MiSTer FPGA

The future of retro computing.

The MiSTer project originally began as an FGPA implementation of Amiga and Atari ST computers, hence the name. Since its inception, the MiSTer project has skyrocketed in popularity thanks to its ability to emulate hardware of retro arcade cabinets, home consoles, and handheld video game consoles. Thanks to avid fans and dedicated developers like MiSTer Addons, you can now acquire a pre-configured bundle ready to go out of the box to play some of your favorite retro titles. As an example, here is a shortlist of hardware emulation the MiSTer boasts at present:

Consoles:

  • Game Boy
  • Game Boy Color
  • Sega Genesis
  • Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Super Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Nintendo 64
  • Sega Saturn
  • Sony PlayStation

Computers:

  • Amiga
  • Atari ST
  • Commodore 64
  • X68000
  • PC-88
  • PC-98
  • ZX Spectrum

Personally, alongside Devin, I built my own analog MiSTer bundle along with the mt32-pi add-on, and, star of the show, the Terasic DE10-Nano FPGA board. The advantage of the analog kit is that it allows you to (surprise) output an analog video signal synchronously with a digital hdmi signal. This allows you to output the MiSTer natively to a CRT without needing to otherwise convert the digital signal with something like a RetroTINK.

For more information on the MiSTer project, see this great guide from RetroRGB.

See also, the MiSTer forum.

Lastly, I want to shout out Pepe Salot, designer of the MiSTer mascot: Donna. They also designed a piece for Lost Ark Video Games, a fantastic retro arcade in Greensboro, NC.

Gallery

Configuration Day!
I didn’t have a spare monitor…
Devin’s “Atomic Purple” MiSTer
Ready to rock!
CRT repair, made possible by analog video output.
This is what it's all about.