MrFish

No problem. I think @Fragmare posted his RMT source file too. So, I'm not sure. Anyway, it's a great chip tune.

Look past shelling out essentially $30 for a piece of hardware because Retro Games couldn't be bothered to take the time and get something so basic right? I mean, how hard is it to get the base functionality of a joystick working right, when it's a design that's already been around and working fine for over 40 years? I know there are people who've been able to use them fine as they are; but there seem to be a significant-enough number of people who aren't fine with them. I agree, why should anyone. Are we so desperate for a piece of hardware like this that we should just take anything that gets shoved at us? I'm not, and I won't. They're going to lose business over this joystick; and their attitude of users needing to be more gentle with the joystick isn't a solution. Everybody doesn't use controllers the same, and they should have taken that into account during testing.

Here's @Fragmare's version of "Streets of Rage 2 - Dreamer". SOR2_DreamerPOKEY01c.xex

The Atari 8-bit computers have way more game carts than the 5200 does. You could forget about disks and still have tons more available on carts for the 8-bit computers than for the 5200. The keyboard can be looked at as a positive or a negative. A keyboard has tons more keys than a 5200 controller, which opens the door for games that would be a right pain on any controller.

I'm guessing it may need to be something more permanent than a stick-on pad... but, I can understand your frustration; I hate having to fix stuff that's supposed to work to begin with. Fixing used stuff is one thing; fixing stuff that's brand new...

You're right. My mistake. I was confusing you with @chad5200, who is the one that used "Sponge Tape". Too bad the grommet didn't hold up. The idea seemed to be going in the right direction.

If you look at the what @tyke used (OP of this thread), it was a rubber grommet. I'm pretty sure this is quite a bit more firm than the "Sponge Tape" you used.

If you're referring to the XEX I posted (I assume you are), I think that is a version by @VinsCool. I'm not sure whether he sequenced the music himself or not, though. He may have borrowed your original version or the version that was done by @Fragmare, and just edited the instruments (or maybe not) and output it using his version of RMT (with the updated tables, etc.); but maybe I'm wrong about that in some point? The reason I posted that particular mono version is because the 400 Mini currently doesn't support stereo. I had your proper stereo version, though; and I am aware that it will play in mono on a mono system.

The ambiguity comes from Atari's marketing/boxing of the system, and what subsequently came into the nomenclature. There's nothing ambiguous about the logo on the system itself or the manuals, though: it's an Atari "XE System". It's also called an Atari "XE System" on all the system and accessory boxes in this photo. The confusion comes from the boxes below, where we have both an "XE System" and a "65XE", packaged with a lightgun and XE joystick, being called an Atari "XE Video Game System". This indicates to me that the "Video Game System" designation was more marketing than anything else; since the box above, labeled "XE System" also included the same components (lightgun and joystick) that supposedly make both systems pictured below an "XE Video Game System". I don't recall if there is any box that designates an Atari system as an Atari "XE Game System", which is what the common acronym XEGS means; but I don't think there is any. I'm sure that just resulted from XEVGS not sounding as good or concise as XEGS. Personally, I typically refer to the system as an XEGS, because most people understand what that means; but technically speaking (and on my hardware website), I call it an "XE System", because that's what the machine itself and manuals are labeled.

It would be helpful to people (like myself) who don't own a 400 Mini, in attempting to help you find solutions to the problems, if you could list which versions you've tried so far for each given game (XEX, ATR, ROM/BIN, CAS); each file type can have their own reasons why they may not run. It also would help to know where you got the ones you've tried from (Atarimania, Fandal, AtariOnline, Homesoft, etc.).

Yeah, Drol on the 21 in 1 cart is pretty cool. It's trained, so you can get more lives and invincibility; and it lets you choose whether you want to run it in mono or a selection of different color-mode schemes. [Edit] It looks like I've misnamed the cartridge files "Kona". I can see in the trainer for Drol it says "by Koma", who I assume is the same guy that created the megacarts. So, apparently he's using a stylized "M" on the 63 in 1 cart (where I got his name from) that happens to look more like an "N".

Here's a color conversion. mrfish - eclipse (color).xex

I count 84, but some of them are already built into the console.

Here are some of the games I have that were converted from hi-res mono to hi-res color in order to provide color without the need for artifacting. [Note: Color placement never ends up perfect for all graphics; but the conversion method works adequately enough.] Lode Runner [Atarimax](Color).rom Lode Runner (Color).atr Lode Runner (Color Toggle).xex Lode Runner - Level Pack 1 (Color Toggle).xex Lode Runner - Level Pack 2 (Color Toggle).xex Lode Runner - Level Pack 3 (Color Toggle).xex Championship Lode Runner (color).atr Drol (Color).atr Pinball Construction Set (Color).atr Choplifter (Broderbund, Color).atr

New Aladdin - Disk Magazines Published in the mid-80's. Each magazine is six ATR files. They contain articles, games, graphics, and music.

Movie Maker is an animation and sound creation tool. It has example files on the second disk. If you boot from the second disk, it will play all the examples files in sequence. Movie Maker A.atr Movie Maker B.atr Movie Maker - Manual.pdf

A couple of good, standard-notation music composition and playing programs. Both have sample songs on the disks. Bank Street MusicWriter Music Construction Set

Here are some music demos. You can search for more on the forums by looking for these users: @VinsCool, @Fragmare, @makary, @pseudografx, @analmux, and @emkay. Metroid 2 - Surface of SR388 (v17).xex Napalm Man.xex Spark Absorber.xex Tetris Attack - Yoshi's Theme (SNES) Final.xex Zelda - Hyrule Castle.xex Batman - Stage 1.xex Ninja Gaiden - Unbreakable Determination.xex Streets of Rage II - Dreamer.xex Puyo Puyo - Sticker (NTSC).xex Pinky - Xmas Edition (Overworld 1).xex Breaking the Pattern.xex Secret of Monkey Island.xex Streets of Rage - Fighting In The Street.xex Zelda - Deku Palace (Final).xex Metroid - Brinstar.xex

Here's a cool sound demo (with graphics) by @R0ger [Edit] Original thread: New speech synthesis for Atari Zvonky (mono).xex

Jane's Program is an interactive demo by Douglas Crockford (while he was working at Atari). You use the joystick to make blocks that fall, bounce, and make musical sounds. You can also delete blocks by clicking on them (which you'll need to do at some point, as there's a limit to how many can be on the screen at once). This is fun for young kids. I think the demo was made for Douglas' young daughter (Jane). Jane's Program.xex

Here are 4 demos. 3 are by Xanth Computers and 1 is by Atari. They're all from the 80's. The 2 boink demos by Xanth let you control some aspects of the animations with <option> and <select> keys; and I think the <start> key changes the text display for both of them. FujiBoink.xex Atari 8-bit Boink.xex Swan.xex Atari (GTIA).xex

Eidolon and Koronis Rift are also both on the Kona Megamodul 21 in 1 cart. Here are both Kona multi-carts. Kona MegaModul 21 in 1 [Atarimax].rom Kona MegaModul 63 in 1 [Atarimax].rom Here are the same ROM's with the extensions changed to the cart-type format. Kona MegaModul 21 in 1 [Atarimax].c75 Kona MegaModul 63 in 1 [Atarimax].c75

Saw one of these yesterday afternoon. 100% solar eclipse, and all I had to do was step outside my door to view it. Awesome phenomenon! mrfish - eclipse.xex

Have you tried the cartridge versions? Eidolon [Megacart].rom Koronis Rift [Megacart].rom [Edit] ROM's with cartridge-type extensions (per the manual). Eidolon.c29 Koronis rift.c29

Yeah, have fun loading up a batch of modern homebrews.