Analogue Nt mini - The Ultimate Nintendo FPGA console? :: RGB307 / MY LIFE IN GAMING

RGB, HDMI & Custom Firmware on a FPGA original Nintendo! Coury and Try go in-depth on the Nt mini's HDMI and analog video output for NES and Famicom games... but thanks to custom firmware by its own creator, it can also play Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy, Colecovision, and way more.
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► Analogue Nt mini
:: www.analogue.co/pages/nt-mini/
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Coury Carlson
My Life in Gaming
P.O. Box 72172
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Marc "Try4ce" Duddleson
My Life in Gaming
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My Life in Gaming makes documentaries, deep dives into retro console hardware, and more.

[@miltiadiskoutsokeras9189]

This channel is the main authority on video game display technology setups. They take the full detailed "road" and it shows, no stone is left unturned. Congratulations and keep up.

[@captaingazpacho]

After watching the RGB Masterclass, I have learned so much about retro console video quality, and video in general. You guys are amazing and keep up the good work!

[@connorkiss2614]

The audio features on the Analogue Nt is pretty insane, love how they included that

[@SmokeMonster]

Great overview of the NT Mini. I wanted one before I knew half of what you've shown that it's capable of. Impressive!

[@NeedMoreMushrooms]

I love your reviews, always detailed with everything in it you could ever wish to know. :)

[@slot9]

Another great episode! A great part of my Friday night! Thank you!

[@Nai255]

almost 50k subs as of this video : o congrats in advance, and keep up the great work!

[@LonSeidman]

Great work guys!

[@JackoMoonwalker]

You're so professional guys, and the information is always perfect!! I love this channel! Thanks for all these amazing videos!!

[@8bitDNA]

kevtris is a god amongst men

[@aussieguy1012]

as is tim worthington,wish I knew a fraction of the hardware believe me ive tried.

[@skins4thewin]

Lol jesus... why'd you have to go and make it weird?

[@nexusofice9135]

I want him to make a New Geo FPGA console with HDMI out. Just give us MVS & AES cart slots and it would beat any modded AES or Consolized MVS on the market in my opinion.

[@hankbizzo5]

@8bitDNA o:

[@TheRetrorectionist]

I love your channel guys. The aesthetic is amazing and depth of research is very impressive.

[@rchan0]

excellent video, good to explain emulation and FPGA simulation, applying colour palettes, the types of cables, everything you need to know!

[@shoobopper]

Been waiting for this one guys! :D

[@UttRConcrete]

Love the music on this channel, has a 80s feel.

[@digital_riddles7579]

Just pre-ordered my NT mini Noir. looking forward to putting it through its paces this summer!

[@GameplayandTalk]

Fantastic episode. I originally dismissed the NT Mini due to price, but now with all those cores set to be available, I really want one.

[@UttRConcrete]

Damn, I would love a Neo Geo, Snes, or Saturn version of this....

[@memaimu]

This'd all be so much cooler if I could afford one.

[@ActuallySanFrancisco]

i just look at this as a "professional" NES. if pioneer still sells professional DJ CD players for $2,000 a pop i don't really think the pricepoint on the NT mini is too high at $450. it's definitely not for the casual market at all, though. only hardcore NES collectors and tech geeks are gonna buy this thing.

[@romevi]

This is one of my favorite videos on KZbin ever. I watch it occasionally even though I don't own one! (Yet.)

[@Bisclavret.]

You guys are internet gaming gods!! I fully enjoy each and every video. Extremely thorough and it is deeply appreciated. Thank you for your hard work and always bringing your A game

[@DiePixelspieler]

Love your Channel. Awesome Content!

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

Now I wouldn’t normally buy this as I’m happy with my original hardware, but my god! So many different consoles! I’m definitely acquiring one of these!

[@cruiser1333]

Good luck, they have been sold out forever and I doubt they will make more. I am glad I bought mine when they came out a few years ago.

[@matthewdavis5486]

One of my favorite reviews of this absolutely amazing machine. And to anybody watching, contemplating on buying, I keep the 16 sprites/scanline option on by default and have not once had any issue.

[@TroutButter]

My Framemeister from Solaris I pre-ordered last December will arrive Monday. Woohoo!!!! One of the last 'meisters to ever be made. :D

[@shoobopper]

Mine arrived today!

[@Recoil816]

Preordered mine in mid-January... I can't wait!

[@videogameobsession]

I was going to order one, but I'm going to hold out for a successor from Micomsoft . Maybe something in the line of 4K native , faster resolution switching, and less lag.

[@tinostarks]

I got mine yesterday, but it kinda sucks at 480p.

[@Elrinth]

I guess you missed out that they purchased enough components to continue producing for a couple of more years!?

[@javieralejandro8703]

This video should be archived in the video game museum for the sake of video game history. Absolutely one of the best videos to date. Great job.

[@James-sm1lh]

Love your guys videos!

[@allluckyseven]

Amazing video! Thank you so much!

[@TheArcadeGeek]

been waiting for this one! Woot.

[@Nukle0n]

You guys are putting out a lot of videos lately :D

[@abdelatifpalestine7190]

Excellent test,thanx

[@mesharygog]

love your work

[@JackHermes]

I really love your intros

[@Seanbyford]

Why do I find the intros to your videos better than anything on KZbin!

[@Wflash00]

Because they are! Aren't these guys amazing?

[@ste022]

Thanks. You should make the scaling section it's own video, I found it invaluable in setting up the video in retropie. I had black letterbox bars in NES games and your explanation cleared this up for me, I followed your advice and turned on integer scaling and set scaling to 5x 6x. Before this I got rid of the bars by setting it to 4:3 but this gave me a headache when playing. Thank you so much

[@merlingt1]

Having a RetroUSB AVS, I had no incentive to get the NT but if the new cores deliver then I will absolutely be grabbing one. Oh and great video as always!

[@ben-officialmassive7982]

Hey I'm a fellow gamer and just got onto your channel. Love the intro and content. Everythings perfect so keep up the great work, I look forward to watching more. Cheers.......Booza-b

[@atiii]

Great video! Keep it up!

[@MellowGaming]

That is one damn impressive device. The amount of audio and video settings is insane. Now I just need to scrounge a few hundred quid to get one.

[@LetsPlayKeldeo]

My life in Gaming you guys are awesome

[@dashrendar8739]

I hope Kevtris releases a NES that’s cheaper like the new SNES. I can’t justify the $500 price tag of the Analog NT mini.

[@RileySkye100]

Thanks for using Area-B from Shatterhand in the beginning of the video. Awesome soundtrack.

[@mylifeingaming]

+RileySkye100 [Try4ce] Such a great game! I've picked up several games in recent years based on "hidden gems" lists, but that one was probably the best.

[@RileySkye100]

I love it so much I actually have an official CES Jaleco brochure with a preview of the game in it.

[@AudibleFist]

This is amazing!

[@faefdsedf]

If only I had the money and space to get a CRT with component to enjoy such image fidelity. Anyway great video as always!

[@gangwaygamer8831]

It sounds like they are describing the Mister when talking about this future multi console FPGA system.

[@Recoil816]

I got the AVS and couldn't be happier. It's fantastic.

[@beardedslavbrew615]

I'm torn between the AVS and this, but the NT mini supports the light gun for a CRT, that which the AVS doesn't sadly :/

[@RarefoilB]

15:24 - 15:37 Best line 10/10 5 Stars Would loop for 12 hours

[@666jamie666]

Great video as always. How about a video in the future of setting up a PVM for the best image quality. I know there are many different pvms out there but a lot do share the same features and adjustments. Would make and great video and help some of us to get the best image available from our monitors.

[@sewart]

This is so awesome. I just wish the system wasn't so damn expensive.

[@zombiemachinery4868]

Is not, given that you won't have to buy a legit console, pay for an rgb mod and buy an everdrive if jailbroken.

[@dutchkel]

Zombie Machinery good pt..

[@besotoxicomusic]

Yes, it’s still expensive. Only the bourgeoisie will think otherwise.

[@diegorivas1991]

All those analog video outputs increased the proceso.

[@wrightguyz]

Aaaaannnnnd....they're sold out...hehehe...seriously, as usual, top notch stuff guys...you nailed it, and noteworthy on the shortcomings of the unit (audio inconsistencies and cart reading)...I have a gen 1 Analogue NT, and I run via the HDMI upgrade (Hi Def nes)...it's nice but thinking I'll wait for the upcoming Kevtris system which should cover more systems. That has the potential to be an absolutely killer system. Great work guys

[@Elrinth]

Da fuk, thought u were joking... Good thing I got cold feet and ordered one in January. The moment when I heard about the jail break I quickly headed over to the analogue nt mini webpage and ordered one :D

BrandonX76 sold out? I just preordered one now

[@arithium]

This thing is incredible..

[@firisrozley5768]

The fact that FPGA board inside Analogue NT mini can simulate various emulator cores by installing jailbroken software update is mind-blown! I would like to see emulator cores for PC-Engine, Wonderswan, NeoGeo Pocket and others (not sure for Amstrad G4000 and Nokia N-Gage though) to run on this console. Kevtris, make it happen.

[@pieterkern6742]

You deserve more views!

[@Gohan1138]

intro music is so good

[@HEADRUSH444]

My wive's son loves it!

[@padriac6127]

Great video. I'm thinking that if the Nt Mini does all this it's basically a hardware emulator for every 8-bit system + NES and Famicom cartridge slots + an Everdrive for every 8-bit system + 8bitdo wireless include + HDMI and RGB = it's actually a pretty good value (from a certain perspective). Putting together something else that can do all that would cost more than $450.

[@frombauer]

Another top notch episode gents - well made visually and painstakingly informative. Couple questions though: any known issues with FPGA simulation compared to original hardware (examples of games), and any compatibility differences with other FPGA offerings? Thanks!

[@mylifeingaming]

+frombauer [Try4ce] I don't have enough experience with some of those systems to be positive nothing is off, but I've seen Kevtris already make fixes based on feedback from forums. A lot of the times it's something specific only to a certain mapper or such. For example, I saw someone say something was wrong with Holy Diver, but he fixed it right away. Same deal with the Dragon Quest 1 and 2 sound issue we found. It's probably not 100% there in all cases, but with people actively using the hardware, it seems to be getting closer all the time.

[@BrologicProductions]

This is the best thing I've ever heard of O_O

[@pferreira1983]

Very comprehensive! The NES library isn't a looker but at least was treated right by Analogue. 👍

[@qbix6205]

No mention of input lag? Kevtris always mentions it because it's such an important feature and something I'm sure he's very proud of but it doesn't get mentioned nearly as often.

[@mylifeingaming]

[Try4ce] We sort of alluded to it when we said that hardware-based solutions have much greater potential for responsiveness. I guess we've talked about input lag so many times on the show that we don't revisit it every time.

[@crimson-foxtwitch2581]

Coury and Tr4yce I think the Armored Core series would be right up your alley. Take everything great about Omega Boost and add more tactical elements and you have a series you think wouldn't be made by a developer like From Software. Another thing worth featuring is the HDFury, an HDMI to component adapter designed for HD CRTs which I think you should try out on stuff like the N64 Ultra HDMI.

[@JC-qu5lv]

Now there's the NT Mini Noir that's back in action

[@jamesh446]

Wish they released those cartridge adapters, I’ve just pre ordered the NT Mini V2 and would love to have access to them

[@DoctorPoo]

I agree. A gameboy color adapter would be great for my collection, especially.

[@chiedanslecou]

Adapters for what?

[@DoctorPoo]

Jean-François Durocher an adapter to use game boy color cartridges on the NTMini? The core is available but just loads roms from SDcard.

[@Ibrahim.1993]

Amazing work guys! I didn't know some CRTs would have the sky blue in SMB. Btw, OSSC now has x4 and x5 modes. Would you be making a video on them?

[@mylifeingaming]

[Try4ce] We may, if we feel we can show them off well enough after testing more. Coury has tried it a bit, but I was too busy with this episode to try it myself yet. Depending on compatibility, that puts it a lot closer to Framemeister territory!

[@PersianImm0rtal]

Thanks kevtris !

[@pendragnx]

Very cool review.. Man, kevtris is some sort of wizard ... I love that there's the graphical nsf player included - dope! .. Also - wasn't there some sort of big hulaballoo about Analogue cannibalizing the original chips from real hardware NES systems?

[@mylifeingaming]

+pendragnx [Try4ce] That was for the original Nt. While I'm not personally too knowledgeable about how they were actually acquired, my understanding is that the systems were not in good shape. So maybe they wouldn't have ever been used again. If that's the case, I don't mind the Nt giving those chips new life.

[@Scott_Snyder]

Placed my pre-order for the Analog Nt Mini (v2) Noir yesterday. I’m happy I was able to get in on the final run and not have to pay the ridiculous eBay prices. I’m also hoping they are able to add interpolation to this version. Would like to hear your thought on this release.

[@mylifeingaming]

[Try4ce] I suspect we will not be able to get one. Unfortunately, I'm doubtful that the hardware will be tangibly different, so I'm not expecting interpolation. But it's a great and very handy machine regardless.

[@SIPEROTH]

@@mylifeingaming So you suspect there will be no improvements in any aspect whether hardware or software with the V2 version?

[@mylifeingaming]

[Try4ce] They say the NES cart slot is improved (this was needed, the original fails to read them often) but aside from that I'm not expecting changes that impact possible features. They did say the menu would be different, though. My guess isn't really based on anything, but I would be absolutely shocked if interpolation were added.

[@metachuko]

@@mylifeingaming Luckily these comments didn't age too well, lol

[@pferreira1983]

@@metachuko It was different was it?

[@lazarusmv1973]

Damn this is technical! I just want to play me some Ikari Warriors!

[@ellipticalsoul]

20:22 it's really striking what a huge improvement S-Video is over composite

[@JakonDeluxe]

God I love this channel

[@KittyFae-]

One thing I can't wait for is a way to play physical game gear cartridges on a RGB/240p console

[@Mystik3eb]

Wow, WANT! Again, great video, you guys! Quick question, though: you said it supports SCART cables. I'm assuming that means both SCART and JP-21, right?

[@mylifeingaming]

+Dan Scannell [Try4ce] Yes, it just depends on if anyone has made one. The only difference between SCART and JP-21 is where the signal ends up, not how it originates.

[@Richter.Belmont]

Top notch video guys. Will you be checking out the Super NT as well when it's out?

[@mylifeingaming]

+Azzagard [Try4ce] Hope so!

[@thefifthdoctor6780]

Got the new updated version coming 👊 😎

[@jamesh446]

Lord Wario Your not the only one, damn thing destroyed my wallet but I’ve wanted one for years so I had to buy one

[@thefifthdoctor6780]

Kaito-J haha it’s an expensive hobbie. Will the included controller also have a receiver?

[@Waifu4Life]

Man, Kevtris' Ultra FPGA machine will probably be the "be all and end all" of clone systems.

[@spidermcgavenport8767]

I use a folded card stock sheet of paper in my nes toploader to bridge the gap. I also use this same shim concept for my Xbox Xbox 360 tray load errors

[@inlovewithi]

This Kevtris is a legend.

[@Izquierda]

This video will be viewed a lot again in 2020 due to the final run of the Nt Mini. Did you guys figure out what was wrong with your FDSStick/RAM adapter? Apparently it wasn't supposed to have the issues you mentioned here. Also, if you ever do a follow up after the last run, I'd suggest giving a bit more attention to the S-video output on a good CRT like a PVM. That is a very unique and interesting feature not available anywhere else, as it gets its colors directly from the emulated PPU like composite, completely removing the color palette guesswork and compromises, but providing a level of clarity reasonably close to RGB at the same time!

[@houstongordon9337]

5:35 seems like you could benefit from a shim polate in the cart well, just have a tiny little cutout thatll go around the pin connector holder..... thingy, and hopefully itll hold it up just perfect so you game will work, or do what i do and heng up the NES and just emulate to keep the hardware safe/laziness

[@donman1727]

So many smart people out there, where can I learn to get started to work with electronics like kevtris??

[@bjwhite5546]

You guys get bonus points for using Faxanadu footage in this video :)

[@breathofthewild1749]

You're not crazy btw. Shifting the cartridge always helped for me on Famicom and NES. Even on SNES and N64. AND GENESIS.

[@gingataisen]

My childhood has flashed before my eyes.

[@johneygd]

The analogue nt mini is along it's mind blowing features and a jail breaked firmware to play other console games, just the best system in the world. I am still fine with emulators aslong they are perfect as possible but for what you say, yes i do agree that there might be a slight latency due a conversion process so that light gun games become unplayible via the light gun,(maybe with a quantum computer in the near future ) but time will tell.

[@brreeaad]

sort of unrelated but, damn the FDS at 23:00 is looking good.

[@EmperorOfTigers]

Awesome video. This device seems fantastic. I really want one but it is costly. Do you think it's worth the money considering all the features and jailbroken firmware? I do not want to mod so for me it's this, the AVS or stick with my actual NES with a CRT.

[@ParaholiX]

You should compare to Wii2HDMI as there are many users of that. I also just found out that my Wii2HDMI has a pin hole to change the signal to 1920 x 1080p. Been using it for a couple of years nearly and never checked it. Anyways, it looks great on my TV but I haven't captured footage yet to see if it's beyond an upscaled 480p. It's great for gamecube games and even a softmod WiiU with Nintendont is a viable option for GCN as well. Worth looking into.

[@gigidyyy]

Hey guys, great video!! Just subscribed! :) Regarding the 720p scanline junkes comment.. I used to have a 720p native panasonic plasma tv and LOVED the look of scanlines at a 640 x 480 resolution. I'd choose 50% scanlines on an emukator at the previously stated resolution and that would give me PERFECTLY even scanlines..I'm thinking of upgrading to a bigger 1080p screen for the Switch... would that ruin the experience of perfect scanines? Should I stick to 720p sets Or would forcing a 1080p TV to 720p still give me the same result? Thanks!

[@quarterburnt]

I dismissed the NT mini up until I watched this video. I might actually get one now.

[@brandon9271]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is completely OCD about aspect ratios and such! I drive everyone else in my family CRAZY! lol

[@PogueSquadron]

is this that bad of a value proposition? if I wanted to mod my NES, wouldn't it still cost me upwards of $300? And that's dealing with my old NES with its shoddy connectors and all that. Maybe I'll get something like this after I make my first million...

[@brickman409]

True, but you also need to consider that Retro USB's AVS cost lest than half the price of the Analogue NT mini and they're both pretty much the same thing.

[@crayelliott4894]

Lassi Kinnunen sure, if you don't mind tacking on another 120$ for a flash cart and not having perfect compatibility. the AVS has known compatibility issues and the betas only trade some problems for other problems. the NT mini has analog video output, way, way more comprehensive sound and video options, perfect compatibility (even my fdsstick works), the digital expansion sound options for Roms, and direct ROM loading with more compatibility than the Everdrive and Powerpak. and on top of that there are 8 entire other consoles this thing can currently play with mapper support for all the commercially supported games out of the box.

[@crayelliott4894]

it's not even a contest... the AVS is more affordable but gives a fraction of the functionality

[@brickman409]

Cray Elliott okay, but this guy is comparing it to HDMI modding your NES, which you wouldn't get any of that stuff with just an HDMI mod. If all you want to do is play you NES games in HD with perfect compatibility(I don't know what the hell you were talking about) then the AVS is a pretty solid choice, Even if you add the cost of a flash cart on top of the AVS it's still quite a bit cheaper than the Analogue NT.

[@crayelliott4894]

Gradius 2 crashes. Xexyz crashes. Holy Diver has issues in stage 4/5, no green stripe carts work. Issues with repro carts. Issues with the everdrive n8 on the newer betas. Even krikzz has stated that the console does not work like a real nes. Beyond that there's physical incompatibilities like no light gun support and no microphone support. Sure many of these could be addressed by a firmware update but it's been pretty slow so far.

[@Jaminn724]

This question is more for Coury. I just started getting into the retro gaming scene. Luckily I have saved most of my hardware since I was a kid and I got a free PVM from work. As someone who would only use this system for NES/famicom/SMS and the news that Kevtris will be working at Analogue full time. Would you recommend buying this all in one system or paying someone to mod an NES, buying a Framemeister, SCART cables, and a NES Everdrive ? Currently the second option is ~$700 usd which is even more than the analouge but you can use the Framemeister for other systems as well. I will probably only have an NES/Genesis/SNES/PS1.

[@megalon84]

Great review of the NT Mini, but small correction on something said in the closing comments. This isn't the first multi-console FPGA system. That would be the MiST released a few years earlier and which has cores for 25+ consoles and computer systems. It was preceded by the Amiga 500-specific Minimig and that core is probably regarded as its main configuration. It currently supports the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Apple II, C64, NES, Gameboy, PC Engine, Colecovision, various Atari systems and others. An early beta Genesis core was just released and looks promising. Some MiST cores are further along and better than others and it doesn't have HDMI out or 720p+ resolutions, but it's still worth mentioning. It's a solid FPGA system around the price of the AVS.

[@mylifeingaming]

+Mega [Try4ce] You know, that's a good point and the MIST name even briefly appears in the episode earlier on in a factoid graphic. I haven't used the MIST myself, but I'd like to try it. They are different, but yeah. In my defense, I was really tired when I wrote the ending. :P

[@matthewdavis5486]

It's surprising to me that these guys don't have far more subscribers and views than this. I've seen absolute garbage content creators with 5x the subscribers and views. These videos are perfect. They showcase these amazing consoles the best way I've seen. The music in the background and sound effects are very appropriate and not annoying like some creators. Their explanations are spot-on as well.

[@siskavard]

5:29 "Maybe we're KRAZ-E" I see what you did there

[@RetroPCUser]

I have an NEC MultiSync LCD1530V. Would the RGB output work on that monitor since it supports Sync on Green? I've watched LGR's video about the Silicon Graphics Indogo2 Impact 10,000 and he used an NEC MultiSync monitor with the RGB to D-sub 15, and the picture looked amazing.

[@philscomputerlab]

I invested some money into a FPGA machine, the Mist, and after a while the updates stopped happening. So the concept is great, but the machines are highly dependent on the people programming FPGA, and they are much less of them around vs emulator programmers.

[@mylifeingaming]

+PhilsComputerLab [Try4ce] I've been curious about the MIST for the old PC systems. Would you say those cores are mature enough to be accurate and reliable even without further updates?

[@philscomputerlab]

The cores I spent the most time with are the Amiga and C64. They do work, but there are compatibility issues if you try enough games and especially demos. The games that work, are awesome though. It outputs PC VGA, and if you cnnect a PC CRT, the image is very nice indeed.

[@skins4thewin]

Dang... the simulated chip audio sounds kinda tinny. Hope that gets fixed/tweaked eventually. I have full faith in Kevtris getting it done, that's for sure.

[@Dark-Hound]

Looks like the my mini noir has updated options. Any chance you can redo the recommended options for scanlines and crt scale over hdmi?

[@mylifeingaming]

[Try4ce] We are just starting to work on a Noir video, should be out pretty soon.

[@shift_nasty]

It's the connector. Not the games being dirty. It has to do with the solder mask that differs in length on game pcb revisions. The connector they source is shorter then the one in a toploader. And since the connectors contacts curve and some games have this weird solder mask to finger ratio, it will only make contact with the solder mask if pushed down too far. This is a problem I ran into back 5 years ago when making a nintoaster.