I want to replace my Flashback 9 on my home theater - which unit? 2600 Jr. Short Rainbow version or Retron 77?

[BIGHMW]

I'm just tired of the bullshit that I can't play certain games (Mainly those ARM-based games from Champ Games and also the brilliant rubyQ) on my (formerly) trusty Flashback 9 despite all of the convenient features she has, including having almost all of the controls on the player 1 joystick including the "menu" button that acts like a "hard" reset back to the main menu to select another game, in other words, you never have to go over to the console to power cycle the unit in order to switch games or have the console right nearby you to reach the controls like on other systems.

 

Plus, the Flashback 9 was a perfect size for my home theater in which I am at for most of my time at home as it is right near the daybed I use in a studio apartment-like setting (it's actually a one-bed/one-bath apartment but I use the bedroom as my filming/photo/video/recording studio and utility room)

 

But, I'm willing to put aside that inconvenience of having everything on the control of the Flashback 9 and replacing it with another 2600-type unit, but which one??? I previously owned 2 2600 Jr Short Rainbow versions but had to sell both to pay bills, and I did see a candidate on eBay provided it still be available, plus I also saw an auction for a totally-refurbished, recapped, TRRS a/v-modded guts for a 2600 Jr. in which I intend to put in the Jr after getting her..... if I do. And then I can use my composite-to-HDMI converter I used to use with my VCR, plus, the Jr. is almost the same size as the FB9 is so I won't have to do any shuffling of units in order to accommodate her.

 

I've also heard a lot of bad shit on YouTube about the Retron 77 like all the bullshit of it not working with certain controllers like the CX80 trak-ball or being able to play more than 12 games on an SD card (for bullshit "piracy" reasons, intentional) and also that she will not play certain games either on cart or on the Harmony Encore, while a real Atari with Harmony Encore does.

 

So which one replaces my Flashback 9???

[BIGHMW]

Here's the bullshit anti "piracy" mode that swings me more to the 2600 Jr. you can hear it at the 9:20 mark of the included video, that, is BULLSHIT!!!

 

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

How about you don't buy anything you're going to have to sell again in order to pay bills?  Once you learn to manage your finances and live within your means, then you can think about buying toys.

 

No Retron 77s, no ColecoVisions, no short-rainbow 2600 Jrs., or $600 boxed XEGSes.  Get your shit together.

[RamrodHare]

I don't know anything about your financial situation, so putting that aside, I'd go for the Jr. 100%. The only way I'd  ever own a a retron 77 is if someone gave it to me for free. I've just heard too many things about the retron.

[BIGHMW]

3 minutes ago, RamrodHare said:

I don't know anything about your financial situation, so putting that aside, I'd go for the Jr. 100%. The only way I'd  ever own a a retron 77 is if someone gave it to me for free. I've just heard too many things about the retron.

Yeah but the other guys are right about getting my finances straightened out first and then we'll talk shop but the Jr. it will be.

[MrMaddog]

3 hours ago, BIGHMW said:

Yeah but the other guys are right about getting my finances straightened out first and then we'll talk shop but the Jr. it will be.

 

If you can get a 2600 real cheap at a flea market, that might work provided it actually works.  But stay away from the $100 deals which include so many carts, most of which you might already have.

Edited January 4, 2023 by MrMaddog

[r_chase]

If there is anything I can offer, it's that don't get stuck with a defective RetroN 77. Apparently, when upgrading the firmware to any sort of 6.x series...you might run into a crash during gameplay and whatnot. If there is any recommendations I can offer, try finding an Atari 2600 at a flea market. Basically, what Mr. Maddog said. However, if you insist on getting an Atari 2600 Jr...well...it's your preference I guess.

All I can say is, be careful where you buy your Atari 2600. That's about it really.

[+MrZarniwoop]

Assuming you can spend less than you earn, learn to budget, and set aside a 3-6 month emergency fund, I would think the least expensive way to feed your hobby is an Atari 7800. It's basically perfect Atari 2600 compatibility plus a whole new late 80's and modern homebrew library for around the cost of an Atari 2600.

[r_chase]

14 minutes ago, MrZarniwoop said:

Assuming you can spend less than you earn, learn to budget, and set aside a 3-6 month emergency fund, I would think the least expensive way to feed your hobby is an Atari 7800. It's basically perfect Atari 2600 compatibility plus a whole new late 80's and modern homebrew library for around the cost of an Atari 2600.

Yeah, I would say the cheapest option would be the Atari 7800, but they're rarely displayed on major ecommerce websites such as Amazon. But if you really want to look for something, go on eBay and pray that you have a working model of anything Atari really.

[Brainworm]

24 minutes ago, r_chase said:

Yeah, I would say the cheapest option would be the Atari 7800, but they're rarely displayed on major ecommerce websites such as Amazon. But if you really want to look for something, go on eBay and pray that you have a working model of anything Atari really.

I'll second or third this. I've owned a Retron and now own two 2600s. I really appreciate what the community is trying to do with the Retron, but:

 

1) Once you shell out for the Retron 77, plus the USB/stelladapters you need to get it to actually work OK, you might as well have bought a 2600 or 7800 to begin with. It also takes a substantial amount of time to actually get the thing working with the community image, etc.

 

2) The Retron, even with Stelladapters and the community image, is no good for paddle games. I hate to say that because a lot of people have put a lot of work into getting everything to work properly, but paddle performance was absolutely the dealbreaker for me. Even when there's no jitter the movement is laggy, which makes a big difference with fast games like Kaboom!

 

3) You can get a mono headphones jack extension and use it to lengthen the power cord for the 2600. With that and a 15-foot RCA cable for A/V, I can just move the console to whereever I'm playing it so I don't have to get up to hit Reset/Select/etc. Wins all around.

 

4) That said, you could also get a VCS for around the same price (I just got my third one during the New Year's sale), and while it's not as good for paddle games as an original 2600, it is miles better than the Retron and also has wireless controllers for both joystick and paddle games. Also, you can run Stella on it and use it for all kinds of other games. If wireless controllers are a must have I think it's the best option.

 

5) That said, you could also look at a Flashback 2. It's a hardware re-implementation of the 2600 and can even be fitted with a cartridge adapter, so it'll run your games absolutely flawlessly. There's somebody around here who'll sell you a cartridge-modded flashback 2 for like $150; I bought one about a year ago and it's pretty great.

[BIGHMW]

15 hours ago, r_chase said:

Yeah, I would say the cheapest option would be the Atari 7800, but they're rarely displayed on major ecommerce websites such as Amazon. But if you really want to look for something, go on eBay and pray that you have a working model of anything Atari really.

Already have the 7800 to go along with my trusty 5200, indeed the 7800 is a far better value considering that she can play BOTH 2600 and 7800 games without an adapter, only thing is is that she currently has an issue with powering on, otherwise I wouldn't be having this conversation, but yes I already own (what I like to call) "Lil' Sexy" and also a Harmony Encore, now all I need is to get her fixed and then I can get the Concerto cart so I can rejoin the 7800 community as well.

[+Stephen]

I would make multiple posts all over the internet and social media outlets trying to contact Cindy Margolis, and ask her what buying decision would turn her on the most.  If you don't get the answer you want, keep trying, girls like persistent folks.  Maybe think about taking some risks - like stopping your meds and food for ways to impress Cindy.  This has worked great in the past 28+ years, so definitely keep doing it.

 

Maybe, beg for and get some bailout money.  Then piss it all away in a few weeks.  Get back in the same situation multiple times.

 

What I wouldn't do, is ask advice, have lots of people tell you what to do, continually ignore it, repeat 1000 times, mention Cindy, ask for a 5200 port, apologize, ask again, repeat cycle.  When that happens, people get upset.

 

Nevertheless, I'll be the asshole for this post.  Keep on keeping on Ray, you're the gift that keeps on giving, more so than even the Hard Work 2600 Kinght Rider thread.  More epic than even the Armor All thread.

[_The Doctor__]

I don't get the point of this... if something broke and you are short on funds now isn't the time to start down another road, just get your old stuff fixed, which is normally less expensive and more productive.

As to Sexy Cindy(tm) I agree with Stephen... definitely follow your passion, it shows how 'committed' you are. I mean yeah the progress you've made is like mind boggling.

 

I certainly see where in almost all cases you've asked for and gotten all kinds of advice from folks who've had experience and truly wanted to help you... but alas you sh*t all over that in the end and just do whatever and then take a knee or some kind of BS you think will get you mercy points for crapping up the threads and then dumping out... doing something annoying and then jumping back on some big sexy rant about 5200 ports and how they aren't happening for every one of your instant hard ons about this game or that, maybe you forgot what Cindy is for.

 

Please stop, think, take some meds, chill, and try not to be a muppet. I am not upset, rather concerned, but I think you really need intensive therapy and help dude. Ray please seek help. You need it. 

Edited January 6, 2023 by _The Doctor__

[+x=usr(1536)]

Help me to understand something, folks:

On 1/3/2023 at 9:17 PM, BIGHMW said:

I'm willing to put aside that inconvenience of having everything on the control of the Flashback 9 and replacing it with another 2600-type unit, but which one???

8 hours ago, BIGHMW said:

Already have the 7800 to go along with my trusty 5200, indeed the 7800 is a far better value considering that she can play BOTH 2600 and 7800 games without an adapter

Seriously?

 

You want to buy a 2600, yet have a 7800 that is perfectly capable of playing 2600 games.

 

If anything ever showed your actual motivations (not that they were really in doubt), this, right here, is it.  Acquire more shit to sell off later when you inevitably repeat the financial fuckups of the past, then whine to everyone about how much your life sucks and you need money so that you can have a toy to play with.

 

I regret having ever put any effort into trying to help you with your situation.

8 hours ago, Stephen said:

Nevertheless, I'll be the asshole for this post.

Put me down for Asshole Part Deux.  My tolerance for this pattern of behaviour is well below zero at this point.

 

[BIGHMW]

 

5 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Help me to understand something, folks:

Seriously?

 

You want to buy a 2600, yet have a 7800 that is perfectly capable of playing 2600 games.

Well, the 2600 Jr. was supposed to be for my home theater (main area) in which i occupy almost all of the time at home nearby my futon, in a very convenient,  more common area while the 7800 was going to go in the gaming area in that setup where I currently film The Atari 5200 SuperReport series, along with the eventual XEGS, plus, the 2600 Jr. is the same size as the Flashback 9 is so it is a perfect switch while Lil' Sexy is a little too big for that space sitting alongside the HDMI switcher/cable box/MP4 player setup and the DVD player next to it. 

 

THAT'S WHY I wanted to get both, so I can still maintain the same setup simply swapping out the FB9 in favor of the Jr. plain and simple. The 7800 would go in my gaming area along with my 5200, ColecoVision, and eventually, the XEGS.

 

And don't worry about my financial situation for now we're getting that fixed, slowly but surely, I still have to pay my car insurance and for my annual car tabs, plus a 2 month cable/internet bill, and a phone bill, and the old DSL internet bill for not returning the modem, in which I do not know how or where to send it (I live in a very rural area and we do not have anywhere to send it, nor was I ever notified by email or anything about where to send it). The payday loan is  being paid out but I'm trying to tough it out and use my saved up vacation pay (20 4-hour days) to fill in the gaps in my now shortened work schedule due to it being slow season in the grocery industry, so yes I'm doing what I can to minimize the purchasing and get out of this thing!!!

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by BIGHMW
add photo

[+KaeruYojimbo]

That video looks like it's from before the community build for the Retron was released, or at least the console in the video wasn't updated. With the update you get the same Stella menu as on a PC, displaying as many ROMs as you can cram on the SD card. I bought a Retron a couple of years ago despite having some misgivings about it, but overall I've been happy with it. It hasn't completely replaced my light sixer, but if you go in with the right expectations it's a decent alternative to original hardware.

 

That said, you probably shouldn't be buying either a Retron or a junior right now or anytime in the near future.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

Just adding another thought here. It sounds like you have a pretty good setup with the 5200, 7800 and Colecovision. I think if you realize that and stop constantly pining for more, your situation will improve.

[Master Phruby]

On 1/3/2023 at 7:47 PM, BIGHMW said:

Here's the bullshit anti "piracy" mode that swings me more to the 2600 Jr. you can hear it at the 9:20 mark of the included video, that, is BULLSHIT!!!

You do know that you can upgrade the Retron 77 firmware to run Stella. You can then put the entire library on a SD card. You can then press the fry button to quit a game and go back to the Stella menu. You can even put a cartridge in and remove it without turn it off.

 

https://retrogamestart.com/answers/hdmi-atari-2600-retron-77-updated-firmware-stella-emulator

[Stevenstanley]

On 1/6/2023 at 4:51 PM, KaeruYojimbo said:

That video looks like it's from before the community build for the Retron was released, or at least the console in the video wasn't updated. With the update you get the same Stella menu as on a PC, displaying as many ROMs as you can cram on the SD card. I bought a Retron a couple of years ago despite having some misgivings about it, but overall I've been happy with it. It hasn't completely replaced my light sixer, but if you go in with the right expectations it's a decent alternative to original hardware.

 

That said, you probably shouldn't be buying either a Retron or a junior right now or anytime in the near future.

I've been happy with my Retron 77 as well. I also love the Ranger controller but knowing it doesn't function properly with the community build i put the community build on a different SD card placed the paddle games i want to play on the original stock firmware card. The ranger plays paddle games fine on the stock card. When I want to play paddle games I put that card in, i mean how many paddle games do people need/have?

 

The majority of the time I use the community build for all my favorite games which are mostly joystick games anyway and that Ranger joystick is fantastic.

 

It seems a simple solution to me, 2 SD cards, stock card paddle games/community build card joystick games.