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Atari Flashback 9 FIRMWARE for adding games to SD card


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Did you ever figure this out? I'm having the exact same problem with mine. I emailed At Games over 2 weeks ago but they never replied.

 

I never did get it to work properly. I tried different SD cards, different formats, removing the update and replacing it with the GAME file... sadly I have had no progress. I am still tinkering with it when I have time because I am sure there is a way to get it to do what I want, but I am just not experienced enough to get the results.

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I never did get it to work properly. I tried different SD cards, different formats, removing the update and replacing it with the GAME file... sadly I have had no progress. I am still tinkering with it when I have time because I am sure there is a way to get it to do what I want, but I am just not experienced enough to get the results.

 

So LLambert & Bane_Masters you need to explain your situation. Explain exactly how, where and what you see compared to video showing the upgrade.

 

ATGames support is just terrible. I was never able to get my devices registered and used the firmware posted in this thread. AtGames never responded (over a month now and three emails) to my requests about never getting confirmation emails.

 

Thank God to Flojo for posting firmware upgrades. He's our AtGames firmware fairy!!

Edited by thetick1
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The update will just load in an endless loop. It says the upload is happening, the status bar fills to three quarters and then it goes to the floating multicolored circle... Then after a while it disappears and the status bar comes back and the cycle repeats. I am not sure what it is that I have done wrong or what the next steps to try to fix it should be. I was using a 16gb SD card because I read somewhere it had to be that or smaller, but now I feel like some places are saying 8 or smaller. Should I just try with a different smaller card? I have tried stopping the update, rebooting the console, rebooting the system without the card inserted(just get "ERROR"), and resetting to factory through the menu that comes up when you hold the fire button for three seconds. LATER ADDED:I tried different SD cards, different formats, removing the update and replacing it with the GAME file... I have tried different size SD cards, different formats, and mixed and matched the two. I simply cannot get it to do the update. At this point I would be happy just to restore it to factory default, but there does not seem to be a way to do that. It is not the end of the world, but it is a bummer. It is my own fault because I chose to try the update and I knew there was a risk it would not work properly.

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When so many others have tried the update and succeeded, it seems like:

1. You got a bad system or

2. Using the 16GB card was the issue since they recommend 8GB and smaller

 

At this point you have nothing to lose putting the update file on a blank 8GB or smaller SD card, then trying the update again. If that doesn't work, I would exchange your system for another and try again. Did you make sure you used the file that is at the beginning of this thread? There have been others that accidentally grabbed the wrong one on AtGames' site and that messed up there system as well...

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Bane_Masters,

Considering your Flashback is not usable in it's current form, you may try returning it where you bought it. If it's past the return period, you may try resetting your Flashback.

There is a Flashback 9 Gold HD teardown video posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9v0s3REUVs

At the 32 minute mark, the video shows there is a reset button on the board. Just a guess, but I would eject the SD card and press the power button to see if this restores the original firmware.

Edited by Forrest
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Bane_Masters,

Considering your Flashback is not usable in it's current form, you may try returning it where you bought it. If it's past the return period, you may try resetting your Flashback.

There is a Flashback 9 Gold HD teardown video posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9v0s3REUVs

At the 32 minute mark, the video shows there is a reset button on the board. Just a guess, but I would eject the SD card and press the power button to see if this restores the original firmware.

 

I was in EBgames today and was asking the girl behind the counter about the Atari Flashbacks. They didn't have any and they won't be getting more, at least in that store. She told me every single unit they sold came back defective - both the Atari and Genesis units. This store, at least, is actively recommending customers not buy anything from Atgames. Anecdotal to be sure but interesting. Personally I'm not surprised in the least.

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I was in EBgames today and was asking the girl behind the counter about the Atari Flashbacks. They didn't have any and they won't be getting more, at least in that store. She told me every single unit they sold came back defective - both the Atari and Genesis units. This store, at least, is actively recommending customers not buy anything from Atgames. Anecdotal to be sure but interesting. Personally I'm not surprised in the least.

 

That certainly sounds like ATGames may have some quality issues with their manufacturing contracts. I have both an Atari Flashback 9 and a Legends Flashback and they both are working great with lots of extra games on SD cards.

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I know many here like them. Of course most here know how to load new firmware and download roms. My guess is the average person buys it, it doesn't work well out of the box and they return it. I mentioned to the girl working at EBgames that they could be upgraded and games added and she didn't even know that.

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I believe the whole collection is like 45 mb, i narrow down mines to like 7mb still like 1k games.

i just bought some 512 mb for like $4/ea really don't need more.

My sys. works fine FB9 HDMI version

can't really imagine what was wrong with other those sys. pretty simple?

I'm sure they will drop to like $20 on ebay.

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I know many here like them. Of course most here know how to load new firmware and download roms. My guess is the average person buys it, it doesn't work well out of the box and they return it. I mentioned to the girl working at EBgames that they could be upgraded and games added and she didn't even know that.

 

The average user probably tried Super Breakout (not even knowing the game really needs paddles). What AtGames should have done was include a SD card with all the paddle games when you purchased the paddles.

 

Anyway that's sad the girl did not even know you could add roms via the SD card. Anyway I picked up 3 .. 99 cent 2GB SD cards at Gamestop and mentioned I needed them for AFB9 and Legends consoles. The geeky kid working there knew about the AFB 9 and said they are great for old school Atari games. He said he bought one for his Dad and he included a bunch of games on .99 SD Card. He said his dad loved it... his mother not so much :)

Edited by thetick1
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I can totally understand how casual buyers would be underwhelmed in buying the AFPortable. I'll be honest - it took a little time to warm up to. There are definitely issues that need to be considered, IE: the D-Pad response. DigDug, PacMan, etc., are practically useless with the character going whatever direction other than what's pressed. Other games seem to not matter. I don't get why, and I know there's been a lot of discussion about it. I've even tried FireSlayer's 3-D printed version, but it really wasn't much better, though it did help a bit.

 

Also, are the traces to the AV output wrong? I have audio on yellow and video on red on my composite... And the RF interference is huge. LOTS of noise.

 

I did get mine for $15. I'd buy a few more for $15. But $40 is crazy high for a product of this quality.

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The average user probably tried Super Breakout (not even knowing the game really needs paddles). What AtGames should have done was include a SD card with all the paddle games when you purchased the paddles.

 

Anyway that's sad the girl did not even know you could add roms via the SD card. Anyway I picked up 3 .. 99 cent 2GB SD cards at Gamestop and mentioned I needed them for AFB9 and Legends consoles. The geeky kid working there knew about the AFB 9 and said they are great for old school Atari games. He said he bought one for his Dad and he included a bunch of games on .99 SD Card. He said his dad loved it... his mother not so much :)

I bought several off Gamestop.com. If anyone got a portable and wants to buy one - PM me. :thumbsup: I'll undercut the guy who's selling my work on eBay! :mad:

 

I can totally understand how casual buyers would be underwhelmed in buying the AFPortable. I'll be honest - it took a little time to warm up to. There are definitely issues that need to be considered, IE: the D-Pad response. DigDug, PacMan, etc., are practically useless with the character going whatever direction other than what's pressed. Other games seem to not matter. I don't get why, and I know there's been a lot of discussion about it. I've even tried FireSlayer's 3-D printed version, but it really wasn't much better, though it did help a bit.

 

Also, are the traces to the AV output wrong? I have audio on yellow and video on red on my composite... And the RF interference is huge. LOTS of noise.

 

I did get mine for $15. I'd buy a few more for $15. But $40 is crazy high for a product of this quality.

I agree, its a great buy at $15, but $40+ (currently $75 on QVC w/ A/V cable and headphones) is way too high. I'm hoping this Christmas, we will have a better handheld available.

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When so many others have tried the update and succeeded, it seems like:

1. You got a bad system or

2. Using the 16GB card was the issue since they recommend 8GB and smaller

 

At this point you have nothing to lose putting the update file on a blank 8GB or smaller SD card, then trying the update again. If that doesn't work, I would exchange your system for another and try again. Did you make sure you used the file that is at the beginning of this thread? There have been others that accidentally grabbed the wrong one on AtGames' site and that messed up there system as well...

 

In my paperwork, that came with the system, they recommended 16 GB or smaller. That is why I used a 16GB. I then tried an 8GB. I have also tried using different cards in each size as well as different formats tried on each.

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Bane_Masters,

Considering your Flashback is not usable in it's current form, you may try returning it where you bought it. If it's past the return period, you may try resetting your Flashback.

There is a Flashback 9 Gold HD teardown video posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9v0s3REUVs

At the 32 minute mark, the video shows there is a reset button on the board. Just a guess, but I would eject the SD card and press the power button to see if this restores the original firmware.

 

It is still within the return period, but I do not feel comfortable returning it. It is possible I got a system that had an inherent problem with it, but it is also possible that I made some mistake that caused the problem. I would not return it unless I knew for sure that I was not the genesis of the problem.

 

I checked out the video and I will give the reset button a try and see what that might do. Thanks for the information.

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I checked out the video and I will give the reset button a try and see what that might do. Thanks for the information.

 

Just be aware that you have to break through the label on the underside to remove the centre screw, and obviously 'tampering' with the product means you lose your warranty.

 

I don't know what that button does, but if it is a reset then it could work one of three ways: hold it down when off to clear the power to non-volatile RAM, hold it down when powering on to reset some defaults, or press it after boot to reset to defaults in some way. Without knowing exactly what it does or the correct operation you'll be taking a risk of 'bricking' the device entirely.

 

I would try pressing it down for a few seconds with power off first, then try booting up to see if anything changed. Next I would restart the machine, then wait until it has booted up and press the button to see what happens (if anything). Last option would be holding it down while applying power. The last is the most probable way to wipe the system, and thus 'brick' the device.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is for Atari Flashback 9 and Atari Flashback 9 Gold (same file works on both)

 

1. Download this file attachicon.gifatari_update.img.zip

 

2. Unzip it (will uncompress to 36MB file named atari_update.img)

Put it on an SD card, insert into console, power on.

 

3. Push LEFT on the joystick to start the update process

once it's done, bush RIGHT to skip the prompt

Reboot! The SD card option is now enabled.

 

To add ROMs, it's like how the Flashback Portable worked. Make a GAME folder in the root of your SD card. You may need to rename your ROMs and avoid any special characters. Both .bin and .a26 files should be recognized.

 

This thread has some relevant troubleshooting info, and you might even find some other downloads there.

 

this message has been brought to you by the firmware fairy

 

I just bought an Atari Flashback 9 Deluxe. I followed these steps and the Flashback does not seem to recognize the SD card when I am trying to upgrade the firmware. I am using the SD card that came with the Deluxe version. I bought this system new from eBay. When I took the system out of the box it sounded like something was rattling inside the system but the SD feature seems to work for saves but not for the upgraded firmware. I already tried the option that you had in the other thread about formatting. Any other ideas as to why this isn't working? Thank you!

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I successfully upgraded my FB9 Gold tonight. The firmware updated unzipped into a folder containing 2 items. The folder is not needed. Only the atari_update file should be copied to the SD card. Also the SD card seemed not to be recognized until I unplugged the power cable of the FB9 and reinserted 15 seconds later. It took more than 1 try, but the SD card was finally recognized and the firmware updated. After that, I could play the games from the SD card.

 

Thanks to Atari Age group for compiling the 1000 games in the Atari Portable thread - worked great!

 

I used an old 512 MB SD card - which was still 90% empty after copying all those games.

Edited by Forrest
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Hello, i have upgraded my FB9 HD Gold successfully also. I took a Samsung 4MB Sd card I found in an old smartphone. Never would have thought touching this thing again... Downloaded the file from here, put it on top of the card, inserted it, left and after a short while 'sd card' appeared in the main menu. Seems to work!

 

Does anybody know how to register a FB9 Gold at afz firmware site? Its the model with id starting at 3650. The site just offers a registration for fb9 (without gold/hd).

Edited by Lohe
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Does anybody know how to register a FB9 Gold at afz firmware site? Its the model with id starting at 3650. The site just offers a registration for fb9 (without gold/hd).

I also can't register my FB9 Gold on the afz site. I was able to create an account, but it says my id is invaild. Back in December, I was able to download their v20141212 update file by just logging in (no registration), but didn't install it over this forum's update file. The download is now blocked when I log in.

 

Atgames doesn't even have the FB9 Gold listed on their site.

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Thanks for your post radiohead. Just wondered if my browser misses some content to load. Ok, so it looks like its the same on other fb9 gold owners. Meanwhile I did some research and it seems, for Europe, a company called millenium2000 is doing the support/import for FB9 Gold sets. edit: for the D-A-CH region in special/german speaking region.

 

They are maintaining a website called www.retro-spielkonsolen.de. Under the tab for downloads they offer a firmware update for FB9 Gold. But there is no registration tab either. I guess, Ill have to check their site more often to get the latest firmware updates, specially if there is simply no download button / tab for fb9 gold on atgames' site. Hm, and lll check the file sizes on the two web adresses as soon as Im back at my computer and can download the files for a comparison in file size.

Edited by Lohe
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Curious that Atgames is separating the FB and FB Gold firmware. The firmware on this forum seems to work for both. Aside from the menu and 10 extra games, I would think the software is identical. But I guess support for the wireless controllers requires different coding.

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I've owned multiple Flashbacks over the years, but finally decided to obtain the Flashback 9 Gold just for the SD card slot. I have been using the SD card on the Flashback Portable, but wanted the large screen TV experience.

 

So...I updated the firmware using the link at the beginning of this thread (AT Games' site has a newer (Feb 2019) firmware update for the FB 9, but it specifically says it is not intended for the FB 9 Gold). I choose to update the firmware, then it brought me back to the main menu. So far, so good. When I selected the SD Card option, the Flashback 9 Gold recognized the SD card, as I saw blue and yellow icons for all of the games. Awesome! Except, when I tried to play one, the screen went dark for a moment, then returned to that same screen. I checked the game titles, and there were no spaces, so that was not the issue.

 

Okay, well, until I figure it out, at least I still have the games included on the console, right? WRONG! Now, not a single game works...even those included on the console! Selecting any title causes screen to go black briefly, as if trying to load, then returns me to that game info screen.

 

Before I tried using the SD card, I had paired the joysticks and tried a few games, so I know that they *were* working. I tried re-installing the firmware update, but am still having the same issue. Is anyone experiencing this? Did I just brick the console thanks to the firmware update from this thread?

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

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