CrossBow

This is happening because the 7800 emulation has the buttons reversed on 7800 games. As the Starplex is wired as a 2600 controller, the 7800 emulation is treating it as a single fire button controller. Because single fire button controllers should register as button 1 or the Left fire button on the 7800 controller, but it is reversed on the 7800 emulation, that means it is only going to treat it as button 2 and not 1.
This has really thrown me off on quite a few games. Similar to how I complained about how ARTI testing was fine with an actual controllers, but the buttons get reversed in the game when using the Mega78...
Although I don't know that I've seen Ben from Pliaon mention it specifically, I'm hoping they correct the reversed button functions on 7800 games in the first major FW update.
 

So an  update on this...
I was able to find a 2 port unit that in working condition in my spares pile. Popped in my backbit Pro that has a full 5200 set on it and Decathlon fired right up without any issue and played fine. I then dug out my actual Decathlon cartridge and popped it in..and..
Black screen...
Tried again, and still black screen although moving the cartridge slightly towards the back or front would cause it to show a brown...or green screen.
I cleaned the cartridge with my 99.9 IPA and my de-ox-id and not much black came off on the cotton swap so the cart fingers were pretty clean. Tried it again..same thing. I then started to experiment with this a bit and finally found that if I lifted the cart out of the slot after inserting it just a smidge, that the game would sometimes boot right up and work. But if I so much as bumped that 5200, then it would scramble the graphics and lock up. 
I think what is happening here, is similar to the 2600 activision carts. That is, the PCBs on these Activision 5200 games are likely a tad thinner than 1st party games and I don't think the PCBs extend out of the cartridge mouth as much as 1st part games do. 
My guess is that there is nothing wrong with the system or the game, other than after 40 years, everything is a bit more loose than before and it just isn't make a very good connection anymore. I still have issues with nearly all of my Activision games on my 2600 and 7800 systems, so it doesn't surprise me that the 5200 games might have similar fitment issues into the slot after all this time.
Oh...and yes this spare 2 port does have a 4-port BIOS installed so I still don't know if the game with work on stock 2 port units or requires the 4 port BIOS similar to the 2 CBS games and Pitfall!.
 

So an  update on this...
I was able to find a 2 port unit that in working condition in my spares pile. Popped in my backbit Pro that has a full 5200 set on it and Decathlon fired right up without any issue and played fine. I then dug out my actual Decathlon cartridge and popped it in..and..
Black screen...
Tried again, and still black screen although moving the cartridge slightly towards the back or front would cause it to show a brown...or green screen.
I cleaned the cartridge with my 99.9 IPA and my de-ox-id and not much black came off on the cotton swap so the cart fingers were pretty clean. Tried it again..same thing. I then started to experiment with this a bit and finally found that if I lifted the cart out of the slot after inserting it just a smidge, that the game would sometimes boot right up and work. But if I so much as bumped that 5200, then it would scramble the graphics and lock up. 
I think what is happening here, is similar to the 2600 activision carts. That is, the PCBs on these Activision 5200 games are likely a tad thinner than 1st party games and I don't think the PCBs extend out of the cartridge mouth as much as 1st part games do. 
My guess is that there is nothing wrong with the system or the game, other than after 40 years, everything is a bit more loose than before and it just isn't make a very good connection anymore. I still have issues with nearly all of my Activision games on my 2600 and 7800 systems, so it doesn't surprise me that the 5200 games might have similar fitment issues into the slot after all this time.
Oh...and yes this spare 2 port does have a 4-port BIOS installed so I still don't know if the game with work on stock 2 port units or requires the 4 port BIOS similar to the 2 CBS games and Pitfall!.
 

So an  update on this...
I was able to find a 2 port unit that in working condition in my spares pile. Popped in my backbit Pro that has a full 5200 set on it and Decathlon fired right up without any issue and played fine. I then dug out my actual Decathlon cartridge and popped it in..and..
Black screen...
Tried again, and still black screen although moving the cartridge slightly towards the back or front would cause it to show a brown...or green screen.
I cleaned the cartridge with my 99.9 IPA and my de-ox-id and not much black came off on the cotton swap so the cart fingers were pretty clean. Tried it again..same thing. I then started to experiment with this a bit and finally found that if I lifted the cart out of the slot after inserting it just a smidge, that the game would sometimes boot right up and work. But if I so much as bumped that 5200, then it would scramble the graphics and lock up. 
I think what is happening here, is similar to the 2600 activision carts. That is, the PCBs on these Activision 5200 games are likely a tad thinner than 1st party games and I don't think the PCBs extend out of the cartridge mouth as much as 1st part games do. 
My guess is that there is nothing wrong with the system or the game, other than after 40 years, everything is a bit more loose than before and it just isn't make a very good connection anymore. I still have issues with nearly all of my Activision games on my 2600 and 7800 systems, so it doesn't surprise me that the 5200 games might have similar fitment issues into the slot after all this time.
Oh...and yes this spare 2 port does have a 4-port BIOS installed so I still don't know if the game with work on stock 2 port units or requires the 4 port BIOS similar to the 2 CBS games and Pitfall!.
 

I pretty much only have 4 port 5200s in my collection so until very recently, I was only aware of 3 games that didn't work on 2-port versions of the console out of the box. Those being the original Pitfall!, Mountain King, and K-razy Shootout.
However, it is also commonly known that replacing the BIOS on the 2 port model with that of a 4 port, will restore those games and allow them to work on the 2-port model. There are also rom images of the games that have been modified to work on the 2 port when played using a flash cart.
Well, it seems that at last one other game has issues on the 2 port model and that is Activision's Decathlon? The latest 5200 sent in for service received a full diagnostic check, pokey calibration with my controller loopback board. No issues or faults found with the console in stock condition. However, it apparently would only show a scrambled screen of graphics just after the initial start screen with the game Decathlon. In addition to the diagnostics, it had been requested to install a UAV setup for composite and s-video output and also to replace the BIOS and put a 4port BIOS into the console. This was also done, however, I wasn't really made aware of the issues with Decathlon on this console until after I sent it back to the owner. It had been the owners hope that installing the 4port BIOS would allow Decathlon to work again.
Sadly this is not the case. Owner claims that before the BIOS swap, both copies of the game would always show an initial start screen, but when trying to start the game it would then go to a scrambled glitching graphics mess that would lock up the console. Now with the 4 port BIOS installed, they are only able to get one of their two carts to come up and get to the start screen, but like before it still goes into a scrambled mess. The other cart apparently won't even get to a start screen?
I've advised them to test it with their flash cart as they do own an Atarimax SD and state that all other games they have tested are working properly. 
I suppose it is possible for them to have 2 bad carts, but that seems unlikely to me and I'm wondering if there is an issue with the game just not working on 2 port consoles that isn't well documented? I did find another reference to this exact same issue with the game on a stock 2 port console in the AtariAge forums, dating back from 2006. However, the poster for that just ended up getting an actual 4 port unit that apparently ran the game just fine. 
So, anyone here got a 2 port a copy of Decathlon that can confirm if the game works or not? Because even with a 4port BIOS in place, it seems that game might be problematic on 2 port units.

I pretty much only have 4 port 5200s in my collection so until very recently, I was only aware of 3 games that didn't work on 2-port versions of the console out of the box. Those being the original Pitfall!, Mountain King, and K-razy Shootout.
However, it is also commonly known that replacing the BIOS on the 2 port model with that of a 4 port, will restore those games and allow them to work on the 2-port model. There are also rom images of the games that have been modified to work on the 2 port when played using a flash cart.
Well, it seems that at last one other game has issues on the 2 port model and that is Activision's Decathlon? The latest 5200 sent in for service received a full diagnostic check, pokey calibration with my controller loopback board. No issues or faults found with the console in stock condition. However, it apparently would only show a scrambled screen of graphics just after the initial start screen with the game Decathlon. In addition to the diagnostics, it had been requested to install a UAV setup for composite and s-video output and also to replace the BIOS and put a 4port BIOS into the console. This was also done, however, I wasn't really made aware of the issues with Decathlon on this console until after I sent it back to the owner. It had been the owners hope that installing the 4port BIOS would allow Decathlon to work again.
Sadly this is not the case. Owner claims that before the BIOS swap, both copies of the game would always show an initial start screen, but when trying to start the game it would then go to a scrambled glitching graphics mess that would lock up the console. Now with the 4 port BIOS installed, they are only able to get one of their two carts to come up and get to the start screen, but like before it still goes into a scrambled mess. The other cart apparently won't even get to a start screen?
I've advised them to test it with their flash cart as they do own an Atarimax SD and state that all other games they have tested are working properly. 
I suppose it is possible for them to have 2 bad carts, but that seems unlikely to me and I'm wondering if there is an issue with the game just not working on 2 port consoles that isn't well documented? I did find another reference to this exact same issue with the game on a stock 2 port console in the AtariAge forums, dating back from 2006. However, the poster for that just ended up getting an actual 4 port unit that apparently ran the game just fine. 
So, anyone here got a 2 port a copy of Decathlon that can confirm if the game works or not? Because even with a 4port BIOS in place, it seems that game might be problematic on 2 port units.

I think it would be excellent if they could get the stuff needed to finish and release some of the prototypes? Like work with Lucasarts to get Fractalus done. Or maybe see about getting new ports of IPs they own that were never released but should have been made...like a 7800 version of Crystal Castles.
There are many talented 7800 programmers now as the awesome home brew scene has shown, and they could contract with them to get some new stuff done.
But I know that isn't likely to ever happen because it is much easier for them to see ROI on something they already have and can just re-release in a newer looking package vs creating from scratch.
 

I think it would be excellent if they could get the stuff needed to finish and release some of the prototypes? Like work with Lucasarts to get Fractalus done. Or maybe see about getting new ports of IPs they own that were never released but should have been made...like a 7800 version of Crystal Castles.
There are many talented 7800 programmers now as the awesome home brew scene has shown, and they could contract with them to get some new stuff done.
But I know that isn't likely to ever happen because it is much easier for them to see ROI on something they already have and can just re-release in a newer looking package vs creating from scratch.
 

I just want to comment that...YES it is possible for me to hide the metal plate inside the shell, but I don't because that puts too much stress on the plastic and actually requires me to remove more plastic in order to fit the DB15 and space around it for a VGA cable to be plugged into it. And that means, less plastic around the standoffs to secure everything into place. So, this is the compromise I came up with. The advantage of mounting it there, means the VGA cable isn't in the way of your hands as you play, and the console won't feel top heavy with a cable stuck off the top of it (The only other place there is room). Also with a cable attach, the Lynx will sit up on a flat surface with the VGA cable acting as a kick stand of sorts LOL!
 

Depending on what needs to be done, I can provide some services on the PCE yes. Not the Turbo Express though as I've never worked on those and there are many others out there that specialize in it more like Ben Fong from IfixRetro for instance.
But I've got a PCE core grafx on the bench getting an RGB upgrade put in as I type this.

They didn't choose this. The problem is they are using an older version of the ProSystem emulator that has the buttons mapped backwards as well. So if they update the core of the ProSystem emulator to something newer, that issue should resolve itself. 
This is because again, the emulator that have chosen isn't doing cycle correct timing on the emulation and using some bodges as I understand it to get a good chunk of the games working. One result of this is that Tower Toppler plays way too fast. But honestly it looks horrid on any video signal above composite since Tower Toppler was designed with color artrifacting in mind to make the colors look the way they should. Unless Atari can add some sort of blur or blend filter on the 2600+, Tower Toppler is never going to look right through the 2600+. For the record, Tower Toppler looks the same on AV upgraded consoles using s-video or if you use the 7800GD RGB output without turning on the blending effect the 7800GD provides in the video options.
 

Finally got the bits and bobs together to get this up and going with a new power supply, well used but working controller, and got the SD Loader installed and working well. Such a fun system! Just too bad it had a short life and didn't get more games released for it.

But does it being a C64 in PET disguise also mean the monitor is monochrome then? That would be the only negative I would see about it at this point since while the color palette of the C64 might not be as vibrant as the Atari line sometimes, it was still very much a strong point of its appeal along with that wonderful SID.
But regardless, it is a very cool find indeed and congrats!
 
 

I absolutely play more modern games. Both on my PC and my PS4 in some cases. On my PS4 my main game I've got the most hours into by far would be No Man's Sky. I bought it when it was first released back in 2016 and was bored within an hour and put it down. Then about a year ago I decided to give it another go as there had been so many updates and it was supposed to be much improved etc. I was blown the hell away by all the changes?! It was NOT even remotely the same game as before. Updated UI, updated graphics (That even on the PS4 still hold up quite well I might add), and all the new content they added. It is an amazing casual and relaxing game to chill with and just do whatever.
The Horizon games I also thought were imcredible! I'm disappointed that the newer DLC for the latest game is PS5 only, but I guess Sony was going to have to cut the PS4 loose eventually. Still there are quite a few indie games I've bought for the PS4 and I enjoy.
On the PC side of things I've recently gotten back into Mass Effect. The legendary edition was on sale last week for $10 so I picked it up and have been playing it each night when I can. I've gotten through both of the first 2 games so far and started ME:3 late last night. I own the first 2 games for the PC already, but bought the 3rd one for the PS3 way back and never got more than halfway through it. So it will be nice to finally complete that game. 
I also had a lot of fun with Tiny Tina's Wonderland on PC and had been playing it prior.
I've not decided if I will get Starfield or not. The performance of that game won't be great on my PC these days, but I might also look into getting Cyberpunk finally. Odd thing with that game, it was what I built my current PC for back in late 2019, but then the game got delayed and when it did finally release, the PC I put together still didn't have the omph to run it well. Still won't but there it is.
 

They didn't choose this. The problem is they are using an older version of the ProSystem emulator that has the buttons mapped backwards as well. So if they update the core of the ProSystem emulator to something newer, that issue should resolve itself. 
This is because again, the emulator that have chosen isn't doing cycle correct timing on the emulation and using some bodges as I understand it to get a good chunk of the games working. One result of this is that Tower Toppler plays way too fast. But honestly it looks horrid on any video signal above composite since Tower Toppler was designed with color artrifacting in mind to make the colors look the way they should. Unless Atari can add some sort of blur or blend filter on the 2600+, Tower Toppler is never going to look right through the 2600+. For the record, Tower Toppler looks the same on AV upgraded consoles using s-video or if you use the 7800GD RGB output without turning on the blending effect the 7800GD provides in the video options.
 

in noticed this as well with the all the release/review videos today showing that in the unboxing part. I'm likely to do the same. But then I'm not sure if I'm going to actually have my 2600+ setup somewhere for use all the time either.
 

They didn't choose this. The problem is they are using an older version of the ProSystem emulator that has the buttons mapped backwards as well. So if they update the core of the ProSystem emulator to something newer, that issue should resolve itself. 
This is because again, the emulator that have chosen isn't doing cycle correct timing on the emulation and using some bodges as I understand it to get a good chunk of the games working. One result of this is that Tower Toppler plays way too fast. But honestly it looks horrid on any video signal above composite since Tower Toppler was designed with color artrifacting in mind to make the colors look the way they should. Unless Atari can add some sort of blur or blend filter on the 2600+, Tower Toppler is never going to look right through the 2600+. For the record, Tower Toppler looks the same on AV upgraded consoles using s-video or if you use the 7800GD RGB output without turning on the blending effect the 7800GD provides in the video options.
 

The LCD kit is the most expensive part as that costs about $90 - 95 now. But I don't charge labor to install the screen in the Lynx II because it is a drop in replacement and only requires 1 wire to be soldered if you want scanline modes. If that isn't something you care about then that can be left out, although I still add it because I'm already inside it and one wire is a nothing thing.
Recapping a Lynx is about $45 usually and the power circuit replacement as well. But I tend to discount quite a bit in the labor if everything is being done because again, I'm already inside the thing.
So you would be looking at about $150 for full servicing with the LCD, caps, and new power stage components. I do charge an extra $20- for the VGA as there is labor involved there given the wiring and case modification for the DB15 port needed. K-retro does offer a more elegant looking VGA output solution that uses a magnetic connector dongle, but that is really only useful if you also get an external controller port added and essentially turn the Lynx into a console. The mag connectors don't hold up that well when you are holding the Lynx playing it as a handheld. As a result, I advise the use of the standard DB15 for the VGA and I add the standoffs to screw the VGA cable to secure everything to lynx well while holding it to play.
Few caveats to know regarding the VGA...
It can be tricky in that some monitors might not support the VGA signal. Actual computer monitors are usually fine, but some TVs with VGA PC input ports on them could have issues. 
Also, the LCD is turned off when playing on VGA output. It isn't possible to have both on at the same time with an of the kits I've seen.
Last, is that you still have to handle the audio separately so you have to plug in a 3.5mm to 3.5mm patch cable from the headphone jack of the Lynx into an AV receiver or external speakers since the VGA out is strictly video of course. 
So yeah, a ballpark estimate for caps, new IPS LCD, power component refresh and VGA out is going to actually be about $170 + return shipping. That is what I charged on my last client for the same work. You could forgo the capacitor replacement and that would save money there. But the power stage component refresh is mandatory in my LCD installs. Shipping a lynx II is pretty cheap too since they are fairly small and tend to be pretty sturdy in shipping. Last one I sent for about $10 it looks like.
So yes it is an investment to be sure, but you will NOT believe how the lynx games can look when you see them in such clarity. 
BTW, what AV upgrade do you have in your 5200? I can tell you are capturing from composite? Do you do the same for your 7800?
 

They didn't choose this. The problem is they are using an older version of the ProSystem emulator that has the buttons mapped backwards as well. So if they update the core of the ProSystem emulator to something newer, that issue should resolve itself. 
This is because again, the emulator that have chosen isn't doing cycle correct timing on the emulation and using some bodges as I understand it to get a good chunk of the games working. One result of this is that Tower Toppler plays way too fast. But honestly it looks horrid on any video signal above composite since Tower Toppler was designed with color artrifacting in mind to make the colors look the way they should. Unless Atari can add some sort of blur or blend filter on the 2600+, Tower Toppler is never going to look right through the 2600+. For the record, Tower Toppler looks the same on AV upgraded consoles using s-video or if you use the 7800GD RGB output without turning on the blending effect the 7800GD provides in the video options.
 

Finally got the bits and bobs together to get this up and going with a new power supply, well used but working controller, and got the SD Loader installed and working well. Such a fun system! Just too bad it had a short life and didn't get more games released for it.

The LCD kit is the most expensive part as that costs about $90 - 95 now. But I don't charge labor to install the screen in the Lynx II because it is a drop in replacement and only requires 1 wire to be soldered if you want scanline modes. If that isn't something you care about then that can be left out, although I still add it because I'm already inside it and one wire is a nothing thing.
Recapping a Lynx is about $45 usually and the power circuit replacement as well. But I tend to discount quite a bit in the labor if everything is being done because again, I'm already inside the thing.
So you would be looking at about $150 for full servicing with the LCD, caps, and new power stage components. I do charge an extra $20- for the VGA as there is labor involved there given the wiring and case modification for the DB15 port needed. K-retro does offer a more elegant looking VGA output solution that uses a magnetic connector dongle, but that is really only useful if you also get an external controller port added and essentially turn the Lynx into a console. The mag connectors don't hold up that well when you are holding the Lynx playing it as a handheld. As a result, I advise the use of the standard DB15 for the VGA and I add the standoffs to screw the VGA cable to secure everything to lynx well while holding it to play.
Few caveats to know regarding the VGA...
It can be tricky in that some monitors might not support the VGA signal. Actual computer monitors are usually fine, but some TVs with VGA PC input ports on them could have issues. 
Also, the LCD is turned off when playing on VGA output. It isn't possible to have both on at the same time with an of the kits I've seen.
Last, is that you still have to handle the audio separately so you have to plug in a 3.5mm to 3.5mm patch cable from the headphone jack of the Lynx into an AV receiver or external speakers since the VGA out is strictly video of course. 
So yeah, a ballpark estimate for caps, new IPS LCD, power component refresh and VGA out is going to actually be about $170 + return shipping. That is what I charged on my last client for the same work. You could forgo the capacitor replacement and that would save money there. But the power stage component refresh is mandatory in my LCD installs. Shipping a lynx II is pretty cheap too since they are fairly small and tend to be pretty sturdy in shipping. Last one I sent for about $10 it looks like.
So yes it is an investment to be sure, but you will NOT believe how the lynx games can look when you see them in such clarity. 
BTW, what AV upgrade do you have in your 5200? I can tell you are capturing from composite? Do you do the same for your 7800?
 

@Silver Back Edited this as I realized you were talking about a Lynx. Getting a Lynx 2 done with a new screen and VGA output is going to run about $150 or so on average. Most of that cost is the parts and recap, power refresh stuff. No labor on the LCD install since it is just a drop in replacement for the most part on the lynx II.
 
 

Finally got the bits and bobs together to get this up and going with a new power supply, well used but working controller, and got the SD Loader installed and working well. Such a fun system! Just too bad it had a short life and didn't get more games released for it.

Finally got the bits and bobs together to get this up and going with a new power supply, well used but working controller, and got the SD Loader installed and working well. Such a fun system! Just too bad it had a short life and didn't get more games released for it.