Zookeeper Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 (edited) Curious- are there any Atgames Genesis systems that don't have the 'filler' games? It's kinda confusing figuring out exactly how many actual Genesis games these things have. Edited February 22, 2018 by Zookeeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molul Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 That's been considered, but based on what I've seen for this year, unlikely. Well, maybe another year It's nice that it's been considered at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molul Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Curious- are there any Atgames Genesis systems that don't have the 'filler' games? It's kinda confusing figuring out exactly how many actual Genesis games these things have. In AtGames Flashback Zone website you can see each product's games list: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2060/0897/files/2017_Sega_Genesis_Classic.pdf?10884257454997668385 https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2060/0897/files/2017_Sega_Genesis_Flashback.pdf?10884257454997668385 On the other hand, at Bill's website there are some articles about AtGames' consoles. In this post you can see the bonus games: http://armchairarcade.com/perspectives/2017/09/28/sega-genesis-flashback-2017-official-game-list-revised/ SEGA GENESIS GAMES: Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle Alien Storm Altered Beast Arrow Flash Bonanza Bros. Chakan: The Forever Man Columns Columns III Comix Zone Crack Down Decap Attack Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine ESWAT: City Under Seige Eternal Champions Fatal Labyrinth Flicky Gain Ground Golden Axe Golden Axe II Golden Axe III Jewel Master Kid Chameleon Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat 3 Mortal Kombat II Phantasy Star 3: Generations Of Doom Phantasy Star II Phantasy Star IV Ristar Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention Shining in the Darkness Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master Sonic & Knuckles Sonic 3D Blast Sonic Spinball Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Super Thunder Blade Sword Of Vermilion The Ooze Vectorman Vectorman 2 Virtua Fighter II SEGA MASTER SYSTEM GAMES: Alex Kidd in High Tech World Alex Kidd in Miracle World Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars Assault City Astro Warrior Dragon Crystal Fantasy Zone Fantasy Zone The Maze Kenseiden Kung Fu Kid Ninja, The Phantasy Star Psycho Fox Snail Maze GAME GEAR GAMES: Baku Baku Animal Defenders of Oasis Sonic Chaos Sonic Drift 2 Sonic Triple Trouble Super Columns Tails Adventure BONUS GAMES: Adventure in the Park Air Hockey Bomber Bubbles Master Cannon Checker Cross the road Curling 2010 Fight or Lose Hexagonos Jack’s Pea Jewel Magic Memory Mr. Balls Naval Power Plumbing Contest Snake Spider Wall-Breaking Hope it helps 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Yes, the bonus games will be removed in the 2018 products. You will still be able to download from an expected portal that's still under development (and may or may not make it for this year). 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molul Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Hum.. Is that possibility of downloading those titles hinting something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zookeeper Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Intriguing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Hum.. Is that possibility of downloading those titles hinting something else? It's already an Android device...might as well go all out with a Wi-Fi chip and a ROM store. Surprised Nintendo hasn't done that with their PnP setups...I really figured the SNES Classic would have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 (edited) Yes, the bonus games will be removed in the 2018 products. You will still be able to download from an expected portal that's still under development (and may or may not make it for this year). I might be the minority, but I actually buy clone systems because of the filler games. I've always found some fun stuff in there. Not my main reason of course, but it's part of the appeal. Edited February 23, 2018 by zylon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 It's already an Android device...might as well go all out with a Wi-Fi chip and a ROM store. Surprised Nintendo hasn't done that with their PnP setups...I really figured the SNES Classic would have it. Sounds like a support nightmare to me. Better to just leave a slot for SD cards and let people BYOB. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Sounds like a support nightmare to me. Better to just leave a slot for SD cards and let people BYOB. Depends on how many they sell and how much they offer for download (and pricing, etc., etc.). For you and me it's better if it just has an SD slot and let us sideload, but maybe not for others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I might be the minority, but I actually buy clone systems because of the filler games. I've always found some fun stuff in there. Not my main reason of course, but it's part of the appeal. Well, they'll still be available, just not pre-loaded. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Well, they'll still be available, just not pre-loaded. If you get to pick&choose, then that can work nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Since someone asked my opinion (and since I need to sort out my thoughts for a later blog post), here it is... this thing stinks. It just stinks in a different way than previous AtGames Genesis systems. It's not an improvement, though. First the good news; the spoonful of sugar that might make the half gallon of medicine go down more smoothly. It looks nice. It's essentially a scale model of the original Genesis, and it looks adorable. It's got a functioning cartridge slot and two controller ports that accept real Genesis joypads. The menu isn't as hard to navigate as you've been told, but you will have to press B and C to move between categories. Each game is represented with box art and a description, some of which are pretty clever. I used to write promotional material and what I've seen describes each game well and gets you excited to play it. The games that play best on the system (generally the least demanding ones) run acceptably well. It outputs an HDMI signal, a huge improvement over Genesis composite. The wireless controllers work better than expected. The sound is likewise improved over standard definition Flashback systems. It can be modified to add more games. That's it. Okay, now for everything the Genesis Flashback HD gets wrong. Some games run acceptably, but no game runs perfectly. You'll catch occasional choppiness out of the corner of your eye, especially when the screen scrolls. It starts to feel like water torture; a constant little reminder that this isn't a real Genesis and that the actual system could do better. Some games run worse than others, but few run as poorly as Sonic 2. Each stage starts out with about a second of slowdown and the 1UP fanfare sounds constipated; forced out of the system with a lot of strain and effort. Sonic 2 seems choppier than the rest of the games, and you can forget about playing the split screen mode... it works, but it's aggravatingly slow. The system crashes, although the frequency varies. It did it to me once while I was playing Sonic and Knuckles, but I've heard other peoples' systems were crashing constantly. Wait, there's more! Game Gear games are included in the package, but the sound is pretty bad, even by that system's modest standards. About a dozen games are TecToy trash that cheapens the overall experience. Hacking the Flashback is possible, but it takes more effort than necessary. You have to take the machine apart, removing seven deeply recessed screws on the underside of the case and then four more screws holding the circuit board in place. Then and only then can you reach the mini USB port that lets you connect the Flashback to your computer. You'll also have to install an ADB interface on your computer and type in a series of commands to extract an .ini file and redirect the system to an SD card soldered into the unit. After you've done all that, you can install games, but the Flashback is very picky about what it will play. Some games run as well as the built-in ones, others are chock full of graphics issues, and others still just won't start. It often forgets to scroll the playfield in Contra: Hard Corps and turned Shadow of the Beast into a big glitchy mess, with objects in the background looking like Venetian blinds. After I got to the cellar in the tree, I fell through the floor, and the lead character just kept dropping until the emulator crashed. Samurai Shodown couldn't be started; it just ignored all input from the controller. Snow Bros. wouldn't play at all, looping me back to the Flashback menu. So you can hack the system to play more games, but running them is a crapshoot. That's in contrast to an actual Sega Genesis, which runs 100% of Genesis games, or emulation on a more open format, which won't run everything but at least makes it easier to add software. Big thumbs down on this one. If you're a Genesis fan who's spent a lot of time with the system, you're going to notice the flaws, and you won't be able to just ignore them. I guess AtGames deserves some credit for ditching the FireCore/Redkid hardware, but their solution was to toss a cheap screenless Android phone into a nifty looking shell and call it a day. It's pretty much what Nintendo did with its own Classic systems, but the difference is in the emulation. I haven't heard anybody complain about the performance of the Super NES Classic and NES Classic. It's hard not to complain about how the Genesis Flashback HD handles Genesis games, because people who know the Genesis will know there's something wrong here. Don't waste your money on the Flashback HD even if it's cheap... there's got to be at least a dozen different ways to play these games that are better than this. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 That's a very thorough write up. It was me that asked for it, thanks for putting in the effort. Did you mess with cartridges or save states? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 This thing just paved the way for Analoge to make a Megadrive NT. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Dang, that makes my Gen3 clone seem like a prize almost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 That's a very thorough write up. It was me that asked for it, thanks for putting in the effort. Did you mess with cartridges or save states? I had one cart to try, Ballz 3D. (My others are in MI at the moment.) It runs well enough, but it took a few tries before the system recognized it. What the machine does is rip the ROM, store it in memory, then remove it when the machine is turned off. You know this because a progress indicator appears onscreen after you turn the Flashback on with a cart inserted. It doesn't just jump straight into the cartridge. Save states are something I didn't play with too much. I do know that there are ten available, and that you're asked if you want to resume from a save point when you start a previously played game. There's also a rewind feature, and it takes you back up to five seconds from when you used it. It's a little awkward. There's quick access to the menu on the wireless controllers but you can use the Genesis mode button in a pinch. I'm hoping someone can find a way to hack the system not just to add games, but to revise and improve the emulation. Problem is, I don't know if the firmware is accessible even with the mini USB port. There's storage on the Flashback that's easily accessed (it appears to be an SD card or other flash memory soldered to the circuit board) but the system files appear to be hidden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRTGAMER Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Yes, the bonus games will be removed in the 2018 products. You will still be able to download from an expected portal that's still under development (and may or may not make it for this year). I'm probably one of the few that likes some of the exclusive ATGame home brews. A better move making more room for legitimate releases. I had one cart to try, Ballz 3D. (My others are in MI at the moment.) It runs well enough, but it took a few tries before the system recognized it. What the machine does is rip the ROM, store it in memory, then remove it when the machine is turned off. You know this because a progress indicator appears onscreen after you turn the Flashback on with a cart inserted. It doesn't just jump straight into the cartridge. @Bill - Whoa is that true? I recently picked up a 112 in 1 cart which works just fine in the original 80 ATgames Genesis console. I am guessing anything unofficial cart will not work in the newer models that have the memory load? On the fence of buying the Genesis 2017 Portable, lost my older model. Will there be a 2018 portable and if any differences besides added on board games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 @Bill - Whoa is that true? I recently picked up a 112 in 1 cart which works just fine in the original 80 ATgames Genesis console. I am guessing anything unofficial cart will not work in the newer models that have the memory load? On the fence of buying the Genesis 2017 Portable, lost my older model. Will there be a 2018 portable and if any differences besides added on board games? Like flash and multi-carts of most types, the 112 in 1 cart is unlikely to work on the present and future HD models since they rip the cartridge contents to memory like the RetroN 5 and Retro Freak. The 2018 portable will be running the same emulation as the previous models (last year for it), which means poor sound still, but will have extra features that you may or may not care about (I'd bet that you would care, though, so I'd personally wait). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRTGAMER Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Like flash and multi-carts of most types, the 112 in 1 cart is unlikely to work on the present and future HD models since they rip the cartridge contents to memory like the RetroN 5 and Retro Freak. The 2018 portable will be running the same emulation as the previous models (last year for it), which means poor sound still, but will have extra features that you may or may not care about (I'd bet that you would care, though, so I'd personally wait). Thank you! Based on your recommendation, I'll wait for the newest Genesis 2018 portable. All the 3rd party games a nice bonus since the portable can accommodate an SD Card. Shame the home console never got the feature. The memory load maybe puts the older console as more important to some. Especially as mentioned Flash carts and multi game carts, prefer the Composite over HDMI anyways. I own the 1st generation High Def Genesis; even it has sound issues when one compares to the music CD sounds of modern consoles. True that all the aftermarket consoles sound quality are not perfect, but by comparison the original consoles also have that bit of distortion. Even as a Genesis owner, the ATGames Genesis console still has a use as a secondary more compact console for the other room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Thank you! Based on your recommendation, I'll wait for the newest Genesis 2018 portable. All the 3rd party games a nice bonus since the portable can accommodate an SD Card. Shame the home console never got the feature. All I can say is stay tuned for announcements about all the new features across the board for 2018. I can say though that the SD consoles and portables will remain largely the same from an emulation (not features around it) standpoint. Everything else will not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 My review of the Genesis Flashback HD. It seems the more things change, the more they stay just as crappy as they used to be. http://kiblitzing.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-disappoint-of-no-return.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molul Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Maybe a bit harsh, but somehow accurate. However, I disagree on one point: after last year model, AtGames consoles are more widely known, and they've received much more feedback than ever, especially because of the Nintendo Classic Mini consoles. Because of that, I'm confident that this year model will be much better. So much looking forward for reading the first reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmr_md Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 I bought my Genesis Flashback HD because of its design (AtGames really did a great job!) and also to support buying some great licensed games for a fair price instead of 'just download them'. I had the same feeling about the performance in some games and the first thing I did was to research if it was possible to improve anything on it. It seems that AtGames chose to not use stolen code and created their own emulator or used some old code. Reading this thread and some other forums I've found that it's possible to hack it but it's not easy as 'it should be'. Unfortunately its biggest highlight also its drawback: it runs a customized Android build and the controllers use a GPIO interface which maps the buttons as keyboard keys. I've been able to mod MD.Emu to run on it with a dozen of changes on the source code adding missing keys to the keyboard map file and changing the navigation keys on menu to be compatible with Genesis Flashback HD keymap. Using this emu is like night and day as it's much more compatible than the built-in emulator and the performance is really good. The newer version also fixed the input lag it used to have. With another couple of changes on the ATGames Launcher I redirected specific file extensions to automatically start MD.Emu, so now I can start the games usingMD.Emu instead of the default emulator. I can play Outrun, Super Street Fighter II, Virtua Racing and even Sonic CD straight from the menu. I tested "Shadow of the Beast" and it runs fine.I also made MD.Emu the default emulator for the built-in games except for GG (MD.Emu is not compatible with GG) and for games loaded from the cartridge slot. I've been using the original menu because I don't like to mess with the 'original' experience. I've read on another forum that the controllers are attached to the menu. The cartridge reader is also a library inside the menu so we need it anyways. To make things worse we have also different versions of the Genesis Flashback HD (obb version, non-obb version, 2GB and 4GB models) with different launchers. Mine seems to be the worst of all (obb model with 2GB). Sorry for the extensive post. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Were you over at GBATemp, by chance? They've been discussing hacks for the Genesis Flashback HD at length. I think I'm going to contact you via PM to discuss this further. I'm pretty desperate to get this working properly... if you can help me do that it would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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