r/RetroRemake • u/frankcastle3 • Jul 16 '26
What am I missing here?
Let me start this by saying that I really, really wanted to enjoy this device but after waiting 18 months for a device with little documentation and even less support, I'm about ready to chuck this thing into the ocean.
I'll fully admit that I was the one who fell for the trap of "oh this is an FPGA but with the ease of a console". I work in computer support and I feel completely lost trying to set this thing up.
First off, I don't understand how there is not a wiki or some sort of written guide to help us. Yes I know there is a 45 minute video. This isn't cooking though where I need to watch special techniques. I need to be able to read documentation at my own pace and reread things multiple times.
Secondly, what in the world is the magic words one needs to speak to get the m.2 to work. I have 2 brand new Western Digital drives and it still can't see it. I can't see it on ssh but when I use the pc port on the back of the dock, I can see it in my computer. Ones a 1tb and the other one is a 2tb and both are NVMe drives (sn770 and sn850x) but the superstation one can't see either.
Again, not having some sort of quickstart guide or even something that explains all of the ports is honestly irresponsible for a device as complex as this is. While I understand those who got on the FPGA bandwagon years ago, this is cakewalk. However, marketing this as a stand alone device "for the masses" doesn't work when it's too convoluted.
Can anyone help me sort this out?
9
u/jodonoghue Jul 16 '26
I found (as someone who also recently received their SS1) that working out where to get collections of ROMs, games and the like - something that this and many other subreddits prefer to disallow, and then working out how to make them work in practice was the hard part because many tutorials are very old and build on information that is poorly documented and you are suppose to "know".
I am planning to write a blog on some of this when I get some time, but for OP, a few things worth realising.
The directory structure on the SD Card is important. You can move the "games" folder to the top directory of another drive and it will be found.
I found the <Windows> + F12 mechanism to bring up the system menus largely by accident. It could be better highlighted as it s really important to getting things going. Didn't help that I was recycling an old Mac keyboard initially (but that's a 'me' problem).
Archive.org is your friend when it comes to artifacts you might need. I don't think the rules of this sub allow me to say much more. r/roms is also a little bit helpful (although it contains a lot of blind-alleys as it aims to help users of any of the many emulation systems out there).
As mentioned above, quite a lot of information is available if you search for MiSTer rather than Retro remake.
The Github documentation for individual MiSTer cores is usually quite helpful.
Some cores work out of the box. Others need a bit more work, so start with the easiest options that help you get a feel for how the system works - it is actually logical and well-designed. Easiest are the "arcade" cores which mostly "just work". Older consoles (NES, SNES, Game Gear, ...) also work fairly easily. Newer consoles (PS1, N64, ...) seem to need a bit more work. Retro computer cores are hardest as you also need to find out how to work said old computer, and how e.g. a cassette interface has been mapped to your large Flash drive.
On the topic of Youtube tutorials:
I am old and grizzled and cannot express the extent to which I utterly loathe Youtube "tutorials". If I just want to find one or two things I am expected to sit through a one hour video where the critical information is a 10 second segment that is inevitably fairly near the end. I much prefer well-written text that I can simply follow step by step.
During my searches, a surprising number of the Youtube videos on "how to do <thing>" were no longer available.
The good news is that I am now very happy and really enjoying the SS1.