Shannon
-
Posts
8,376 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Gallery
Events
Store
Community Map
Posts posted by Shannon
-
-
8 hours ago, Domeshtan said:
Success! Yep, that works great. Thanks! I can kinda play either way with the PlayStation Classic controller now but this feels WAY more natural playing with the GSP stick. Since that worked I'm sure the Asteroids .cfg file you made should work too. Any chance of making a .cfg file the same way for Space Duel and Gravitar? Side note, I was having problems getting the PlayStation Classic controller with Space Duel. Like it didn't want to detect it. Weird. Like I had to unplug it, use my second GSP controller for adding coins or the select button (battery powered), turn it off and then plug the PlayStation Classic controller back in to work. Strange... Only game that's really given me any issues detecting it so bad so far. Looks like this system is shaping up a bit on the Micro SD side anyway. Samples working, artwork and now and finally some proper controls in some games. Thanks again!
Sure.. I'll work up some config files for those games later. Also in theory for some games that require special setup to get going can be done as well by copying the NVRAM file.
-
Joust with Lynx sound effects? Reminds me of the time when I recorded samples of the Atari 800 Donkey Kong Jr and swapped them out for the ones that came with MAME back in the day before discrete sound was emulated. I couldn't stand the included samples.
Plus some were missing.
-
1
-
-
On 11/16/2023 at 6:11 PM, Domeshtan said:
Unfortunately my rom set of Asteroids doesn't work so can't test that one. Asteroids Deluxe worked though. So unless I grabbed the wrong file somewhere....
Anyway, I got to thinking about that .cfg file stuff. I'm thinking of booting up the old version of MAME on my laptop and copying the .cfg on a game each time I run it. Like map out a different direction or button each time, copy the file, and then compare the files in a hex editor to see which byte or bytes change. Should get closer to pinning it down that way I would think.
You don't have a GSP to test it out?
Here you go... try this configuration for Asteroids Deluxe. I only mapped the UP to accelerate. I left the shield button alone.
-
The only old Atari black and white arcade games I really cared for was Sprint 1 and Sprint 2. They are pretty good. They other ones actually ended up being better versions on the 2600.
-
2
-
-
41 minutes ago, Domeshtan said:
Unfortunately my rom set of Asteroids doesn't work so can't test that one. Asteroids Deluxe worked though. So unless I grabbed the wrong file somewhere....
Anyway, I got to thinking about that .cfg file stuff. I'm thinking of booting up the old version of MAME on my laptop and copying the .cfg on a game each time I run it. Like map out a different direction or button each time, copy the file, and then compare the files in a hex editor to see which byte or bytes change. Should get closer to pinning it down that way I would think.
You don't have a GSP to test it out?
Nah. I had my sister return the one she picked up for me. I'll create one for asteroids deluxe and attach it later for you to try.
But knowing they are using retroarch helps. Everything should be thrbsame as far as the file structure goes.
-
2 hours ago, Domeshtan said:
Yeah, I've been experimenting trying to trick this thing into either using the paddles or remapping things like UP for thrust on asteroids style control games instead of the buttons. I was looking up about .cfg files and they use XML I think where you can open it up with notepad and pretty much read what's going on. Well swapping files from a version of MAME on my laptop didn't work. (Like delete the files off the Micro SD card and slip in one's that ran from my laptop) Well, it gets more fun as I opened up a couple of .cfg files that were created on the Micro SD card after running some games. They mostly look like gibberish. Looked at it with a hex editor and I would see a number, a bunch of zeros, another number, a bunch of zeros, etc. mostly. So the older version of MAME it's running is using some form of binary file for the .cfg stuff. I downloaded and tried running games using MAME .078b (should be the 2003 version). Tried reconfiguring controls a bit using an Xbox "style" controller. (Some wired knock off I picked up for $17 on clearance a couple months back). Remakes some things, deleated the .cfg files from the Micro SD and tried to slip in the new ones created on my laptop with the older version of MAME. Games pretty much locked up for the controls. They ran but the controls didn't work. Deleting the .cfg files from the Micro SD card and running the games again seem to restore stuff back to the defaults. So a question... Does anybody know how to read the "binary" versions of those .cfg files for what bytes do what? If so I would think it would be possible to edit the .cfg files the system creates with a hex editor and slip them back in to remap some things.
I just loaded up MAME 2003 in Retroarch and it looks like it is MAME 0.78. So you are close enough. I went in and changed the configuration for thrust to UP.. here is the .cfg file try it and see if it works for you.
Also this is a great site for finding information on MAME games. You can search for a game. You can also select the version of MAME if you want and it will tell you exactly what you need. But also another cool feature is the "info" button down at the bottom. It will give you a history of the revisions so you can see when thing were fixed. Assuming one can interpret the technical explanations.
http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/dettaglio_mame.php?game_name=nitedrvr&arcade_only=0&autosearch=1
Here is a small sample..
0.212: hap changed resolution to 256x240 and VSync to 60.114504 Hz. Draw tiles manually.
0.208: Removed MACHINE_CONFIG macros [Osso].
0.207: Removed MCFG macros [Osso].
0.206: Removed TIMER MCFG macros [Osso].
0.202: Removed WATCHDOG MCFG macros [Osso].
0.200: Added MCFG_SCREEN_RAW_PARAMS [AJR]. Changed VSync to 56.654676 Hz.
0.154: Fixed tilemap and 'hvc' ram size. This fixes random characters appear in the middle of the screen using -autosave [hap]. 0x80 bytes / 32 cols = 4 rows; also added AM_READNOPs so 6502 dummy reads don't clog the log [Alex Jackson].
0.136u4: Fabio Priuli added driver_data struct to Night Driver.
0.135u4: Tafoid changed clock values to XTAL in Night Driver.
0.104u2: Oshah added save state support to Night Driver (still needs save state support in the discrete core to be 100%).
0.88u1: Curt Coder cleanup Night Driver, removed gear/track display hack -
18 minutes ago, Domeshtan said:
Yes, I think this system is starting to look a little better.
Good to know. I suspected it would look for the bezel files. But when I sent test images to my sister I sent the wrong version arcade roms.
-
1
-
-
2 minutes ago, Atari8264 said:
I don't know of anyone that is hacking the Gamestation Pro. Unless you consider copying files to an SD card hacking.
Well I'm expecting the community to hopefully come up with something like they did with some of the other systems. So at some point it may be a more credible "hacking" device.
-
I have the Sega Genesis Mini, Nes and SNES Classic and the Sony Playstation Mini. They all have their pros and cons. They are certainly easier to setup and hack compared to the gamestation pro at this point. My biggest issue with the NES/SNES Classic is your kind of limited to using Nintendo based controllers ( the plug ) unless you can find something to connect to the power port that has more than one USB Plug. The Playstation mini is the USB power limiter. I forget what the issue with the Sega Genesis Mini was. It's been a while since I played with the three.
But they are all pretty decent. I'd like to get the Amiga 500 mini.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, donjn said:
I think we are starting to see a clear picture...Gamestation Pro is kind of a piece of junk. I am glad because I don't want to own both as I am looking forward to the Atari 2600+.
I ended up asking my sister to return the one she picked up for me. I figured it wasn't worth the hassle. I have way many other options to get my classic fix. Many of which are far less hassle.
-
7 hours ago, Domeshtan said:
Ok, I did a few tests so far with my At Games Legends Gamer Pro for comparisons to see how things turned out. I can be a bit more forgiving towards the Gamestation Pro on a few things now. I tried a few different cores on a few games. I mainly use a 2003+ custom core with sound sample support I think it is for games I want to play with a trackball for the spinner stuff, otherwise you are controlling paddle and steering wheel stuff with a joystick which is never good.
Avalanche turned out fine and I got about the same results but had to turn down the sensitivity on movement.
Basketball- Yeah... The up and down movement was crazy sensitive just like the Gamestation Pro. I don't know if that's normal but it's still way easier playing with a trackball as intended. Turning down the y axis sensitivity it plays nice on the LGP.
Night Driver I can't figure how the buttons are mapped on it yet either. Like I can only see the analog settings. I think it has something to do with a possible custom save setup in the core I'm using.
Tournament Table- Yeah, I can only access the Breakout game out of all the options. The old 2003+ core with the custom save stuff the game is pretty unplayable like no paddle movement.... Trackball or joystick. I tried a 2016 core and only could get the Breakout game to work again... Using the joystick. Yeah, quite unplayable that way.
Ultra Tank- Tried a 2003 core that has a custom set up for dual joystick control. The dual joystick support worked fine. (Plays like Battle Zone controls and fire was mapped to the A button which works fine) But again like the Gamestation Pro you could only play the empty field with the shots you can steer. No options for walls, mines, invisible tanks, bounce shots...
I tried a 2010 core and I could change the wall, mine, invisible tank stuff etc but looked like they only had tank controls for the player 2 side you could map. Couldn't get stuff to work. Player 1 only had options to map the fire button.
I tried a 2016 core and I couldn't configure anything and nothing seemed to work for controls.
Drag Race - Seemed to work better as I think more buttons got used to map the gears. I could find one to "blow your engine" again so you could shift down again. Also the steering sensitivity was crazy high again but with my LGP I could tone it down. Gamestation Pro you get what you get. Just harder to steer but both were very sensitive.
So from what I am seeing so far, if the Gamestation Pro is using something like a MAME 2003 type core it looks like some of these games were not figured out all the way possibly or the controls (like Basketball) are just that way and are harder to play with a joystick. I haven't tried out every core I have but the major ones I have are like 2003, 2010 and 2016 and variations.
Good catch. I had forgotten that they did not fix Night Driver by adding gear controls until way later in MAME. So this is essentially a quality control issue. The guys who put this together should have tested it better and possibly considered removing titles that had poor or impossible conttrol.
-
This test ROM was useful for me in getting AY-3-8910 emulation in AdamX working as well as figuring out how to get the upper 1k of RAM working. Before that I only had support for the 32k.
So thanks.
-
1
-
-
I forgot to mention.. but I created an artwork folder to test to see if MAME looks for that. The one game didn't work so she couldn't say. But she did say that the Space Invaders were green. Which should mean that it worked.
-
I wanted to update my information from earlier with a few corrections. I actually talked to my sister on the phone and was able to figure out a few things that didn't seem right on the email.
Corrections..
No Lynx support ( at least not the .lnx extension ). She said it did not show up in the list. I missed that in the initial email.
Atari 800 games. I thought Frogger Disk loaded.. but she said she only saw one Frogger ( the arcade one ).. So no Atari 800 support.
-
2
-
-
ok. I got the test results back from my sister and here is what I was able to glean from her responses.
The MAME version used is MAME 2003. NOT MAME 2003 Plus. I initially thought they had MAME 2010 on there. That was the emulator I tested on before sending the ROMS. However two of the sets she said didn't work ( Galaga and DigDug ) work in MAME 2003 + but not MAME 2003. So I conclude that MAME 2003 is what they went with.
Sadly the one arcade game I sent that had artwork ( bezels ) did not load so I don't know if MAME on the Gamestation Pro looks for it there. It does load the SAMPLES and I suspect it loads the nvram because she said Joust loaded. I need to ask her if my name was showing up on the high score list in a couple of games.
GBA games work ( .GBA ) extension.
Lynx games work ( .LNX ) extension.
NES games work ( .NES ) extension.
Sega 32x games work ( .32X ) extension.
A2600 games work of course ( .A26 ) extension.
A5200 games work ( .A52 ) extension. Both with and without headers. However the BoulderDash A800 conversion I sent with a cart header did not work. Testing on A5200 ( in retroarch ) confirms that A5200 just doesn't like that game in CAR format. A5200 does have an internal database of 5200 games as well as some A800 conversions. I expanded that database considerably when I updated it for retroarch. But chances are they are using the older version before I updated it.
A7800 games work. I sent her Bentley Bear with the header modified so it would have music in the Prosystem emulator. I forgot to ask her to check for music. Doi!
Here is a weird one. I sent her two Atari 800 games. Boulder Dash had a cartridge header ( .car ). It didn't work. Frogger was a disk image ( .atx ) and it did work. So I'm not sure what is going on with that. But if what she said is correct then the Atari800 emulator is on there.
I don't think she bothered trying to start any of the games. She was not a big fan of the controller lag. I suspect the lag is cause by interference from other devices in her house.. but who knows.
-
3
-
1
-
-
8 hours ago, SoulBlazer said:
UPDATE ON THIRD PARTY CONTROLLERS:
A new video review is out on the Gamestation Pro -- the guy does a great job with it and also credits some folks here on Atari Age.
He confirms that the Atari Modern Controller DOES NOT work, which blows my mind why it would not.
He DOES confirm that PS4 and XBox One controllers WILL work just fine on the system.
And you can also get a 8BitDo controller which is what I got, and that will work on other systems also such as the Steam Deck, Switch, phones, computer, and even my MAME cab.
Curiously he doesn't mention SNES games working on the system, which it SHOULD totally support.....
I've not had a chance to try to hack mine yet but will do so.
You also will need a USB C adapter for the third party controllers, just a heads up.
Please note that since the Gamestation Pro does NOT support Bluetooth all Third Party controllers MUST be used in Wired mode. The included joysticks work in wireless, but they must use some other kind of standard. So if you buy a controller, I would get a long cable to use with it as well as the adapter.
Video link:
The 8BitDo controller I bought: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XY86472?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
A third party XBox One Controller: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F4444HM/?coliid=IMBIHJKBXZOM1&colid=2JU4ZF3HHZBSO&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it
My thoughts on the system hasn't changed -- this is a very nice Plug and Play system. If you just want to give it to someone who is not tech savvy, it's great. For those who are looking for a good emulation system, it seems to be the cheapest option, much cheaper then the Atari VCS and the upcoming Atari 2600+What about an 8BitDo controller with one of those USB adapters?
https://www.amazon.com/8Bitdo-Wireless-Compatible-Controller-Bluetooth/dp/B09M8CVMYF/ref=pd_bxgy_sccl_2/137-6497090-1316146?pd_rd_w=CA4SN&content-id=amzn1.sym.43d28dfc-aa4f-4ef6-b591-5ab7095e137f&pf_rd_p=43d28dfc-aa4f-4ef6-b591-5ab7095e137f&pf_rd_r=2F6EKSZPF4JJQT9S3CG6&pd_rd_wg=3DICR&pd_rd_r=56a2051f-5fd8-4ea0-a341-aae2e5b3bed5&pd_rd_i=B09M8CVMYF&psc=1Does that work?
-
8 hours ago, Karl G said:
Wow; that's huge! Or it would be huge if it weren't for the compression.
Talk about a deflating update. 🤣
-
1
-
-
52 minutes ago, just_lou said:
JFI, you can adjust the sensitivity/speed of the paddles when playing paddle games.
Thanks for the info. I'll pass that on to her.
-
1
-
-
Just a quick update. My sister plugged in the SD card I sent her and she told me she couldn't get past the first level of Donkey Kong ( arcade ) do to the bad response time. So I figure if she has issues with the lag it has to be pretty bad. She also said the paddle is way to sensitive for games like breakout. I put about 20 games on there for her to test. So she is going to test for me over the weekend and I'll post the results here.
I'm not sure if it is some weird case of electronic interference at her house giving the controllers issues or what. I know in my house my PS4 controller is constantly having response issues which annoys me like anything. So who knows.
-
I'd have to see the game list. And maybe even play some of the games. But it is likely some of the games require at least NES and Genesis emulation. Someone said it had pico games on it. Which most likely automatically gives us Genesis, SMS and Game Gear and possibly 32x emulation. Since picodrive is the only emulator I know of that supports Sega pico. Also some earlier flashback releases had NES homebrew on them which explains that.
I assume the games present on there are licensed.
Not sure about GBA, GB or GBC but going on the assumption they used something like mGBA you automatically have support for those.
So that would be my guess. As for Atari 800 emulation. That is a big IF cause if 5200 emulation is using Altirra bios then it is likely they are using A5200 which has lousy sound emulation BTW. Unless they happened to update it to the latest which I added a better sound driver and numerous games to the internal DB.
I sent some test images to my sister so I'll know more once she tries them. Assuming I set them up properly.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, OldSchoolRetroGamer said:
Additional information that you may find useful: • Some users have reported that their GSP prefers the "games" folder to be capitalized as "Games". If one doesn't work for you, try the other. • If your SD card is not cooperating, try reformatting it as exFAT. • Firmware V1.20 (seen in this video) will also support Sega Game Gear ROMs.
I was perusing your video a second time ( as a reference as I get this SD card ready ) and I noticed behind you just to the left of the Atari 50 banner a little robot that takes 8 tracks. Boy that brings up some memories! I knew someone who had one of those.
Of course as a kid I didn't realize that it was just a glorified 8-track player.
-
1
-
1
-
-
ok thanks guys. I'm going to be mailing the SD card to my sister so I want to make sure it is as complete and working as much as possible. It's only going to be a small handful of games. Since I don't live real close I can't just run by and fix it for them.
She picked up a unit for me but I won't see it until Christmas. So in some ways I'm flying blind.
-
Does anyone know what format the SD card is supposed to be? I heard mention of NTFS. But that doesn't sound right. I would think that fat32 or exFAT would be the required format.
I was going to throw together a small sample of games for my sister so that she could get a taste of what could be.
-
2 hours ago, Goochman said:
Can someone verify if the Gamestation Pro can run the ARM chip 2600 games from Spiceware and such? Trying to find the best overall package using Atari joysticks (not gamepads) that can cover the 2600 and 7800 library.
As far as "hackable" is there a writeup on the Legends Flashback? Whats involved to get it to work with 2600 and 7800 games? Does it run the enhanced ARM games in hackable form?
I'm pretty sure a reviewer said that DPC games don't work. There should be a thread on here somewhere with "hacking" the Legends Flashback. But I'm guessing once someone hacks the Gamestation Pro we will likely have the same ability.
-
1
-
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Gamestation Pro
in Atari General
Posted
Here you go.. Gravitar and Space Duel. Space Duel was tricky cause getting a game started for testing requires a 2nd controller.
gravitar.cfg spacduel.cfg