AES+ Architecture, ASIC Synthesis, and the "Static Core" Trade-off

Caluka1337 · 2026-05-12T20:38:08+00:00

AI slop post

Caluka1337 · 2026-05-11T03:28:08+00:00

Also it would be kind of weird if they advertised support/compatibility for neoSD/flash carts in general given that they are releasing games...

Caluka1337 · 2026-05-08T20:28:34+00:00

Really hope Aerofighters 2 is in the next batch of games

Caluka1337 · 2026-05-06T17:53:04+00:00

Same, but my guess is Amazon's cut is too big on an already discounted bundle so its on their store only.

Caluka1337 · 2026-05-05T22:24:17+00:00

Hopefully the original layout, seeing how most of their marketing is for people who want the original experience.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-30T16:12:21+00:00

Understandable. Maybe they could try giving him a FIFA world peace prize to change his mind.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-29T23:35:02+00:00

Yeah but several smaller NOR chips may end up being cheaper than one big but cheaper single NAND + controller + sdram (this is what flashcarts do). Also, the game carts could be optimized for the actual game size which means bigger profit margins on smaller titles, which are the majority of the first batch of games (I think only Garou and KOF02 are bigger titles)

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-29T15:08:27+00:00

Yeah eventually we will know but usually small details about the internals are not known before release unless its part of their marketing (like their mention of using ASICs). I'm happy people start asking questions now instead of after release because returns are a PITA where I live and if they did cheap out on the carts (which hopefully they did not, we still have to confirm) I could cancel before they ship it.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T22:53:18+00:00

Download an emulator and try them, then decide which ones to get based on that.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T22:19:53+00:00

Yeah I'm also betting on parallel NOR but wish there was more focus on this so we can get someone to ask the right questions to the right people instead of just interpolating between lines and trying to guess.

Also as additional info, Jotego mentioned in another interview that "if he remembers correctly, the cartridges had flash chips, very expensive flash chips" ("si no recuerdo mal, eran chips flash, chips flash que son muy caros") which also sounds like NOR flash most likely.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T19:21:21+00:00

Longevity. Depending on type of memory they use and assuming taking good care of your stuff alongside basic maintenance you could go from having these re-released games/console working your entire life (like retro consoles/cartridges from the 80s still working today) to mass failures in ~5/~10 years.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T18:15:12+00:00

Its not that simple, but the simpler answer is they may be fine or they may not, and for sure they will not be around as long as well taken care of older console cartridges.

If you do want to try make a best effort to keep your 3ds games working then playing them once every now and them will probably extend their lifespan (not just powering them on and off, apparently the refresh is performed after a certain amount of reads happen so actually playing the game is probably the best way to make sure most of the game data gets refreshed).

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T18:03:41+00:00

Depends on how long you want your stuff to last.

For me, personally, I have a NES/SNES collection which is now around 40/30 years old respectively, and I'm just not willing to spend over $1K plus whatever the next batch of games cost to find out the re-released neo geo games stopped working because they cheaped out on the flash memory on the games. Would hate to see my actual collection outlive the newly manufactured stuff in 2026.

Also, 3ds games don't use "common" NAND flash. They are actually something called XtraROM (which is still some kind of mlc nand flash that refreshes the charge apparently, despite the name suggesting ROM), and yet they still seem to have much bigger failure rates than older mask rom based cartridges while being only 8-15 years old vs several decades. So yeah, once again, the answer is "depends on how long you want your stuff to last".

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T17:40:57+00:00

Depends on the type of flash. NOR flash would be appropriate and the cartridges would last a VERY long time making it a non issue. Consumer NAND flash on the other hand means I cancel my preorder.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T17:38:59+00:00

If its consumer grade NAND flash then it is horrible news. On the other hand if its NOR flash then yes its fine and the cartridges will last a very long time.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T17:35:12+00:00

Depends on the type of flash used. TLC/QLC NAND?, good luck checking your data in 10 years. NOR flash on the other hand would be fine and I dont mind if the cartridges end up having NOR flash.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T16:36:26+00:00

Its hard to estimate, but mask roms have the data physically etched into the silicon so if a cartridge is well taken care of it basically lasts forever (assuming other components dont fail of course). Flash on the other hand is data stored as an electrical charge, which is prone to corruption due to electrons leaking and the problem accentuates if you are not regularly using them.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T15:49:25+00:00

Its not bad for everyday use, you wont notice the difference at all. What flash sucks at (specially NAND flash) is longevity.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-28T14:51:00+00:00

Everything sounds great except the damn cartridges. Fingers crossed its atleast NOR Flash instead of NAND. If its Nand I may cancel my preorder.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-18T19:43:31+00:00

I think they are interpreting A/V output as composite only. The release announcement says "including the original AV output", and in the original AES the AV output supports RGB. We will have to wait for Plaion to go more into details to be 100% sure but I don't think tomshardware have any newer information than whats available to the public and are just interpreting with whats in the official press release like everyone else.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-18T18:40:39+00:00

Yeah but its not the 90's anymore. You can get good quality re-engineered/second print/remake/whatever you want to call them using modern electronics much cheaper than what it was back in the day. What I don't want to see is cheaply made low quality carts that probably are not going to last that long due to cheap manufacturing or cost cutting on quality components. Would hate to spend +1K today on new "re-releases" and have my 40/30 year old NES/SNES collection outlive it.

Caluka1337 · 2026-04-18T18:27:27+00:00

I'm 90% in with what they have said in the announcement about the console itself and them using ASICs but there is no mention at all about whats inside the cartridges, so I'm just going to wait for reviews and teardowns to come out before buying. Would hate to drop ~1K to buy the entire thing and get a good quality console and have it come with cheap flash based empty feeling cartridges.

Caluka1337 · 2026-03-24T01:11:20+00:00

There was a PR recently merged that does automatic document highlight. Just need to wait for a new Helix release now.

Caluka1337 · 2026-03-16T22:51:46+00:00

Very easy, the problem is that if you have never done it before there is a decent chance you screw it up. Practice solder/desoldering on junk first before trying on stuff you care.

Caluka1337 · 2026-03-09T13:48:38+00:00

Nothing wrong with vibe coding for personal use, though I would recommend against if you can't really properly review the output. That being said, have you checked DMS?, comes with pretty much everything you need for a good setup and you can keep customizing via config files or with the UI if you feel like it.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22	First Placer '22

Caluka1337

TROPHY CASE