A New Challenger Approaches! - A7800 BackBit Pro Adapter has arrived at the ITC!
Received my BBPro 7800 adapter today and we have some really good things and some not so good that I'm hoping can be worked out in time.
- First the good, is that the menu of course is easy to navigate working in the same manner
- This might be the fastest loading flash cart for the 7800 with the exception of the older Mateos cart
- Plays the many of the original released games without issues including both Commando and BallBlazer with properly balanced and proper sounding Pokey audio! Nice!
Now for the issues I've encountered...
- None of the 2600 roms I've tied to load up will work. What happens is that the 7800 resets after selecting the game and then essentially crashes. Now, I actually have a modified BIOS installed into my 7800 that was developed by Pac-Man Plus (Bob D.) and RevEng that plays the Kiloparsec build in 7800 game when it doesn't detect a cartridge installed. However, in the case of the BBPro, whenever I try to load up any 2600 game or some of the more recent 7800 home brew releases, it will default to the Kiloparsec built in game.
- Some of the more recent 7800 home brews that I've been testing, will load up, but the audio isn't quite right on their POKEY sounds and the graphics glitch quite a bit with horizontal flickery lines.
- One of the home brew games I have is E.X.O. in its full ready to be released form. It is a 512kb game but it doesn't load and causes the 7800 to load up the Kiloparsec built in game in my console again.
- Doesn't seem to support Pokey at $450 or $800 which are somewhat newer implementations of Pokey addressing. So it seems it only supports Pokey at $4000and $8000 is my guess?
Here is the list of original released titles I've had trouble getting to load up. These were all taken using Trebor's rom pack"
- Ace of Aces will load up but no audio and corrupted graphics
- Basketbrawl just gives a black screen and seems to lock up the BBPro since the button won't respond and requires a power cycle of the console
- Choplifter works but has minor graphic glitching with horizonal lines across the top of the image. Seems to play normal otherwise
- Double Dragon doesn't load up
- F-18 Loads up but with corrupted graphics on title screen and then locks up after selecting a mission
- Fatal Run starts up but then locks up to black screen when the demo starts or when trying to start a game
- Fight Night stars up but the menus have corrupted text and game play graphics
- Ikari Warriors starts up but with game play graphics corruption
- Mat Mania Challenge will start but player sprites are corrupted
- Mean 18 has corrupted game graphics and not really playable
- Meltdown will give a black screen when trying to load
- Midnight Mutants gives a black screen when trying to load just like Meltdown
- Moto Psycho starts but player graphics are corrupted
- Ninja Golf starts up but main player graphics are missing in the middle of the game play field and graphics corruptions in the map in the lower left
- Planet Smashers - starts up but sprite graphics are corrupted
- Rampage won't start, black screen
- Scrapyard Dog doesn't start, black screen
- Summer Games is playable but has flickery white lines on the screen only during the opening ceremonies
- Touchdown Football will start up but then black screen when pressing reset to start the game
- Winter Games works but has the same glitching horizontal flickering lines during the opening ceremony
- Xenophobe, doesn't start, black screen
So that is currently how my testing went last night with the new adapter. One of the main issues I see mainstream with the adapter, is the requirement of an additional reset wire that has to be installed using a clip off pin 13 of the 4013 IC inside the console, and then routed back out so you can plug it into the cartridge adapter. Many of Evie's adapters use and require this so it isn't new or unique to the 7800 adapter. But, I also don't see many folks willing to open up their consoles and remove the RF shielding to attach the wire and then figure out how to route it externally. Nor would they be okay with a wire dangling from their console in order to the use the BBPro. If you never planned to remove it it wouldn't be that big a deal, but then that kills the multi system aspect of having it in the first place. Evie is going to look more into trying to find ways to not require this wire, but in its current state, the adapter and the BBPro won't even load up without it attached.
So, work to be done with it still for sure and this adapter appears to be a bit more wip still compared to the others I've gotten. But, Evie has always shown strong commitment to supporting her products and in likely short time, she will have quite a few of these issues resolved. I'll be sure to update as she updates the adapter.
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