MiSTer FPGA Logo
"Authentic Hardware Recreation Through FPGA"
Open Source Project - Since 2017

Technical Specifications

  • Platform Terasic DE10-Nano
  • FPGA Intel Cyclone V SE
  • ARM CPU Dual-core Cortex-A9
  • RAM 1GB DDR3 (+ SDRAM addon)
  • Video HDMI + Analog I/O Board
  • Storage MicroSD + USB

What is FPGA?

Unlike software emulation, MiSTer uses an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) to recreate original hardware at the gate level. This provides cycle-accurate reproduction with the same timing, latency, and behavior as the original machines—the closest you can get to real hardware without owning it.

Cycle-Accurate Low Latency Open Source Modular

Popular Cores (Systems Supported)

Commodore 64
Amiga
Atari ST
Apple II
NES / SNES
Genesis
Neo Geo
PlayStation
🔧 ONE DEVICE, MANY MACHINES 🕹️
MiSTer can become 200+ systems including computers, consoles, and arcade machines. The active community continuously develops and improves cores, with updates providing better accuracy and new features. It's preservation through recreation.

Why FPGA Matters

Software emulators must constantly check timing and translate instructions. FPGA recreates actual circuits, so a Z80 core IS a Z80, running at real speed with real timing. This matters for games with tight timing and demoscene productions.

Community Driven

MiSTer is fully open source with an active developer community. New cores appear regularly, existing cores receive improvements, and the modular design means you can expand capabilities with add-on boards for analog video, memory, and I/O.

My Configuration

• DE10-Nano with USB Hub board
• 128MB SDRAM module
• I/O Base board 9.2
• USB Hub for controllers

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