We all love to use our old joysticks like the Competition PRO with our retro hardware, but to be honest, sometimes we wish to use a more modern input device like an XboX controller, don’t we? Impossible? No! Duke, also author of the great M4 WiFi interface for the Amstrad CPC, has designed a device, called Imperium Solo, that allows you to connect your modern game controller to the Amstrad CPC and play your games with it. It already supports a variety of USB input devices (like the already mentioned XboX controller or a USB NES gamepad), but the firmware is constantly improved by Duke to support even more input devices.
You can get more information and the latest firmware on Dukes Imperium Solo web page and discuss and order it in the CPC Wiki forums.
Madram, Drill and Hicks have released a new version of ORGAMS – an assembler for Z80 assembly language, which runs on the Amstrad CPC. It is a ROM based assembler, so you should use it with a ROM expansion like the X-MEM board by TotO or the Amstrad WiFi. It also features a very detailed english and a french user guide. You can download the latest version from the CPCWiki forums.
New features
- Trace: Source visualization while debugging (imperfect, Orgams can be lost with conditional or repeated blocs)
- Trace: Memory visualization while debugging
- Trace: CONTROL UP/DOWN for faster navigation
- Monitor: Binary display with ‘?’ command
- Monitor: Display restored zone when returning to BASIC
- Assembler: Can assemble up to #BF80, and in #C000-#FFFF page
- Editor: Free cursor
- Editor: TAB to repeat previous search (text or label)
- Editor: ESC to stop current search (only works with CONTROL F)
- Editor: CONTROL-ESPACE put/remove BRK
- Editor: CONTROL-C to display CATalogue
- Editor: Can join lines (DEL at first column). Corollary : ‘DEL’ after ‘RETURN’ cancels an unexpected split
- Editor: Use ‘&’ for hexa, like in BASIC and MAXAM.
- Editor: Allow (IX) as shortcut for (IX+0)
- General: Use RAM from very last bank (&FF) to alleviate conflict with 256k RAM-DISC.
- General: Extension and Monogams ROMs can be burned everywhere (i.e. ROM 1 to 127)
- General: Allow |o,”source” (no need to write “.o”)
Bugfixes
- Bloc repetition was corrupted when corresponding source was overlapping 2 banks
- Division with MSB set in divisor (e.g. &240/&C0) was corrupted
- Sign was lost with sub-expression (e.g. -1/[1/1] or -1 mod [4 mod 5])
- Negative values for FILL, ORG and repetitions raise error.
- Bad expression for repetitions (e.g. undefined label) raise error.
- Proper binary save from 9800-HIMEM zone
- Returning to basic won’t reset 9800-HIMEM zone anymore
- ‘ORG &100’ now correctly parsed (not as ‘OR G AND 100’)
- Assembling in RSX workzone (e.g. A6FC+) won’t corrupt firmware (Orgams-wise) anymore
- Reset CRTC in RESTORE
- Mute AY in BRK/RESTORE
- At first invocation of BRK/Monogams, select RAM by default (lower & upper)
- Robuster memory detection
- Fix stack going down at each assemble / editor access.
- Numeric pad is active when invoking |m
- Block markers properly corrected when importing file
- LD B,(IX) doesn’t crash anymore
- LD H,IXH doesn’t crash anymore
- Miscellaneous search bugs (CONTROL F) corrected.
During the last years we saw a lot of hardware expansions for the Amstrad CPC. Most of them were the usual expansions like more RAM, ROM or storage. But finally, thanks to Duke, the Amstrad CPC gets an Wifi expansion, which you can use to connect to the internet. It is possible to send HTTP requests and it also starts a web server (on the on board Wifi microcontroller), where you can change some of the settings.
Besides the Wifi connectivity it also features a ROM board and a SD card slot for storage. The SD card will also be supported directly by replacing ROM 7 (AMSDOS), so you can use software, which don’t use direct FDC access directly from the SD card.
Here is the video of the current version of the Wifi expansion:
If you are interested in ordering a board or just want more information about the expansion board, head over to Duke’s homepage.