Gamestation Pro

[+Mocotechprfl]

Just tested another controller and wanted to say that the following controller does NOT work with the GSP:
8Bitdo Ultimate C 2.4g Wireless Controller for Windows PC, Android, Steam Deck & Raspberry Pi

 

Bought it off Amazon for $29.99. Whether wired or wireless, it doesn't get recognized in the GSP. Even when I tried to change the input per their instructions to Input-X. I also charged it and it still didn't work, so I'm returning it.

So do not buy this item if you want to play it on the Gamestation Pro.

 

Too bad. Was trying to find a better alternative controller that would not break the bank for everyone.

 

---- Mocotechprfl ----

[SoulBlazer]

30 minutes ago, Mocotechprfl said:

Just tested another controller and wanted to say that the following controller does NOT work with the GSP:
8Bitdo Ultimate C 2.4g Wireless Controller for Windows PC, Android, Steam Deck & Raspberry Pi

 

Bought it off Amazon for $29.99. Whether wired or wireless, it doesn't get recognized in the GSP. Even when I tried to change the input per their instructions to Input-X. I also charged it and it still didn't work, so I'm returning it.

So do not buy this item if you want to play it on the Gamestation Pro.

 

Too bad. Was trying to find a better alternative controller that would not break the bank for everyone.

 

---- Mocotechprfl ----

Hello!  I can personally confirm this 8bitdo controller DOES work on the GSP and it's $40 if you get a refurbished one:

8BitDo Pro 2 Bluetooth Controller 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XY86472?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Also it works on other devices also -- it works great with my Steam Deck, Switch, phone, and PC.

The GSP does NOT support Bluetooth, so any third party controller you want to use will need to be wired.

Edited November 6, 2023 by SoulBlazer

[SoulBlazer]

Also, I can confirm from videos that this controller ALSO works with the GSP, if someone wants another option besides the 8bitdo I listed above:

Xbox Wireless Controller - Black (Renewed)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BQ0VP0G/?coliid=I1RH7ZG2DTFLFB&colid=2JU4ZF3HHZBSO&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I don't have this one myself, but as I said, I've seen it working in videos, and at $50 it's also affordable.

An official PS4 controller will work as well (that I have personally tested) and there's also the top of the line XBox One controller people have listed here before (for about $130).

So that's FOUR third party controllers I can confirm DO work with the GSP.

[SoulBlazer]

Sorry for yet another post -- I thought I'd try to make things more clear.

Between the controllers I have myself, and the help of others here, I can confirm the following third party controllers DO work with the Gamestation Pro, and they will be listed in order of price:

Microsoft XBox Elite 2 Controller - $105
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Xbox-Elite-Wireless-Controller-Controllers/dp/B0BS1J43PW/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3IYDBIA9SF5VI&keywords=xbox%2Belite%2B2%2Bcontroller&qid=1699285394&s=videogames&sprefix=xbox%2Belite%2Cvideogames%2C93&sr=1-5&th=1
Microsoft XBox S Controller - $50
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BQ0VP0G/?coliid=I1RH7ZG2DTFLFB&colid=2JU4ZF3HHZBSO&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
Sony PS4 Controller - $50
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Playstation-DUALSHOCK-Wireless-Controller/dp/B07PJ1H91G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RT9GQZ0LHZKF&keywords=playstation+4+controller&qid=1699285512&refinements=p_89%3ASony&rnid=2528832011&s=videogames&sprefix=playstation+4%2Cvideogames%2C103&sr=1-1
8bitdo Pro 2 Controller - $40
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XY86472?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Some notes:
1) All these controllers (except the last) are official first party controllers, and prices given are for refurbished units.  In my experience, they work great, but if you want new, expect to pay about $10-20 more.
2) The GSP does NOT have Bluetooth support - therefore all these controllers MUST be used in wired mode.  If you do not already have one, I STRONGLY suggest getting a 10-12 foot USB-C cable along with the controller.  (Note you need a cable with Male (the plug) ends on BOTH ends - or get an adapter also.)
3) The 8bitdo Pro 2 controller is the one I really like as it can be used with a number of other devices also - it works great with my Steam Deck, Switch, PC, phone, and even MAME cab.
4) Many third party PS4/XBox controllers, and the Atari Modern Controller, are confirmed NOT to work with the GSP.

If anyone else finds any more working controllers, please share!

[ClassicGMR]

EDIT: Wow. Talk about the phone malfunctioning. Not even sure how I got into this thread…. Carry on. 

 

Edited November 6, 2023 by ClassicGMR

[donjn]

On 11/4/2023 at 6:29 PM, Shannon said:

She was not a big fan of the controller lag.  I suspect the lag is cause by interference from other devices in her house.. but who knows.

 

We need someone to test the lag WHILE THE CONTROLLER IS CONNECTED, not wireless.

This is very important.

[SoulBlazer]

5 minutes ago, donjn said:

We need someone to test the lag WHILE THE CONTROLLER IS CONNECTED, not wireless.

This is very important.

I can only report on the 2 of the 4 controllers I listed in my last post -- The 8bitdo controller and the PS4 controller -- and they are connected via wire.

With the TV in game mode I get NO lag at all.  And I even used the system on another TV set to confirm.

[donjn]

4 minutes ago, SoulBlazer said:

I can only report on the 2 of the 4 controllers I listed in my last post -- The 8bitdo controller and the PS4 controller -- and they are connected via wire.

With the TV in game mode I get NO lag at all.  And I even used the system on another TV set to confirm.

This is great news. And I am starting to see reports that some Atari 800 programs work too!

[donjn]

I have heard that sound only comes out of one speaker because "Atari is mono."

Can someone double-check if this is true? It is not hard to force mono into left and right at the same time. What an overlook if true.

[SoulBlazer]

1 minute ago, donjn said:

I have heard that sound only comes out of one speaker because "Atari is mono."

Can someone double-check if this is true? It is not hard to force mono into left and right at the same time. What an overlook if true.

I recall this got talked about in this thread, somewhere.

As I recall correctly you may have to adjust the sound settings on your TV.

My GSP plays fine on my TV on both sides.

[just_lou]

16 minutes ago, donjn said:

I have heard that sound only comes out of one speaker because "Atari is mono."

Can someone double-check if this is true? It is not hard to force mono into left and right at the same time. What an overlook if true.

If my TV's sound profile is set to the default "Standard" profile, then I only get sound out of the left speaker. If I set the profile to "AI" or "Game Optimized", I get sound out of both speakers but the left speaker is somewhat louder. 

[Shannon]

I wanted to update my information from earlier with a few corrections.  I actually talked to my sister on the phone and was able to figure out a few things that didn't seem right on the email.

 

Corrections..

 

No Lynx support ( at least not the .lnx extension ).  She said it did not show up in the list.  I missed that in the initial email.

Atari 800 games.  I thought Frogger Disk loaded.. but she said she only saw one Frogger ( the arcade one ).. So no Atari 800 support.

 

[Shannon]

I forgot to mention.. but I created an artwork folder to test to see if MAME looks for that.  The one game didn't work so she couldn't say.  But she did say that the Space Invaders were green.  Which should mean that it worked.

[reverendshoebox]

Hi, all.

Here's an infodump of all the things I've discovered about the Gamestation Pro so far (I posted some of these in the AtariAge Facebook group, and I apologize if anything here has already been discussed - I've skimmed this topic, but I'm 14 pages late to the party.  ) 

 

1. It does NOT work with an XBox 360 wireless adapter.  At least not a third party one.
2. I tried hooking up a USB keyboard, and it sort of works.  You can use it like a controller - the keypad works as up-down-left-right and some of the keys map to A/B/C/Home/Start/Select buttons. This seems to work everywhere, even in the menus. I hoped this meant that maybe the keys would work in Altirra (e.g. that I could use the transporters in Miner 2049er.)  Alas, this was not to be.
3. I was successfully able to hook up two PS4 controllers (connected via USB) and play The Simpsons Arcade (loaded via SD) with two players. However, if both controllers weren't hooked up at startup, I got some really weird results...either the player 1 / player 2 controls would switch randomly or only some directions/buttons would work on one of the controllers. 
4. If you hook the thing up to your PC via the rear USB-C power input, your PC...uh...powers the unit.  That's it.  It's not recognized as a device or anything like that. 

5. The RetroBit wireless Genesis controller (via USB dongle) did not work.

6. The USB-connected Hyperkin Trooper 2 was the most frustrating thing...it ALMOST worked.  The joystick works.  But the upper left button is mapped to "Start" / "Game Reset" and NONE OF ITS BUTTONS ARE MAPPED TO BUTTON A.  So you could play Pac-Man with it if you navigate the menus using the native control...but that's about it.

8. Since we know it's using Altirra for 5200 emulation, I wondered if it would maybe recognize A8 games. I threw a couple onto the SD with atr and xex extensions, but they didn't show up on the menu.  I tried renaming both of those with a56 extensions, hoping maybe they'd show up and the emulator would figure things out, but they didn't launch (NOTE:  I only tried this with Snokie, might be worth trying with a couple of other games.)

9. Game Gear games are supported (at least if you have firmware version 1.20 or higher, apparently,) so I wondered if maybe Master System games would work.  They did not show up in the menu. Using the same logic applied above, I tried renaming an .sms file to .gg and shockingly it launched and I was able to sort of play Psycho Fox - but the colors were wonky (the main Psycho Fox sprite was just a black blob) and the screen was clipped on the left and right.  This meshes with what I was told by a Sega representative on their 800 number decades ago - namely that the Game Gear had more colors than the Master System (the context of my call was asking if a Game-Gear-To-Master-System adapter would ever exist.)

10. I took the joystick apart to some degree.  I wasn't able to get the main board fully removed because the paddle control on the top is either glued to the potentiometer or just really, really tight to the point that I was worried I'd break something.  It's possible I could desolder it from the bottom and take the whole potentiometer off.  But I didn't do that.  Nor did I take any pictures.  But I just took it apart again to at least get a few pics of the test points on the board and the labeled connectors.

 

For my next trick, I've ordered a Bluetooth dongle from 8BitDo which has button-based pairing - I'm hoping this will maybe allow me to pair my PS4 controllers wirelessly.  

Thanks to everyone else for their initial investigations into this (especially GenXGrownup who I'm guessing is on here somewhere.)

 

 

[SoulBlazer]

Thanks for the post!  I posted a little above the result of controllers tried with the systems and four we confirmed DO work.

Also...firmware update?  Say what?  Is there an update for the GBP?  How do we even apply it?

[reverendshoebox]

Update:  When I took the controller apart earlier I apparently pulled the three-wire bundle off of the Button B contact.  So I had to take it apart further to fix this.

 

The paddle DOES in fact pull off of the potentiometer with a little effort, so my worries of glue were unfounded.

 

Got a few more pictures, including detail of how the joystick directions make contact with the PCB and such.  

 

One could, if one were so inclined (and one is damned well thinking about it, believe one,) presumably solder a few wires from the board to a DB9 connector, allowing one to plug a classic Atari joystick into this thing and use it semi-sorta-wirelessly.

 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2023 by reverendshoebox

[reverendshoebox]

1 hour ago, SoulBlazer said:

Thanks for the post!  I posted a little above the result of controllers tried with the systems and four we confirmed DO work.

Also...firmware update?  Say what?  Is there an update for the GBP?  How do we even apply it?

No firmware updates appear to be available anywhere...you have whatever you have when you get the system.  The firmware version shows up under "About" under the settings.

 

[TrekMD]

Saw these at BJ's in Orlando this weekend...

[just_lou]

2 minutes ago, TrekMD said:

Saw these at BJ's in Orlando this weekend...

 

Just curious. Is BJ's matching Costco's $79.99 price?

[TrekMD]

No, they are charging $89.99.  Only $10 lower than My Arcade.

[just_lou]

1 minute ago, TrekMD said:

No, they are charging $89.99.  Only $10 lower than My Arcade.

OK. Thanks for the info.

 

[TrekMD]

Sure thing.  I've not seen it at Sam's Club yet.  If they do show up, I have to wonder how they'll price it.  I've also not seen it at BJ's in Miami. 

[+Mocotechprfl]

9 hours ago, just_lou said:

Just curious. Is BJ's matching Costco's $79.99 price?

You should ask at BJ's if they'll match Costco's price. They may either match it or give you the difference in the form of a gift card. If both locations are near each other, it would be a good thing to check out.

[smoore]

Mine arrived yesterday, had a quick blast on Joust and Wizard of Wor - but very disappointed to find out that it can't handle 8-bit files.

 

There must be a way to modify/upgrade the O/S or firmware - just hoping that somebody smarter than me finds a way to do it!

 

 

[+Mocotechprfl]

I wish there was a way to upgrade the firmware. I emailed MyArcade but no response. Not holding my breath.