Atari Gamestation Pro.....specs and hardware? Also, what's the firmware updates looking like in the near future?

[Kilroy5150]

 

Has anyone found out what the guts of this machine are all about? Also, does anyone know if they're going to do any firmware to handle TF card game roms faster and with a little style?

 

With the "aged" MAME roms that GenxGrownup have been posting i'm starting to wonder just how "old" the hardware really is. I mean those ROMs are WAY old. 0.139? Isn't MAME at the 0.25x level now? I know the Gamestation Pro can't handle the big roms like modern arcvade roms but shouldn't it still be able to handle updated versions of the old games? 

 

I dunno, you guys tell me what you think. This unit could have TONS of potential, like putting a version of CoinOpsX on it to give all those other roms some "style" but it won't just be a walk in the park.

 

 

[rocketfan]

Sorry I don't have any real answers, but I will say that 0.139 ROMs typically go with the "mame4droid" implementation of MAME.  So are these Android under the hood or a custom Linux build?  Anyone know?

 

A lot of times older MAME cores work better on older hardware.  The newer MAME implementations add new features and more sophisticated "cycle perfect" emulation, but I feel like they are developed with Windows (powerful) PCs in mind and not these more limited emulation devices.  Hence why you see old cores/versions used on hardware like this.

 

IMO, The add on capability of these they implemented as a bare-bones way to add a few favorite games and is great to have, but obviously if they just added like the ability to have a folder structure it would be 100% better.

 

What I would like to see in a firmware update is support added for the Hyperkin Trooper 2 USB Atari sticks.  These have a better physical layout for two button games than the GameStation Pro sticks, with the second action button positioned like a shoulder/trigger button to be used with your left index finger.  You can use Xbox style controllers, but the Hyperkin Trooper 2 would be an awesome add.

 

 

[fluxit]

5 minutes ago, rocketfan said:

Sorry I don't have any real answers, but I will say that 0.139 ROMs typically go with the "mame4droid" implementation of MAME.  So are these Android under the hood or a custom Linux build?  Anyone know?

 

A lot of times older MAME cores work better on older hardware.  The newer MAME implementations add new features and more sophisticated "cycle perfect" emulation, but I feel like they are developed with Windows (powerful) PCs in mind and not these more limited emulation devices.  Hence why you see old cores/versions used on hardware like this.

 

IMO, The add on capability of these they implemented as a bare-bones way to add a few favorite games and is great to have, but obviously if they just added like the ability to have a folder structure it would be 100% better.

 

What I would like to see in a firmware update is support added for the Hyperkin Trooper 2 USB Atari sticks.  These have a better physical layout for two button games than the GameStation Pro sticks, with the second action button positioned like a shoulder/trigger button to be used with your left index finger.  You can use Xbox style controllers, but the Hyperkin Trooper 2 would be an awesome add.

 

 

In as far as firmware updates apparently use "AndroidTool.exe," I'd say it is running a flavor of Android.

[Domeshtan]

On 12/2/2023 at 11:43 PM, Kilroy5150 said:

I know the Gamestation Pro can't handle the big roms like modern arcvade roms but shouldn't it still be able to handle updated versions of the old games? 

I added a couple hundred games I own and most of it runs at a decent rate. Joust 2 was too slow and crackly to play so I took it off with some others. 720, APB and Paperboy seemed slow as well. Problem with higher resolution games? Stuff like Hard Drivin', Race Drivin' and Stun Runner are a total joke for the frame rate.

[suspicious_milk]

14 hours ago, rocketfan said:

 

What I would like to see in a firmware update is support added for the Hyperkin Trooper 2 USB Atari sticks.  These have a better physical layout for two button games than the GameStation Pro sticks, with the second action button positioned like a shoulder/trigger button to be used with your left index finger.  You can use Xbox style controllers, but the Hyperkin Trooper 2 would be an awesome add.

 

 

This.

[xboxiso]

31 minutes ago, suspicious_milk said:

This.

Also folder support and paddle game support for games on the sdcard as well as controller button mapping options...

[0078265317]

Pics of inside.

 

 

[rocketfan]

Looks like a recent FW update did add SD card folder support.  Nice!
 

 

 

[dman11111]

This system is awesome I added a ton more games and now with the firmware update you can add even more. Any ideas yet on the actual software this is running.   I know alltira emulates the 5200 what about a mame version.    I would be cool if it supported intelllivision on and colecovision roms

Edited January 29 by dman11111