Some Mega65 updates in 2024

 I had hoped to do a little bit more with my Mega 65 computer in 2024, after my previous Mega 65 blog posts I did here and here, but work and family commitments limited my free time. 

One really important thing I did do this year, was to upgrade the Slot 0 core to the latest Mega65 firmware.

This was really important as the compatibility with the C64 core was dramatically improved and other Mega65 functionality too, but it relied on upgrading the Slot 0 Core.

Normally I update the Slot 1 core, which is on the SD Card, but this is not used when turning on the machine, and when you have a c64 cartridge inserted in the Mega 65, it uses the Slot 0- firmware.

So, since I was keen to have the new C64 functionality, and also to access the new updated Mega 65 disks released that relied on the new firmware, I decided to do it.

I did the Slot 1 core upgrade first, to make sure it worked ok before I did the Slot 0, since there is no going back easily if the Slot 0 upgrade fails.

You can see it is not possible to edit the contents of Slot 0 with normal flash updating process - I can only select core 1-7 to flash update.

I proceeded to update Slot 1 to the latest Mega 65 firmware.

All done - completed successfully.

I then followed the user manual on the procedure to update Slot 0. I don't include the steps here since the manual shows it clearly, and I think it is better people don't do this process without the manual, with the full steps laid out.
It gives you plenty of warnings before it lets you update Slot 0.

I then got the Slot 0 update underway:

I needed to select the new R3 core, 20240224 version. This is because my Mega 65 computer is R3:

It then checks the core before it gets underway with Flashing Slot 0:

The flashing was successfully completed on Slot 0, which was a relief.

This meant I now have the latest core from power on! I also decided to refresh my SD Card with the latest image from the Mega 65 repository, as it includes all the new intro disks showcasing the latest games, demos and tools for the Mega 65.

The other reason to do this is because over time, the SD card becomes fragmented, which is bad news for the Mega 65 file system. Doing a clean SD card is good since it removes the fragmentation. I had backed up my SD card to my Mac before I did this, so I could then copy back all the stuff I had before, especially the Mega 65 virtual disks, C64 .PRG and .d64 files for the C64 core, and SID files for playback.

 
I could then explore the newest Intro disk #03 on the SD card.

The Megapoly demonstration of the Mega65's power and graphics prowess is very impressive. 

To be honest, I could be watching an Amiga demo, which is very impressive indeed as this is using the updated Commodore 65 graphics featureset and other related goodies - it is not an Amiga core:

There is also a module player included now, which allows playback of a few select protracker module files from the Amiga within a Mega65 virtual disk.

It is limited mod support right now, but I look forward to further developments in this area.

I also went into the Mega65 hypervisor on boot up to modify the Mega 65 settings to use an Amiga mouse as a 1351 mouse (C64 mouse).

I also chgecked the MAC address of the Ethernet port on the Mega 65. This is so I can connect to the Mega 65 remotely from my Mac Pro! Yes, you can do this now!

To do that remote control of the Mega 65, I need to set a jumper on the Mega 65 main board, which means opening the case.

Here is the jumper in question:

I then switch the Jumper 2 position:

This then enables the remote control mode on the Mega 65. When it is being remotely controlled, the light changes on the Megha 65 to show this is happening.

When set to this mode, the screen output changes to show the File transfer connection information, and port number to connect to from the remote machine.

I can then use M65 Connect to detect and remotely control the Mega65. I can enter command here, which will run on the Mega65 remotely. 

In addition, I can use the SD Card File transfer software to transfer files directly from my Mac Pro to the Mega 65 internal SD Card over the network.

In this case I transferred the updated Showdown Mega 65 disk image to the SD Card, so I can then overwrite the original floppy disk that came with my boxed copy of Showdown to the latest version. 
This version fixes some issues with the Showdown Mega 65 floppy disk booting under the newest Mega65 firmware version.

That done, I could then enjoy the Showdown game again on my Mega 65. Badgerpunch games made this version for the Mega 65 taking advantage of it's new graphical capabilities, but you can also get a cut down version on the C64 - it won't look as good as this though.

The other Mega 65 commercial boxed game I have is Hibernated 1 Director's Cut, which is a text based adventure game. This also came with a 3.5" original floppy disk that can boot to run the game from power on.

I am glad to help support the Mega 65 by buying these games, and I know there are more games released this year also that I hope to pick up soon.

On the subject of games, the intro disk 3 has a number of Mega 65 games I have not seen before:

I tried the Bomb 'em all demo, which is a bomber man clone for the Mega 65.

There is also some interesting demos on the disk:

Moving on to the updated firmware opening up expanded C64 cartridge support, I tested this by trying out some of my newer C64 games on cartridge with the Mega 65:

Lester is a great platform exploration game, and I am really enjoying playing it on the Mega 65.

Because I have the 1541 Ultimate II cartridge in my C64, I wanted to use the real cartridges I bought in the Mega 65, to avoid having to unplug the Ultimate II cart every time, and save precious wear and tear on the very old C64 cartridge port.
The Mega 65 computer is much newer (2022), and I expect it to have a long life ahead of it. 
Being able to use the C64 cartridges with the latest Mega 65 firmware is fantastic. I regularly use the Mega 65 to plays c64 games on cartridge now. :-)
I really hope to be able to spend more time with the Mega 65 in 2025, and explore more of what this amazing computer has to offer!
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