Flojomojo Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 Regarding screen coverings The Sega one has a big Sonic the Hedgehog on it. The Atari one is clear and stuck down really well, I was tempted to leave mine be but it cuts down on the brightness. I picked at it from a corner and it eventually came up. I store mine in an ugly glasses case. I wish AtGames or someone else would make a nice soft case with game logos or graphics. I tried to get someone on Etsy to make a zipper case for me with Donkey Kong fabric but it didn't come out big enough. ...I might try again if I find a seller with something suitable. If it works out, I'll share it here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 I've got the Sega version of this machine and I took off the screen cover film. I wish that I hadn't. Cheap plastic makes it one of the most easily scratchable screens ever. I eventually had to put a cellphone screen protector on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asaki Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 The Genesis portable does not have one. I could've sworn one of the older models did. Man, I can't get any of my facts straight lately...maybe I should start sleeping again @_@ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 (edited) I tried to pick a little at mine, but I can't find evidence of a screen protector. The screen quality isn't bothering me, so I guess I'll leave it be and the thing will eventually peel back on its own (if I have one). I dis-like screen protectors that take the initiative and rise up on their own. Slap them bitches down! Edited December 3, 2016 by Keatah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordRayken Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 I tried to pick a little at mine, but I can't find evidence of a screen protector. The screen quality isn't bothering me, so I guess I'll leave it be and the thing will eventually peel back on its own (if I have one). You can definitely get it. Just keep digging at the corners. It does come up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 I could've sworn one of the older models did. Man, I can't get any of my facts straight lately...maybe I should start sleeping again @_@ Are you talking about a Player 2 controller? The Nomad had a full size port. There's a variant of the Firecore Genesis that supported a wireless controller for player 2. The US AtGames Sega units never had this, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 My review is now posted, along with direct feed gameplay videos. Nothing you guys don't know, though: http://armchairarcade.com/perspectives/2016/12/02/review-atari-flashback-portable-atgames-2016-version-includes-videos/I think that's a good review. You're always very positive in your reviews, which I suppose is understandable given your role in this product, but I think it's good to keep that kind of perspective. It's not like anyone else is making an official portable Atari. I didn't know the black-white switch wasn't a toggle, this explained it well. I might just play VCS Pac-Man with my thumb on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillLoguidice Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 I think that's a good review. You're always very positive in your reviews, which I suppose is understandable given your role in this product, but I think it's good to keep that kind of perspective. It's not like anyone else is making an official portable Atari. I didn't know the black-white switch wasn't a toggle, this explained it well. I might just play VCS Pac-Man with my thumb on it. Yes, I'm generally a positive person and try to only review things I think I'll like. Although it might be fun to write about some awful products once in a while, I have limited time, so I really can't seek that kind of stuff out. So that's why probably greater than 90% of my reviews have more positives than negatives. I also don't find it particularly helpful to anyone if I don't point out the positives with the negatives. It's a rare product that is all good or all bad. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 The Genesis portable does not have one. Presumably someone could match the placement of the Flashback 7, but the Portable uses a newer version of the same hardware, so I'm not sure they're directly equivalent. The only place I could see a stable placement for a joystick/paddle connector is on the center bottom of the unit where it has the most surface area, but that may not be viable because of how the screen is positioned. Perhaps the only way it would really work, assuming it's even possible in the first place, is to have a dongle, which kind of ruins the portability. Possibly the only viable place to tap connectors for the pin headers would be under the button pads themselves, which of course would only get in the way of proper button operation. Soldering to PCB traces is a PITA, I have tried it before trying to convert a Yobo Genesis controller into an arcade box. And it had gold dots conveniently placed on the PCB presumably for this purpose. One of the pads literally broke off while I was handling it so I said **** it and tossed the PCB. Good news was it was only $5.95 so I didn't lose much. Not so bad with vintage controllers with through-hole parts (you can solder onto the pins solder side) but hacking modern stuff is much more intensive and delicate. TLDR, you'll probably end up ruining it anyway (or at least ruin it's portability) and better off sticking to the Flashback 7 (which has a larger selection of games) if you need a controller port. I wonder if there's any way rip a copy of the "Space Invaders" game that was included on the preview version for use on the SD card? Even if someone dumped it, it's proprietary to the Flashback unit, ie you would need to emulate the Flashback hardware to play the enhanced arcade ports. Just buy a Flashback 7 if you want this game. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asaki Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Are you talking about a Player 2 controller? The Nomad had a full size port. Yeah, I was either thinking of that, or Curt Vendel's prototype, or who knows what...when I don't sleep, my brain goes a little weird, and I can't remember if certain facts are true, or if I dreamed them, or just heard something in a conversation...so it could've been anything really. Or maybe I've just been phasing in and out of alternate timelines Not so bad with vintage controllers with through-hole parts (you can solder onto the pins solder side) but hacking modern stuff is much more intensive and delicate. Right. It's hard to tell from the blurry photos, but if there is a spot to tap into for the other three lines, it's probably on one of those surface mounted resistors. I've removed a few before (intentionally), and I can imagine it's probably super easy to do it by accident. Would be fun to come up with some kind of tiny pot mod for paddle games, though 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everett1954 Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Beside the screen protector, is there protective plastic covering on the grey area by the push buttons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordRayken Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Beside the screen protector, is there protective plastic covering on the grey area by the push buttons? Good catch, it seems like their might be, but I am unable to get anything to scratch off in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Yeah, I was either thinking of that, or Curt Vendel's prototype, or who knows what...when I don't sleep, my brain goes a little weird, and I can't remember if certain facts are true, or if I dreamed them, or just heard something in a conversation...so it could've been anything really. Or maybe I've just been phasing in and out of alternate timelines Right. It's hard to tell from the blurry photos, but if there is a spot to tap into for the other three lines, it's probably on one of those surface mounted resistors. I've removed a few before (intentionally), and I can imagine it's probably super easy to do it by accident. Would be fun to come up with some kind of tiny pot mod for paddle games, though It's funny you mention SMT resistors. They actually make "zero ohms" in SMT packages. AFAIK there's no such thing as a "zero ohm" or black-black-black resistor. The proper term is a "jumper"... I'm working on converting an Emio PCB from Classic Controller to NES and the whole PCB was single sided with a bunch of [0] SMT resistor parts wherever they needed to cross traces. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-ohm_link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik1138 Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Grr, can't get the SD card to work... 4GB card, just keeps going back to the main menu with SD CARD BROWSER selected... Tried all the tricks (formatting with the SD Card tool, just a 'Game' folder, and currently one ROM (Digdug.bin from the compatibility thread)... Won't work. (Tried the full folder and 'Doc Clu's Favs' as well). The only odd thing is that it's a Micro SDHC card in an SD Card adapter... That _shouldn't_ matter, I wouldn't think, but has anyone gotten a Micro in an adapter to work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarifan88 Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Grr, can't get the SD card to work... 4GB card, just keeps going back to the main menu with SD CARD BROWSER selected... Tried all the tricks (formatting with the SD Card tool, just a 'Game' folder, and currently one ROM (Digdug.bin from the compatibility thread)... Won't work. (Tried the full folder and 'Doc Clu's Favs' as well). The only odd thing is that it's a Micro SDHC card in an SD Card adapter... That _shouldn't_ matter, I wouldn't think, but has anyone gotten a Micro in an adapter to work? So far no. That may be the issue. Try a regular SD card. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Grr, can't get the SD card to work... 4GB card, just keeps going back to the main menu with SD CARD BROWSER selected... Tried all the tricks (formatting with the SD Card tool, just a 'Game' folder, and currently one ROM (Digdug.bin from the compatibility thread)... Won't work. (Tried the full folder and 'Doc Clu's Favs' as well). The only odd thing is that it's a Micro SDHC card in an SD Card adapter... That _shouldn't_ matter, I wouldn't think, but has anyone gotten a Micro in an adapter to work? Yes, I'm using an old MicroCenter brand 4GB MicroSD in an adapter. I would try a different brand of card from what you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Grr, can't get the SD card to work... 4GB card, just keeps going back to the main menu with SD CARD BROWSER selected... Tried all the tricks (formatting with the SD Card tool, just a 'Game' folder, and currently one ROM (Digdug.bin from the compatibility thread)... Won't work. (Tried the full folder and 'Doc Clu's Favs' as well). The only odd thing is that it's a Micro SDHC card in an SD Card adapter... That _shouldn't_ matter, I wouldn't think, but has anyone gotten a Micro in an adapter to work? I'm using a micro too...Let's see...Mine is a 4GB Sandisk Micro in an adapter...Works like a champ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Yeah, I was either thinking of that, or Curt Vendel's prototype, or who knows what...when I don't sleep, my brain goes a little weird, and I can't remember if certain facts are true, or if I dreamed them, or just heard something in a conversation...so it could've been anything really. Or maybe I've just been phasing in and out of alternate timelines I'm pretty sure you're not a Time Lord or a Q, just some nerd with a rich inner life. Though I know what you mean ...we have been talking about an official portable Atari for ages. I dug up an old thread with links to other discussions. The original idea was definitely to have at least one 9-pin controller port on it. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/110146-obsolete-do-you-plan-to-buy-a-flashback-2-portable/page-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Flojomojo, on 04 Dec 2016 - 06:03 AM, said: I'm pretty sure you're not a Time Lord or a Q, just some nerd with a rich inner life. Though I know what you mean ...we have been talking about an official portable Atari for ages. I dug up an old thread with links to other discussions. The original idea was definitely to have at least one 9-pin controller port on it. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/110146-obsolete-do-you-plan-to-buy-a-flashback-2-portable/page-1 I had no idea the idea for this thing had been around for so long! ... Not that it surprises me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moo Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 I heard the genesis portables were finicky with SDHC, so I'm not suprised some SDXC cards aren't working. I would buy a straight SD card, those only go up to 2 gb. That's as big as you'll need anyway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Yup Even a teeny weeny 16MB card would be overkill! http://www.ebay.com/itm/16MB-SD-Card-non-HC-SD-Memory-SDC-16MB-/112218196978?hash=item1a20b9cbf2%3Ag%3ADqAAAOSwB09YOwvs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rednakes1 Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 (edited) What's the size of the portable version compared to a PS Vita? Anyone have both? I can currently run my Atari games on the hacked Vita's Stella emulator but would be nice to have something easier to carry around and with possibly other advantages. Edited December 4, 2016 by rednakes1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordRayken Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Grr, can't get the SD card to work... 4GB card, just keeps going back to the main menu with SD CARD BROWSER selected... Tried all the tricks (formatting with the SD Card tool, just a 'Game' folder, and currently one ROM (Digdug.bin from the compatibility thread)... Won't work. (Tried the full folder and 'Doc Clu's Favs' as well). The only odd thing is that it's a Micro SDHC card in an SD Card adapter... That _shouldn't_ matter, I wouldn't think, but has anyone gotten a Micro in an adapter to work? My converter wouldn't work, I had to go buy a normal sized 8 gig sd card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 What's the size of the portable version compared to a PS Vita? Anyone have both? I can currently run my Atari games on the hacked Vita's Stella emulator but would be nice to have something easier to carry around and with possibly other advantages.For:It's a a lot smaller and lighter than the Vita -- more precise dimensions are at Bill's site armchairArcade.com It's also cheap enough I wouldn't feel as bad about losing or breaking it like I would with the Vita. Against: It's a single purpose purpose device, with a small screen. Emulator compatibility is probably better on the Vita. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgdgagdae Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 They're $39.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond right now - and that's before using a 20% off coupon. I'll go and get mine tomorrow. See anything wrong with the screenshot in this advertisement from AtGames' site?? http://res.cloudinary.com/dekmsqlfb/image/upload/v1478039466/two_ntjlmc.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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