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[SlimeGooGoo]

The Japanese PC that ran the original Metal Gear is coming back after 30 years of extinction

The MSX's co-creator is back with a new model, the MSX3, and it's coming this year.

www.pcgamer.com

D4 Enterprise is a Japanese video game publisher that specialises in game preservation, and operates Project EGG. Its aim is to get MSX games on modern platforms, essentially, and keep the rich history of the hardware alive.

The "next-generation MSX" is somewhat in keeping with that, but the intention also seems to be a machine that is more than just a hobbyist nostalgia piece. It has an Arm-based CPU and supports the C, Python, and LISP languages. The project began as an expansion board which could be installed in the slot of an MSX or MSX2, but is now going to be released as a standalone device with an optional bay slot for DVDs / Blu-Ray disks.

Nishi writes that he had considered making "1-chip" MSX hardware in the old days, but decided that at the time the potential solutions didn't offer enough power. He confirms that the new machine will be backwards-compatible. "Of course old MSX logoed software will run for future MSX," writes Nishi. He also thinks that folk programming should begin using more modern tools: "I will perhaps be asking all potential users stop writing z80 and r800 code anymore and write only on high level tools for 64 bit VM code for long term binary compatibility. VM64 will run on X86, ARM32, ARM64, RISC V."

More details on the MSX3 will follow this summer, and Nishi says there will be three products available by the end of the year: The MSX Engine 3 "for OEM and hobby system builders", a 'Pro' and a 'Light' MSX3 keyboard, and MSX 3 IOT cartridge to be used standalone or in concert with MSX or MSX2 hardware.

 

[Deft Beck]

This is really neat!

 

[MAtgS]

Can't wait for Metal Gear 3!

 

[ShirAhava]

 

[coffinbirth]

WOW!
Crazy times, wonder if they can get KojiPro to write a little something for it. A Death Stranding demake is juuuust silly enough, I could see him do it. Not really, but kinda.

Also, is that DVD drive the add-on drive, or is it just there for scale? I'm going with the latter.

 

[BryceNobody]

 

[KuraiShidosha]

Thread theme:

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Thread theme:

By the way, wasn't Snatcher incomplete on the MSX? Then later they completed it on Sega CD or something?

 

[TLZ]

Whoa whoa what's going on here?!

 

[64bitmodels]

inb4 an Amiga comeback

 

[Naked Lunch]

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is still the best Metal Gear game. (the MSX game not PS2)
Fight me.

 

[Kiddo Cabbusses]

When I clicked this thread I was expecting something like the PC-Engine Mini. This is... quite a bit more surprising.

I wonder if this really intends to compete in a Windows and Mac-dominated computer market?

 

[ReBurn]

When I clicked this thread I was expecting something like the PC-Engine Mini. This is... quite a bit more surprising.

I wonder if this really intends to compete in a Windows and Mac-dominated computer market?

No. It looks more like it's meant to compete in the raspberry pi and similar sbc market. This is hobbyist kit

 

[a multicultural team of v]

By the way, wasn't Snatcher incomplete on the MSX? Then later they completed it on Sega CD or something?

Act 3 was added to the Sega CD version yeah. Not sure if it is one of those things where Kojima wanted to add it to the MSX version but ran out of time, or if he created it after the original release.

Edit: it might have been added to the PC Engine version first, now that I think about it

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is still the best Metal Gear game. (the MSX game not PS2)
Fight me.

Holly best girl

 

[Ozzie666]

This line of computers was never really a thing in North America, it's something that has always interested me. Reminds me a lot of a Spectrum hardware line-up. How good was this thing and how successful in Japan. I'll go google now.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Microsoft and Sony have been in gaming a decent while longer than some would think, that's for sure.

This line of computers was never really a thing in North America, it's something that has always interested me. Reminds me a lot of a Spectrum hardware line-up. How good was this thing and how successful in Japan. I'll go google now.

I think it did pretty well in Japan TBH. At least until the NEC PC-88 and Fujitsu FM Towns came around, because I remember especially the NEC PC-88 & PC-98 being massive in Japan until clones with Windows '95 started showing up and taking over.

EDIT: All based on what I've read. I either wasn't alive or was too damn young to have seen it happen at the time. Not to mention, not even in Japan

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Report of impression when it is realized in front

I programmed the FPGA of MSX engine3 and tried to run Sinclair's ZX-81. ZX-81 even though it is an MSX! i feel weird

If you continue this, Comodore64, AMIGA, etc. will work on MSX3. Of course, I think that the PC8001, PC8801, and PC9801 will also work, so I'll do it! It's not an emu, it's a real machine

I will let you know the summary
I was scolded for not understanding

There are 5 types of MSXM

MSX engine 3 (32bit ARMx2)
MSX engine 4 (CM4) no photo
MSX engine 6 (64bit ARMx4)
MSX video engine (Jetson Orin nano, Orin NX)
MSX audio engine (AD DSP)

It is questioned what kind of software to put on this hardware

First, the OS is
Limux and
It's MSX OS

the language is
MSXOS is BASICi, BASICc and C
linux is BASIC, PYTHON, LISP, etc.

The video is openGL
Audio is Dolby ATOMOS and Super Echo

For details, see DEVCON2 (probably ZOOM within the year)

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Spanish bros, rejoice

 

[Crayon]

Whaaaaaat. I love it.

 

[cartman414]

I wonder what he thinks of the X68000 Z platform.

Regardless of potential overlap with these new projects the more the merrier I say!

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Prototype for a MSX3 standard keyboard



MSX3 SDK



MSX0 Stack

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Keynote from December last year.
MSX0 and MSX3 presented by Dr. Kazuhiko Nishi, Maxim Vlasov and Shigemitsu Yamaoka
English subtitles available

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Also, former composer for Konami's Kukeiha Club tells us about his experience on composing music for the MSX

 

[RoboFu]

Will msx3 have hardware scrolling finally? lol

 

[SALMORE]

oh the memories of playing Konami's Knightmare late at night with my uncle , the system has an amazing chiptune

 

[YCoCg]

This isn't the MSX I was thinking of