Super SD System 3

[Keith Courage]

I'm really tempted to sell off my TG-16 + Turbo CD combo for this and a PCE Core Grafx.

I'm struggling with a similar idea myself. Not so much to sell some stuff and make some money. Just because it would make things so dam convenient having the entire library of games at your finger tips.

[Nexus7]

I know it would have been a lot more work, but they should have just gone for a 100% replication of the PCE/PC-CD system via FPGA.  This device is still cool, but I'm waiting for someone to make a proper FPGA clone with 1080p out via HDMI.

[VmprHntrD]

I just snapped up a Core Grafx from Japan to get back into this.  I'm strongly considering this thing given I just want to have some fun and not go broke at the same time.

20 years ago I bought a Duo but it has been gone due to loss for over a dozen years now, and I really enjoyed the HuCards but some CDs were just fantastic so this really caught my eye.

One thing that I've noticed it appears they don't accept paypal which is a problem unless I'm missing something?

[grendelrt]

I just snapped up a Core Grafx from Japan to get back into this.  I'm strongly considering this thing given I just want to have some fun and not go broke at the same time.

20 years ago I bought a Duo but it has been gone due to loss for over a dozen years now, and I really enjoyed the HuCards but some CDs were just fantastic so this really caught my eye.

One thing that I've noticed it appears they don't accept paypal which is a problem unless I'm missing something?

They probably don't take paypal because of issues with freezing accounts. Plenty of stories of accounts being frozen when they have lots of activity, I think Darksoft even had the issue with one of his releases.

My Core Grafx II comes today, this is going to replace my Turbo Duo that I have repaired 3x so far for bad caps and traces haha. I think the first thing I am going to play is Lords and Gates of Thunder with the volume adjustment on the background music.

[Medic_wheat]

Hmm I am tempted. The price point doesn’t seem to bad considering all it can do.


I like it does RGB but almost want to hold off to see if they do a verson that also supports HDMI.

I have found I am going very much in be HDMI phase as of late.

[Black Tiger]

Built-in upscalers in consoles give them a limited shelf life and compromise image quality. It's also much more expensive than using a single quality upscaler.  If you don't just replace your 720/1080p outputting 240p-based hardware in five years with an 8k mod with XYZ connection, you'll likely be using an upscaler anyway. Only instead of uscaling in integers directly from 240p, you'll be rounding up from upscaled rounded up resolutions.

You also lose out on the value of being able to use them on crt screens.



I have no interest in an all-in one fake console. My last few phones have all had a good PC Engine emulator and hdmi output (and Wii remote support). A simulated PCE would have to be $50 to be worthwhile even just as a gimmick.

[VmprHntrD]

Factoring out the free games angle with it, the price is very well set for it given how many systems on that FPGA setup or whatevers going on in there under the hood is allowing for.  Then it also doubles as a big fat non battery waiting to die memory storage too for save games, and it has a few other uses too.  It's a real solid option, and the total lack of moving parts you get with those disc systems known to be problematic on top of the ratty caps issues it just makes sense.  It's just $200US~ more than an everdrive that just handles HuCards alone.

[Medic_wheat]

To clarify I meant one with both options. HDMI and RGB.

As I still have a few CRTs. But when I travel to visit family I depend on clone systems to connect to modern HDMI only tvs.

This is usually because I am trying to turn on brother in law or friends in my home town into the latest retro thingy I am playing.

It’s semi successfully. However I have found most people who do not nostagia all over retro gamines despot havjng growing up in the systems era preffernace to emulate off a computer.

[waiwainl]

I know it would have been a lot more work, but they should have just gone for a 100% replication of the PCE/PC-CD system via FPGA.  This device is still cool, but I'm waiting for someone to make a proper FPGA clone with 1080p out via HDMI.

Why not use an upscaler? There are very good ones these days. Usable for all your older consoles.

[Necromancer]

Cost.  HDMI is fairly cheap to add compared to the cost of a good (reliable and low latency) stand alone upscaler.

[Black Tiger]

Cost.  HDMI is fairly cheap to add compared to the cost of a good (reliable and low latency) stand alone upscaler.

HDMI is just an incidental part of what people are actually paying a lot of money for, which is a dedicated upscaler, often bundled with misc fpga hardware, for each console. From what've seen for the prices of having 1080p hdmi mods done to hardware you provide (theoretically cheaper than buying pre-modded hardware), you could buy a framemeister for the cost of two "hdmi" mods or less.

Game-Tech's current price to do the hdmi mod to the NES you provide and pay separately to ship both ways is $220.

[Necromancer]

I assumed HDMI could be added to the FPGA hardware fairly cheaply, using the FPGA to do all the scaling and not requiring any additional upscaler equipment at all.  I don't even pretend to know all the specs and capabilities, though, so maybe that's not even remotely possible.

The original system isn't being modded in any case, so that's not really relevant.

[waiwainl]

Cost.  HDMI is fairly cheap to add compared to the cost of a good (reliable and low latency) stand alone upscaler.

Problem is that the quality than depends on the implementation of the used upscale HW/SW. While the generic upscaler is dedicated to that purpose.

Though not sure why you would play it on HDMI in the first place.

[Necromancer]

Though not sure why you would play it on HDMI in the first place.

Because I already have multiple "real" systems to play on a CRT, I'd only blow hundreds of dollars on yet another system if it did something I can't already do*.  I want a system that'd look good hooked up to the LCD in the living room.

* - my system can't play ISOs directly, of course, but it has no problem playing CDRs.

[Gypsy]

Though not sure why you would play it on HDMI in the first place.

Because I already have multiple "real" systems to play on a CRT, I'd only blow hundreds of dollars on yet another system if it did something I can't already do*.  I want a system that'd look good hooked up to the LCD in the living room.

* - my system can't play ISOs directly, of course, but it has no problem playing CDRs.

At that price point you might as well just get a good multi-purpose external scaler. Especially if you watch a lot older physical movie formats (I know most of the kids use netflix now). That's what I'd do anyway.