16 Bit Gaming Console

This may not be the right forum for posting, but because this will be more an electronics project than anything else, I'm sure I'll get plenty of help here.

I've got an idea for a (likely large) project of which the goal is to create a fairly simple game console. It will have at least 16 bits, and pinouts to handle different types of cartridges (or alternatively usb ports to handle ROM images... but this is probably just a complication.) What I'm focusing is SNES, but if it's not too much of a problem, I may also adapt it to lower bit games like NES, Genesis, and even A2600 cartridges as well. I know that things like this can be bought much more easily, but I'm sure that 90% of the people on this forum appreciate the value of making something sweet with your own hands.

As to the somewhat more technical aspects, I've looked at the arduino, but it quickly became obvious that no version is anywhere near powerful enough to run graphics and sound alongside being the main CPU, and using separate arduinos for these functions would be something of a minor nightmare in making them communicate well. So: does anyone have any idea as to how to get this kind of thing to work? I know enough about working with analogue electronics and technique, but this is my first real CPU-powered project. Schematics (and my own prodding) reveal that the analogue circuitry in these original consoles is a little complex to work with, but if it turns out that the pre-made board option is worse, I guess it's time for a little (read: TONS) of soldering...

Am I getting in over my head here? Or is this a manageable project, and if so, some ideas? Thanks, and sorry for the word-wall...

 

Thanks! I'd heard of the Pi before, but hadn't even considered it for this project; seems like it could work perfectly! People who've used it for game emulation before say it has horrible audio, but that could probably be fixed by running that with a simpler separate chip or some sort of filter (like the arduino...) The only if on this one is translating the controller input (reading the cartridges would be very simple indeed if I'm running an emulator.) It might even be easier to load it with a small version of linux just for running the emulator... that would also come with the benefit of basically having a tiny computer. The possibilities really open up here.

But still, I say... keep the suggestions coming! Anything you have to say on this will probably help, as in some areas I'm still completely in the dark.

 

It's true. I've even already got an original SNES and a lot of cartridges (plus ones for NES that I currently have no way of playing.) But the main points for me are:

1. Coolness factor
2. The fact that I can say I built something like that.
3. Portability- when you think about it, having a small, fairly light box that can play just about any mainstream console game up the last of the 90's (the Raspberry Pi would allow even more capability given RAM increases) seems a whole lot better then a PC... for this purpose anyway! You could really wonder why anyone still uses consoles, and some people do, but they do have some advantages. Plus... thinking ahead... I could sell this junk, if there's a market for it.

 

I think a cabinet would actually be quite an easy build. I really am better at woodworking then I am electronics, but either side of the project would probably be simple enough- especially considering they run in the high 3 figures!

Back onto the original topic, I may have a programmer to help me sort out the controller inputs once it's all soldered (I don't know that garbage!) I may just set up a Raspberry Pi system with a couple drives I have lying around, bump up the VM so it runs faster, and then figure out how to make the controllers/carts talk to it. At that, I'd also have a new PC for browsing the web. An awesome goal for this would be to make it PC game compatible (or at least let it run the more trivial simcity 3000) as well...

 

Well, if I get an emulator running on the Pi, the control interfacing for the games would obviously be extremely easy. The problem (that I might have stated a little better) is more like extending the controller's capability. On a normal SNES, of course, only the game's concerns matter. But on a small computer, there needs to be a separate interface for keyboard and mouse replacement, which is a little tougher. The mouse could be done with directional plus L and R, with the only challenge being getting the sensitivity just right, but the keys could be a bit more. My general idea right now is to steal the code from a simple onscreen keyboard and have a hot button (probably A/B/Y/X) to open it up. The cartridges probably won't present a problem, as ROM images speak in the same way as they do- meaning that any emulator I happen to use will read them without trouble. I certainly don't plan to write my own emulator- I'll probably just find one that's small and simple, then, if necessary, just have an auto open function.

As to possible PC games, I'll probably have to run linux no matter how I shop this thing up, so I'll just be going through the sloppy process of getting PC games to run well on linux. It's hard and probably not worth it, but eh, why not... I guess I could in theory strip windows to its needed components and just have a PC game boot, but that would also be a little complex, plus, as you pointed out, need a whole lot more CPU and RAM than the Pi alone has to offer.

 

Well, let's see... you seem to have caught my post before I edited it for a lot more
clarification about what I'm trying to use the controller for. Silly ol' me. And as well, I ought to have mentioned I already have a pinout board for the purpose of cart reading, basically for the purpose of what I'm trying to do now. I managed to wed it to a 9-pin serial plug (soldering high-speed USB cables is worse than using ancient cords) and read cartridge info using my PC. Most of my cartridges worked with ZSNES (I'll likely be using a much simpler emulator for the actual project,) and the ones that didn't I think I can attribute to the actual copies, which seem to work poorly on the actual SNES.