2017 Flashback FAQ and Speculation Thread

[Atariboy]

In other words, viewing angles.

 

Is it really a vertical screen, or just an inexpensive one?

 

Pretty sure it's a vertical screen. There's a lot of variability when tilting it from left to right, but not nearly so much when moved in the other orientation.

Edited June 12, 2017 by Atariboy

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

Pretty sure it's a vertical screen. There's a lot of variability when tilting it from left to right, but not nearly so much when moved in the other orientation.

Or use an IPS screen that has a wide viewing angle horizontall AND verticaly!

[Atariboy]

I wonder if it's premature to speculate that their next console compilation might be an Activision themed one?

[Flojomojo]

That would be nice. Though it would be hard to top the PS2/PSP Activision Anthology that has the licensed 80s music like "Pulling Mussels from a Shell" and "We're Not Gonna Take It."

 

The mobile version is in need of an update before the ios11 32-bit app purge this fall.

[+Atari_Warlord]

Looks like the Gold Activision version might get me to finally buy another Flashback since version 2. Hopefully the new wireless joysticks work well. Having to maintain line of sight was always a deal breaker for me.

[Bill Loguidice]

Looks like the Gold Activision version might get me to finally buy another Flashback since version 2. Hopefully the new wireless joysticks work well. Having to maintain line of sight was always a deal breaker for me.

 

The new wireless joysticks work like typical modern Bluetooth controllers, so no issues.

[Andromeda Stardust]

The mobile version is in need of an update before the ios11 32-bit app purge this fall.

That is going to remove a metric ton of stuffs. Will older devices still be able to download and install the 32-bit apps? Will preinstalled apps just stop working if you update your Apple device firmware? Will older 32-bit Apple devices be forced offline forever?

 

 

 

The new wireless joysticks work like typical modern Bluetooth controllers, so no issues.

Can you sync them with a PC or mobile device, or is the wireless signal proprietary?

[Flojomojo]

That is going to remove a metric ton of stuffs. Will older devices still be able to download and install the 32-bit apps? Will preinstalled apps just stop working if you update your Apple device firmware? Will older 32-bit Apple devices be forced offline forever?

 

Old devices still work, but only up to the last supported version of the OS. My original iPad is the oldest device I have, and it runs plenty of old things if I sync them from my computer. A lot of the old apps are already gone from the store. The App Store lets older devices get the latest supported version for the OS they're running, which may or may not work as expected.

 

You can view a list of 32-bit apps right now under Settings\About\Apps. Actively supported apps are getting replaced. Abandoned apps will quit working. As someone who likes old software, this seems pretty harsh, but it does keep the store clean. It's "nice" to have all the apps support the proper screen resolution and things like iCloud saving.

 

Nothing is getting "forced offline," they just won't be able to upgrade to iOS 11. The cutoff will be anything older than iPhone 5S. If you're using an iPhone from 2012, chances are your battery is the limiting factor, not software.

 

My kid uses my old iPad 3 from 2012. It's on ios9 and that's the way it's gonna be. We'll upgrade it when it breaks, but it's still going strong. The 2010 iPad 1 is a MAME machine with an iCade now.

[MrBeefy]

So will the new portable read all the roms people have been hacking/fixing to be compatible? Or are they going to have to do that again?

[Bill Loguidice]

So will the new portable read all the rooms people have been hacking/fixing to be compatible? Or are they going to have to do that again?

 

I have yet to check that. Again, updates have been made to run some of the games that are included that didn't previously natively work, like Galaxian.

[MrBeefy]

 

I have yet to check that. Again, updates have been made to run some of the games that are included that didn't previously natively work, like Galaxian.

Well I hope comparability is good because with the gold Activision and Pacman on the portable you are going to make me spend money since fb2+.

 

Is there going to be a preorder or do you know which places would do it?

[Bill Loguidice]

Well I hope comparability is good because with the gold Activision and Pacman on the portable you are going to make me spend money since fb2+.

 

Is there going to be a preorder or do you know which places would do it?

 

There will be a special pre-order for the Atari 8 Flashback Gold Activision Edition. Details to be announced.

[Zoyous]

I've been lurking and reading with interest and excitement about both the Genesis and the Atari Gold Activision consoles. I think both of them sound great! My only wish is that the Genesis consoles wouldn't have a game library padded out with a bunch of - trying not to be rude - "unofficial" games. To me it detracts from the product. Even knowing, hey, I never have to play those games. To me, they don't belong with the console's library. They're not of the same quality, nowhere near the same depth, I don't even know who makes them. Or why.

 

It's nice that the NES Mini demonstrated that there's a market for these higher-quality retro consoles... did it not also demonstrate that a well-curated library of official games is plenty appealing?

 

The Atari consoles on the other hand - the homebrew games and the prototypes - those are fascinating and welcome additions. There's a big difference in my mind between those kinds of bonuses and the "extra" games that keep being added to the Genesis consoles.

 

I know the wheels are already in motion and the decisions have already been made for this year. I would just respectfully request for next year to consider leaving out the "additional" games. I'll be buying these this year but that would really be an incentive for me to buy the next year's one. Does that seem crazy? I dunno, maybe so. Just my two cents.

[BillLoguidice]

I've been lurking and reading with interest and excitement about both the Genesis and the Atari Gold Activision consoles. I think both of them sound great! My only wish is that the Genesis consoles wouldn't have a game library padded out with a bunch of - trying not to be rude - "unofficial" games. To me it detracts from the product. Even knowing, hey, I never have to play those games. To me, they don't belong with the console's library. They're not of the same quality, nowhere near the same depth, I don't even know who makes them. Or why.

 

It's nice that the NES Mini demonstrated that there's a market for these higher-quality retro consoles... did it not also demonstrate that a well-curated library of official games is plenty appealing?

 

The Atari consoles on the other hand - the homebrew games and the prototypes - those are fascinating and welcome additions. There's a big difference in my mind between those kinds of bonuses and the "extra" games that keep being added to the Genesis consoles.

 

I know the wheels are already in motion and the decisions have already been made for this year. I would just respectfully request for next year to consider leaving out the "additional" games. I'll be buying these this year but that would really be an incentive for me to buy the next year's one. Does that seem crazy? I dunno, maybe so. Just my two cents.

Stay tuned for the release of the final game list for the HD version.

[carlsson]

I suppose one difference is that on the 2600 front, game development has improved a lot since the 80's. The best hobbyist developers using modern tools and vast amounts of knowledge are able to squeeze so much out of the same hardware than they did 35 years ago, so in the end the homebrews represent what the hardware eventually was capable of after decades of studying.

 

On the Genesis, which probably is easier to program but offers far more hardware to squeeze, the homebrews rather represent the home user's dreams of being able to make your own games for the console. The homebrew games likely don't have the same amounts of resources attached to them as the originally licensed Sega games, thus to a larger degree seem like fillers. The few AAA homebrews also might be too narrow to qualify for a general public Flashback device, or infringe on other IP which makes them unsuitable.

 

Seen partly as an educational tool to the public, that these systems are not long gone and revived for nostalgia only, but actually form an "underground" community where new games are developed all the time, I think it is a good idea to include some quality homebrews that AtGames can obtain licensing for. Obviously Nintendo thinks otherwise and at best dismisses homebrews, unless they still send out C&D just for having the nerve to program an old Nintendo console yourself. While the general public somehow are aware that Nintendo still exists in terms of modern gaming and reusing their own IP all the time, it is big N's fault if people thought the NES/Famicom was a dead system until the fall of 2016, when they see that new games emerge for other classic consoles and computers.

[Bill Loguidice]

I suppose one difference is that on the 2600 front, game development has improved a lot since the 80's. The best hobbyist developers using modern tools and vast amounts of knowledge are able to squeeze so much out of the same hardware than they did 35 years ago, so in the end the homebrews represent what the hardware eventually was capable of after decades of studying.

 

On the Genesis, which probably is easier to program but offers far more hardware to squeeze, the homebrews rather represent the home user's dreams of being able to make your own games for the console. The homebrew games likely don't have the same amounts of resources attached to them as the originally licensed Sega games, thus to a larger degree seem like fillers. The few AAA homebrews also might be too narrow to qualify for a general public Flashback device, or infringe on other IP which makes them unsuitable.

 

Seen partly as an educational tool to the public, that these systems are not long gone and revived for nostalgia only, but actually form an "underground" community where new games are developed all the time, I think it is a good idea to include some quality homebrews that AtGames can obtain licensing for. Obviously Nintendo thinks otherwise and at best dismisses homebrews, unless they still send out C&D just for having the nerve to program an old Nintendo console yourself. While the general public somehow are aware that Nintendo still exists in terms of modern gaming and reusing their own IP all the time, it is big N's fault if people thought the NES/Famicom was a dead system until the fall of 2016, when they see that new games emerge for other classic consoles and computers.

 

The "other" games on the Genesis products are not programmed specific to the Genesis hardware, although they have somewhat similar AV capabilities. The SD and portable will still have a selection of "other" titles, while the HD unit will have something else entirely. Details to follow.

[Greg2600]

The shovelware is unfortunate, as even casual gamers get turned off by that garbage. It's just to pad it. Really hope ONE of the Everdrive's will work on the Genesis HDMI.

 

On the Atari front, seems like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Frogger and Jungle Hunt are the most popular titles that don't appear on all offerings. As I said, the Gold should have all of these, as should the Activision Gold.

[Bill Loguidice]

The shovelware is unfortunate, as even casual gamers get turned off by that garbage. It's just to pad it. Really hope ONE of the Everdrive's will work on the Genesis HDMI.

 

The Genesis HDMI will likely not support any type of flash cart, but it ultimately depends how said flash cart works. It certainly works fine with regular multi-carts.

[Greg2600]

I wouldn't expect them to "test" a flash cart on there, but if it does work, that's a huge bonus.

[Bill Loguidice]

I wouldn't expect them to "test" a flash cart on there, but if it does work, that's a huge bonus.

 

We have no problem testing flash carts.

[Andromeda Stardust]

bviously Nintendo thinks otherwise and at best dismisses homebrews, unless they still send out C&D just for having the nerve to program an old Nintendo console yourself. While the general public somehow are aware that Nintendo still exists in terms of modern gaming and reusing their own IP all the time, it is big N's fault if people thought the NES/Famicom was a dead system until the fall of 2016, when they see that new games emerge for other classic consoles and computers.

Not sure where you are going with this one, but Nintendo has largely left the homebrew community alone, with rare exception such as Princess Rescue, which ironically was not developed for a Nintendo system. Don't touch Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, et al, and you'll be okay. There is a thriving homebrew communitity for NES and is left largely undisturbed. NES homebrew started out with basic NROM carts and arcade or Atari style games, which don't differ a lot from the complexity of early Famicom titles, but evolved from that. Many NES homebrews are just as advanced as bitd games, and new homebrew mappers such as Memblers GT-ROM are blowing the doors wide open. Flash saving without SRAzm backup was a pipe dream in the 80s. And I'm glad to be a part of both the NES and Atari homebrew crowds, NES being my first love. Don't hate; I love Atari about equally now. If I had to loose every system except one, it would be a tough call Atari vs NES. But I don't want to go there...

 

Moving on, IIRC the "extra games" on the Genesis Flashbacks were programmed natively for the ARM based hardware. Atgames could just as easily stuff them on the Atari flashback but chose not to. I never bought any of the Genesis offerings due to the horrid audio, but the homebrews, if code could be dumped somehow, would not execute on native Genesis hardware.

[Andromeda Stardust]

We have no problem testing flash carts.

Super Retro Trio had no trouble playing them, or SMS games for that matter.

[carlsson]

Re: NES homebrew - that is nice to hear. I don't follow that part of the scene very closely but I strongly had the feeling that Nintendo would try to shut down even non-infringing software, at least those put on a physical cartridge. I'll gladly accept I was wrong on that though, but also realize that they have a strong original library so no need to invite third party publishers into their retro products, at the "cost" of having the emulated system look like it has been in stasis for 25 years.

[BillLoguidice]

Super Retro Trio had no trouble playing them, or SMS games for that matter.

And? The SD version can use them. For the HD version, it's a different process for running cartridges.

[Andromeda Stardust]

And? The SD version can use them. For the HD version, it's a different process for running cartridges.

The Genesis on a Chip implementation in the SRT is nearly perfect, as well as the SNES portion. No messed up audio, near perfect compatibility, except Virtua Racing, and even that can be fixed with a jumper wire. The AtGames Genesis-On-A-Chip is comparatively poor compatibility, broken saves, and terrible audio. No excuse for Sonic to sound the way it did.

 

And I'm aware the HD versions are emulators paired with cart dumpers, which open a completely different can of compatibility issues when it comes to interfacing the cartridge. If the system doesn't know how to dump the cart, the game won't run. A huge issue for NES, less so for 16-bit systems.