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RetroN 77


jeremiahjt

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I contacted Hyperkin in the hope that it was a technically an improvement on the earlier version.  Nope, purely aesthetic so actually worse than the original because this version looks hideous and ultra-cheapo.  It's like they were going for that 70's, made in Hong Kong, plastic toy that will break in 5 minutes kind of look.  Weird choice.

Edited by insertclevernamehere
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Oh my Zeus that’s horrendous. Thank you guys so much for the warning. I headed over to eBay immediately just now and made sure to get myself a wood grain set, $72 shipped, not gonna trust Amazon sellers to not ship me a dayglo orange one! Now to order the other controllers and adapter thingies I’ll need for maximum capability! Thanks again!

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Jesus I hope Analogue decides to give us a retro-stylishly designed Analogue Av FPGA console for Atari VCS/5200/7800/400/800/1200XL games, with 8BitDo stepping up and releasing the following 2.4G wireless controllers: a joystick/spinner combo controller, a joypad/paddle combo controller like the Hyperkin Ranger (one of the few good ideas Hyperkin had), and last but equally important, a trakball controller, large like the original 5200 model so that it fits sturdy in the lap. They also need to figure out an analog joystick solution for the 5200, and a way to play two of the best games on that system effectively: Robotron and Space Dungeon, which both require the dual-joystick holder.

 

If an Atari solution such as all the above would be offered, I’m predicting it would fly off the shelves and into the homes of us Atari nuts.

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15 minutes ago, GoldLeader said:

Damn!  I'd never seen the Dayglo Orange version until now.  (Yet I don't hate it.)  Knowing how litigious Nutari is,  I'd bet 4 tacos they threatened Hyperkin with a suit, and somewhere wood grain got mentioned as a defining factor of trade dress.

In the video that was posted above, it was insinuated that this was the case... not sure if he has specific information or just making a guess.

 

EDIT: I suppose if this is true, we’ll see the original version disappear once stock is depleted.

Edited by Jstick
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4 hours ago, Jstick said:

In the video that was posted above, it was insinuated that this was the case... not sure if he has specific information or just making a guess.

 

EDIT: I suppose if this is true, we’ll see the original version disappear once stock is depleted.

Yep, that’s why I got while the gettin’ was good, aw yeah, so glad I did, the new one is butt-ugly, thanks again for the heads up guys!! 

Edited by WaverBoy
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9 hours ago, WaverBoy said:

Jesus I hope Analogue decides to give us a retro-stylishly designed Analogue Av FPGA console for Atari VCS/5200/7800/400/800/1200XL games [..]

Well if they ever do I would expect (and demand) many changes and inclusions that are non-existent on other FPGA implementations. The switches on the VCS section need to work correctly so we can play games like SpaceShuttle and others. I would also demand that it play all ARM games and run Harmony carts. AND have correct voltage levels and signaling on the DB9 ports - so that we may use things like AtariVOX, SaveKey, Quadtari, and other future peripherals.

 

And it must be a normal & practical looking console. No "because 80's" boombox style or other circus acts. Not wanted. Not required. No mix of switches in the front and back. Put everything up front. AND NO CARTRIDGE LOADING FAKERY. Of course that's not needed with FPGA.

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This hypothetical VCS replicant shouldn't have an SD slot. Because, then, stuff like Draconian would need the ARM/Harmony gig also be replicated. And that's going to add unnecessary complexity for playing something in a way that was not meant to be played. Well. Time will tell.

 

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10 hours ago, Keatah said:

This hypothetical VCS replicant shouldn't have an SD slot. Because, then, stuff like Draconian would need the ARM/Harmony gig also be replicated. And that's going to add unnecessary complexity for playing something in a way that was not meant to be played. Well. Time will tell.

 

No, we need an SD card slot just like the Super Nt and Mega Sg, for the many of us who have moved on from dusty cartridges but still want the authentic playing experience (except for the fuzzy CRT and dusty cartridge part ?).

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3 hours ago, WaverBoy said:

No, we need an SD card slot just like the Super Nt and Mega Sg, for the many of us who have moved on from dusty cartridges but still want the authentic playing experience (except for the fuzzy CRT and dusty cartridge part ?).

Oh I completely wholeheartedly agree with the dusty cartridges and fuzzy CRT issues. Ever since I got my 1st LCD monitor in the dot-com days, I never wanted anything else. Free from burn-in, dot-addressable perfect geometry being huge huge factors. Other features like refresh rates, brightness, and contrast needed more evolution at that early juncture.

 

I see 2 paths with an FPGA console. Build-in Harmony cartridge compatibility by using a chip that has an ARM on it and is able to access it like a real VCS would. Or just get an HC straight away and consider that as your SD slot. Both eliminate the mound of carts.

 

IDK.. Personally I've been rocking Stella since it was command-line only. The Brad Mott days.

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3 hours ago, hizzy said:

Why get the retron? Why not use a Pi?

Only issue I see here is the Retron works right out of the box. Everyone knows how to read a quickstart guide and plug things in. The Pi is a little more involved, though there is that Atari kit thing from MicroCenter? or Fry's?

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Finally got around to updating my Retron '77 and was successful, but something weird happened.

 

After I wrote the file to the card, I didn't have the option to disable the SD card slot in order to safely remove the card. I didn't think much of it, but now when I insert it back into my PC to create a games folder and add my roms, my PC isn't detecting it. 

 

Did I do something wrong? This was my first time imagining a SD card (I used balenaEtcher) and the Retron '77 fired right back up and was showing Stella 6.5.2, so that part worked correctly. 

 

Edit: Odd issue, but for whatever reason, a reboot fixed it and everything is now fine.

Edited by Atariboy
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Finally got my Retron 77 wood grain special, two Troopers, two Rangers, a pair of insanely rebuilt paddles from Best Electronics, and the D9 2600-daptor.

 

My findings: don’t bother with the Ranger controllers. They’re garbage and I’m going to sell mine. The paddles are useless, because on one setting, they’re too sensitive, and on the other setting, the sensitivity is better but the wheel is still too small and the rotation direction switches to backwards on the better sensitivity setting (WHY, Hyperkin, WHY???) so it STILL makes it difficult to play.

 

Hyperkin almost got the Trooper joystick just right; the control is accurate, there’s two fire buttons for flexibility, the cord is nice and long, and they rounded off the bottom corners which help ergonomically. However, the stick itself is hard plastic instead of rubber like the originals, so it’s (even) less comfortable in the hand, but that’s not a dealbreaker. Best Atari joystick on the market overall at the moment that will work with the original console.

 

For paddles to work properly (they’ll work if you plug them into the controller port but they’re jittery, gee thanks a lot Hyperkin for your shitty code), you’ll need a 2600-Daptor D9, a split USB host OTG cable with USB power, a USB A male to USB B male cable, and a pair of powerfully refurbished paddles from Best Electronics (don’t even bother with anything else). Then plug a joystick into player one controller port, plug the paddles into the 2600-daptor D9, plug the D9 into the B male end of the A-to-B USB cable and the A male end into the split USB host/power cable, plug the male microUSB end of the split cable into the Retron 77, plug the male end of the microUSB power adapter, and plug the adapter into an outlet, and now you’re all set for HD Atari goodness. Of course, none of this rigmarole would have been necessary had Hyperkin been competent enough to not screw it up. Also, even with the paddle workaround it feels like the sensitivity is still too much, like you should be able to turn the paddle further for the same amount of movement which would make it easier to be more accurate.

 

Now I need to track down a trakball controller, as Best is out of their refurbished ones, but they still sell their refurb kits at least.

Edited by WaverBoy
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2 hours ago, WaverBoy said:

Also, even with the paddle workaround it feels like the sensitivity is still too much, like you should be able to turn the paddle further for the same amount of movement which would make it easier to be more accurate.

You know that you can adjust the sensitivity in Stella's settings?

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2 minutes ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Open the settings and switch to advanced settings. Then go to Input/Devices&Ports.

 

Or RTFM! ;) 

I figured it’d be in Settings, but I just wanted to say the sorcery bit ?

 

Thanks for the hot tip sir! Soon as I get back from my girlfriend’s I’ll get right on that. If I can get the paddle sensitivity setting dialed in correctly, then I’ll have a pretty sweet Atari HD setup, marred only by having to walk back to the console every time I want to start a fresh game or change games.

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12 hours ago, WaverBoy said:

Also, even with the paddle workaround it feels like the sensitivity is still too much, like you should be able to turn the paddle further for the same amount of movement which would make it easier to be more accurate.

 

Note the paddles are fairly sensitive on the original 2600 console.  The left and right red lines in this pic are all you have to turn the knob to move all the way across the screen -

 

paddle%20range.jpg

 

 

Tom

http://2600-daptor.com/

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2 hours ago, dualcam said:

 

Note the paddles are fairly sensitive on the original 2600 console.  The left and right red lines in this pic are all you have to turn the knob to move all the way across the screen -

 

paddle%20range.jpg

 

 

Tom

http://2600-daptor.com/

It’s been quite a while since I used a pair of Atari paddles, especially ones that aren’t remotely jittery, so I must have just plum forgot how sensitive they were. Well, here’s looking forward to Stella and her most generous adjustable settings helping me improve my KABOOM! scores! And thank you so much for your D9 gizmo!!!!!

Edited by WaverBoy
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