USB 2.0 & Mini-B USB Connector

For quite some time now I've been dabbling with USB support for my products, hoping to eventually make it possible for players to easily update, adjust, and save settings to their computer.

Well, I'm getting close! The below picture shows a new OEM project prototype that I've been working on, which has full USB 2.0 support and a mini-b USB connector. It is designed around a Yakuza OLED series board (screen module not shown):


In the current implementation it allows upgrades on both Mac OSX and Windows XP/Vista, and I am working on a full user interface that will allow you to change things like the boot screen, add your name to the board, save or load favorite settings and presets, and download diagnostics about your cycle timing, rate of fire, shots, and more. You won't need to mail in boards for updates ever again!

Expect to see this coming on new Yakuza OLED series products later this year.

Update August 6, 2008: I've had so many inquiries that I will provide a bit more information. The USB functionality cannot be added onto any existing Yakuza OLED series board as an "upgade." It requires a total redesign of the hardware and board layout, a different microcontroller, and very different software.

The main point of the USB interface is to allow users to update their software from home. Software updates will be available for download from this site for free.

People have expressed concern about how long they should wait for this. Well, it'll be awhile. It's in the prototype phase and might be standard on an upcoming marker to be released at World Cup. Eventually I hope to redesign every Yakuza series board to have USB, but it's more likely to happen in 2009, rather than 2008.