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How about a CX80+ trakball and cart with the trakball games that were redone by Thomas Jentzsch and Omegamatrix?


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I know Atari would likely be limited to the 3 games that they have the rights to: Centipede, Millipede and Missile Command, unless they acquired the others, but even that would be pretty cool in my opinion, and the paddle cart they released only had 4 games, so why not. They could add a 4th if they could redo Crystal Castle. For the existing three, they'd need to come to an agreement with Thomas Jentzsch and Omegamatrix, but Atari is already working with homebrewers to release games on the VCS, so no reason they should be adverse to it here. Maybe they could get Marble Craze by Paul Slocum too. 

 

What do you all think? Maybe it wouldn't sell well, but the paddle bundle seems to have, so maybe it would as well. I think it would be great to have some brand new trakball controllers if made with quality. 
 

  • Like 8

A new trackball controller would be great. Atari also owns AtariAge, so they'll see a share of the sales of homebrews that support the trackball. And, if they release a new trackball, then cartridge sales of games that use it will go up for sure.

  • Like 3
11 hours ago, Space Friend said:

What do you all think? Maybe it wouldn't sell well, but the paddle bundle seems to have, so maybe it would as well. I think it would be great to have some brand new trakball controllers if made with quality. 

I think it's great.  I'd buy one by itself or with a game.

  • Like 1

These are things we talk about all the time. 

 

Current problem with the CX80 is that it only works with the 2600+ in Joystick mode and not Trackball mode, there is a switch on the back to toggle between modes. And for sure TB is much more preferable to JS mode.

 

We continue to look at things like this.

 

 

 

 

  • Like 5
  • Thanks 1
2 minutes ago, Ben from Plaion said:

These are things we talk about all the time. 

 

Current problem with the CX80 is that it only works with the 2600+ in Joystick mode and not Trackball mode, there is a switch on the back to toggle between modes. And for sure TB is much more preferable to JS mode.

 

We continue to look at things like this.

 

 

 

 

CX80 Joystick Mode is suspected to cause tendonitis😉

11 minutes ago, Ben from Plaion said:

When I held the CX80 in my hands you can imagine what I started to think. It's an aesthetic masterpiece.

 

I had the third-party trackball released for the original PlayStation (fab to be able to play stuff like Marble Madness, etc. - Digital Eclipse supported the PS Mouse for those games in their emulation with great prescience) and this looks loads nicer, even with the triangular buttons 👍

  • Like 2
1 minute ago, Ben from Plaion said:

When I held the CX80 in my hands you can imagine what I started to think. It's an aesthetic masterpiece.

 

I love the CX80 design and its quality (made in USA)🤙

I first had the one with the yellow ball but it was such a poor quality... the buttons got unresponsive quickly, so I added a workaround and sold it.

 

The CX80 is almost perfect. I opened my two CX80 and added thin washers to lift up the top part of the case just a little bit to give the ball some more space to roll.

The buttons are very responsive and give you excellent feedback with a smacking sound.

It is such a pleasure to play Missile Command or Centipede from AA store in TB mode🤗

 

(No) Fun Fact: Not a single 2600/7800 game did exist back in the 80s which supported the TB mode. It's a shame.

  • Like 1
4 minutes ago, Sean_1970 said:

I had the third-party trackball released for the original PlayStation (fab to be able to play stuff like Marble Madness, etc. - Digital Eclipse supported the PS Mouse for those games in their emulation with great prescience) and this looks loads nicer, even with the triangular buttons 👍

Trakballs always win🤙

20240201_180732.jpg

  • Like 4
8 minutes ago, DEANJIMMY said:

(No) Fun Fact: Not a single 2600/7800 game did exist back in the 80s which supported the TB mode. It's a shame.

I said this to someone only yesterday. Such a missed opportunity.  

  • Like 3
1 hour ago, Ben from Plaion said:

These are things we talk about all the time. 

 

Current problem with the CX80 is that it only works with the 2600+ in Joystick mode and not Trackball mode, there is a switch on the back to toggle between modes. And for sure TB is much more preferable to JS mode.

 

We continue to look at things like this.

 

 

 

 

Any updates on the Driving Controller?

1 minute ago, Ben from Plaion said:

Only that we may have access to update the MCU that deals with controller inputs. 

Sounds like good news.

 

 

 

 

 

I am just going to pretend like I understood what was said.

2 minutes ago, jeremiahjt said:

Sounds like good news.

 

 

 

 

 

I am just going to pretend like I understood what was said.

If you plug in a controller like the CX40+ joystick it communicates with an MCU chip that recognises button presess and makes them happen on screen. For some accessories like the videotouch pad, driving controller the MCU doesnt understand the inputs so they just dont work. Having acces to update the MCU may or may not make it possible for signals to be understood and then work as intended on screen.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
1 minute ago, Ben from Plaion said:

If you plug in a controller like the CX40+ joystick it communicates with an MCU chip that recognises button presess and makes them happen on screen. For some accessories like the videotouch pad, driving controller the MCU doesnt understand the inputs so they just dont work. Having acces to update the MCU may or may not make it possible for signals to be understood and then work as intended on screen.

Thanks Ben, that saved me telling him. 🤪

  • Haha 1
1 hour ago, DEANJIMMY said:

Trakballs always win🤙

20240201_180732.jpg

I mean look at it, its an engineering marvel. Praise be our Japanese overlords.

Edited by Ben from Plaion
  • Haha 2

I am blissfully ignorant of what an MCU does, but what you mention sounds at least a little bit promising.  I will be one of the first in line to buy a "4-in-1 INDY500 revisited cart" and driving controller bundle.  If it means a rev2 of the hardware is required, I'll buy a rev2 2600+ just for driving controller support (about the only thing keeping my old 2600 around is INDY500!).  Unfortunately, I may have to wait until Christmas 2024 to spring for another 2600+ cause I just purchased the re-release of Fatal Run and Ninja Golf.

  • Like 1
9 hours ago, Ben from Plaion said:

I said this to someone only yesterday. Such a missed opportunity.  

Well seems likes there's only one thing to do about it... 😁

  • Haha 1

Thinking about this more it would be pretty awesome given I don’t think there’s been a console trackball since the original PlayStation. Now the PS5 will support keyboard and mouse for games like Call of Duty, so I’m wondering if Digital Eclipse put in mouse support for Atari 50…anyone know? Not that I’d go and buy a Bluetooth or USB trackball to play a handful of arcade and console classics mind (of course I would) 😅

3 hours ago, Space Friend said:

It does have mouse support on the PC, can't answer about the PS5 though

Looks like someone else asked this and the answer is no mouse support on console 😭

 

 

  • Sad 1

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