DEVCON 14 Report at AAMSX RU65: V9968, MSX0tab5, MSXDIY etc

MSX DEVCON14 Report in Tokyo Shinagawa, focusing on MSX0 Tab5 and V9968, including Nishi's and MSX Association plan.

#AAMSX #RU65 #MSX #V9958 #V9968 #MSXDIY #MSX3 #RISCV

Transcript

1. DEVCON 14 at Shinagawa Tokyo Summary: V9968 and MSX3 Status 65 RUMSX Centre jove la Fontana, Barcelona Akira Tsukamoto January 17th, 2026 1
2. Index • Who am I • DEVCON 14 • List of talks • Engineering topic pick ups • V9968 • MSX0 • MSXDIY • MSX3 • Technical resources • Discord discussion started • Github • etc 2
3. Who am I (1/2) • Working at Openchip in Barcelona from December 2024 • Moved from Tokyo to Barcelona • Good food, Good whether, Good people • Some surprise, many similarity in the living Barcelona and Tokyo • Bus, Train, Tram, bicycle • How the energy usage in the living • Use Slippers, Umbrella • Food: • Soup based dish, paella • boiled squid octopus, many beans food, grilled fish, Mandarina, Boniato • Housing optimized for Summer not for Winter • Size of food at restaurant, sink at toilet, etc 3
6. Who am I (2/2), why MSX for Akira • Microcomputer Magazine, when I was 12 years old • Programming on paper, executing inside brain :) • First programing on real computer, at 13 or 14 • BASIC, assembler: SHARP PC-1401 (Pocket Computer), • Sony HB-701FD, digital multi-meter, at16 years old • BASIC, MSX-DOS, C language, Assembler, Digital Circuit 6
7. DEVCON 14 - Overview • Date • December 13, 2025 • Venue • TKP Shinagawa Conference Center ANNEX • TAKANAWA COURT 3F, 3-13-1 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0074 • Program • 12:30 Doors Open • 12:45 Live Stream Starts • 13:00 MSX 2025 Review & 2026 Plans – Nishi • 13:45 MSX0 Tab5 – Yamaoka • 14:00 FPGA9968 – Hara • 14:30 MSXDiYcube – Chikuwa • 14:45 Making the MSX mini Case – Catsin • 15:00 Dempa Shimbun Special Guest Appearance • 15:30 MSXA Special – Yokoi & Guests • 17:30 Closing • Unofficial talks 7
8. MSX 2025 Review & 2026 Plans – Nishi • Why MSX now https://library.nishi.org/content-data/_rawdata/202601142038281768390708.pdf 8
9. MSX 2025 Review & 2026 Plans – Nishi • Three layer of Future MSX • Entry level and IoT • MSX0 Sensors, Embedded Control Education • Strong Enthusiast and Retro computer • MSX2++ Legacy Assets, Hobby Hardware Hobby Software, Game emulation • Future and Professional • MSX3, MSXxSC AI Development, Hi-end AV Super Computing https://library.nishi.org/content-data/_rawdata/202601142038281768390708.pdf 9
10. MSX 2025 Review & 2026 Plans – Nishi • AI and MSX3 • MSX2++ not capable of LLM • Enjoy AI training data • Enjoy AI programming • MSX3 hard to integrate AI on Linux • Evaluation various LLM chips • MSXxSC, PCIe form factor • Development on AI SDK https://library.nishi.org/content-data/_rawdata/202601142038281768390708.pdf 10
11. MSX 2025 Review & 2026 Plans – Nishi • Introduction of under developments https://library.nishi.org/content-data/_rawdata/202601142038281768390708.pdf11
12. MSX 2025 Review & 2026 Plans – Nishi • MSXDIY: Plan by Nishi • MSX2++ • MSXturboR+ https://library.nishi.org/content-data/_rawdata/202601142038281768390708.pdf 12
13. MSX 2025 Review & 2026 Plans – Nishi • Why was named MSXturboR? https://library.nishi.org/content-data/_rawdata/202601142038281768390708.pdf 13
14. MSX0 Tab5 – Yamaoka • MSX0Stack CoreP4 • MSX0 tab5, MIDI demo by Yamaoka-san 14
15. MSX0 Tab5 – Yamaoka • MSX0 tab5, larger screen, better keyboard https://x.com/CZ_602C/status/1999722616282915152?s=20 15
16. FPGA9968 – Hara • How FPGA9968 project started • Require 9958 to develop 9968/9978 • However, the original engineering data of V9958, RTL, netlist, physical design, PDK data are discarded at YAMAHA LSI • Only way to proceed the was to redesign 9958 from scratch again https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_c artridge_rev2_step1/src/th9958/devcon/doc/2025_Dec_13th_v9968progress.p df 16
17. FPGA9968 – Hara • Difference of 9968 and 9978 • V9968 is small enhancement version of V9958 • V9978 is including V9990 design but keeping the combability with V9958 • Not compatible with V9990 • Adding V9990 like screen mode to V9968 https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_c artridge_rev2_step1/src/th9958/devcon/doc/2025_Dec_13th_v9968progress.p df 17
18. FPGA9968 – Hara • Concept of 9968 and 9978 • V9968 is enhanced V9958 • Remove the limitation of 9958 programming • V9978 is adding 9990 screen modes • Idea is having V9990 feature but have 9958 compatibility • Able to coexist with V9990 cartridge https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_ vdp_cartridge_rev2_step1/src/th9958/devcon/doc/2025_Dec_13th_v996 8progress.pdf 18
19. FPGA9968 – Hara • Enhancement points on 9968 from 9958 (1) • VRAM 256KB • New Sprite Mode 3 • Max 16 sprite horizontally • Dot by Dot with 15 color + transparent • 16x16, 16x32x 15x64, 16x128 • Enhanced palette • 256 color out of 32768 color • VDP command faster completion • Vertical scroll enhancement • Consistent Sprit position while scroll up/down • Consistent Horizontal Interrupt while scroll up/down • New VDP commands • LRMM (Logical Rotate Memory To Memory) • LFMC (Logical Font CPU to Memory) • LFMM (Logical Font Memory to Memory) https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_cartridge_rev2_step1/src/th 9958/devcon/doc/2025_Dec_13th_v9968progress.pdf 19
20. FPGA9968 – Hara • Enhancement points on 9968 from 9958 (2) • Screen 7, 512x424 mode with flat VRAM mapping • V9958 had two 512x212 screen address separately to be manipulated by programmer • Pure 512x424 resolution mode on MSX while other 8bit computers had 640x400 resolution mode • Good for word processor, screen editor/debugger etc https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_cartridge _rev2_step1/src/th9958/devcon/doc/2025_Dec_13th_v9968progress.pdf 20
21. https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_cart ridge_rev2_step1/src/th9958/devcon/doc/2025_Dec_13th_v9968progress.pdf FPGA9968 – Hara • What is R80 • R80 • Faster Z80 and R800 • Hara-san will be developing • Adding cache to R800 instruction set • R80 is not using the existing open source Z80 implementation on FPGA • Z80 will be developed by Hara—san from scratch • Has three modes • Z80 compatible mode • Same speed of Z80 3.58Mhz • R800 compatible mode • R800 compatible instruction but slightly faster • R80 mode • Cache enabled, fastest, R800 compatible instruction 21
22. https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_cart ridge_rev2_step1/src/th9958/devcon/doc/2025_Dec_13th_v9968progress.pdf FPGA9968 – Hara • What is R900 • R900 (planned only) • Faster R80 • Spacemoai will be developing • Adding instruction of Mathpack • Adding instruction which Spacemoai have found suitable to speedup by his game development • Will be the core of MSXturboR+ 22
23. FPGA9968 – Hara, Links to resources (1/2) • This is the invitation link to the Discord for discussion of what features would like to be added to V9978, and where to ask questions of V9968. https://discord.com/invite/tQ3k2egm • The slide of V9968 is uploaded. https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_cartr idge_rev2_step1/src/th9958/devcon/doc/2025_Dec_13th_v9968progress.pdf • Description of new features on V9968 from V9958. https://note.com/thara1129/n/n7f9f293e6066?magazine_key=md87a1f4c7bc9 • The source of the RTL is uploaded here. It is verilog, not VHDL. https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/tree/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_cartri dge_rev2_step1/src/th9958 23
24. FPGA9968 – Hara, Links to resources (2/2) • The data for creating Hara-sans V9968 FPGA card. PCB Data https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_cartr idge_rev2_step1/doc/vdp_cartridge.zip • Parts list (BOM) https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/RTL/tangnano20k_vdp_cartr idge_rev2_step1/doc/parts.txt • Requested features list of V9978 which Hara-san is gathering. • From the list Hara-san will narrow down which would be included in V9978. https://github.com/hra1129/TangCartMSX/blob/main/DOC/v9978/v9978_spec.pdf 24
25. MSXDiYcube – Chikuwa • Was presented by Nishi-san https://x.com/chikuwa_empire/status/2006380475984806386?s=20 25
26. MSXDiYcube – Chikuwa • Stackable design, by changing the VDP, may become MSX, MSX2 or MSX2++ https://x.com/chikuwa_empire/status/2006380475984806386?s=20 26
27. MSXDiYcube – Chikuwa • One of idea of Cloud Funding for MSXDIY https://x.com/chikuwa_empire/status/2006380475984806386?s=20 27
28. Making the MSX mini Case – Catsin • MSX mini is miniature sized case of MSX model in the past • May able to be sold with MSX0 inside in the future • PasocomMini for NEC PC-8001, Sharp MZ-80C were sold in 2020 28
29. Gràcies, Merci Gracias Thank you 29