. Not theme based. So you can choose whichever LB (BigBox) theme you like and you do get info on platforms and games (if the theme supports showing those).

MINUS: LaunchBox. Well, LaunchBox is not free if you want to use the (beautiful) BigBox. So along with (although deserved and not expensive) patreon part of the project, it means the user must pay. Size. You might get a 16TB disk and maybe next year it won’t fit you if the project keeps on the same rhythm. Being developed by a single person. Which means project progress depends on that single guy. Also, decisions are made by one (good or bad). Not theme based. Which means you don’t get a NICE distinct theme that really identifies the project.

(Yes indeed, PLUS and MINUS are actually the same)

Retro-Bliss LevelUP! (RetroBat)

This project stands on its own, because of the choices of its team. It is based on RetroBat, which in turn is a (supposedly) easy way to use RetroArch (and other emulators) in Emulation Station (not sure why it was considered “hard”, but anyway this is a different discussion). So theoretically, this could be multi-platform (although I am not sure it is that easy to port to non-Windows systems). It is a very nice project, also pack based (98% official, very very few -esp. older packs- are non-official and you really don’t need them).

The project is by far the best documented and organized in terms of when comes what and why. Even before downloading, you really know what to do and how to do it. With previous version, while the project supposedly got “finished”, in reality a few packs came after the official “EOL”.
Very recently we got an updated re-release based on RetroBat 5 (which got a surprise release before Xmas 22) and the project manager’s (VIRTUALMAN) own customizations. A very serious project, someone needs to always have on the radar. You need something bigger than 8TB for this. It is very possible that this will revert to being my build of choice because of its “tightness”. Everything is there, every issue resolved and easy to find its resolution when they make it.
My only issue with the project is that they insist not to post a complete list of supported packs INCLUDING the old ones that are compatible (even a couple from the even older Pi version are compatible, but you need to find out yourself). New users will get confused. Thankfully a user just made a nice post (which I will supplement with a table myself), to make things cleaner.

PLUS: A rather complete build, easy to follow documentation, easy to plan, nice looking, consistent, dedicated forum (not discord).

MINUS: RetroBat. OK probably has its advantages to the build makers, but is very restrictive otherwise (actually I recently found out RetroBat team doesn’t even endorse Retro-Bliss… which is rather stupid of them, as Retro-Bliss is possibly their most successful implementation) and with very slow update cycle (RetroBat, not Retro-Bliss)… latest RetroBat update was 15 months ago until the last update a few days ago.

Wolfanoz Fully Loaded (LaunchBox)

This is an older project (2019), (also known as “2.6TB” or “[3TB]” …but actually 2.7TB), monolithic (no packs), that is worth mentioning, because it was really well made from the start. The “small” (compared to others above) size of the project, doesn’t mean it is thin in the systems it supports, just that because of the build’s age, it doesn’t include latest couple of gens machine emulation (that use much larger roms). We already talked about why LaunchBox is an advantage (or disadvantage). It looks nice and just works.

PLUS: LaunchBox. Still of the most complete implementations for some of the machines it includes. One download and you are ready to go. That said, the size (less than 3TB) shows the build’s age. It used to be considered humongous, but newer builds with newer machines emulated (that use larger roms), easily go three times the size.

MINUS: LaunchBox. Old, no new development for it (or heard of newer project by the builder), doesn’t include the most modern machines.

So… What would I use ideally?

Complete Play, run on LaunchBox AND RetroFE (user preference… actually support for more than one front-ends for the same build is not that hard if implemented from the start as most front-ends can use the same metadata), both running TYPE-R theme and having RetroBliss documentation and support and CoinOps restrictions on how to implement a supported fan made pack.

So I can keep dreaming.

This cannot happen and sizes are MONSTROUS (if someone wanted to have all the above at the same time, 40TB are probably not enough AND double that, if you also want to keep the installs, to seed, re-use etc.),

I can privately tell you what I have done for myself but this really depends on someone’s needs and preferences.

Before I close this huge thing, I want to mention a few smaller and/or specialized builds, that deserve attention:

Crusader’s Computer Classics RELOADED (RetroFE)

This started from a stand-alone build (based on CoinOps), specialized to (some) 8 bit computers. The project then shifted (way before really completing the 8 bit part if you ask me, but this is the decision of Crusader) and added a few 16 bit computers. Then added some early consoles. Then added some early PC games and some arcade. Latest “add on” is a PS1 pack that is (probably) bigger than the rest of the project. So it really switched to being a “mini-me” Next 2. Not sure of the path this project will take, but it is interesting and deserves mention and packs really work as Crusader probably hand-picks each game.

Zombeaver’s C64 Dreams (LaunchBox)

This is the love child of Zombeaver for the C64. It started as Zomb’s idea of porting Gamebase64 to Launchbox, but while it still is the “core” of the project (he hasn’t yet finished all GB64 alphabet), it went further as Zomb also adds games he likes or being requested by others. It is a very elaborate project, very well made with details I cannot really list here (for example you can really call a game’s manual right then and there while gaming), but is not BigBox based, just (free) LaunchBox. That said, there is a slowly progressing video capture project, that MAY help this move to BigBox in the future.

Even without the fireworks of BigBox, this is really the de facto C64 build to have. This is what someone that needs to add C64 to some other collection needs to blatantly steal (as it seems to happen in the field of retro builds anyway). Zomb really listens to people needs, but also has his own rhythm (and Real Life [TM] reasons) to make updates on the project. Release 0.45 came in January 2022 and next release (probably 0.60 and a rather major update), is unknown really (but is mostly complete, I hear). My only “issue” is that I would love to see 1.0 before I have grandchildren.

Gruby’s Adventurepack (custom, simple, front-end called SVMe)

Well plain and simply, the go-to collection for playing adventures. This is not limited to SCUMMVM, although the main body of the collection IS SCUMMVM. If you want a nice looking shiny build, this is not it. It is just the, as complete as possible, collection of any interpreted adventure, in any official (AND unofficial) language released. So probably an overkill to many, as it currently closes to 1TB (will probably touch it in a couple of releases). It used to have a roughly monthly release, but now is more like every 2-3 months.

eXo’s builds (eXoDOS, eXoWin3X and upcoming). (LaunchBox)

eXo is one of the most organized builders and actual developers of collections, currently specialized in bringing DOS and Win 3.X games to current PC. He manages a sizeable team that is really dedicated improving and growing the projects. eXo’s projects rarely update, but are really beta tested and ready to go when released. We are eager to see the next versions of everything.

Gamebase (own front-end)

This is just here as an “honorable mention” as it is the grandfather to many of the projects. It uses a (now very old) front-end (which now also has an unofficial, newer, java implementation) and people made collections specialized to single machines (you actually chose which collection you want to open when running GameBase), with the most famous being GameBase64 for Commodore 64 (which DOES still get updates sometimes).

MAME (yes, it does have own front-end)

MAME is also mentioned honorably, and I don’t really expect people to use a “plain” MAME (although I do), when MAME is part of probably ALL other builds (even those claiming to use RetroArch, remember RetroArch is the “glue” to existing emulators, not an emulator itself, MAME IS an emulator to thousands of systems).
It deserves to be here, as it DOES implement a GUI that supports screenshot display and such (and many people seem to not realize it after all these years, as it started command-line based). I do not mean MAMEUI and such builds. Plain MAME does have a GUI (limited and less beautiful sure, yet functional). Since complete MAME itself is nearing 4TB (!!!) fast (WITHOUT videos of the games) and you can run everything from its GUI, it can be considered a “build” by itself.

Closing (until next update)…

As I said, I left out plenty, but I think the info is enough already.

What could be useful to some, is my personal history using the builds and why I moved around… This is the most personal part of this document, so it SHOULD NOT affect your choices whatsoever.

  • Found CP78 older project (way before Complete Play). Initially one not using LaunchBox, then an update using LaunchBox.
  • Initially found it in some non-verified location, then found that the project had its own discord and realized there is an official host of the packs and re-downloaded from there (as there were issues from the other source).
    If you need to know, got things from ArcadePunks, they were messed up and I re-downloaded from back-ups.me. You will eventually realize this is a trend, so it must mean something.
  • I left CP78, as I think there were communication issues between us. There was some tension (not that much) and it was best to let things cool down. Disclaimer: I don’t claim that was entirely CP78 fault.
    Another thing I didn’t like, is the heavy use of middle-ware called RocketLauncher. It shouldn’t bother me (as normally a user never knows what makes things tick underneath), but since I was already seasoned in emulation, I had my own preferences, likes and such.
  • Found BP’s builds, because of back-ups.me and his discord. I don’t remember which build it was back then, but looked very nice, although purely “console oriented” (i.e. looks nice on an arcade console – maybe not the best on a PC where you expect more mouse control and more info).
  • Realized BP had a long history of builds starting from Xbox, moved to PC, but I wasn’t very sure of the differences of those builds. Seems that with every tune-up or skin tweak he made (or copied), he made a different build, named differently. Something he still follows to this day and still doesn’t make sense.
  • Still, I supported the project(s). To me Next 2 was the magnum opus, if we take flexibility into account. I made a script to help people with multiple disks, I even got the t-shirt (literally).
  • This didn’t stop the personal issues BP has with well, practically everybody. I got banned because he saw me on the member list of some “competitor’s” discord (yes not even talking in there, just joined). Then I realized this was happening every now and then. He just dumped people en masse (even fans) just because they were… looking (!!!) at competitors’ work. Work that he believed “others” steal from him (while I later discovered that he has done the same and admitted to it too). It was clear we were dealing with mental issues. So I stirred clear, although following loosely his work progress.
  • Next 2 remained my main build, basically because my younger son was really comfortable using it.
  • So I discovered CORE’s work and their upcoming Type-R project (and side-project 1G1R). Looked REALLY nice. I actively helped (and managed) to spread the word and the project grew larger and started releasing things. Although it was possibly the best looking, I didn’t go deep into it, as it was not very much into old 8-bit computer stuff I so much liked. The plan was that it WOULD add those, but really looked more focused on 16bit console era. Things became worse when I realized there was no real attempt to organize what is released, by whom, how and in general set standards for possibly even internally (although I am sure people will say I am wrong). There is a discrepancy even for original packs… there are 1G1R packs (“everything that matters”), there are “best of” limited to around 25 games, there are other types of packs too… plus an uncontrollable river of unofficial packs.
    So I do support the project, cannot really follow it properly though. Your mileage may vary.
  • …but the above contributed, so that Type-R, although a work of art, never got to be my main build.
  • Somewhere in between I discovered Wolfanoz build, which was “one off” but “good enough” (only lacking more modern emulation), download, extract, run, a single things. Also based on LaunchBox, which promised an easy porting or merging to other LaunchBox projects. Wolfanoz though never made it to become my main build either, but I kept it (and keep it), as although so old, it is still right there on top with most of the platforms it supports.
  • Also somewhere there, I found RetroBLISS and its completely different philosophy of tight schedule of release, elaborate work on every pack, follow up on updates of the packs etc.
  • Unexpectedly enough (I didn’t want a third front-end in my life, LaunchBox and RetroFE were enough), RetroBLISS DID become my main build. At least for a while.
  • Having gotten back to CP78 discord, I was looking deep and hard, at Complete Play. RetroBLISS was great, but being “a completed project” by his creator (as I thought then), was in contrast with my preference on continuously evolving and improving builds. So CP became my main build AND RetroBLISS had to go (although I kept the majority of install files, I didn’t have space to keep it expanded somewhere to use).
  • Two newer updates.
    One is that Complete Play moved to no “free” support, although it will supposedly keep releasing free packs (after a patreon-only delay), but since only a couple of packs released soon after this decision (and we have no way to know if this decision changed further), we are not sure if the free packs will keep coming. I was actually planning to help through patreon (and not stopping anybody from doing it – he well deserves it), but this move, actually… stopped me (yes my brain goes counter-clockwise sometimes), at least for now, as I much prefer “Robin Hood” projects.
    The other new thing is that RetroBLISS DID get its new release (December 2022) and all previous release packs are compatible and there are already a few new ones released at the same time as the main update! Knowing VIRTUALMAN’s (and team) elaborate work, this project pushed itself back in the arena.
  • This is where we are now… Funny enough, although most CoinOps versions (except some stand-alone spin-offs) are eliminated from my server, Next 2 is still in limited use (because of my 6 y.o. son).

NAS (and Home Server) version 4 (part 6) – Using it for years. A retrospective.

Ένα μικρό post, ίσα ίσα για να ξυπνήσω το κοιμισμένο μου blog και να διαφημίσω την επιλογή που (ξανα)έκανα πριν 3 χρόνια να επιστρέψω στο UNRAID.
Έχοντας για οδηγό το προηγούμενο post (part 5), ουσιαστικά κάνω up-to-date την τότε πληροφορία.

Το array που έφτιαξα πριν 3 χρόνια έχει αναβαθμιστεί αρκετά και την περίοδο αυτού του post έχει φτάσει τα 47TB (usable), αλλά έχω περίπου 6 ελεύθερα.
Οι δίσκοι είναι πια 2 x 8TB (ο ένας είναι ο parity) + 9 x 4TB + 1 x 3TB + 1TB M.2 cache disk. Ουσιαστικά σιγά σιγά άλλαζαν οι 3TB (δυνατότητα που έχεις λόγω UNRAID και χωρίς να αφήνεις unused space λόγω μεγέθους δίσκων) και πριν φύγει ο τελευταίος, μια ζημιά (που έφταιγα) οδήγησε στο να μεταβώ στην υποστήριξη πια έως 8TB δίσκων (αφού το parity έγινε 8ΤΒ, μπορώ σιγά σιγά να αλλάξω όποιο δίσκο θέλω με 5άρη, 6άρη, 8άρη).
Το υπόλοιπο hardware επίσης αναβαθμίστηκε, έχει αρκετά δυνατό CPU (non-server βέβαια), έχει 32GB RAM για να είμαι άνετος με τα (λιγοστά) VM που έχω και ενδιαφέρον έχει ότι έχει πια 10Gbit LAN, σε 10Gbit switch. Βέβαια μόνο το main PC μου “ανταποκρίνεται” με ανάλογο 10Gbit LAN, αλλά αυτό μου αρκεί. Στην πράξη το main PC είναι σαν να χρησιμοποιεί εσωτερικό του δίσκο (συνήθως).
Τα shares ε΄ίναι πια αρκετά οργανωμένα (αν και ειδικά τα προσωπικά δεδομένα, θέλουν πάντα πολύ μάζεμα), τα υπόλοιπα μέλη του σπιτιού έχουν και προσωπικά δικά τους κλπ.
Τα ενεργά (και μη ενεργά αλλά έτοιμα προς χρήση – μου αρέσει να τα ανοιγοκλείνω όταν τα χρειάζομαι τα μη βασικά) docker containers είναι πια αρκετά (σχεδόν 40), η υποδομή εξακολουθεί να βασίζεται σε NethServer (σε αναμονή για NS8 ή αν εμφανιστεί κάτι καλύτερο free, που από ότι έχω δει, δεν περιμένω κάτι).
Ουσιαστικά ότι στο part 4 εμφανίζεται σαν εκκρεμότητα, έχει κλείσει. Κυρίως έχει κλείσει με λύση (ακόμα και καλύτερη από ότι σχεδίαζα), αν και 2-3 non-critical απλά δεν ασχολήθηκα ποτέ.
Δε θα μπω σε παραπάνω λεπτομέρειες. Αν ενδιαφέρει κανέναν, ρωτάει συγκεκριμένα.

Γενικά τη λύση UNRAID + NethServer τη συνιστώ τόσο πολύ, που έχει μπει και σε πελάτη πια. Υπόψη ότι π΄άντα φροντίζω να μαθαίνω (και να δοκιμάζω σε VM) τις εξελίξεις “ανταγωνισμού” στα δυο αυτά προϊόντα, αλλά δεν έχω βρει κάτι ακόμα να με κάνει να πω ότι θα αλλάξω κάτι.

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