FPGA developer Jotego has just released his long-awaited Sega System 18 core for Analogue Pocket and MiSTer.
The core – which is still in beta and only available to Jotego's Patreon supporters at the moment – already has its first compatible games, with the 1989 arcade classic Shadow Dancer, which forms part of the Shinobi series, leading the charge.
"The beta seems quite solid after a lot of testing, and the game feels great to play," says Jotego. "This is a game that pays back your investment. It does not play tricks on you or abuse of random patterns. Hence, it is a game you can master rather quickly. As you know, Shinobi and Rolling Thunder are related arcade games."
There's another game included as part of this initial release, a 1989 puzzle title by the name of Bloxeed.
That's not all, however; Jotego has also updated his JTSHOUSE core with more games, including Quester, Bravo Man and the Japanese version of Tank Force. "There are three more games we want to support in this core," he adds. "We are now close to completing it, with maybe just one more beta ahead."
Jotego also says that he and his team are working on the colour version of Neo Geo Pocket and on better CRT support.