Sega Saturn on MiSTer FPGA; games that are basically perfect

VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
Saturn has had a long development process and it's still not finished yet but the core on MiSTer has matured to the point where you can have a solid list of games that are matching performance compared to OG Saturn hardware and are just killing it. Games you can 100% complete. Games that show off the power of the Saturn both 2D and 3D. Just an amazing thing to see running in FPGA.

A year ago maybe 5-10 games would boot and they'd freeze in the first minute. Now you can play for hours and you'd never even know you WERENT using real hardware. How times have changed!

But I'm curious who's playing Saturn on MiSTer and what your results have been? Esp with diff ram verejons

 
Saturn software emulation (SSF, Mednafen/Beetle are on par with any PS emu, sans bells & whistles/enhancements) has matured a lot the last decade(s), it's not nearly as off limits as most think by its outdated reputation so this hardware emulation isn't such a necessary project, but neat anyway 🤷‍♂️
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Alexios said:
Saturn software emulation has matured a lot the last decade(s) so it's really not nearly as off limits as most seem to think judging it by its outdated reputation so this hardware emulation isn't such a necessary project, but neat nonetheless.
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This is true even on basic emulators like mednafen a lot of games run great!
 
Yes. Saturn is pretty much licked on the Mister.

It is in the update all script.

Hopefully, the N64 core will be done by the end of the year.
 
Panzer Dragoon Saga runs great on it. That is the real test.

I need to find my Sega Saturn USB controller.
 
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Alexios said:
this hardware emulation isn't such a necessary project, but neat anyway 🤷‍♂️
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Yeah, it's not even on par with Mednafen Saturn yet.

The problem with Saturn emulators is the input lag though. Now, the emulators themselves shouldn't add input lag in general but in the case of Saturn they do. Not sure what the problem is with this particular system.
 
Krathoon said:
Panzer Dragoon Saga runs great on it. That is the real test.

I need to find my Sega Saturn USB controller.
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I am about four hours into a new playthrough and it's been great. I know some people have completed it too so it should be good through to the end
 
Good to hear. I tried to emulate saturn games on my series s a year or two ago and honestly it wasn't great at all.
 
Alexios said:
Saturn software emulation (SSF, Mednafen/Beetle are on par with any PS emu, sans bells & whistles/enhancements) has matured a lot the last decade(s), it's not nearly as off limits as most think by its outdated reputation so this hardware emulation isn't such a necessary project, but neat anyway 🤷‍♂️
​
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cool vids!!

Though, cool as the saturn is, the PS2 version of Sega Rally is way better.
 
Yeah. Beetle Saturn on Retroarch is my go to in software emulation. Work great right out of the box.

Retroarch does a great job setting up your standard two stick controller with any video game system.
 
64bitmodels said:
Though, cool as the saturn is, the PS2 version of Sega Rally is way better.
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Duh, the former is a 1995 essential demake on far inferior to Model 2 console hardware, just ~1 year after its arcade launch even, the latter an all new arcade port to superior, then next gen, hardware ~11 more years later. No valid comparison whatsoever.
 
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Alexios said:
Duh, the former is a 1995 essential demake on far inferior to Model 2 console hardware, just 1 year after its pioneering arcade launch even, the latter an all new arcade port to superior, then next gen, hardware ~11 more years later.
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fair enough. Just sort of wanted to plug the PS2 port as it's super cool!

The saturn version is pretty arcade accurate minus the lower framerate, anyways. Far better than the Daytona port on the same system.
 
diffusionx said:
I might end up shelling out for that Mars FPGA thing, not gonna lie, especially if Saturn emulation is there.
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It's interesting and I've done some vids on the concept but it's def still "wait and see" territory until cores are running on the board and shown to everyone / we know what day 1 experiences will be
 
MadchesterManc said:
Do these FPGA things offer any tangible benefit over just using the Saturn I have given its hardware emulation?
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Biggest benefit is that one MiSTer FPGA device can emulate tons of very different 8-bit and 16-bit hardware. Other benefits are digital video output, scanline emulation, flexible joystick support and easy access to huge game libraries if you cover one of your eyes with a piece of black cloth.
 
VGEsoterica said:
It's interesting and I've done some vids on the concept but it's def still "wait and see" territory until cores are running on the board and shown to everyone / we know what day 1 experiences will be
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yea, I saw your video on it. I guess it just is nice because it's one package instead of wading through all these weird sites to compile a mister.
 
Where do they put the save files on the Mister? It would be handy to know so I can swap them to emulators.

I assume they use the standard formats.

They better.
 
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Ok. I did not know that you have to Save backup RAM to save your games. That is annoying. It is to reduce the number of SD card writes.

Game Saves - MiSTer FPGA Documentation

MiSTer FPGA is an open source project that aims to recreate various classic computers, game consoles, and arcade machines, using modern hardware.
mister-devel.github.io mister-devel.github.io
 
Sega Saturn 🪐 has always been notoriously difficult to emulate. This is fantastic progress that will bring the underrated Saturn catalog to a wider audience.
 
Always good to see improvements for Sega Saturn emulation. Recently go back into the Saturn using the Android TV version of Yabause and there a few issues with certain games still.
 
Really, software emulation is more convenient.

I did build two Misters, though.

I was having a problem with the SNAC adapter. It would black out the screen for some reason.

I just use USB controllers instead.
 
Is Radiant Silvergun running at ~99% yet? That's what I've been waiting to play, personally.
 
VGEsoterica VGEsoterica Do you have any guides (or links to guides) for total morons to get Saturn working? I tried to get it running 3 or 4 months ago and wasn't able to.
 
The Saturn core is now in the update all script. So, just run that and you are good to go.

Anyone know how to port Saturn saves off the Mister? Is it standardized?
 
You do have to put the bios in too. You have to name it boot.bin.

One thing that annoys me with the core is that it does not swap bioses for regions.

I like how the Beetle emulator does that.
 
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This is my second time getting a DE10 nano. I got one before in 2021 or 2022, can't quite remember. I spruced it up with a cool acrylic case, two extra memory upgrades (even though it didn't really need two, do they need it now?), extra USB ports, and some digital version of a PCB—I forgot exactly what it was. Sold it for over $400. Now, I've just ordered another DE10 nano, and it's a bit pricier this time, like $30-$50 more. Here we go again, guys. The thing I love about the Mister FPGA is how easy and quick it is to jump between games and consoles. I can't do that as seamlessly on my PC with emulation. Sure, I could make it work, but it just doesn't beat the FPGA's simplicity and the ability to switch between consoles like that, especially now with N64 and Saturn support. Planning to keep it this time. N64 and Saturn weren't even a thing when I had it.
 
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Sorry for the double post but it just arrived, it was shipped yesterday from TW and got here on the east coast before 2 today, pretty impressive. Something I noticed is the addition of power adapter, that didn't come last time and that too I bought through their site. It also came with 16GB of memory, im starting to think this was a combo? But I don't remember buying the combo, strange.

Edit: its included in the base per their website

So now I gotta find an IO Digital port, the usb board, a small bluetooth/wifi usb. Prices have gone up on those as well, im seeing $75 for black pcb, thats like two times its price, i see some for cheaper, but they were like $25, the memory too wow. Oh well I guess im in now but gonna take a lot to make this right. It's nice though having all these new addons, think I saw one with a floppy? That's crazy lol.
 
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Mr1999 said:
Sorry for the double post but it just arrived, it was shipped yesterday from TW and got here on the east coast before 2 today, pretty impressive. Something I noticed is the addition of power adapter, that didn't come last time and that too I bought through their site. It also came with 16GB of memory, im starting to think this was a combo? But I don't remember buying the combo, strange.

Edit: its included in the base per their website

So now I gotta find an IO Digital port, the usb board, a small bluetooth/wifi usb. Prices have gone up on those as well, im seeing $75 for black pcb, thats like two times its price, i see some for cheaper, but they were like $25, the memory too wow. Oh well I guess im in now but gonna take a lot to make this right. It's nice though having all these new addons, think I saw one with a floppy? That's crazy lol.
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I think I got my I/O set from eBay or Aliexpress. It was ultimately cheaper than buying a prebuilt.
 
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Omnipunctual Godot said:
I think I got my I/O set from eBay or Aliexpress. It was ultimately cheaper than buying a prebuilt.
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thanks ill check it out. hopefully they have it in black since I want it to look like the one I had before I sold it, some pcs were hard to come by hopefully it wont be such a hassle now.

ASZpQCO.jpg
 
Mr1999 said:
thanks ill check it out. hopefully they have it in black since I want it to look like the one I had before I sold it, some pcs were hard to come by hopefully it wont be such a hassle now.

ASZpQCO.jpg
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There are new IO boards and cases that merge the IO board and USB hub. Search for "Mister FPGA Saturn" on AliExpress.

You'll still need a RAM module, but you can get the new IO board and a case for under $100.


Edit: Found a video about it

 
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SScorpio said:
There are new IO boards and cases that merge the IO board and USB hub. Search for "Mister FPGA Saturn" on AliExpress.

You'll still need a RAM module, but you can get the new IO board and a case for under $100.


Edit: Found a video about it

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nice! ill probably go this route.
 
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I got half of the stuff I need and I should have it up and running by December the way I want. Got this yesterday now I just need a 1TB microsd.

 
Yeah. That I what I do too. Get a 1TB SD card. I was going to use a 512MB one on one of mine, but I might as well go for the 1TB.
 
Alexios said:
Saturn software emulation (SSF, Mednafen/Beetle are on par with any PS emu, sans bells & whistles/enhancements) has matured a lot the last decade(s), it's not nearly as off limits as most think by its outdated reputation so this hardware emulation isn't such a necessary project, but neat anyway 🤷‍♂️
​
Click to expand...

Yeah Mednafen/Beetle compatibility is >99%, and most of the incompatible games are because of unemulated peripherals like the modem or the MIDI cart or whatever. Saturn emulation is actually quite mature at this point.
 
Yeah. Software emulation is more convenient because you can throw it on a laptop and take it anywhere.

N64 and Saturn is pretty much licked in software.

The only thing that I see that needs work is the CDi. It needs the video player module.

There is a good 3DO emulator out there called the Phoenix emulator.
 
Also, the SD card in the Mister can totally die without notice. The hard drives in a computer usually let you know when they are about to die.
 
Any particular recommendations for combo IO/USB boards? How reliable is AliExpress shipping to US now days? Been a while since I ordered anything there and of course I missed the singles day sales.
 
I have this weird problem when I plug in the SNAC and get a black screen.

I have been using USB controllers and adapters instead.
 
StereoVsn said:
Any particular recommendations for combo IO/USB boards? How reliable is AliExpress shipping to US now days? Been a while since I ordered anything there and of course I missed the singles day sales.
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I think their sale is still going through the 17th. I haven't had any issues. It's always good to check for reviews and check that the reviews seem legit (same as Amazon or eBay). Pictures from reviewers can often be helpful. Main downside is that shipping can take weeks.
 
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VGEsoterica VGEsoterica Do you know if Super Tempo runs with the new update?
 
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