Analogue's Mega Sg |OT| The Hardcore Uprising - Maybe You Should Play Checkers Instead?

JustinH · May 7, 2019

ShinJohnpv said:
I'm actually kind of surprised with how few post launch firmware updates there have been. It felt like with the Super NT, in the first month or two it was like every other day then ever other week there was an update.

I've been hoping the ability to dump roms from carts would be added since I got a Mega SG like you can with the Super NT and I think the NT mini. I guess that's not too important to me anymore since I ordered a Retrode in the last week, but I'd still like the console to be able to do that.

SoH · May 7, 2019

Super Nt got firmware updates for about 2 months after launch so still a reasonable chance we'll see more.

Then again Sg launched 2 months later, which means if they want the next thing out before end of fiscal year then they may already be on to the next thing.

Lakeside · May 7, 2019

SmiteOfHand said:
Super Nt got firmware updates for about 2 months after launch so still a reasonable chance we'll see more.

Then again Sg launched 2 months later, which means if they want the next thing out before end of fiscal year then they may already be on to the next thing.

Well if they don't support their work then hopefully their stuff will stop selling until they do.

mute · May 7, 2019

SmiteOfHand said:
Super Nt got firmware updates for about 2 months after launch so still a reasonable chance we'll see more.

Then again Sg launched 2 months later, which means if they want the next thing out before end of fiscal year then they may already be on to the next thing.

Not sure if a company of Analogue's size cares about aligning to fiscal years. Also if we can expect the next one in the same time frame.

SoH · May 7, 2019

mute said:
Not sure if a company of Analogue's size cares about aligning to fiscal years. Also if we can expect the next one in the same time frame.

Perhaps. In any case they appear to like dropping in that window.

Nt Mini ----- January 2017
Super Nt -- February 2018
Mega Sg -- March 2019

ThorHammerstein · May 7, 2019

SmiteOfHand said:
Super Nt got firmware updates for about 2 months after launch so still a reasonable chance we'll see more.

Then again Sg launched 2 months later, which means if they want the next thing out before end of fiscal year then they may already be on to the next thing.

Are there any major issues to be resolved on NT or SG? I hadn't heard of any remaining.

ShinJohnpv · May 7, 2019

I see alot of people wanting a change to the scalines in 1080p. I don't remember why, I don't use scanlines myself.

ThorHammerstein · May 7, 2019

ShinJohnpv said:
I see alot of people wanting a change to the scalines in 1080p. I don't remember why, I don't use scanlines myself.

That was an issue I actually recall.
I thought these major issues were related to games not working properly.

Aeana · May 7, 2019

Yes, there are major issues on the Mega Sg. Check here: https://github.com/SmokeMonsterPacks/Mega-Sg-Jailbreak/issues

Many games don't work at all right now, plus the sound bugs I mentioned earlier.

Proteus · May 7, 2019

SmiteOfHand said:
Perhaps. In any case they appear to like dropping in that window.

Nt Mini ----- January 2017
Super Nt -- February 2018
Mega Sg -- March 2019

Turbo PC — April 2020
Believe.

Also, they still have the roll out of the adapters for Mega SG this year.

Shaneus · May 7, 2019

Aeana said:
Yes, there are major issues on the Mega Sg. Check here: https://github.com/SmokeMonsterPacks/Mega-Sg-Jailbreak/issues

Many games don't work at all right now, plus the sound bugs I mentioned earlier.

If this is supposedly emulating the MD 100% accurately, I wonder why these bugs are popping up? And if they also appear on other FPGA MD/Genesis reproductions (specifically the MISTer, obviously).

Costa · May 8, 2019

Yeah the scanlines have been an issue for 1080p, which is why I run these at 720p. Both the Super NT and Mega SG also have a problem where the top line is not being rendered. This is most noticeable on the GameGear core; if you do 5x scale at 720p, it is misaligned even though it should fill up the screen.

TheWraith · May 8, 2019

Vinchenz said:
Yeah the scanlines have been an issue for 1080p, which is why I run these at 720p. Both the Super NT and Mega SG also have a problem where the top line is not being rendered. This is most noticeable on the GameGear core; if you do 5x scale at 720p, it is misaligned even though it should fill up the screen.

For those that didn't know this yet for both the Mega SG and Super NT: Witht 720p if you set height at 719 instead, scanlines appear normal and look absolutely great. Hope this gets fixed in the next firmware upgrade though.

AaronMT · May 12, 2019

Is Firmware 4.5 due out soon? Does Analog publish on Github?

ShinJohnpv · May 12, 2019

Analogue does not publish on github, their firmwares are not open source. As far as when the next one is going to release you'd have to ask them on twitter or something like that.

thegaminghubby · May 13, 2019

TheWraith said:
For those that didn't know this yet for both the Mega SG and Super NT: Witht 720p if you set height at 719 instead, scanlines appear normal and look absolutely great. Hope this gets fixed in the next firmware upgrade though.

Wow, didn't know about this, makes a hell of a difference. 👍🏿

ThorHammerstein · May 13, 2019

TheWraith said:
For those that didn't know this yet for both the Mega SG and Super NT: Witht 720p if you set height at 719 instead, scanlines appear normal and look absolutely great. Hope this gets fixed in the next firmware upgrade though.

I'm gonna try this (on the weekend maybe) but, I'm presuming that this trick doesn't work for 1080p, does it?

TheWraith · May 13, 2019

ThorHammerstein said:
I'm gonna try this (on the weekend maybe) but, I'm presuming that this trick doesn't work for 1080p, does it?

Nope only in 720p, hopes this gets fixed on both consoles in a coming firmware update!

ThorHammerstein · May 14, 2019

TheWraith said:
Nope only in 720p, hopes this gets fixed on both consoles in a coming firmware update!

Thx for the confirmation. Still gonna try this to see the difference. ;)

Deleted member 21080 · May 14, 2019

ThorHammerstein said:
Thx for the confirmation. Still gonna try this to see the difference. ;)

I tried this some weeks ago when I first read about it on Twitter (I guess FirebrandX mentioned it?) and it is indeed a change for the better when using 720p and scanlines.

ThorHammerstein · May 14, 2019

Cron said:
I tried this some weeks ago when I first read about it on Twitter (I guess FirebrandX mentioned it?) and it is indeed a change for the better when using 720p and scanlines.

Nice to see it's working. How does it compare to your CRT's scanlines?

Deleted member 21080 · May 14, 2019

ThorHammerstein said:
Nice to see it's working. How does it compare to your CRT's scanlines?

Which CRT? :D

Edit: But even without possibility to compare it with an actual CRT, I can still say that it is the best way for me to get proper scanlines on my 4K TV.

ThorHammerstein · May 14, 2019

Cron said:
Which CRT? :D

Edit: But even without possibility to compare it with an actual CRT, I can still say that it is the best way for me to get proper scanlines on my 4K TV.

Well, we don't have that HDMI to CRT converter from Analog yet, so how does a Gen/MD, on your preferred CRT of course ;), look compared to your 4K with the scanline 719 settings?

Deleted member 21080 · May 15, 2019

ThorHammerstein said:
Well, we don't have that HDMI to CRT converter from Analog yet, so how does a Gen/MD, on your preferred CRT of course ;), look compared to your 4K with the scanline 719 settings?

I find it hard to compare between CRT and 4K/HD in general. Let's say I'm very happy how it looks when using 719 heigth on 720p resolution and it 'feels right'. :)

ThorHammerstein · May 15, 2019

Cron said:
I find it hard to compare between CRT and 4K/HD in general. Let's say I'm very happy how it looks when using 719 heigth on 720p resolution and it 'feels right'. :)

Gotta make time to play & check it out :D
Though I must say, it's hard to go back to CRTs knowing how nice it is to play 16-bit games on a big TV (I won't give up the CRTs though).

grandmastashi · May 15, 2019

Does anyone know if they plan to add a rom dumper to the Mega SG like the Super NT? It's a super convenient feature on the NT.

Sebion · May 17, 2019

Got myself a Sega CD today. It works, but I can't seem to get the CD audio to work. I can hear it only when I'm using the analogue stereo output on the Sega CD itself. I have checked the box for cartridge/CD audio output in the settings of the Analogue and headphone volume is also not set to zero.

Sebion · May 18, 2019

Well, never mind I found the solution. I was using the original audio connection cable connecting the SG to the Sega CD. Once I removed it, it worked flawlessly.

Sebion said:
Got myself a Sega CD today. It works, but I can't seem to get the CD audio to work. I can hear it only when I'm using the analogue stereo output on the Sega CD itself. I have checked the box for cartridge/CD audio output in the settings of the Analogue and headphone volume is also not set to zero.

Rydeen · May 20, 2019

Any word on when the adapters are supposed to be out, particularly for the Game Gear? They've been posting videos of GG games running off the Mega SG on their official Twitter and Instagram feeds, but I haven't heard a date yet.

El_TigroX · May 20, 2019

Sebion said:
Well, never mind I found the solution. I was using the original audio connection cable connecting the SG to the Sega CD. Once I removed it, it worked flawlessly.

Just got my Sega CD and hooked it up - get the Sega CD loading music working, but similarly to you, audio CD doesn't play. No audio cables hooked up.

Did you do anything else to make it work?

futurevoid · May 21, 2019

El_TigroX said:
Just got my Sega CD and hooked it up - get the Sega CD loading music working, but similarly to you, audio CD doesn't play. No audio cables hooked up.

Did you do anything else to make it work?

Make sure you go into the settings>audio menu and enable CD audio. You can also set the volume level there.

Armouredpriest · May 22, 2019

Finally got the money together to order me one of these things. Now comes the wait for Tuesday.

Armouredpriest · May 29, 2019

Proteus said:
Turbo PC — April 2020
Believe.

Also, they still have the roll out of the adapters for Mega SG this year.

I'd be onboard with a Turbo PC (or possibly Turbo ST, though I like Turbo PC better).
Let me plug an external USB CD rom to it to play CD Rom/Super CD/Arcade CD games.

Also, I'd pay another 200 for an Analogue Mega SG CD that looked nice sitting under the base Mega SG. I know this is a pipe dream...but let me dream that sweet, sweet dream.

underZ · May 29, 2019

My Mega SG is on the way, incredibly excited to receive it.

I've just received the 8BitDo M30 2.4G controller and I noticed a new firmware update has been released today, changelog:


8BitDo M30 2.4G GamePad_V2.03 & RetroReceiver_V2.01
1.Fix the stability of 2.4 G connections.
2. Keymapping
Xinput
Z-------------------R1
C-------------------R2
L-------------------L1
R-------------------L2
3.Fix 15min Auto-Shutoff

Aeana · Jun 9, 2019

Kevtris was just on a live stream with Smokemonster, and he said there will be an update for the Mega Sg soon. It was long and I didn't watch much of it.

Goddo Hando · Jun 9, 2019

Aeana said:
Kevtris was just on a live stream with Smokemonster, and he said there will be an update for the Mega Sg soon. It was long and I didn't watch much of it.

i watched the whole thing, Kevtris said near the end that the update could be released in a couple of days. Didn't mention anything about any new cores (aside from the intellivision core on the mini nt being finished, but no plans to release it) The update seems to focused mainly on all the audio bugs.

Also, someone asked about the cartridge adapters and kev seemed annoyed by the question--- i'm assuming that means those (at least the game gear one) is still not coming out anytime soon

ThorHammerstein · Jun 9, 2019

Aeana said:
Kevtris was just on a live stream with Smokemonster, and he said there will be an update for the Mega Sg soon. It was long and I didn't watch much of it.

I coulda sworn that they were one in the same. 0.o

Listai · Jun 9, 2019

Goddo Hando said:
Also, someone asked about the cartridge adapters and kev seemed annoyed by the question-

Yeah, he seemed equally annoyed at the questions about the Hidefnes. The last firmware update he released broke Famicom Disk System audio and all he could say is that it will probably be fixed. Shit dude, I get it you're a busy man but if you're not going to work on the project open source it.

Rydeen · Jun 9, 2019

Goddo Hando said:
Also, someone asked about the cartridge adapters and kev seemed annoyed by the question--- i'm assuming that means those (at least the game gear one) is still not coming out anytime soon

That's cute, why is Analogue actively advertising on social media with footage from Game Gear games then if they don't have a release date penciled in for it?

Goddo Hando · Jun 10, 2019

Rydeen said:
That's cute, why is Analogue actively advertising on social media with footage from Game Gear games then if they don't have a release date penciled in for it?

I've noticed every one of their tweets with a game gear gif is being ratio'd with people asking for this.
i guess having the core is better than nothing, but i have a duffle bag full of game gear games i'm dying to plug into my mega sg again as well

Fuzzy · Jun 10, 2019

I blame Analogue for the adapters not being out, not kevtris. He's the "face" in the gaming scene (go ahead and name others at Analogue without looking up their names) and is probably sick of hearing about accessories he really has no control over when or if they'll actually make it to market.

Rydeen · Jun 10, 2019

Goddo Hando said:
i have a duffle bag full of game gear games i'm dying to plug into my mega sg again as well

Same, my Game Gear is so unreliable I don't want to bother messing with it to play these, I want a solution like the Game Gear adapter is supposed to offer.

ThorHammerstein · Jun 10, 2019

It really feels like Analog is pushing Kevtris to do more than one man can handle... at least in the timeframe they're selling.

underZ · Jun 10, 2019

A new firmware is update available, fairly substantial changelog. I'm interested to see how the new scanline options fare.

Firmware update notes

v4.5 notes:

- Player 2 controller can run the menu if it is a 3 or 6 button controller, and player 1 controller is not a 3 or 6 button controller.
- Different size font files are supported. If the file is 1K or larger, the first 32 characters are cut off.
- DVI Mode was added.
- Fixed scaler bug where the top scanline or two might not be visible.
- Scanlines have been totally redone. There are now more options to tweak and width is now adjustable.

(gen/md)
- fixed CD games that regressed in previous fw
- Some graphic issues on Mickey Mania CD and others fixed.
- Fixed bugs with Japanese Sega CDs.
- Silpheed and Vay bugs fixed.
- Popful Mail "CPU ERROR" fixed.
- CD bus timing improvements.
- Pier Solar cartridge + audio CD works and tested on US model 1, US model 2, and Japanese CD units.
- Added an option to automatically enable CD audio when CD unit plugged in.
- Fixed FM sound bug on Streets of Rage percussion on certain tracks.
- Fixed PSG sound bug (Phantasy Star IV).
- CRAM dots option added.
- X-Men 2 random character select on start is now random.

(sms)
- SMS Cropping setting added to crop the left side when a game used left cut.
- Fixed PSG sound bug (Alex Kidd in Miracle World).
- CRAM dots option added.
- VDP palette option added to select SMS or original TMS9918a palette for video modes 0-3.
- All 240 scanlines are now visible. Before, only 239 were visible.

Kaworu · Jun 10, 2019

All that sounds cool. I really wanna see the new scanlines!

futurevoid · Jun 10, 2019

Hopefully the jailbresk isn't too far behind.

SoH · Jun 10, 2019

I had all of like 30 seconds to tweak these, so take them as nothing more, but looks like a good update with a proper pass at tweaking them I am sure you can get much better results. 1080p

futurevoid · Jun 10, 2019

Feel free to share the settings.:)

SoH · Jun 11, 2019

Keep in mind we'll probably have to redo setup in a day or two with the jailbreak :p

1080p, 5X
Disable V Interpolation

Hybrid Scanlines: ON
Hybrid Depth: 8
Width: 24
Sub-Brightness: 255

If you are going to tweak the Depth / Width make sure there are some pure white pixel clusters as very bright colors will be the most heavily impact in hybrid. Sonic's eye makes a good spot to check while having a variety of bright colors around to compare. You can see how big the difference between the dark brown in the back ground cliff is in terms of thickness compared to the bright greens, blues, and whites. It is a tough balance to walk, adjust to your preference.

Drop Sub-Brightness if you want softer scanlines. 225 will still be dark but give a very slight glow. 180-200 if you want soft. 140-160 if you want extremely soft. Below that is almost pointless, lol

Tweak width if you want them thicker or thinner. 8-16 if you want very thick scanlines. 30-36 for thin.

Turn on advanced mode and go into Color.

Adjust the RGB slider to 1.10 - 1.20 to brighten things up from the darkening effect of the scanlines. Depends on how you adjusted things above.

Skewed slightly thinner here. Note what it does to Sonic's eye and hand. The greys in the hand look incredibly harsh up close but backing up away from the screen it blends a bit better.

SoH · Jun 12, 2019

Jailbreak is up for the latest patch.

GitHub - SmokeMonsterPacks/Mega-Sg-Jailbreak: Custom "Jailbreak" firmware for the Analogue Mega Sg

Custom "Jailbreak" firmware for the Analogue Mega Sg - SmokeMonsterPacks/Mega-Sg-Jailbreak

github.com

Analogue's Mega Sg |OT| The Hardcore Uprising - Maybe You Should Play Checkers Instead?

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