Has their been any word on the joystick issue? Or has it been radio silence?

[JetmanUK]

Has the manufacturer said anything about the joystick problems? It's been a while since release now. I have not followed it. I returned my unit for a refund. 

[+LS650]

"Radio silence" is accurate.

I like my 400 Mini, but I use a controller configuration file to blank out the ring buttons,  and have a USB keyboard for those functions.

[atariman72]

Nothing yet.  I've also asked about firmware updates on several occassions and not had a single reply from Retro Games.  It has really sullied THE400 experience for me.

[PMFonck]

I think the main issue with the joystick is a faulty hardware design. To replace all controllers would be too expensive, so to keep quiet and hope it won’t negatively influence sales of the next released product too much maybe the best strategy. It's all about the money…

[+MrFish]

2 hours ago, PMFonck said:

I think the main issue with the joystick is a faulty hardware design. To replace all controllers would be too expensive, so to keep quiet and hope it won’t negatively influence sales of the next released product too much maybe the best strategy. It's all about the money…

The joystick isn't the only issue. They might, somewhat understandably, attempt to duck that issue (similar to what they did with TheC64 Mini -- even though it's a quite a bit different issue); but there are plenty of firmware issues that should be addressed.

 

If they avoid updating firmware altogether, they run the risk of alienating a lot of customers; and since the general population of retro-gaming consumers are not just stuck to a single platform, that would translate into lack of overall confidence in any future products and sale losses.

 

Also, some of the issues with using the joystick (accidental ring-button contact issues) could be alleviated by a firmware update (functional changes). So, it would be a lot more likely to at least see something like that happen than any type of hardware-replacement solution.

 

[famicommander]

3 hours ago, MrFish said:

The joystick isn't the only issue. They might, somewhat understandably, attempt to duck that issue (similar to what they did with TheC64 Mini -- even though it's a quite a bit different issue); but there are plenty of firmware issues that should be addressed.

 

If they avoid updating firmware altogether, they run the risk of alienating a lot of customers; and since the general population of retro-gaming consumers are not just stuck to a single platform, that would translate into lack of overall confidence in any future products and sale losses.

 

Also, some of the issues with using the joystick (accidental ring-button contact issues) could be alleviated by a firmware update (functional changes). So, it would be a lot more likely to at least see something like that happen than any type of hardware-replacement solution.

 

AtGames released like 10 broke ass Atari Flashbacks in a row promising to fix it each time. They never did, and people kept on buying them.

 

The bar for these mini devices is so low that I truly don't think they could release one bad enough that would stop people from buying the next one. 

[+MrFish]

7 minutes ago, famicommander said:

AtGames released like 10 broke ass Atari Flashbacks in a row promising to fix it each time. They never did, and people kept on buying them.

 

The bar for these mini devices is so low that I truly don't think they could release one bad enough that would stop people from buying the next one. 

The bar has been set higher for devices like these in the last 8 or so years; and Retro Games has a pretty well-established track record with firmware updates so far. 

 

[famicommander]

12 minutes ago, MrFish said:

The bar has been set higher for devices like these in the last 8 or so years; and Retro Games has a pretty well-established track record with firmware updates so far. 

 

I don't see how the bar is any higher. The current crop of MyArcade Atari products is woeful, the Atari 2600+ needs multiple experimental updates out of the box to be somewhat useful, Atari is literally shipping out VCS consoles need to be reflashed out of the box, and clearly the 400Mini has its own set of issues.

 

And if you want to move it past Atari branded products, the damn Neo Geo mini somehow screwed up the button layout on a controller that only came with 4 buttons labeled alphabetically. They couldn't figure out A-B-C-D. There is no bar.

 

If Atari released an emulation box that gave housecats diarrhea by proximity people here would buy it and chastise the people criticizing it.

[+LS650]

2 hours ago, MrFish said:

The bar has been set higher for devices like these in the last 8 or so years; and Retro Games has a pretty well-established track record with firmware updates so far. 

It's been about 3 months since the release.  How long after TheC64 and other releases did Retro Games take to put out the first firmware updates?

Did they make any public comments about the firmware updates in that time span?

 

It's one thing if they engage with the buyers and put out informational updates, like we've seen with the 2600+.

A little communication goes a long way towards building trust.

 

[Razzie.P]

6 hours ago, famicommander said:

I don't see how the bar is any higher. The current crop of MyArcade Atari products is woeful, the Atari 2600+ needs multiple experimental updates out of the box to be somewhat useful, Atari is literally shipping out VCS consoles need to be reflashed out of the box, and clearly the 400Mini has its own set of issues.

 

And if you want to move it past Atari branded products, the damn Neo Geo mini somehow screwed up the button layout on a controller that only came with 4 buttons labeled alphabetically. They couldn't figure out A-B-C-D. There is no bar.

 

If Atari released an emulation box that gave housecats diarrhea by proximity people here would buy it and chastise the people criticizing it.

It does kinda feel like folks have "I'm not having any issues... you just need to use 'game mode' on your TV" ready to copy n' paste at a moment's notice.

 

 

 

But yeah, I saw the 400 mini was on sale so I thought I'd check here to see if they've fixed things before maybe buying it again.  Didn't like it at all when I bought it at launch, but will probably give it another shot if things get sorted.

[famicommander]

1 hour ago, Razzie.P said:

It does kinda feel like folks have "I'm not having any issues... you just need to use 'game mode' on your TV" ready to copy n' paste at a moment's notice.

 

 

 

But yeah, I saw the 400 mini was on sale so I thought I'd check here to see if they've fixed things before maybe buying it again.  Didn't like it at all when I bought it at launch, but will probably give it another shot if things get sorted.

It's a mistake to have half a dozen different emulation boxes on the market at the same time from three different manufacturers (PLAION, MyArcade, Retro Games LTD).

 

They should have made one damn box and actually sorted out its software before they released the damn thing. 

[glreno]

On 6/26/2024 at 3:00 PM, famicommander said:

If Atari released an emulation box that gave housecats diarrhea by proximity people here would buy it and chastise the people criticizing it.

Speaking as someone with a severely constipated kitty, this concept intrigues me.

[+evg2000]

If you have a 3d printer I've created a printable solution.
https://makerworld.com/en/models/424465#profileId-327847
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6576425

[+Fred_M]

On 6/29/2024 at 9:08 PM, evg2000 said:

If you have a 3d printer I've created a printable solution.
https://makerworld.com/en/models/424465#profileId-327847
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6576425

That is "only" a solution for accidental pressing the buttons. We are talking about the very bad construction of the joystick movements.

[JetmanUK]

I wasn't very clear in my original post, I am referring to the dodgy directional inputs from the joystick. I know not everyone has had the issue. To be fair to the manufacturers I personally did not have an issue with hitting the extra buttons accidentally, they were totally fine.

 

It seems all this time has gone by and yeah, radio silence, they have not addressed it at all. That is a shame as a guy did post on here, no follow up it seems. This is a far cry from how Plaion have handled the 2600 Plus, they have been present and advanced the firmware and dumper greatly so far. Ah well, I am glad that I returned my 400 Mini, it was clearly the correct decision.

[+evg2000]

4 hours ago, Fred_M said:

That is "only" a solution for accidental pressing the buttons. We are talking about the very bad construction of the joystick movements.

sorry, yeah misread the OP.  thanks for the clarification

[mimo]

23 hours ago, JetmanUK said:

 

 

It seems all this time has gone by and yeah, radio silence, they have not addressed it at all. That is a shame as a guy did post on here, no follow up it seems. This is a far cry from how Plaion have handled the 2600 Plus, they have been present and advanced the firmware and dumper greatly so far. Ah well, I am glad that I returned my 400 Mini, it was clearly the correct decision.

Ditto