[non-emulated jazz music] Greetings and welcome to an LGR Thing all
about the MiSTer Multisystem, an exciting hardware expansion kit for users
of the MiSTer Project. It’s more than just a swanky 3D printed
case, the main draw of the Multisystem is a professionally-built PCB that adds a ton
of functionality and quality of life improvements to the main MiSTer experience. So instead of having to purchase several add-on
boards, adapters, and modules for the DE10-Nano, now you can simply grab a Multisystem and
a memory card, and you’ve got a highly expanded MiSTer machine. And in case you’re unaware, the MiSTer is
an open source project for reproducing the functionality of classic computers, game consoles,
and arcade machines. It relies on the Terasic DE10-Nano, a popular
development board built around Intel’s Cyclone V system-on-chip, with a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9
CPU and a field-programmable gate array, or FPGA. And it’s that FPGA that really sets this
apart compared to other emulation options. Heh, assuming you’re down with calling what
the MiSTer does “emulation,” and that’s almost a philosophical question depending
on who you ask. It’s more like hardware replication, or
at least that’s the goal. FPGAs don’t have a fixed architecture, and
this allows them to be reprogrammed on the fly to do whatever you like. Which in this case, the MiSTer uses custom
cores to simulate the functionality of old hardware without traditional software emulation. This means less processing overhead, along
with the potential for higher accuracy and lower input latency, as it’s simulating
each hardware component in parallel. If that doesn’t make sense don’t worry
about it, cuz all you need to know is that the MiSTer is currently one of the best options
for playing old games on a small device as accurately as possible. [Donkey Kong Country gameplay plays] And that brings us back to the Multisystem
here, which makes it easier than ever to jump in and experience the best that the MiSTer
project has to offer. It’s designed and manufactured in the United
Kingdom by Heber Limited, in collaboration with The Retro Group, aka RMC - The Cave on
YouTube. Huge thanks to Richard and Neil from the aforementioned
outfits for hooking me up with this complete Multisystem for review. They haven’t paid me for this video, nor have they given me
any stipulations on what to say. They simply sent it over so I could share
my thoughts. So let’s begin with my thoughts on the MiSTer
itself! My experience with the project is rather limited
at this point, but I’ve monkeyed with MiSTer enough to know that figuring which add-ons
you do and don’t need can be a bit of a hurdle for newcomers. And even after you get all the basics installed,
it’s still a bit of a fiddly setup once you get it all on there. Like a USB hub for controllers and peripherals,
an I/O board for VGA video, shortcut buttons and LEDs and stuff, and a memory module that’s
required to run the cores for certain systems. Now, you can buy all these and assemble your
own setup, like I did using the MiSTer Addons website. And it works great! But you still end up with an electronic component
sandwich that needs multiple cables and dongles plugged in on all sides for full functionality. However, with the Multisystem board and a
power supply, all you need is a DE10-Nano and a MicroSD card. And that’s it! You end up with a consolized, convenient point
of entry to the MiSTer ecosystem. Or if you’re like me, it’s just a tidier
setup than I had before and I love the way it looks. Especially with the 3D printed case they’ve
made available, with mine featuring this one-off LGR Edition woodgrain. That’s real wood veneer too, not some shoddy
vinyl sticker. Mm, a delectable Atari-inspired look. Let’s call it the MiSTer 2600, or no, how
about the Video Computer Multisystem? Ooh I like that. So yeah, let’s take a closer look at this
thing! Starting with the case itself, which can be
purchased alongside the Multisystem in several colors, or you can 3D print your own since
they’ve made the design available for free. There are a few different designs available
for the top and backplate, determining where you want your external RGB SCART connection,
or if you want one at all. I opted to go without since I’ll be using
VGA, component, and HDMI, though they included one of the other backplates too. This one has a hole in the middle so you can
open up a SCART cable, string it through, and connect it to the port inside the case. I also like that this version of the case
top features a mounting spot for an SSD, so you don’t have to rely exclusively on MicroSD
cards. And each case comes standard with a whisper
quiet 40mm fan for ventilation. Which apparently does a really good job combined
with the case design, according to the testing by Richard and Neil. There’s also a little bag of screws, buttons,
standoffs, and more for mounting the Multisystem itself. Which is packed in its own separate box, alongside
an HDMI coupler and two little USB and ethernet cables for hooking up to the DE10-Nano. And yeah, check this thing out. What a fantastically put-together piece of
kit this is, all neatly laid-out and lookin’ gorgeous at 170mm square. And with so many ports! HDMI, VGA, and RGB SCART. Audio out through 3.5mm jacks, digital optical
out, and even audio input for loading software from tape. A powered 7-port USB hub, with five ports
on front and two around back. A dedicated Serial Native Accessory Converter,
or SNAC port, for controller adapters, including lightguns. A power switch, three status LEDs, and three
shortcut buttons on the front right corner for controlling the MiSTer. A removable 128MB SDRAM module preinstalled
for the cores that need them. Dedicated switches and jumpers for SNAC voltages,
sync on green, aspect ratio and more. An HDMI isolation bank to quickly bypass potential
display issues. And even a special add-on slot for modular
upgrades and enhancements, so in the future you can add things like an MT32-Pi, JAMMA
harness, SNAC modules and more. Truly well thought out stuff here, the attention
to detail and consideration for different hardware both present and future is impressive. As is the documentation, which currently is
only available as a PDF but is chock full of setup and troubleshooting information,
detailed photographs, and useful tips that make building the Multisystem a breeze. And with that, let’s get down to business
and put this all together! So in terms of building the Multisystem, it’s
a fairly straightforward process. The first part involves hooking up those little
cables for USB and ethernet so that the ports are passed through to the ports around back. Then you plop down the DE10-Nano with heatsink
installed to the middle of the board, being careful to connect all the rows of pins on
either side. Takes a bit of pressure to get it all firmly
in place but it’s no biggie. A slight bit of weirdness is this HDMI coupler,
which connects the DE10 to the main board. Mine was ever so slightly off, so I just had
to squeeze the two boards together a tad and it connected fine after that. Next you kind of balance these blue and yellow
buttons on the front of the case by tilting it forward. Then you can slide the whole thing into place
with the backplate removed, going right up to those two buttons. The backplate then goes in at an angle, firmly
holding it in place. Then the fan can be connected to the appropriate
header for the voltage, with both 3.3 and 5-volt options. Then yeah, just screw in the Multisystem with
four screws and that’s that. The last part is the reset button, which has
a little 3D printed stand that just kinda plops down on the PCB and the button slots
in on top of that. With the top of the case holding everything
in place after that. Pay attention to that dark yellow thermal
fuse, as it can easily bend and might prevent the top of the case from fully closing. There are two more screws that go into the
exhaust fan on the right-hand side. And then four more screws that go in the bottom
of the case to pull the four corners together. Lastly, they included these four clear rubber
bumpers for the feet, but eh, we can do better. A dark black system deserves dark black bumpers
I think, so I grabbed four of those and slapped ‘em in place on the corners. The final piece of the puzzle is the cover
piece for the expansion area up front, and there we go! Our MiSTer Video Computer Multisystem is complete
and looking steller. The black and woodgrain finish is excellent, and the placement of all the ports makes a lotta sense to me. There’s even a handy little spot for the
MicroSD card on the top right, with an indentation cut out that makes inserting and removing
media a little easier, without it being too easy to accidentally pull out the card. The main three buttons all have a satisfying
click to them as well due to the tactile switches inside. [buttons clicking] About the only thing I’d swap out is the
power switch, I’m not a fan of this little slider. It’s a minor gripe but I’d much prefer
a nice clicky rocker switch instead. [power slider sliding, rocker switch clicking] And with that, it’s finally time to plug
in a display with some speakers, a keyboard and a controller, and systematically test
the MiSTer Multisystem with multiple systems. [MiSTer quietly powers on] [monitor speakers pop to life] -Ayyy! Nice. Nice indeed, everything worked perfectly fine
right out the gate. All the buttons, the ports, outputs, sound
and video. All awesome stuff functioning as it should. And it’s a seamless enough upgrade that
I didn’t have to do any reconfiguring of the MiSTer software itself, I’m just using
the same MicroSD card from before. The initial setup procedure is outside the
scope of this LGR episode anyway, and there are tons of excellent videos walking through
the entire process if you’re looking for that. But I will say it’s straightforward stuff
if you’ve ever installed RetroPie or similar Linux-based emulation frontends. The main difference of course is that the
MiSTer doesn’t rely on bog standard emulation software, and instead reweaves the FPGA fabric
on the spot with individual cores. Each system is a separate core with unique
settings, files, and folders, that when loaded, puts the MiSTer into a mode dedicated to replicating
the selected system. Each core still needs ROMs and other files
for things like BIOS images, games, and programs. So you can either find those yourself and
drop them onto the card manually, or run a script like “update_all” and have the
machine itself retrieve a good chunk of things online. And that’s the jist of it! At this point the MiSTer is ready to run dozens
of computers and consoles, and hundreds of arcade games with minimal extra effort. The main thing to address are all the input
and video options for each core, and what needs adjusting depends on what you're running
and what’s plugged in. You’ll always need a USB keyboard to configure
the initial options, but after that you’re free to experiment with controllers, since
a majority of devices are compatible with the proper adapter. I don’t have any of those tasty SNACs yet,
but I do have a number of USB converters for classic controllers, and so far each one I’ve
used works well. As for displays, I play on a CRT through VGA
or component every chance I get, although the MiSTer does famously well using a modern
display that has decent response times. With the right settings to reduce latency
and pixel shimmer, you can get highly pleasing results through HDMI. And even without fancy SNAC adapters and using
standard USB gamepads, the best cores provide a measurable bump up in playability compared
to devices like the Raspberry Pi. Much as I enjoy all that that system can do
for the price, the MiSTer’s reduction in lag helps each game feel more authentic if
you’re used to the original systems. The ‘Mine Cart Carnage’ level in Donkey
Kong Country is one of my go-tos for evaluating response time, and yeah, I’ve had zero issues
playing through the MiSTer, whereas I have some trouble on a typical Pi setup. An unscientific test, but it tells me what
I need to know! Perhaps response time doesn’t seem like
the most important thing to you, but the difference really is notable when comparing side-by-side. Of course, the overall results you get are
only as good as the core you’re using, and there are a number of
incomplete, immature cores that don’t quite live up to their full potential yet. Luckily, the MiSTer community are a buncha
workaholics and something’s being updated or introduced practically every day. Most of the MiSTer’s capabilities pertain
to 8 and 16-bit machines, which I’d wager is partially a limitation of the number of
logic elements in the Cyclone V. But even 32-bit systems are beginning to see
progress, with Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation cores in the works at my current time of existing. And computers, ho-ho man, there’s a smorgasbord
of classic computers on offer. And most of the big hitters I’ve tried work
great, as you might expect seeing as the Mi and ST of the original MiST project stood
for Amiga and Atari ST, respectively. So those cores in particular are quite mature and play outstandingly well with all the software I’ve tried. One where I’m left wanting though is the
AO486 core, which aims to mimic a 90MHz 486 DOS PC with 256 megs of RAM. As you’d expect, I was psyched
to see that it existed, and I’ve had a lotta fun with it! But while what’s here is entirely functional,
a lot needs to be added or improved to begin to compete with emulation options, it's just
not there yet. And I’m not a fan of how it handles upscaling,
the slightly wonky setup process and VHD usage, or how it performs with certain early 3D games. That being said it’s still in active development
and I’ll absolutely be keeping an eye on it as it improves, because DOS is awesome
to have in FPGA form at all. The arcade cores were the other huge draw
for me, since I’m a sucker for arcade-ing at home with original PCBs and cabinets, and
I’ve used MAME so long I was ready to try new things. And I am truly impressed by how well some
of my favorites are represented, like the Finalizer: Super Transformation core, as only
one example. I’ve got the arcade PCB I play on my JAMMA
Supergun setup, and lemme tell ya. The work that’s been replicating the game
here, most importantly the sound, is commendable. It’s one where the MAME implementation has
been imperfect for years, so I love having such an accurate version preserved
for posterity like this. [Finalizer gameplay plays] Let’s wrap things up with some final thoughts
on the Multisystem kit itself, because dude. This thing is a treat. It just sits there, running all cool and quiet,
and basically blends into the background while I enjoy the crap outta some good old games. When a machine works smoothly and integrates
seamlessly enough that you forget it’s even there? Yeah, that’s a solid system. Other than its subjectively
unsatisfying power switch, there really isn’t much I’d wanna change. Having more on-board analog video options
would be cool I guess, like S-Video and composite. And needing to plug in my own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters is a slight annoyance, but eh, it’s fine. Dongles are cheap and easy to come by, and
they’ll be simple to upgrade down the line if and when standards change. But even as-is, the Multisystem takes the
MiSTer to another level in terms of a complete bundle. It feels like a more fully-realized, console-like
machine now, and somehow that makes it even more enjoyable to use. Plus it has all those nifty upgrade options
with the modular expansion slot and SNAC ports and things, so it should only get better. I’d look into grabbing one if you’re in
the market for an expanded MiSTer, or you’re interested in beefing up your existing setup
like I was. The first batch of 500 that began shipping
in November 2021 sold out quickly, but there is a second batch of a thousand being produced. Currently, a Multisystem board on its own
costs just shy of 200 US dollars before tax, and about $275 with a case, power brick, and video cables. The folks behind it even provide a generous
two year warranty, so yep. I feel confident recommending this one, and it’s easily earned a permanent
spot under my TV. [Galaga plays over downtempo beats] And if you found something useful or entertaining
here, then sweet! I bet you'll dig some of my other videos too. And feel free to stick around for new videos
here on LGR. As always, thanks for watching.
