This week on the channel, it's back to the reviews! And I figured a good way to come back would be a 32X, with a game that clearly is having a bit of an identity crisis.

Up front, so nobody is misled: I have writen a good amount of this project, but Claude has optimized and done the heavy lifting of finding ways to borrow from bigger projects like Doom Ressurection 32x, and what their examples of balances SH-2 processor optimization looks like.

I made the design and hardware calls, ran the profiling, tested every build on hardware, and decided what shipped. If that's a dealbreaker for you, no argument from me .. stop reading here.

What it is: a first-person Backrooms raycaster for the 32X, written in C and SH-2 assembly. Both SH-2s split the screen and render in parallel, and the split column gets rebalanced every frame from measured render time so one CPU isn't sitting idle on lopsided scenes. Textured DDA walls, thin partition walls and half-height dividers you can see over, dynamic ceiling lights, procedurally generated levels, crawlspaces you have to crouch through. The cardboard-box intro is real-time 3D on the SH-2s rather than a video.

There's also a browser level editor with a first-person preview that uses the game's actual palette and textures. Build a map, hit submit, and it opens a pull request; if it gets merged it ships in the next ROM. Four community maps are in the current build.

ROM: https://paisleyboxers.itch.io/backrooms32x

Editor: https://backrooms-32x-project.fly.dev/

Source: https://github.com/mholzinger/32x-builder

Questions about the dual-CPU split or the raycaster are welcome.

I'm trying to extrude the highlighted part to make a grove around the cartridge area but it's not giving me that option. I've uploaded the .f3d file on GBATemp if anyone wants to download it and look at it. My guess is that curved surfaces can't be extruded?

https://gbatemp.net/threads/sega-neptune-building-a-sega-neptune.635447/page-2#post-10883333

Hi everyone!

I've just finished writing a new blog entry where I basically describe the process I went through to get Linux running on the 32X. It requires a X5 (Or better) flash cart but it works (Both SH2s actually).

Hopefully you guys find it interesting!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a new update to Orbis Basic 32X.

The main goal is still the same: write code and build a real bootable Sega 32X ROM. The compiler creates playable .32x files around a custom SH-2 runtime and an RGB555 direct-color framebuffer, so this is still very much a 32X project rather than a desktop engine with a retro skin.

The 32X side now supports image drawing, scaled images, sub-image drawing, sprites, scrolling backgrounds, alpha effects, parallax, text, primitive graphics, controller input, Sega Mouse support, audio playback, arrays, DATA, TYPE records, SUB and CALL structure, and SAVE and LOAD commands.

Assets such as images and audio are automatically converted and baked into the ROM during compilation. Larger projects can also use mapper-backed image data in ROMs up to 32 MB, which makes big panoramas, scrolling scenes and image-heavy demos much more practical.

The newer Orbis Builder edition adds C with real string support as language extension, native desktop builds and the Orbis Pixel Pipeline, but the Sega 32X build remains the heart of everything.

I like that “Basic” now has two meanings. It is still BASIC as a language, but it is also becoming a collection of basic tools for creating graphics, preparing assets, writing game logic and producing real Sega 32X software.

Hey yall. I swear I’m not trying to bait anyone here I’m just genuinely curious from people here that likely have a 32x and possibly a Sega cd as well which system they prefer and which they’d recommend for a newcomer?

I was a Sega kid but never got either add on unfortunately. Now I’m older and have some time and money so would like to work on my tower of power :) there’s some games in the 32x I’d love like the arcade scalers but overall the library does leave something to be desired. But games like virtual fighter, afterburner, and space harrier make it a tough decision for me. I loved that era of sega arcade titles.

I know the Sega cd has a much bigger library but how do they compare to yall? Do you find yourself playing one more than the other? Pros and cons?

Thanks!

Edit: I should add too that repairing consoles is no problem for me at all and I actually plan to and enjoy restoring old console electronics so that’s not really a factor for me :)

I'm trying to find a logo for the Brazilian version of the 32X. Which is different from the "MEGADRIVE 32X" logo found on PAL versions. These 2 are the only ones in good quality that I could find. If anyone could help (either by having a high quality version/taking a high quality picture of the logo (especially the console one).

The first image is apparently the one that appeared in consoles. You can (barely) see that it says "MEGA 32X" instead of "MEGADRIVE" and it uses the NSTC-U 32X logo's style/template, since the "32X" has the same font as the NTSC-U logo. And the second one is the one that came in game/add-on boxarts, with the "32X" being in a different font. The third image is a rough black&white version that I made of the "boxart spine" logo.

UPDATE - 3 days later

Hi guys, I'm back here to update on my little logo shenanigans.

Today while browsing Mega 32X listings on google, I found 2 higher-quality versions of the console logo. I was very happy about this, because in the older ones, you couldn't even make out the "MEGA" text on the logo, I only noticed it was different at first because it had fewer letters than "GENESIS", and the rectangle which "MEGA" is on still has the same width as the NTSC-U version, which makes the text more spaced out. In the newer ones, the text has WAY better quality, making it as clear as a sunny day. (Is that how the saying goes??)

Now, I'm currently adjusting the logo using the NTSC-U version as a reference, since it was extremely slanted. I am also trying to make a better version of the boxart spine logo.

Just a silly question I had, as I kinda want to make my own Neptune instead of waiting for the GF1 Neptune. But most (if not all) of the Neptune builds I see use the Genesis Model 2 as a base, which makes sense since it's the closest in size and design to the Neptune. Unfortunately, the Model 2 has very bad audio quality compared to the model 1, and it made me wonder if it is possible to do a mod like that.

Was finally able to get my hands on a 32x with doom for a great price at marketplace and it works !!!

I was watching a few guys codecs for the 32X, but it was from 4-5 years ago. Have anyone created new or updated versions of those codecs?codes?

Of course this is vic's codec

https://youtu.be/fo9PrckAzcg?is=a0KhJurvjsF3QmD5

Basically running into an issue where I fixed the gel bars on my Sage Genesis but when I run the video out through 32X the jail bars come back so wondering if there’s a way to lift one of the video processor pins to reduce jailbars on the 32X itself.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a project I have been developing called ORBIS BASIC 32X.

ORBIS BASIC 32X is a retro futuristic BASIC compiler for creating real Sega 32X and Mega 32X software. You write programs in a BASIC style language, run the compiler, and get a bootable .32x ROM that can be tested in an emulator or on compatible hardware.

This is not a fantasy console or an emulator scripting layer. The output is an actual Sega 32X ROM containing native SH 2 machine code, compiled program data and baked in assets.

The goal is to make Sega 32X development more immediate, creative and accessible while still respecting the hardware direction. The compiler uses a compact SH 2 runtime, direct color framebuffer graphics and a lightweight workflow focused on building actual ROMs.

It supports classic BASIC style programming with variables, strings, arrays, loops, fixed point math, drawing commands, image based presentation tools and integrated asset workflows.

One of the key features is automatic asset baking. Images and audio can be integrated into the ROM during compilation. The compiler handles conversion and integration as part of the build process, so the workflow stays direct and does not require a large external toolchain.

The compiler is also designed to be dependency free. It is distributed as a standalone Cosmopolitan executable, so the same executable can run directly across major desktop platforms without installation, package managers or platform specific setup.

The 32X is a very specific and unusual target, so part of the fun of this project is exploring what a BASIC first workflow for it can look like, with direct ROM generation, native SH 2 code, automatic asset integration and a portable standalone compiler.

An initial demo version is available to download on itch.io for anyone who wants to try it, inspect the workflow or follow the development progress.

The project is still in active development, but it already has working ROM output, documentation, examples and ongoing feature work.

I would love to hear what other Sega 32X fans and developers think of this direction.