Panasonic MSX 2 FS-A1
- Thread starter swisstoni
- Start date
I use a device called the Mega Flash Rom SCC. Highly recommended!
ok thanks guys will have a look at the Mega Flash Rom SCC also looks like you can get a version with extra ram I know the Panasonic MSX 2 FS-A1 isnt a great model and doesnt have a floppy hopefully it will work with the Mega Flash Rom.
The RAM is useful as it adds 512k to a bare bones system (such as the FS-A1) without an extra costly expansion, which in turn also frees up a slot.
DOS2/Nextor needs 128k of RAM to run and enables you to use partitions on the SD card of up to 4GB, a FAT-16 file system and also organise your .DSK files into folders. Overall this will make your experience a lot better.
You don't really need the 2 SD slots at all. It's just an overkill safety precaution in case one of them fails.
Also, it can get tricky booting games and resetting on the FS-A1, and sometimes you can get stuck in a loop. I know I had to restore the cart a few times after playing some Konami games. If you run into problems down the line, feel free to drop me a PM and I can go through my notes for you. It was a true pain getting it up and running, but after a while it all made sense.
Hope that helps.
DOS2/Nextor needs 128k of RAM to run and enables you to use partitions on the SD card of up to 4GB, a FAT-16 file system and also organise your .DSK files into folders. Overall this will make your experience a lot better.
You don't really need the 2 SD slots at all. It's just an overkill safety precaution in case one of them fails.
Also, it can get tricky booting games and resetting on the FS-A1, and sometimes you can get stuck in a loop. I know I had to restore the cart a few times after playing some Konami games. If you run into problems down the line, feel free to drop me a PM and I can go through my notes for you. It was a true pain getting it up and running, but after a while it all made sense.
Hope that helps.
Thanks djsheep makes sense now. In the end I ended up buying a Panasonic A1-WX instead there was an issue with the seller of the FS-A1, apparently the A1-WX has been expanded to 512k ram already so looks like the basic Megaflashrom will be fine for what I need.
Picked up a Mega Flash Rom SCC very impressed with it and got it working fine, one question is there a better menu than the built in one as long file names are shortened making it difficult to work out the name of some games in the romset.
Check out Sofarom: https://www.louthrax.net/mgr/. Fantastic tool for loading roms and disk images from memory.
ShootTheCore
Legendary
I didn’t notice this MSX thread before. I picked up a Panasonic FS-A1ST Turbo-R a few months ago.
Fascinating platform overall-it’s amazing how much variety there is in both the games and in all the hardware accessories and cartridges. Konami and Compile especially pulled off some amazing games. The recent homebrew stuff from developers like Kai Magazine have been pretty good as well.
Fascinating platform overall-it’s amazing how much variety there is in both the games and in all the hardware accessories and cartridges. Konami and Compile especially pulled off some amazing games. The recent homebrew stuff from developers like Kai Magazine have been pretty good as well.
Attachments
I've been staring at MSX stuff on and off and have no idea where to start.
Are they backwards compatible? Or do you need an MSX for MSX software and an MSX2+ for 2+ software, etc?
Are they backwards compatible? Or do you need an MSX for MSX software and an MSX2+ for 2+ software, etc?
ShootTheCore
Legendary
They are fully backwards compatible. The later models will run all the early model games. However, you can’t upgrade the early models to handle games developed for the later models.
Until the last 2-3 years, a good argument could be made that an MSX2 was the only MSX you needed, since few games were made for the later Turbo-R model. However, there’s been some heavy homebrew development recently that’s delivered some quality Turbo-R games, and patches have come out for popular games (like the Salander & Gradius games) that use the Turbo-R horsepower for smooth scrolling and better audio.
Today IMHO, an MSX2 is still the best bang for the buck. There’s plenty of models to choose from and most of them are inexpensive. But if you want to truly experience everything the MSX library has to offer, pay the extra for a Turbo-R - It’s still cheaper than a decent X68000 setup!
Until the last 2-3 years, a good argument could be made that an MSX2 was the only MSX you needed, since few games were made for the later Turbo-R model. However, there’s been some heavy homebrew development recently that’s delivered some quality Turbo-R games, and patches have come out for popular games (like the Salander & Gradius games) that use the Turbo-R horsepower for smooth scrolling and better audio.
Today IMHO, an MSX2 is still the best bang for the buck. There’s plenty of models to choose from and most of them are inexpensive. But if you want to truly experience everything the MSX library has to offer, pay the extra for a Turbo-R - It’s still cheaper than a decent X68000 setup!
I just looked at the prices, lol. Maybe I'll cut the difference and grab an MSX2+ then upgrade later if it's something I really feel calling to me. I'm already shipping computers over right now, so it could keep an X68000 company!
Quick edit: I saw on Kai Magazine's site that some games say they need the V9990 chip. I found the wiki talking about it on MSX.org, but I don't seem to see an easy guide that tells which models have this in it.
ShootTheCore
Legendary
V9990 isn’t built in to any of the models. It’s a graphics expansion cartridge that you add on separately. If you look at the pictures I posted above, it’s the cartridge with the adapter sticking out of the top. A Turbo-R normally has graphics similar to mid-life NES (MSX1 graphics are on par with ColecoVision), while the V9990 brings the quality close to a Sega Genesis. There’s currently only a handful of games written for it though more are in development.
Here’s where I ordered mine from:
http://www.tecnobytes.com.br/p/v9990-powergraph-light.html
Here’s where I ordered mine from:
http://www.tecnobytes.com.br/p/v9990-powergraph-light.html
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ShootTheCore
Legendary
So the MSX is my third retro computer along with an Amiga 1200 and a X68030, and I plan on stopping with those three. I have enjoyed exploring the games in each so far - each machine has gems well worth experiencing. But if I had to broadly summarize each computer’s games, it would be:
MSX games play better than they look
Amiga games look better than they play
X68000 games both look AND play well
Food for thought...
MSX games play better than they look
Amiga games look better than they play
X68000 games both look AND play well
Food for thought...
I'll have to keep an eye out for the V9990 as it seems they're sold out.
I have an Amiga 1200 too! That was my first retro computer (not counting the 486 since I had one when it wasn't retro). And your description is dead on.
I also have an FM Towns 40H that I bought solely for the case. It works, but it's kind of boring since it just runs Windows anyway.
I have an Amiga 1200 too! That was my first retro computer (not counting the 486 since I had one when it wasn't retro). And your description is dead on.
I also have an FM Towns 40H that I bought solely for the case. It works, but it's kind of boring since it just runs Windows anyway.
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stt1
Professional
Oww, MSX people here too,
ShootTheCore: have you tried Pinball Dreams or Pinball Fantasies with A1200? They are really nice.
ShootTheCore: have you tried Pinball Dreams or Pinball Fantasies with A1200? They are really nice.
ShootTheCore
Legendary
I have played them and they're both excellent games. One genre the Amiga definitely excels at is pinball!Oww, MSX people here too,
ShootTheCore: have you tried Pinball Dreams or Pinball Fantasies with A1200? They are really nice.
I've really enjoyed a lot of the graphic adventures on Amiga as well. Beneath a Steel Sky, Lure of the Temptress, Future Wars, and the LucasArts games - all great stuff!