+remowilliams Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 6 hours ago, mimo said: One question to the lucky people that have received theirs, can the CX stick be plugged in to any port and still be used to access the menu etc? I sure hope this is the case... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 8 hours ago, mimo said: One question to the lucky people that have received theirs, can the CX stick be plugged in to any port and still be used to access the menu etc? I think so, because when GenX was using the new VCS stick for the paddle with the hidden games (Super Breakout and Castle Crisis), he needed TheCX Stick plugged in for the function buttons (because he was playing carousel games, which can't remap the controller -- which they should probably change). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 (edited) 15 minutes ago, MrFish said: I think so, because when GenX was using the new VCS stick for the paddle with the hiddens games (Super Breakout and Castle Crisis), he needed TheCX Stick plugged in for the function buttons (because he was playing carousel games, which can't remap the controller -- which they should probably change). I just tested a carousel game (Lee). It does work when you put your preferred USB controller in USB-port 1 and the CXStick in USB-port 2. Weirdly enough it does not work the other way around.... Edited March 28 by Fred_M 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 1 minute ago, Fred_M said: Weirdly enough it does not work the other way around.... Interesting. Good to hear you've got one in hand now, so you can give it a good testing. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 42 minutes ago, MrFish said: I think so, because when GenX was using the new VCS stick for the paddle with the hiddens games (Super Breakout and Castle Crisis), he needed TheCX Stick plugged in for the function buttons (because he was playing carousel games, which can't remap the controller -- which they should probably change). Ah, thanks. I did watch that but was supposed to be working so not paying full attention That's good news 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 (edited) A small follow up to my earlier post of today. I can confirm now that the screen is "zoomed in" too much if you load games from USB. Even after changing the game settings (width, height and offset). It does not matter if you are running in PAL (50hz) or NTSC (60hz). The atari 8-bit computers are capable to display graphics outside of the normal text screen, for other systems (like the C64) achieving this is much more difficult and less used. Here is a good example: Operation blood by Mirage/ANG Software. This is how it is supposed to look. And this is the output of the 400 mini: I hope that Plaion/Retro Games can fix this in an update. I tested both 50hz and 60hz and had the same results. I use the pixel perfect setting, because the 4:3 setting displays a squashed picture that is completely incorrect. 50hz runs PAL software fine and PAL only games do not work correctly in 60hz as expected. Personally I think the sound is not bad, better than I expected. Edited March 28 by Fred_M 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjedavison Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 6 minutes ago, Fred_M said: A small follow up to my earlier post of today. I can confirm now that the screen is "zoomed in" too much if you load games from USB. Even after changing the game settings. It does not matter if you are running in PAL (50hz) or NTSC (60hz). The atari 8-bit computers are capable to display graphics outside of the normal text screen. This is one thing I was a little concerned about prior to launch, seeing all the built-in games with no border. For USB loaded games, you can increase the screen width and height by a bit as well as tweaking the vertical offset, but not quite enough to make the full overscan border visible. Whether or not this is an issue varies a bit by game; more recent homebrews tend to be a bit more adventurous in this regard (the status bar in Bosconian is chopped off at both the top and bottom even at max width/height, for example) but older stuff that keeps itself to the usual "playfield" generally works fine. This should in theory be an easy enough fix in a firmware update, they just need to up the limits on the crop settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 5 hours ago, Fred_M said: The sound is good! 4 hours ago, Romuluz said: the sound is not good Hmm... I guess pending more opinions on the matter... [Edit] Maybe testing something with advanced sound techniques like Instrumentarium can help determine something. (Note: Speed of music is intended for PAL; NTSC will be a little fast.) Instrumentarium.xex 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 (edited) 1 hour ago, MrFish said: Hmm... I guess pending more opinions on the matter... [Edit] Maybe testing something with advanced sound techniques like Instrumentarium can help determine something. (Note: speed of music is intended for PAL; NTSC will be a little fast) Instrumentarium.xex 8.55 kB · 2 downloads I will test your file! My comment was primarely based on the libretro 800 core used in the Gamestation Pro and many homebrew images for various systems like the Flashback 10. That one sounds awfull compared to the 400 mini. Edit: tried your xex-file. I agree that real hardware sounds better, but compared to other "cheap" emulation systems it is not the worst I have heard In my opinion this system is a nice way to play games, but will not be a good replacement for a real Atari 8-bit computer. It is intended for the casual player who already got rid of their Atari 8-bit computer many years ago. The 400 mini has too many problems to be a serious Atari 8-bit computer for us die hard A8-users Edited March 28 by Fred_M 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 18 minutes ago, Fred_M said: I will test your file! My comment was primarely based on the libretro 800 core used in the Gamestation Pro and many homebrew images for various systems like the Flashback 10. That one sounds awfull compared to the 400 mini. Yes, I assumed you were speaking relative to some of the less-capable emulators. 19 minutes ago, Fred_M said: Tried your xex-file. I agree that real hardware sounds better, but compared to other "cheap" emulation systems it is not the worst I have heard OK, so I guess you tried it on real hardware to for comparison. I should have at least posted a video of some decent emulation for it. This video doesn't say in the comments, but I'm pretty sure this is Altirra running it. There are some other videos where Altirra is being used too. Anyway, thanks for taking time to test Instrumentarium out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infinite.pies Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 8 hours ago, THX-1138 said: This is the first time I've had any Amazon UK weirdness. I pre-ordered my 400 mini when it first appeared on Amazon. I thought I'd paid for it, but obviously had not and the delivery date was set back to Saturday. Then, VERY early this morning I saw the 400 mini was now available - buy now for delivery by 5pm today. WTF? So why was mine gonna take until Saturday? So I cancelled my original order, reordered for today and it's due for delivery any time in the next few hours. Can't wait. 😃 I ordered from Amazon UK on 23 January, but my order hasn't despatched yet. It's an international order, so maybe I'm a lower priority? I rarely buy from Amazon (unless there is absolutely no local option), so I don't know what their despatch times are like normally, but the order says estimated delivery is 5-11 April. I guess it won't leave the UK until after Easter. I'm in no hurry though, I've still got plenty to explore with my 2600+ 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 1 hour ago, MrFish said: Yes, I assumed you were speaking relative to some of the less-capable emulators. OK, so I guess you tried it on real hardware to for comparison. I should have at least posted a video of some decent emulation for it. This video doesn't say in the comments, but I'm pretty sure this is Altirra running it. There are some other videos where Altirra is being used too. Anyway, thanks for taking time to test Instrumentarium out. I will make a direct sound capture tomorrow and post it here, so you can judge it yourself 😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 21 minutes ago, Fred_M said: I will make a direct sound capture tomorrow and post it here, so you can judge it yourself 😀 Alright, that'd be helpful for us scrutinizers. Thanks for indulging us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DjayBee Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Did someone play M.U.L.E. in Tournament mode? I just saw a German test on YouTube where it showed major emulation problems. The MULE shop doesn't show any MULE, the titles of the LAND shop and of its left neighbor are completely butchered. Can someone please verify that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 A few observations from mine: 1. Definitely some input lag compared to my Eclaire XL or Altirra. I particularly felt it on Miner 2049er when running towards/away from platform edges. 2. ATX images don't show up in the USB stick file list even though ATX claims to be a supported file format. 3. 2600-daptor and 2600-daptor II don't work properly -- the fire button isn't functional. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.Fraenkel Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 8 hours ago, DjayBee said: Did someone play M.U.L.E. in Tournament mode? I just saw a German test on YouTube where it showed major emulation problems. The MULE shop doesn't show any MULE, the titles of the LAND shop and of its left neighbor are completely butchered. Can someone please verify that? Unfortunately true. Picture 1 shows MULE on the 400Mini, picture 2 on the C64. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.atarimania.com Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Is this just bad emulation or the result of choosing a dodgy file for the system? If it's the latter, that's clearly unacceptable. The fact .atx files don't show up makes me fear the worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pac-Man Senior Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 19 hours ago, iamscuba2 said: Which adapter do you use to connect your original controller to usb? Oh, hard to be absolutely sure because I own this adapter since the old PS2 days. But I guess it is from Speedlink. A simple jack with 50cm usb cable. It is perfect for my windows computer, C64 mini/maxi, retropie and 400 mini. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DjayBee Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 2 hours ago, H.Fraenkel said: Unfortunately true. Picture 1 shows MULE on the 400Mini, picture 2 on the C64. @Ben from Plaion should know about this (and hopefully fix it soon). If the problem is not bad emulation but caused by a bad image as @www.atarimania.com suggests, I am happy to supply a working Diaperboy crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Oberhäuser Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Wumpus Hunt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Oberhäuser Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Ok, I have now played various games for about 1 hour (only the pre-installed ones, PAL) and my first impression is rather sobering. - MULE doesn't seem to have been tested very well. 2 crashes, display errors in the store, Wumpus hunt success screen shredded - Missile Command very imprecise controls or the stick feels bad - M49 input lag and imprecise controls - Millipede not playable. Controls are a disaster. - Berzerk is also difficult (lag) As I said, this is my first impression. I haven't tested the optional input options yet and I'll have to take another look at the games in Altirra. Maybe I have the wrong memories. I'll connect my 130XE battleship later and check that out again. The front end makes a good impression. But the lags are really bad, I'm very sensitive to that. But as I said, I'll have to take a bit more time and compare. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.Fraenkel Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 3 minutes ago, Marc Oberhäuser said: Ok, I have now played various games for about 1 hour (only the pre-installed ones, PAL) and my first impression is rather sobering. - MULE doesn't seem to have been tested very well. 2 crashes, display errors in the store, Wumpus hunt success screen shredded - Missile Command very imprecise controls or the stick feels bad - M49 input lag and imprecise controls - Millipede not playable. Controls are a disaster. - Berzerk is also difficult (lag) As I said, this is my first impression. I haven't tested the optional input options yet and I'll have to take another look at the games in Altirra. Maybe I have the wrong memories. I'll connect my 130XE battleship later and check that out again. The front end makes a good impression. But the lags are really bad, I'm very sensitive to that. But as I said, I'll have to take a bit more time and compare. Would you say that MULE is still playable apart from the bugs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Oberhäuser Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I only played 1 turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean_1970 Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 On 3/28/2024 at 10:11 AM, mimo said: Got to love Amazon, I ordered it from Amazon UK on the day it was announced and my delivery moved out to Saturday 30th , and then back to tomorrow (Friday 29th) Absolutely no benefit to ordering early it seems 🙄 I had a note yesterday saying delivered Saturday and then a message this morning saying it’s coming today - checked detail and the courier is Royal Mail, which is pretty rare for Amazon these days so that might account for the time being all over the shop. I usually have Royal Mail delivery by midday so only a couple hours to go. I’ll hopefully get both unboxing and Let’s Play videos uploaded this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pps Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 (edited) Here a screenshot from usb loaded M.U.L.E.: Problem is really just a wrong image of the game. I really can't understand how such a mistake can happen... Is there no one who takes control, if everything is correct? Edited March 29 by pps 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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