Gamestation Pro

[just_lou]

9 minutes ago, big_guitar said:

Sorry if this is already understood, but is there a way to traverse through the SD card game listings a page at a time instead of one game at a time?   

Joystick Left/Right

[Domeshtan]

6 hours ago, 82-T/A said:

 

God... Battlezone was like my absolute favorite game on the Atari 2600... I played it for hours on end...

I was more of a Robot Tank fan when it came to the 2600 but both are good.

[Hydro Thunder]

On 11/24/2023 at 6:35 PM, just_lou said:

Anyone have a list of 5200 games that work well on the GSP with the GSP controller? 

I finally got my files loaded to a microSD and I like how it's working so far.  As for the controller, I am struggling mightily with most maze games on all systems, 2600 / 5200 / 7800.  But I have played Dreadnaught Factor, it is enjoyable but without a Keypad input you can only play level 1, which is the same 1 Dreadnaught, then the game ends after you destroy it.
I had a great time with 5200 Galaxian; just had to move the paddle controller to the middle as an early adjustment.  Plays brilliantly.  

Sadly cannot Start Intellidiscs as it requires the number pad.

Space Invaders looks freaking amazing (to a simpleton like me) in HDMI / OLED, plays perfectly.

Will kick around some others and report back as I'm able.

[Shannon]

I'm gonna take a crack at a Battle Zone configuration tonight.

 

But if people can tell me how the Gamestation Pro buttons map up compared to either an Xbox One controller or a Playstation controller.. either one.  That will make it easier.

 

[Shannon]

Wow.. no kidding about the Battlezone controllers being wonky. 

 

Try this configuration..

 

As for 5200 games.. since they are using A5200... I might be able to help out.  However sadly A5200 limits the assignments to 1, 3, 5, 7, #, *, Pause and Start.  It can also show/hide an OSK ( On Screen Keyboard ).. so that might be the best option.  Just tell me what to assign that to and we can try it.  The only downside is I don't know if they have it set to look for remaps in the games folder.  If I were to guess the file I create would go in "games\remaps" and hopefully it will be picked up.  Hard to say.. MAME functions a bit differently.  Then again it might go in just the "games" folder.

 

As for Space Rocks.. it works in Stella 2014 which is most likely the version that is being used on the Gamestation Pro.  One way to know for sure is to try Mappy.  If that does not work then they are definitely using Stella 2014.  Now it may be possible to load Space Rocks in Stella on a PC set the controller type to gamepad and create a ".pro" file which could possibly be used to trick the Gamestation Pro into using that.  Create a .pro file and dump it in the same folder as the ROM ( games ).  I know this trick works with Retroarch Stella Current.

 

bzone.cfg

Edited November 29, 2023 by Shannon

[Domeshtan]

1 hour ago, Shannon said:

I'm gonna take a crack at a Battle Zone configuration tonight.

 

But if people can tell me how the Gamestation Pro buttons map up compared to either an Xbox One controller or a Playstation controller.. either one.  That will make it easier.

On my PlayStation Classic with powered USB hub X=A button, O=B Button, Triangle=C , option menu is square button and I don't know if L2 maps to anything on the GSP stick but it worked on a couple games.

[Domeshtan]

3 hours ago, Shannon said:

I'm gonna take a crack at a Battle Zone configuration tonight.

 

But if people can tell me how the Gamestation Pro buttons map up compared to either an Xbox One controller or a Playstation controller.. either one.  That will make it easier.

Don't quote me on Xbox One but from what I remember from a video I think A=A, B=B, X=C and Y brings up the option menu so that might mess things up for a more "ideal" Battle Zone layout for the Xbox One controller. PlayStation would be near perfect using x and triangle for the right tank tread. O is the only button left to map fire to realistically comparing to possible GSP joystick controls. I know L2 worked in some fighting games but I don't know what button number that would map out to. Fighting games mostly seemed one button short of being totally playable. I have a third party Xbox wired controler but I got nothing with it for detecting any buttons or directions. The lights can be turned on and that's it.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Domeshtan

[Domeshtan]

3 hours ago, Shannon said:

Wow.. no kidding about the Battlezone controllers being wonky. 

 

Try this configuration..

No luck. I just tried it out with the PS Classic controller with powered USB hub... The tank moves around fine but now no button fires. Ah well. Gotta play it on the Legends Gamer Pro I guess. I bought Atari Anthology for the first Xbox so I could own Battle Zone. I already owned Atari Vault for PC and Atari50 for Nintendo Switch but I don't see Battle Zone on the game lists anymore. I guess they must have sold the rights way back. Maybe when that remake version came out?

[Domeshtan]

4 hours ago, Shannon said:

Wow.. no kidding about the Battlezone controllers being wonky. 

I just tried out Vindicators Part II and it's got the same messed up controls as Battle Zone. The O button was acting weird. Like it worked in menus for selecting things, entering initials, but on the first level playing it did nothing. On another it seemed to be able to rotate the gun counter clockwise about a quarter turn. Too many buttons to map for the game anyway. Left trigger is supposed to be for special weapon, right trigger to fire and two top buttons to rotate the gun around.

[big_guitar]

6 minutes ago, Domeshtan said:

No luck. I just tried it out with the PS Classic controller with powered USB hub... The tank moves around fine but now no button fires. Ah well. Gotta play it on the Legends Gamer Pro I guess. I bought Atari Anthology for the first Xbox so I could own Battle Zone. I already owned Atari Vault for PC and Atari50 for Nintendo Switch but I don't see Battle Zone on the game lists anymore. I guess they must have sold the rights way back. Maybe when that remake version came out?

OK, I made one that works for me!

I was originally trying to use both analog sticks, but GSP was not happy about something, it wasn't liking my default or didn't recognize retroarch.cfg or whatever I threw at it.  When I loaded Shannon's in my RA it had Right/Down the same as Left/Down and Right/Up the same as Left/Up, so that just went forward and backward only.  Then I switched from trying to 2 sticks to work, to only use a single left analog (which maps to D-pad I think by default), and then I mapped the FIRE button to xbox 'A' (which equates to RetroPad B).  It works well now at least for using my xbox controller, I haven't tried the GSP controller with it, but I'm actually surprised I got this one to work for me since it seemed to ignore everything when I tried to use the secondary analog altogether.

 

I found an old YT video suggesting this setup for tank games in RA (first 4 entries basically)... this is what worked for me.

 

P1 Right/Down = RetroPad1 Down or RetroPad1 Right
P1 Right/Up = RetroPad1 Up or RetroPad1 Left
P1 Left/Down = RetroPad1 Down or RetroPad1 Left
P1 Left/Up = RetroPad1 Up or RetroPad1 Right
P1 Button 3 = RetroPad1 B

 

See attachment

 

bzone.cfg

[Hydro Thunder]

Some more 5200 testing with the Standard GSP controller:

 

River Raid rocks (best version of the game, maybe?), plays great

Castle Crisis, Gorf, Kaboom!, all fail as they're set to analog in a way that doesn't translate   Unplayable, basically

Mario Bros, Pengo, Mr Dos Castle, Montezuma's Revenge, Miner 2049er, Kangaroo, Jungle Hunt, Joust, Gremlins, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Countermeasure, Bounty Bob, and Berzerk all seemed to play just great, no issues at all that I could tell from brief trials.

Pac-Man / Ms Pac Man / Jr Pac Man play, but I again had trouble specifically with the verticals going where I wanted them to, kept missing turns etc.  Maybe I'm old and really bad at this joystick.

Moon Patrol works great BUT you cannot Continue (need the #2 on the number pad to continue)

Return of the Jedi works BUT you have to be careful not to hit the C button / trigger, or it resets your game.  I had major issues with this lol

Popeye would not load, just a blank screen and music, at least for me.

 

[big_guitar]

8 hours ago, just_lou said:

Joystick Left/Right

That helps thank you!  Wish it auto repeated, but it's much better, should have tried it before!

[Shannon]

2 hours ago, Hydro Thunder said:

Some more 5200 testing with the Standard GSP controller:

 

River Raid rocks (best version of the game, maybe?), plays great

Castle Crisis, Gorf, Kaboom!, all fail as they're set to analog in a way that doesn't translate   Unplayable, basically

Mario Bros, Pengo, Mr Dos Castle, Montezuma's Revenge, Miner 2049er, Kangaroo, Jungle Hunt, Joust, Gremlins, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Countermeasure, Bounty Bob, and Berzerk all seemed to play just great, no issues at all that I could tell from brief trials.

Pac-Man / Ms Pac Man / Jr Pac Man play, but I again had trouble specifically with the verticals going where I wanted them to, kept missing turns etc.  Maybe I'm old and really bad at this joystick.

Moon Patrol works great BUT you cannot Continue (need the #2 on the number pad to continue)

Return of the Jedi works BUT you have to be careful not to hit the C button / trigger, or it resets your game.  I had major issues with this lol

Popeye would not load, just a blank screen and music, at least for me.

 

 

The issue with the Pac-man games on the 5200 is the self centering joystick.  Each game would run some calibration code before each round ( each time after you die as well ).  If you make it a point to move your character in all four directions as quickly as possible at the start of a round ( or after dying ) then it should be easier to play.  But even doing that can be a real pain in the tush.   

 

@big_guitar Glad you got something working.  Maybe what I need to do is dig out my Psx mini controller and connect it to my xbox and see if retroarch recognizes it and set it.  From what I understand all of the controls are "relative" so the actual button name is not important. 

 

For some reason the retroarch author chose to use the Super Nintendo as his template for controllers.  So we have the A and B buttons reversed and the X and Y buttons reversed.  But essentially there are 10 possible buttons ( A, B, X, Y, L, R, Select, Start, L and R ).  As well as the dpad which adds 4.  Plus retroarch recognizes analog sticks so they count as well.  Oh and L2, R2 and L3 and R3.  But it was essentially built around the Super Nintendo Controller. 

 

The tricky part will be figuring out how the Gamestation Pro controllers buttons are read by Retroarch.  Once that is done then creating remaps should be easy. 

 

So we have this

 

Sony PS1-5

X, O, Square, Triangle

 

Microsoft Xbox

A, B,  X, Y

 

Nintendo

B, A, Y, X

 

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Shannon

[big_guitar]

Evidently, GSP Controller button A matches Xbox A (RetroPad 'B') when playing on GSP, so that worked for bzone, and the navigation worked as expected with the single stick with GSP controller, although I still wonder about 2-stick setup.  I imagine it unlikely that GSP provides an easy way to recognize extra triggers without remapping as existing ones as available on the basic controller.  Also curious if we can get GSP to recognize ini settings for analog joystick directional mappings, but I suppose that is unlikely.

 

But attempting to use the 'Twin USB Joystick' (GSP controller) in Windows for any type of config to use with GSP would seem a lost cause, as nothing really aligns as needed when using it with Windows. It would seem best to use another controller like Xbox for configuration in Windows and then test the GSP controller only on GSP.  It is unfortunate that the Y button on xbox controller invokes the save screen on GSP, even when you can't save the state.

[LatchKeyKid]

Is there any history of the MyArcade updating their products to allow for access to emulator menus to do things like remap buttons?

[Domeshtan]

8 hours ago, big_guitar said:

OK, I made one that works for me!

Works for me too! Combat style controls but playable. Works with the original GSP stick nice but I was playing it with my PS Classic controller set up. No analog sticks at all on that thing. Just the original PS1 layout.

[Domeshtan]

8 hours ago, Hydro Thunder said:

Castle Crisis, Gorf, Kaboom!, all fail as they're set to analog in a way that doesn't translate

5200 Gorf! Oh, how they botched that game. Those controls to where you moved the stick and your ship would just "snap" to that position on the screen. That game was pretty unplayable right out of the box.

[Shannon]

9 minutes ago, Domeshtan said:

5200 Gorf! Oh, how they botched that game. Those controls to where you moved the stick and your ship would just "snap" to that position on the screen. That game was pretty unplayable right out of the box.

 

There is a hack someone made of Gorf that forces the stick into digital mode.  It's worth tracking down.

 

I'd also recommend all of the Atari 800 conversions.. although they may be hit or miss on the Gamestation Pro.

 

[Domeshtan]

I just tried something weird. I tried to take that working Battle Zone .cfg file (with the Combat style controls) and tried to rename it to vindctr2.cfg (Vindicators Part II) and copy it over just to see what would happen. File sizes were different but tried anyway. Controls seemed pretty messed up at first but I don't know if it "auto-corrected" itself somehow. It seemed to go back to the messed up Battle Zone style controls. Looks like you have to "buy" the ability to rotate your gun. Didn't know that. I thought it just sped it up. So the controls I am seeing on Vindicators Part II are...

Up/Down= Left tank tread.

Triangle=Right tank tread up AND fire.

(C button on the GSP stick)

 X=Right tank tread down AND fire special weapon. 

(A button on GSP stick)

O=Rotate gun counter-clockwise.

(B Button on GSP stick)

Semi playable in a weird way like Battle Zone with the fire button issue it had. No gun rotation for clockwise but there are not enough buttons anyway that can be mapped.

[xboxiso]

Has anyone had any luck getting the Hyperkin Trooper 2 Premium joystick to work with the GSP?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hyperkin-Trooper-Premium-Controller-Mac-Desktop/dp/B09B349TDZ/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=499814085247&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9031046&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14356883107966709541&hvtargid=kwd-1186231636223&hydadcr=19328_9729370&keywords=hyperkin+trooper+2&qid=1701272910&sr=8-1

 

Would be awesome if this joystick could work. 
 

@Domeshtan are you plugging your powered USB hub in the usb c port on the back of the GSP or one of the front ports? What is the benefit of using a powered usb hub with the GSP?

[+Mocotechprfl]

12 minutes ago, xboxiso said:

Has anyone had any luck getting the Hyperkin Trooper 2 Premium joystick to work with the GSP?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hyperkin-Trooper-Premium-Controller-Mac-Desktop/dp/B09B349TDZ/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=499814085247&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9031046&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14356883107966709541&hvtargid=kwd-1186231636223&hydadcr=19328_9729370&keywords=hyperkin+trooper+2&qid=1701272910&sr=8-1

 

Would be awesome if this joystick could work. 
 

@Domeshtan are you plugging your powered USB hub in the usb c port on the back of the GSP or one of the front ports? What is the benefit of using a powered usb hub with the GSP?

Hmm a few of those reviews said the joystick handle broke after 1 week of use!

[xboxiso]

I’ve had mine for quite a while with no issues. It’s great. Use it with Stella 6.7 on my pc and really like it. Would love to be able to use it on the GSP. Does anyone know if there is custom firmware in the works for this device?

[Domeshtan]

2 hours ago, xboxiso said:

are you plugging your powered USB hub in the usb c port on the back of the GSP or one of the front ports? What is the benefit of using a powered usb hub with the GSP?

I put this video up a little while back. It works with my PS Classic controler I got. (From that mini PlayStation console). Well, mostly works. Space Duel was the only game so far to give me any "real" issues as I had to use the 2nd GSP joystick for the select button for starting the game. Worked fine afterwards. 

Anyway, yeah, the hub has to be powered I found out or the directional movement doesn't work and I need the original GSP stick for navigating the game menus and for the home button to exit out of games. I show the brand I am using. How much power is needed? Not sure but this one is like 900mA per port. Back is connected to the system and the two controlers are hooked up to the front. It seems the positions where they are hooked up matters as well or it tries to use the GSP stick for directional movement again. 

  The other option is too keep swapping the stick and pad every time you start a game which gets old pretty fast. 

  It takes a few seconds of pressing select and a few directions usually to detect it but once it does it seems to work fine for the rest of the current game.

 

 

[Domeshtan]

I just went thru the list of games I added. Just some more ideas for the .cfg files if anyone wants to tackle them. Great job so far fixing Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Space Duel, Gravitar and Battle Zone. Some "ideas" at least...

720 - Is there anyway to map the stick to 8 directions instead of +- movement? Not sure if it's even playable that way. I just remember playing a C64 version that way.

 

Cloak & Dagger - Currently mapped for Triangle for Up Fire (C button), O for Left Fire (B button), X for Down Fire (A button) and L2 for the Igniter (No idea which button that is mapped as for number). Is it possible to combine a button + direction for firing in a certain direction? Like a combination has to be pressed to play something like Berserk maybe? 

 

Space Fury, Eliminator (I'm using elim2 for 2 player version) and Zektor would probably play better on the GSP stick with Up for thrust again. Also...Zektor... WAY to sensitive for rotate left and right. Are there menu options that can tone that down? I'm guessing it used a spinner for controls.

 

Forgotten Worlds - Nothing mapped to rotate your direction of fire.

 

NeoGeo games - From what I can tell there is no D button mapped for any games. I tried King of Fighters 94 and I was able to do the "charge" thing holding down all 3 buttons but not sure which is mapped to which. I know some games used L2 on the PS Classic controller but still no idea what button it's mapped to for value. 

 

Kozmik Kroozr - X is fire (A button) and O is Shield (B button) but nothing is mapped to rotate the fire direction.

 

Wacko - Move and Fire are mapped together. Is there a way to do direction with a button to fire. Like left + button = fire left. Up + Button = fire up, etc? I know the original game uses a track ball for movement and a stick for firing. 

 

Stargate - I guess the only thing that could be done here is to add reverse to the left or right directional movement. 

Up an down work, X fires, O thrusts, Triangle uses smart bomb and L2 works for Inviso. 

 

Defender actually seems a little playable. Same layout as Stargate but L2 button is reverse on Defender.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Domeshtan

[Rikowski]

Is there any chance they might do a firmware update for a lot of these issues? Button mapping for sure, I don't have the unit yet though I reckon it would have to be done via USB c somehow. Just seems like a oversight. If not maybe someone can homebrew a fix I dunno.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Rikowski
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