After purchasing the A500 Mini console the other day (it was on sale, it’s adorable, and runs CD32 games), I was reminded that we still don’t have CD32 compatibility in the Amiga (Minimig) core, and that there are quite a few games on that platform that should be preserved and made accessible on the MiSTer.
For context, the Amiga CD32 is essentially a superset of the Amiga 1200 with the AGA chipset that added CD Audio support and a chip called “Akiko” that was handling the CD-ROM, as well as some “chunky to planar” operations to make it easier to make 3D games on the console.
Without commenting on the feasibility and complexity of completely supporting everything that the CD32 is theoretically capable of, I think we could be very close to having rudimentary support for it in MiSTer.
Here’s a summary of the current state:
- We have a complete Amiga 1200 implemented, including the Akiko (at least as far as I understand it) chunky-to-planar capability in MiSTer already.
- The MiST project added support for CDDA audio to their Minimig core (which MiSTer’s core is based on) back in September of 2022. (This was also mentioned on this forum at the time)
- By using a program called
CD32-Emulator
that is part of the IDEFix97 package, MiST users are able to run most CD32 games with CDDA audio, and it also adds support for e.g. battery-backed save files.
What would be necessary to get CD32 support on MiSTer?
- A developer would have to port the CDDA support from MiST to the MiSTer. I believe (but have not verified it personally yet) that mounting an ISO file as a drive is already supported.
- A “boot disk” that includes
IDEFix97
andCD32-Emulator
would have to be created. - A separate MGL setup for
Amiga CD32
would be a nice addition.
On behalf of the AmigaVision team, I can sign up for the IDEFix97 and MGL work, and I’m also happy to assist any developer that is willing to attempt porting MiST’s CDDA functionality to MiSTer with both testing and answering questions about the Amiga generally.
I believe we have a few developers here that are quite familiar with the Minimig code base on MiST and MiSter, and we successfully managed to add RTG support to the Amiga a while back by working together.
Do note that this isn’t the full CD32 implementation, but it should be capable of running a fair amount of the available games, including (but not limited to):
- Bubba and Stix CD32
- Bubble Heroes
- Chaos Engine CD32
- Disposable Hero CD32
- Fightin’ Spirit CD32
- Flink CD32
- Land Of Genesis
- Kid Chaos CD32
- Litil Divil CD32
- Napalm: The Crimson Crisis
- Pinball Illusions CD32
- Pirates Gold CD32
- Road Avenger
- Shadow Fighter CD32
- Soccer Kid CD32
- Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo CD32
- Super Methane Bros CD32
- Time Gal
- Top Gear CD32
- Trauma Zer0
- Zool CD32
Anyone up for taking a look? :)