Mi1ez

...And Linux.

Yeah, Linux-only over here. So far, it seems like they're only catering to the Windows crowd. Not happy about that.

That's how I update my Flashback Atari50 version of the Atari 2600, yup!

For a firmware update? What kind of complexity? What would make serial communications over USB any more complex across platforms? Windows being the weirdest one of the bunch with its need for a special driver for that chipset is something most other platforms like Linux and Macintosh don't need. Automated builds targeting a couple of other architectures isn't hard (that's actually my primary job). I've worked with firmware updates for projects I've worked on myself so I find that that's a really bizarre statement. It would have been even better if they'd supported a flash drive update so that you didn't even need a host to flash it but now THAT is understandably adding complexity (but would make life universally so much better for 100% of the customers).

That does work (that's how I ended up getting my Cricut to work on my Linux laptop) but it requires installing a whole copy of windows in a VM and everything that implies. Bleh. I almost never use my Cricut because of that. I just don't understand why the flash app couldn't just be provided for Linux and Mac to cover almost everyone who got the 2600+ when it's just a flasher tool and it's extremely easy to just support all three target architectures.

Happy to see it's getting out there but disappointed that I can't test out a bunch of controllers and games myself (joysticks, paddles, Atari trakball, lightgun, etc.). This seems wayyyyy too risky for me to try running through WINE with all the multiple parts involved. I still don't understand why a Windows based client could be written but couldn't compile one to Linux x86/64. (I work with CICD and it boggles me when people compile something so simple as a flasher to ONLY one target, doubly boggling when it's Windows given its convoluted architecture and drivers.) I say all this just to hope that the final release won't require Windows. I wish I could just simply update it with a power+USB A split cable (the way I updated the Atgames Atari 50 version of the 2600) instead of having a dependency on any particular architecture. Anyway, LET THE BUG HUNT BEGIN! ...Also, yesssss... I have Bug Hunt for the XE.

I'd be interested! Thanks for checking, if you can. I'd still be interested to see your results with the new firmware too, since that'll ultimately be where we end up. Thanks!

Strangely, Asteroids for 7800 was marked as working but my copy keeps experiencing all sorts of weird problems, including sometimes not reading correctly, sometimes coming up with an error, sometimes rebooting in the middle of playing it, etc. I didn't see any of that with the other stuff but I thought it was weird to see that with a cartridge that their spec sheet said should work. Are you seeing that too?

Maybe? It sometimes works but not always (for example, I can't use it with my Cricut cutter machine--end up using VirtualBox with a copy of Windows and, even then, I haven't used mine in almost a year because it means using a vm instead of WINE. I haven't tried under Bottles lately (which seems to have a MUCH better luck getting WINE to work with all sorts of things). If I'm included in the beta test, I could try that out, but I'd really much rather have a native Linux client to run instead of going through all these hoops just to get a Windows ROM flasher to work.

Holy moly! This is great and addresses a few things I've been pointing out. Thanks so much for addressing these things and letting the public beta test to shake things out before release! Sadly, I won't be able to participate as I haven't had a computer running Windows (nor MacOS) in my household since 2003 and I don't intend to ever invite that monstrosity into my home. That being said, I hope that the firmware upgrade won't require Windows too. I'll be intensely upset if that turns out to be the case. I'm puzzled as so why it would require Windows in the first place. In any case, if you ever release a Linux based firmware flasher for the beta, I've got a few oddity games and a plurality of first and third party joystick/paddle/lightgun/etc controllers I could test out in the 2600 and 7800 catalog. Thanks! OH right! ...And, like @remowilliams, I'm VERY interested to know if the firmware can be rolled back too.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!! I love it!!

I'd like one, yes! Already PM'ed you here. Thanks!

Will there be Linux support for programming it via USB? I don't have any Windows machines in my house. Depending on the cost and performance, I might need a bunch to upgrade several machines. I have three TI 99/4As, two ColecoVisions and a brother with a ColecoVision I gifted him... not sure how many I want to upgrade, but at first I might at least get two to try one out in a TI and a ColecoVision.

You have saved me! I bought a cartridge off eBay with a severely damaged label and this.. is.. what... I .. NEEEDED! THANK YOU!!!

I need this! ❤️ Please add me to the list for one RED cartridge with both the Pokey Max and YM2151.

Same. Been waiting a while but I really want it for both my TI's and my ColecoVisions.

My body is ready for this! (My two ColecoVisions and three TI 99/4A's are also ready for this)

It'd be even greater if you didn't even need the extra cost/latency/power usage of such a thing! Right?

Oh man! This is great! Despite having Side3 and many upgrades... i'd still buy a couple of these for my XL/XE's. Heh!

Personally, I'd LOVE a way to get Sophia DVI to include a PokeyMAX digital signal straight into an HDMI port right on the system with both video and audio and reduce the delay and power required.

Am I took late to get a couple of these? (USD)

Is there any way to delete disk images from the SD card from the manager without having to pop out the SD card and putting it onto my laptop to delete/manage? It seems odd not to have some kind of SD card management available straight on the system so that we don't have to travel between systems by sneakernet. If not.. I'll have to see if I can write one up--it's sorely missing. Also... HUGE thanks! As a long-time Atari enthusiast who was a network engineer in a former life back in Silicon Valley... This is a GREAT device with enormous potential!

Let me know when it's open for pre-order! I'll certainly be interested and want to know which systems it'll work in. (I have many.)

Same here.. interested in this once it's available!