Keatah Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 6 hours ago, KaeruYojimbo said: The Retron isn't what you were hoping for, that doesn't mean it's garbage. The one advantage is that it features a highly accurate emulator. The next step up in this category of things is a PC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hizzy Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 The only drawback for me is the price. In Canada, it's 130.00 including taxes. It's a bit expensive for what it is. For 50.00, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 16 minutes ago, hizzy said: The only drawback for me is the price. In Canada, it's 130.00 including taxes. It's a bit expensive for what it is. For 50.00, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. It usually costs ~80 Euro Germany (~120 CAD), but sometimes there are deals for 50 Euro (~80 CAD). Maybe you can find something similar in Canada too. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 (edited) I've been pondering getting either an Atari Flashback 9 or a Retron 77 for a week or so now, as an inexpensive way to try playing Atari 2600 games on my modern TV with crisp video quality without having to spend big $$$ getting my Light Sixer RGB modded and running it through a RetroTINK 2x SCART with a Retro Gaming Cables 8-pin mini DIN to SCART cable; but I'm having trouble making up my mind about whether to go with the Flashback 9 or Retron 77 with community firmware and I was hoping you guys and gals could provide some input about which would provide better game and controller compatibility and ease of use. Mainly I just want to be able to play Pitfall II: Lost Caverns and have CX-80 Trak-Ball support for the trackball hacks of Centipede, Millipede, and Missile Command. I know both of the devices I'm looking at can support paddle controllers with some tinkering (soldering 4 resistors onto the PCB in the case of the Flashback 9 and what sounds like a really convoluted mess of adapter cables in the case of the Retron 77) but I haven't been able to find any information in my searching about whether either of them will support the CX-80 Trak-Ball in trackball mode. Any thoughts on which device might better suit my needs? Edited October 21, 2021 by Skippy B. Coyote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 R77 will only support trackballs with a 2600-dapter via USB OTG cable. The console ports do not support them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 52 minutes ago, Thomas Jentzsch said: R77 will only support trackballs with a 2600-dapter via USB OTG cable. The console ports do not support them. Makes sense! After searching around a bit I think I found the adapter you were talking about to get paddle and trak-ball controllers working on the Retron 77: http://www.2600-daptor.com/2600-daptor.htm The only thing I'm still stumped by is where can you buy a USB A male to OTG male adapter to connect the 2600-dapter II to the Retron 77? I'm having a heck of a time finding a cable with those specific connectors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 There are plenty. It has to be a split cable, the plug goes into the power socket (Micro USB) of the R77. One of the two sockets should be Micro USB too, so you can use the R77 power supply. Or whatever fits to the power supply you want to use. The other socket is either for a USB controller or a 2600-dapter. USB-A seems most common here. Such cables are going very cheap, sometimes for less than $3. You can search e.g. eBay for: otg usb power This should give you plenty of results. Most will look like this: 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt Moore Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 I used this one from Amazon, I have two of the 2600 adapters, and a usb keypad set so I can select/reset/difficulty switches etc. without having to push buttons on the retron itself. Micro USB HUB Adaptor with Power,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LTHBCNM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 Smart, and 100% couch compatible with a long cable. Or a Bluetooth keyboard. Alternatively you can always map the console switches to a USB controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 (edited) Atari Flashback 9 and X have a community build as well Atari Flashback Nexus (Community Project) - AtGames Flashback and Portable Consoles - AtariAge Forums No Trackball support. Flashbacks can play Atari 8bit and 7800 games. Custom bezels. Paddles work on the X with no modding. We did get a newer version of stella running, so you can play galagon and stuff, but it runs slow. I own both of the AFBs and the R77. R77 plays A2600 a lot better than the AFBs. FBs are basically retroarch boxes now. It was nice when you could get AFBs on clearance for 20 or 30 bucks. It is hard to find them on a deal anymore. R77 stayed the same price as far as I can see. If you want to play A2600 only and use a trackball, Retron77 is the clear winner, IMHO. I didn't care for the ranger paddle pads. I have 2 and the adapter but they are a little wonky to play with for me. Edited November 1, 2021 by Draxxon 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insertclevernamehere Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Bought mine back in May. Haven't played it much but did the community build stella thing recently and everything was good for about 3 or 4 times. Went to play it tonight, the blue light comes on but no signal on the tv. Tried another hdmi cable and another input on the tv. Nothing. What a heap of junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Hope Retron77 doesn’t give Stella a bad rap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt Moore Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 22 minutes ago, Keatah said: Hope Retron77 doesn’t give Stella a bad rap. I like the retron 77 for what it is. Flash a micro sd card, load a few rooms, and go play with the latest Stella image, all in one box. If you want joystick only games, you can just use the included console joystick ports. For paddle/keyboard controllers, get a 2600-adapter and otg cables/hub. I believe they modified some control settings on the retron 77 software to allow access with just the buttons on the console and joystick controllers, so there is no need for any keyboard and mouse to control the Stella menus. The big downside is sourcing the otg cable/hub (if desired), and the slowdown in the modern home brew that use some kind of arm chip (if using the 2600-adapter), I don’t remember all the specifics as to what circumstances cause the slowdown. I haven’t really run across that, but it is a sign that the emulator is being held back a bit by the retron hardware. I do think my ideal setup would be some kind of self-booting Stella image on a raspberry pi, paired with some usb to Atari 2600 controller adapters, and a usb wireless numberpad / button box to act as the console select/reset/difficulty switches. There is currently a Raspberry pi version of Stella, but you have to load the os, have a mouse and keyboard hooked up, then click to run the app like on a pc. You also need a keyboard to change the console switches and navigate inside the options for Stella. The current raspberry pi version is like running Stella from a computer, not couch friendly. The retron is much easier to use as a “console”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Capt Moore said: I like the retron 77 for what it is. Flash a micro sd card, load a few rooms, and go play with the latest Stella image, all in one box. If you want joystick only games, you can just use the included console joystick ports. For paddle/keyboard controllers, get a 2600-adapter and otg cables/hub. I believe they modified some control settings on the retron 77 software to allow access with just the buttons on the console and joystick controllers, so there is no need for any keyboard and mouse to control the Stella menus. The big downside is sourcing the otg cable/hub (if desired), and the slowdown in the modern home brew that use some kind of arm chip (if using the 2600-adapter), I don’t remember all the specifics as to what circumstances cause the slowdown. I haven’t really run across that, but it is a sign that the emulator is being held back a bit by the retron hardware. I do think my ideal setup would be some kind of self-booting Stella image on a raspberry pi, paired with some usb to Atari 2600 controller adapters, and a usb wireless numberpad / button box to act as the console select/reset/difficulty switches. There is currently a Raspberry pi version of Stella, but you have to load the os, have a mouse and keyboard hooked up, then click to run the app like on a pc. You also need a keyboard to change the console switches and navigate inside the options for Stella. The current raspberry pi version is like running Stella from a computer, not couch friendly. The retron is much easier to use as a “console”. I got one of these for my MicroCenter Atari Pi. It makes it a little more couch friendly. Edited December 8, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarifan88 Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 I must be in the minority but I do not run my paddles using an adapter. Mine work while plugged into the joystick port. I did have to go into the advanced settings to set my paddle sensitivity, but after a few tweaks it works great. I forget which version of Stella I'm using, but I know it isn't the most recent version. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Hester Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 1 hour ago, atarifan88 said: I must be in the minority but I do not run my paddles using an adapter. Mine work while plugged into the joystick port. I did have to go into the advanced settings to set my paddle sensitivity, but after a few tweaks it works great. I forget which version of Stella I'm using, but I know it isn't the most recent version. The problem is jitter - it's ever-present and can't be fixed, as the firmware driving those ports is closed-source (and broken). Once you experience paddles with a Stelladaptor, you'll wonder how you ever played without it (minus the deadzone issue! ugh...) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyHairy Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) I updated my flashdrive with the Stella 6.6.0 version. I don't have the Stelladapter, so I don't use real paddles. I use the RetroN paddle/pads. I tested BreakOut and Kaboom! and there is a giant deadzone on the righthand side of the screen. I'm guessing the OTG and Stelladapter with real paddles is what most people here use. I realize that setup is superior. I use the paddle pads, even though they suck, because they are different and something fun, to me anyway, to mess with. Plus I bought them so I want to use them. I have other ways to use real paddles, but only one way to use these paddle pads and their own paddle/pad adapter. Correct me if I'm wrong, but, it wasn't this way before, or was it? At any rate, I appreciate all the effort and realize choices have to be made in projects and the superior setup should win. So, are there maybe some settings in stella I could use to get the paddle pads semi-playable? Realizing they are going to be lagged and not perfect. As a collector I would like to have this console with all the 1st party controllers. I hate to have to completely ditch the paddle/pads (again, even knowing that they suck). Would a simpler solution be to just keep a separate sd card running stock and "enjoy" the paddle/pads that way? Edited December 17, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Draxxon said: Correct me if I'm wrong, but, it wasn't this way before, or was it? What wasn't this way before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) deadzone when using retron paddle/pads (on last version of community build) I checked, it wasn't. Edited December 17, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) Actually we removed any dead zone. Have you checked your settings? Unfortunately I do not have a RetroN 77 pad for testing (the Ranger costs $50-60 over here ). Edited December 17, 2021 by Thomas Jentzsch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) There is definitely a deadzone now when using the paddle/pads. It is in the right side of the screen. About 2/3 of the way over, it is about 25% of the play area. I only tried one pad in the 1st port. I do have two pads and one of the goofy adapters. if i should connect them all that way, just advise me, please. I haven't tried any of the stella settings. I am new to them so I'm not sure what I am doing, yet. I tried the last version of the community build again, paddle/pads worked as well as they are going to. (About 1000 points max in Kaboom! if youre lucky). Now its unplayable with paddle/pads. Same with breakout. Any idea what settings i need to try and do I need a keyboard to to set them? I saw some Ctrl+Shift type of stuff. I have an OTG adapter if that is the case. thanks for the help, I realize this isn't a priority, but it would be nice for me personally to get this sorted. Edited December 17, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 WIN_20211217_12_14_44_Pro.mp4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Paddles seem to become a never ending story of R77. You can open the settings from the launcher (press Color/B&W). Switch to advanced settings and open the settings again. Navigation to Input/Event Mappings and select Default. Close the dialog. If that doesn't help, also check Devices&Ports tab in the Input dialog. Is there an Analog dead zone defined? And finally you should try different paddle games. If only some of them make problems, go to Game Properties/Controllers and check Paddles center. Maybe changing values here can change something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Thanks for the video. Actually that's the opposite of a dead zone you are facing here. The games work perfect with normal paddles. Somehow the Ranger does something odd. @Stephena: Do you happen to have a Hyperkin Ranger for testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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