Thread

Recreating Voodoo Graphics and a Late-1990s Gaming PC on an FPGA

190 points · 59 comments · zdw

jumploops · 1789532201 · focus · HN ↗
In case it's helpful to anyone, MiSTer is a project[0] that recreates classic computers and video game consoles on hardware.
What do I mean by hardware?
Rather than emulating the device in software, which can cause various issues (especially related to timing), by mapping the actual device logic to a field programmable gate array (FPGA), you can achieve an "exact" replica of the hardware.
It's a super cool project, and I highly recommend checking it out if you have an interest in old machines (Apple II, Commodore 64, etc.).
[0]<a href="https://mister-devel.github.io/MkDocs_MiSTer/" rel="nofollow">https://mister-devel.github.io/MkDocs_MiSTer/
1. mitxela · 1789552107 · focus · HN ↗
  "exact" is still in quotation marks because things like open bus behavior still have to be explicitly simulated. It's still a very accurate simulator, not an exact replica - much more accurate than most fast software simulators can be, though.
  1. ahartmetz · 1789594169 · focus · HN ↗
    Worth noting that timing-exact emulation is for, more or less, less than 32 bit consoles. The timing of newer hardware is so unpredictable that nothing can reasonably rely on details, which is just as well: it would probably not be possible to emulate it precisely at an acceptable speed.
    PCs have been "unpredictable" like that almost since the beginning due to hardware variation, so emulating timings isn't much of a problem for emulators, as is the case in the featured article.

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