MSXplug #1

From InnoArs - the person behind this label is known to us as pitpan - comes MSXplug #1, an app for your iPhone that currently landed at version 1.1. With this app you can use your iPhone, iPod or iPad as a tape player for your MSX. Using this app with these contemporary Apple devices you can load your MSX tapes in less than 30 seconds, no more minutes worth of waiting (and praying) with that ageing data recorder. It can be used with any MSX compatible machine that has at least 64KB RAM. It doesn't work with the turbo R and the Panasonic FS-A1 WSX. In the package are ten Taito MSX games that should work fine with this app and an appropriate MSX. For $4.99 MSXplug #1 is yours.

Relevant link: iTunes - MSXplug #1

Comments (11)

By pitpan

Prophet (3156)

14-06-2012, 09:07

Hi!

I must thank the MRC users that crowdsourced the translations of the app into different languages:

Pabliris - Brazilian Portuguese
max_iwamoto - Russian
faxerpelle - Italian
mars2000you - French
Manuel - Dutch
Akiguchi - Finnish

Thank also goes to Nyyrikki, Mortimer and Miguel_Noe for their help!

It feels so good to have different MSX users helping in such a project!

Thank you all!

By benedick

Resident (36)

14-06-2012, 10:00

Cool!
Has anybody tried it?

By pitpan

Prophet (3156)

14-06-2012, 11:15

Yes, it has been downloaded 15 times so far, and there are already some positive comments so far (only in the Spanish App Store).
The games included in this first volume (#1) are the following:
- Arkanoid
- Chack'n Pop
- Choro-Q
- Elevator Action
- Frontline
- Gyrodine
- Legend of Kage
- Space Invaders
- Sweet Acorn
- Xyzolog

Enjoy!

By hap

Paragon (2043)

14-06-2012, 12:25

You made a deal with Taito? That's really cool of them to allow it! =)
Another Q: Does the encoder you used have improvements over your fast tapeloading software? (Waver/Microwaver) and if so, would you release an updated version of that too?

By pitpan

Prophet (3156)

14-06-2012, 15:01

Yes, it uses the same routines but with some improvements:

- Uses 48000 Hz instead of 44100 Hz
- Mono output, 8-bit sample resolution (enough for MSX purposes)
- RAM detection/location improved to support weird memory mapped machines (such as Sony HB-500 or Toshiba HX-20)
- Custom ROM booter to prevent problems with computers such as Sony HB-75 and Sony HB-F9.
- For compatibility sake, it does not use the "top" speed, only the second best, but it should be enough (less than 30 seconds for a 32 KB ROM)

But no, I'm not releasing it 'cause the conversion process is not fully automatic. If you want a certain non-copyrighted ROM (or you are the legally entitled ownerd) converted, just contact me and I'll do my best. And I had some bad experiences in the past...

I'd like to use this distribution system as a way for MSX developers to monetize *a little* their own MSX1 games, but no one has contacted me yet.

Android version is on its way.

By pitpan

Prophet (3156)

15-06-2012, 13:17

I've already sold copies to Spain, Brazil, Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Japan. 16 copies so far, big business! Now it's time to guess when Apple will crush my development license!

By hbarcellos

Hero (649)

16-06-2012, 01:50

Just to let you know, Muffie was banned from App Store for 1 year for using copyrighted material. But, as long as you don't use copyrighted material at the screenshots, I think you'll be fine.
If you receive an e-mail from "AppStoreNotices@apple.com", than, you can start to be worried.

BTW, include a feature where users can drop items at the itunes transfer folder. In that way your application would be able to detect new .CAS files there.

By hbarcellos

Hero (649)

16-06-2012, 01:55

And I think it's going to be very difficult to monetize it in that way.
Porting an emulator with a couple freewares, releasing it for free at the app store, and selling individual copyrighted games for 0.99 each (sharing the 0.70 that apple gives you with the owners of the copyright) would be a much better way to do it.
That model is up and running with spectrum and c64.
For example, I would buy viejo's British Bob for 0.99!

By pitpan

Prophet (3156)

16-06-2012, 10:05

Thanks for your feedback, hbarcellos.

The best option probably would be to sell the games converted to audio using iTunes instead of the App Store, but you need to be a *BIG* publisher to do so.

On the other hand, I don't know if my current Objective C (un)expertise would allow me to do such a project as an MSX emulator, not even porting one of the currently available.

By hbarcellos

Hero (649)

17-06-2012, 01:49

Shouldn't be too hard.
Check this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_upcK1Xq3Uc&feature=player_em...
It's available for iOS devices with Jailbreak.

By sd_snatcher

Prophet (3675)

18-07-2015, 05:07

A generic tape manager for the iPhone would be a great App!

1) It would allow saving from the MSX and convert it to CAS directly
2) A CAS list would show the real file names and user descriptions
3) You could load CAS files into it or save CAS files from it with using iTunes file transfer. Google Drive & SMB support would be nice too

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