That’s exactly how I use my MiSTer. 
Now that you’ve found controllers that will work with it! I don’t have time for that faff. 
Perhaps I’m lucky but MiSTer has had no problems with absolutely every USB controller, arcade stick or adapter I have thrown at it.
MiSTer is also far less hassle on the controller setup side of things compared to Retroarch, especially when it comes to saving multiple controller profiles, mappings per core and how it handles having more than one pad connected at a time.
I used to be a hardcore devotee of original controllers, but as time has went on and new options have gotten better, I don’t mind as much.
Of course Raphnet adapters are there if you still want original controllers, but for me (who mostly plays SEGA and arcade stuff) a M30 or Retrobit Saturn pad cover almost all of my needs. I just use an Xbox controller or (rarely) an arcade stick for anything else.
I also have a Buffalo pad for SNES, which I’d give 4/5 stars. What I may do in the future is get an adapter for the SNES classic controllers to use with USB.
Sold out.
Next year a plastic version for $200. GG
Anyway, lets see if I am right.
The way I am starting to feel now is a bit different than I felt a few years ago. I pretty much only want to use MiSTer or real hardware. I think i am suddenly more open to the Polymega (or my own micro pc doing the exact same thing). I really don’t see the benefit of Analogue outside the use of my real carts especially with save states and other features that emulation can do. If I want the “real experience” it really is me on my crt with my real hardware and controllers.
I really wanted to make sure I was prepared for a life after my CRTs no longer worked and Analogue filled a gap in my set-up where I was struggling to get the OSSC to work (the way I wanted it to) with my 4K, specifically with NES & SNES. Those consoles were my two hardest to get working via the OSSC. I think as products they are wonderful and if the owner saw fit to have Kevtris continue to work on them (and pay him for it) to keep these machines working right and adding new features I would sing the praises. But since Analogue largely abandons their previous hardware support after a few months its hard for me to really support them in the way i am currently supporting MiSTer.
I back a lot of the developers who work on MiSTer and if Kevtris said, he would add features to the analogue products if I backed him on patreon, I would. It takes money and effort and I feel he should be compensated.
I’m honestly surprised it took that long. Like I thought it would be sold out before I got out of the shower after seeing it was live, what with the price the older units go for on the aftermarket.
I’ve been the first to knock Analogue’s approach to a lot of things.
Personally I want as accurate an experience as I can get with as little friction as possible. I’ll spend the effort to mod a real GameCube for playing real GameCube games on a real GameCube in the best way possible, despite a Wii being fine because it makes the experience better for me. In that sense I don’t even really want fpga, I want real hardware with real deal everything, as close to switch it on and go as possible. If I was really more concerned with just having a CRT and a ROM list, I’d probably just go back to using a Wii with emulators which from recent testing has gotten better than ever, like SNES9X-RX has virtually no lag and compatibility is fine.
But I preordered the new NT mini run for 500 american dollarydoos despite having a perfectly functional RGB modded AV Famicom. Why?
Well I’ve actually come around to having physical media and that being a nice part of the experience. Everdrives are great, any other method of launching roms is great, very flexible, useful for 10,000 different reasons. But it doesn’t come close to the experience of choosing a game off a shelf, putting it in a console, flipping it on and go. That’s a valuable part of the process, at least IMO
So instead of playing all my US NES games via Everdrive I can use real cartridges on an NT mini without resorting to an ugly adapter or having to get another RGB modded NES connected. And despite being FPGA at least this Analogue product has direct analog output, even has some neat tricks like doing real NES color space when outputting s-video.
I feel pretty much the same way. I’m even thinking of selling my Super Nt and putting an RGB kit in my SNES jr. (my regular SNES is a 2-chip). I even kinda regret putting a Hi-Def NES in my Toploader instead of putting in an RGB kit. I could always RGB mod my original NES.
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I still see Kevtris joining analogue as kind of a sad thing. He did/does great work but now that he has a set product that is the only place to get his “work” it feels like a lose for the community as a whole. Not that I judge him for making that choice, people gotta get paid.
It is also a good thing how much support the MiSTer has. It’s stuff like that and the tech in general that has me feeling pretty safe for the future of retro games. The success, not just in a financial sense, of such products shows that it can and will be done by enthusiasts regardless of any kind of “official” support.
Yeah because if Kevtris made his own thing. It would have been like the retron5 or polymega in that it would be the FPGA and then you put in whatever cart (by using adapters or just having a ton of ports). With Analogue, they want to sell individual systems pack in cores that make sense. I don’t think that will fly anymore. The Pocket was a huge pivot for them and honestly probably a reaction to the hype of MiSTer. If Analogue can do N64 or PS1 that might be something but I honestly think if Kev can do it, so can the horde or other developers out there too.
The biggest draw for me on MiSTer is actually Neo Geo and CPS1/2. I really love those two systems and I really don’t want to buy arcade hardware. I could do pi or pc emulation but I would prefer something like this as its so easy to go from RGB to digital and back.
Though to be fair, I have to imagine if Kev was still doing his own thing, there would be no system to play on. I could have sworn before the Analogue stuff he was saying how his Zimba 3000 idea was still like 10 years off.
I think it was a cost thing because he polled atari age and people would pay X and Y was the cost of the fpga that could do Z systems. And that didn’t cover the cost of making a shell mold and the higher end fpga chip. MiSTer is super cheap and apparently Kevtris said its almost unfair what you can get the de-10 nano for compared to what it costs analogue.
Edit: its been a long time since i read/heard that so don’t put a lot of stock into my aging memory.
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Not too bummed. Metal is nice, but I wanted a more reasonably priced model, which I hope is the rumored Analogue 8. Also, while I like the NES, I don’t like it that much.
But I’m happy for the buyers who missed the original runs.
Why not get a RetroUSB AVS? Seems like a great alternative to the crazy pricing of the Analogue.
Yeah, I would rather go for that.
Aesthetics. I must admit the NT looks sexy. But not 500 dollars worth sexy.
It’s ordered and if I change my mind, I can at least get my money back if not a small profit.
so i know the handheld (due out sometime this year?) is like $200, anyone know how much it’ll be if you want to play every handheld possible and TV out via RGB?
also i’m assuming these things play over an SD. finally, will this be a pain in the dick to track down later this year when i have funds for it? much love to anyone answering my dumb questions here
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I don’t think it has RGB output. It is listed as compatible with the same DAC, however, that is used for the Mega SG and Super NT. So you should be able to, in theory, get a native-res signal for all the games out of there. It’s just going to cost another 80 bucks to do it. Plus the cost of the dock too which has a TBA price.
Actually, now that I think about it, that’s a pretty killer feature for Neo Geo Pocket Color games which only otherwise output to CRTs via a very rare device.
Hopefully, the dock + DAC will actually output these games at the proper resolution. The project is not a success in my mind if not, considering the high price of all of those items and the niche audience of FGPA solutions.
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