Fort Apocalypse

Just updated post at top with latest spec I compiled this morning from Curt's comments.

Curt, I think you said you might let us know soon what the latest specs were for the FB2 portable. Any chance you might be able to provide them, or not yet? Thanks!

Doh! I meant to say Flashback 2 portable, so I just edited the poll and fixed it. I think everyone already has an FB2, and if you don't have one, you should.

Update: FB2 Portable project cancelled, but there will be a Flashback 3 in 2008/ See http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...00#entry1339391 Seems like it would be a good time for everyone who visits to give a heads up if they are planning to buy a FB2 portable when it comes out as there seems to be some question about it. Here are the latest specs: Info straight from Curt, compiled from all of his posts in these threads: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=96356 http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...t&p=1304596 Latest photos (Jun 18, 2007): http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...t&p=1316997 Older mockup/photo: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...t&p=1276196 Appearance: black (see photo) Controller on unit: left dpad, right buttons. (1 player joypad & fire button) Internals: 2600 on a chip with a separate system handing I/O and Memory scheme management Memory: 2 separate 1MB flash ram systems, one for housekeeping, memory schema's and high-res graphic images/menu. The other is binary storage for the games, and their companion resource files. Power: Unit will run on 3 AAA batteries with 15hr run-time. include external AC socket Internal speaker: volume knob to control the internal speaker Support for external controllers: The expansion port was going to be for an external dongle to plug controllers into the unit, it seemed better to just put actual db9's right onto the unit. The port will support joysticks, 2 sets of 2 paddles, trakballs and also keyboard controllers - something that FB2 didn't support, so games like Star Raiders and all of the educational games (and Basic programming) will also work with the unit as well. Driving controllers support unsure Games: Can't really comment on included games right now. Pitfall II, no sorry, it does not work. Difficulty switches: The difficulties are there, you just dont see them through the sample case in this unit. USB: The USB will be a mini-connector in the final version. it is a USB peripheral, not a USB Host device, you will load games through a special piece of software Atari has developed that will have our device support integrated into it. (USB) acts a peripheral device only (to the portable), in game mode it is read only, in USB mode is acts as a thumbdrive on a Host PC Computer. You will be able (to dump carts via usb)- through a piece of software to load/unload games to/from the unit. standard USB HID so it would be recognized on Win/OSX/Linux systems. USB connection (Mount of a storage drive - so PC, MAC, Linux could all access) When plugged into a host PC, the Atari portable goes into drive mode - a USB logo appears on the TFT and now the device looks and acts like a USB thumbdrive. Once unplugged, the system does a software reset, the system first checks the housekeeping memory for any updates to firmware or internal graphics and performs any internal updates. Once complete or if none are present, the system then does an inventory check of the games memory, inventories the resource files, generates the new menu list and initializes the 2600 mode and the menu is presented to the gamer. Stereo output: There will be test points around the cpu chip to access all of the signals, I will also release the pinout of the chip, something I wasn't allowed to do previously (and I know many want to know what pins are the stereo outputs on the FB2) AV out/Audio and Video out: AV audio output (for TV or headphones) There will be an AV out on the NTSC units Screen: Screen is not flippable (software wise)... Screen is actually a 320X240 capable AOU brand OEM TFT screen backlit, absolutely. (Non adjustable backlighting) It will be a constant backlight and the LCD glass we are using has excellent viewing angle range, no adjustments are necessary, it plays in almost all light levels. Cost: Around $39.99 price range Cart slot/hackability of cart slot: There was never going to be any kind of cart slot on this unit since all the games load via USB into it. Curt said earlier "hanging a USB mass storage device and connecting it into the cartridge lines, so the lines will be there" He said he'd release the pinouts so should be able to hack a cart port in theory. (need to verify) Development tools: Yes, we are in discussions with several development tools authors and if we haven't gotten to anyone, please email me, the system should supply as much as possible to give all who buy one the ability to join in on programming. A supplied CD-ROM will contain all (development) software and manuals. Other info: prototypes are completed and working and I gotta tell you... its damned neat to download a game, transfer it to from the PC into the unit, unplug the unit and it performs a soft reset and updates the menu listing with the new game(s) added/removed. About the dongle that was later replaced by having 2 actual DB-9 ports: "The micro connector is a 20 pin port bringing out the lines for both player 1 and player 2. The port will use a dongle (either by 3rd party or you will be able to build yourself - the part# of the connector will be made available online and in the manual for those looking to make a dongle.)" About thumbpad: "...the thumbpad has been altered - it wasn't "Atari" enough so it was updated in its shape, has an orange dotted ring around it to give it a joystick base appearance... -Curt" Timeline: project looks like it will however happen, it just may not make it for the holiday season 07' In the meantime another project may get the green light in the modern gaming arena ahead of the portable, I will keep everyone posted. if it wasn't happening I think you'd all see my tirade on the forum, so just hang tight, things take quite a bit of time to get signed, sealed and delivered. Nov 2006: Evolution of the design: ...The case design was completed back in November - we brought in one of the top Industrial Designers who has done work for Jensen. I spent a great deal of time detailing the look and lineage of Atari products and how - if production of the 2600 had never stopped - it would've evolved into this very product. VGXPO show in 2005: One of original prototypes shown was Linux-based: "What he is referring to was a handeld FB2 with Pong only installed into the prom inside of a 1/2 sized paddle controller, running with 1 AAA battery and had a composite AV cable coming out of it. Somebody had it posted in a photo thread of the Dallas VGXPO show in 2005. - Curt"

Something else awace mentioned is the ability to save state. I think that would be a nice addition (especially for longer games). In addition, if it had support for a fat memory stick in it (by the time the FB3 is available there might be 4GB or 8GB sticks!) it would be cool to go into the menu and then record video of you playing your friend over the net (assuming it had wireless networking). Maybe even have support for a mic and record your voices too. Then you could post your crazy antics on YouTube You could also have tournaments, etc. (maybe even built-in support for round robin, etc. that showed standings and used Atari/Infogrames as the tournament server maybe for a monthly fee). I know, I know... getting carried away. But it would be cool to do this and basically have a retro gaming console.

1. Armor Ambush (2 players) 2. Indiana Jones 3. Fishing Derby (2 players) 4. Race/Indy 500 (2 players) 5. Keystone Capers 6. Pitfall 7. River Raid 8. Missile Command (2 players) 9. Adventure 10. E.T. Honorable Mention: Airlock (cheesy but it's tough!), Cosmic Ark, Demon Attack. Armor Ambush, Fishing Derby, and Race/Indy 500 are probably the most underrated games for the 2600 IMO. The others (except Indiana Jones) I am more unsure about.

Back to the original topic... Here is another page I found with info on Flashback 2 cartridge compatibility: http://www.digitpress.com/eastereggs/pnpflashback2.htm

It's a bat instead of a bird. I think the logic for the bat appearing is somewhat random. Bridge- couldn't tell you. Someone should post a walkthru like the one here for Adventure: In order to write your own games for the Flashback 2, you'll probably want to wait until the Flashback 2 portable comes out. According to the current specs it will have audio/video out and will have the ability to load games via USB. This means that you could use one of the tools listed on this page to write games and them load them on it. I'd suggest Batari Basic, because it is a good way to get started quickly: http://www.atariage.com/2600/programming/index.html For now you could use Stella or a similar emulator to test out any games you write: http://stella.sourceforge.net/ If you are really hardcore about getting a real system together to load old roms, you could buy an old Atari 2600 and get a Cuttle Cart, a26 Maxicart, KrokoCart (Krokodile Cart) or SuperCharger (I haven't used any of them personally though). From what I've read the Cuttle Cart and Supercharger don't work with the existing Flashback 2. I just read a thread about dumping FB2 roms using a Maxicart, but I didn't see any info on whether the the Maxicart or the Krokocart work for Flashback 2. I think most folks are just waiting on the FB2 portable to come out, because... * It will store a lot of games * It will be USB compatible and easy to load new or old games * It will cost a lot less time and money to play old games and homebrews than it would be to buy an old 2600 and one of the older solutions * Buying from Atari/Infogrames will benefit us by allowing them to develop more Flashback products (like the FB3) Good luck.

(Note: I'm not talking about another thread where you have to fish through a bunch of messages or a photo of the carts to figure out what is compatible.) It would be awesome if someone could create and host an FB2/FB2 portable cartridge and controller compatibility list, similar to this but with compatibility testing info: http://www.atariage.com/software_list.html?SystemID=2600 Considering Atariage already has comprehensive lists of cartridges and controllers, I think it would be a great place to do this. The goal would be to show compatibility with FB2- something like: * controller/cartridge name and info * compatibility (yes, partial (playable), partial (mostly playable), no (not playable), unknown) * rev of FB2 * who tested it * comments Then there could be a form for anyone to submit info on compatibility. I agree that some of the data would be flawed because: * Some people hacked their FB2 in a way that caused some games to be incompatible * Some cartridges tested were not functioning correctly * There will probably be a difference in the way carts were supported by hacked FB2's compared to the usb loaded games in the FB2 portable However, with enough data from different people these issues should go away (for example: if 5 people say a cart works, there is a good chance it really works, and conversely if 5 people say it doesn't work then it probably doesn't). I would volunteer time to help develop the code for it if needed.

The ultimate Atari Flashback "Khansol": * Futuristic-looking-updated-retro style consisting of shiny metal, woodgrain, and a small 1"x1" LCD screen that would have backlighting and would show a kick-ass Atari logo on boot but could be hacked to show whatever you want. During some games backlighting and display may be used for effect. It should be totally pimped! * It would run a customized version of Linux using emulators for Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, Jaguar, XL, and at the forefront- Atari Arcade games. More emulators could be bought or hacked on to emulate other systems (Apple II, Commodore, etc.) or could just be hacked on. * 2 wireless (RF) multiaction controllers (stick or 4 button directional with spinner wheel compatible as a single 2600 tennis paddle or 2600 race paddle). Has menu button on controller (hidden and hard to hit by accident) that pauses game and allows you to reset the console, change difficulty, select, change emulator and game, and other options. * Support for up to four wireless controllers. * Wireless networking to play head to head on any game (including 2600 games) across the internet and to download more games with atari points (yes this is stealing the Wii idea, but I don't think it has a patent) Optional accessories: * USB-to-wireless adapter (compatible with most PC joysticks- would just have a female USB jack on a tiny cube that could communicate with the console. stella adaptors would be used with these for old style emulation.) * Handlebars to use for stunt cycle, paperboy, etc. Maybe could lock in place for stunt cycle. * Trackball (or could use existing usb models) * Keyboard (just regular keyboard with USB-to-wireless adapter) It could be nicknamed the Atari Khansol or "Khan" for short, with "KHAN" obviously standing for "Killer Home Asskicking Ninja". You could license some clips from Star Trek II of Captain Kirk talking about how awesomely bad Khan is. Like Khan, it is hyperintelligent, and it will have little bugs come out of it, get into your ears, and control your mind until your mom or wife blasts you with a laser set on stun. Would be an awesome commercial you could post on the net to drum up interest.

Other stuff that are along the same line: http://www.schells.com/cuttlecart.shtml http://members.cox.net/rcolbert/schookup.htm http://www.vgwiz.com/a26maxicart.html

When's that one coming out? Other than the Atari ones, it's the one I've been waiting for! Is this what you mean?: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywor...leco&page=1

I understand you are really interesting in hacking this thing, but let's take a step back and think about this... Maybe I'm really out of it, but I don't remember any Atari 2600 games supporting stereo, since to my knowledge the original unit itself didn't support stereo. There is absolutely no chance that there is some hidden support for a usb port to easily be hacked onto the first FB2. It would be a very serious hack to enable the console to have a usb port for loading games, eeprom for storing them, and a menuing system to manage it all. That would be a substantial effort, and would require a great deal of time and work. Curt has taken this on, and we are all totally salivating to get a hold of the FB2 portables because this is so darn cool. I'm sure that the reason you even mentioned the possibility of secret support for a usb port is because there is support on the FB2 for a cartridge connector to be hacked on. But, if I remember correctly, they originally planned on the FB2 having a cartridge connector to allow playing of cartridge games in addition to the built-in ones. And the original 2600 had a cartridge connector, so I imagine it wasn't that big of a jump to have support for a connector there on the board. Yes, it probably did cost them some extra money to have that on there which they didn't need to spend for the typical consumer. But hopefully they made up for that loss when all the people interested in hacking it bought units and spread the good word to their non-geek friends about how cool it was to have a FB2. From what I remember, they ended up not including the cartridge connector because there was no value to the typical consumer that didn't have old carts and wouldn't buy them off of eBay, and also due to the possible nightmare scenario of people either expecting their old dusty and rusty cartridges to work. But they weren't hiding that functionality. I think it is totally awesome that Curt and others have kept the whole legacy gaming stuff fresh, and it is really exciting to be able to read about his progress and hacks that people have made. It really takes me back, and I like that we are all participating in the market research and development of these products. It's really neat.

It isn't Curt's responsibility to produce mods or to even give out info on mods. However, Curt has provided much more info on the flashback 2 line than most people have about the development of their products. The work Curt is doing is making life more interesting for a lot of people who used to like to play the Atari 2600, and the stuff he is doing with the FB2 portable including adding a USB hookup to it gets me totally psyched! Back to the topic at hand, if anyone has made this mod, has tried to make it, or at least has looked into it before, I just thought it would be neat to hear about it. Kind of like watching the pre-game show before the super bowl.

I had a thought about a possible menuing system for the FB2 portable (unless it has already been decided). Considering that there could be a whole lot of games you could play, it seems one idea for menuing system could be the following: When you first turn it on it reads all the filenames in and then displays the first character of every filename (uniquely) in a single line of left and right scrolling (use joystick or keypad) characters. Then after clicking the button to choose one, it would show a scrollable list (like existing FB2) of all games in that category. The problem would be in all of the potential characters that the bin filename could start with- but the menuing system would have to support that anyway I'd guess for the scrolling menu of bin names under the letter you chose; although it could just display characters that aren't alphanumeric as some "block" character. Also, would upper and lower case be supported? However it may be more likely to just have a really long list to have to choose from. But that could get really tedious to choose a game when you have a lot loaded. The FB2 menu was good IMO, granted for the purpose it was serving and on the hardware it ran on. But the one for the FB2 portable would have to be more utilitarian I'd assume (no pictures, no categories). Anyway, has the menuing system already been decided? Also (diff topic) I went on and on about having a DC/AC in for the FB2 portable, and I noticed in other threads it was said that it would have a power jack. Regardless though, I'm psyched. Other question is (and sorry if already discussed) what is the current planned timeline on the FB2 portable (can't wait!)

Has anyone seen any hacks to the FB2 (or 2600 for that matter) that allow USB or MMC (Multimedia Card), CF (Compact Flash Card), IBM MicroDrive, SM (Smart Media Card), SD (Secure Digital Memory Card) , MS (Memory Stick) and MS-PRO (Memory Stick PRO) or anything like that to let you somehow load and choose bin files and play them? I know the FB2 portable is planned to have USB which will be totally awesome. But I just started wondering whether I missed a thread somewhere where someone made a hack similar to this? Granted I'm not sure how the menu to choose the rom would work (maybe a separate screen and set of buttons to choose the rom?). Thanks!

I'm so excited. This is going to be so awesome! So does that mean there will not be DC power in? If you had it, a lot of folks on car trips could use the cigarette lighters and adapters. That way, it could dual marketed as home console. Having batteries only at least in a TV games unit is my biggest pet peeve (which is why I only have one of the Jakks units). I'm seriously anal-retentive when it comes to removing batteries to avoid corrosion since I had most of my stuff as a kid go bad because I didn't remove the batteries. I know it might be too late for DC in, and I understand this is a portable unit and not meant to be another home console, but still, if possible- I think it would be a huge gain, even if you had to send off to Atari to get the transformer.

Would also be nice if it has a DC in (power) so don't have to use batteries when using at home. Could reuse the same transformer as the one for the flashback 2. Also was wondering how easy it will be to see the screen when two people are using, and whether the unit gets jostled around too much to view the built-in screen when both controllers are attached. I'm so excited about the AV out! Definitely getting one to use at home! (want to play fishing derby and indy500 with my family, and indiana jones on my own! )

Will paddles and joysticks also be sold separately at the same time as the portable, or is the plan for those who are interested to use their FB2 joysticks or scour eBay etc. for some? Second question is whether the race paddle (single paddle per DB9 unlike the tennis paddles) will be supported for indy500/race. I'm also a huge fan of a/v connection if you can fit it on (would be great for viewing on built-in tv screens in minivans and tv at home!). Thanks!

I agree on all points! But I still think that a game console that does emulation (and I mean real emulation, not rewritten games!) is a good idea. Why? 1. It is easy to turn a game console off and on. 2. Typically game consoles are built to load quickly (no waiting on the OS and having to move the mouse click to open the emulator, go to full screen, etc). 3. It is usually easy to choose a game to play and start playing. 4. You can play on your TV. Typically there is a lot more sitting room next to a TV vs. the space by a computer, and most people don't have a "media center" computer hooked to their TV. 5. Most people don't know about MAME, Stella, Atari800Win, etc. and even if they do know about it, most don't bother with it. I'd think that someone would create a device like this after having seen the popularity of Jakks releases like Ms Pacman. I think that if Atari wants to create another game console and really make Atari a household name, they would need to not only cover the bases on previously released Atari home console and computer games, and get into the real arcade stuff, or try to beat Sony, MS, Nintendo at their own game and produce a top end game console (and if you do all of the above, even better!)

Wireless controllers would be awesome! However I am not a fan of batteries, especially when it comes to the potential to leak and corrode things from the inside. Maybe they could be kinetically powered and you could shake the heck out of them every once in a while. It would also be nice to have force-feedback in the controllers (even though that is not new). How about electric shock feedback in the controller? When I was playing Satan's Hollow at an arcade in the 80's the joystick would shock me at random during game play. Other ideas: transparent game console lit up on the inside (maybe lights could be controlled and used in gameplay), new types of controllers that could measure your breathing, heartrate, head movement. BTW- I wonder how far we are from having a holographic game console. This one didn't really take off: http://www.atari-computermuseum.de/spector.htm

Cool! If you find those pictures, post one up!

How many FB2 have you purchased/do you own/do you plan to buy? Just curious... And... Are you are planning to buy one for Grandma? Do you plan to have one in your car? Do you plan to buy one and send it back in a time machine? Do you plan to buy one and make an electric mixer out of it? I need to know...

Great site! Thanks for the link! What are the "Cube games"? I wish that people would just sell licenses to use the arcade ROMs for cheap and then everyone could have a clear conscience playing games on an emulator.

Definitely. The IDE would have to make developing the game much easier and the better games would probably be team efforts. I'm thinking "Garry Kitchen's GameMaker" for the 21st century, allowing wizards for various types of games (3rd person shooter, strategy, mario scroller-type, puzzle type, etc.). Maybe Atari could have competitions and award prizes to the best games (in addition to the money the games could make if they were "for pay"). If you setup an environment that lets gamers write their own games for game console use more easily, I think you're bound to turn a lot of heads. In addition, you could even let kids design their own games. You could have another open-source game creation kit for the 5-7 yr old range that was easy to use and provided no end to imaginative new games that kids could create, play, and even share with each other (maybe with some help from mom and dad).