ToddL Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 3 hours ago, reallybrett said: Tested with Kaboom, Food Fight and Super Breakout on an Atari 800 XL. Gamepad works great, paddle does not work in any of the paddle games I tried. Try a 2-player game and see if the Ranger works for player 2. Don't use the second port though as that's for players 3 and 4; you'll have to hot swap controllers in the first port. I believe player 1 and 2 are reversed for 800XL compared to 2600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) The paddle on mine quit working already. Only used it about 4 times. Correction: It quit working on the Retron 77. Still works on real hardware. Still extremely frustrating, since I got it mainly for the Retron 77. Edited January 5, 2020 by KevinMos3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Just missed the edit timeout for my last post... I re-flashed my Retron77 and the paddle is working again. My apologies for the previous pre-mature post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopperthedog Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Was able to log some hours testing over the last week and I'll applaud their attempt, but something isn't right with the paddle portion. It has a strange feeling on the left side of the screen, almost like there's a different resolution interpretation of the pot beyond center left. Right side of screen seems ok, but all game failures were due to something off with left of center. I couldn't even get close to 1000 with the ranger on kaboom after hours of trying to adapt. Plugged in my trusty Sears video arcade II (modified for 2600) controller (pictured far right) and got 2225 on kaboom on the 3rd game and cleared 3 screens on avalanche. Also tried the standard paddle and had some fair scores, but I get in the groove with that 2800 controller on paddle games. Went back to ranger and it felt like crap again. It's not bad as a game pad with the joy and button, but paddle is not right, ermm left. :p Ain't no one gonna be setting any records with the ranger paddle, it will just piss you off. If you have a 2800 controller and are interested in wiring it for paddle on a 2600 see here: good day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metzger130 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Reading all these is making me not sure if I want to get one or I should get one. I think it would be more comfortable to use than a regular atari 2600 joystick as it's more like an NES or sega controller and I can hold those for a long time compared to an atari controller. Was hoping the paddle would be better than what I have heard as none of my paddle controllers want to work. I move it an inch and it flies across the screen, probably needs fixed, but not sure how to do that. Would people recommend one of these or not? I just got a harmony encore cart and want to play games on my 2600/7800 and would like to be comfortable as possible with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluxit Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 In a nutshell, I'd say that if you are looking to play paddle games with the Ranger, you're likely to be disappointed. It does function as a paddle, but not very well. On the other hand- as a gamepad type controller it is quite comfortable with good button action and an okay thumbstick, plus it can be switched between right and left handed functionality. Also, keep in mind that it has been engineered to be light as opposed to strong, so don't expect it to survive a quick trip to the wall or a hard floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metzger130 Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 So, why would I get one of these if I have a bunch of sega genesis controllers sitting around? What would be the advantage of me spending money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ave1 Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 1 hour ago, metzger130 said: So, why would I get one of these if I have a bunch of sega genesis controllers sitting around? What would be the advantage of me spending money? Two reasons: Having a thumbstick can give you a whole new feel to your games. Gyruss is arguably better with a thumbstick than with a dpad. You can flip it and have the directions controlled by the right hand instead of the left. What Genesis dpad controller does that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetroChiGuy1212 Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 I got the Hyperkin Ranger adapter last week and it worked great with Warlords using two Ranger controllers. It worked on the 7800 and 2600 jr. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redjac Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 This is probably the wrong place for this... but has anyone used the Ranger with a Commodore 64? I'm getting absolutely nowhere with it and am wondering if I have a defective controller. I get absolutely no response from the paddle, and joystick mode also either isn't working or working strangely. I have a Retron 77 arriving soon, but until then I have no other systems to test the controller with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TapperP Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 I bought a Ranger a couple of weeks ago and HATED the thumbstick design. I found the small, sharp, hexagonal shape to be very uncomfortable. Luckily I found that joystick caps for the Nintendo Switch fit it perfectly and greatly improved it for me. If anyone is interested, these are what I used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTHG2WP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmadgames Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 I have a Retron 77 with the latest Stella firmware and the Ranger will not work at all for me as a paddle. Am I doing something wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluxit Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 8 hours ago, bmadgames said: I have a Retron 77 with the latest Stella firmware and the Ranger will not work at all for me as a paddle. Am I doing something wrong? Make sure that you set the switch to "P mode" before plugging in the controller. I noticed that switching modes while connected didn't always register with the Retron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Tried the P mode on an Atari Computer. It does not work with Super Breakout, nor Clowns and Balloons in Paddle mode (Control-P). Oh, well, nice in JS mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 1 minute ago, gilsaluki said: Tried the P mode on an Atari Computer. It does not work with Super Breakout, nor Clowns and Balloons in Paddle mode (Control-P). Oh, well, nice in JS mode. I may be wrong, but I think the Atari computers have paddle 1 and paddle 2 reversed vs. the 2600. Since the Ranger only supports player 1, it doesn't work on the 8-bits. I did wire up a quick circuit that allows me to hook up 2 rangers to one port as paddle A and paddle B and paddle B works on the 8-bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Just now, johnnywc said: I may be wrong, but I think the Atari computers have paddle 1 and paddle 2 reversed vs. the 2600. Since the Ranger only supports player 1, it doesn't work on the 8-bits. I did wire up a quick circuit that allows me to hook up 2 rangers to one port as paddle A and paddle B and paddle B works on the 8-bits. Hey. Thanks for the feedback. Good to know stuff. I really like the balanced feel of the controller, feels solid as well. I will try it on my 2600 soon. Now, if that person that is working on a mod to add another fire button and make it 7800 compatible would come through with an EZ mod and share it...that would be great as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmadgames Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 10 hours ago, fluxit said: Make sure that you set the switch to "P mode" before plugging in the controller. I noticed that switching modes while connected didn't always register with the Retron. I tried plugging in with the Ranger in P mode and then turning on the console and the paddle won't do anything in the menu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TapperP Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 There is an adapter to choose which player the paddle will be. I have one and it does work. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084TSVDFZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redjac Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 20 hours ago, bmadgames said: I have a Retron 77 with the latest Stella firmware and the Ranger will not work at all for me as a paddle. Am I doing something wrong? Same here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redjac Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 50 minutes ago, TapperP said: There is an adapter to choose which player the paddle will be. I have one and it does work. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084TSVDFZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It works with the Ranger and the community build on the Retron 77? That is not my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TapperP Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 28 minutes ago, Redjac said: It works with the Ranger and the community build on the Retron 77? That is not my experience. I don't use a Retron. It works on actual Atari hardware, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redjac Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 3 minutes ago, TapperP said: I don't use a Retron. It works on actual Atari hardware, though. It also works fine with the stock Retron77 firmware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 I really don't know why they just didn't include a third switch to be paddle 1 or 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 10 minutes ago, PacManPlus said: I really don't know why they just didn't include a third switch to be paddle 1 or 2 Good point Bob! Or even just one tri-state switch; left for Paddle 1, middle = joystick, right = Paddle 2. Oh well, maybe for the Ranger II. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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