Atari Flashback 50th Anniversary Custom Firmware for USB roms and boxart

[ElBajo]

I have run into some problems with this CFW for my Flashback Gold 50th anniversary. I followed GenXGrownup tutorial on how to set this up. 

 

1st problem: After playing only one game and quitting, some boxart from games just dissapear. Its plain white, and when i click on them, it shows a black screen then puts me back to the menu. For other games with box art working, it either crashes again and only works after multiple tries.

2nd problem: Weird purple lines in the menu screen. It is a visual bug, where after quitting a game, the menu screen gets filled with purple lines.

 

I also'd like to say that i use a Sandisk 32 GB USB drive i bought back in like 2019 so its not that old, i was playing games on the FB for like 10 minutes while the files got copied to the usb stick (it doesn't have light indicators, but 10 minutes had to be enough). 

 

I created a new rom folder, renamed the copied one to rom_old and manually put like 6 games in that new rom folder only, because thats what i was curious for. Ofc i set up the ini files and the images for these games.

 

Could these problems be caused from having only 6 games, not with the original ones included too?

 

Need help please.

 

[Brad_from_the_80s]

On 3/14/2023 at 1:42 PM, ElBajo said:

I have run into some problems with this CFW for my Flashback Gold 50th anniversary. I followed GenXGrownup tutorial on how to set this up. 

 

1st problem: After playing only one game and quitting, some boxart from games just dissapear. Its plain white, and when i click on them, it shows a black screen then puts me back to the menu. For other games with box art working, it either crashes again and only works after multiple tries.

2nd problem: Weird purple lines in the menu screen. It is a visual bug, where after quitting a game, the menu screen gets filled with purple lines.

 

I also'd like to say that i use a Sandisk 32 GB USB drive i bought back in like 2019 so its not that old, i was playing games on the FB for like 10 minutes while the files got copied to the usb stick (it doesn't have light indicators, but 10 minutes had to be enough). 

 

I created a new rom folder, renamed the copied one to rom_old and manually put like 6 games in that new rom folder only, because thats what i was curious for. Ofc i set up the ini files and the images for these games.

 

Could these problems be caused from having only 6 games, not with the original ones included too?

 

Need help please.

 

It's hard to say.  I'm not sure anyone has tried your exact scenario of loading only a handful of games, the UI might not expect that (it's not the greatest piece of software, but generally okay).  Maybe you could post your custom INI file?

 

A few other things.  Boxart images come in two specific sizes and use a specific naming convention - reference the existing ones.  Rom file names should not contain spaces or certain special characters I believe, and should end with .a26.  The emulator core is based on Stella 3.x.  Compatibility is generally quite good, but not every single rom out there will necessarily work.

[rocketfan]

On 3/14/2023 at 2:08 AM, cambam2221 said:

ok tried redownload and unzipped emulator and rom_iv and same thing int. Files don't work so I'm guessing there is something in the lfb folder right? 

If you are going straight to the IV folder from the "root" Nexus menu, then lfb should not really be involved.  When you say the box art shows up but the games don't launch, a similar problem woud be caused if the rom file names are not exactly matching the entries in all-games.ini.  This could be caused by the case (Linux is case sensitive) being different or a hidden extension.  Now I am talking about the all-games.ini and the game files in /rom_iv on your stick.  I guess it's possible if you build the thumb drive a certain way that the case or file names get munged on the rom files.  One time someone had added extensions because their OS (I think they were using a MAC) was hiding extensions they ended up with double extensions IIRC.  If you just unload the .rar archive directly to the root of your flash drive I don't see how that type of thing could happen, but it's worth a check.  Your flash drive should be formatted FAT32, btw.  If it's formatted to any other filesystem type your results are undefined to me.

 

Sometime soon I'll use your main all-games.ini on mine and see what happens - I suspect it will be fine, but worth a try.

 

There is another mechanism you could try to see if your results change.  First, make sure it's working.  When you turn on your system, WAIT until you see the atGames logo on the TV and then press and hold fire on joystick 1.  Instead of booting into the main Nexus menu, you should see the Atari Arcade games section has loaded.  If this works, launch a game and be sure everything is functioning correctly.

 

Now, shut down and edit the fie /emulator/fire  - this is a text file and should contain only rom_aarc.  Change it to rom_iv  Now when you press fire on boot you should boot straight to Intellivision - maybe (doubt it) your results will be different?

 

 

[ElBajo]

On 3/16/2023 at 9:11 AM, Brad_from_the_80s said:

It's hard to say.  I'm not sure anyone has tried your exact scenario of loading only a handful of games, the UI might not expect that (it's not the greatest piece of software, but generally okay).  Maybe you could post your custom INI file?

 

A few other things.  Boxart images come in two specific sizes and use a specific naming convention - reference the existing ones.  Rom file names should not contain spaces or certain special characters I believe, and should end with .a26.  The emulator core is based on Stella 3.x.  Compatibility is generally quite good, but not every single rom out there will necessarily work.

Yes these issues were existing with loading handful games only. Since then i just added the games i wanted to play to the rom folder that got copied to the usb thumbstick, and almost everything works. There is only 1 small issue. Like someone else posted too, Space Invaders has a full blank thumbnail and not playable for some reason. Again it only happens to Space Invaders.

 

However tho i want to thank you for your work! It's so awesome i could play games like Pac-Man, Frogger, E.T. etc.

[Brad_from_the_80s]

On 3/17/2023 at 6:35 AM, ElBajo said:

Yes these issues were existing with loading handful games only. Since then i just added the games i wanted to play to the rom folder that got copied to the usb thumbstick, and almost everything works. There is only 1 small issue. Like someone else posted too, Space Invaders has a full blank thumbnail and not playable for some reason. Again it only happens to Space Invaders.

 

However tho i want to thank you for your work! It's so awesome i could play games like Pac-Man, Frogger, E.T. etc.

Space Invaders is a special case where the UI is trying to launch a custom executable instead of a proper rom/emulator.  Just a hunch, I'd have to go back and examine the binary to be sure, but you might try renaming it to something like "Space Invaders 2600" and see if that helps.

[Hellenstone]

Hello Ataris.

I'm brand new in this forum.

Coming from Germany I'm deep in love with retro gaming, but in Germany the amount of original VCS is very limited.

So at the moment I live my retro gaming life with some mini consoles like the NES, SNES, MegaDrive...

... and also 2 Atari Flashbacks.

Thats what my questions are about:

I own a Flashback X, modded with the CFW and the ATARI v2.1 pack.

I also bought a Flashback 50 2 days ago at Amazon Warehouse (mainly to get the paddle controllers, original are really hard to find here).

 

So now I really need some help:

As I have just the ATARI v2.1 on my X should I mod the 50 also are leave it original?

As far as I have seen there is no official FW update available for the 50, right?

And I don't understand the stuff concerning the NEXUS pack.

Is this the follow up pack to the 2.1?

What about the NEXUS pack? Where can I find the latest version? Whats the difference to the 2.1 pack I have on my X?

Is the NEXUS compatible with X and 50?

 

So many questions...

[rocketfan]

On 5/17/2023 at 1:15 PM, Hellenstone said:

So many questions...

Hello Hellenstone:

 

Glad you were able to get some Flashbacks to scratch your Atari itch!  The X and 50th seem to be basically identical hardware, but with different FW.  If you have both I guess it's just a personal preference whether to also mod the 50th.

 

To answer one of your questions:

"Nexus" is just a large set of content which is fairly well curated to run on the device.  You can download versions of it from archive.org and copy the contents to the root of a flash drive.  With that inserted into your splitter the device boots with a sort of tiered interface where you select a game section and then games from there.  I suggest just go to archive.org and search "Atari flashback nexus".

 

There were lots of Nexus builds on here at Atariage at one time, but those have been removed.  There are still a couple versions on archive and they are:

Nexus 1.5.1slim - It is "slim" because it removed some non-game content that was in the original versions which made the distribution huge and hard to upload.

Nexus Pure -  It is "pure" because it has only Atari content (like 7800, 5200, Atari Computer), and not games from other consoles and so on.

 

I am not 100% sure about this "2.1 pack" - sorry maybe it is just too early in the morning.  🙂  If you put a Nexus version on a new flash drive you can always just compare to what you have and see what you like best!

[dancero]

nexus don't work with tle last firmware update

[Brad_from_the_80s]

I'll have to get the new firmware and patch it.  Maybe by next week.

[sifi89]

On 6/22/2023 at 6:56 PM, Brad_from_the_80s said:

I'll have to get the new firmware and patch it.  Maybe by next week.

Any news on this? I'm eager to have all my games and coverart back with the new firmware! Cheers  

[DarthBelan]

Interested in any news on this, as well.

[Brad_from_the_80s]

On 6/29/2023 at 4:58 AM, sifi89 said:

Any news on this? I'm eager to have all my games and coverart back with the new firmware! Cheers  

 

On 7/1/2023 at 7:56 PM, DarthBelan said:

Interested in any news on this, as well.

 

On 6/21/2023 at 6:35 PM, dancero said:

nexus don't work with tle last firmware update

 

See the new thread I created for updated custom firmware for AFB 50 that should restore Nexus support.

[Atari2023]

Hi Brad, I am new to this forum. I currently have an AFB9 with wired remotes. I came across a 2021 YouTube video that the Nexus build has Atari 800 emulators for the AFB9/AFBX, but the video was a while back and had a link to the Nexus Community Project that does not exist anymore. I was still able to get the nexus slim build off the archive.org, but am not able to find the AFB9 FW that goes with the Nexus Slim Build.
 
Can you please point me in the direction of where to get the AFB9 FW that would work with the Nexus Slim build (assuiming that the Nexus Slim has 800 eumulation)? Many Thank in advance.

[Atari2023]

The Newbie that I am, I realized that in the Nexus Slim build there is a subfolder that contains the FW for AFB9. Thank you to all who worked on this!! 

 

One question I had, I noticed that when I play games using the Nexus off the SD card on AFB9, every now and then it would pause for a few seconds in the middle of a game. Was wondering if anyone else experience this pause, and is there anything on my end I can do to not have the pauses every now and then? Thank you.

[Brad_from_the_80s]

2 hours ago, Atari2023 said:

The Newbie that I am, I realized that in the Nexus Slim build there is a subfolder that contains the FW for AFB9. Thank you to all who worked on this!! 

 

One question I had, I noticed that when I play games using the Nexus off the SD card on AFB9, every now and then it would pause for a few seconds in the middle of a game. Was wondering if anyone else experience this pause, and is there anything on my end I can do to not have the pauses every now and then? Thank you.

Was gonna say, the latest FW was buried in another thread for AFB9, but looks like they shipped it with Nexus also.  I use an AFB9 myself, but haven't touched that firmware in a long time.

 

I've not heard of pauses during games, not sure if anybody else has.  If it is a non-2600 game anything could happen as those cores are not exactly tuned for the hardware.  All I can suggest is make sure you are using a good hi speed SD card with the FB9, or fast USB storage device with newer units.

[jmprice_314159]

Can this be used to run 7800 games?

[MancV]

I've just bought this AFB from Amazon. It's the 50th edition (11). Can this CFW be used with this unit? It's pretty confusing for a newbie with the number of different AFB versions (HD, Gold, None-Gold etc). I just want to confirm before trying anything.

 

Thanks
 

Atari Flashback 11 : Amazon.co.uk: PC & Video Games

[rocketfan]

On 7/31/2023 at 2:14 PM, jmprice_314159 said:

Can this be used to run 7800 games?

Using the custom firmware and a Nexus build, yes you can run 7800 games.

[rocketfan]

On 8/3/2023 at 11:17 PM, MancV said:

I've just bought this AFB from Amazon. It's the 50th edition (11). Can this CFW be used with this unit? It's pretty confusing for a newbie with the number of different AFB versions (HD, Gold, None-Gold etc). I just want to confirm before trying anything.

 

Thanks
 

Atari Flashback 11 : Amazon.co.uk: PC & Video Games

Yes, this custom firmware is for the Flashback 11/50th anniversary edition - which is what you have linked.  If you have updated with the firmware to improve paddle performance (available from AtGames) then you want Brad's update to match that - which is here:

 

 

[ThinWhiteDuke]

You can run new ROMs without installing the new firmware. Put the ROMs on a USB, use an OTG to connect and you can play all these games.

The boxart won't show though.

[lucienEn]

Hi, I installed 1.1 and community FW and works great for AFB 50th Gold. However Nexus Pure works for about 15 min. in game and then freezes including 2600 games. Any idea?

 

Haven't tried other Nexus packages yet but I assume they're very similar.

[elbryk]

On 9/12/2023 at 1:43 PM, lucienEn said:

Hi, I installed 1.1 and community FW and works great for AFB 50th Gold. However Nexus Pure works for about 15 min. in game and then freezes including 2600 games. Any idea?

 

Haven't tried other Nexus packages yet but I assume they're very similar.

I have the exact same problem. Thought first that maybe it was the usb stick that I was using causing this. I bought a new SanDisk Ultra usb stick, but still the same problem.

[lucienEn]

18 minutes ago, elbryk said:

I have the exact same problem. Thought first that maybe it was the usb stick that I was using causing this. I bought a new SanDisk Ultra usb stick, but still the same problem.

I also have a brand-new SanDisk USB stick so not the problem and without Nexus no issues playing games from USB. Maybe some memory corruption over time. I hope someone could look into that and fix it. I also tried Nexus Slim but also hanging after a while.

Edited September 13, 2023 by lucienEn

[elbryk]

14 hours ago, lucienEn said:

I also have a brand-new SanDisk USB stick so not the problem and without Nexus no issues playing games from USB. Maybe some memory corruption over time. I hope someone could look into that and fix it. I also tried Nexus Slim but also hanging after a while.

I have only used Nexus. Got to try running games without that and see how it goes. Hopefully at least that works!

[Brad_from_the_80s]

I don't think I've ever heard of this issue.  I don't really support Nexus myself, but insofar as it can load very large numbers of games and/or some versions support cores that really weren't meant for the device, memory exhaustion or any number of other issues could be the culprit.  Would definitely test whether this still occurs without Nexus in place.  Nexus was also never technically updated for AFB50 as far as I know.  It works, but may be using a 2600 core from one of the previous devices.  They apparently can differ slightly.