This is the third blog-post regarding “building a video-game console for (my) kids”. See Part II: chiptune, and Part I: gamepad. Quico We have name: Quico. From now on, I’ll refer to this project as “Quico”: Quico ( /ˈkiko/), short for Kids Console (or Kids Computer) Also, one of the main characters of El Chavo del Ocho Sound Shield I converted the breadboard into “shield” for the MatrixPortal M4. ...
The ideal modern-retro video game console My goal is to build a video game console for (my) kids. I want to teach them programming in a fun way: fun for them… and also fun for me. The video-game console features are: Modern components, with a retro “spirit”. Easy to program, a must. Chosen: Python, in particular CircuitPython Gamepad support: Multiple gamepads at the same time (multiplayer is a must). Chosen: Bluepad32 firmware since it supports all modern Bluetooth gamepads ( see my previous post) “Retro” sound: Chosen: SN76489 (more info down below) “Retro” screen: Chosen: 64x32 LED matrix. Let’s see what we can do in this extremely low-resolution screen. A powerful enough micro-controller: Chosen: Matrix Portal M4, mostly for convenience since it comes with an ARM Cortex M4, ESP32, “expansion port” + header to connect to the matrix LED. It already supports CircuitPython. As a bonus it has an accelerometer. Portability: It should be portable, no need to use an external power supply. In other words, I’m building a Nintendo Switch killer. What will happen next is that Nintendo will run out of business. If this happens, my 7-year-old kid will kill me, since his dream is to be a video game designer at Nintendo… so probably I shouldn’t be that aggressive in my marketing campaign. ...
I’m happy to announce the release of Bluepad32: gamepad support for the ESP32. Bluepad32 is a firmware that runs in the ESP32 microcontroller. It supports all the modern Bluetooth gamepads like Sony (PS5, PS4, PS3), Microsoft (Xbox One S) and Nintendo (Switch, Wii) gamepads. Who is this for? This is for: ...
Unijoysticle 2 Christmas 2019 update, with support for: Nintendo Wii Remote Nintendo Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Wii Remote + Nunchuk extension Nintendo Wii Remote + Classic Controller extension Nintendo Switch Pro controller 8BitDo family: all modes supported (Switch, Windows, Mac, Android). iCade 8-bitty It also supports: ...
In order to create Commando 2084, I had to disassemble Commando. My original intention was to patch what was only needed and stop there. But I got carried away and I ended up analyzing and commenting the entire Commando code. The commented code (that can be recompiled to generate the exact original binary) is here: https://gitlab.com/ricardoquesada/c64-commando-2084/tree/orig Findings - Level 2 Apparently, the original idea was to ship Commando with 4 levels instead of 3. There is a lot of code/data that indicates that a “level 2” (the levels that are shipped with Commando are level 0, 1 and 3) was in progress, or even finished. ...
Commando 2084 is the mix between Commando and Robotron 2084: it is like the original Commando game, but using the Robotron 2084 controls.
Announcing Unijoysticle 2: Use modern Bluetooth controllers (gamepads, mice, smart TV remote controllers) in retro computers like the Commodore 64/128, Atari ST, Amiga and more. For further info go here: /unijoysticle2
A few months ago I got an Atari 1040 STF. I knew nothing about it when I got it, except that it was a similar to the Amiga. The Atari ST, the Amiga and the Macintosh were computers released in the mid 80’s, all of them based on the Motorola 68k, and all of them came with a windows-based GUI. This was a revolutionary step compared to the 8-bit machines which were CLI text-driven. ...
Updated 2018–10–08 A demo for the IBM PCjr by Pungas de Villa Martelli. It was presented at Flashparty 2018 and won the Demo category. Requirements An IBM PCjr with at least 64k RAM. Download Source code: https://github.com/ricardoquesada/64k-ought-to-be-enough Binary: pvm-64ko.zip (does not run on emulators) Technical description The demo is divided in the boot loader and demo 3 parts ...
The Cromemco System Three is a Z-80 based computer. Which is nice, because I always wanted to learn Z-80 (this is my second Z-80 computer, the other one is a MSX2). But what I like about the Cromemco is how well-built it is. I love it. The computer is that not big, but it is a very heavy computer. ...