VroBIT team demonstrating at RetroMadrid

Looking at the processor it seems this will be software emulation based. Wonder why they didn't choose to use a FPGA.

Oh yeah, and no cassette port either?

See my previous comment! A TurboR has no cassette port either?

Very impressive project! Is MSX compatibility obtained by software? How long does VromBIT take to start up?

Maybe....you can connect a floppy through a USB connection?...

I have been following this project for a while now. While I am not totally convinced yet, I think it is very interesting. Obviously it is (software) emulation because of the ARM processor used. On the personal blog of the creator (http://albertodehoyonebot.blogspot.nl/) there are some videos and (in spanish) various status updates.

I am not entirely sure but it looks like they /he used a Raspberry Pi 3 (which also has an ARM Cortex A53) and the old Gamereaders for prototyping, and written the software (emulation and some turbo basic thing) around that setup.

The creator actually made a few forum posts here (including concept arts of the case) about this project in the past but at first it was called "MSX 3" and after a while renamed to "MSX-VR" before it became VRoBIT. But unfortunately I can't find the posts/topics.

MAYBE faster boot time compared to full OS + emulator, although this is just guessing since I haven't seen the real thing in action + more of an overal msx/homecomputer feel (although feelings are always subjective).

That's correct. It will be smaller then pictured above though. But indeed: It will be a box with cartridge slots & connectors. You'll need to add your own keyboard.

Hello,
The computer showed in the Vrobit main page web not is the final model.
Following the Vrobit blog (English edition) you can view the last version of the project, only the UCP without keyboard.
https://vrobit.com/en/blog/next-meeting-retromadrid-n10
It is true that the web is a bit confused because the new and the old information are mixed in different places.
Here, in Spain, we are waiting for the end of this project with illusion and everything suggests that at the end of the current year, we would get one Vrobit in our home.

I prefer the prototype to HC4000. The classic MSX look is more exciting!

Operation Pig game doesn't work on normal MSX. It'll be exclusively for VRoBIT computer

So are we sure emulation is software based here (no FPGAs)?

Here are some photographs taken in RetroMadrid

Which software is it running?
Does it support original disks with copy protections? (I guess not.. What else can it NOT do or is NOT compatible?)
Does the cartridge support work like Game Reader and MSX PLAYer?
Does it support sound IN of the cartridge slot? 12V?

Hello! And excuse my non-presence in this and other conversations. I am quite busy on the project and I do not have much time to attend conversations in forums. In fact I prefer that other people do not me, so that others who value the project and everything is more objective. Anyway, there are still many things to explain as some of the issues that you raise here and that I try to clarify first hand. I take this opportunity to apologize for the confusing information that exists about the project and that I hope to be able to solve little by little with more content on the VRoBIT website. Thanks for your patience. Ok, about the questions:
- WHICH SOFTWARE IS RUNNING?
It is a kind of retro operating system. It has a BASIC, a DOS, a windows environment, tools to create music, graphics, internet, etc. It is integrated with a native object-oriented language such as BASIC in MSX, as such a thing for VRoBIT. And in general, everything necessary to work with MSX machines.
- ORIGINAL DISK WITH COPY PROTECTIONS?
I still need to control low level Floppy USB driver to do that. At the moment, Floppy is mounted as a normal filesystem.
- CARTRIDGE SUPPORT
It is a real cartridge support. You have SOUND IN, you have -12V, 12V and all the signals as a real MSX. You can put a cartrige with a new "mapper" invented by you and the VRoBIT will run it.
- CAN A SLOT EXPANDER BE PLUGGED IN THE CARTRIDGE SLOTS
Yes. Because the access to the carts like the DB9 ports it is real.
ABOUT MFRSCC+SD
Yes. This piece of hardware it works although we need to fix some CLK timing questions for solving bugs in the SD access.

Thank you for your intereset in the project and I hope to be able to continue to expand and improve the information regarding VRoBIT.

Is VRoBIT-BASIC an extension of MSX-BASIC? The thick book makes me imagine various things.

Is VRoBIT-BASIC an extension of MSX-BASIC?
VRoBIT-BASIC is a full rewritten BASIC interpreter. It is compatible with all the MSX-BASIC (well, it wants to do it, but this is a complex task and we need to solve bugs and problems but mainly it is working pretty well)
This BASIC has an inline text editor (_EDIT/CALL EDIT) with some tools for helping in the programming.
And we would want to include BASIC extensions too like GFX9000 and other ones.
So answering your question: No, it's not a MSXBASIC extension.

Hi Manuel
Yes, the base of all this project is the emulation that mix with the hardware access in real time.
I am working with emulation since many years ago and a big part of my code is from scratch and another one is copy/paste and modifyied (optimizations/refactorization) but of course, I have used knowledge from known emulators like: BlueMSX, OpenMSX, FMSX, Mame and others furthermore the knowledge obtained from Books and from my original MSX computers.
The great MSX community share a lot of information about many things: hardware, software, devices, etc. and this make possible to create this magic.

Hi ren,
I am not expert about this questions. As a normal player my feeling experience playing some games in a original MSX and in the VRoBIT are the same. But I am very bad player. I only can say that accurate timings in emulation are pretty good and in the case of VRoBIT we don't have any DRIVER that can create lag when we are reading from DB9 ports. When the CPU reads from port 0xA2 is reading directly the values of the DB9 port (totally hardware and compatible with MSX standard). But I repeat, I am not expert in that. I would want to test some conflictive game with a hardcore gamer to see if really the game experience is different than in a original MSX. Please, Would you be so kind to give me some game titles? Thank you.

@nerlaska Hard to give a good suggestion myself, as I'm only using emulation, and no real hw for a while now..
Hamlet suggests Space Manbow (though I never had the impression it felt noticeable less direct on emulation myself..)
I had the impression earlier that Shmup! even felt different between open- & blueMSX, so perhaps that's a good one to check as well? Gradius 2 perhaps?
Anyone else who can point to a good test case?

-edit
Perhaps you know about Shmupmame? It reduces input lag noticeably. From the about page:

Sounds good to me, great to see you're taking this seriously!

Hi syn,
Thank you for your clarification. About the code, yes, my code is running directly on the ARM and all is processed by frame so, in theory, 50/60 fps are 50/60 real fps. I hope it will be enough for the most demanding people

Hi, can you describe details on how you emulate the various vdp found in msx?
What kind of video hw is really under the cover? It is a fpga implementation or a vga like chipset?
When the machine first does boot you are interacting with some kind of command line interface from which you call the emulator. What others things you can launch from the cli?
If one want to make a sw for the new hw how can interact with hw? Are there sdk?
Thx in advan ce

instant buy for me
Can't wait!

Soon we will publish HC4000 item-sheet in the VRoBIT web. It is the model without keyboard. You can see it in the pictures published by Inyigo in this same forum entry.
HC5000 is like the HC4000 but with some extras (better CPU, RAM, etc.). We are studying this extras and extra price cost.
HC4001/HC5001 will be the computers with keyboard integrated. With the aspect of the computer shown in the main page of VRoBIT site but surely in black color and with some modifications in the design.
We want to give several options/prices to the people. It is more work for us but we want all the people can be happy with a VRoBIT.

Alright. I'm not really fond of the design myself, no offense (just my opinion), but looks too much like a big black (shoo) box to me and the white is too much in contrast to the black (I'd go for something more subtle myself - perhaps have a look at an anthracite hue, perhaps even for the box itself?) Furthermore I'm not sure about the position of those 4 cart slots..

The ideal box I picture myself is like 2-3x the Mac mini stacked or something, with 2 slots on top and 2 on the right side. Or perhaps even something like one on the top, right and back each (so 3 slots in total then (any particular reason you chose 4?))

But yeah, just picturing of course, you guys are actually building something

I do like the idea of separate kbd & box, gives some flexibility, but then, like I described above, I prefer another form factor - more like a cube or small tower.

Will the cart slots have (sprung) dust covers/lids btw?

Yes, I am agree with you on that. The problem always it to design things "cheap". It is more easy (at least for us) and cheap to build all over a single PCB and not depend of more things. Do something "pretty" is expensive. As you said, we want to do something that works as an initial step. The chance is that. Make something compatible MSX as a real MSX with a hardware/software working. Later we will worry about the esthetic/details.
Thank you for your feedback!

wow

I really think this is the nearest we have ever been of a true MSX 3.... or 7

Shut up and take my money!

Here is a video from VRoBIT's Youtube Channel. In this video we can watch the HC3000 that is a prototype of a new MSX, where version 3.0 of the incredible Symbos operating system for MSX is running. They do it using a TurboR machine and by the way, they show the use of the config command to switch between HDMI (digital) or TV (analog) screens.

https://youtu.be/CSdhPkjon44

Web site down?....

tagged for follow up postings

https://msxvr.blogspot.nl/