EricDeLee Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 As for the Big fun keychains... I wish ol' Curt had been able to have his hands in it from start to finish. I think he would have put out a better product... by far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph74 Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Curt-- your work and visions continue to amaze! I've just bought my 2nd and 3rd FB2's with intent of making a portable. No need for that now-- I've waited 20 years for atari-on-the-go, so I can wait a while longer. Looking VERY forward to seeing more information on this. Happy Holidays, and good luck! Murph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmoe Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Given that the proposed FB2 Portable would have uploading game capabilities, Are there any plans to also include solder pads for a port addition as does the FB2 for all out mod posibilities?????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Question/suggestion regarding the control pad: Will it be on the right or left? I can't use left-handed control pads with 2600 games. I'd like to see the control pad be on the right, and the fire button be on the left - just like the original 2600 joystick. (Having a short, screw-in joystick would be nice, too.) Better still, would be a Lynx-like approach, where the unit could be flipped around for left or right handed control. At any rate - looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted December 1, 2006 Author Share Posted December 1, 2006 Once things are finalized legally, perhaps in January around the time for Toyfaire some photo's of the units will be released. Curt Question/suggestion regarding the control pad: Will it be on the right or left? I can't use left-handed control pads with 2600 games. I'd like to see the control pad be on the right, and the fire button be on the left - just like the original 2600 joystick. (Having a short, screw-in joystick would be nice, too.) Better still, would be a Lynx-like approach, where the unit could be flipped around for left or right handed control. At any rate - looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted December 1, 2006 Author Share Posted December 1, 2006 It would still be possible, we're hanging a USB mass storage device and connecting it into the cartridge lines, so the lines will be there, whether there will be enough space to include the contact points, we'll have to see. Right now the only planned expansion will be the ability to use 2600 controllers on the unit for Player 1 and 2 through a micro-connector on the unit. We'll release the spec's and part# for a connector for hardware hackers can build and possibly sell plug in dongles to use external controllers. Games will all come through the USB interface, so really a cartridge slot is moot. Plus with TV Out, essentially for anyone who wants to mount the electronics into a different case, the system could essentially be turned into a console if someone wanted, though why anyone would want to change a portable into a console... well.... Curt Given that the proposed FB2 Portable would have uploading game capabilities, Are there any plans to also include solder pads for a port addition as does the FB2 for all out mod posibilities?????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 I want one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moonshot22 Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 (edited) I hope this comes to pass! A handheld 2600 with a usb port would rule! CURT, First off, I'd like to thank you for your efforts on the Flashback units! How much onboard memory would there be? At least 2mb would be great. I know you have already done a lot of R&D to create the "2600 on a chip" and you have to keep production costs down, but is there any chance you will tweek the system to allow for more universal legacy support? Could support for "supercharger" games be added? I am a not well versed on the subject, but it seems if more ram capability was implemented, it could futher open up the possibilities for homebrewers to make some great new games. cheers---Ron Edited December 2, 2006 by moonshot22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uzumaki Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 I don't think Supercharger support can be implemented. The game are still copyrighted and the SC ROM that handles the loading would likely be protected as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaDDuck Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Have a question for everyone - Would everyone be happy if there were a FB2 Portable handheld with 2.5" TFT and a USB connection to a PC to d/l games into it and perhaps push the FB3 back as a later release? Curt YES, Curt!! It is an inspired idea and helps further the collective intrest in retro-gaming! And with the USB connection and the ability to download games to it, I think you'll have a winner on your hands! How many games will it hold at one time? This is worth putting the FB3, and the 7800 keyboard on hold for a bit. Can't wait to get one, and the price is right. Lower is better, but the ballpark price you listed is VERY fair!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 As someone who passed on the Flashback 2 as well as the original Flashback, I'd be very interested in this Portable Flashback, sounds absolutely great. Just jumping on the bandwagon here! I will buy this! Will it allow for two channel audio out for headphones and allow for mono/"stereo"? Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Question/suggestion regarding the control pad: Will it be on the right or left? I can't use left-handed control pads with 2600 games. I'd like to see the control pad be on the right, and the fire button be on the left - just like the original 2600 joystick. (Having a short, screw-in joystick would be nice, too.) Better still, would be a Lynx-like approach, where the unit could be flipped around for left or right handed control. At any rate - looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I'm the same way. I can do it but I'm just not as adept. Good to know I'm not the only one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 I don't think Supercharger support can be implemented. The game are still copyrighted and the SC ROM that handles the loading would likely be protected as well. You don't need the Supercharger ROM to load games. You just need to be able to parse the BIN files the way emulators do and respond to the load request in an analogous way. That's how Chimera does it. Supercharger games really don't care how they get loaded or how the subsequent multiloads get loaded as long as they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 BTW, anyone who owns a Stella CD would be within their legal rights loading a Flashback 2 portable with the BINs. Since these CDs are still available for $5 a pop from Randy, I see no reason not to include Supercharger support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 People may not want to turn a portable into a console but some may like the idea of a 2600 in a special case but would prefer not to cannibalize a 20+ year old console. So I'm crossing my fingers that Curt will eventually provide an aftermarket channel for just the boards and that they will have all the necessary signals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmoe Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 (edited) -----"It would still be possible, we're hanging a USB mass storage device and connecting it into the cartridge lines, so the lines will be there, whether there will be enough space to include the contact points, we'll have to see."------- Would the USB mass storage device you mentioned for the FB3 work as well for the FB2 ? If so, is it a storage device a hobbiest can put together and add to the FB2 or is this a storage device specifically designed for the FB3??? Edited December 5, 2006 by netmoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted December 5, 2006 Author Share Posted December 5, 2006 It'll be a chipset put onto the main PCB, we're hoping to work with some off the shelf devices, but if they don't work as planned I've been working the engineers on a custom design that would be brought to an ASIC and implemented. We'll know which way we're headed in about 2 weeks or so. Bottom line is to give the end user a transparent way of bringing their games onto the device so that adding/removing games is as easy as adding/removing files from a disk. Last thing obviously is cost, and with a target price of $39.99 believe it or not a lot has to be taken into consideration, even 1 additional dollar in cost can end up pushing the street price to $44.99 and I'd like to keep the retail price under $40 Curt -----"It would still be possible, we're hanging a USB mass storage device and connecting it into the cartridge lines, so the lines will be there, whether there will be enough space to include the contact points, we'll have to see."------- Would the USB mass storage device you mentioned for the FB3 work as well for the FB2 ? If so, is it a storage device a hobbiest can put together and add to the FB2 or is this a storage device specifically designed for the FB3??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathanallan Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I'd snatch that thing like it was GOLD! I'd love to get one, with USB and hack-port? It would almost bea dream come true--! Curt, I like the two-handed form factor of those OTHER games, where the buttons/stick are on the sides and the screen is in the middle. That form factor is a winner in my book. And (I haven't read the entire post yet) why not charge from the USB port? We can choose to get AA rechargeables if we want and there can be a switch onboard for rechargeable or alkaline. To cut costs. And at 39.95 that would be a STEAL for me! Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+karri Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 It'll be a chipset put onto the main PCB, we're hoping to work with some off the shelf devices, but if they don't work as planned I've been working the engineers on a custom design that would be brought to an ASIC and implemented. We'll know which way we're headed in about 2 weeks or so. This project sounds like a real adventure. What a pity you cannot put up a blog on how the FB2 Portable gets born. Being a hw addict myself I am very curious of how you intend to combine the CPU of the past with modern technologies. Hopefully you write some article about this later when the FB2 portable is out. I enjoyed reading the internal Epyx documentation and memos when the Lynx came out years ago. -- Regards, Karri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n8littlefield Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 (edited) This sounds really cool - of course after this make an "8 Bit Flashback" with the same exact thing just the NOAC from the FB1. I'd kill to have one for Atari and one for NES games! Edited December 5, 2006 by n8littlefield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Rogue Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 This sounds really cool - of course after this make an "8 Bit Flashback" with the same exact thing just the NOAC from the FB1. I'd kill to have one for Atari and one for NES games! This is an "8 bit Flashback". The 2600 was 8-bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 This sounds really cool - of course after this make an "8 Bit Flashback" with the same exact thing just the NOAC from the FB1. I'd kill to have one for Atari and one for NES games! This is an "8 bit Flashback". The 2600 was 8-bit. 8-bit is the short name for "Atari 8-bit home computers". Unfortunately there was never a definitive name for that platform. All the 2600s are either 2600 or VCS, but there are a million model numbers of Atari 8-bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Rogue Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 (edited) 8-bit is the short name for "Atari 8-bit home computers". Unfortunately, its also used as a comparison term by people who think the 2600 can't be 8-bit because of the graphics compared to the NES, etc. Unfortunately there was never a definitive name for that platform. All the 2600s are either 2600 or VCS, but there are a million model numbers of Atari 8-bit. Sure there was. According to Joe Decuir they were called the Atari PCS's (Personal Computer System - The original brochure uses this also), which is how they were abreviated by them as well. Edited December 5, 2006 by wgungfu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n8littlefield Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 This sounds really cool - of course after this make an "8 Bit Flashback" with the same exact thing just the NOAC from the FB1. I'd kill to have one for Atari and one for NES games! This is an "8 bit Flashback". The 2600 was 8-bit. I know - but they are able to call it the Atari Flashback, I think that Nintendo might be ticked off at an "NES Flashback". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simbalion Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I think the Atari VCS (2600) is considered a 4-bit system. The next generation was the 8-bit systems like the 5200 and then up and up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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