Sipeed Tang Mega: This FPGA board can emulate SNES, Nintendo Game Boy and PlayStation games

We have frequently reported on devices for retro gaming, including numerous handhelds. The new Sipeed Tang Mega is not a typical gaming system like a retro handheld, but rather a platform. The system comes with an FPGA SoC, which can be used for more authentic emulation. Various cores, which are essentially software packages in the form of instructions for the processor, are available. These can be used to emulate gaming systems such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, the SNES, various Nintendo Game Boy iterations and even Sony’s PlayStation. While extensive documentation is provided, users who want to jump into their favorite retro games quickly should rather look at a gaming handheld instead of this FPGA board.

With that out of the way, the Sipeed Tang Mega is offered in a 138K and 60K variant, which are quite different. The number that’s included in the model name stands for the number of execution units, though these are lookup tables and not execution units like those found in a graphics card. Their SSRAM and BSRAM also differs considerably in terms of capacity. The Sipeed Tang Mega 138K comes with a RISC-V AE350 processor with a clock frequency of 800MHz and 1GB DDR3 memory instead of 512MB.

Monitors and TVs can be connected via HDMI, but there is also a 40-pin connector, which is suitable for smaller displays. The FPGA board does not come with built-in mass storage, but microSD cards are support. Moreover, two USB 3.0 ports are available and can be used to hook up gamepads, for example. The Sipeed Tang Mega measures 2.56 x 2.2 inches and sports numerous expansion ports, including one for the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot. PCIe components can be connected via an FFC connector. The board can now be imported for prices starting around €74 excluding shipping.