Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

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Koa Zo
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Koa Zo »

Has anyone else requested a refund and gotten one?

I requested a refund as soon as I got notification that I'm in the 2023 ship date group. I instantly got a "high volume of email, we'll get to you when we can" automated response.

I understand the holidays and being patient, but it's pretty shitty that they instantly billed my credit card nearly $500 for something that might ship over a year from now, but I have to hold my breath until they get around to giving me my money back.
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Guspaz
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Guspaz »

I don't see any other way they could do it other than charging up-front. When you're dealing with shipping pre-orders up to two years out, the logistics of managing all the pre-orders that by then will have expired or invalid payment information is just untenable, and a small company like them may not have the cash on hand to pay for two years worth of production up front without getting any payments. For that matter, many ecommerce platforms don't even support pre-orders any other way. Shopify doesn't, for example, and that's what they use, or used to use at least.

That said, they should be a bit more on the ball with processing cancellations.
kamiboy
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by kamiboy »

They must really be swamped. Their store is still fully in analogue pocket preorder mode, none of the other products that were listed for sale on there before have come back yet. Granted, the only thing that was actually in stock was their analog output module, and the Mega SG, which is usually in stock. With the pocket being backlogged until 2023 I am doubtful they will have any of their other products back in stock before that date. I mean, they all use the same FPGA at their heart. Too bad, I really would like to get my hand on a Super NT.
fernan1234
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by fernan1234 »

kamiboy wrote:They must really be swamped. Their store is still fully in analogue pocket preorder mode, none of the other products that were listed for sale on there before have come back yet. Granted, the only thing that was actually in stock was their analog output module, and the Mega SG, which is usually in stock. With the pocket being backlogged until 2023 I am doubtful they will have any of their other products back in stock before that date. I mean, they all use the same FPGA at their heart. Too bad, I really would like to get my hand on a Super NT.
I imagine that the main bottle neck for the Pocket's production are some specific components and the screens, not so much the FPGA, so I think it's likely that they'll have stock for their other consoles earlier. The Super NT has always been much less available than the Mega SG, with which it also shares the same FPGA, so the Super NT may also use some specific parts that are harder to source.
kamiboy
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by kamiboy »

Hmmm… I never thought of that way. I guess the SG does fewer exotic components, such as the controller ports just being standard, compared to the unique ones on the Super.
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charlie chong
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by charlie chong »

got hold of one of these sealed off ebay uk for a price cheaper than most of the used ones and it came in one day so i was pleased with that.
since the last firmware loads of arcade and systems have been added
now you can play gb,gbc,gba,nes,snes,game gear,master system,megadrive,pc engine and neo geo cores off the micro sd .
some arcade cores include battle garegga,kingdom grandprix,sorcerer striker,galaga,asteroids,dig dug,silkworm,gemini wing,xevious and green beret to name a few
a couple of cores still in beta are outrun,super hang on and vigilante.
there are also a couple of updater programs that will grab all the console cores (You have to provide your own roms for these and the neo only works with the darksoft set) and arcade cores download the rom as well as the core.
anyways i thought you guys would like to know about this update!
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Lux
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Lux »

How fluid is scrolling with the dock ? Looking at the documentation it seems there is no buffer modes option like on the Mega SG for example, so no Zero delay mode ? Thanks !
kamiboy
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by kamiboy »

I started playing zelda Oracle of ages and noticed that one particular tone used in music in the game, especially noticeable in the main town theme, sounds really harsh to my ears. It sounds so bad and abrasive that I wonder if it is supposed to sound like that or it is a bug somehow.

That tone is used in a few other tracks as well and detracts from the game whenever it appears. I tried to play the track on a real GBC, but the stock audio there is so low I cannot be sure whether the tone sounds bad there as well.

Anyone have similar experiences? Audio emulation is tricky because even perfect emulation of the digital hardware only reproduces the audio prior to any potential analog filtering by capacitors and what have you, after the hardware has generated the audio, but before it is changed by analog filters. Maybe this is the case here, not sure.
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evil_ash_xero
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by evil_ash_xero »

Mine is supposed to come in early next year. Been a long wait.

I was curious if this plays GBA games with a bigger screen than any of Nintendo's official products? I know there's some really interesting off brand stuff.
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cave hermit
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by cave hermit »

evil_ash_xero wrote:Mine is supposed to come in early next year. Been a long wait.

I was curious if this plays GBA games with a bigger screen than any of Nintendo's official products? I know there's some really interesting off brand stuff.
Unfortunately no. The screen's aspect ratio matches the original Game Boy/Game Boy Color, so GBA games are letter boxed to about the same display area as an original GBA.
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evil_ash_xero
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by evil_ash_xero »

cave hermit wrote:
evil_ash_xero wrote:Mine is supposed to come in early next year. Been a long wait.

I was curious if this plays GBA games with a bigger screen than any of Nintendo's official products? I know there's some really interesting off brand stuff.
Unfortunately no. The screen's aspect ratio matches the original Game Boy/Game Boy Color, so GBA games are letter boxed to about the same display area as an original GBA.
So, the same size, then?
Steven
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Steven »

evil_ash_xero wrote:
cave hermit wrote:
evil_ash_xero wrote:Mine is supposed to come in early next year. Been a long wait.

I was curious if this plays GBA games with a bigger screen than any of Nintendo's official products? I know there's some really interesting off brand stuff.
Unfortunately no. The screen's aspect ratio matches the original Game Boy/Game Boy Color, so GBA games are letter boxed to about the same display area as an original GBA.
So, the same size, then?
Forgive my super shitty photography skills, but here you go. Pocket on left, stock GBA SP on right:
Spoiler
Image
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evil_ash_xero
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by evil_ash_xero »

Looks nice!
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charlie chong
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by charlie chong »

i only ever had a first gen gameboy advance and it's a hell of a lot better than that.

anyways bakraid and batrider both got released this week and you can play them fine on the pocket (unlike garegga) cos the bullets are so nice and bright(already cleared batrider normal and got to the final stage on bakraid).
then yesterday the cps1 core got released so that is one of the best xmas presents ever.
there's a guy working on the first gen cave cores as well so i might have to send him some loot via patreon.
even the pad is decent. i played some sf alpha (cps changer version) and the supers were coming out with ease.
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charlie chong
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by charlie chong »

new arcade core for slap fight/tiger heli. the develepor got get star running on mister using the same core so i imagine we will get that soon.
got a dock on it's way and some 8 bit do md/saturn style pads as i think once i get that it will become my favourite console yet.
Steven
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Steven »

Oh shit, time to check out my beloved Slap Fight. I hope it's good.
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charlie chong
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by charlie chong »

seems to be pretty decent. i've not got past the 3rd stage yet tho cos i'm very rusty and you should also note that both games are the bootleg versions.a big screen will probably help me conquer it again
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charlie chong
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by charlie chong »

a few new shoot em up cores released for jotego subscribers
extermination(taito)
Exed Exes, Gun Smoke, Legendary Wings, Section Z, Side Arms,Vulgus(capcom)
wonder planet(data east)

other stuff of interest is karnov/chelnov atomic runner core and a wonderswan one (bw&colour)
also pc engine cd core is very close to release
Taiyaki
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Taiyaki »

Honestly the Analog Pocket is the ultimate way to play GB/GBC, but I can't recommend it for GBA. Supposedly it handles Game Gear pretty well though for the most part.
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by evil_ash_xero »

Taiyaki wrote:Honestly the Analog Pocket is the ultimate way to play GB/GBC, but I can't recommend it for GBA. Supposedly it handles Game Gear pretty well though for the most part.
Why do you feel it's not good for GBA?
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Guspaz
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Guspaz »

It's pretty great for GBA, the only objection I could think of might be the L/R buttons not being ideal from an ergonomic standpoint. They're not well positioned.
Steven
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Steven »

The Pocket's dumpster-tier 8BitDooDoo d-pad is significantly worse than even the one on the GBA SP, making wall jumping in Zero Mission way harder than it should be. Basically anything that actually requires some amount of precision is not going to be best on the Pocket.
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Taiyaki »

evil_ash_xero wrote:
Taiyaki wrote:Honestly the Analog Pocket is the ultimate way to play GB/GBC, but I can't recommend it for GBA. Supposedly it handles Game Gear pretty well though for the most part.
Why do you feel it's not good for GBA?
The aspect ratio and fact it can't do a large image properly scaled. The GB and GBC are interger scaled perfectly for full screen. From what I hear Gamegear can do that too with just black bars top and bottom. GBA also suffers more glitches from the reports I've heard. Since the screen ends up being smaller anyway might as well stick to a GBA SP2 imo.
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Guspaz
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Guspaz »

The aspect ratio is correct, and integer scaling is irrelevant when you're talking about these sorts of super high pixel densities. You'd need a magnifying glass to tell the difference between nearest neighbour and bilinear sharp or polyphase scaling at 615 ppi. The Pocket screen displays GBA games slightly larger than the SP. It sounds like you don't have any hands-on experience with the thing, so you might want to hold off on making recommendations based on incorrect information.
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Steven »

Yeah, it looks perfectly fine even though it's not integer scaled; it literally does not matter at all in this case; put it side-by-side with a real GBA and it looks completely identical, just on a much nicer screen. You'd almost certainly need a microscope to tell the difference.

BTW yes, it absolutely can do GBA integer scaling.
Spoiler
Image
You can get a relatively large image integer scaled if you really wanted to, but I don't feel like figuring out screen positioning and stuff since I'm lazy, and also because it doesn't matter, but you can get a 6x integer scale if you really wanted to.

Here you go, 6x integer scale, not centered.
Spoiler
Image
fernan1234
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by fernan1234 »

The real reason to not use it for GBA is because it still doesn't support the correct colors.

Same goes for GBC.

Fantastic GB machine though.
Taiyaki
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Taiyaki »

Guspaz wrote:The aspect ratio is correct, and integer scaling is irrelevant when you're talking about these sorts of super high pixel densities. You'd need a magnifying glass to tell the difference between nearest neighbour and bilinear sharp or polyphase scaling at 615 ppi. The Pocket screen displays GBA games slightly larger than the SP. It sounds like you don't have any hands-on experience with the thing, so you might want to hold off on making recommendations based on incorrect information.
I do. I've had my Analog Pocket for about a year now. I tried GBA games and noticed shimmering so yeah it is noticeable despite the high pixel density. At least that was my experience. I've since stuck to GB and GBC and been delighted. Been replaying a lot of games this way. I don't have the Game Gear adapter yet.
Taiyaki
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Taiyaki »

Steven wrote:Yeah, it looks perfectly fine even though it's not integer scaled; it literally does not matter at all in this case; put it side-by-side with a real GBA and it looks completely identical, just on a much nicer screen. You'd almost certainly need a microscope to tell the difference.

BTW yes, it absolutely can do GBA integer scaling.
Spoiler
Image
You can get a relatively large image integer scaled if you really wanted to, but I don't feel like figuring out screen positioning and stuff since I'm lazy, and also because it doesn't matter, but you can get a 6x integer scale if you really wanted to.

Here you go, 6x integer scale, not centered.
Spoiler
Image
That's what I mean. Once you get it integer scaled the picture is smaller than on a GBA SP2. Ok one can make a point for better comfort for the hands, but personally I'm fond of the GBA SP2 so I have no issues with it.

Not trying to pick a fight. If people are happy with the GBA capabilities of the Pocket that's great. I think for the pickier gamer I can't recommend it is all I was saying. Didn't mean to upset or offend anyone.
Steven
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by Steven »

Well, I think the system is borderline garbage due to having one of the worst d-pads I have ever used, so don't worry about it.
ldeveraux
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Re: Analogue Pocket (FPGA GB/GBC/GBA/NGP/LYNX)

Post by ldeveraux »

Steven wrote:Well, I think the system is borderline garbage due to having one of the worst d-pads I have ever used, so don't worry about it.
Also that price...
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