So then, what does everyone think of the Xgamestation project?? Thanks to AntiPasta for pointing out that it's finally on sale (hadn't bothered checking in ages).... Does it seem like an easy way to learn programming and electronics? What do any of you coders think? The project interested me when I first heared about it, and the system needs a shmup.... Wondering whether this is the easiest/most interesting way to learn stuff? Anyone thinking of getting one?
Andre Lamothe's books are utter crap and un-organized. I know because I read them myself and some of the code in it is filled with errors and they did a bad job at editing because screenshots on how the program should look are not of the program you're working on. It's a waste of money if you want to learn something but buy it if you just want the hardware. Then sell it on ebay a few years for $500.
It's only meant to be educational. I think it can be great for people to learn. System such as the GBA are very similar.
Well you buy one to educate yourself if you like,I'm going to spend my money on a DS and Psp. :smt014
Yeah, I don't think this is intended to be a major player on the console scene, it's appealing directly to homebrewers, game programmers, hackers, etc. I think I might get one if the price is right. I'm really pathetic when it comes to stuff like this and it might be fun to mess around with. It's got the potential to nab a pretty cool underground scene.
Mmm....The XgameStation isn't really incredible. there's just too many mods and things like that on the system that each sperated consoles aren't like the other ones, so you can play a game on your xgamestation while your friend that have the same console can't make it play at all. i didn't really saw great work on it too. could someone post a link to the official web site? just to take news...
I like the idea a lot, but it's above my budget for now :-( Of course its not meant as a commercial game system (heck, there arent even cartridges yet, just on-board flash memory) but as a cool toy to hack around with... something that'll take a while with DS & PSP ;-)
As an educational platform it's a great idea, and things like the Digital Logic Exploration Kit offer possibilities that have been outside hobbyists' reach since the 80s home computers. I'm not totally convinced of the CPU choice and cut-down video for the Micro Edition, but on the other hand experience with a different type of hardware is useful. I hope LaMothe releases the "full" XGS as originally planned, though.
Huge Bump. After seeing the Xgamestation link in another thread I did a bit of google digging to find out more about this. There doesn't seem to be many in-depth reviews of the products on offer. http://www.xgamestation.com/ Does anyone on the forum own one of these? I'm considering getting the XGS Pico 2.0 as i'd love to learn about low level hardware and assembly and I think the idea of custom do-it-yourself console would really help me undertstand alot more. I realise it's not a light undertaking or a hobby you reserve for a sunday afternoon, but I want to give it a shot. The Hydra looks tempting too but at the moment I'm not looking to learn a python/basic style language just yet even though the hardware seems more appealing.
The XGS is factually a piece of shit. Microcontrollers belong in toasters, not game consoles. If you want to learn assembly / low level hardware, I suggest you learn them separately. Hardware/digital logic IMO is best learned in three steps: -Theory: Get a college digital book and study every word until at least "state machines." You may not have enough motivation to do this entirely on your own without some stake in it, I know I didn't until I took a digital class in college. -Discrete chips: get a breadboard and get some hands on experience with 74 series chips using the theory from the book. -Programmable logic: get a FPGA development kit to start building more complex designs. If you really get into it, you may want to learn a HDL. If you want to learn assembly: -You probably want to start with an 8-bit CPU (but not a Harvard architecture microcontroller), since you're a Sega fan you may want to try Z80. -Go to SMSPower and make a SMS/GG demo. -Once you have a grasp of Z80 assembly, try to moving up to IA32 assembly. Do you know C? -If you know C, you can immediately start using IA32 assembly by writing "inline assembly" in your C programs. If you don't know any C, you probably want to learn that before any assembly! C is to programming languages as English is to spoken languages. -If you know C, you can also use the SDL library to setup a framebuffer, sound buffer and joypad input. Now you have your very own DIY game console for free and with better support, tools and probably thousands of times more capability.
Wicked advice...thanks, I have a limited knowledge of C, I guess before I do anything I should brush up on my C skills. I like the idea of working with a Z80.
As a part-time linguist I almost felt physical pain reading this :110: (perhaps it would be better to say Latin or Indo-European)
I know, but if you think about it, C is a bit like the Indo-European of programming languages, I don't think there's any HLL whose basic syntax is still used in so many newer languages. Ah well, getting off topic a lil' bit ;p
Well despite the good advice (which I will still use, thanks again). I've decided to order one of these out of pure boredom and curiosity. I've read through a few of the online manuals and documents, looks quite workable and fun.
I have met Andre Lamothe a few times and he has bought me lunch too. The XGS systems are nice but the I hate the microcontroller nature of the products, much rather use a nippy Z80 or something as they are easy enough to buy and have been used on a number of systems.
