MiSTer is getting CPS3 support and an updated Yie Ar Kung Fu

FPGA developer Jotego completed the architectural design for a Capcom Play System 3 core and released a new update for Yie Ar Kung Fu KAI in November 2023. The CPS3 core is currently still under active development, with a beta release estimated for late April/early May 2026. The core will run on the MiSTer FPGA and the SiDi 128, though it will not be compatible with the Analogue Pocket due to memory limitations.

I have a massive soft spot for that second piece of news. As a kid, I discovered the original Yie Ar Kung Fu at a pub my parents used to take me to. I couldn't believe how fluid it played. I played it so much that I got all the way to the boss, but I couldn't pull it off in one quarter. To this day, I believe that Street Fighter is standing on the shoulders of Yie Ar Kung Fu.

Six games and a suicide battery

Capcom released the CPS3 board in 1996. It was the company's final proprietary 2D arcade hardware. The system was a commercial disappointment at the time, largely because 3D games like Tekken and Virtua Fighter were dominating arcade floors. Capcom only ever produced six games for the hardware.

Despite the small library, the board is revered by fighting game fans. It powered Red Earth, the Street Fighter III trilogy, and two JoJo's Bizarre Adventure titles. The hardware pushed 2D animation to its absolute limit. Street Fighter III: Third Strike is still played in major tournaments today.

The original arcade boards are notoriously fragile. Capcom implemented a strict security system using a custom decryption key stored in battery-backed RAM. If the battery died or someone tampered with the cartridge, the board would permanently brick itself. This suicide battery makes preserving the original hardware incredibly difficult. Having a cycle-accurate FPGA core ensures these games will remain playable long after the original boards fail.

Too much RAM for the Pocket

The CPS3 system used a custom cartridge and CD-ROM setup with a massive amount of RAM for the era. That memory requirement is exactly why Analogue Pocket owners are out of luck. The handheld simply does not have enough SDRAM to handle the massive sprite data required by these games.

MiSTer owners will get the core in stages. The initial release will focus on Street Fighter III: New Generation and Red Earth. By starting with these titles, the development team can optimize the framework before tackling the more demanding later releases. The picture processing unit is currently being written. Once the core is stable, the team plans to expand memory support to 128MB to accommodate the rest of the library.

The 1985 fighting game blueprint

Everyone is waiting for Street Fighter III, but the Yie Ar Kung Fu KAI update is available right now. Konami released the original arcade game in 1985. It established the template for the modern fighting game genre. Before Street Fighter II codified quarter-circle motions and six-button layouts, fighting games were wild experiments.

Yie Ar Kung Fu gave the player an unarmed martial artist named Oolong facing off against weapon-wielding masters. The controls used an eight-way joystick and two attack buttons. Combining the joystick directions with the buttons resulted in 16 different moves. It was incredibly deep for 1985. It introduced distinct opponents with unique fighting styles, a dedicated health bar, and directional attacks.

The KAI version brings modern tweaks to the arcade original. Playing it on an FPGA setup like the MiSTer means you get cycle-accurate timing with zero emulation lag. That makes a massive difference in a game that requires split-second reactions to dodge throwing stars and chain-whip attacks.