MiSTer FPGA: Should you buy it and is it worth the hype?

[@DQ333]

Love the mister. Bought a preconfigured in January. Beats taken out my MVS, AES, PCE, SNES, MD etc. It just feels very very tight. Price justified.

[@JPDESS]

is there a lot of cores with save states options?

[@DavidGarcia-qf7gc]

I love both (emulation and MiSTer, and I have two MiSTers) and I use them in different places. Your conclusion is on point, Mr. Sujano.

[@rodribyte4255]

I use emulators when I dont have my Mister next to me.

[@o0mrrobot0o26]

I'm a huge fan of the mister project. I'm really glad I made one well before this pandemic inflated prices and made it difficult to get. I agree with the mister community that it's more of a preservation project than just another way to emulate. There's a huge community working really hard to preserve hardware you just can't get anymore and that's just really awesome to me.

[@MattMcCoasters]

I got one to connect to my CRT and I love it. Also with SNAC being able to use light guns is a plus.

[@agriff401]

That MiSTer Sujano in the cold open killed me. Thanks for making a video on this topic!

[@hemrawc5252]

@9:18: Con: It's expensive @12:47: Pro: It's cheap Got it! ;-) @11:28: Best line of the entire video Keep up the good work!

[@bigshrimpn]

I have 4 MiSTer setups and a MiST. So happy with them!

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Wow, why 4? To avoid moving them from & to multiple TVs?

[@bigshrimpn]

@@NinjaRunningWild One for my 4K LED TV, One for my 37" BVM, One for my 17" VGA Monitor and One for my MiSTerCade arcade cabinet.

[@duhmez]

I am 100% for sure getting a Mister FPGA. Been saving cash and all that waiting for the right budget time, content knowing that the longer I wait to get it, the more updated and feature rich and acurate it will be. And now global chip shortage so I wil be waiting longer. But that is OK, I have every retro system I have ever wanted, all the real stuff, all with SD card loaderts'flash carts, so I am good int he meantimg. I have 11 retro systems all loaded into 1 CRT TV with a chain of high auality shielded av switch boxes. Also have a couple game pcs for any higher end emulation needs I may need.

[@HerrBerzerk]

Now you cheered so much about the fighting game community. Will you please let us know about the outcome of your tests? How accurate is it on specific fighting games compared to the real hardware? Video much appreciated! Thank you!

[@Simte]

I've head a lot of this device in the retro scene, thank you for covering it.

[@Lawd_Treesh]

I like head alot too

[@squeeeb]

For what its worth, you can spruce up the menu a bit more with wallpapers (static or random), and different fonts. Nice video as always Mr. Sujano!

[@HamsterSnr]

I did my own FPGA version for the commodore C64 and V20 🤥. Not so easy, but all the necessary IP is out there on the 6502 and Commodore user groups.

[@lovemadeinjapan]

How is FPGA doing on trash video output? Does it emulate the chroma bleed? Does it emulate the micro-pixel noise of overexited sync signals? Does it emulate jailbars? Does it have crappy RF mode? If not, I'll stick with a real one for 50€.

[@ByteSizeThoughts]

I got my MiSTer last week and have been very happy so far. I got it so that I can play NES, SNES, NeoGeo and PS1 on my living room TV with low lag and without investing in a retrotink5x and all the cables. It looks great!

[@Inv8erZlM]

MiSTer doesn’t have any latency. I think that’s what sets it apart. Heck, you can get a SNAC which will let you use controllers and accessories the same way you would with a real system. Even light guns work. I do think it’s not for people who are perfectly happy with software emulation.

[@gcolombelli]

It does have latency on HDMI on the default settings and it can also have latency on VGA if you turn the VGA scaler or scan doubler on. It shouldn't have any more latency than real hardware on most cores when using SNAC and analog video, but there are exceptions that you should be aware and understand to avoid having unpleasant surprises.

[@charlibiris]

Can’t stress enough to get the upload_all script! It takes a bit the thirst time you run it but totally worth!

[@philipacovington]

Nice! FPGAs are really great for those interesting in retro-computing or learning how a CPU works. I am implementing Ben Eater's 8-bit computer in an FPGA in a series of videos on my channel for anyone interested.

[@charlibiris]

That’s so interesting! I’ll add it to my list thansk

[@neccros007]

I'm digging the Jammix board for MiSTer. You can install it in a ITX/ATX case or connect it via Jamma!

[@Ziggurat1]

More MiSTer please

[@WWammyy]

I recently upgraded to the complete MiSTer plus from Antonio Villena. I used to have the official MiSTer setup but the one I have now has a few advantages such as the sdcard slot being much easier to access. The other major advantage is that you can connect multiple original controllers and two player snac. Through the decapod which you can't use with the official MiSTer I tested it for the first time last night and it was really fantastic. Cost effective too because snes and Megadrive controllers can be had cheaply but anything low latency these days is starting to command a premium such as first generation 8bitdo controllers

[@AxiomofDiscord]

There might come a day when FPGAs are slapped straight into either chipsets or CPUs themselves on general purpose computers. So we might get things like this as well for "free." I am glad that those with the deeper pockets are forging ahead and giving this a try. I believe we are going find a new age of computing through FPGAs and now is just the beginning. When these get up to scale cost will come down and things will improve. I use to be a naysayer about hybrid emulation but I think the best is combining soft and hard emulation. Each does what it does better than the other and it is possible to combine them the X68000 and x86 core on mister have hybrid options with add on pihats after all already.

[@arashroshanineshat8457]

AMD's acquisition of Xilinx will make it likely to happen sooner than we all thought.

[@iwillnotcomply007]

I know that mister addons case has passive cooling but I really wish they had a cooling fan and a vent.

[@wildside4822]

The menu being basic is a good thing

[@Kaido_928]

I bought it when it was like €120. Only needed 128mb ram and a usb hub to play everything MiSTer has to offer.

[@WheeledHamster]

Mr. Sujano playing with his MiSTer SUJANO.

[@TheShoe1990]

I'm curious to know if your opinion in the MiSTER has changed in 2024. Not only is all of the hardware emulation much better thanks to the very active community, but the addition of PSX, Saturn, & N64 compatibility has been a huge plus. I bought one recently since it's so much more expensive to buy these consoles, games, and peripherals, then mod them to be compatible with HDMI on a modern screen.

[@HollowRick]

I'm doing the same thing tomorrow 😂

[@TheShoe1990]

@@HollowRick Dude, it's been the best retro game purchase of my life. I highly recommend getting the MiSTer Addons complete set. Enjoy 😎

[@Mrblackgoldfish]

Wow,I saw at that big green thing at Toryuken 2019 connected to two TV's.

[@jessycruz2465]

I think Fpga is the future of emulation. Only thing holding it back for now is the limited system it can emulate and being too costly for the average retro gaming enthusiast. But if it becomes cheaper and accessible for everyone in the future then it will be a really amazing system with a whole lot of support.

[@bengmo64]

you're right about the micro sd card slot sucking, what I do is I just use WinSCP to ftp in and transfer stuff to it that way. it was very easy to setup

[@alextirrellRI]

The case/style you bought is not the only one on the market now. There are some different form factors and cases now that are ITX standard or even console shaped. As for the UI -- nothing to do with the DE10 itself. I've gathered the guy who runs the project has never prioritized it. There are ways to change the fonts and background but that's about it. It doesn't bother me, but hopefully down the line they can make it more customizable.

[@crackity_j]

I actually love the UI but I get it.

[@ClintTheriault]

I really love the MiSTer, it's too bad how expensive those boards are getting. I totally agree that most people probably shouldn't get one. But I feel that saying that if you don't know why you'd need one then you probably don't is a bit of a cop out. Maybe an explination of input latency on a raspi/android device verses a FPGA like MiSTer would be a better way to explain the reason why a MiSTer could be worthwhile. The accuracy is better on a FPGA on most cores than software emulation, but not all. The only real advantage of FPGA's is the low latency input. This is something that most people won't notice. Another thing to consider is that latency of the MiSTer and latency on a fairly modern gaming pc running a software emulator will be about the same. (assuming both are properly configured) If you already have a high end gaming PC, and you don't want something portable, then there isn't really any point of getting a mister. But if you want something low latency and portable, or don't want to spend the money of a new Gaming PC/Laptop, then the MiSTer actually becomes the cheaper option.

[@Inv8erZlM]

MiSTer has no latency. It’s not the same. I agree most won’t notice, though.

[@ClintTheriault]

@@Inv8erZlM there's always latency, even the original consoles have some latency. But the latency is well below one frame so it's completely imperceptible to people. A fast PC with a good monitor and a good software emulator can match the percievable latency of real hardware (this is not cheap though).

[@NinjaRunningWild]

@@Inv8erZlM It’s negligible & tiny but there is technically some, even with Daemon Bite adapters (< 1 ms which will appear as none to all but SuperMan).

[@gcolombelli]

​@@NinjaRunningWildSNAC shouldn't have any more latency than the original hardware, but you can still have latency on the video side depending on your settings and whether you're using the digital or analog video output.

[@michaels9917]

The Mister is incredible but I still notice slight input latency even when hooked up to a crt compared to original hardware (using a SNAC adapter with wired controller). It's not severe. But do be aware that

[@gcolombelli]

Strange, it shouldn't happen with CRT and SNAC. On what cores have you noticed it? Do you have VGA scaler turned on?

[@michaels9917]

@@gcolombelli honestly, I feel like I was unable to accept that my gaming reflexes are diminishing. I can only assume I made that comment in regards to playing Mike Tysons Punchout. I can confirm that I have recently played on both original hardware and on Mister, and I'm equally terrible on both.

[@gcolombelli]

@@michaels9917 I've had similar experiences recently. 😅 While I got a lot better on some games that require planning / patience / resource management, I've also gotten a lot worse on games that rely heavily on reflexes and precise movements. Between aging and having a lot less time to practice, it's not surprising. Still, some games are not as much a matter of reflex as of remembering the right patterns and timing cues. If you read some guides and spend some time practicing, I'm sure you'll regain a lot of performance on games like SMB2J and Punch Out. Also, I just noticed how some games play wildly different on each port, even if they look very similar. For example: Pinball Fantasies. The Amiga (especially the AGA version) and DOS versions may look very similar, but they feel very different.

[@Macraig_]

I’d love a mister. It seems like a much more robust tv emulation setup than my current nvidia shield tv with a hard drive plugged in. Maybe for my birthday haha.

[@bt3779]

Is it possible to hookup legacy peripherals to it? Ex Amiga, c64, Atari floppies would be the main thing of interest to me.

[@superviewer]

I use an old-school 'Suzo The Arcade' joystick via a usb-to-two-9-pin-connectors bought from amazon and it works fine. There are so many mods out there to heighten the experience :)

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Ultimate Mister has many convertors for legacy systems. The Daemon Bite adapter may be what you want.

[@davieslm]

Great video! I agree the UI is nothing like Bigbox or Hyperspin but I actually don’t mind it. It looks like my plasma monitor OSD :) Problem I have is spending quite a large amount of cash and not noticing any big improvement over my other setups. I have a decent spec gaming PC and Xbox series X running Retroarch for Arcade, Amiga, PS1 and Genesis games. Also have 2.4GHz controllers hooked up to the PC and output to an old school 50” Pioneer Kuro plasma monitor. I much prefer this compared to my original hardware Japanese Sega Drive Model 1 connected to a 14” CRT or via a RAD2x to my Plasma at 480p. With the run ahead option I cannot notice any lag or responsiveness with Retroarch (particularly with Genesis). On my Plasma with 4/5x scaling with CRT Easymode shader it looks fantastic (much better than 2x line doubling over HDMI). I am on the fence with dropping another 500€ on a MiSTer unless it is really noticeable. Maybe someone can convince me otherwise.

[@lactobacillusprime]

That case doesn’t seem to allow for cooling much. The FPGA chip does get hot and active cooling is advised. Is the case part of the cooling solution?

[@FrankDigital]

Actually many people who have had their mister for much longer have said they have used it with nothing and that a passive heat sink could do the job, that being said I have this case and it does have 2 intakes on the sides and and output for the internal fan which is has space for and usually comes with the kit.

[@JasonZnack]

Part of the case reaches down and touches the FPGA chip, so the whole case is a heatsink for it. It's also not airtight sealed with the ports on the sides so there is a bit of airflow. The chip really doesn't get extremely hot like a Pi4 or something. It's not a problem.

[@bazza5699]

very honest review.

[@keilmillerjr9701]

Emulation on a phone is not ideal. Emulation on the pi is awful. It's not fair to compare those to the mister. A fair comparison would be a mister with analog/digital board or jamma board to a moderate spec PC possibly with a jpac.

[@gameplayfirst-ger]

I don't think the price i high for what you get. To get the same quality you have to invest in real hardware, many HDMI-Mods and/or upscalers, flash carts, etc. You can spend thousands if you want to get the same quality with real hardware or you need a high end PC for good software emulation and even in that case you have to use tricks to get the same low latency.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Indeed. Just my TurboDuo alone costs more than one. And this does a LOT more than that.

[@NoGoodCitizen]

another day another banger from mr sujano

[@ahmedabdelhameed9034]

What about windows emulator exgear can it be for running games

[@duhmez]

Duck Hunt Bro. Can amulation playu duck hunt yet with a real zapper?

[@lovemadeinjapan]

An USB adapter for a real Zapper is probably more expensive than a CRT, NES, Zapper and DH cartridge combined.

[@gustavosanches5674]

I just don't like all the comparison in price with the other emulation forms... ofc is cheaper, but its just another thing

[@finalfayth9165]

Windows 11 on android its happening !!! Please 🙏 more info

[@fanofmemes9480]

Hey Mr Sujano, Could you please make a video about the replay duration of games being much shorter in some games(ppsspp).And is there anyway to solve it or make it longer

[@saqqawattuhb7505]

Pardon me if I'm wrong, I'm naive at this front. For this price would'nt a PC be better option woth batocera boot up? It can play upto PS3 games. Can anyone advise?

[@bazza5699]

like the man said, it really depends what you want it for. if you want to play ps2+ games etc, don't get a mister, get a pc or a rasp-pi

[@saqqawattuhb7505]

@@bazza5699 Thanks bud.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

The big difference between MiSTer & emulation is controller lag. MiSTer is hardware _simulation_ NOT emulation. Emulation is great & I own multiple RetroPies & _many_ original consoles. MiSTer is really for purists. The cost is actually _more_ than you pay. Intel sells them at a loss to encourage upcoming chip designers attending NanoTech colleges.

[@lsdowdle]

The MiSTer "menu" system is an FPGA core as well. I'd rather have a menu that focuses on substance rather than style. You can have both... but I'm not all that disappointed that I don't have box are and demo videos. BTW, the DE10-Nano board and the Cyclone V ARM/FPGA chip are dated... and have been around for 6+ years. Going to a fancier board with a bigger FPGA (more Logical Elements as the Cyclone V has 110k) would be even more money. Supposedly even at the current pricing, the DE10-Nano is subsidized by Intel and actually should cost a couple of hundred dollars more... although I'd like a real source for that info.

[@MrSujano]

Hopefully the prices don't go up even more! Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see a more powerful MiSTer, but at the same time an increase in cost would really drive away people from the project

[@wasabinator]

Lol, love your customized case

[@MrSujano]

Thanks, its the best and definitely one of a kind

[@jamesthompson773]

Very cool! Expensive but cool!

[@sunekoo]

I love my mister but it is a niche device. It is essentially the same as playing on the console or computer it is emulating, ie the fpga “thinks”‘it’s a NES, a GBA etc and reacts accordingly. Software emulation can never do what a mister can and it shows (which is why I sold my pi almost immediately). You didn’t touch on how you can set up the mister to basically be a C64, and Amiga, a Spectrum etc. The community can be toxic though unfortunately.

[@Pazuzu-]

There are videos showing how the Neo Geo core compares to Neo Geo running on Mame. No detectable difference were observed. Please dont assume that a crappy PI is the standard for emulation setups.

[@allisterfiend_2112]

@@Pazuzu- I think there is something to be said about the accuracy of the mister, so much so that some major game fighting competitions have started to use mister as their system of choice. Is it right for everyone, no, but I love mine. (of course, I bought it two years ago before the prices went up), so that helps with the value for your money in my situation.

[@Jaxxon123]

@@allisterfiend_2112 I'm so glad I got mine a couple years ago before all the craziness. Things are outrageous now.

[@gsestream]

you can do opencl kernel emulation that runs on gpu/fpga. even better mister. and very low level c-language kernels.

[@lovemadeinjapan]

Can you set it up to be EU/JP oriented? I find the main issue with most emulation is that Americans decide how it should work. So you get pretty nasty stuff by default: for example Genesis (which is a crap 80's rock band, of if you are in the bible belt, a horribly interpreted book), Turbografx (Yikes, the super ugly black box that is a big middle finger to the origal white cutie), or NTSC C64..... Often it is very hard to tweak console names and preferences on per console basis. How's that on the Mister?

[@MegaManNeo]

Maybe one day when hardware gets cheaper and other variations of MiSTer support boards (like that console looking one from RMC) are easier to pick up.

[@gcolombelli]

Great news for you then! There seems to be at least two companies working on cheaper MiSTer clones and portable versions as well. There are also at least two projects aiming to sell more capable successors to the MiSTer soon, capable of supporting hardware beyond the capabilities of the old Cyclone V on the DE10-Nano boards.

[@MegaManNeo]

@@gcolombelli Really hope this becomes a real thing then. I'm fine with regular old software emulation on the go for the time being but having something that gives me a experience like my old consoles when connected to my TV set for little money sounds just great!

[@gcolombelli]

​@@MegaManNeo if you're curious about it, Taki Udon is the guy behind the cheaper clone board and one of the portable versions. We're probably less than 2 months from the release if nothing unexpected happens. The other "next gen" FPGA boards I have no clue about release date, but one thing is certain: they'll provide plenty of headroom for newer cores. The old Cyclone V was being pushed to it's limits on cores like ao486, PSX, Saturn and N64, the lower spec of the new generation was already targeting Dreamcast / NAOMI on a price point not that higher than the current hardware (not counting the new cheaper clone). So while it's not cheap, it doesn't look like a bad deal. Things are looking good for FPGA gaming right now.

[@TheDainerss]

I would not call the MiSTer's UI ugly, I would call it efficient and free from all the Bloatware clogging up other solutions. All those pretty graphics, sounds and UI elements just chew up CPU and GPU cycles that are better used making the device functional. The MiSTer UI "Just Works!" and that is exactly what is needed.

[@emanuelarriaza3710]

Sure if u know how to use the little beast yes

[@CSIG1001]

I would have sent you all the boards for free if you had the de10 already, as a sponsor to advertise my store. I sell the boards in the USA

[@RainerK.]

Yes, and yes. There, I saved you 14 minutes of video.You're welcome :)

[@MrSujano]

ezpz

[@Pazuzu-]

Is it good and faithful to original hardware? Definitely. Is it worth the hype? Absolutely. Is it worth the price? I dont think so.

[@allisterfiend_2112]

I got mine 2 years ago and the price was great for what you got with it. The last year or so has made it cost a lot more these days, but it's not just the mister, it seems to be all electronic devices. I still think you get a lot for the current price, it's just not as good a value as it used to be. Also, price does not matter it seems as you can not get one right now anyway!

[@Pazuzu-]

@@allisterfiend_2112 I do think is a great device, and will probably become better with time, but for me, I already have a 15khz Mame setup and a CPS2 setup, dont really feel like spending all that cash for another retro device now. And you're right about the availability.

[@allisterfiend_2112]

@@Pazuzu- For you to say something is not a great device when you have never owned one seems questionable to me. But I agree with you that it is not for everyone and just like everything in life we spend our money on what we as individuals think is important to us.

[@Pazuzu-]

@@allisterfiend_2112 Never said is not a great product, I do think is great, wtf are you talking about?

[@allisterfiend_2112]

@@Pazuzu- Looks like I misread, (note to self, do not comment at 5:00am in the morning). Sorry for the confusion on that sentence. Take care!

[@BerryZitoo]

Very honest and great review ! You're spot on with the outdated feel of it, That's how I've been feeling with it the past year or so I ended up just using mines for an Arcade 1up build. I'm most def ready for a next gen MiSTer. You had me dying with the FGC nitpicking everything to death its so true lol.

[@BLEACHxOS]

ARTEMIS PUBLISH HANDCAM GAMEPLAY WITH CONTROLLER , I THINK IT'S TRUE , BUT WITHOUT APK YOU MAYBE DON'T BELIEVE IT. SO WAIT FOR 4 MARCH

[@spicybrad]

“MiSTer” Sujano, bravo.

[@joandarc441]

nice

[@adamlips1711]

No No No - MISTER is hardware recreation not emulation! the amount of people that dont understand this amazes me! Go over to the Apollo Vampire community and tell BigGun his Vampire is a 680x0 emulator and watch what happens!!!! :(

[@MrSujano]

By definition, it's hardware emulation and it has been confirmed. You can split hairs on "imitation" vs "recreation" if you want, but the FPGA in the DE-10 Nano is imitating the original cpus.

[@adamlips1711]

@@MrSujano wrong! its re-creating I think you need to educate yourself on FPGA development!

[@MrSujano]

@@adamlips1711 cool, we can agree to disagree. No worries!

[@bhirawamaylana466]

those nitpick mostly from timing based fans and fighting game fans, and I will say this whatever hardware you use there will always be lags, just adapt with it and you can play it just fine, me ? I always go with cheap route and FPGA is not for me after all I already life in lags life so I already adapt with it.

[@FrankDigital]

I felt neutral about the video so I panicked and left a dislike

[@FrankDigital]

Just kidding Mr S

[@phatRdude]

ER = subscribe to mister sujano ur lines get me every time 🤣

[@icristian6707]

F it...should have bought that board when it was 100$ and in stock

[@xXRustyShacklefordXx]

Man I just don't know how anyone could justify spending 500 dollars on this. A Series X is 500 dollars and can run everything sans N64/PS2 flawlessly. Plus new games coming out today. A Series X with a controller adapter so you can use classic controllers is the ultimate non PC emulation solution.

[@user-dn5bx2iu3e]

Its super cool and everything but thats more than a steam deck.

[@MrSujano]

100% agree with you

[@user-dn5bx2iu3e]

​@@MrSujano Yeah, solid overview though man. Always looking forward to your posts, keep it up. 🤗

[@Real_The_Goof]

Honestly, i think it's better to just get a single board mini PC and emulate. I don't see a difference in quality and accuracy. There's tons of videos comparing Mister Harderware simulation and actual emulation. It's really not a big deal of a difference if at all. Basically, there's cheaper routes.. and the "accuracy" argument doesn't hold water. Also, Mister isn't emulation, it's hardware simulation... hardware being configured to BE different hardware.. Emulation IS software based.. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@WWammyy]

You should try one and compare the difference is in how it plays which you can't see in videos. Personally I have done side by side comparisons with software emulation of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo on the 30th anniversary collection against MiSTer even my brother can tell the difference in how it plays and he is a layman

[@soloM81]

got my for about 200 befor the price went up and you said emulation is free that is false that PC you bought was not free and you need internet to be able to get the emulators and roms IT ALL COST MONEY and more then a mister setup

[@hilly900]

I was enjoying the video until you started talking about toxicity. It's so boring because any toxicity comes from such a small set of people that it is almost non-existent.

[@Jkauppa]

its a caveman project, why do you wonder :)

[@Jkauppa]

software emulation solutions tend to be more buggy, thats why the appearance

[@Jkauppa]

fpga emulation solutions tend to be more robust

[@Jkauppa]

ie, software emulation has got a reputation of being less robust

[@Jkauppa]

what

[@doodleroodle4399]

Raspberry?

[@MrSujano]

Much cheaper and super effective

[@tomejo]

First

[@MrSujano]

🏆

[@RayDomjan]

:)

[@gamer-fe2xp]

MiSTer is trash. It's essentially just crappy MAME-style emulation, but you pay for it. No thanks.

[@kietnguyen7746]

er stands for.. lmao!

[@nalo1728]

steam deck is 400$ and it comes with a screen,controller, and speakers

[@Mbrook77]

I must agree the UA is UGLY, i wish more modern UA, for me i will wait until more improvement

[@Jaxxon123]

I think people are really missing the point. You'll be on the interface for what 1-2 Minutes? (if that) The awesomeness are the cores and what they do. I actually like the simplicity of the UI. I never liked the gaudy, over the top MAME/HyperSpin UI. Too distracting. But everyone has different tastes, I guess.