Personally feeling to wait longer before choosing new hardware

[seastalker]

With so many exciting projects, I can't speak for others, but in my situation, my instincts tell me to wait before adding to my bareboards setup (DE-10, IO and Blisster).

The consolized look of the RMC channel with PC-Engine inspired/looking case is tempting. I also have an Amiga 1200 case and Kipper keyboard so am looking at the IO board that might fit there (would be very tempted if a backplate mount was included). Even the idea of a MisterCADE gives me pause before deciding.

Are others here like me waiting to see what happens with things like DUAL RAM (maybe PS1, Jaguar, Saturn) or maybe cases that can hot-swap SNAC controller ports? Maybe you are waiting to see if part shortages change?

What hypothetical things are you 'waiting for'?

[dshadoff]

I think you would do well to have a case, to protect the boards from accidental static discharge. I damaged a microcontroller board (unrelated to MiSTer) earlier this winter from static, and I would hate to have this happen to anything more expensive or more difficult to replace.

[Captain FPGA]

Are others here like me waiting to see what happens with things like DUAL RAM (maybe PS1, Jaguar, Saturn)

Unfortunately the mastermind behind the Saturn core is in a horrible situation that no one should have to suffer through (core or not hope he survives).

Even if someone else picks up the mantle something tells me you'd be waiting a long time. The Sega Saturn hardware isn't exactly easy to produce a core from

[seastalker]

I meant less about waiting for core developments and more about economically predicting hardware 'must haves' for future expandability. An example was upgrading my 64mb ram to 128- I didn't want to hinder the brilliant neo geo core. Don't get me wrong, I love when influencers inspire people to jump into Mister in baby steps with little more than the DE10. Still, I doubt most would suggest newcomers purchase 32/64 ram modules anymore.

I only had the 64 a short while before upgrading to the 128- no big loss, but I'm currently planning ahead to avoid unneccessary re-selling of unneeded gear.

So now I find myself deciding on a small-as-possible-case like the standard Mister Addons kits, or if I want to put it in a keyboard case (like a C64 shell), or if I should get something with Jamma in case I get an arcade cab.

[akeley]

Don't get me wrong, I love when influencers inspire people to jump into Mister in baby steps with little more than the DE10.

I don't think the "influencers" have ever actually done that - to the contrary, most of the sources I saw were always about the full stack, thus contributing to the "MiSTer is so expensive" myth. And in reality you can enjoy this platform fully for so much less. I've been running a simple DE10+64SDRAM+DV+OTG USB for two years now and never felt like I'm missing out on something.

I'm also not a big fan of the concept of "future proofing", it has never really worked in the PC world and I have yet to see it make sense here. Seems there is a big rush now to get on the 2xSDRAM setups, but in reality it is not known yet if that will ever be truly needed. It's a bit like I kept hearing about the PSX core back in the day, and yet here I am using it on my paltry 64MB. So why bother, when you can always do it in the actual future, if necessary?

[Duffygag]

I get what I need when I need it, not a Blisster for sure tho

[seastalker]

Don't get me wrong, I love when influencers inspire people to jump into Mister in baby steps with little more than the DE10.

I don't think the "influencers" have ever actually done that - to the contrary, most of the sources I saw were always about the full stack, thus contributing to the "MiSTer is so expensive" myth. And in reality you can enjoy this platform fully for so much less. I've been running a simple DE10+64SDRAM+DV+OTG USB for two years now and never felt like I'm missing out on something.

I'm also not a big fan of the concept of "future proofing", it has never really worked in the PC world and I have yet to see it make sense here. Seems there is a big rush now to get on the 2xSDRAM setups, but in reality it is not known yet if that will ever be truly needed. It's a bit like I kept hearing about the PSX core back in the day, and yet here I am using it on my paltry 64MB. So why bother, when you can always do it in the actual future, if necessary?

I may be mis-remembering, or perhaps we just are thinking of different 'infuencers'. I think Smokemonster, and Bob of RetroRGB (main influencers for me anyway) have been consistently fair about need vs. nice-to-have. Bob recently had a nice reminder of this in his Mister in 10 mins video. There are a lot of 'influencers' though so your point of concern is good to note. My move to 128 was NeoGeo specific (wanted to play all titles since I love the system), but I hope not to imply I'm throwing shade at 64MB owners. I'm pointing out that a little forward planning goes a long way to prevent the time and money of HAVING to upgrade based on personal use case requirements. For me, if I had the 64MB in usage longer, I wouldn't have felt the trivial [didn't lose sleep over it of course] inconvenience of upgrading. Fortunately my 64MB went to a good home.

By 'forward planning' let's take the dual-ram idea on for example. Do I need it now? NO. Will I 'need' it for the PSX core? It looks like NO. Would I currently pay MORE for an add-on board to have the feature? NO. IF I wanted an add-on board or form factor change to put my Mister in a case and the I/O board prices were equal but one had all the features I was looking for AND an extra slot for ram, YES. Even then, I wouldn't buy more ram at all until a day came where it made sense.

There may be a 'rush' for some, but my thinking is 'if I want an I/O board and case anyway...' what factors should I consider before making the leap.

EDIT: Addition - I have no horse in the race when it comes to Blisster, but I wonder why joking at it has become like 'drummer jokes'. I like mine- it fits just like the standard USB hub and works great. Are the jokes or dislikes just because some (many?) prefer the SNAC option? I got mine before SNAC I think, and I already had tons of adapters being a BLISS-BOX owner for years. So for me, it made perfect sense, but maybe not for others without already having the 'Bliss ecosystem.' Is this the root of the negativity towards Bliss or is it something else?

[akeley]

There may be a 'rush' for some, but my thinking is 'if I want an I/O board and case anyway...' what factors should I consider before making the leap.

Course, there is no harm in that, and it can indeed help in some cases. It's just, things change fast in this ever-evolving scene (as do individual wants/needs), so I perceive it all as somewhat unpredictable, to some extent at least. Each to their own though...

[HappyBirthday]

I have had a minimal setup for years, I upgraded the ram for Neo Geo, pulled the trigger on a digital IO board when a deal fell into my lap but have otherwise resisted any other purchases waiting for the perfect time to upgrade and buy a custom board and/or case.

Then recently I decided it was silly to wait and just pulled the trigger on the official usb board and simple acrylic case an be done. I would prefer a simple clean, consolized setup however all the options I have seen require either a fairly significant investment for a turnkey solution or more of a diy approach with a bunch of cable management inside a small space which are both deal breakers for me.

[NightShadowPT]

In projects like this, waiting is pointless.

Tinkering is what makes it interesting.

The only time development will stop is after the next big thing is out and everybody has moved on. And by that time you'll want the new toy, not the MiSTer.

Just jump into the pool and have fun with the rest of us.

This is all about the journey, not the end result.