So several hundred dollars (if we're not into four figures already) for FPGA hardware makes more sense than a few hundred dollars for simpler hardware (that already has drivers for it)?
Actually FPGA-based HW would be much much simpler than the CS/B-PPC.
2 CPUs from different familes hodgepoched together on a single RAM-bus trying to interface with a computer designed in 1991/2 .....
And that was then, today you would run into even more problems, parts that have gone out of production more than a decade ago, that don't conform to current regulations (ROHS) all to get some HW that never won a prize for relieablity in the 1st place.
Guess again which one would cost more.....
