MSX 3: the reason.

following the ideia questioned in the thread if the msx really need a new graphic card,
and discussions about it, i've started this thread.

in recent days, Ricardo Oazem from Brazil, started his own project the "msx vsu",
or VDU mentioned here. witch basically is an upgrade to the existing gfx9000,
adding more vdps to the current one and a moonsound in one apparatus.
the ideia behind it sure is great, and main focus in the so need advance in
the msx computer line that the expected gfx9000 does so little because of lacking resources
in software for it.

observing the progress of the project and its purpose, i've noticed that i could failure
to the same point of that gfx9000 has failed. I invite you to follow on the issue and share your opinion there: http://www.msx.org/forumtopic8923.html

my point of view, is that the gfx9000 hasn't received much software because the number of
people interested and buyed the thing is very low, compared to the number of msx machines around in the world that could potentially use it. back in the time that gfx was started to be sold was me. but, living in brazil the priced is too high to risk in such hardware without support from konami, panasonic, t&e soft, etc. so, i've decided then wait for the games and other software and adding money to go buy. but this has not happened.

backing in the day that the msx turbo r was announced, kay nishi has a vdp still in development. panasonic ordered to hurry with the machine to be ready at the deadline day.
kay nishi and their team concluded that it was no possible to finish the vdp in time, so they just put the old msx2+ vdp in the machine and the rest is story. the msx turbo r was almost a failure but few enthusiasts still keep with the standard and buying the machine.
the msx2 in 1985 has so such improvements ahead it's competitors and even videogame machines of the time, what came to solidify the brand. msx = compatibility, great unique games and technology. knightmare for the msx was sucess, gradius 2 was a critical hit for konami group, that they support the msx up to the superfamicom era, high the groundbreaking title metal gear 2: solid snake. the game runs either on msx2, msx2+ and in turbo r, against competitors like f-zero, super mario world, actraiser, super r-type, and even with revolution that nintendo was creating, metal gear 2 was a winner in japan. the prove is that metal gear solid 4: guns of patriots has a lot of references from the time kojima work with his team in msx games. even today, the msx is respected because of this. the work of brilliant team in so simple hardware.

the msx turbo r was scrapped by panasonic, enter the 3do company claiming that '3do' is just a trademark, and several companies will produce the machines based in the standard of the 3do licensing company. curiously, the same idea behind the msx machines... the thing even come with 2 of the so desired vdps intended to use in the msx turbo r machines. anyone here that could remember, crash'n'burn graphics for the system could not be matched by other vdp systems. even street fighter 2 turbo was published in the machine with arcade like graphics. so... we can think the possibility of msx turbo r running games like these in this vdp chip! capcom ported super street fighter 2 turbo for fm-towns 2 with the same arcade like graphics and music, but towns 2 vdp was not better than v9990...

without making the advance in video, the msx turbo r(16 bit), has the same graphic quality of the msx2+(8 bit) losing market for the current generation of 16 bit machines, visually has no evolution. the companies behind the msx software support slowlly began to leave. (konami leaves the standard after the msx turbo r specs go public. they gain more money on games like castlevania 4 and gradius 3 in the next-gen super famicom shinny graphics and music, so why bother with a machine that hasn't changed? they give up support on famicom up to 1994 because nintendo was paying for they develop and support the hardware in america, to not lose stream to sega and gain time to put the super nintendo in the market).

today, the gfx9000 has support from the msx existing user base(around 300~400 units), but
still missing software support. we also take note that very few msx users in japan and brazil have this hardware, and either, not having produced virtually nothing of software.
if we observe...it's almost the same cenario of the launch of msx turbo r.

for a comparison, the original b&w gameboy was launched, to evolute for a 32 bit machine(gba) following the same principle of the msx. compatibility, simplicity, but easy to program with good results. the gba paved the way to the total dominance of the nintendo ds today. now imagine if the nintendo ds comes with only one screen or the same hardware of the gba? would have achieved the same success? it's very doubtful. it was necessary to change to keep the brand alive. but it remains compatible to the very first 8 bit game boy.

the game boy has so many fans and addicts that if nintendo announce a new interation, sure it will be a sucess. but if fails in the middle of the process, sure the game gear, or the playstaion portable could killed the brand.

the msx standard still has it's loyal fans. it has many people interested in kojima and other award winning works to keep asking what is a msx. adn we know that msx was that good backing in the old times. but it was because of good sales of software that keeps the people buying the computer to play or use the so desired software. the producers not engage in the standard because they love the machine, or because the machine is better than others of the time, the reason is because the software produced by them, sold well. they need above all, the money. MONEY. money to pay the producers, programmers, designers, etc. without the money, the software company could not produce the so need software for the hardware. the hardware maker also lose, because the customer goes to the other machine that has the thing of desire, and not buy nothing from that computer company. a lot of msx user claim to be lovers of the standard, and buy everything that appear on the market, nothing wrong about it. but sometimes, the user has to pay abusive prices to support the brand. sometimes even wishing to contribute and has good will, the price is not affordable. no way.
but i can sey to you how to lower the price of it: market availability.

the msx now is surrounded by hobbists with good will. no doubt. but even they start to produce something, they will creating believing that someone will help the cause and buy it. that's honorable. but at the same time, questionable. we all of us could buy the hardware from this honorable guy? is it easy to program? is it cheap? the impact of the hardware will guarantee that the future expansions will use it? if one of the questions above the answer is no, the hardware will FAIL. that's exactly the case of VDU and the gfx9000 now. the gfx 9000 has almost no support and no market avaliability for all the installed base to buy the hardware and, Oazem, with good will and intentions, started his project as a virtually upgrade of the gfx9000/moonsound combo and avaliability for the brazilian msx market, without even notice the failure to atract users of the gfx9000. a lot of vdps, lot of human work, to what? a few user to buy the hardware at almost the same price target of the xbox360? and with NO installed base? it could be great to see in fair meetings the awesome games of new hardware announced. but if its not possible to the people to buy, only the creator will use the software to it. if only one person produce software for 100 people, you could imagine that the number of software avaliable to the hardware will be VERY low.
now imagine if 1000 buy the hardware and say they will every all software for it. humanely, it is impossible to handle all the things togheter at the same time. so he will pay for someone to help him to produce the sofware fast enough for the users. with the money, he could pay more people to get involved, and later, form teams, to enhance the product and suply the demand. if it makes money, will draw attention of other programmers, and they will jump in the bandwagon to produce for the hardware to enjoy some money too. the money will help encourage them to produce more and more software and to enhance it too.

management, organization, avaliability. the secret of the sucess.

i also have respect with the retro users, but some of them started with msx1, while others started with msx 2 and don't interest themselves to use the older interation. while exists the ones who want to upgrade their machines too. retro market do money only from the one's who really started with the thing and has good memories. they 'love' the system. and use it simply as a way to go back into a time travel. but i have to remember that their beloved machine was creatd with a lot of money efforts from epic partners back in the time. without the money interest, the msx standart will ever existed. the msx so respected that cause confusion in the american and england. they think that msx will eventually kill the local computer market and revolutionize the market entirely. the msx is actually the best 8 bit computer in the world. but in my mind, it could be the best of 16 bit era, or pehaps...even todays era! but a single project delay changed the history...

my proposal for the system is to stop all hardware activities now. and start to chat about organization, msx hardware , software, avaliability, disposal of human resources, etc. to get the msx back in track again. it has to be an global effort to make a direction of what hardware will needed to be produced, market avaliability, costs to consider, etc. to produce an one unique msx hardware acceptable and affordable to all the people interested to buy. to form groups to produce specific software to it to gain attention of other computer/game market to invest in the ideia and join us(or return eventually) but with serious organization, divided into groups of programmers, testers, sound designers, hardware designers, etc. to make a new breath to the msx idea and concept. look into the dreamcast suporters for an example: they call help for other groups in diferent areas of the globe. artists with potential from korea, japan, programmers from england, germany and russia, etc. they produce cutey games with a lot of color and almost professional design to a great mass of people that still see dreamcast games look good and simplistic but yet fun to play! i've posted earlier a link to the new wiiware game gradius rebirth. it has a lot, i mean, its almost an msx game! but with awesome graphics from our msx games and sound remixed too from this games also! thats the gradius that our new machine needed to play. that game belong to us. just see the demo and you will recognize, pentarou adventure, shalom, doctor venom, nemesis 2 and 3 musics, nemesis2 sound effects, but the game is veeeeery simple but is A LOT FUN AND HAS UNIQUE SHINNY APPEAL. 5 people produced that game. there is no trace of poligons there. hey msx users. if the new vsu or gfx9000+moonsound could run a carbon copy of that game and the price of the hardware costs less than a wii, SURELLY IT WILL SELL!!!!! believe in me.
imagine a megaman game with megaman 9 graphics for the msx? megaman 9 is anxioully awaited for the playstation 3, the xbox 360 and wii AND HAS EIGHT BIT GRAPHICS & SOUND.
capcom surelly will sell a lot. for sure!

a lot of small groups in japan gain money producing theirs games in home without high-specs, but criativity! the so called doujin groups. they help a lot in the homebrew scene of the videogames and retro computers drawing, concepting fun games. i still don't know why the japanese flag is missing in the front page of mrc...where is the support from the creative people of japan?? the msx started in japan, the groups produce interesting stuff there, but remains only there. will they ever know the existance of gfx9000 and moonsound? because i bey you if they produce a solitaire game for gfx9000 with cutey graphics, IT WILL SELL. a lot of people like this anime characters and they has a strong image appeal. if the gfx9000 is so good...where are the suport from the japanese graphic and sound designers????

i'm not saying that the work people from other places will not sell, but it will be a good ideia to get support from them, right?

i would like that post could be read by the most number of msx users possible around in the world. ask nishi if all the things that i mentioned here make some sense. the msx needs some groundbreaking effort on consolidate the hardware for the market that the people could buy cheap and good software. Union.

my concept idea for a new msx was related before in the other forum. a simple yet powerfull yet little cased yet retro-compatible machine, easy to program, anything at the gba horsepower level. 32bit fullspec machine like the homebrew game park, wireless pheripheral to total integration of anything that could be used in the future expansions.

Oazem, Manuel, Carchano, etc. works are proud and incredible. but i really like that from now on they have sucess in order to bring back the good of the msx idea back again like the good old times and not fail because of little things and that everyone could be happy, programming and using good software in their machines.



thank you for reading this immense post.

if someone feels that is not right or feels offended, my appologies. thats not my intention.
its my humble opinion.


"I'll leave recorded only the truth.
Sometimes the truth can be painful, sad.
But still, the truth is what lets start a new life."

Gradius emperor Lars XVIII, James Burton.
(Nemesis 2/MSX)