An idea for hardware wizzards

[dhau]

Ok, here is the idea - build a cart with PCB that have:

1) standard SDRAM DIMM socket for memory (16MByte - 512MByte)

2) a socket for CF card to store gziped rom images

3) a PLD chip with logic for AES interface (mappers), SDRAM refresh controller and CF interface with gzip logic

4) optionally you may add USB(2?) interface for communications with PC

If the card can't draw enough power from console, add a standard stabilizer to cart and a socket to accept 9V- 12V DC center negative (like all the other backup units).

Kind of like Game Wallet + Flash Card for GBA

You can charge 300$ for this card without CF or SDRAM (user will buy whatever fits his/her needs/budget)

Same idea could be replicated for SNES, Genesis, PC Engine and N64. And even what the heck: NES and SMS!

 

[ExCyber]

Neo-Geo requires 5 memories:

Program ROM (8MB?)

Sprite Tile ROM (64MB?)

Fixed Foreground Tile ROM (128K)

Sound Program ROM (128K)

Sound Sample ROM (16MB?)

It would probably just be easier altogether to integrate all the memory, since any change to the current limits would obsolete the mapper logic anyway. At the very least, it would be a good idea to just stick the sound program and fix tiles on integrated SRAM, since the cost of a decent socket probably approaches the cost of the SRAM.

And even what the heck: NES

This would be a whole different ballgame if you want to support any substantial number of mappers, since you'd have to be able to rewrite the mapper logic. NES, oddly enough, also tends to require multiple memories.