IoT Media Lab held a presentation in Tokyo on October 16, and announced a number of new MSX0 models. A new crowdfunding campaign will start on November 1, with prices starting at 14,800 yen.
One of the pillars of the Next Generation MSX project led by Kazuhiko Nishi, creator of the MSX hobby computer, the MSX0 is essentially a product positioned as an IoT device, but with an MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ emulator. , most software developed for MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ will work as is. Therefore, there are a good number of people who want to play the MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ games that they played previously.
The two remaining pillars of the next-generation MSX project are the MSX3, the legitimate successor to the PC MSX hobby, and the MSX Turbo, which aims to become a personal supercomputer. In terms of project progress, the first MSX0 product ‘MSX0 Stack’ has exceeded the target amount through crowdfunding, delivery of returned products has begun as of September (although sensors will be shipped later).), and delivery is expected to be completed by the end of October, so it can be said that the first phase of marketing has been completed. Regarding MSX3, which is a favorite among hobbyist users, the SDK for developers is scheduled to be announced in December 2023, and a product for regular users is not expected until mid-2024. It will be. The MSX Turbo would be another project.
The MSX0 was expected to come in different forms from the beginning, and at this press conference information was revealed about the new products that will be added to the MSX0 series. One of the new products was the “MSX0 ATOM BOY” ultra-compact game console. In addition, Jimmy Lai, CEO of the Chinese company M5Stack, which is responsible for the hardware development and manufacturing of the MSX0 Stack and the new models added to the MSX0 series, which have already started shipping to backers, took to the stage and spoke about the MSX project. The company sent a message that… It will continue to cooperate with the IoT Media Laboratory, which promotes the Internet of Things. Furthermore, Naoto Suzuki, President of D4 Enterprises, which operates the legacy game membership distribution service ‘Project EGG’, also took to the stage and revealed the latest information about Project EGG for MSX0. I would like to summarize the contents of the press conference, where a lot of information of interest to the players was released.
Kazuhiko Nishi, who promotes the next generation MSX project
Kibidango starts on November 1. The support amount starts from 14,800 yen
Mr. Nishi took the stage first and explained about crowdfunding second.
The second crowdfunding campaign will take place from November 1 to January 31 on the crowdfunding website `Kibidango’.
The support list includes 4 kinds of “MSX0 Card + Wireless Modem 3 Sibling Set” based on ”MSX0 Card”, 2 kinds of ”MSX0 Watch 3 Sibling Set” with Watch Band, and 2 kinds of ”MSX0 Watch Set” 3 Sibling Set” based on the very small “MSX0 ATOM”. There will be 1 type of “MSX0 ATOM 3 Brother and Sister Set” and 3 types of “MSX0 Stamp Development Kit”. Centered around the “MSX0 Stamp” stamp size for a total of 10 types.
Menu and prices are as follows.
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In the first crowdfunding, the main unit was a single type of MSX0 Stack, and the list was divided depending on the presence or absence of sensors and communication modules connected, but this time, the main unit was also the previous MSX0 Stack (although the base is Latest generation M5Stack CoreS3) In addition to the MSX0 Stick, which is half the size, the MSX0 Atom, which is half the size, and the MSX0 Stamp, which is half the size (1/8 of the stack), the versatility has suddenly increased. However, although these models have different looks, the CPU installed is the same, and all models run on MSX0 system software and can use MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ emulators. However, the resolution of the LCD screen varies depending on the product, and Stamp does not have an LCD screen, so it is not guaranteed that all MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ programs will work properly.
Here we would like to take a closer look at the “MSX0 ATOM BOY”, which Mr. Nishi Kazuhiko clearly stated is intended for gaming purposes. As the name suggests, the MSX0 ATOM BOY has a design reminiscent of the Game Boy, but is very compact. The LCD screen size is 0.85 inches and the resolution is 128 x 128 dots. Despite its small size, it supports Wi-Fi and has a 6-axis sensor. Even if the software for the MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ works, due to the low resolution of the LCD screen, you will only be able to play a game on a fairly simple screen like “Tetris” or a game designed specifically for the MSX0 ATOM BOY. However, it’s interesting to think about what kind of games can be played on a thumb-sized device.
In addition, in the previous crowdfunding, we adopted the all-in method, and even if the target amount is not achieved, the product is manufactured and the returned products are delivered to the backers, but in the next crowdfunding, all the minimum quantity of devices was set to 1000 units, on For example, with an MSX0 card, unless the total number of MSX0 cards supported reaches 1,000, no return product will be sent and all support funds will be returned to the backer. .
It is said that it will take several months to half a year to ship the returned products after the crowdfunding ends, so it would be better to think about it in late 2024. All MSX0 devices from the second crowdfunding campaign are equipped with a new CPU called ESP32S3, which is said to have performance Processing up to 2X the performance of the MSX0 Stack (based on M5Stack Core2) from the first crowdfunding campaign. That’s the point. It is possible to run MSX/MSX2/MSX2+ software faster than the actual hardware.
A demo by Jimmy from M5Stack and a demo of running the game using an MSX0 card by Mr. Yamaoka
Next, Jimmy Lai, CEO of M5Stack, explained M5Stack features and product development. M5Stack is a venture company founded by Jimmy in 2015, and continues to develop and deliver products such as the 5x5cm compact microcomputer module “M5Stack”, related products, and smaller IoT devices at an incredible pace. M5Stack exhibited a booth at “Maker Faire Tokyo 2023” held at Tokyo Big Sight on October 14-15, 2023, and was very popular.
Shigemitsu Yamaoka, developer of the “VDP” video chip installed in the MSX2/MSX2+, demonstrated the MSX0 card, of which there is only one in the world. The MSX0 card is a product based on the latest M5Stack product “M5Stack Cardputer” that was just announced. The M5Stack Cardputer is a popular product that sold out immediately as soon as mail order sales started in Japan, and the MSX0 card seems to be very popular as well.
Using a program called Remote Control Panel, MSX0 can be operated using the monitor and keyboard of a Windows computer. The MSX0 card’s LCD screen is very small at 1.14 inches, but if you use the remote control panel, you can reproduce the MSX0 card’s screen on a large computer monitor. In addition to executing several commands, there was also a demonstration of the clock software and a demonstration of running the built-in game software “Zanac”.
The EGG project for MSX0 will start in 2024 with about 30 titles.No monthly fees required
Finally, D4 Enterprises President Naoto Suzuki took the stage and explained the MSX0 EGG project, which has been announced since the first MSX0 crowdfunding announcement.
According to Mr. Suzuki, the EGG project for MSX0 was originally considering a 500 yen monthly membership and game purchase, just like the current EGG project, but he thought such a system would not be suitable for MSX0. After thinking about it, they decided to run it in such a way that people could purchase games once they became members of the free Entertainment Center. Although this effectively represents a move to a one-time purchase model, it will come as good news for MSX0 users.
There are currently said to be around 30 titles proposed for MSX0 distribution. We choose titles that are easy to play on the MSX0 Stack’s small screen, and check that they play properly before distributing them. They are currently building a new server for the EGG project for MSX0, and service is scheduled to go live early next year. In the future, information regarding the EGG project for MSX0 will be published through the company’s website, X, etc.
I took pictures of the actual machine (some models) that were on display at the venue, so I’ll provide them all eventually.
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