Hi everyone: this is my first post here. This is a very nice website you have here!

I'm afraid like most Americans, I never heard of the MSX until the internet came along.
However, from everything I've read, it sounds like a cool little gaming system.

I collect old videogames, so I've decided I'm going to start getting MSX stuff.
My question is, How?

As far as I can tell, I have 3 options:

1: get a zemmix.
This appeals to me because A)it's unlicenced and a little weird; and b)it's a console, which would 'fit in' with the rest of my collection.
Unfortunately, these seem to be a little hard to come by. How much did the last one you saw go for?

2: get an MSX.
This option intimidates me a little, since there is such a variety of hardware - I don't know which machines are good, bad, and ugly, and I'm afraid of compatibility issues. If i were to get an MSX, which one do you recommend for a first timer only interested in games?

3: wait for the one-chip.
I could, of course, put off the purchase until new, cheap(?) hardware appears.

Whatever I decide, do you have any warnings for an american MSX noob? I realize I may need to get a voltage converter, or select one with A/V outs rather than RF... what other compatibility issues might I encounter?

thanks,
guy

Hi! welcome, another new user this night (well, it's night over here now)

By far the most popular MSX is an MSX2 with 128KB memory (128KB RAM and 128KB VRAM) and a doublesided diskdrive. Most games and demos will run on it, games that won't run on it are really a few .. *few*
For the rest, MSX'es are compatible, --that's the whole reason why MSX was made anyway--, so you can choose any model with the specs I just mentioned.
A few handy thingies are made in the past few years, a graphics extention called Graphics9000 (dual layer, 32k colors, multicolor sprites, scrolling, various screenmodes, etc. etc. etc.), browse the forum I'd say.. or jump to Sunrise: www.msx.ch
Also nice is the Moonsound, with the OPL4 chip. 24 wave channels, 18 FM, if you buy a new one you'll get 640KB or 1MB S-Ram (dunno, ask, Sunrise what's going these days) (for Moonsounds there might be a pre-order list again, dunno, ask S.)
Another practical thing is an IDE interface, or CF interface.. saves so much crap with old disks


You could also wait for the OCM indeed.. otoh, most MSX users (all?) have a conventional MSX at least. If you're able to get at least a basic MSX2/128k/DSdrive for a nickle and a dime, then go for it.

)^_^) "Hiiiiii wolf!"
(O_o( "You're up late!"


Guyjin: Hi, and welcome to the MRC forums! And MSX is indeed a great little retro machine to have, and as you may know; a lot of games and series originated on this great platform. Regarding what MSX to buy, here's my view:

Like wolf said, the minimum I'd recommend is an MSX2 with 128kB RAM and 128kB VRAM. Preferrably a unit with a double sided (720kB) disk drive. That should allow you to run almost all (around 90%?) software indeed. They're indeed quite cheap in europe, and you should be able to pick one up for around $50 - $75.

The only problem is indeed the 220V supply voltage, and worse still, these are PAL machines. On MSX this doesn't imply any restrictions as to what software you can run, but it does mean you must have a PAL capable monitor or TV to connect it to. Alternatively, a monitor or TV which can handle RGB signals will do, assuming you'd be willing to make a cable for it. (RGB is usually called a EURO-SCART or EURO connector over there, or the Japanese (slightly different) J-SCART) If you have such a TV/Monitor and can get your hands on a voltage convertor, a european MSX2 will do fine.

If you don't have such a monitor, or don't mind spending a little more money, consider buying a Japanese MSX2+ computer for $100-$150. These machines output NTSC, and require 100V instead of 220V. The slight difference with the US voltage (usually 110V or 120V) shouldn't be a problem. I used my turboR on a 120V net for quite some time without issues. Most MSX2+ models also have an internal FM chip (MSX-MUSIC) which is used in many Japanese games to enhance sound. The downside of these Japanese models is that most of them have just 64kB Main RAM, meaning some (mostly European) software won't work on these machines. If you can also buy a RAM extension (memory mapper) it should solve most of your problems though.

If you have oodles of ca$h lying around, consider buying an MSX turboR. This is the king of all MSX machines, and will run all software which doesn't require any special add-ons. It's a great machine, with at least 256kB RAM, a 'super fast' processor, an internal MSX-MUSIC chip, a PCM device to play samples, and many other great features. Since this is also a Japanese machine, it should be no problem to hook it up to your monitor/TV. Expect to pay a lot for this beast though, I think they start at around $500.

Waiting for the OCM is not a bad idea eather. It's not *cheap*, but it's expected to retail for around $200, which isn't bad for it's specs either. You'd end up with a machine somewhere in between the MSX2 I mentioned and the turboR. It has some of the extras (more memory, SCC sound chip, MSX-MUSIC sound chip, SD card reader), but at this time it lacks MSX2+ and turboR support. Since the OCM is made using FPGA technology however, you never know; someone might be able to add MSX2+ or turboR support.

Hope this helps, and I know it probably doesn't! At this time it's a tough call. If you have a lot of money to spend, buy the turboR. If you have a little less, buy an MSX2+ with mapper, and buy the OCM as well, when it's released. If you want, you could then sell your MSX2+ for what it cost you, perhaps even a little more since they're hard to find in the US. Anyways, good luck, and let us know how it worked out.

Welcome, mate.

You the same Guyjin at pcenginefx?

IMO if you're only intent is to play japanese games, 64kb ram is all you need. You'll only need >128kb ram for things like DOS2, IDE, European games, and english translated games like SD-Snatcher and Snatcher. Other than that you can start playing just about every game thru floppy and flashroms. Whatever system you get, as mention already make sure it has DD 720kb floppy drive, you'll regret big time for not having one.

For first timers and not too serious users, try out the Sony models such as HB-F1XD, HB-F1XDJ, or HB-F1XV. They're slik and built very good, they'll last forever.

"You the same Guyjin at pcenginefx?"

Yes. There are a few other people who have snagged that name at various places, so don't assume all 'guyjin' is me.

And yes, Japanese stuff is a big part of the equation, but being able to play more games never hurts. Unless it costs $500.

I hope the pcefx guys aren't jealous of my going to another forum

I knew it was you all along. You're not alone Seldane is somewhere around here.

To answer your other questions the Zemmix are usually sold for a premium, about $120+. Not recommend for a MSX beginner as they have major compatibility issues. Biggest one of all is these systems don't have a bulit-in disk drive or a keyboard. Athough there are external disk drives for the zemmix, it's also extremely rare.

The way I see it you'll most likely spend < $200 on a MSX2 and that includes shipping costs. It might be a good option to get a OCM. Since that too costs about $200, and if you don't like it then you can always sell it to me.

Indeed, Zemmix is very rare and thus very expensive. And you can't play disk games with it (without getting an even rarer extension). If you're interested in Japanese games, you should definately think about getting MSX-MUSIC to work: get an MSX with built in MSX-MUSIC or buy an FMPAC cartridge. You'll miss some classical FM tunes in a lot of (mostly MSX2) games if you don't.

Crikey, I just forgot to mention the CLASSIC extentions, like FM-Pac, Music Module, SCC ^___^

Hey Guyjin, here your chance to grab a MSX2+ Sony HB-F1XDJ

MSX2+ Sony HB-F1XDJ on ebay