Uzebox - Atmel AVR based Game Console (Only two chips used!)

The Uzebox is a homebrew game console based on an Atmel AVR microcontroller. The design goal was to be simple to assemble for any hobbyist and have great sound and graphics with absolute minimum hardware: an AtMega644 microcontroller, an AD725 RGB-to-NTSC converter...and a bunch of resistors!

You get 256 simultaneous colors, 240x224 (40x28 tiles) graphics, a 4 channels sound engine with MIDI driver, NES joysticks ports and a MIDI IN input to compose your own songs straight on the console. The kernel is fully interrupt driven to generates video sync, mix music, read joypads, etc. so games can be written in plain C, no insane cycle counting required :D !

Considering this is an 8-bit general purpose microcontroller with only 4K of RAM and 64k of ROM (and no external RAM or frame buffer), it was quite a challenge to cram all that stuff in there. The site has the schematic and all code is open source. The hardware well...is open hardware! Have a look at the forums for updates (fully assembled Uzebox soon available in well know web shops!).

For now, I've completed a Tetris DS clone for the console.

Enjoy!

http://belogic.com/uzebox

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Atmel
• Project
• AVR
• ATMega
• Homemade
• game
• console
• Uzebox
• Open
• Source
• Hardware

[Yneto94]

Do you use roms to play the games on this Console ?

[uze6666]

@Yneto94 Yes, but it's not the "traditional" ROMs (like for the NES) you'd expect. When compiling a game, you get a "ROM" file which needs to be flashed on the microcontroller chip.

[kopaganda13]

Sounds like a challenge for a hardcore 8 bit gamer... :D

[Robobbly]

@uze6666 Awesome! Just what im doing exept im not useing a uzebox im just makeing my own from scrach. Is there a picture/video of this?! What game is it running!?

[Bp1033]

I'd like to know how the video circuit and software works.

[MultiPivotmasterdx]

hey you should make it run pc games also so you can use the unreal engine 3 for making the games

[Robobbly]

@uze6666 Ok cool - but i guess ill get faster processing with 2. And i dont have to flash boath my first processor sends it things like draw square at 1,2 and then it does it. So the first processor can get on with getting input! I realy want to inplement an SD card but im not sure how. It might not be an atmega382 its a wait... its a 328 soory :D

[uze6666]

@Robobbly : One Atmega644 does both game, sound & video processing. With that only one HEX (rom) to flash per game and each game can have it's very own customized video mode. One hex makes it's easy to flash game from the SD card, making it closer to a "real" console.. (btw there's an atmega382??)

[Robobbly]

@uze6666 Ok Cool! Thanks ill have a look. So is it just one chip for the video and the processing, because mine has a atmega382 for the processing and then an atmega88 for the graphics?!

[uze6666]

@Robobbly : Thanks, there's lots of pictures and over 60 games and demos now. Check this video's info box for the project's homepage. You'll find schematics, games, wiki and forums. There's a wealth of information and ideas to help you build not only the Uzebox but retro consoles in general. Oh and there's even a neat PCB now to help folks build their own.

[ketse89]

Whoa, nice work! You got some serious coding skill :)

Just amazing what you can do with little 8-bit mcu's, can't wait to see what people do with those XMEGAs...