Neo Geo AES HDMI mod with Scanlines?

NeoField

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Hi all,

I own a Neo Geo AES with the OSSC that is hooked up to my main TV. I have a few friends that I visit often and bring the console with me. It is a pain to unhook the system given my media center setup so I plan to buy another AES console.

I saw this magnificent AES on ebay that has HDMI out and a button to turn on scanlines. The auction is from Italy.

-I was hoping someone on the board might be able to do this mod for $$$ or have any information about it? I haven't seen much on HDMI for AES consoles or a scanline generator and would appreciate your advice. Thank you!

EBAY CONSOLE
 

Finch

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I don't know for sure how they did it, but I would guess they purchased a cheap HDMI scaler board from ebay or aliexpress and stuck it in there. There aren't a lot of options for a mod like this that will also fit inside the AES case, or that would yield good results without significant lag. I'm kind of thinking that this is not actually a proper upscaler, but more of a quick and dirty HDMI conversion and may not work very well. If component input would work for your travel AES you might be able to do that mod more easily using a jrok encoder. http://www.jamma-nation-x.com/jammax/ has done Component output mods in the past, so you could contact them and see if it's still something they do. For that price, I would almost suggest buying a second AES and a second OSSC so you don't have to unhook your current one.

My personal CMVS system has component, S-video and composite. Sure composite and S-video are crappy, but in a pinch if you just want to play games they work just fine. I guess those are getting more and more rare on modern TVs, and there are some compatibility issues with newer TVs.
 

Carless Walker

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So, you're saying it's potentially worth up to $900, to avoid disconnecting your system from your rig, so you can cart it around?

A chainsawgutfucked AES isn't the solution to your problem. A Neo-Geo X is. /s


Edit: Jokes aside, a RetroTink 2x, and plain old composite cable would get the job done. Small too.
 
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madman

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I'd bet that UniBIOS is copied too, unless Raz knows this guy as a reseller. Probably a shit HDMI encoder in there too. Not worth it.
 

GohanX

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Yeah, it's probably a shitty chinese RGB to HDMI converter shoved into the shell. The screenshots in the auction don't look anywhere near as good as the image you'd be used to on your OSSC.
 

Tw3ek

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Given that yellow light mod, what're the odds this was at one point a KPJ hack-job?
 

NeoField

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Gentlemen greatly appreciate your advice, def going to stay away from a hacked up AES console. Think I might explore the emulation options out there. Thanks again, glad I checked here before blowing $900.
 

Finch

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Gentlemen greatly appreciate your advice, def going to stay away from a hacked up AES console. Think I might explore the emulation options out there. Thanks again, glad I checked here before blowing $900.

Glad we were able to help. In general when it comes to modded stuff like that, look at build quality. The missing screw on the badly installed HDMI port and stuff like that are generally a good sign that someone isn't putting a whole lot of effort into something. A lot of members here do a lot of mods, restorations and many make CMVS systems that are a truly professional looking. I'm not saying everyone is an artist, but in general if something kind of looks hacked together and sold with crappy pictures, chances are they put just as much effort into the insides too.

Emulation is probably 99% there in terms of a faithful NeoGeo experience, and unless your friends all own AES/MVS systems they will never know the difference. RaspberryPi based systems are cheap, awesome and easy to set up and use, you might look into building one of those.
 

titchgamer

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A Pi would be the easiest if you want something small and outputs HDMI natively.
You can even use a shader to put scanlines on:

3e11235ff6a7b7c9d05210f2811b99e3.jpg


Thats on my 48” LED TV.
 

Finch

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A Pi would be the easiest if you want something small and outputs HDMI natively.
You can even use a shader to put scanlines on:

Thats on my 48” LED TV.

That looks nice. I'm building a Pi system right now as a Kodi box and emulation system and even though I have a CMVS I'm probably going to load some NeoGeo favorites on there. I haven't really played around with any of the graphics options that come in the Retropi emulators, It's nice to know they have some scanline options. I always loved the Winkawaks monitor dot matrix filter. My sony CRT finally took a shit, but I have a samsung DLP Rear Projection that looks baller with retro games.
 
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titchgamer

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That looks nice. I'm building a Pi system right now as a Kodi box and emulation system and even though I have a CMVS I'm probably going to load some NeoGeo favorites on there. I haven't really played around with any of the graphics options that come in the Retropi emulators, It's nice to know they have some scanline options. I always loved the Winkawaks monitor dot matrix filter. My sony CRT finally took a shit, but I have a samsung DLP Rear Projection that looks baller with retro games.

Yeah you can apply one that add scanlines and makes it curve like a CRT.
Looks odd on a wide screen but looks nice on a 4:3.
 

NeoField

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Thanks gentlemen, Ive been searching around about whats the best and easiest way for Neo Geo emulation. What are your thoughts on modding the SNES mini? Could it handle the shader and scanline effects? Not sure about framerate either. Anyone have any experience emulating Neo Geo on it?
 

titchgamer

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Never used the SNES mini so cant comment.
But the Pi3 emulates Neo Geo fine.

So much so it even has the slow down in Metal slug etc!
 

GohanX

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Thanks gentlemen, Ive been searching around about whats the best and easiest way for Neo Geo emulation. What are your thoughts on modding the SNES mini? Could it handle the shader and scanline effects? Not sure about framerate either. Anyone have any experience emulating Neo Geo on it?

It can be done, but it would be easier to use a Pi. They're going to run the same emulator anyway (Retroarch FBA core probably) but it's a lot easier to set it up on a Pi and configure it just the way you want. A SNES classic is pretty much the same hardware as a Raspberry Pi 2, the only real advantage it has is that Nintendo's proprietary SNES emu is better than any SNES emu you can run on a Pi, although the emu isn't compatible with everything.
 

Locutus73

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It can be done, but it would be easier to use a Pi. They're going to run the same emulator anyway (Retroarch FBA core probably) but it's a lot easier to set it up on a Pi and configure it just the way you want. A SNES classic is pretty much the same hardware as a Raspberry Pi 2, the only real advantage it has is that Nintendo's proprietary SNES emu is better than any SNES emu you can run on a Pi, although the emu isn't compatible with everything.

Another pro is a pair of good SNES controller replicas. Otherwise I suggest 8bitdo SNES replicas.
 

Neo Alec

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I would get a real system with an upscaler like the Framemeister or OSSC. That's what a lot of people here seem to end up doing. Otherwise you're only scratching the itch.
 

Locutus73

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I would get a real system with an upscaler like the Framemeister or OSSC. That's what a lot of people here seem to end up doing. Otherwise you're only scratching the itch.

He has an AES+OSSC (see first post); this is a secondary system to bring with him when he visits friends. IMHO a small, portable, inexpensive setup makes sense.
 

titchgamer

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Another pro is a pair of good SNES controller replicas. Otherwise I suggest 8bitdo SNES replicas.

I was considering buying a pair of SN30 pros, Are they any good?

They are expensive at £35 each but wouldn’t mind dropping that if they are worth it.
 

oliverclaude

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Fake scanlines can't match those of a real tube. They just make the picture darker, which is not to be confused with sharper. One's nostalgic mind may differ, though.
 

Locutus73

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I was considering buying a pair of SN30 pros, Are they any good?

They are expensive at £35 each but wouldn’t mind dropping that if they are worth it.

I have a pair of non pro SN30 which are replicas of SNES joypads without analog sticks (honestly I have the older model, called SFC30 which is an exact look alike of SNES pads, with diagonal select and start buttons). I really like them, I use them both with my PC for retro emulators or dpad only games and with my Analogue Super NT. They’re the only pads that make me feel super comfortable with the dpad. Many people say that the dpad is too sensitive with diagonals, i.e. doing some Super Metroid jump tricks, but it seems that this can be tweaked with duct tape under the pad. I didn’t have any SNES back then for reference and I feel comfortable, but I have yet to try Super Metroid. Speaking of SN30 Pros, once I ordered a pair on Amazon, but I sent them back because the analog sticks weren’t perfectly centred, but honestly, that’s something that disturbs my poor OCD mind, I don’t think it would affect gameplay at all. They’re going to release a plus model, the SN30 Pro+ with two dualshock style prongs, so I’d wait for the new model to be released in order to read some reviews. Generally speaking I’m happy about my 8bitdo products: 2 SFC30, 1 NES30, 1 old full Sanwa F30 arcade stick, 1 N30 Pro, 2 SNES Retro Receivers and 1 NES/SNES Mini Retro Receiver.
 
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titchgamer

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Fake scanlines can't match those of a real tube. They just make the picture darker, which is not to be confused with sharper. One's nostalgic mind may differ, though.

No, but they do smoothe out the image a bit which makes it look far nicer.
Without the scanlines they look to sharp/bright.

I have a pair of non pro SN30 which are replicas of SNES joypads without analog sticks (honestly I have the older model, called SFC30 which is an exact look alike of SNES pads, with diagonal select and start buttons). I really like them, I use them both with my PC for retro emulators or dpad only games and with my Analogue Super NT. They’re the only pads that make me feel super comfortable with the dpad. Many people say that the dpad is too sensitive with diagonals, i.e. doing some Super Metroid jump tricks, but it seems that this can be tweaked with duct tape under the pad. I didn’t have any SNES back then for reference and I feel comfortable, but I have yet to try Super Metroid. Speaking of SN30 Pros, once I ordered a pair on Amazon, but I sent them back because the analog sticks weren’t perfectly centred, but honestly, that’s something that disturbs my poor OCD mind, I don’t think it would affect gameplay at all. They’re going to release a plus model, the SN30 Pro+ with two dualshock style prongs, so I’d wait for the new model to be released in order to read some reviews. Generally speaking I’m happy about my 8bitdo products: 2 SFC30, 1 NES30, 1 old full Sanwa F30 arcade stick, 1 N30 Pro, 2 SNES Retro Receivers and 1 NES/SNES Mini Retro Receiver.

Thanks ile hold off for now then :)
 

Finch

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Generally speaking I’m happy about my 8bitdo products: 2 SFC30, 1 NES30, 1 old full Sanwa F30 arcade stick, 1 N30 Pro, 2 SNES Retro Receivers and 1 NES/SNES Mini Retro Receiver.

That's a nice selection, but do you have youself some official Sega Made USB Saturn pads??? cause they rock!
mBWIqPZ.jpg
 

GohanX

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I was considering buying a pair of SN30 pros, Are they any good?

They are expensive at £35 each but wouldn’t mind dropping that if they are worth it.

I use the regular SN30 (no analogs) for everything I can. Real SNES, SNES classic, Switch, etc. I love them, I'd like to say they feel just like the original SNES pads to me, but last time I hooked up my real SNES pads they actually felt worse than the 8bitdo, probably due to 20+ years of wear. The new one that has the analog sticks (the Pro) on them are good too, but they don't feel quite as good as original SNES or the older 8bitdo pads.
 
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