MagicEngine

While it isn't known if the SGX has the 256-color mode the PC-FX has, there's a simple hardware hack you can do to re-create it. Wink

Both VDC #1 and VDC #2 have a 9-bit bus, which are fed into the V ...

That's a pretty clever idea. I assume the MCU series using a 16bit stack pointer?

Yes. It's a tweaked Z80 core, so it's got 8-bit registers that can be used together for 16-bit memory access.
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I recently took apart a Super CD-ROM 2 unit and had a chance to examine the NEC uPD78C14 MCU that controls the CD drive a little more closely. For starters the chipset is mostly (1) identical to what' ...

This is ingenious. So you have a CD with data tracks for 1 and 2; where track 2 contains the regular PCE boot code? Considering track 1 is always used for the warning in PCE games, it won't be missed. ...

Anyone know if any of this sprite/tile compression and streaming data from HuCard > VRAM on the fly can be efficiently accomplished in HuC?

It could be entirely done in HuC, providing it support ...

After some discussion with FraGMarE about how to handle animated sprites efficiently, I came up with an adaptation of the compiled sprite technique for the PCE which involves a crude form of hardware- ...

The line interrupt trigger point is relative to /HSYNC, but in the PCE the VCE provides that signal rather than the VDC.

Since the VDC flags the interrupt, it must somehow know/assume where the HSY ...

Test mode control switches:

#1 - Continue point within level (0-5)
#2 - Sound for the level played (1-7)
#3 - Weapon equipped (0=sword, 1=axe, 2=chain)
#4 - Weapon level (0-4)
#5 - ?
#6 - ?
# ...

It would be great if you ever found the debug code!

With enough Mountain Dew and a disassembler anything is possible. Smile

Sound Test:
ATS: II, I, II, I, I, II, I, II, II, II

Select sound wit ...

More passwords I found hidden in some games. Smile

Dungeon Explorer (J) passwords:

DEBDE-DEBDA
CHECK-NAMEA
HOMIN-GAAAA
NECAA-AAAAA
AHOAA-AAAAA

I can't tell what the last two do. The (U) vers ...

Hmm, that has me thinking - is the +1 penalty for writing to the VDC per byte or per word? I guess that would depend on which side the latch was on. If it's on the CPU side then it should be +1 for ea ...

Tricky passwords:

MILKYWAY - Unlock all normal levels.
EARTHIAN - Unlock all special levels.
MINDSIZE - Press SELECT to complete a stage.

Tricky Kick passwords:

MILKYWAY - Unlock all normal ...

Thanks to the ADPCM tools that I wrote, and the work of an intrepid Japanese hacker, I have extracted all of the ADPCM audio clips, and can reinsert new ones.

Are these tools available anywhere? ...

Cool! I guess I'll try some clock tests too since I'm curious if there's any delay difference between the SGX and PCE when accessing the VDC/VCE.

I can confirm as a matter of fact that any acces ...

Is the use of the T flag and the behavier of the corrosponding instruction officially documented? Or is this similar in case of the hitachi 6309 native mode not being documented until years later.
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