Idea: Extending Uzebox

[Nikiz]

I have an idea how to extend the Uzebox:
-AVR XMega A1 CPU (A1 has that external memory bus. Maybe there is other models too, I'm not sure)
-PS/2 keyboard and mouse
-VGA + composite/svideo/scart output
-Ethernet-port for internet
-RAM expansion
-Operating system. A simple DOS-style os or even one with GUI
-And of course, legacy support for old Uzebox games

This would turn the Uzebox to a little computer and improves the graphics and sound.

If there will be an operating system, it will obviously not fit on the flash memory. But the bootloader could search for a file on SD-card that will be
the OS-loader or something like that. If it finds it, it will bring up a menu where you can select if you want to boot to the OS or to the game menu.
If it doesn't find it, it will boot directly to the game menu.

What do you think? Could this be possible?

[D3thAdd3r]

There's a lot of super hardware ideas if you search the forums. General problems: more hardware = less people willing to pay/successfully build it. More power = less utilization, try making a real PC game by yourself, as a hobbyist, that comes even close to utilizing the machine effectively. Funner to pick a retro-style game one guy can do himself and utilize the hardware to like 180% Keyboard/internet/etc. is cool but no one has put the amount of work required for a useful OS into any Uzebox software in several years of existance(besides Alec with the kernel), so I don't see it happening. The bigger the machine the bigger the software, I digress....less is more IMHO

[uze6666]

more hardware = less people willing to pay/successfully build it...More power = less utilization

That must be the most succinct answer I could ever conceive! Indeed I totally agreed with Lee. What you proposed was in part submitted by mast3rbug (from this post). I started a similar thread on the xmega a couple months ago but decided to go on the cortex m3 route instead. Now having played with the thing, saw the architecture and (lack of) decent free tooling, I'm wondering. And I loved mast3rbug comment:

...the fun is that we can do magic tricks with a MCU that is designed to run a microwave oven! You can also do more complicated stuff with an ARM9 MCU, but hey, this MCU is made for doing that!! so what is the challenge?

That's so true. That is was why I designed the Uzebox in the first place, why I though it would be cool and interesting. And, in that respect, the Xmega would better foot the bill.

More hacking will need to be done on that chip for sure.

-Uze

[Nikiz]

Well, you are right, you are right.. It would be too expensive and too hard to build for some people. :/ Maybe it is best to stick with the ATMega644 and hack it more. There is still some unuzed pins to play with.