CrossBow

Correct, but again, many folks appear to have issues even getting the program to run or see their 2600+ etc. So ideally it all needs to be compiled into a single program that you run, that carefully guides you through the process and then updates whatever is needed. I think the process to modify the FW on my NES/SNES and Genesis mini consoles was easier are more friendly as an example and those weren't created by a large company.

Well, compared to how you might do a FW update on most other consumer devices, I would say it more complex yes. Even the BIOS upgrade for my motherboard is usually just a single exe file I run and let it do its thing. The fact that the update is pretty much only for Windows users is another thing I'm sure they will correct releasing something more official.

I wouldn't mind owning that version but I believe it commands a pretty high price these days just like most PCE/TG-16 stuff does.

Loom is one of my favorites of the era. And it really cool to see it played on the PS/2 like in that video. As that is how I first saw the game when my best friend at the time first got it and that was how we played the game. Although, once I bought the game for myself a few months later, I played it with Adlib audio. It wasn't until much later.. .like over a decade later, that I got to experience the game as it was meant through my LAPC-I sound board so I could finally hear the MT-32 soundtrack the game first came with. My only complaint in the video, is that when he shows the VGA graphics, it is apparent that a filter is being used like an HQ2 method or something because it looks far too smoothed out and that is why it looks off. Without such a filter in place the VGA graphics actually really good. But he is correct in that the 'talkie' version of the game features shorter music sections being played, and the dialog was cut quite a bit. Other things added/stripped is that the closeups of character faces was removed in the CD version but the extra scene he talks about if you play the game on hard on the EGA version I believe is always shown in the VGA version regardless of difficulty chosen. I only the game now as the 'talkie' version boxed as I had a tendency back then to give away my older floppy disk versions of my games when I bought the newer versions on CD later. But, I did make sure to still have George 'The Fatman' Sanger sign my copy of Loom as he was responsible for the soundtrack compilations in all versions of the game. In fact, the digital audio music played in the CD version is just the MT-32 soundtrack recorded. But again, the full pieces of the music don't play on the CD version as they do on the EGA original release with an MT-32. There was very much a certain type of magic when playing the game and it was quite different when it was released back then as compared to most. But yes, Loom along with another Lucasarts later release of The Dig are two of my favorites in this genre for PCs back in the day.

Yeah I think good deal is using the fixed version of the prototype.

Yes and no on the Rampage Double Dragon question. One of the changes that my FW has is that it provides very specific information from the Dumper side of things on what it actually detects. Comparing the results of my cartridges with those of others has revealed something that is a bit interesting although not quite sure why. So Double Dragon and Rampage were apparently released in multiple revisions that aren't well documented. What is more strange is that the code of the games themselves isn't really different. But what is different is the bank switching schemes used and apparently other changes on the hardware level of the cartridges themselves appear to be confusing the dumper. So as a result I don't just provide a pass/fail on my testing. I also have to provide a bunch of other data that is shown from the system when I activate a specific controller combo. So hopefully that data can be used to get those games working. Klax is another one I've been testing. I don't own the actual cartridge as honestly, Klax isn't my style of game that I enjoy that much. But I was provided ROM images of the two main ones out there. The one that CPU made is basically the prototype as it was found as it happens to work on actual 7800 consoles. But it seems the header information for it isn't quite right and so the 'fixed' version that was released later on does work on the 2600+. Not sure if they will work around that on the 2600+ since it is sort of a special case and again, the same ROM with corrected header info in it, does work as expected. Another thing I've been testing is more modern home brew releases. But a small snag has been found between the ROM of the final games and what is actually on the carts. That small snag is the HOKEY itself. Most of the modern brews are working with updated FW on the 7800 but those games with HOKEYs in them vs actual POKEYs aren't playing the Pokey audio or in some cases, failing to load up. Last night with revised FW I was finally able to get Keystone Koppers to come up and work with full Pokey audio. So this is a good step towards hopefully getting more of those games working. Again, everything I've been testing with is actually slightly older FW than what everyone has been given access too. But that is because the FW I'm working with and being provided is just to test stuff on the 7800 side of things so that it can eventually be implemented into a much more robust FW update in the future. As an example, the 2600 games that have been corrected and are working with the beta 1.1FW that everyone else has been loading up, do NOT work for me on my FW because those changes weren't or aren't being implemented. Again, my testing focus is on the 7800 side.

Check it out folks! There is some really cool new stuff coming to the 2600+. For those not aware, I'm testing separate FW from what everyone else is testing that has some experimental stuff on it. Mostly 7800 centric in nature and this is one that I was just advised to test and confirm. If you weren't aware, Tower Toppler usually looks like a striped mess of graphics on anything higher than composite video output. That is because the games graphics rely on the use of NTSC artifacting to make the graphics and colors look the way they did back in the day. But once you go with s-video of above, then the artifacting effect is lost and you see the graphics as they were actually programmed but not as they were intended to be seen. And it isn't pretty. Well, the new FW currently loaded on my 2600+ features a new test composite filter for Tower Toppler to siumlate the artifacting effect. It isn't 100% and I'm not sure how much more work will be done on it, but this is far far better than it what it looks like right now to everyone else on the 2600+ and at least makes it possible to know what you are looking at.

My only issue with videos like this right now, is that it is all but assured that Atari will replace this process out with something more user friendly. So while I can appreciate someone creating a video like this for those of us wanting to test the latest BETA release, it isn't good to have this on YouTube because a year or so from now, this process being shown won't be relevant and you wouldn't want someone to come across it thinking this is how you update the console and then end up making a mess of their system using incompatible FW etc. So I do think stuff like this shouldn't be posted in this particular medium until the actual FW release and process has been made more public and finalized.

Oh yeah! Missile command is pretty much arcade like with it on the 5200.

The 5200 is my second favorite Atari console only bested by the 7800 for me. I've always like the original controllers since I first played the system using one of them. Over the past 20+ years now, I've done the foil dots bit on them to keep them going but after having to do it after every 2 or 3 years (due to the dots eventually falling off), I got sick of it and over the summer I purchased two gold set replacement rebuild kits from the new Atarireapairparts.com website. Installed them in a matter of minutes and I don't think I will have to touch them ever again at this point. That said, I also have a set of the Wico controllers (I don't like this, they don't feel right and they actually break stupid easy internally.). But the command control keypad that they also use is quite nice and well built. So I also have one of the older AtariAge redemption adapters that lets me use that Wico keypad and a Sega Genesis 3 button controller with the 5200. For games that require the more digital precision, that is the setup I will use. But even still I mostly use the original controllers when I play on the 5200.

Oh I get that, but I can only work off what I have in the service manuals and the tools that I know to use. That was why I purchased my chiptester from Backbit.io over a year ago was so I could better verify some of the more commonly used ICs and customs used in many consoles and computers back in they day. But even the chip tester isn't perfect as it reports a Rockwell 6502 as passing that clearly was showing issues on a 7800 when installed. So at the end of the day, I should have been made aware of the issue so I could have tested it more specifically. But it was already back in the hands of the owner and they feel satisfied with the work that was done and just plan to play it using their flash cart going foward. You mention cartridge ports, do you know a source for those exact ones? I can tell you that I do clean out the cart ports on each console using a size to fit cut credit card, with a section of t-shirt wrapped around it and then saturated first with my de-ox-id cleaner and then folowed up with 99.9 IPA until no more black or grey is being shown on the t-shirt section.

But I'm not so sure there is an issue. As I stated with my own testing. Even my actual cart doesn't seem to want to work most of the time in my actual 5200. But if I have my tongue and cart at the right angle, then I can get my cartridge to boot up and play. Also, they did confirm that the game loads up find on their Atarimax. So I do think the issue here is just poor contact with the PCB in regards to Activision games in general. And had I known that they had an issue with the game I would have tested it before sending it back. They stated it is the only game they have issues getting to work and since they can play it on flash cart, they aren't bothered by it at this point. You are making it sound like I didn't do enough testing with it but that couldn't be further from the truth. And there isn't anyway for me to test every single game that is out there on everyone of these consoles that comes in. For one I don't own ever game and two, the time needed to adequately test every game like this isn't something that 1 person can do when I usually have a few systems here at the same time to receive services. If the diagnostics say everything is good, and the games I play on it via flash cart work then I don't have any reason to believe there is anything seriously wrong with the console. I also don't consider a single game that doesn't seem to work as dictating there is a failure with the console. There has to be other games that would fail in similar fashion if there was a console fault and I and my client didn't encounter any issues other than my client having issues with his Decathlon cartridges. If they wanted to send it back for me to try replacing the CPU I can do that and it might get that one game working again sure. But they don't seem interested in doing that at this time and have stated they are very happy with the results Decathlon withstanding.

Likely something with the heuristic scanning of your virus software that is flagging code it doesn't like but it actually safe. I've got a lot of older emulators and some game installers that passed fine years ago but now seem to trigger my mal-ware bytes and I have to keep removing the files from quarantine and add them to the exclusion lists. Heck we have legit software we install at work that flags both our virus software and our hardware firewalls. The ONLY way to run that software and get it installed is to use outside networks and run the installer on the computer after taking it off the network because our network security just kills it instantly. In the case of the software at work, it is because the installer uses auto installing scripts to install several different software packages one after the other through a single EXE and this is interpreted as virus behavior. Our network security specialist refuses to account for this to change it since we found a work around anyway...

I believe it will but not everyone has a copy of the game to test since EXO just go released in the AA store and I guess no one that attended PRGE has been following this stuff or interested? Pretty sure John would have tried to test it as I'm sure he bought a copy of the game. The only downside with EXO is that the Savekey/AVOX doesn't work and from what I'm told those never will. The 2600+ only polls the ports in read only mode. It can't write back to them. So as a result... you can't save anything. EXO is a much more challenging game when you have to play it in one sitting LOL! This also means that the Keypad controller apparently can never be made to work either. So no Star Raiders with this current hardware they have released. I was able to get Petscii Robots to start up, but I wouldn't exactly call it playable. No music only TIA audio worked, and all of the graphics were messed up. But the actual game was able to be played provided you knew exactly what the garbage on the screen was representing LOL. As I've played Petscii Robots quite a bit I was just about able to get through the first map even with it all screwed up looking. But the fact that EXO is working means that large size games can be made to work and the improvements made to the pro system emulator in these new builds is crazy impressive!

See I don't own an Evercade so didn't know that was an issue but interesting to know. I just know that I've not had any issues with the actual update using the power cord it came with on my PC so I do wonder if some folks are using different USB cables etc.

Worked for me 1st try. however, the process I was given had the opposite order. I was told to update the console core with the update.img file first and then update the dumper. But for the dumper portion to work for me, I had to install a driver file first and then the dumper update worked without issue. Now that all of that is in place, I can go back and forth without too much trouble. Also be sure to use the cable that came with the 2600+ when doing this. It isn't just providing power and works great for data as well. Also, I'm on windows 11 and using a USB 3.0 port. But I've seen others state they could only get it working using a USB 2.0 port on their computers.

As I've said more than once already...No. I sent it back and then they reported to me that Decathlon wasn't working right and apparently that was an issue before they sent it to me but I wasn't aware that game was an issue until they had it back in hand and told me then at that time. I ran both the 1.1 and 2.3 diagnostics on it and nothing looked out of place nor did I see any issues with the games I tested it with being Blaster, Last Star Fighter, and I use both Ball Blazer and Rescue on Fractalus as burn in test games since they have built in demos I can start up and leave the console going for hours until I finally turn them off.

Yeap..apparently the request demand was too great so they decided to go ahead and release it at this time. Although I think the one I've been testing today is slightly newer as EXO is also working with the build I have. We might be on the verge to getting Rampage working though. I have a new build to update my 2600+ with that will dump data from my copy of the game to hopefully provide some clues.

Are you part of the new beta testing? If not...then again you say this now but just wait.

Well, all I can say right now from what I'm seeing first hand, is that at this rate... Atari is going to put me outta business on console upgrade services LOL!!! Oh well, it couldn't last forever right?