SHARP X68000 MINI !!!

[CRP]

gsk posted on twi.

Zuiki's big X6000 Z reveal & pre-order commencement, which was scheduled for tomorrow, has been indefinitely postponed—basically, they need more time to solidify the product & meet the expectations shared online & at TGS

https://twitter.com/gosokkyu/status/1578360496914239490

[Steven]

Disappointing that it got delayed, but since I am trying to save money right now, I suppose this is technically a good thing, at least for me.

I REALLY want to see the unreleased X68000 versions of Tatsujin and Same! Same! Same! on there, assuming those can even be found.

[SuperDeadite]

Disappointing that it got delayed, but since I am trying to save money right now, I suppose this is technically a good thing, at least for me.

I REALLY want to see the unreleased X68000 versions of Tatsujin and Same! Same! Same! on there, assuming those can even be found.

Quite sure those were never completed sadly. As for "surprise" releases, my guess is Gradius III, as the port was finished earlier this year (doujin), and has been on
display at conventions, but still not publicly released.

[Bassa-Bassa]

I read elsewhere there's little chance these people have the means to licence basically anything meaningful. So at best, they're trying to code some sort of OS so that the user can somehow load rom images at will. But then, the emulation accuracy needed to play all of them without issues would be so high that it's way beyond their capabilties as well, so expectations should be low.

[Steven]

Zuiki just updated the website.

https://www.zuiki.co.jp/x68000z/

It looks like they are planning on turning this into a sort of community thing or something, but also like the Egret II Mini with its added software over time, if I'm reading this correctly.

[SuperDeadite]

Basically it's a linux box that will boot into a Human68k emulator. The Hacker's Edition will allow full access to the linux kernal where the normal ver will be more of a "boot straight to Human68k emulator" deal. So in the end it's a software emulator. I like the floppy drive style SD slots, but still no info on the back ports.

My main interest is the keyboard. If the keyboard is done well, a full size x68k keyboard for PC emulator usage would be damn nice. But the Mini's software emulation will probably take a few years to match the capabilities of xm6...

I also find it odd that 030 support is planned as a long term goal...

[Marc]

Zuiki just updated the website.

https://www.zuiki.co.jp/x68000z/

It looks like they are planning on turning this into a sort of community thing or something, but also like the Egret II Mini with its added software over time, if I'm reading this correctly.

The added software will also probably be as much of a rip-off.

[cawley1]

This does interest me, but as I own an XVI and a load of original games, maybe I should just let this one pass me by!

Bearing in mind how difficult it will be to license much of the library, maybe they would do best to go with a couple of included games, then leave it fully open so you can add your own...

[DietSoap]

Kinda forgot this was a thing and had to check back on how the crowdfunding did out of morbid curiousity. Turns out it did insanely well, which I have to admit I was not expecting.

https://kibidango.com/2285

[Steven]

I don't remember ever hearing about crowdfunding for this, but at least it is going well. Expensive, and I don't like the fact that backers get (an) unannounced exclusive famous game(s), though.

[waiwainl]

The kickstarter is still not for the final version. This is just for them to do a small production run and allow people to play with it. Based on their feedback the Black version will be produced. That way all unforeseen problems have been resolved.

So, unless you are a collector for mini's. I would skip this version and wait for the Black one in 2023, chances are that it will be cheaper also.

[Steven]

Release date and pricing on the website now. The standard retail edition isn't too expensive, but it does get fairly expensive quickly if you get the other versions. The monitor is cute, but it's tiny (not much bigger than the X68000 Z itself) and makes the set that has the monitor ridiculously expensive.

https://www.zuiki.co.jp/x68000z/black/

Looks like they slightly improved it over the early access and hacker versions, as well, which is cool. Kind of glad I didn't buy one of those now.

So is this thing like an actual computer that I could use for work or whatever if I really wanted to? I hope it is, as that would be pretty fucking awesome.

It looks like it's sold out on Amazon, but it actually just looks that way until you sign in, which reveals that all 3 versions are still available as of this post. Tentatively preordered the basic pack with the keyboard and mouse. I may cancel since that's a stupid amount of cash to spend on an emulator box, but I'll see how it goes.

As for this

backers get (an) unannounced exclusive famous game(s)

It was Gradius and Chou Ren Sha 68k version 1.10 SD cards. Gradius is here on an SD card that is included with every version of this (so much for that being exclusive) and the ROM for Chou Ren Sha 68k 1.10 is available now and I highly doubt that you won't be able to put it on here somehow, so... backers didn't actually get any exclusive games? Uh... okay. If that's how it is, then I guess this is just a straight upgrade over the crowdfunding ones.

[SuperDeadite]

Release date and pricing on the website now. The standard retail edition isn't too expensive, but it does get fairly expensive quickly if you get the other versions. The monitor is cute, but it's tiny (not much bigger than the X68000 Z itself) and makes the set that has the monitor ridiculously expensive.

https://www.zuiki.co.jp/x68000z/black/

Looks like they slightly improved it over the early access and hacker versions, as well, which is cool. Kind of glad I didn't buy one of those now.

So is this thing like an actual computer that I could use for work or whatever if I really wanted to? I hope it is, as that would be pretty fucking awesome.

It looks like it's sold out on Amazon, but it actually just looks that way until you sign in, which reveals that all 3 versions are still available as of this post. Tentatively preordered the basic pack with the keyboard and mouse. I may cancel since that's a stupid amount of cash to spend on an emulator box, but I'll see how it goes.

As for this

backers get (an) unannounced exclusive famous game(s)

It was Gradius and Chou Ren Sha 68k version 1.10 SD cards. Gradius is here on an SD card that is included with every version of this (so much for that being exclusive) and the ROM for Chou Ren Sha 68k 1.10 is available now and I highly doubt that you won't be able to put it on here somehow, so... backers didn't actually get any exclusive games? Uh... okay. If that's how it is, then I guess this is just a straight upgrade over the crowdfunding ones.

I feel its still way overpriced considering the state if its emulation. No 16mhz, no MIDI, no HDD. Only supports 2hd images so a lot of cool late doujins don't work. Also only one image per sd card. So want to play Strider? You need 3 sd cards.... XD

You just know they will announce an XVI version later so people buy another one.

Also I find it really odd that there are no specs on that monitor. Even the Zoom Pack 1 does not list what games are included, or even how many.

I'd assume it's the older games that don't support MIDI. So look forward to the awful Genocide 1.

[Steven]

On the stream just now they said it's a 5 inch monitor (HDMI only), and the games are Phalanx and Genocide. Yeah, that's it.

https://www.youtube.com/live/PPcmq8xCkDk

Supposedly it's better than the crowdfunding versions, but I guess we will see.

[SuperDeadite]

5 inches? Totally not buying that lol. Genocide 1 sucks monkey balls. Phalanx is better than the SFC version, but still not great. It does support MT32 MIDI, maybe they'll actually add that by September...

Those ultra cheap Chinese USB-MIDI cables all use the same driver, they could so easily just write a driver for the Z, but have yet to even mention it.

[Steven]

The monitor is really stupid. Considering that the set with the monitor costs just under 20000 yen more than the set without the monitor, you can use that extra 20000 yen to get a monitor that is bigger and probably better, but I think it's likely that pretty much everyone who buys the X68000 Z already has some sort of HDMI display.

It looks like BEEP is publishing games for this thing, including... Geograph Seal? Hell yeah, that's cool. Looks like they are doing every game Exact released for the X68000.

BEEP is so good. Everyone who likes old computers and whatever REALLY needs to go there when they go to Akiba. I love that little store so much.

[SuperDeadite]

Geograph Seal with no MIDI makes me sad. Also later stages are basically unplayable at 10mhz.

My biggest issue with the Z is the lack of future info, like if they said MIDI and 16mhz is coming, I'd buy. But I think it's more likely they will do an XVI version, so better to wait...

Also, MegaDrive MINI 2 has full Cyberstick support (both the new USB and the og versions). But again no word on adding support to the Z. The Cyberstick was created for the X68000 port of Afterburner...

Just too many questions for an insanely priced linux box.

Hopefully XM6 will get ported to it eventually lol.

[m.sniffles.esq]

BEEP is so good. Everyone who likes old computers and whatever REALLY needs to go there when they go to Akiba

Allow me to second that
That place is wild

[Steven]

Preorder cancelled. I don't think this thing is worth this price.

[alamone]

It looks like BEEP is publishing games for this thing, including... Geograph Seal? Hell yeah, that's cool. Looks like they are doing every game Exact released for the X68000.

If you're talking about the EXACT Perfect Collection 1990-1994, that's actually for OG X68ks as it comes on floppy disks (5.25 or 3.5). Well, it's sold out now anyways - I preordered the 3.5 version a while ago as it was the only one still available. It comes with Naious, Aquales, Etoile Princesse and Geograph Seal.

Preorder cancelled. I don't think this thing is worth this price.

I have to agree - who is this for? Hardcore X68k people want something better than just an emulation box, like a FPGA, but that's not going to be done by some mass market company. Casuals would be OK with an emulation box, but not at the asking price. If you're OK with emulation, you're better off just using your PC or a RasPi. If you want something better, a MiSTer is an option, but the core still needs work. If you're a purist, get original hardware - you can get a working system for less than the "complete set" they're selling. This feels like one of those mini cabinets - more of a display piece than something you actually use. That 5" "CRT" just adds to the whole "display piece on my retro gaming shelf" rather than an actual serious device. But of course this is just my opinion - if you like it, more power to you...

[Steven]

It looks like BEEP is publishing games for this thing, including... Geograph Seal? Hell yeah, that's cool. Looks like they are doing every game Exact released for the X68000.

If you're talking about the EXACT Perfect Collection 1990-1994, that's actually for OG X68ks as it comes on floppy disks (5.25 or 3.5). Well, it's sold out now anyways - I preordered the 3.5 version a while ago as it was the only one still available. It comes with Naious, Aquales, Etoile Princesse and Geograph Seal.

They are actually releasing that set specifically for the X68000 Z as well, and it's going to be out sometime this winter, although there is no specific date yet.

You might still be able to get the 5 inch set, though, as BEEP does restock sometimes. That's how I got my X68000 Cotton; it's the reprint version that BEEP published a few years ago, and I bought the 5 inch version when they got a few extras in one day. I hope they do restock the 5 inch set for this, as I'd like to get this one as well.

I have to agree - who is this for? Hardcore X68k people want something better than just an emulation box, like a FPGA, but that's not going to be done by some mass market company. Casuals would be OK with an emulation box, but not at the asking price. If you're OK with emulation, you're better off just using your PC or a RasPi. If you want something better, a MiSTer is an option, but the core still needs work. If you're a purist, get original hardware - you can get a working system for less than the "complete set" they're selling. This feels like one of those mini cabinets - more of a display piece than something you actually use. That 5" "CRT" just adds to the whole "display piece on my retro gaming shelf" rather than an actual serious device. But of course this is just my opinion - if you like it, more power to you...

Yeah, it's weird and expensive and kind of pointless, and yet the crowdfunding went to over 1000% of the target or something crazy like that. I don't really get it, but there is definitely some sort of demand for this specific product.

If it was like an actual computer that you could connect to the internet and do some work on it or something like that then I could understand it; use it to do your work or whatever and then when you are done you can pull up a brand-new custom X68000 emulator that's better than any other X68000 emulator out there and play some X68000 games. Of course, there wouldn't be a specific reason to choose it over a regular modern computer other than that it's cool, but as it is right now it's not really all that useful.

I have been thinking about getting a real X68000 for about 5 years or so, but the price of the computer has prevented me from getting one. It's about 100,000 yen for I think just the X68000 XVI over at BEEP, but I'd have to go check. Maybe that's with the mouse and keyboard as well, but I am not sure. It's BEEP, so they will probably have done some repairs, so I guess that sort of justifies part of the cost.