Atari Flashback X Custom Firmware for USB roms and boxart

[Draxxon]

this is the capture card im gonna grab for the YT channel. someone tell me if its a huge mistake.

Amazon.com: Audio Video Capture Card with Loop Out, 4K HDMI Game Capture USB 3.0 Record Capture Card Device via DSLR Camcorder Cam Computer for Live Streaming Broadcasting, Video Conference, Teaching, Gaming: Computers & Accessories

Also, cant find a Legends core, so I'm gonna grab one of these.
Amazon.com: Hyperkin Retron 77 Atari 2600 HD Gaming Console with 2x Atari 2600 Premium Controllers + 2x Gamepad w/ Paddle Dial Controllers Bundle: Video Games

Now when it comes to harmony/everdrive/multicarts, I have no clue. Ive just started looking.

 

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by Draxxon

[rocketfan]

Draxxon, I own some Hyperkin Trooper (1 & 2) joysticks, they are good quality and feel pretty solid.  Funny thing is just last night I ordered one of the Ranger controllers for the paddle aspect, because used Atari paddles seem to command a premium.  Hopefully it will work on the AFBX.  I have no clue on video capture devices, hopefully it works for you.

Edited March 2, 2021 by rocketfan

[Draxxon]

the hyperkin 2 is just USB right?

 

i started to read some of the 100+ pages for the hyperkin last night.
I dont get it, no box art, original sticks are junk, no descriptions/instructions, its not an atari (ganted the X barely is, and will never be to some purists), ugly user interface, they broke paddles for new stella, now you need an otg and 1600-dapter. and its 80 bucks. All to play Galagon??? (no disrespect to the game and maker, but there has to be other ways to play those games.) Maybe lots of games gained support, I have no clue at this point.

 

afbx is $35-40. it does all that (minus the new stella and a handful of new HB. paddle support is jittery-shit) and its basically retroarch. It's hard to miss Galagon when you have galaga for arcade, nes, game gear, etc. Its hard to miss new HB support when you have atari 800/8-bit support (THANK YOU, ROCKET!). And dare I say, the unit and sticks are way sweeter looking than the Retron 77. I figure the only way to know for sure, was to buy one. so, fingers crossed the HK paddle pads work on the AFBX.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

today i look for a legends core gamer or a mini. I would like to rip the background images for the AFBX Nexus screen and move the AFB9G background to the AFB section.

Im also gonna start my journey to build a 6 button afbx frankenstick. Im looking for 2, cheap, 9pin joystick encoders.
I really dont want to hack any wires and sacrifice old pads. (that, and I dont own any) I saw a kit for 35 bucks, maybe just buy two of those.
i want to have two joysticks for games like robotron, and 6 buttons in the middle. a paddle spinner wouldnt be a bad idea either.
8/16bit Retro Joystick Kits (monsterjoysticks.com)

 

and i have one random ass question that im sure i know the answer to...

the cheap walmart exclusive wireless blast paddles and dongle, can anything be made out of them?

like could you add games (im thinking no?) or splice a port connecter into it and use them on the X? (maybe?)
no way to wireless connect them to a 9? (again, probably not?)

Edited March 2, 2021 by Draxxon

[Velvis]

4 hours ago, Draxxon said:

the hyperkin 2 is just USB right?

 

i started to read some of the 100+ pages for the hyperkin last night.
I dont get it, no box art, original sticks are junk, no descriptions/instructions, its not an atari (ganted the X barely is, and will never be to some purists), ugly user interface, they broke paddles for new stella, now you need an otg and 1600-dapter. and its 80 bucks. All to play Galagon??? (no disrespect to the game and maker, but there has to be other ways to play those games.) Maybe lots of games gained support, I have no clue at this point.

 

afbx is $35-40. it does all that (minus the new stella and a handful of new HB. paddle support is jittery-shit) and its basically retroarch. It's hard to miss Galagon when you have galaga for arcade, nes, game gear, etc. Its hard to miss new HB support when you have atari 800/8-bit support (THANK YOU, ROCKET!). And dare I say, the unit and sticks are way sweeter looking than the Retron 77. I figure the only way to know for sure, was to buy one. so, fingers crossed the HK paddle pads work on the AFBX.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

today i look for a legends core gamer or a mini. I would like to rip the background images for the AFBX Nexus screen and move the AFB9G background to the AFB section.

Im also gonna start my journey to build a 6 button afbx frankenstick. Im looking for 2, cheap, 9pin joystick encoders.
I really dont want to hack any wires and sacrifice old pads. (that, and I dont own any) I saw a kit for 35 bucks, maybe just buy two of those.
i want to have two joysticks for games like robotron, and 6 buttons in the middle. a paddle spinner wouldnt be a bad idea either.
8/16bit Retro Joystick Kits (monsterjoysticks.com)

 

and i have one random ass question that im sure i know the answer to...

the cheap walmart exclusive wireless blast paddles and dongle, can anything be made out of them?

like could you add games (im thinking no?) or splice a port connecter into it and use them on the X? (maybe?)
no way to wireless connect them to a 9? (again, probably not?)

Will a genesis pads extra buttons work with the AFBX? 

[rocketfan]

56 minutes ago, Velvis said:

Will a genesis pads extra buttons work with the AFBX? 

I believe Draxxon tried it, and unfortunately no.  I think it makes sense, because of the extra pins on the Atari interface being dedicated to paddle support.  On my list of things to do is go back to the atGames Legends Flashback 2018 I own (which used Genesis gamepads) and use the techniques from the current AFBX customizations to get the Colecovision core running there.  I was really excited a while back when Draxxon published a Colecovision pack for the LFB, but then I realized it was only meant for the 2019 units, not my 2018 version. 

[rocketfan]

5 hours ago, Draxxon said:

the hyperkin 2 is just USB right?

Yes, these are an almost perfect option for retroarch Atari800 (or 2600, or 7800) emulation though, because they have extra buttons that can be linked to critical/required retroarch functions.   You could set up a raspberry pi really well with those things, which would be  hard or maybe impossible with normal Atari one-button only joysticks.  BTW, by the time you outfit a Raspberry pie with controllers, and all the items it takes to make it work, it would cost much more that the Atari Flashback X does.  And still not look as cool, and still not have the awesome box art and themes going, and it is a PITA to configure A800 on there, BTW.  Just saying I agree with you on the comments you made above!

 

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by rocketfan

[rocketfan]

@Draxxon Just so you know I am working on more "pre-tested" arcade games, and will keep going until I've been through the list or you say stop - which is fine any time you say the word.

 

However, I had another thought.  Out of the hundreds of A800 games there are only 40 or so on the unit so far, which include some of my personal favorites.  Would it be OK if I post a call for top-ten lists of arcade and action games over in the Atari 8-bit section of AtariAge?  After a couple of weeks if we get any feedback, we could take the top say 60 mentions (I would be willing to pre-test them) and round out an even 100 for the device?  It seems like it would be a nice way to get a good set going based on more well-rounded feedback from the 8-bit lovers out there.  However, it also means 60-ish more games you need to add art and etc. for...  What do you think?

 

PS - I don't know anything about those "blast" games from atGames, but I would guess they are closer to those "NOAC" (word I learned here just recently) devices from years ago.

Edited March 2, 2021 by rocketfan

[Draxxon]

1 hour ago, rocketfan said:

I believe Draxxon tried it, and unfortunately no.  I think it makes sense, because of the extra pins on the Atari interface being dedicated to paddle support.  On my list of things to do is go back to the atGames Legends Flashback 2018 I own (which used Genesis gamepads) and use the techniques from the current AFBX customizations to get the Colecovision core running there.  I was really excited a while back when Draxxon published a Colecovision pack for the LFB, but then I realized it was only meant for the 2019 units, not my 2018 version. 

its nice to hear someone was excited, because it felt like no one noticed or cared. It was a shit ton of work and I had no prior knowledge of CV stuff.
If I remember right the 2018 has a 125MB NAND and the 2019 has a 256??MB one. I gifted all my LFB1s.

good things to point out is, CV emulation was great. And the pack is complete and has a shit ton of HB and custom boxes. and its all been play tested. the OSK is great.

bad things to point out, emulator is the MSX one and doesn't support Super Game Module games and the newer HBs that utilize it (Galagon & stella 6 all over again). the LFB2 pads were the same as the LFB1s, but shittier? IDK, I had about 6 LFB1s (12 bucks at walmart and gifts) and 2 LFB2s. I tested the pads a lot. The pads are decent, but the LFB1 pads are better than the LFB2s. My LFB2 has a set of LFB1 pads. (Street fighter II and zangief and ryu, along with the crazy KOF specials inputs proved it to me.) One thing I never got to test was if real CV or clone pads (or master system for that matter) worked in the unit.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

okay, back on topic. 

questions... what all controllers work on this X?
can we run pads thru the OTG USB? can we run a 2600-daper? (only in certain emulators?)

should i get a ranger 2 USB for the A800 games?
does the retron "mutitap" work?
if maybe so, Ill grab a ranger II and a multitap, or whatever they call it.
I also keep hearing this wont put out sound for a capture card to grab. I should know tomorrow.


In other news.... New official firmware updates are coming and its business as usual here.
I unlocked comments on our youtube page and spread the word to the usual suspects (reviewers).

Mr. Bill had this to say to confirm things:

Edited March 2, 2021 by Draxxon

[rocketfan]

27 minutes ago, Draxxon said:

can we run pads thru the OTG USB? can we run a 2600-daper? (only in certain emulators?)

My experience hooking up a powered USB hub to the device was that ONLY a USB stick and no keyboard or game controller was recognized or initialized (no lights).  So, I wouldn't count on using any other peripherals on it.  Maybe someone else should experiment though.

 

IMO only the included controllers or other "wired like original" Atari controllers will work.  I have used the Trooper 1 (the 9-pin one) for the second player and it works fine.  You can make the "super controller" that exploits both ports by studying the Atari pin-outs online, but that will only work in the mame2000 games where it can be configured.

 

 

[Velvis]

4 minutes ago, rocketfan said:

My experience hooking up a powered USB hub to the device was that ONLY a USB stick and no keyboard or game controller was recognized or initialized (no lights).  So, I wouldn't count on using any other peripherals on it.  Maybe someone else should experiment though.

 

IMO only the included controllers or other "wired like original" Atari controllers will work.  I have used the Trooper 1 (the 9-pin one) for the second player and it works fine.  You can make the "super controller" that exploits both ports by studying the Atari pin-outs online, but that will only work in the mame2000 games where it can be configured.

 

 

Where are the per game configs located for the mame games? 

[rocketfan]

14 minutes ago, Velvis said:

Where are the per game configs located for the mame games? 

Currently on Draxxon's setup the mame2000 games are mostly in rom_lfb, so for example, for Gyruss:  rom_lfb/data/mame2000/cfg/gyruss.cfg  The Atari arcade games are in rom_arcade, so those .cfg's would be down under there.

 

BTW, on Gyruss I just mapped start and coin both to the select button, which adds a coin and starts right up.  That's just another trick you could use to free up a button.  So if you really get desperate to play something like Xevious on there you could do that and then map the actual Start button to the second/bomb action.

[Draxxon]

19 minutes ago, Velvis said:

Where are the per game configs located for the mame games? 

for mame config go to the /data folder in whichever /rom folder you are in.

its called retroplayer.ini 

edit it with notepad. per game entries? i know other cores do it. other wise, like rocket says for per game settings.

Edited March 2, 2021 by Draxxon

[Velvis]

9 minutes ago, rocketfan said:

Currently on Draxxon's setup the mame2000 games are mostly in rom_lfb, so for example, for Gyruss:  rom_lfb/data/mame2000/cfg/gyruss.cfg  The Atari arcade games are in rom_arcade, so those .cfg's would be down under there.

 

BTW, on Gyruss I just mapped start and coin both to the select button, which adds a coin and starts right up.  That's just another trick you could use to free up a button.  So if you really get desperate to play something like Xevious on there you could do that and then map the actual Start button to the second/bomb action.

Many games have free play modes set in the dip switches 

[Draxxon]

37 minutes ago, Velvis said:

Many games have free play modes set in the dip switches 

feel free to set them up and share the settings for the pack if you want to. I have no experience doing it.

So do you guys want two button mame games added to this pack, or no. I so far have left games like 1941/2/3, xevious, dodonpachi etc, out.

And Im guessing that the 2nd button on the HK trooper stick is just a clone of the fire button, and cannot be used as a 2nd input.
if there is a way to make it a 2nd input that might be a cheap ($20 bucks a stick) hack to get 2-buttoners working for users.
Also, to be clear, I tested LFB1 pads on the AFBX. they did not work. they are 6 button style sega pads. I never tried 3 button sega pads.

 

what about 2 button master system 9pin pads? will they work? forgive me, i know zero about the various pads pinouts. I wonder if the easily available, cheap nes 9pin clones work. I wonder If I could utilize two of these cheap $7 pads to make a "SUPER STICK"???

 

Amazon.com: Forgun 4 Button Controller Gamepad for Coolbaby TV Handheld Video Game 9 Pin Console: Pet Supplies

 

Amazon.com: AV and HDMI Universal Computer Game 9-pin Console 4-Button Controller Gamepad for AV and HDMI Universal Computer Game 9-pin Console (2 PCS): Computers & Accessories

 

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by Draxxon

[rocketfan]

2 hours ago, Draxxon said:

So do you guys want two button mame games added to this pack, or no.

IMO, no - it would be too confusing to know which ones play "exactly right" and which ones don't.  I was just thinking if someone has a favorite game they want to add they could make it work.

 

Yes, second button on the Trooper 1 is a just a repeat button 1 for lefties. 

 

Hey - did you see my question about Atari 800 games back in post #532?

 

 

BTW, here is a new list of working arcade games, just a few hidden gems in here:

 

FBA:

nunchaku.zip
nrallyx.zip
nova2001.zip
nibbler.zip
newsin7.zip
naughtyb.zip
mrtnt.zip
mplanets.zip
moonal2.zip
mmonkey.zip
marineb.zip
machomou.zip
docastle.zip
crush.zip

 

mame2000:

nstocker.zim
nomnlnd.zim
nemesis.zim - good shmup
mysticm.zim
mrviking.zim
motos.zim
monsterb.zim
metrocrs.zim
mermaid.zim
megazone.zim
megatack.zim
megaforc.zim - good shmup
marvins.zim
majest12.zim
magspot2.zim
dowild.zim

 

 

 

[Draxxon]

I'll be off work for another 6 months at least. (It's been a year so far, this was my project.)
I will add any games you ask rocket. or any your people can come up with. The more

obscure, the longer it takes because.. no box art.

I've just been waiting for the list, this was all I had:
 

A800:

Miner 2049er
Bounty Bob Strikes Back
Drol

 

sorry about all the questions guys, I just dont want to buy shizz we know will NOT work.
Im gonna figure out what controllers work and what doesnt. I also wanna find out if i can

run two P1 AFBX joysticks at the same time.

 

This is really hard not to buy:
ATARI Joystick Lot - Suncom - TAC2 - Wico - Epyx - VidCom - Power Stick - WOW! | eBay

For the stick, two of these and splice them together, or try and figure out where i can just get the 9pin cord/encoder. 

Atari 2600/7800 Competition Pro shaped 3D Printed Joystick Sanwa clone stick | eBay

 

is there even an encoder for the 9pin? or do i just wire the cord to buttons and ground? would just joystick cord extenders work?
Ive only ever done actual jamma arcade stuff, and usb encoders for mame.

Extension Prolongateur Joystick / Souris Atari Joystick Mouse Cable Extender (ebay.com)

As far as two button games, I would agree. As for me, any multi button games i want will not go in the pack. I forget, does the /game folder allow for mame and fba. I'll just throw them all in there after the fact. Now, concerning the 8-bit games, I now understand that 800 and 5200 is the same thing like you all were trying to tell me. IDK, I like the 5200 blue and silver, I think its neat to see 5200 in the AFBX. Maybe build a 5200 rom set section as much as possible and throw whatever is left in A800? I get that its all A800, but this is a box art project for me. And for what its worth, the 5200 art is Higher Quality than the A800 stuff i have found.

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by Draxxon

[rocketfan]

Draxxon, sorry to hear you are not working - I was always amazed how much time you could put in this project.  Your work on this "little Atari museum"  is sure appreciated!

 

I would not dump too much time or $ into controllers until you study the Atari pinout on the Internet for a while.  I'm not an expert, but I know the Atari basic joystick connections are just simple switches, but a lot of other joysticks (NES/SNES?) involve more like a mini communication protocol over the port.  Even the Sega 9-pin controllers are not quite as simple as the Atari setup. My idea is still go back to LFB and worry about non-Atari and multi-button games more so on there. 

 

On the 5200 games, I support the idea of using the 5200 box art or having a 5200 section for any of the 5200 ports/games.  It's not that clear to me if they are all labeled, so I will look into that a little.  There is a decent 5200 Xevious.  On that the fire is just "auto-repeat" and you drop the bombs as needed with the joystick.  These two links came from a thread about the famous "Glenn the 5200 Man" who converted  lot of 5200 cart games to the computer platform:

 

http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-atari-glenn-the-5200-man_publisher_2281_8_G.html

 

http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-atari-5200-conversion_licence_1_8_G.html

[Velvis]

20 hours ago, rocketfan said:

Currently on Draxxon's setup the mame2000 games are mostly in rom_lfb, so for example, for Gyruss:  rom_lfb/data/mame2000/cfg/gyruss.cfg  The Atari arcade games are in rom_arcade, so those .cfg's would be down under there.

 

These configs dont seem to be able to be edited with a text editor. Is there some way to do so?

 

[Draxxon]

without giving too much info....I am a DCFS licensed care provider now. I was referring to my regular job I'm on leave from.
I'm actually doing really good. But time is flying. The baby turn 1 tomorrow, so I've been super busy lately. Guys, ALL the babies

can come stay with me. there just aint no way in hell i could ever say no.


Also, I have figured out the cheap capture card. sound works. I got the OBS software, so video coming soon. The hyperkin I have

been wanting. But I might actually regret getting it now that I have ready everything about it. 

I havent spent anything on sticks yet. until i study, like you said. I think I might be able to do something with the blast paddles to. P1 paddle has the exrta buttons like menu and rewind. Ill get some pic later tonite. Working on this video. I'm no director, so, dont expect too much from me.
 

Edited March 3, 2021 by Draxxon

[rocketfan]

I posted a call for top-10 lists of games over in the Atari 800 area.  Hopefully they don't shoot it down for being too off topic.  If we get responses we can tabulate the results and include the overall favorites.  If there are no responses I can also pretty easily name 20 or so more games I would like to see on there!  ?

 

 

[rocketfan]

5 hours ago, Velvis said:

These configs dont seem to be able to be edited with a text editor. Is there some way to do so?

That's true they are binary files, which is a bummer.  I think MAME was invented before .xml or something.  What you can do is just delete a file.  Then - when the file is not there the mame2000 emulator will come up with the mapping menu as soon as you start the game so you can re-do it.  Please note that there are more mapping options available under general than under the per-game section.  That mapping dialog is a bit of a weird interface BTW, and maybe you can find a youtube video on it.  One trick I know - if you want to replace a setting move the cursor down off it and then back on to it, otherwise it will not replace, but add the new button as an OR condition.  I have never been able to figure out how to do an AND condition, but I suspect there is a way...

 

[Velvis]

35 minutes ago, rocketfan said:

That's true they are binary files, which is a bummer.  I think MAME was invented before .xml or something.  What you can do is just delete a file.  Then - when the file is not there the mame2000 emulator will come up with the mapping menu as soon as you start the game so you can re-do it.  Please note that there are more mapping options available under general than under the per-game section.  That mapping dialog is a bit of a weird interface BTW, and maybe you can find a youtube video on it.  One trick I know - if you want to replace a setting move the cursor down off it and then back on to it, otherwise it will not replace, but add the new button as an OR condition.  I have never been able to figure out how to do an AND condition, but I suspect there is a way...

 

I am trying to figure a way to configure the paddles for the paddle games. Once in the menu and its waiting for the input choice rotating the paddles isn't recognized.

[Draxxon]

 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Draxxon

[Batchman]

OK, what you all have managed to do here is mega-cool. I can see I'll be investing in a X Deluxe whenever I find one at a good price in my area!

 

With the Deluxe, how involved is the process of getting to be able to update, add thumb drives, and so on? While I was once into hardware enough to wire external hard drives into an iMac, these days I am completely clueless, and I have no access to things like Linux, so I'm just trying to get an idea of how difficult it is going to be.

 

But may I then say, I am very interested in all forms of joystick + 1 button games, whether they be other consoles or arcade or whatever ... so personally, I'm hoping they're all in Nexus! This has been a really cool thread to read through over the past couple/three hours!

[rocketfan]

7 hours ago, Batchman said:

With the Deluxe, how involved is the process of getting to be able to update, add thumb drives, and so on?

Hello Batchman, it's not as bad as you might think.  I only have a couple of minutes but will give my summary:

 

As a new user, my approach would be like this:

 

1) Obtain an "OTG Power splitter Y cable".

 

I bought the one (two pack for $4) from e-bay HERE.

 

2) Build a fresh thumb drive from Draxxon's most recent (V0.2.4 right now) full release in this thread.  So you will have /emulator,  /rom,  various other rom folders and so on, plus a few other files like startup.sh at the root of the thumb drive.

 

3) Apply a custom FW to your device.

In the V0.2.4 release mentioned above is a /restore folder with the custom firmware in it, or MrFister started another thread where you can also find updated Firmware.

 

Bill Loguidice has a nice description of the initial FW update here:

https://armchairarcade.com/perspectives/2019/10/21/atari-flashback-x-2019-upgrade-to-support-external-usb-drives/

 

However, on newer units (anything you buy now, from Sam's Club or order online elsewhere - Menard's has a good price) there is a hole in the bottom for the reset - so you WILL NOT need to open up the unit to press the reset button.  Just use a paper-clip, or toothpick or etc.

 

In the beginning of this thread there is a process where on first boot the contents of the internal device /emulator and /rom folders are copied to your thumb stick.  This was done as a way to give a starting point to add your own games.  If you have the thumb drive built in step #2, THAT IS NO LONGER NEEDED, because all the contents are already there.

 

4) I would boot your device with no thumb drive and makes sure it behaves correctly/normally with the FW as just installed.

 

5) Power down and plug in your thumb drive from step #2.  With that in place and upon boot you should have full access to all the content from Draxxon's release.  From there you can add/remove games or modify the menu system if you want.

 

Anyone:  If there is a simpler way, or this needs correction, please let me/us know!

 

Edited March 4, 2021 by rocketfan