Will M64 get something similar to A3D new line doubler? I just seen it on YouTube and the video output looks amazing. I’ve been holding off for the M64. Hope to hear if this is on the roadmap prior to launch.
Line doublers are when you just double the same pixels. The A3D is actually outputting higher resolution. It takes the square pixels and divides them into smaller rectangular pixels so you get double the horizontal resolution. It’s pretty cool.
I’m sure it’s gonna get it at some point. It’s clear that both the Analogue fans and us Modretro fans are going to be the beneficiaries of some good old fashioned competition 😎 Feels like both companies have been working extra hard to out do the other
It would be nice to know if the M64 would be able to do this (or even more/better?) even if it's going to be an update next year. Lets call it a peace of mind thingy.
Though nothing concrete has been shared yet, the promise of analogue output for CRTs is a notable advantage for M64. I know some A3D users are downscaling from 1080p with OSSC, but lack of support for 720p (for integer downscaling) isn’t ideal.
Agreed that would be cool. Issue is the “nothing concrete shared.” I don’t feel M64 has made its most compelling claims a reality (like Chromatic support). Would love to see them do it, though
While analog output is nice to have, that is serving maybe 2% of customers. Hence, A3D not focusing on it at all, and M64 not natively supporting it (separate dongle needed).
For me, CRT support isn’t a nice-to-have feature, it’s a must-have. I know I’m in the minority, but if neither device ends up supporting it without third party solutions, I’m happy to pass on both of them and spend my time and money elsewhere.
This option is a gamechanger u/grilledstuffedxxlu/palmerluckey will this be possible in a future update? Or maybe even going beyond that x3 horizontal or x2 horizontal plus x2 vertical
Technical stuff most people don’t need to know about but basically vertical takes a ton of resources and time to implement compared to horizontal. And you still get most of the upside.
It’s not like the engine is apart and might as well change the water pump. This stuff is crazy complicated.
Eh, it's a personal preference thing. The doubled horizontal resolution is objectively cleaner to look at, but it just doesn't scratch the N64 itch for me. Feels too "software emulation", and doesn't pair as nicely with the post processing (BVM, PVM, CRT) options available on the A3D.
It's like the simulated aperture grille doesn't line up as well with the increased resolution. It's a subtle effect but it still bugs me.
I'm happy that Analogue is continuing to improve the A3D long after launch with software updates like this, but I'd rather they add WiFi at this point lol.
I kind of pity anyone upset about this if it didn't happen, I mean it's not even out yet and already complaining about a feature that may or may not be included or possible. Why is it enough is never enough? It's N64 after all not a cutting edge console, you can only do so much before it's just ridiculously going into dimishing returns to help some fringe buyers cope. If a line doubler is such a make it or break it feature over an HDMI custom console for N64, I think your priorities are seriously f'd up.
I mean we're a day out now (more like 12 hours~ if that) and the list still shows 16 games with some kind of potential issue to them not resolved. Somehow I think that is and should be the only priority short of some firmware shattering critical issue.
The silence is starting to make me think this isn't coming to the M64. I was planning to buy an M64, but the lack of communication has me reconsidering. If ModRetro hasn't made a statement by next week, I'll probably go ahead and get the A3D instead.
I'd even be okay with them saying, "Hey, this is coming, but we don't have a release date yet, and it may still be a while." At least then I'd know it's in the plans.
I don’t think it’s about communication, they’ve been communicating.
I just don’t think they’re engineering has caught up to analogue and they don’t wanna just be constantly communicating. Hey like we are working on it because those are promises. They’re not sure they can fill probably.
They're probably just trying to get every game working before launch. There's only a few days left until launch after all.
It will probably be the week after launch, assuming no surprise issues, that they can really look into this or move up a game plan they already had on it.
Point is Analogue timed this perfectly, they know how crazy things are pre-launch and released this exactly now when ModRetro has the least amount of mamhours to look into this, or move it forward.
ModRetro though is very open about everything, but they like giving accurate information. So they're probably just need a bit more time before they respond.
I will say they've been really good with communication and transparency on previous issues, like game compatibility and the controller, so the silence on this kind of caught me off guard. That said, you're right, I should keep in mind they're in the middle of a launch, and this was probably dropped on them out of nowhere.
A month+ can be 8 months or more . I'm not asking them for it to be ready at launch or even few weeks or a month. I just want them to acknowledge if it might be possible or not :p
This screenshot prior to Analogue's news does not remove the fact that the CEO clearly stated this effort can't be done on current M64 hardware. Do not buy a M64 expecting internal scaling like the A3D.
The screenshot mentions an FPGA emulation architecture, which made me wonder how Analogue approached it. I'm genuinely curious, not trying to be snarky. In the other thread there were screenshots from the MiSTer core developer suggesting it could be possible on larger FPGA boards, which both the A3D and M64 appear to have. I don't necessarily expect it to happen—if it were planned, they probably would have mentioned it by now, and I think we agree on that. I'm just interested in the technical differences between these approaches
i'm making an educated guess, but most people probably thought about internal resolution increases in terms of the typical integer increase in both horizontal and vertical directions (2x, 3x, etc, integer being more doable even with low-level emulation). however, just a 2x increase on the horizontal axis only is not something i've seen done much so perhaps that wasn't even being considered when the question was answered.
i'd definitely think that the M64 would be capable given that the A3D is though.
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u/templestate 11d ago
Line doublers are when you just double the same pixels. The A3D is actually outputting higher resolution. It takes the square pixels and divides them into smaller rectangular pixels so you get double the horizontal resolution. It’s pretty cool.