RetroUSB AVS - HDMI NES implemented on a FPGA!

[zaphod]

I've had tvs that lagged upscaling 720 to 1080p. totally ruils digital pinball gmes that don't output 1080p on the PS3 platform. (the 360 has a fasy scaler so it can keep outputting native 1080p) i like to think that newer tvs have this fixed, but it can still happen.

Of course some TVs lag when presented dolby digital on the HDMI, an dthat's the usual cause nowadays of really bad lag that's not on all games.

Seeing as many NES games require fast response, I simply will not trust a 720p solution unless i got a 720p display.

[ZellSF]

I've had tvs that lagged upscaling 720 to 1080p. totally ruils digital pinball gmes that don't output 1080p on the PS3 platform. (the 360 has a fasy scaler so it can keep outputting native 1080p) i like to think that newer tvs have this fixed, but it can still happen

Have you tried comparing the same version of the game on the same version of the system and found there to be less lag with 1080p?

You mentioned both the 360 and PS3 so it's a bit confusing, you can't compare input lag across those two platforms and conclude with the TV upscaling being slow.

[RGB32E]

RetroUSB demonstrated their final pre-production samples of the AVS this weekend at the 2015 Portland Retro Gaming Expo! The release date for this console is drawing near..!

Picture Album - http://imgur.com/a/GNSYL

[Bahn Yuki]

RetroUSB demonstrated their final pre-production samples of the AVS this weekend at the 2015 Portland Retro Gaming Expo! The release date for this console is drawing near..!

Picture Album - http://imgur.com/a/GNSYL

I was looking at this at the expo. It looked quite nice and the build quality felt Solid. The makers assured me that this would be just like actual hardware

[BONKERS]

Looking mighty polished there! I should've gone, i'm just a few hours south of Portland.

[RGB32E]

Looking mighty polished there! I should've gone, i'm just a few hours south of Portland.

You should have! Every year PRGE gets bigger and better! Make sure you can attend PRGE 2016!

Plus, you missed this!

[BONKERS]

ahahaha that's amazing.

[kamiboy]

Capital design and concept. But I cannot help but feel a new NES revision that might potentially have bugs and need updates is contrary to some of the spirit that makes older generation gaming so attractive.

[creamygarlicdip]

if its just running through emulation,why would anyone really want one? you could just use a pc instead.

[kamiboy]

FPGA is not emulation, and the only thing PC's are good for is work, inelegant rubbish for anything else.

[Pasky]

FPGA is not emulation, and the only thing PC's are good for is work, inelegant rubbish for anything else.

Yes it is. The difference is you can get very accurate because you don't have to software emulate bus speeds, so getting cycle accurate is trivial. I think it's great and can't wait to buy one.

[BazookaBen]

whoops, nevermind

[Pasky]

Does anyone really expect RetroUSB to have the knowledge and manpower to fully reproduce the NES on a FPGA? I mean, their primary business is cheap A/V cables and gamepads.

You're joking right?

I suggest you read up a bit more on who bunnyboy is.

[BazookaBen]

whoops, was thinking of Retrobit. No clue about RetroUSB

[Pasky]

Ya I thought for a moment you were mistaking him with RetroRGB but he doesn't do controllers...or av cables?

[RGB32E]

Here are pictures of the AVS brochure from PRGE2015. It is my understanding that RetroUSB had originally planned to launch the system at the show for the 30th anniversary of the NES in the US (read "Today"). There's always Christmas!

[Fudoh]

Did they mention a price tag ?

[RGB32E]

Did they mention a price tag ?

Under $200. Nothing official yet.

[keropi]

looks really nice!

[Strider77]

Where is the Famicom port?

[eightbitminiboss]

Where is the Famicom port?

It's vertical loading, so the slot is under where the NES cartridge would be.

[RGB32E]

AVS is up for preorder:

http://www.retrousb.com/index.php?cPath ... d201df5f5e

[tacoboy42]

AVS is up for preorder:

http://www.retrousb.com/index.php?cPath ... d201df5f5e

Got my pre-order in, been waiting a long time for this day.

[lettuce]

Shame they didnt manage to sort out a distribution center to ship out from Europe, shipping from the US to UK is going to get expensive after import tax and what not

[BazookaBen]

Jeremey Parish published an article on this system:

http://www.usgamer.net/articles/preorde ... rest-of-us

I can't help but be a little disappointed that he is basically trusting that this FPGA-based console is 100% accurate just because it is technically not an emulator.

But how do we know that Retro USB has the know-how or resources to reproduce a NES cycle-for-cycle on an FPGA? My hunch is that they can't, and we'll see some inaccuracies on this thing at one point or another.

I'd love to hear your opinions on this.

[Kyle]

I'd love to hear your opinions on this.

I agree. I'm sure I will end up with one of these eventually but will wait for impressions. The price isn't too high IMO but it is outside impulse territory.

[leonk]

Advertised as North America's biggest retro swap, the Waterloo Ontario Canada swap this past June had the RetroUSB AVS hooked up and on display.

Given that I have experience with the NESRGB and Hi Def NES, I wanted to see how this thing felt / worked. My review from playing with it for about 15 minutes is as following:

Pro:
- The graphics seemed on par with the Hi Def NES and NESRGB via XRGB mini - all awesome
- I did not experience any lag or issues with color / video quality (keep in mind, the games on display were standard Nintendo licensed games)
- cheapest solution of the 3 consoles

Con:
- The build quality was so-so. The black plastic bezel actually popped out (prototype problem?)
- The on-screen menu can only be accessed on boot up / before the game starts. You can not bring it up on demand (like you can with XRGB mini or Hi Def NES). Once the game starts, it's game over for you to change settings.
- 720p is the max resolution!!!

Yes, folks, in 2016/age of 4K TVs and where a raspberry Pi can output 1080p, the AVS can only do 720p. Heck, even the Retron5 can do 1080p. I think this will be a deal breaker for many people.

[bobrocks95]

Well, you can get an integer scale to 4K from 720p, but so few display manufacturers do this it's kind of a moot point.
I think the menu is the real killer here personally speaking, but not as universal a problem.

A bit concerned on price though- I don't think it's unfair at all, but it doesn't really let it settle into a nice niche. It's $50 more than a Retron 5 so those just wanting an HDMI device that plays NES games won't get it. Its appeal to the crowd with higher quality standards is limited by the hi-def NES, which doesn't cost much more depending on installation pricing ($120 + installation). So I'm kind of curious who it's for. People concerned about emulation quality are probably already well into the world of console mods, right?

It's an awesome product, just wondering what role it fills. Thoughts?

[leonk]

Lets also not forget this is from the same developer that brought us the PowerPak, where almost 10 years later still does not play every NES game.

The NESRGB is now up to version 1.7 due to issues found along the way. Hi Def NES also is up to 2.25 (I believe that's the latest) due to issues found along the way. When enough people start hammering the AVS, time will tell if Firmware upgrades will come out (and how they will be applied) vs community based support (like PowerPak)

[ZellSF]

Well, you can get an integer scale to 4K from 720p, but so few display manufacturers do this it's kind of a moot point.
I think the menu is the real killer here personally speaking, but not as universal a problem.

A bit concerned on price though- I don't think it's unfair at all, but it doesn't really let it settle into a nice niche. It's $50 more than a Retron 5 so those just wanting an HDMI device that plays NES games won't get it. Its appeal to the crowd with higher quality standards is limited by the hi-def NES, which doesn't cost much more depending on installation pricing ($120 + installation). So I'm kind of curious who it's for. People concerned about emulation quality are probably already well into the world of console mods, right?

It's an awesome product, just wondering what role it fills. Thoughts?

People who want none of the audio/video latency overhead of a OS running an emulator. This thing doesn't really compare to the Retron.

Of course the alternatives for people who want that are the Hi-Def NES which is going to be more expensive once you add in installation cost, the price of a NES console, a four score and a cartridge adapter. Potentially less durable too since you would be reusing old parts? You also have NESRGB, but then you need a decent video scaler (200$-ish) and still the additional costs above.

Assume the AVS works as advertised now, what do you get by going with the alternatives? Only thing I can think of is 1080p scaling which is going to less useful as more people get 4K TVs and for most people doesn't look that much better. Is it really worth the extra hassle or price? Especially considering that 1080p isn't exactly perfect with any of the alternatives (NESRGB+scaler = analog, Hi-Def NES = no 5X scale).