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Retron77 Compatibility List


godslabrat

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I believe the issue with the fire button stopping working is that the stellarc settings file is getting corrupted. I 'manually' corrupted it, by removing certain parts of it. Then I saw the fire button stopped working. Then I fixed the file, and the button magically started working again.

 

That explains why a re-write the of the image is fixing the problem; it is restoring the stellarc file back to factory state. However, this approach is like using a sledge-hammer where a scalpel would work. The fix should involve never modifying the stellarc file, since in reality the settings can never change anyway (this is a set piece of hardware, with no configurability).

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I believe the issue with the fire button stopping working is that the stellarc settings file is getting corrupted. I 'manually' corrupted it, by removing certain parts of it. Then I saw the fire button stopped working. Then I fixed the file, and the button magically started working again.

 

That explains why a re-write the of the image is fixing the problem; it is restoring the stellarc file back to factory state. However, this approach is like using a sledge-hammer where a scalpel would work. The fix should involve never modifying the stellarc file, since in reality the settings can never change anyway (this is a set piece of hardware, with no configurability).

Any idea what is corrupting the file? Something in the system must be changing it during gameplay if the button works right out of the box.

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I could not get any of my EARLY release text labels to work. Miniature Golf, Slot Machine, and Hunt and Score would not work even though they are all reliable on my 7800 and heavy sixer. Granted the teeth on the pcb look very different than later releases.

Anyone else try any early/number text carts?

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Any idea what is corrupting the file? Something in the system must be changing it during gameplay if the button works right out of the box.

 

Stella itself will change it when it exits (to save its settings). However, if Stella is force-killed without allowing it to properly save its settings, then the file may become corrupted. My solution is simple; on this device, simply don't ever save a config file. It is completely unnecessary, since none of the settings can be changed anyway.

 

Now, if the file is becoming corrupted for some other reason outside of Stella, then I'm not sure I can fix that. We'll have to see.

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It sounds like there are lots of issues with cartridge compatibility, even with the original titles. When you have a text and a picture cart variant where one works and the other one doesn't, that raises a red flag for me. Bottom line is, I don't want to have to go out and buy a specific variant just because a particular system doesn't like it. It's becoming more and more evident to wait and see what AtGames brings to us with the Flashback 9 and go from there. If they have switched to Stella and have added an SD cart slot with no ROM limitations, then that will be the clear winner for me.

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I wonder if dumping crashes while the cart is being inserted. Maybe you get better results if you insert the cart first and then power up the console?

 

If you insert the carts very slowly on the last millimeters, you can provoke a bad dump.

 

I tested several of my own carts (mostly PAL)

  • Solaris (works 9/10. maybe the issue I described above)
  • Mountain King (fails, FA bankswitching not supported?)
  • Pele's Soccer (pass)
  • Toyshop Trouble (pass)
  • Thrust/Thrust+/Thrust+ Platinum (pass)
  • SWOOPS! (pass)
  • Missile Command TB (pass)
  • Lady Bug (pass)
  • Star Fire (pass)
  • Ewok Adventure (pass, hack uses standard Atari bankswitching)
  • Atrix (IXION hack, partially fails all the time, garbled graphics, but seems to work)
  • Krokodile Cart (single game mode, pass)
Edited by Thomas Jentzsch
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I also noticed that the speed of insertion is sometimes an issue. If you insert a cart slowly, sometimes it doesn't work. Insert the same cart quickly, and then it does work. So I guess the dumper is being signalled as soon as it detects a cart, but if it's not fully made contact yet with all the pins, the dump fails???

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I grabbed a couple containers of carts and tested 67 last night. 45 worked and 22 didn't. No ROM testing yet.

 

The following carts all worked although if they took a non-joystick or paddle controller, you couldn't play them.

 

Phoenix, Okie Dokie, Oscar's Trash Race, Othello, Outer Space, Outlaw, Oystron, Pac-man, A better Pac-man, Pele's Soccer, Pesco, Pete Rose Baseball, Picnic, Piece O' Cake, Pigs in Space, Pinball - CCE, Polaris, Pole Position, Ralph Lauren Polo, Roc 'n Rope, Rubik's Cube, SCSIcide, Sea Battle, Sea Hawk - Sancho, Sea Hawk - Panda, Sea Hunt, Sentinel, Shark Attack, Shooting Gallery, Shuttle Orbiter (Although screen went wacky after shuttle launch), Skate Boardin, Skeet Shoot, Skiing (took several tries to load), Sky Jinks, Slot Racers, Slots, Smurf Rescure in Gargamel's Castle, Snoopy and the Red Baron, L.E.M., Panky the Panda, Anguna, Drive, Assembloids 2600, Conjoined, Super Trash Truck.

 

The following carts didn't load or had major problems.

 

Space Cactus Canyon, Draconian, Oink!, Omega Race, Pitfall, Pitfall II, Planet Patrol, Plaque Attack, Poker Plus, Pong Sports, Super Cobra Arcade, Robot Tank (screen would just roll), Seaquest, Secret Quest, Sky Diver, Sky Skipper, Slot Machine, Smurfs Save the Day, Sneak "N" Peek, The Grizzle Wrap and the Strange Red Tree, Scramble, A New Marauder.

 

The text label carts that didn't work felt like they weren't going down far enough in the cart slot to connect. The biggest disappointment was most of the Activision carts not working.

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The newer ARM based games (e.g. Scramble, Super Cobra Arcade) won't work at all, because they are not supported by the outdated Stella version Hyperkin is using. The same will be true for new bankswitching schemes. This can probably solved, but definitely not very easily (probably that's why Hyperkin is using the old Stella version). The Stella development team has only limited resources and therefore our focus must be prioritized. Actually this should be or should have been done by Hyperkin themselves. So if Hyperkin is not solving the problem, Stella needs support by other people who are willing to step in for them.

 

The other problem are the failing dumps, even for games which are supported by the old Stella version and thus are working from SD cart. Here we are stuck at the moment, because we have no access to the dumper's code base. And even if we would get it, it is not clear if we can update software easy enough, so that technically less skilled people can do it themselves.

Edited by Thomas Jentzsch
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If a running compatibility list is being kept then there should also be a column for what version of Stella is being used.

 

For those who haven't seen it - stephana posted an updated stella package (stella-3.9.3) that can be put on the Retron 77's microsd card.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/266544-retron-77/page-70?do=findComment&comment=4067570

 

Among other things Scramble now works (rom only) :)

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Has anyone tested the ROM limit to see if they can get more than the 18 that was previously announced? Wondering when they will change that and if it will be made unlimited...

 

I did and it's a no go still. I have the entire library on my SD card and it still only displays the first 18. I wish they could use more characters for the names, sometimes I'm not sure what rom it is because the name gets truncated.

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It's becoming more and more evident to wait and see what AtGames brings to us with the Flashback 9 and go from there. If they have switched to Stella and have added an SD cart slot with no ROM limitations, then that will be the clear winner for me.

 

 

If all you want is an emulation solution to play ROMS then no need to wait for the Flashback 9, there is no shortage of low cost computers/consoles/hobby boards/devices that can run Stella and use original controllers with an adapter.

 

I think using original carts is really the unique gimmick here, and there is a decent possibility that compatibility can be improved over time.

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If all you want is an emulation solution to play ROMS then no need to wait for the Flashback 9, there is no shortage of low cost computers/consoles/hobby boards/devices that can run Stella and use original controllers with an adapter.

 

I think using original carts is really the unique gimmick here, and there is a decent possibility that compatibility can be improved over time.

 

I have Stella on my home PC, but because it is the only one in the house, I can't keep it hooked up to the TV at all times like I want to. That is why I have a Flashback 8 set up. Once the Flashback 9 comes out, it may be time to switch thanks to the ability to load games onto the system. I have Atari carts, but will not invest money in a system that won't be at least 90% compatible. At that point, it's time to go with a rom system. BTW, at $60 for a Flashback, it is still cheaper than buying a second computer.

Edited by atarifan88
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I have Stella on my home PC, but because it is the only one in the house, I can't keep it hooked up to the TV at all times like I want to. That is why I have a Flashback 8 set up. Once the Flashback 9 comes out, it may be time to switch thanks to the ability to load games onto the system. I have Atari carts, but will not invest money in a system that won't be at least 90% compatible. At that point, it's time to go with a rom system. BTW, at $60 for a Flashback, it is still cheaper than buying a second computer.

 

Has it been confirmed that 9 will have an SD slot? I thought it was just rumors. Considering how awful the compatibility is on the handheld I wouldn't put too much on the 9 being the answer to your retro-dreams.

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Has it been confirmed that 9 will have an SD slot? I thought it was just rumors. Considering how awful the compatibility is on the handheld I wouldn't put too much on the 9 being the answer to your retro-dreams.

 

We should have official announcements in August, so I don't want to trump those with too much detail, but the HD unit will use a proven open source emulator and you will indeed be able to very easily add your own games. So if you need confirmation, consider it confirmed.

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Has it been confirmed that 9 will have an SD slot? I thought it was just rumors. Considering how awful the compatibility is on the handheld I wouldn't put too much on the 9 being the answer to your retro-dreams.

 

The compatibility is low enough that I consider it to be its own separate ecosystem. Way too many games have to be hacked and modded for my tastes. And that sort of thing shouldn't be happening anyways. The proper way is to hack/mod/update the emulator, not the software it's supposed to run!

Edited by Keatah
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My Activision games, NTSC River Raid, Enduro, work if you insert it fully, then pull it up a little, then turn on the RetroN.

NTSC Spider Fighter does not work, black screen when the dump seems to work.

 

Pengo Atari (2690) NTSC cartridge works. Feel free to add that to the list.

 

Stock system. Stella 3.7.x

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