The Ant64
It's not a PC — it's a proper computer.
A modern computer inspired by the golden age of hardware creativity.
Ant64 is a brand-new computer designed from the ground up for games, music, demos, and creative computing — inspired by classic systems like the Amiga, Atari, arcade boards, and early workstations, but built with modern silicon.
It combines a powerful RISC-V CPU, a large FPGA-based custom chipset, and multiple dedicated microcontrollers — each doing what it does best.
This is not an emulator box. This is a real machine with real hardware personality.
Core Philosophy
- Hardware-accelerated graphics and audio — in silicon, not software
- Deterministic, low-latency behaviour — no surprises, no variance
- Immediate, tactile interaction — the machine responds, not the OS
- No GPU drivers, no shader compilers, no OS overhead
- Built to last, repair, and recover
If the Amiga, Atari, and arcade engineers were designing a system today — this is what they'd build.
Architecture at a Glance
SG2000 — Main CPU
- High-performance RISC-V processor
- Runs the OS, games, tools, and processor emulation
- Cached DDR3 system memory — 512MB
- Treats the custom chipset as a memory-mapped device
- Fast internal SD storage (like a built-in hard drive)
FireStorm — The Heart and Soul of Ant64
FireStorm is a large FPGA acting as a modern custom chipset — handling graphics, audio, DMA, and timing-critical operations entirely in hardware.
Graphics
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hardware layers | Up to 16 |
| Layer types | Tilemaps · sprites · vectors · text · command lists |
| Transforms | Scaling · rotation · perspective |
| Pixel formats | 3-bit · 6-bit · 9-bit palette · 12-bit · 18-bit |
| Raster effects | Copper-style display lists |
| Depth | Z-buffered layering (optional per layer) |
| Blitter | Hardware blitter for fast memory moves and clears |
Audio
- Hardware-mixed multi-voice audio
- Sample playback from DDR3 or flash
- Live synthesis and DSP-style effects
- Pitch-shifting without time-stretch
- Designed for tracker, synth, and game audio workflows
FireStorm is fast, predictable, and always under your control.
Pulse Sequencer — Music & Input Controller
- MIDI — IN / OUT / THRU + USB
- Mouse support
- Six analogue control dials
- Dedicated round TFT display
- Aggregates human input with ultra-low latency
Perfect for music, games, and creative tools.
Sticky — Safe 5V I/O
Handles classic controllers safely — Atari/C64, Sega pads, paddles and analogue controls — while electrically isolating the FPGA and main CPU.
Your vintage controllers are safe — and so is the system.
DeMon — The Supervisor Brain
DeMon is the silent guardian of Ant64:
- Owns the keyboard and touchscreen
- Network-enabled via ESP32-C5
- JTAG access to both FPGA and CPU
- NFC reader for instant system switching
- Cartridge port for recovery, expansion, and personalities
Can reprogram everything — FireStorm, SG2000, Pulse, and Sticky.
If anything goes wrong — Ant64 can heal itself.
Personality Cartridges
Plug in a cartridge to:
- Load a new FPGA "chipset"
- Install a different OS
- Simulate a classic computer or console
- Provide game or ROM libraries
- Reconfigure the system at boot
One machine. Many personalities.
Display and Output
- HDMI — up to 1080p, HDR-capable
- VGA — with classic timing support
- Line-doubled / tripled rendering for pixel-perfect scaling
- Raster effects, split screens, and layer reveals
- Per-layer Z-buffer ignore for classic ordering tricks
From CRT-style visuals to modern flat panels — Ant64 does both.
Built for Creators
Ideal for: games · demos · music · retro development · hardware-accelerated tools
- Immediate response
- No driver hell
- No GPU black boxes
- Everything is inspectable and controllable
You don't fight the machine. You collaborate with it.
Why Ant64 Is Different
| Ant64 | Modern PCs |
|---|---|
| Modern 64-bit RISC-V | x86/x64 |
| Custom FPGA-based chipset | Fixed-function GPU and drivers |
| Deterministic, predictable timing | Variable latency and scheduling |
| Memory-mapped hardware devices | Abstracted driver stacks |
| Hardware layers, blitter, and audio mixing | Software pipelines and shaders |
| Designed for instant input response | Input lag hidden behind OS layers |
| Recoverable and reprogrammable system | Reinstall when things break |
| Built to be explored and understood | Built to be opaque and managed |
Ant64 gives creators direct access to hardware again. No driver hell. No black boxes. Not an appliance.