Sharp X68000 PC
- Thread starter joe8
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Sure is a NeoGeo console.
ShootTheCore
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I own a few different X68k models. It's an interesting computer, with a lot of good arcade ports and a lot of shmups. There's not a lot of variety in the library beyond action games - there's few games with depth - but the game library is fun to explore. There's a lot of weird, quirky fan-made games and the games developed by Konami, Capcom, Exact, Zoom and Wolf Team are all very good.
As far as CPS-1 ports go, they aren't arcade exact. The X68k ports throw fewer enemies at you than in the arcade games, and there's graphical breakup when there's a lot of sprites on-screen (like on the first boss of Strider for example). However, if you expand the computer out with an external MIDI synthesizer like a Roland SC-88 then you get fantastic MIDI music on the CPS-1 games that sound much improved over the arcade chip tunes.
The only other arcade port I can think of that struggles is Sorcer Striker - again, there's a lot of graphical breakup in that game, and it also needs a strong CPU to run at full speed. All of the other arcade ports I've played are pretty much arcade-perfect.
The Neo Geo AES and X68000 were targeted at completely different markets. AES was for well-off gamers that wanted an arcade in their living room, while the X68000 workstation was for people doing high-end computing work. When they were new, you could buy several AES consoles for the price of a single X68000 workstation - the X68k was thousands of dollars. In fact, X68k workstations were used by the graphic artists and software engineers at both SNK and Capcom to produce their arcade and console games.
I recommend trying out the platform through emulation first, but if you decide to go down the X68000 hardware rabbit hole, here's a few purchasing tips.
1) You can install an SD to SCSI card converter and run the entire game library off of one SD card. Highly recommended for speed, reliability and financial reasons - no messing around with expensive, fragile 5-1/4" floppy discs!
2) Every X68000 model will run 95% of the games. There are 5% that need an unusual amount of CPU power or memory capacity. The high-end XVI, Compact and 68030 models have that extra horsepower standard, but those models are also the most highly-desirable now, and thus the most expensive to acquire. You can upgrade other X68000 models to have more CPU and memory, but some of the upgrades are difficult to track down. The original X68000 and Pro models are the most reliable while the Ace and Compact models are the least reliable.
3) Like other electronics from that era, every X68000 uses a bunch of capacitors that have dried out by now and should be serviced. Later X68k models like the XVI, Compact and X68030 used surface-mount caps that leak and damage the PCB. Any X68000 that hasn't been recapped yet should have it done ASAP - especially with the power supply. The power supply is the most common component to fail, but there are adapter kits available to let you replace it with a PicoPSU.
4) Don't buy an X68000 that doesn't boot up to at least the "Insert Floppy" prompt. An X68000 that doesn't boot is very difficult to troubleshoot and revive.
5) The X68000 uses three display resolutions 15 kHz, 24 kHz, and 32 kHz. If you don't want to use a Sharp X68000 CRT monitor then you can use an OSSC upscaler with a port adapter and a VGA cable to connect it to a PC monitor or HDTV. DO NOT USE SCART CABLES! The X68000 doesn't output standard SCART voltages and it's possible to fry both your display device and a chip on your X68000 if you use a SCART cable. There are X68000 SCART cables on Ebay and they are garbage.
6) The X68000 keyboard has special keys that you won't find on any other keyboard, and some games use them. As such, while you can obtain a PC keyboard adapter and use that for getting started, you'll probably want to buy an original keyboard eventually. Plus, some games like Cotton will do cool things with the keyboard lights like pulse them in time to the music. Only a handful of games use the mouse, so you can safely put off buying one of those. The controller ports look like a Sega Genesis, but are wired to the MSX standard (2 buttons), so you'll want to either use MSX controllers, or a controller adapter that adapts a console controller. Plugging a Genesis controller in without an adapter might fry the controller.
7) The OS is a clone of MS-DOS 3 and you'll want to be familiar with DOS and a few DOS commands to use an X68k effectively. There is a nice visual menu that you can use for launching games, but if you have to do anything to reconfigure the computer or adjust configuration files, you'll want to know some DOS essentials.
Let me know if you have more questions.
As far as CPS-1 ports go, they aren't arcade exact. The X68k ports throw fewer enemies at you than in the arcade games, and there's graphical breakup when there's a lot of sprites on-screen (like on the first boss of Strider for example). However, if you expand the computer out with an external MIDI synthesizer like a Roland SC-88 then you get fantastic MIDI music on the CPS-1 games that sound much improved over the arcade chip tunes.
The only other arcade port I can think of that struggles is Sorcer Striker - again, there's a lot of graphical breakup in that game, and it also needs a strong CPU to run at full speed. All of the other arcade ports I've played are pretty much arcade-perfect.
The Neo Geo AES and X68000 were targeted at completely different markets. AES was for well-off gamers that wanted an arcade in their living room, while the X68000 workstation was for people doing high-end computing work. When they were new, you could buy several AES consoles for the price of a single X68000 workstation - the X68k was thousands of dollars. In fact, X68k workstations were used by the graphic artists and software engineers at both SNK and Capcom to produce their arcade and console games.
I recommend trying out the platform through emulation first, but if you decide to go down the X68000 hardware rabbit hole, here's a few purchasing tips.
1) You can install an SD to SCSI card converter and run the entire game library off of one SD card. Highly recommended for speed, reliability and financial reasons - no messing around with expensive, fragile 5-1/4" floppy discs!
2) Every X68000 model will run 95% of the games. There are 5% that need an unusual amount of CPU power or memory capacity. The high-end XVI, Compact and 68030 models have that extra horsepower standard, but those models are also the most highly-desirable now, and thus the most expensive to acquire. You can upgrade other X68000 models to have more CPU and memory, but some of the upgrades are difficult to track down. The original X68000 and Pro models are the most reliable while the Ace and Compact models are the least reliable.
3) Like other electronics from that era, every X68000 uses a bunch of capacitors that have dried out by now and should be serviced. Later X68k models like the XVI, Compact and X68030 used surface-mount caps that leak and damage the PCB. Any X68000 that hasn't been recapped yet should have it done ASAP - especially with the power supply. The power supply is the most common component to fail, but there are adapter kits available to let you replace it with a PicoPSU.
4) Don't buy an X68000 that doesn't boot up to at least the "Insert Floppy" prompt. An X68000 that doesn't boot is very difficult to troubleshoot and revive.
5) The X68000 uses three display resolutions 15 kHz, 24 kHz, and 32 kHz. If you don't want to use a Sharp X68000 CRT monitor then you can use an OSSC upscaler with a port adapter and a VGA cable to connect it to a PC monitor or HDTV. DO NOT USE SCART CABLES! The X68000 doesn't output standard SCART voltages and it's possible to fry both your display device and a chip on your X68000 if you use a SCART cable. There are X68000 SCART cables on Ebay and they are garbage.
6) The X68000 keyboard has special keys that you won't find on any other keyboard, and some games use them. As such, while you can obtain a PC keyboard adapter and use that for getting started, you'll probably want to buy an original keyboard eventually. Plus, some games like Cotton will do cool things with the keyboard lights like pulse them in time to the music. Only a handful of games use the mouse, so you can safely put off buying one of those. The controller ports look like a Sega Genesis, but are wired to the MSX standard (2 buttons), so you'll want to either use MSX controllers, or a controller adapter that adapts a console controller. Plugging a Genesis controller in without an adapter might fry the controller.
7) The OS is a clone of MS-DOS 3 and you'll want to be familiar with DOS and a few DOS commands to use an X68k effectively. There is a nice visual menu that you can use for launching games, but if you have to do anything to reconfigure the computer or adjust configuration files, you'll want to know some DOS essentials.
Let me know if you have more questions.
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So, can you use 6-button controllers (like from the Genesis)?
I watching a YT video, which said you can use an English GUI (you don't have to know Japanese)?
The port of SF2 has problems with the graphics and sound. But apart from that, it's arcade perfect.
This is an interesting video about the X68000 Pro:
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ShootTheCore has already answered your questions, Joe.
Buying, maintaining and running 16bit computers like the X68k takes lotsa dedication and money. I'm experienced with old computers but wouldn't want to go the X68k route, it's just too much kerfuffle and way too expensive.
And no, don't use console pads on old computers, they don't like it, no matter whether it's an Atari ST, Amiga, C64 or X68k. The different setup of these pads can lead to shortcuts when certain buttons are being pressed which indeed may fry your machine.
Buying, maintaining and running 16bit computers like the X68k takes lotsa dedication and money. I'm experienced with old computers but wouldn't want to go the X68k route, it's just too much kerfuffle and way too expensive.
And no, don't use console pads on old computers, they don't like it, no matter whether it's an Atari ST, Amiga, C64 or X68k. The different setup of these pads can lead to shortcuts when certain buttons are being pressed which indeed may fry your machine.
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I've played original hardware from meetups and such, every single time the owner the system is just "done with it" because of all the expensive problems that pop up.
I think this system is more an "end game" for people on their last stumble through the rabbit hole of retro gaming.
I feel if the MISter has a core for this (I'm too lazy to Bing it), then you should just go for this solution and pretend it's not FGPA.
Don't turn back like Lot's wife did ... you'll turn into salt.
ShootTheCore
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Yeah, I can definitely agree wit that first statement.
There is a MiSTer core, but it's garbage currently. Hardly any games run and the ones that do run at a snail's pace.
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Yup, I realized a few years ago that Japanese PCs - not cabs and boards - are the final frontier. I love how the X68k looks - I'd love to buy a broken one. But woof. Maintaining one seems like a full time job.
ShootTheCore
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Preventative (rather than reactive) maintenance is the key. If you do an up-front complete refurb of an X68k (replace all the capacitors, clean the floppy drives, and replace the power supply with a PicoPSU) then an X68k can be very reliable. Especially the original X68k and the Pro models - they're built like tanks.
ChopstickSamurai
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Hopefully someone smarter than I will get it sorted out some day. The MSX core is great and hopefully more Japanese PCs will be added soon. These things are rad, but are too much of a money pit as others have pointed out.
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MSX computers are more monolithical and thus not as maintenance-intensive as the 16bit variants, specially the X68k. I have two MSX computers (Panasonic FS-A1 and Yamaha CX5MII/128) and they both still work fine.
X68k emulation works very well by now, btw. I know it's not the same than the real thing, that's why I still have my old computers and don't wanna part with them but in case of the X68k (and Amiga, to a lesser extend), it's the way to go IMO, I gladly accept the little shortcomings in favour of a the real thing that can and will cause all sorts of silly problems that will cost you lotsa money or are difficult to solve, or both.
X68k emulation works very well by now, btw. I know it's not the same than the real thing, that's why I still have my old computers and don't wanna part with them but in case of the X68k (and Amiga, to a lesser extend), it's the way to go IMO, I gladly accept the little shortcomings in favour of a the real thing that can and will cause all sorts of silly problems that will cost you lotsa money or are difficult to solve, or both.
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sounds familiar
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Is there a specific emulator?
ShootTheCore
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XM6 TypeG works very well.
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XM6 TypeG is great but the project has been abandoned a while ago.
Check out this table for more emulators: http://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Sharp_X68000_emulators
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XD
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Well, basically I'm not the one to tell ppl not to buy old computer hardware, you just gotta be clear about your motivation. If it's arcade-perfect ports of late-80s and 90s games you're after, there are cheaper and less troublesome ways to play them. Emulation, PI, hell, get a used PS2, download some stuff and off ye go, the system got most of the great ports back in the day, still have mine for that very reason.
A computer however is a way more complex machine than a console, it can do more than just booting and running games. If you haven't at least a basic interest in working with it and doing some stuff besides gaming, spending lotsa money on one probably isn't very clever, specially when it comes to a system that requires a modicum of Japanese language skills if you really want to get somewhere, at least that is my impression I got from the machine.
A computer however is a way more complex machine than a console, it can do more than just booting and running games. If you haven't at least a basic interest in working with it and doing some stuff besides gaming, spending lotsa money on one probably isn't very clever, specially when it comes to a system that requires a modicum of Japanese language skills if you really want to get somewhere, at least that is my impression I got from the machine.
ShootTheCore
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This site is invaluable for working with both X68k hardware and emulation without knowing how to read Japanese:
https://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000
https://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000_faq
https://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000
https://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000_faq
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To add to this someone is currently working on an improved core for MISter (the current one sucks balls from what I read), so it's only a matter of time.