Vtech Creativision / Dick Smith Wizzard

[Vic20-Ian]

This would be an interesting core to add if somebody could.

6502 based circa 1983 so a Vic20 competitor but with some nice graphics effects especially Pacman clone "Crazy Pucker" with a border on screen.

I would be interested to compare to other same era machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1D4jAyo0q4&t=48s

[KremlingKuthroat19]

Nice. I love the 2nd generation of consoles. It's so bizarre. Most consoles had phone-like controllers and the games are as simple as iOS games, which adds to their charm. I'm all for the 2nd gen getting more love.

Plus, it'd be hilarious to tell people "I'm playing Crazy Pucker on my Dick Smith Wizzard" xD

[AmintaMister]

Released today!

[Swainy]

I can’t seem to get this core working.
Grabbed the bios file from this site: http://www.madrigaldesign.it/creativemu/roms.php

Plus some games, renamed the bios to boot0.rom but I’m just getting a multi coloured screen via hdmi & a blank screen on my CRT.

uLIzJ0w.jpg (471.76 KiB) Viewed 3250 times

[KremlingKuthroat19]

I can’t seem to get this core working.
Grabbed the bios file from this site: http://www.madrigaldesign.it/creativemu/roms.php

Plus some games, renamed the bios to boot0.rom but I’m just getting a multi coloured screen via hdmi & a blank screen on my CRT.

If you use update all and enable the bios getter, then it'll get you the proper bios.

[jca]

The BIOS he got from the web site works. I am using the CreatiVision/Dick Smith Wizzard BIOS without any problem on HDMI 1080p 60Hz. The core has a NTSC/PAL setting, could this be the problem?

[AmintaMister]

Me too I'm on Pal, it doesn't work.

[Flandango]

If you extracted the bios and renamed it to boot0.rom and started the core without a cartridge rom loaded, it will give you that screen (sometimes a black screen).
If you want a cartridge to autoload so you don't get that screen, you can name the rom boot1.rom.
When you load a cartridge rom, what happens?

[AmintaMister]

problem is that OSD menu doesn't show...

[Flandango]

On crt? If so, and you have access to an hdmi based display, attach that, access the OSD->Audio & Video and make sure Border is enabled (On).
Another option you can try that has helped others when their CRT is not sync'ing is to grab a cartridge rom, like Basic, and saving it as boot1.rom.

[AmintaMister]

On crt? If so, and you have access to an hdmi based display, attach that, access the OSD->Audio & Video and make sure Border is enabled (On).
Another option you can try that has helped others when their CRT is not sync'ing is to grab a cartridge rom, like Basic, and saving it as boot1.rom.

Thanks Flandango, it works on CRT now!

Booting the core with basic as boot1.rom I get access to OSD, I change video to PAL and then I can load any cartridge!

[Swainy]

Thanks guys, all working now for me too!

[Kitrinx]

Sorry for the late reply, but yes, it won't generate any syncs or blanks for an analog display until it loads a game. You can either use the laser 2001 bios which starts up basic by default, or use boot1.rom as some game so that loads by default. Either one will address the issue of no video signals present without a game loaded.

[EeDee]

Loving the appearance of old "computers". Thank you for core @Kitrinx
I have found, though, that when using the Laser 2001 or Saloram bios there is interference noise through the speakers. It disappears when a cartridge is loaded but is evident/annoying while exploring basic

[Kitrinx]

Loving the appearance of old "computers". Thank you for core @Kitrinx
I have found, though, that when using the Laser 2001 or Saloram bios there is interference noise through the speakers. It disappears when a cartridge is loaded but is evident/annoying while exploring basic

Yes, I noticed that. The BIOS writes to the PIA chip to enable the noise channel on the sound chip. I have no idea why it chooses to do this. Possibly it expects some default state from the PIA or the sound chip, and carelessly didn't initialize it? The real hardware for this is very rare and it's hard to tell what the original machine did and why.

[EeDee]

Oh for an original machine!