Bill Loguidice Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 There is also apparently a legal issue surrounding it. Retrobit paid for the game licenses but not the emulators. Personally I don't give a shit. The pirates got pirated. Big deal. Guess they know how it feels now. Creating an emulator is not piracy. Now, if you said that someone who cracked a ROM is upset that their cracked ROM is being used in a commercial product, that I usually have less sympathy for. Anyway, I like the idea of owning this (particularly after considering a much bulkier Pandora-based arcade stick setup), but am not necessarily sold on the controls. Anyone have any luck with other controllers, or are the stock ones it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Someone had an arcade stick working with it... something to do with moving the button connectors to different connectors on the control board. It looked easy but I don't have access to buying one of these sticks locally... I don't want to order something online and get the wrong one... that would be just my luck. lol I also don't want to spend on a dual stick setup... a single arcade stick works for me... if we play 2 player... the second player can use the perfectly fine game pad. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Someone had an arcade stick working with it... something to do with moving the button connectors to different connectors on the control board. It looked easy but I don't have access to buying one of these sticks locally... I don't want to order something online and get the wrong one... that would be just my luck. lol I also don't want to spend on a dual stick setup... a single arcade stick works for me... if we play 2 player... the second player can use the perfectly fine game pad. lol So it sounds like it's not really an option without a hack. What do you think of the stock gamepad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 The stock pad works great for most of the games I've played. I even played arcade Tron and it was pretty good... took some time using the shoulder buttons to act as the rotation but it works. It's the only controller I currently have and it's been fun to use... my son spent some time playing Exciting Hour wrestling and it seemed like it was similar to the PS4 version we downloaded other than the d-pad vs the thumbstick. I was able to get a legal rom of Robby Roto (it's been released by the creator along with some others) and play it for the first time in over 30 years! lol I tried out some NES, SNES, GB and Genesis games... just to see how those worked: NES - seemed to work just fine SNES - just fine GB - old black and white Pokémon Blue worked which made my son happy. lol (I didn't try a GBC game but there is a change you need to do to get it to work) Genesis - I found a couple roms and they we .md... these didn't work... I think they need to be a different format in order to work. The fact I was able to get things working on the system in short order is what makes this a fun little system for me. And to get back on topic, there is a youtube video where someone tests various other usb controllers and has varying results. In addition, there is the video of the guy who changed the pins on a arcade stick to work with the system... I'll do more hunting and see how I can get an arcade stick of some sort locally to work with it. (If I can mod the stick it won't require any tools other than some pliers or something... no solder/wiring for me! lol) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetick1 Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 (edited) Creating an emulator is not piracy. Now, if you said that someone who cracked a ROM is upset that their cracked ROM is being used in a commercial product, that I usually have less sympathy for. ... No the issue is not getting the permission for commercial use for the SNES emulator used. See https://www.libretro.com/index.php/appeal-to-game-journalists-about-retro-bit-and-about-the-new-retro-emulation-industry-in-general/ I don't think anyone with decency who reads the above article from SNES emulator author would buy these products. Edited February 23, 2018 by thetick1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 No I think the issue is not getting the permission for commercial use for the SNES emulator used. See https://www.libretro.com/index.php/appeal-to-game-journalists-about-retro-bit-and-about-the-new-retro-emulation-industry-in-general/ That's a given and not what I was responding to. I was responding to the idea that the creation of any emulator itself is piracy. I don't agree with that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Does this run Sega Super Scaler arcade games from the 80's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 Does this run Sega Super Scaler arcade games from the 80's? I seriously doubt it ... I'll try to give them a go this weekend. The Genesis ports should run OK, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetick1 Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 (edited) That's a given and not what I was responding to. I was responding to the idea that the creation of any emulator itself is piracy. I don't agree with that. Oh sorry. Emulators are perfectly legal with many cases to back that. ROMs, firmware, microcode, OSes, drivers APIs can all be copyrighted. I think the case of FPGAs is a bit murky as ASIC designs are almost all copyrighted, but a reversed engineered design would be fine. Silicon chips can technically be scanned, decoded and copied which would be copyright infringement , but the technology to scan/decode is very expensive and fabs have tricks to hide the design and obviously watermarkings. Many decades ago I worked on some hardware encryption ASICs that were designed to self destruct if the module was tampered .. ie release a chemical that liquefy the silicon chip. I know very little about the process or physics behind this as I just tested various logic and firmware components for the device. Edited February 23, 2018 by thetick1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+phoenixdownita Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 OK got mine today and connected via the NON-included AV cable (despite the instructions state the contrary) to my 1080p Vizio LCD 27" gaming TV, it was just faster this way for me tonight (don't ask). The good: it works, and all games are 4:3 over AV The bad: it must be the worst digital->analog->digital loop ever, I tried Final Fight 3 and the audio lags terribly (I'd say easily 1/2 sec). I'll try again over HDMI because the AV connection is really weird with audio lag present even on the main menu (that's why I believe it's the double trouble being the likely cause .... still they could have tested it at least). The "I am not sure what to call it": last year RetroBit Generations USB "genny style" controllers works with natural mapping (with Z/C being the shoulders and Mode being Select, the rest is A/A, B/B, X/X, Y/Y which for some games that are set up for the "snes style" controllers is a little weird). I'll try a wired XB360 pad when I have the time unless it's already known not to work. Closing thoughts (need to test HDMI): .... I could have done without it, but the "me want" took over and the cost was right there in "impulse buy" territory. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+phoenixdownita Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Had time to play a little longer with it. This time on an old plasma TV (720p) via AV still Anyhow I noticed that the SNES FF3 still had audio lag, then playing it again a few game changes later (no switching off) the lag was no longer there (I wonder if somehow after the first cold-run the SNES emulator "settles"). My take: NES: Image Fight stutters at the intro ....in general a few games I tried seem too fast (maybe 10-15%) SNES: weird lag/no-lag in FF3, in general the music seems weird at times in a couple of games, does seem to run at approx right speed (R-Type III looked and played the part) Genesis: Mercs only .... seems to be running alright (need more games to test) Arcade: seems alright just tried a couple [i didn't try any sideloaded ROM yet to see what other systems it runs GB/GBC? maybe] Given for me it would be mostly used as a mame-in-a-box it may be alright after-all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 Yeah, it's worth sixty bucks. Controllers are "fine." Compatibility is OK. Glad you're having fun with yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+phoenixdownita Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Yeah, it's worth sixty bucks. Controllers are "fine." Compatibility is OK. Glad you're having fun with yours. 60 not sure, but 30 I would have been happier. To be fair given it's right into RPi2/3 class territory one can't really ask for too much as that's the cost of a PCB only RPi2/3 anyway. The fact that last year Genny style controllers work is a plus, not that with their floating DPad disk design they are any joy to use ['cause they are not] but I can see me loading Genny games and wanting to play them "the right way". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 I think it's worth $60 US ($80 CDN for me) as I was able to add stuff to it easily. If I were to get a RPi sure I would be able to get more games to work but in actuality, the RPi would still be sitting on a desk as I don't think I'd go to the trouble of setting it up etc... the Super Retro Cade is just that easy to add to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+phoenixdownita Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Managed to have it play Marvel Super Heroes, XMen vs SF and Vampire Hunter 2 (all mame versions) and they all work well enough. Last year version could not play many CPS2 especially late fighters ... this year it seems it can .... about time. [Note: Genny files have to have the .bin extension, no 32x or sms works (not even with a bin extension)] Now if only I can find a mame set that is fully compat that would help (my androdunos doesn't work from mame0.159) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 6, 2018 Author Share Posted March 6, 2018 I would try the "mame4all" set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Managed to have it play Marvel Super Heroes, XMen vs SF and Vampire Hunter 2 (all mame versions) and they all work well enough. Last year version could not play many CPS2 especially late fighters ... this year it seems it can .... about time. [Note: Genny files have to have the .bin extension, no 32x or sms works (not even with a bin extension)] Now if only I can find a mame set that is fully compat that would help (my androdunos doesn't work from mame0.159) I got a beautiful mame set and a NES/Genny/SNES download from someone who posted on Facebook. I believe the pack included every single of the NES/Genny/SNES library... and the game box art is included etc too. Mad props to the person who did all that work... lol. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to play some more Dragon Warrior. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 I got a beautiful mame set and a NES/Genny/SNES download from someone who posted on Facebook. I believe the pack included every single of the NES/Genny/SNES library... and the game box art is included etc too. Mad props to the person who did all that work... lol. Is that a public link on Facebook? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 Wouldn't scrolling through the menu on the Retrocade be hell on earth for more than 100 entries? Seems to me less would be more. I'd stick to my favorites, personally. But if that link is public, I'll check it out, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwlngmad Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Wouldn't scrolling through the menu on the Retrocade be hell on earth for more than 100 entries? Seems to me less would be more. I'd stick to my favorites, personally. But if that link is public, I'll check it out, too. Ditto! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Is that a public link on Facebook? It was in a Facebook group.. I joined and they were posting it on a google drive... I'm on the madlittlepixel group and tonight I picked up the latest arcade rom pack of 400 plus arcade games with art to see the games... arcades games usually use the cabinet art but as you all know, you can use whatever .png file you wish. The fact that these are already done by these guys is pretty cool. Tonight I will get to play arcade Bagman! It's been a while since I've seen it in an arcade (1983 or so) so it will be fun to play on the tv. As for the scrolling issue... I don't find it a problem... it's a small price. What I was thinking of doing was moving libraries to individual SD cards for ease of use. The smaller SD cards are all over the house and my wife doesn't want the super small cards so I can use the to make a NES SD Card or an Arcade card etc. But over time, as I play some of these games, I will end up deleting the games I have no use for or complete etc. NES Barbie games? No thanks... lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 I broke down and got one of these. The Genesis Flashback HD wasn't doing it for me, and it's anyone's guess as to when that system will be fully hacked. So what should I expect from this machine? How do the controllers map for fighting games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 I broke down and got one of these. The Genesis Flashback HD wasn't doing it for me, and it's anyone's guess as to when that system will be fully hacked. So what should I expect from this machine? How do the controllers map for fighting games? I've been enjoying the Super Retro Cade a lot lately! The latest arcade pack is a hefty 2.3GB and contains over 900 arcade games with the tile art for the menu. Anyway, you may want to download only a few roms and see how you like them.. there are youtube videos on how to set them up on the SD Card... but it's easy enough that I could do it. lol That's part of the attraction to this system for me. What should you expect? A fairly decent emulator with options to change the screen size to the proper viewing (so you can have Donkey Kong in a large wide screen stretched version or have the black bard on the sides and have an original aspect ratio. So these are the systems that are compatible with this unit: Arcade roms NES SNES Genesis GB GBC GBA I haven't played any of the GBC or GBA as I have been focusing on the arcade games at this point. Overall, I am very happy with this unit. As for controls and the mapping... don't like the mapping? Change the mapping in the menu.. I played some games where I was confused as the default setting was awkward... not Retro-bit's doing as it was an external rom I put in there... a quick adjustment to the settings and they were more user friendly. So for your fighting games... if you like the SNES control scheme for Street Fighter... set it up that way... or set it up however you like. One thing I am currently looking for is an arcade stick for this unit and I have a lead on a potential controller... we will see. I have heard that a wired PS3 controller will work but you don't get the sticks working with it but if you love the feel of the controller in your hands, it would be an option. I don't have a problem with the cheap-o controllers included with the unit but I hear others who don't like them. They do a great job and I've spent 20+ hours (maybe 30+ hours) with them. Anyway, let me know what you think of it. I'm kinda looking forward to this winter's version of this unit and if they can improve the system. Not sure what they can do but they did improve the Super Retro Cade over the Generations unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+phoenixdownita Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Is that a public link on Facebook? Not sure public or not but a little google-fu gave me the following: https://www.facebook.com/arcpnks/posts/1514098968712539 and clicking on the picture (no need to login in FB) brings you to: https://www.arcadepunks.com/how-to-add-6500-more-games-to-the-retrobit-retrocade/ in there there's a a link to the packs out of a shared google drive (who's Virgil?) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 I'll be bookmarking this, thank 'ya very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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