FPGA?

An FPGA is basically a flashable processor. It's a collection of logic gates that can be programmed to then operate identically to one dedicated processor or another.

>>4114683
Is the reason it's becoming such a hot thing lately? besides the clone market potential?

>>4114689
Holy shit, forgive the fucking typos. Told you I was close to retarded.

FPGA = Field Programmable Gate Array.

It allows people to implement a custom chip without actually fabricating it. All the transistor logic is pieced together in a hardware description language like Verilog or VHDL. You compile it then load the binary which flashes the FPGA at power on, so from then on it acts like how you want.

One advantage of a FPGA over a microcontroller is that it can react almost immediately in a given situation, while a microcontroller is a CPU that will typically have some processing overhead.

FPGAs are usually measured and priced according to their size, basically the number of transistors they have.

They're used in all sorts of scenarios for all kinds of applications.

>>4114671
Are you literally incapable of googling..? I mean it's one thing to be retarded, but this is just obvious tier "I didn't try."

>>4114689
They used to be obscenely expensive and not very powerful. They've gotten a lot more affordable in the last few years, which is why they're gaining popularity for hobbyist projects.

Cheap FPGAs are a huge deal for game preservation. Current FPGA consoles are still pricey, but as they come down in price I expect them to start replacing software emulators for serious retro game enthusiasts/autists.