A new PCB for ColecoVision SGM games is on the way for 2016.
In all new 2016 ColecoVision Super Games from Opcode Games where you see these brands
above, will also contain the new SGC cartridge.
SGC stands for Super Game Cartridge.
These labels is to find on the ColecoVision
game package.
A Super Game from Opcode Games
have a production number which always starts with SG for Super Game.
If you don't know what a SGC is for a kind of PCB, then it will be
explained here.
Inside in your ColecoVision game cartridge is there a little
Printed Circuit
Board mounted.
This little Printed Circuit
Board inside this cartridge stores or
contains your game.
Opcode Games call this Printed
Circuit Board in
their new upcoming ColecoVision games for Super Game Cartridge or
shortened to SGC.
The
SGC is powered with a very avanced Bank switching and with Save features be a lot advanced.
Save functions is based on EEPROM, with data retention of 100 years and
endurance of 1 million write cycles.
With that means you are able to play the game 1 million times on
average before the EEPROM fails, so no need for battery at all.
The new ColecoVision Super Game
Cartridge can also be used with regular ColecoVision games.
First announced Super Games from Opcode Games
in newer time that use the new Super Game Cartridge
is Penguin Adventure and Gradius.
Penguin Adventure and Gradius was released in august 2016.
And for this to work, a brand new PCB was made for this new
cartridge.
Programmers don't need to stop at the 32kb. barrier.
Is the game bigger than the 32kb., is Opcode Games ready with both the
MegaCart1, (MC1) and the Super Game Cartridge (SGC).
MegaCart1 and SGC supports both ColecoVision and the Super Game Module, but
with added save game features in SGC will it only work together with the Super Game Module.
If you have an added featured game, and no Super Game Module, will this
game not even work at all, or the game will be downgraded.
So make sure that you have a Super Game Module to all your new Super Games
from Opcode Games.
When inserting a ColecoVision Super Game from Opcode Games will this picture
above first show you a 3-second start-up
sequence.
The start-up sequence will be showed in all new upcoming ColecoVision Super Games from
Opcode Games' own label.
Click on the picture for a Youtube look.
MegaCart 2 is the new
ColecoVision Super Game
Cartridge =
SGC1
"Any new and future ColecoVision Games
form Opcode Games will be stored in this Cartridge."
"Save your game data on it without the use of batteries."
MegaCart 2 is a production name for the new MegaCart, and the official name is Super Game Cartridge.
The Super Game Cartridge is a kind of media cartridge, a PCB that fits inside a regular
Coleco cartridge casing, allowing games to be larger than 32K.
Up to
32 KB of Save RAM. to save any game data, like
high score, save points, and so
And 128 KB of Mega RAM. Allows even more advanced games, like MSX Mega ROM
games.
It is to find in the cartridge, not the Super Game Module.
This new PCB provides very advanced
bank switching and save game functionality, each cartridge will save its
own data.
Support 1Kb. (1024kb.) to 16 Kb. (16.384Kb.) ROMs.
2 possible configurations, 4 programmable
banks (up to 2 Kb. ROMs), or 3 programmables banks and 1 fixed (up to
16Kb.)
Support 1 kbit to 1 Kb. (128 bytes to 128 Kbytes) save memory.
2016 - 2017 - 2018
All new games from Opcode Games do now have integrated these functions.
And all future ColecoVision games from Opcode Games will require the Super Game Module
and the use of the new Super Game Cartridge.
These 2 things belongs together if the game itself is from Opcode Games'
own label.
You can only use ColecoVision Super Game Cartridges together with the Super Game
Module, a ColecoVision, or an ADAM Computer.
Opcode Games will have his own games fully produced so that
he can easily assemble the cartridges and easily put a label on.
So it is easy for the publisher to put the games for sale.
Publisher is AtariAge Store, and you will only be able to buy your Opcode games
through AtariAge Store.
Opcode Games has not yet published a final version to the
one above new Super
Game Cartridge.
The showed picture above was a prototype.
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Frequently asked questions about the MegaCart1 (ColecoVision MegaCart).
Q: Why is there no 64K variation of the
MegaCart1?
A: The PCB architecture doesn't really
support it.
If a game fits inside 64K, a 128K MegaCart1 will have to be used, which
means a lot of available space on the MegaCart will remain unused.
Q: I am a homebrew programmer. Could I
purchase blank MegaCarts1 for my own games?
A: The MegaCart is not our exclusive property,
it's Bryan Edewaard's creation.
He streamlined the MegaCart PCB to make it as cheap to produce as possible,
and all a programmer needs to add is an EPROM chip with software encoded
into it (you can buy such EPROMs from several places).
Bryan is ready to sell exemplaries of his MegaCart PCB for a reasonable
price, so you only need to seek him out and ask him about it.
Q: What kind of equipment do I need to encode
game data into the MegaCart1 ?
A: Any 40-pin EPROM burner should do the job
nicely, as far as the ColecoVision software is concerned. It's really not
that different from a regular ColecoVision PCB/EPROM setup.
Q: Are there any plans to make a MegaCart1
model that offers extra RAM?
A: While it's not technically impossible,
such a MegaCart would be far more expensive to produce.
Also, the ColecoVision console was not designed to handle extra RAM
incorporated in game cartridges, which means programming games that use
such extra RAM would be very complicated.
Our solution to add extra RAM to the ColecoVision is the Super Game Module
1.
Q: Can you describe the bankswitching method
used in the MegaCart1?
A: Without getting into too much detail, we
can tell you that the ROM addressing space is divided into two chunks of
16K, and one of these chunks can be switched at any time.
Therefore, no matter what MegaCart model is used, only 32K can be adressed
at any one time by the software, and the programmer must design their
games with this constraint in mind.
Q: Which game releases from Opcode Games use
(or will use) the MegaCart1 ?
A: Most of the games Opcode Games want to
release on the ColecoVision require more than 32K of ROM space, so those
will necessarily make use of the MegaCart1.
To say the MegaCart1 will play a major role in the future of Opcode Games
is definitely not an exaggerated statement. The first game that used the
MegaCart1 was be Pac-Man Collection.
Q: What about the new SGC1 and SGC2. ?
A: SGC1 is the new PCB for Premium games
Cartridges, it can store savegame features.
Read more about SGC1 in the box above.
SGC2 is the new PCB for the upcoming SGM2/OMNI and works only for this new
OMNI format.
SGC2 can not be used with ColecoVision or in combination with the SGM1.
Last updated:
March 10,
2019.
August 19,
2018.
July 31,
2016.
Large
parts of the written
text are published by Eduardo Mello, Opcode Games
and is 100% until other information is published.
Note: You can not use a ColecoVision Cartridge
in the OMNI Game system.
Conversely, you cannot either use the OMNI cartridge in yor ColecoVision
Game System.
OMNI have its own platform and its own system.
Please report errors so it can be corrected. |