# Atgames sega flashback 2018 edition is out in the wild.



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 11, 2018)

camera is charging and will upload pics later but atgames seems to have silently release the 2018 version of the sega genesis mini as a silent update for the 2017 line. has sd card and everything any body else got one of these units yet?

update: pretty bummed out... no adb. making homebrew for this guy will just be absurdly hard .
why god why was adb taken out ;.;












Below you will see a blank square. i edited it on purpose. i had to do a reckless mod to try to put the device into bootloader mode and i rather people dont try it and needlessly mess up their console as it does nothing unless you are trying to develop stuff for it. there is a recovery mode button too but since we dont know what an update image looks like, it also serves little purpose to put the device in recovery mode.
the recovery reports the processor as a 31xx device but i am pretty sure they just forgot to edit out the strings on the recovery mode image.





how to tell if it is a 2018 unit:





also looks like this post got the attention of a well known youtuber. fun stuff 
it looks like it uses retroarch and genesisplusgx to achieve emulation. This could be interesting if it gets opened up.
P.S: i am visiting California and found them at a local frys. Also saw them at a target as well.


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## kuwanger (Nov 11, 2018)

Stupid question but have you tried Lakka?   Seriously, though, I wonder how many "Flashback" units could be made to all boot off the same SD card.


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## hippy dave (Nov 11, 2018)

Rubbish sound emulation included free of charge?


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 11, 2018)

sound has been fixed it seems. i am having a hard time catching indiscrepancies. however a sega audiophile may do better than me at catching this.

got any idea as to what would be close to a rockchip 3066 to boot off it? i went to their page and see no close matches.


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## kuwanger (Nov 11, 2018)

I was sort of teasing about Lakka, but it looks like the CPU in question was the basis for various tablets/phones in 2013.  Some googling, and I come across this:  MK808/RK3066 Linux System Image - Picuntu RC3+Olegk0 Kernel+Mali HW Accell+Quake+Qt.  I have no idea if it'll actually work, but MK808 or RK3066 and Linux as search times might turn up something that works.  If nothing else, you may find an Android image that works.

Of course, with all such things, there's the risk of bricking.  I'd imagine though, that this would be the easiest approach.  Presuming SD boot does work and if you have the time/inclination, it appears Rockchip U-Boot or Rockchip U-Boot (no idea which is better) and the Rockchip Linux fork, so it should be possible to make Lakka (or something else) work.  Having said that, I've never done it and I presume would be a good deal of work.  That's why I'd be inclined to just keep doing some trial and error.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 11, 2018)

kuwanger said:


> I was sort of teasing about Lakka, but it looks like the CPU in question was the basis for various tablets/phones in 2013.  Some googling, and I come across this:  MK808/RK3066 Linux System Image - Picuntu RC3+Olegk0 Kernel+Mali HW Accell+Quake+Qt.  I have no idea if it'll actually work, but MK808 or RK3066 and Linux as search times might turn up something that works.  If nothing else, you may find an Android image that works.
> 
> Of course, with all such things, there's the risk of bricking.  I'd imagine though, that this would be the easiest approach.  Presuming SD boot does work and if you have the time/inclination, it appears Rockchip U-Boot or Rockchip U-Boot (no idea which is better) and the Rockchip Linux fork, so it should be possible to make Lakka (or something else) work.  Having said that, I've never done it and I presume would be a good deal of work.  That's why I'd be inclined to just keep doing some trial and error.


well let me start trying. ill keep peeps updated.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 11, 2018)

hippy dave said:


> Rubbish sound emulation included free of charge?



I expected nothing less from AssGames.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 11, 2018)

so....
leaving the emulator to idle causes issues (i went to watch an episode of goblin slayer while i left sonic 2 paused). *facepalm* game slows down. Not sure if this will be a common issue but just happened once already. Like mentioned earlier sounds is OK otherwise.


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## laynolad95 (Nov 12, 2018)

I own one of these too, and it doesn't have a Mini USB Type B for some reason. I was disappointed that it wasn't there after opening the system up, so there's no way of this thing being hackable, or at least not yet.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 12, 2018)

laynolad95 said:


> I own one of these too, and it doesn't have a Mini USB Type B for some reason. I was disappointed that it wasn't there after opening the system up, so there's no way of this thing being hackable, or at least not yet.


LOL you are talking about the 2017 model and that one WAS FULLY HACKED. check in this forum you will find the answers you need.


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## laynolad95 (Nov 12, 2018)

No it is this model dude. I can confirm that because Sonic 2 seems to run a lot better than it did with last year's model, and there's less "bonus" games included.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 12, 2018)

laynolad95 said:


> No it is this model dude. I can confirm that because Sonic 2 seems to run a lot better than it did with last year's model, and there's less "bonus" games included.


lol i suck at reading comprehension
my apologies.

yes it uses micro usb now.
i already got it in bootloader mode and backed up the nand but its still not a viable entry point for loading apks. 
I will do a more technical explanation a bit later.
X(


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## laynolad95 (Nov 12, 2018)

Apology accepted dude.
If any hacks come along that you can find let us know!

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 12, 2018)

you see i already know someone that goes by "the firmware fairy" is going to  release an sd card loader for it soon. they did it for the arcade flashback legends and atari 9 gold my issue with it, is that there is a lot of secrecy behind it and it is "limited in scope" im inclined to believe that its being released by atgames behind the scenes. My issue with this is that i want a point of homebrew like the 2017 model. Quite frankly it became a decent emulation machine once it was all hacked.


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## laynolad95 (Nov 12, 2018)

I had posted some pics if you wanna check them out.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 12, 2018)

thank you. checking them now.


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## laynolad95 (Nov 12, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> you see i already know someone that goes by "the firmware fairy" is going to  release an sd card loader for it soon. they did it for the arcade flashback legends and atari 9 gold my issue with it, is that there is a lot of secrecy behind it and it is "limited in scope" im inclined to believe that its being released by atgames behind the scenes. My issue with this is that i want a point of homebrew like the 2017 model. Quite frankly it became a decent emulation machine once it was all done.



Good point, it seems plausible.


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## fixingmytoys (Nov 12, 2018)

so i take it the SD card slot is for roms ??


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 12, 2018)

fixingmytoys said:


> so i take it the SD card slot is for roms ??


its locked down for firmware updates only at this time but like i said earlier

you see i already know someone that goes by "the firmware fairy" is going to release an sd card loader for it soon. they did it for the arcade flashback legends and atari 9 gold. My issue with it, is that there is a lot of secrecy behind it and it is "limited in scope" (meaning it will probably only run genesis stuff) im inclined to believe that its being released by atgames behind the scenes. My issue with this is that i want a point of homebrew like the 2017 model. Quite frankly it became a decent emulation machine once it was all done.

which is a bloody shame cuz this runs on retroarch(arggghhhh)


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## fixingmytoys (Nov 12, 2018)

OH DAM it dose run retroarch, anyone want to buy my 2017 one all ready modded lol

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opps miss read that part

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would be nice if you could to use the word "rip" rertroarch from 2018 new one and put it on the old one more so once it has been hacked open


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 12, 2018)

it runs retroarch but its locked down to only running genesis and my guess is that the custom "firmware" that will be released by "the firmware fairy" it will only run genesis stuff.


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## fixingmytoys (Nov 12, 2018)

yes but at the start if runs genesis better then the current/old one on the old one and once it opened up more the old one can come for the ride


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## laynolad95 (Nov 12, 2018)

fixingmytoys said:


> OH DAM it dose run retroarch, anyone want to buy my 2017 one all ready modded lol
> 
> Whenever the newer system is ready to be hacked, I'm definitely adding all my roms to the newer system and getting rid of my 2017 model too haha


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## FateForWindows (Nov 12, 2018)

Genesis Plus GX? Oh boy, here we go again.


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## ArugulaZ (Nov 13, 2018)

Evidently they have the rights to use this emulator, from Charles MacDonald and Eke-Eke. I knew MacDonald's brother Chris... he used to write all those strategy guides for GameFAQs.


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## H1B1Esquire (Nov 13, 2018)

....Fuck you, ghetto Santa. Fucker gave me the Family Dollar crapsac Genesis.....Genocide should have been on the box with an ass getting fucked along side my childhood memories. No scope. No lube.


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## zoogie (Nov 13, 2018)

H1B1Esquire said:


> ....Fuck you, ghetto Santa. Fucker gave me the Family Dollar crapsac Genesis.....Genocide should have been on the box with an ass getting fucked along side my childhood memories. No scope. No lube.


I was gifted one of those things last Christmas and it's still sitting unopened right here beside my computer screen lol.

This has to be one of the worst (and most common) gifts from non-gamers to gamers.


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## H1B1Esquire (Nov 13, 2018)

zoogie said:


> This has to be one of the worst (and most common) gifts from non-gamers to gamers.



Sadly for me, I was drunk, saw the plastic-turd-in-a-box, couldn't resist, and they got me.

The worst is when it isn't even the ballpark; e.g. getting this shit instead of "Pokemon cards"




FFS, even Ivysaur doesn't want to be on this card.


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## MicroNut99 (Nov 14, 2018)

All of the "Sega" emulation issues on the 2017 version are fixed and much more...


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## laynolad95 (Nov 15, 2018)

MicroNut99 said:


> All of the "Sega" emulation issues on the 2017 version are fixed and much more...
> View attachment 149385


Is that the files for the 2018 model? How did you get it to work on your computer?


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## MicroNut99 (Nov 15, 2018)

laynolad95 said:


> Is that the files for the 2018 model? How did you get it to work on your computer?


I think you misunderstand, but check this out... you can use Generations or AutoXplore to get the AppManager you need to easily start those EMU's in the picture from http://www.explusalpha.com/  on the 2017 FlashbackHD. Its all pretty much 90% there... as much as the machine specs can handle... Its easy to get started now in the Arcade with an excellent port of Final Burn Alpha and a working version of MAME, but wait there is even more coming...


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## fixingmytoys (Nov 15, 2018)

hmmm can you do me a fav lol just a make a nand backup of it all send to us/me so i can put it on mine 

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MicroNut99 said:


> I think you misunderstand, but check this out... you can use Generations or AutoXplore to get the AppManager you need to easily start those EMU's in the picture from http://www.explusalpha.com/  on the 2017 FlashbackHD. Its all pretty much 90% there... as much as the machine specs can handle... Its easy to get started now in the Arcade with an excellent port of Final Burn Alpha and a working version of MAME, but wait there is even more coming...



hmmm can you do me a fav lol just a make a nand backup of it all send to us/me so i can put it on mine


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## MicroNut99 (Nov 15, 2018)

fixingmytoys said:


> hmmm can you do me a fav lol just a make a nand backup of it all send to us/me so i can put it on mine
> --------------------- MERGED ---------------------------
> hmmm can you do me a fav lol just a make a nand backup of it all send to us/me so i can put it on mine


Well maybe you know, as well as I do, that wont work and most importantly this is the easy stuff.
I have a whole prepackaged install ready to go...
Please send me a PM if you want help.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 15, 2018)

not that i particularly mind but a couple of things:

1)the .emu series is technically not free software (i am not stopping you but fyi, it would need to either be compiled by the user or acquired by them for the ones that are not available at explusalphas website unless you do not care of legal ramifications.)

2) i appreciate the enthusiasm but aside from gathering an apk list is there any scripts or code added by you, i am curious and dont mean this in any negative way.

3)I wanted to keep this thread for RND for the 2018 model (although odds look bleak) wouldnt posting this in the 2017 version thread be more appropriate?

dont mean anything mean by it, it just feels out of place in this thread.

Thank you.


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## MicroNut99 (Nov 15, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> not that i particularly mind but a couple of things:
> 
> 1)the .emu series is technically not free software (i am not stopping you but fyi, it would need to either be compiled by the user or acquired by them for the ones that are not available at explusalphas website unless you do not care of legal ramifications.)
> 
> ...



1. 100% true and that scares me about this.... totally in the dark and behind the scenes.
2. Yes and Yes. There is much to be shared and it is in the 2017 thread... 
3. Yes it is totally out of place. Feel free to delete.
I was trying to redirect the negative waves and point to Generations and AutoXplore... that is what I'm calling it. 
Sorry for the surprise. I got no likes yet even though I gave up some of my my prize "discoveries" to promote both. 
Who doesn't love Final Burn Alpha?


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## SG854 (Nov 15, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> sound has been fixed it seems. i am having a hard time catching indiscrepancies. however a sega audiophile may do better than me at catching this.
> 
> got any idea as to what would be close to a rockchip 3066 to boot off it? i went to their page and see no close matches.


You probably wanna find audio from actual hardware, not emulators, and compare yourself. I don’t have the flashback console so I wouldn’t be able to compare myself.

This one is from a Model 2 ym3438



There’s audio files you can find online for the model 2 ym2612 version. I don’t think I can link the downloads here though.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 15, 2018)

hey thank you for the info


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## SG854 (Nov 15, 2018)

The top video doesn’t say it’s a model 2 ym2612 in the description, but other videos the person uploaded does have the model in the description like this one here. And it’s pretty much the same model for all his uploads.

Not all actual legit genesis consoles have equal sound. Different models and motherboards, and different fm synthesis hardware.

Here is a good guide that explains the differences.

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showth...-good-Genesis-1s-and-Genesis-2s-from-bad-ones


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 15, 2018)

thats true if i recall correctly the genesis 3 model had abysmal sound. i am mostly comparing it to my old genny 2 that i have sitting around and it sounds pretty close. although to be fair i have spending more time trying to see if i can gain access to inject a homebrew apk into it than putting it through a battery of tests and comparing its romset with my cartridge collection.


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## H1B1Esquire (Nov 15, 2018)

So.....can the Family Dollar crapsac Genesis get hacked? Was going to buy the everdrive, but if I don't have to, I won't.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 15, 2018)

H1B1Esquire said:


> So.....can the Family Dollar crapsac Genesis get hacked? Was going to buy the everdrive, but if I don't have to, I won't.



Personally, I would try to save up for a Mega SG. Sure, they are a bit pricey, but at least the hardware emulation is top notch, top that off with a Mega Everdrive, you'll never have to change carts again.



SG854 said:


> You probably wanna find audio from actual hardware, not emulators, and compare yourself. I don’t have the flashback console so I wouldn’t be able to compare myself.
> 
> This one is from a Model 2 ym3438
> 
> ...




I think that the emulator Genesis Plus GX sounds might close to the model two, with the low-pass filter and all that.  I should do a comparison.


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## H1B1Esquire (Nov 15, 2018)

the_randomizer said:


> Personally, I would try to save up for a Mega SG



Thinking about it, but if I'm spending over $50.00, it's just a reason to get Switch, part 2. Sad times


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## the_randomizer (Nov 15, 2018)

H1B1Esquire said:


> Thinking about it, but if I'm spending over $50.00, it's just a reason to get Switch, part 2. Sad times



I know, but you're also getting top quality FPGA based hardware emulation *shrug*


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## FateForWindows (Nov 15, 2018)

the_randomizer said:


> I know, but you're also getting top quality FPGA based hardware emulation *shrug*


Meh, the emulation's good but they didn't emulate the lowpass filter and I don't have any examples with unflitered audio to compare the YM2612 emulation with.


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## kuwanger (Nov 15, 2018)

It's great to hear that people care enough to concern themselves about the little things, but Genesis emulators have a ways to go.  I'd rather see the emulators improve than take the FPGA route.  At least, I'd rather until the FPGA route is well established and the price seems more reasonable.  Processing power is now to the point you can buy $10 emulator systems able to do consistent 60 fps in snes/genesis games.  If their accuracy can be improved enough, it's just hard for me to justify an FPGA solution.

Maybe if the ao486 core improves and we have some neat sound card support (not sure what the core supports) to play most/all old DOS demos.  There's a lot of those and an area where the emulators fail horribly.  As does modern hardware.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 15, 2018)

FateForWindows said:


> Meh, the emulation's good but they didn't emulate the lowpass filter and I don't have any examples with unflitered audio to compare the YM2612 emulation with.



That is an odd choice, not sure why it's not emulated.



kuwanger said:


> It's great to hear that people care enough to concern themselves about the little things, but Genesis emulators have a ways to go.  I'd rather see the emulators improve than take the FPGA route.  At least, I'd rather until the FPGA route is well established and the price seems more reasonable.  Processing power is now to the point you can buy $10 emulator systems able to do consistent 60 fps in snes/genesis games.  If their accuracy can be improved enough, it's just hard for me to justify an FPGA solution.
> 
> Maybe if the ao486 core improves and we have some neat sound card support (not sure what the core supports) to play most/all old DOS demos.  There's a lot of those and an area where the emulators fail horribly.  As does modern hardware.



Blast 'Em is nice but the requirements are high.


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## kuwanger (Nov 15, 2018)

the_randomizer said:


> Blast 'Em is nice but the requirements are high.



What are the exact system requirements?  I presume it's the same as bsnes not running well on a Raspberry Pi?  I bring that up because, an snes comparison video does a really good job of showing how emulator accuracy improvements need not require a massive rise in system requirements.  Even if you limit yourself to retroarch snes9x2010 and suffer known accuracy issues to run on a cheap SBC, you're very close to real hardware from a casual gamer perspective*.

I'm not dissing Blast 'Em.  I just mean I imagine Genesis Plus GX could be modified to get Titan Overdrive 2 working properly enough and still run on an SBC.  It's good that Blast 'Em and real hardware (and FPGAs) are around to constantly double check the work of others to improve the situation.  Long-term, it'd be great if Snes9x and Genesis Plus GX become good enough that even speedrunners can't differentiate them from real hardware.

* Meaning that it's 60fps, without graphical glitches (at least not outside whatever is endemic to the hardware/software), and only a speedrunner/taser is likely to notice.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 15, 2018)

kuwanger said:


> What are the exact system requirements?  I presume it's the same as bsnes not running well on a Raspberry Pi?  I bring that up because, an snes comparison video does a really good job of showing how emulator accuracy improvements need not require a massive rise in system requirements.  Even if you limit yourself to retroarch snes9x2010 and suffer known accuracy issues to run on a cheap SBC, you're very close to real hardware from a casual gamer perspective*.
> 
> I'm not dissing Blast 'Em.  I just mean I imagine Genesis Plus GX could be modified to get Titan Overdrive 2 working properly enough and still run on an SBC.  It's good that Blast 'Em and real hardware (and FPGAs) are around to constantly double check the work of others to improve the situation.  Long-term, it'd be great if Snes9x and Genesis Plus GX become good enough that even speedrunners can't differentiate them from real hardware.
> 
> * Meaning that it's 60fps, without graphical glitches (at least not outside whatever is endemic to the hardware/software), and only a speedrunner/taser is likely to notice.



I'm picky, but I think Titan Overdrive 2 would be better if it was encoded in NTSC and not PAL (20% faster frame rate). That said, Genesis Plus GX's state is unknown, not sure how or if it's being improved on, but as far as Blast Em goes, it hasn't been updated in over a year. I tried Exodus, but I can't seem to get a smooth framerate on that either. Like, it runs at 60 fps, but there seems to be a lot of dropped frames.


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## kuwanger (Nov 15, 2018)

the_randomizer said:


> I'm picky, ...



I can totally understand that.  For me?  On Genesis I'm not very picky at all (stable frame rate and for the audio to not sound off).  SNES, so so (I'd like Star Fox to play in the ballpark of accurate speed since I've played it a lot on real hardware).  For DOS, very picky (mostly I'd just like to see DOS emulation to improve* beyond support for games).



the_randomizer said:


> That said, Genesis Plus GX's state is unknown, not sure how or if it's being improved on,



It looks like it's being improved, but it looks more like quality of life/port changes not trying to improve the accuracy.



the_randomizer said:


> but as far as Blast Em goes, it hasn't been updated in over a year. I tried Exodus, but I can't seem to get a smooth framerate on that either. Like, it runs at 60 fps, but there seems to be a lot of dropped frames.



Yea, frame rate stutter really bothers me now days when 20 years ago I would have been tolerant of it.  It's why I don't play games through Dolphin even though the increased resolution is really nice.

* Not complaining about PCem but it's the same issue you mention about Blast Em with high system requirements.  I'm glad PCem exists, but I hope the recent evidence that DOSBox might be getting more release might mean they'll start pulling in the various forks, some of which tried to work on getting the accuracy improved in the demo scene.


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## rrifonas (Nov 16, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> not that i particularly mind but a couple of things:
> 
> 1)the .emu series is technically not free software (i am not stopping you but fyi, it would need to either be compiled by the user or acquired by them for the ones that are not available at explusalphas website unless you do not care of legal ramifications.)
> 
> ...



That's a shame .emu is not free and the redistribution rules are quite difficult to understand - it looks like you can redistribute even a recompiled version. If it was a free emulator, it would save the awful experience with the Genesis Flashback HD 2017. I've been playing with .emu for some time and I was able to recompile them using the Genesis Flashback HD 2017 keymap, and I also was able to modify the Atgames launcher to associate different file extensions with different emulators. The final outcome is that I could replace the original emulator with MD.Emu inside the original launcher/dashboard (even when running games from cartridge), and as a bonus I can launch games from other .emu emulators directly from the Atgames launcher, or even create a link in all-games.ini to start the emulator straight from the launcher (Really good feature when you don't want to edit all-games.ini for any single game you want to add). MicroNut99 helped me a lot testing these features and figuring out the differences between the obb and the non-obb version. We've been even able to start RetroArch (I compiled a custom version for the Flashback HD 2017) from the Atgames launcher and with both controllers working. Unfortunately the Arcade cores are not very stable for this hardware, but Genesis games run quite well. 

Regarding the Genesis Flashback 2018, it looks like a quite solid plug-and-play machine. I've heard some eventual cracklings in the sound but it's much better than anything Atgames has offered before. I think this model may have some way to 'hack it' when the 'SD Card unlock' is released. I've opened the other 'firmware updates' and they are regular RockChip update files, with a parameters files (partition information) and a .img file with the actual data to be changed. My guess is that If we have the knowledge to create 'rockchip updates' - and having the partition parameters are crucial here -, we may be able to create scripts as 'updates' to dump the original partitions to learn how it works and if it can be hacked with homebrew or different cores.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 16, 2018)

I actually am going nuts because there are several things that CAN be attempted but i am wondering how far i am willing to go over this device... :S

on a separate note: the Arcade flashback generations: A full nand has been dumped by me. requires soldering for bootloader mode but its possible. if i can open and repackage it, we will have homebrew for it (and possibly reenabling adb!) however lets see where this goes. on the genesis 2018 model, i get a corrupt dump with my tools so bleh!


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 16, 2018)

a little more info:

the nand is 
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/macronix/MX30LF2G18AC-TI/1092-1164-ND/4968347

it looks to be a 2gb 48 tsop.


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## MicroNut99 (Nov 16, 2018)

Maybe I made some progress today... idk... have you made it this far WD_Gaster?


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 16, 2018)

waaayyyyy past that. adb communication doesnt work. you booted to recovery mode. there is no adb if you noticed... however ....






IM IN THE NAND!


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## MicroNut99 (Nov 16, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> waaayyyyy past that. adb communication doesnt work. you booted to recovery mode. there is no adb if you noticed... however ....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Congrats and 
How?


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 16, 2018)

there is a hidden bootloader mode. i will give more info a bit later. this literally just happened less than 10 minutes ago. *pray for me* I am going to change the sd loader value to 1. if this works and i can flash back(please dont brick on me....) i dont think a firmware fairy will be needed.

also @asper 

you deserver credit for this. one of your notes on the 2017 edition came in handy!!!


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## Jacobeian (Nov 16, 2018)

kuwanger said:


> It's great to hear that people care enough to concern themselves about the little things, but Genesis emulators have a ways to go.



That's a little bit exaggerating though. That particular demo uses undocumented debug features of the Genesis GPU that were only recently discovered by the Titan demo coders and that are not used in any other commercial or homebrew games, so it hardly can be used to judge overall accuracy between emulators. It's just that Blastem and Picodrive emulators were updated shortly after that demo and technical infos about these extra features were released and Genesis Plus GX didn't.



rrifonas said:


> That's a shame .emu is not free and the redistribution rules are quite difficult to understand - it looks like you can redistribute even a recompiled version. If it was a free emulator, it would save the awful experience with the Genesis Flashback HD 2017.



All .emu are licensed under GPL and therefore they are free to modify, distribute or install on other systems, providing you respect GPL licensing terms (i.e share your code modifications). They are all based on GPL emulators (MD.emu for example is just an old version of Genesis Plus GX emulator with added Sega Cd support copypasted from Picodrive apparently). The only thing that is not free  is the .apk icons that are the property of R. Broglia (this means you can recompile your own version, distribute it for free or sell it on Google Play but you can not use the exact same icon). There is even a FREE (as in gratis) version of these emu on Google Play if you look enough for it.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 16, 2018)

@asper i may need your help on this one. it requires your understanding of math with the nand.

please pm me if you can.


ok i will open the challenge to everyone.
the following are the offsets to the nand for the device:
it seems to be recognizing it as a 256mb device (which if they managed to fit it in there... impressive)

CMDLINE:console=ttyS2,115200 androidboot.selinux=disabled earlyprintk init=/init initrd=0x62000000,0x00800000 root=/dev/rknand_rootfs rw rootwait mtdparts=rk29xxnand:[email protected](misc),[email protected](recovery),[email protected](boot),[email protected](resource),[email protected](kernel),[email protected](rootfs),[email protected](rom),[email protected](emulator),[email protected](data)      

the sector where the partition starts and then the block count. if you look at the data partition (the last one) the partition start is known. it doesnt know what the block count would be.

@asper did a write up on making sense of this here:              https://www.mdfbrew.org/tutorials:backup_original_partitions (this is for last years model but still applies here) I made an arbitrary block count dump and managed to learn that its 132mb however I am not sure what the block count equivalent would be and I am also heading to bed as I have work to do tomorrow. so if anyone wants to tackle this challenge, be my guest  if we get the right block count, in theory the sd file that needs to have the value set to 1 to enable cfw should do the trick.


----------



## kuwanger (Nov 16, 2018)

Jacobeian said:


> That's a little bit exaggerating though. That particular demo uses undocumented debug features of the Genesis GPU that were only recently discovered by the Titan demo coders and that are not used in any other commercial or homebrew games,



That's a nice way of saying "Genesis emulators have a ways to go".    The major point of demos is to do "impossible" things, and that often involves taking advantage of undocumented features of hardware.  I hope the Genesis demo scene continues and perhaps finds even more undocumented features to really push the limits of the hardware.



Jacobeian said:


> so it hardly can be used to judge overall accuracy between emulators. It's just that Blastem and Picodrive emulators were updated shortly after that demo and technical infos about these extra features were released and Genesis Plus GX didn't.



I'm not dissing Genesis Plus GX.  And the point is not "accuracy between emulators" but "accuracy between an emulator and hardware"; it just happens that Blastem is close enough to hardware to judge (although admittedly I always prefer such comparisons to include an actual hardware capture precisely because one can't be 100% sure of such things).  The point of showing multiple emulators is to show which ones best match the hardware and to give a certain amount of impetuous for other emulators to be "more competitive"--it's all about hardware being the gold standard, though.  It's nice to hear that Blastem and Picodrive were improved, but Picodrive too needs some work.

Anyways, the goal of at least some emulators is to be so accurate and "just work" so a curve ball like a new demo won't break badly (or at all).  I totally understand if getting all extant games, demos, etc working is the goal, but the former produces a future proof emulator that can be quite amazing.  It's hard to say how realistic such is for undocumented hardware.  And like I was saying earlier, as far as Genesis goes I'm perfectly content using an emulator that works on extant games.  If it's possible to support the undocumented features without much of a performance cost and someone wants to implement it for Genesis Plus GX (or fix up Picodrive a bit more), that's great.

Edit - And not even picking on emulators as the FPGA MiSTer also clearly has issues running the demo--there's at least 5 or 6 obvious graphical glitches and the audio just sounds off, even ignoring a possible different palette on why the MiSTer version seems much darker.  Clearly you can't recreate what you don't realize exists (unless you're laying down identical masks and dumb luck reproduces identical undocumented instructions or the like).


----------



## rrifonas (Nov 17, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> @asper i may need your help on this one. it requires your understanding of math with the nand.
> 
> please pm me if you can.
> 
> ...



Hi WD_GASTER2,
Assuming that the NAND size is 2GB and using the steps from mdfbrew (End address for 2GB NAND is 400000 hex), the missing value (count) should be 0x003CE800.
If you are using Windows 10 you use Calculator in Programmer Mode and subtract 31800 from 400000. The result will be the block count for the data partition.

EDIT: I think I misread your messsage. Is the NAND size really 256MB? If it's 256MB, the missing count should be ‭0x0004E800.
256MB = 268,435,456 bytes / 512 (bytes/sector)  = 524, 288 dec = 0x00080000 hex. 80000 - 31800 = 4E800.‬


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> Hi WD_GASTER2,
> Assuming that the NAND size is 2GB and using the steps from mdfbrew (End address for 2GB NAND is 400000 hex), the missing value (count) should be 0x003CE800.
> If you are using Windows 10 you use Calculator in Programmer Mode and subtract 31800 from 400000. The result will be the block count for the data partition.
> 
> ...




let me atempt after dinner. ill give some feedback soon


----------



## rrifonas (Nov 17, 2018)

Let us know the results, and if it works, tell us the witchcraft to read the NAND if you have some time during the weekend... while I don't think we will be able to do a lot of stuff with a 256MB NAND we may at least try to add support to Sega CD (which Genesis Plus GX supports natively) or maybe 32x (if it's possible to add additional cores = PicoDrive).


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

nah still arbitrary something is wrong with those offsets. one gave me a 2gb image (blank with the 135mb partition inside, meaning its arbitrary) the other one gave me a dummy 160mb file.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

ok i think i know have a better understanding of what happened here. the NAND SHOULD be 2gb but the parameters have the stuff partitioned down to 256mb (that is f-ing impressive).
managed to format the flash make it blank and reflash it back so i think this may be unbrickable. ill post more info as i go.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

well im tired and burnt out. before anybody asks, this is just as annoying as the arcade flashback legends when it comes to get it to detect sd cards... (people at atariage are reporting that the arcade flashback legends has similar problems)
i must have gone through 5 sd cards and no avail to get it to be detected by the stupid console but the first cfw for this contraption is up and running!
i will keep wrestling with this contraption tomorrow. cheers!


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 17, 2018)

Maybe we can help each other?

I have access to the recovery menu.
It does not do much but it can easily access the SDCard.

This is the SD card from my phone in the picture below.
FAT32 format


 

Update from ADB sideload fails of coarse


 

Attempts at the other functions.... The graphics test works it does something a little strange during the process.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

the recovery menu happens when you press the recovery button on the board. I am aware. it doesnt do anything of substance. it is there to process because the official updates atgames make will try to do send an instruction to reboot to this mode to apply one of their updates. its their to process official updates it looks like.
my sd issue is not a hardware issue as much as it looks like these things are picky with sd cards. im gonna go buy a few more nad play round with this some more. ill keep people posted.


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 17, 2018)

Ok, ok... I know what the recovery button does...

Did you know that the menu can be accessed?
Just trying to Share with the Community...
...kinda like asking for help when you need it and someone stepping up...

I have had my share of ATGames SDCard problems...
hopefully it is just the card you have...


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

oh dude i appreciate the help. i didnt mean to come off as mean. i was just merely trying to explain that its part of the atgames update ecosystem.

either way... its done. SD Formatter did the trick. Thanks to flojomojo for the trick since it seems what people are using to get the arcade flashback legends to detect sd cards:


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 17, 2018)

I'm kicking myself over here because I assumed that what I have been reading was true. SD Formatter is a common tool. I never even tried to load a game... I picked it up 2 days ago...

and again do you have control over the Recovery console?
I dont think this is what you are doing...
I'm asking because I want to know if anyone else does.

Not that is really matters... because you got the magic.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

MicroNut99 said:


> I'm kicking myself over here because I assumed that what I have been reading was true. SD Formatter is a common tool. I never even tried to load a game... I picked it up 2 days ago...
> 
> and again do you have control over the Recovery console?
> I dont think this is what you are doing...
> ...


it will not load games off the sd card by the default. what you are seeing is CUSTOM FIRMWARE. it also entails more than flipping the sd card bit to 1. nand patching is required to enable the option. sd formatter just lets the system read sd cards.


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 17, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> it will not load games off the sd card by the default. what you are seeing is CUSTOM FIRMWARE.



Congratulations!


--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Custom Firmware like this.
Kinda looks like... better game tho....

*except that my games do run!

Ok 
The reason why the Original update did not work for me.... ?
The console is HDMI complaint and my test monitor is not.
Custom firmware is technically not required.... as WD_Gaster stated its only 1000blocks *


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

lol well shit. hahaha congrats too. since i patched the nand to enable mine, how did you achieve yours?
actually im going to take a guess you guys repacked the official update and used it as an entry point?
that was the other way i thought it be a possibility.


lol also excuse me, Battlemania is awesome. 

proof that mine actually DOES work


----------



## rrifonas (Nov 17, 2018)

Congrats WG_GASTER2! I thought that only changing sdcard_config.ini should be enough. I was looking at the 'oficial' update, and it looks like it's just an image for the data partition with 3 files (retroplayer.ini, save_date and sdcard_config.ini). I've used imgRePackerRK to open the firmware.
If only sdcard_config.ini controls access to the sdcard (you commented it's not) , it may be possible to repack the firmware from the arcade flashback only replacing retroplayer.ini with the one specific for genesis flashback and building a parameters file with the information you have shared earlier.

P.S.: So... there is a game called "Trouble shooter"... great option for 'troubleshooting sessions'.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

do you go by rmr in the atariage forums? i would like to talk to you. i think we can offer a solution for the community here if we work together. let me know if we can take this to PM's


----------



## rrifonas (Nov 17, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> do you go by rmr in the atariage forums? i would like to talk to you. i think we can offer a solution for the community here if we work together. let me know if we can take this to PM's


Yep! I replied your PM.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

sending part of my pm for transparency and for other crazies that may wish to try this. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYONE BRICKING THEIR CONSOLE

i have my reservations of making the mod i attempted public cuz people are probably going to either
be bricking their console doing soldering botch jobs and or who knows what else.. .

a compromising point however and my inkling to a much easier cfw that people can use.. would be to repackage the arcade flashback legends to make it work with the sega flashback. i injected the NO_DATA in that package at the right nand offset to enable the cfw to work properly (they were lazy it seems and they are a similar codebase for all the frontends for this year.
if anyone is able to open and edit the flashback legends update firmware package and edit parameter file and change the (data) line to:
[email protected](data)
and then repackage it and flash it... i think that will work and people will not need to resort to resoldering and other shenanigans that i had to do
if you manage to do it let me know. a shoutout or credit will be nice. cheers!
fyi this is all speculation so attempt at your own risk.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

here you go kids. custom firmware fresh off the oven... cuz thats how i roll...
I went ahead and just tried my own proposal myself... it seems to work. LOL

https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-firmware-for-sega-flashback-2018.523590/


----------



## rrifonas (Nov 18, 2018)

Wow, you were faster than me. I could create a working update file using the legends flashback firmware and the CMDLINE you have shared earlier to create the parameters but when I was about to tell you it worked you already had a working update!


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 18, 2018)

Ok
The reason why the Original update did not work for me.... ?
The console is HDMI complaint and my test monitor is not.
Custom firmware is "technically" not required.... as md_g has stated its only 1000blocks
However a HDMI compliant monitor is required. jajaja ... ungh....


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

yeah but lets not encourage people to use an update with the wrong offsett shall we?
you technically do not need a seatbelt to drive but safety first ya know?


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 18, 2018)

.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

I am not sure what that is supposed to mean but ok. :S


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 18, 2018)

.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

if its credit that you gave me the idea by attempting the mainstream legends update after i had figured out to take the no_data update and injecting in my nand and then by figuring that a hex edit would change the addresses, ok i dont mind credit to you.

as for RMR i would love to work with him in the future because i think with his abilities we can do something better.
I am not sure if that is what you wanted me to say?


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 18, 2018)

.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

I dont think anything negative of you. I am still not sure why you are upset dude.

P.S. at the time you said it was not working. I assumed the same so i figured it be that the offset was incorrect. turns out my guess that the 1000 blocks may not matter.
I really dont want to argue dude. I am not sure what the issue is here.


----------



## laynolad95 (Nov 18, 2018)

Hey I tried to install the firmware update, but everytime it finishes, it takes me back to a screen that asks if I want to update. Also the games do not launch when I try them after I clicked the No to upgrade option eventually. Any solutions?


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

delete the update off the sd card. make sure your games are in .bin format no special characters and no spaces.


----------



## laynolad95 (Nov 18, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> delete the update off the sd card. make sure your games are in .bin format no special characters and no spaces.



Do I delete the sega_update file as soon as I add the games to the SD card? Or do I try to update my system again, and then delete the update file?


----------



## MicroNut99 (Nov 18, 2018)

laynolad95 said:


> Hey I tried to install the firmware update, but everytime it finishes, it takes me back to a screen that asks if I want to update. Also the games do not launch when I try them after I clicked the No to upgrade option eventually. Any solutions?


Take the update off the mem card or rename it.
I was using a computer monitor that isnt HDMI compliant and every time I started a game it would take me back to the menu.
So I had to use a modern flat screen TV.
Oh yes AND no spaces in all the game names.


----------



## rrifonas (Nov 18, 2018)

laynolad95 said:


> Do I delete the sega_update file as soon as I add the games to the SD card? Or do I try to update my system again, and then delete the update file?



If you can see the SD Card option in the menu you don't need to run the update again.
Just delete or rename the sega_update.img file, create a folder called GAME, and insert your games in .bin format and without spaces in their names inside this folder.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

laynolad95 said:


> Do I delete the sega_update file as soon as I add the games to the SD card? Or do I try to update my system again, and then delete the update file?


nah if you updated no need to reattempt. it all works. just delete the file of the update file off the sd card no rename. after that make sure there are no special characters or spaces and keep your files in bin format.


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## laynolad95 (Nov 18, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> If you can see the SD Card option in the menu you don't need to run the update again.
> Just delete or rename the sega_update.img file, create a folder called GAME, and insert your games in .bin format and without spaces in their names inside this folder.



The roms run now but what I noticed is that European versions of some games that I have seem to run as the NTSC versions and not to mention the sound quality of European roms are awful. I went to test Sonic 3 and the sound was fine because it's an NTSC rom instead of a PAL rom.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

*snip* maybe i was right. lol.


----------



## laynolad95 (Nov 18, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> thats just the emulation being wonky brother. thats the hardware itself. i believe the snes classic did the same results.



Yeah now that I look at it that way, you're right. Which is sort of a shame too because the original Fatal Fury is without a doubt my favourite game that I owned for my Mega Drive as a child and the soundtrack and other sound effects sound way superior on the PAL version than it's NTSC counterpart.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

you know what though for an overabundance of caution i will set a warning for people to only apply this update on genesis consoles and not mega drive units.


----------



## laynolad95 (Nov 18, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> you know what though for an overabundance of caution i will set a warning for people to only apply this update on genesis consoles and not mega drive units.



Good idea, just a little disclaimer to warn others. Oh and I forgot to mention I live in Australia so I also played the hell out of Australian football (or as we call it Rugby League) when I was growing up too. The sound was choppy and it ran way too fast to a point where it was unplayable, kinda like with the issues Mortal Kombat 3 had on the 2017 flashback model.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

just making sure did your internal games still work fine? you know the ones that are bundled with the console?


----------



## laynolad95 (Nov 18, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> just making sure did your internal games still work fine? you know the ones that are bundled with the console?



Yep they all ran fine, no issues with them at all.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Nov 18, 2018)

Still no fixed portable. the portable is the one i was interested in. they know the sound fix, yet it's still not on their firecore yet....


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

arm chipsets are more expensive on production than the firecore chips. i think they are being le cheap. an android based handheld would more likely retail for 99+ tho


----------



## Zaphod77 (Nov 18, 2018)

point is all that needs to be done is correct the clock rate in the emulation. tectoy has it fixed already with their units. and they admitted to being aware of the fix, yet haven't done it.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

does tectoy use firecore processors? im curious.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Nov 18, 2018)

yes. they do.  and they have made an official firmware update that fixes the sound.


----------



## FateForWindows (Nov 18, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> does tectoy use firecore processors? im curious.


Yes, for most of their consoles. They did an official firmware update shortly after the fix was discovered.


----------



## rrifonas (Nov 18, 2018)

Tec Toy's Mega Drive 2017 hardware is a clone of the Atgames portable. It runs a Red Kid 2500 chipset, which is a GOAC.

Their "official firmware" is just a repackaged version from Esrael (Neto) work with the Red Kid 2500, Tec Toy is not capable of doing any kind of firmware changes by themselves. If you want the fix for the Atgames portable you may take a look at these threads:
https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=37768 -> Thread is in English and has a lot of information
https://www.neto-games.com.br/rom_hack/neto_boot_loader.php -> Neto's home page in Brazilian Portuguese with links to download the firmware. There is a version of the firmware in English to be downloaded.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 18, 2018)

today i learned. thanks for the info.


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## laynolad95 (Nov 19, 2018)

The one thing I don't understand is that PAL roms run fine on the 2017 flashback model but they're unplayable on the 2018 edition...


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 19, 2018)

different emulator. like way different ones. I believe that is part of it. the 2017 was a very simple emulator by comparison to the one being used this time around. Like i mentioned prior its not uncommon either to see this.like mentioned previously the snes classic had this gaffe.


----------



## Jacobeian (Nov 19, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> Tec Toy's Mega Drive 2017 hardware is a clone of the Atgames portable. It runs a Red Kid 2500 chipset, which is a GOAC.
> 
> Their "official firmware" is just a repackaged version from Esrael (Neto) work with the Red Kid 2500, Tec Toy is not capable of doing any kind of firmware changes by themselves. If you want the fix for the Atgames portable you may take a look at these threads:
> https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=37768 -> Thread is in English and has a lot of information
> https://www.neto-games.com.br/rom_hack/neto_boot_loader.php -> Neto's home page in Brazilian Portuguese with links to download the firmware. There is a version of the firmware in English to be downloaded.



If you think about it, it's fascinating that the issue that ruined AtGames reputation could have been fixed years ago by a simple clock reconfiguration in their firmware.

I hope Esrael got compensated for his work (probably not).


----------



## asper (Nov 21, 2018)

Superb work guys ! Sorry to be really late on this but real life is taking almost all my time  anyway glad to be helpful with my old version infos.

Do you have any "PAL reseller" link for this new model ?

EDIT: reading past news this 2018 models can be a variation about the new "smaller" version that was planned but which SEGA seems to have blocked; to avoid money loss they repacked the new hardware (with SD slot) + new firmware in the old console plastic case.


----------



## Deleted User (Nov 21, 2018)

I don't actually own one of these, but just wanted to say that this whole thread has been really cool and gives a nice bit of insight in the workings of this console.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 21, 2018)

asper, yeah you helped way more than what was publicly discussed. I cant thank you enough.
there is more stuff that may come down the line (homebrew?) and if it does work as expected, it will be thanks (in a large part) to you.
if you end up deciding to get one please let me know.


----------



## asper (Nov 21, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> asper, yeah you helped way more than what was publicly discussed. I cant thank you enough.
> there is more stuff that may come down the line (homebrew?) and if it does work as expected, it will be thanks (in a large part) to you.
> if you end up deciding to get one please let me know.


If the plastic case is exactly the same as 2017 revision i will just be inerested in the pcb hardware  anyway i will be curious to take a look at system partitions as well even without a pcb


----------



## laynolad95 (Nov 28, 2018)

One more thing I should probably add, anyone notice the scanline filters on the 2018 system look ugly compared to last year's model? I love turning on scanline filters on these retro plug n play systems for nostalgic purposes, but in my opinion the scanline filters on the 2018 flashback looks way too blurry and it is ugly to look at compared to everything else I've used previously.


----------



## stevensoest84 (Nov 29, 2018)

Hi GUYS,

I just read your thread and am looking for some guidance. I just found out that there is a 2019 model for the AtGames Sega Megadrive flashback.

w ww.lidl-shop.nl/AT-Games-SEGA-MegaDrive-Flashback-HD-Versie-2019-Retro/p100247224

Does anyone have experience with this newer model? I once had a 2017 model which run laggy (graphics and sound), i gave this one to my nephew. This 2019 model  one now also has an SD card to upgrade games (officially) and is firmware upgradeable.

What do you guys think? Should i try again?

With kind regards,

Steven


----------



## laynolad95 (Nov 29, 2018)

stevensoest84 said:


> Hi GUYS,
> 
> I just read your thread and am looking for some guidance. I just found out that there is a 2019 model for the AtGames Sega Megadrive flashback.
> 
> ...


Absolutely, give it another try and hope for the best.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

So I just checked out the link and it seems like it includes 82 games instead of 85. Also checking out the packaging it looks like the 3 Mortal Kombat games were removed in this 2019 edition I'm assuming due to licensing issues.


----------



## rrifonas (Nov 30, 2018)

If I recall the 2017 version doesn't have MK games in some European models. Maybe some restriction to get the PEGI 12 or USK 12 certification.


----------



## laynolad95 (Nov 30, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> If I recall the 2017 version doesn't have MK games in some European models. Maybe some restriction to get the PEGI 12 or USK 12 certification.


I live in Australia and the system is rated MA 15+ for the MK games, despite being a PAL version of the flashback.


----------



## Menzo1986 (Dec 2, 2018)

does anyone have a gamelist of the 2018 genesis/mega drive flashback version with sd card slot.
i cant find it anywhere.
im just wondering if it still has some homebrew or gamegear games on it or only genesis/mega drive this time.


----------



## Beetch18 (Dec 4, 2018)

Edit: I didn't see the box picture initially. Question answered. 


I apologize if this is a stupid question but is the SD card port accessible without opening the console? It's hard to tell from the pic. Thank you


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 5, 2018)

Yes it is.  someone managed to make the sd card enabling firmware.

Also note that this console DID license Genesis GX Plus properly, it has something in the manual about it.

The Legends Flashback manual, on the other hand, makes no mention of it's emulators. HMMM...


----------



## kublai (Dec 5, 2018)

I'm still unable to find the 2018 version after going to a couple target near me.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 5, 2018)

kublai said:


> I'm still unable to find the 2018 version after going to a couple target near me.


Try Gamestop. they have it near me.


----------



## Saiyan Lusitano (Dec 5, 2018)

Looks nice but AT Games? Yikes.


----------



## the_randomizer (Dec 5, 2018)

Zaphod77 said:


> Yes it is.  someone managed to make the sd card enabling firmware.
> 
> Also note that this console DID license Genesis GX Plus properly, it has something in the manual about it.
> 
> The Legends Flashback manual, on the other hand, makes no mention of it's emulators. HMMM...



So AtGames ruined a completely good emulator. Figures.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 5, 2018)

apparently the sound is decent on this device, and it does perform better than the 2017 unit, from all reviews i've seen.

but i don't have one for myself to test with.


----------



## stevensoest84 (Dec 8, 2018)

Got the revised 2019 Model from LIDL (German) today. Runs really smooth! Even with busy scenes in Sonic when loosing runs etc. This one works very good!

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I have pictures, but i cant share them, because I have a new account


----------



## laynolad95 (Dec 10, 2018)

stevensoest84 said:


> Got the revised 2019 Model from LIDL (German) today. Runs really smooth! Even with busy scenes in Sonic when loosing runs etc. This one works very good!
> 
> --------------------- MERGED ---------------------------
> 
> I have pictures, but i cant share them, because I have a new account


If possible could you post some pictures from your other account?


----------



## Verbeeg (Dec 10, 2018)

stevensoest84 said:


> Hi GUYS,
> 
> I just read your thread and am looking for some guidance. I just found out that there is a 2019 model for the AtGames Sega Megadrive flashback.
> 
> ...



Does this '2019' model really read MD, MS and GG games from the SD card slot? The Lidl shop is not very clear about this. In German it says the SD card slot is for firmware upgrades, 'new game selection' and 'software updates & upgrades'. In Dutch it just says it's for 'extra games'.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 11, 2018)

you need to install custom firmare for that. check in this forum. its a few threads down below.


----------



## Verbeeg (Dec 11, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> you need to install custom firmare for that. check in this forum. its a few threads down below.



Thanks, I'm up to date with the different versions and ways to hack them. I was just wondering if this newer 2019 one somehow has an out-of-the-box way to read new games, the Lidl shop kind of suggests it. But it's probably the same as the Genesis 2018 one that started off this thread, just the European (German) version of it.


----------



## fixingmytoys (Dec 11, 2018)

The Australian 2017 model has the MK section and it is MA15+

Just with all this 2018 talk ( lucky barstards with a SD SLOT) I am at a big big a losss for what’s the best mod/setup for the 2017 model mine could do with a update now me thinks


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 11, 2018)

im pretty sure this "2019" model is just the european version pal model (2018) version. they would not have time to RND a whole new model in less than a month.


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## Verbeeg (Dec 11, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> im pretty sure this "2019" model is just the european version pal model (2018) version. they would not have time to RND a whole new model in less than a month.



I agree. Still, kind of weird to provide an accessible SD card slot only for firmware updates when that AtGames Sega handheld does read games from it.


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## dcuk7 (Dec 17, 2018)

Hi guys, long time lurker but thought I'd actually sign up to keep interest in this thread and to post this link to Argos selling the Flashback: argos.co.uk/product/8367862

The picture shows the old model so I've just spoken with Argos here in the UK and they confirmed that this listing is the 2018 version with the SD card slot. It is currently on sale for £55.99 which is a bit more than I paid for mine from Menkind a few weeks ago!

Also, @WD_GASTER2 I don't mind being a guinea pig for trying your hacks with the PAL model if you need it.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 19, 2018)

Several people have confirmed with me that the custom firmware works on PAL consoles but as always try at your own risk.


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## stevensoest84 (Dec 19, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> Several people have confirmed with me that the custom firmware works on PAL consoles but as always try at your own risk.


I tried the custom firmware version for the 2018 version on the PAL 2019 version (german version which is probably the rebranded 2018 version with SD card slot), and it works perfect, as long as the roms are NTSC. PAL roms have distorted sound.

One specific difference about the German "2019" version is the authentic Sega Megadrive look (full black cover, no red ring) and the Megadrive word on it.

With kind regards,

Steven


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 19, 2018)

i heard that for some other feedback as well. As far as i am aware the games included with the console (PAL) version still work fine. it seems to be anything that is externally tried via PAL. the snes classic had a similar issue as mentioned earlier. I may take a more in depth look if a european console comes my way.


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## Redcomet_ (Dec 19, 2018)

I'm gonna get this for christmas I'll report with my experience with the console in the coming days


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## dcuk7 (Dec 21, 2018)

The latest firmware from AtGames enables the SD card support for ROMs! Also, the emulation seems slightly more improved. Sonic 2 is a good test for this as it pushes both sound and graphics hard. Still some distortion on the ring and high pitch sounds but overall very good. Stable frame rate too. No drops from 60fps on my unit.

Only downside at the moment is the lack of cover art for the SD card games. I've tried various methods with no success.


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## fixingmytoys (Dec 22, 2018)

Wish I could ad a sd card to mine lol. 
I modded my flashback the 2017 one? The one before the sd card, ages ago did the USB one wire mod, but not up anymore with the lastest mod/hack on it to get better support etc


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 24, 2018)

https://gbatemp.net/threads/generat...-the-flashback-hd-new-version-release.513559/

this is the last one i worked on and i think its still pretty solid. you can use that one as a baseline and then try what micronut posted to give yourself a few extra options.


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## fixingmytoys (Dec 24, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> https://gbatemp.net/threads/generat...-the-flashback-hd-new-version-release.513559/
> 
> this is the last one i worked on and i think its still pretty solid. you can use that one as a baseline and then try what micronut posted to give yourself a few extra options.



Cool thank you


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## ebey11 (Dec 25, 2018)

I've bought and returned 3 of these units now as each time the controllers both do nothing despite being on with the blue light. Is there some way to link the controllers to the system that I'm missing? I find it hard to believe I've gotten 3 straight defective units.


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## Redcomet_ (Dec 25, 2018)

ebey11 said:


> I've bought and returned 3 of these units now as each time the controllers both do nothing despite being on with the blue light. Is there some way to link the controllers to the system that I'm missing? I find it hard to believe I've gotten 3 straight defective units.


You should prolly buy some repro genesis controllers since they'll prolly work better than the atgames controller plus its compatible with the flashback


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## fixingmytoys (Dec 25, 2018)

You have the switch on the controller set to player 1?


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## ebey11 (Dec 25, 2018)

Thanks for the tip on repro, I’ll try them. 

Each controller I have just has an on off switch and I’ve tried both with them on.


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## rrifonas (Dec 25, 2018)

My 2018 version came with instructions to sync the controller: Hold A and Up for few seconds and turn the controller on. It will blink fast. Now turn the console on and the controller will be sync'd.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 25, 2018)

can someone who has a legends flashback register and downoad the dec 20 firmware update? its supposed to actually be for the legends ultimate home arcade. it bricks the legends flashback, oddly enough, but you can fix with a downgrade.

i'm really curious what roms are hidden in that over 100 meg update file if any.


----------



## rrifonas (Dec 25, 2018)

Zaphod77 said:


> can someone who has a legends flashback register and downoad the dec 20 firmware update? its supposed to actually be for the legends ultimate home arcade. it bricks the legends flashback, oddly enough, but you can fix with a downgrade.
> 
> i'm really curious what roms are hidden in that over 100 meg update file if any.


There are 40 Capcom games inside the update file:
1941: Counter Attack™
1942™
1943: The Battle of Midway™
1944: The Loop Master™
Avengers™
Bionic Commando™
Black Tiger™
Block Block™
Captain Commando™
Commando™
Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness™
Eco Fighters™
Exed Exes™
Final Fight™
Forgotten Worlds™
Ghosts'n Goblins™
Ghouls 'n Ghosts™
Gun Smoke
HyperDyne Side Arms™
Last Duel™
Legendary Wings™
Magic Sword™
Mega Twins™
Mercs™
Pirate Ship Higemaru™
Saturday Night Slam Masters™
Section Z™
Son Son™
Speed Rumbler™
Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting™
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
Strider™
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers™
Super Street Fighter II: Turbo
Three Wonders
Tiger Road
Trojan
Varth: Operation Thunderstorm
Vulgus


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 26, 2018)

Hmm. this is all capcom. so this is probably not the legends ultimate, but a new capcom only device that's upcoming. I'm curious what will be done for forgotten worlds, as that game requires one spinner per player.


----------



## Redcomet_ (Dec 26, 2018)

I just got the system today and theres a option called over drive in the settings menu ive turned it on and off and I've seen no difference


----------



## rrifonas (Dec 26, 2018)

Zaphod77 said:


> Hmm. this is all capcom. so this is probably not the legends ultimate, but a new capcom only device that's upcoming. I'm curious what will be done for forgotten worlds, as that game requires one spinner per player.


The Legends Flashback already has Forgotten Worlds, and it works with a 3-button setup like all emulators... 2 buttons to rotate the weapon and one to shoot.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 26, 2018)

so gimped to genesis version control levels.   Sorry, that game really needs the spinner.

Now what would be interesting is a twisty stick classics. with actual twisty sticks. Heavy barrel/midnight resistance/a number of snk titles. Front Line is different and would not work with a normal twisty stick.


----------



## Redcomet_ (Dec 26, 2018)

I'm noticing,alot of sound issues specifically in sonic where if you go too fast the music will skip anyone having this issue.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 26, 2018)

Redcomet_ said:


> I'm noticing,alot of sound issues specifically in sonic where if you go too fast the music will skip anyone having this issue.


make sure you are connecting it directly to power. if you are using the usb port of a pc it is known to have slowdowns.


----------



## rrifonas (Dec 26, 2018)

I've been playing around with the emulators for the Genesis Flashback 2018, and I was able to unlock the extensions on the SD Card and give an alternative for Genesis Plus GX (Picodrive).

Genesis Plus GX still the most complete emulator, and it will run Genesis (.bin/.md), Master System (.sms), Game Gear (.gg) and Sega CD games (.bin/.cue or .chd). For Sega CD support, copy the BIOS files (BIOS_CD_U.bin, BIOS_CD_J.bin and BIOS_CD_E.bin) to the same folder as the games.

Picodrive is faster than Genesis Plus GX, and it will run Genesis, Master System and 32x games. I couldn't make it run Sega CD games, and you will lose Game Gear support. Picodrive also apparently fixes the issues with PAL games (at least Master System games run at the correct speed). To make Picodrive work with a 6-button controller, you will need to copy both .ini file to the root of you SD Card.

Please don't expect Sega CD and 32x games running at full speed. While they work fine, you may have some sound issues when the framerate drops.
If you don't like Picodrive, you can revert to the original emulator installing the Sega CD update.

Update for Genesis Flashback HD (US) with Sega CD support (Genesis Plus GX)
Update for Genesis Flashback HD (US) with 32x support (Picodrive)
Update for Mega Drive Flashback HD (EU) with Sega CD support (Genesis Plus GX)
Update for Mega Drive Flashback HD (EU) with Sega CD and 32x support (Picodrive)​
Thanks @dcuk7 for sharing a dump from the EU/UK version.

_*P.S.: (1): While I did some limited test and we are not messing with the 'vital' OS parts, I can't guarantee the updates are 100% safe.*_


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 26, 2018)

damn man, freaking BEAST!
great job. this is waayyyy more than what most people should have expected out of this little gadget. great work.
also are you sure the CHD compression doesnt contribute to the jitters with sega cd games? just curious.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 26, 2018)

Now can you get picodrive into the legends flashback? 

and unlock NES games?

and just MAYBE FBA roms?


----------



## rrifonas (Dec 26, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> damn man, freaking BEAST!
> great job. this is waayyyy more than what most people should have expected out of this little gadget. great work.
> also are you sure the CHD compression doesnt contribute to the jitters with sega cd games? just curious.


I've tried the .bin/.cue combo with similar results in Sonic CD. Retroplayer.ini has an OSD option to display fps, and I confirmed the sound has issues when the framerate drops below 57fps.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



Zaphod77 said:


> Now can you get picodrive into the legends flashback?
> 
> and unlock NES games?
> 
> and just MAYBE FBA roms?


Yes, and the console part is it's ready... I have an update with Picodrive and FCEUMM instead of Genesis Plus GX and QuickNES. The arcade part is more complex as the built-in cores seem locked to the games included in the pack. The only way to fix that is replacing MAME 2003 Plus with MAME 2000 core (which is very fast) but several built-in games will break. FBA is possible for CPS2 and Neo Geo games but it is even more complex as you need to add the games to the game list.

The problem with the Legends Flashback is that I've been working with the update 2.3 as base (this update has new emulators and romset) which some guys in Atari Age reported as "semi-broken". But I can add support for Picodrive and FCEUMM in the original firmware.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 26, 2018)

So you cant' just drop in another compile of mame 2003 plus that supports more games?

well i'd still be happy with picodrive as long as it hits full frame in nearly every genesis game, which it should.  and is quickness really that bad?

the broken one is the "Capcom" update that is currently available. it doesn't fit on the device. the other one only breaks the artwork if you install it to fix the capcom update brick i think.

but if you can somehow get it to load arcade roms from the sdcard without breaking builtin games that would be awesome.


----------



## rrifonas (Dec 26, 2018)

Zaphod77 said:


> So you cant' just drop in another compile of mame 2003 plus that supports more games?
> 
> well i'd still be happy with picodrive as long as it hits full frame in nearly every genesis game, which it should.  and is quickness really that bad?
> 
> ...



I know that only the bezels are broken, but I've read some complaints about controllers not working - which I didn't have - and it would be bad if this can be an issue.

Regarding the emulators, QuickNES is a good emulator, but I've seen some speed issues testing Super Mario Bros (the whole game gets fast when you press the run button). And it's possible to add the proper MAME 2003 Plus core but it's too slow for almost all games you may want to play. Have in mind this device is more like a Neo Geo Mini and a Raspberry Pi Zero (with less RAM) than a RPi3 or a Super Retrocade.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 26, 2018)

I suspect that the broken controllers are just coincidence. now i'm tempted to actually get that flashback, though the super retrocade is more capable and does take arcade roms. also more expensive i think though. just need to get tengen tetris and nes tetris and lj65 on it.

now if someone will just extract that tetris rom from that gameboy shaped nes retro game player, as its' actually a pretty good new nes/onebus tetris.

Well i got a legends flashback for 35$. seems a fair price. i'd really like the picodrive and fceuu update.


----------



## Redcomet_ (Dec 27, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> make sure you are connecting it directly to power. if you are using the usb port of a pc it is known to have slowdowns.


I have it connected to the power supply that came with the unit, all tho I do have it on a standard power strip


----------



## rrifonas (Dec 27, 2018)

Zaphod77 said:


> I suspect that the broken controllers are just coincidence. now i'm tempted to actually get that flashback, though the super retrocade is more capable and does take arcade roms. also more expensive i think though. just need to get tengen tetris and nes tetris and lj65 on it.
> 
> now if someone will just extract that tetris rom from that gameboy shaped nes retro game player, as its' actually a pretty good new nes/onebus tetris.
> 
> Well i got a legends flashback for 35$. seems a fair price. i'd really like the picodrive and fceuu update.


$35 is a fair price and it has some cool 'licenses' to adquire. 
Give me a couple of days to create a 'safe update' for both 1.0 and 2.3 - the update I'm playing with now has a lot of 'debug outputs' to the SD Card, I'm reading the game list from the SD Card and copying to the data partition... it's a completely mess.
And I didn't gave up from Picodrive for Sega CD support yet, unfortunately the emulator is not throwing any error output to troubleshoot. Since the Legends Flashback doesn't have Game Gear games, Picodrive is the best bet...


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 27, 2018)

too bad we cant tap into logcats to see what may be causing issues. . the lack of uart or a debug port hurts this device a bit.


----------



## ebey11 (Dec 27, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> My 2018 version came with instructions to sync the controller: Hold A and Up for few seconds and turn the controller on. It will blink fast. Now turn the console on and the controller will be sync'd.


Wow, this worked! Thanks so much! I double checked and my instructions definitely don't mention that. In fact, they say "press any button on the controller and it will connect to the console automatically"


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 27, 2018)

Well anyone have the 2.3 update?  my console plays bad dudes at half speed. every other game i tested so far pretty much works.

does bad dudes work better on 2.3 update?

here's my lore on picodrive sega cd support.

1) need bios file in SYSTEM folder for the system.
2) only understands .cue files. test on PC version of picodrive. 

I still suspect it will not work at full speed, but i could be wrong.  

i suspect the issue is that the system directory can't be on the sdcard, and that the bios has to be added to the firmware update.

There's only one sega cd game i like anyway, and it plays just fine on my pc. (prince of persia)


----------



## dcuk7 (Dec 27, 2018)

This is handy being able to use Picodrive. My biggest issue with Picodrive is the sound emulation in Sonic games. It's still quite poor even all these years later. Specifically the end of act sign post sound is completely wrong (this is the first thing I check on any new system that emulates or is a clone of the Mega Drive/Genesis). The sound on collecting blue spheres in Sonic 3 are also badly emulated. I feel like Genesis Plus GX is the lesser of two evils in this regard.

@rrifonas Do you know if the SD Card feature of the AtGames UI supports custom box art? Also, did your digging reveal how it decides to sort the games? It isn't by alphabetical order, which is bizarre yet totally an AtGames thing they would do! My best guess seems to be sorting by Date Added!

Great work so far though.


----------



## rrifonas (Dec 28, 2018)

Zaphod77 said:


> Well anyone have the 2.3 update?  my console plays bad dudes at half speed. every other game i tested so far pretty much works.
> 
> does bad dudes work better on 2.3 update?
> 
> ...



I will take a look and send get back with results. Since I have a backup from the original partitions, I can revert it back to the original firmware to compare. I know that "Edward Randy" and "Joe and Mac Returns" suck in both versions.

*EDIT: I tested Bad Dudes and it plays at normal speed with both updates. There are some slowdowns (framerate dropping to 56, 55fps) but nothing significant. Most of the "more demanding" games running with MAME have these framerate drops, except for "Edward Randy" which plays between 51fps and 54fps... *

Regarding Sega CD support in Picodrive you are probably right, but Genesis Plus GX can find the BIOS in the same folder as the games, and MAME can do the same with BIOS files. I've tried copying the BIOS in the same directory as the emulator, or a "system" folder on the same partition with no luck.



dcuk7 said:


> This is handy being able to use Picodrive. My biggest issue with Picodrive is the sound emulation in Sonic games. It's still quite poor even all these years later. Specifically the end of act sign post sound is completely wrong (this is the first thing I check on any new system that emulates or is a clone of the Mega Drive/Genesis). The sound on collecting blue spheres in Sonic 3 are also badly emulated. I feel like Genesis Plus GX is the lesser of two evils in this regard.
> 
> @rrifonas Do you know if the SD Card feature of the AtGames UI supports custom box art? Also, did your digging reveal how it decides to sort the games? It isn't by alphabetical order, which is bizarre yet totally an AtGames thing they would do! My best guess seems to be sorting by Date Added!



Yeah, I know Picodrive has some drawbacks, the idea was to share another option - and add 32x support .
I don't think it's possible to use custom box art, I've only found references to the default box art for SD Card. That would be a nice feature... and I couldn't find how it sorts the files. Sort by date added or date modified makes sense...


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## Zaphod77 (Dec 28, 2018)

Bad dudes is NOT normal on my  unit. the music played back WAYYYY too slow. please compare with actual arcade video. this is right 

it seems i may have to test with my own unit on the other firmware.

Okay installed the update, lost bezels, and bad dudes still crackles and slows down the music, and stutters every second or so.  Tries plugging in both controllers. no difference.  how do you get the FPS to show?

the music is at least .75 speed on my unit.  TO be fair that hardware is a bit of a beast, with a 32 bit main CPU. (and you wonder why your 8 and 16 bit conversions sucked)

and yes i am using the power supply that came with the unit, and the controllers that came with the unit.

this is how it plays on my unit   you can hear the crackles and the music slowdown. (sigh, i cant' include the timestamp,. it's 6 minutes.

it would probably play fine if rewind was disabled. i KNOW rewind support eats up CPU.


----------



## rrifonas (Dec 28, 2018)

@Zaphod77,
Thanks for sharing the comparison, the sound in the second video is awful. My console doesn't sound that bad. I don't have a capture card but the sound seems on par with the with the original.
I enabled the FPS to show changing an internal file. Are you running the version 2.3, right? I can share my 'test' version so you can check the framerate - this version has support for NES games using FCEUMM, Genesis, Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear with Genesis Plus GX. I haven't change the arcade emulators so it will be a good test to compare the FPS between our units. I can also help you to rollback to the stock version if you want. Please send me an private message and I can share the details/instructions.

If it works fine, I will share with everyone.


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## Zaphod77 (Dec 28, 2018)

I believe that for two player simultaneous games BOTH controllers MUST be plugged in for best performance. it seems that if the game polls a controller or button that's not there, it causes a performance hit.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 28, 2018)

Ok just tested official firmware 2.6, and official 4 meg sdcard enable update.

if you installed the sdcard update from yesterday, it ruins the update process. it will error out. do not panic, and reset the console. the update will then complete.

it does accept nes games, renamed to .dat. i even ran castlevania 3, and punch out.

Rewind still not disabled on the games that have performance issues.  i suspect they will work better with the rewind turned off. but dear gods, that rewind buffer is HUGE. i can rewind minutes into the past with it!

PS. that loading screen is simply the game running unthrottled past the rom check.


----------



## FateForWindows (Dec 29, 2018)

Zaphod77 said:


> Bad dudes is NOT normal on my  unit. the music played back WAYYYY too slow. please compare with actual arcade video. this is right



Actually that longplay was done in MAME.


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 29, 2018)

well, it's correct still. i've played the real arcade, and the music speed is correct.


----------



## Redcomet_ (Dec 30, 2018)

One issue I came across today was that in the middle of the robotnik battle in sonic 1 the game froze on me and i couldn't get out of the game is there anyone else experiencing this


----------



## Zaphod77 (Dec 30, 2018)

I suspect the issue is lack of limits on the rewind buffer.  eventually the memory fills up or it and boom.  I've noticed that you can rewind back insanely far. I'm not even sure WHAT the limit is.


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 3, 2019)

Redcomet_ said:


> One issue I came across today was that in the middle of the robotnik battle in sonic 1 the game froze on me and i couldn't get out of the game is there anyone else experiencing this


I have this issue. The console freezes after 15 minutes running. Try returning it if you can as it seems to be a hardware problem. In my case I can't return because I already opened it and did a couple of soldering points. I thought I've burnt the board while doing the soldering points but it's possible to be a problem with some other component (NAND / RAM / processor).


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Jan 3, 2019)

dumb idea but put a tiny heatsink if you have one laying around on the 3066 chipset? at the time they came out they did require a heatsink or heatspreader depending on the clock speed they were running at. im sure a pi heatsink may help.


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 3, 2019)

Good idea, I will try it this weekend.


----------



## Deleted_413010 (Jan 3, 2019)

the_randomizer said:


> AssGames



Why call them that? I kinda like their Atari Flashbacks. I have the Atari Flashback 9 Gold. I got it back when it was the latest.


----------



## the_randomizer (Jan 3, 2019)

TheTechWiz25 said:


> Why call them that? I kinda like their Atari Flashbacks. I have the Atari Flashback 9 Gold. I got it back when it was the latest.



Sure, those may be good, but their Genesis emulators have sucked every time, no effort at all.


----------



## Deleted_413010 (Jan 3, 2019)

the_randomizer said:


> Sure, those may be good, but their Genesis emulators have sucked every time, no effort at all.



LOL I MEANT 8. I feel like such an idiot.

Other than that...why would those suck when the Atari ones dont? Hm...


----------



## Zaphod77 (Jan 3, 2019)

Well their redkid/firecore based genesis consoles have been incorrectly configured since forever.

This 2018 edition is pretty decent. the only thing really wrong with it is it's a little underpowered.

The atari ones have always been pretty nice.  The legends flashback thing is also hobbled by underpowered hardware.  But it has a very cheap and honestly pretty fair price point.


----------



## Redcomet_ (Jan 7, 2019)

One thing to note about this console is that this is basically what atgames announced back in April last year about the Mega Drive mini. And the Mega Drive mini announced at Sega Fes was essentially going to be the Japanese version of the same model since in the promo video for this system we can see that it has the Sd card slot


----------



## Zaphod77 (Jan 7, 2019)

I don't want to spend 75-80 bucks to try and get one of those to play with.


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 7, 2019)

It's interesting that SEGA essentially dropped AtGames from this project. I wonder what it was they didn't like about this unit! I actually think for once AtGames has done a really good job. Certainly better than the PlayStation Classic (although that's not exactly a high bar).

I'm sure it wasn't in the plan for AtGames to release an updated Genesis/Mega Drive Flashback in 2018 (just look at their Twitter feed. They don't promote this thing at all). Clearly they couldn't waste all the resources poured into making the Mega Drive Mini, hence this new Flashback existing.

As a die-hard SEGA fan I just hope that the unit SEGA actually releases this year is as good or better than the 2018 Flashback. This is SEGA so it could clearly go either way!


----------



## Zaphod77 (Jan 7, 2019)

Well Sega's should be better. the legends flashback has pretty lousy audio latency.  I'm not sure how it is on these units.


----------



## Redcomet_ (Jan 7, 2019)

Does Sega even know about the 2018 edition of the Genesis Flashback. Also the supposed reason why sega dropped atgames was due to the bad press sega got due to atgames tweeting about being behind the genesis flashback


----------



## subcon959 (Jan 8, 2019)

Would be nice if there was just a single definitive mini/classic version once and for all.


----------



## Redcomet_ (Jan 8, 2019)

subcon959 said:


> Would be nice if there was just a single definitive mini/classic version once and for all.


That might happen this year since sega is working on the genesis mini and it might come out this year


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 8, 2019)

I'm not excited for this Sega Genesis mini, my only hope is that someone can build some good controllers for them.

Sega was not capable to do their Sega Genesis Classics for PC/Xbox/PS4 and sent development to d3t, which have done a poor job and took months to fix several issues. The intro video is still lagging in PCs with onboard video and in Xbox One.

Their Android  "Classic Emulator" is half-assed and it also took months to be roughly playable.

I don't think Atgames is doing a great job but I can't really imagine Sega doing something much better.


----------



## SwiftNick (Jan 15, 2019)

I have the UK 2018 Flashback HD model and it supports SD card games out of the box.
Just add the bin files to a folder called Game on the root of the SD card. 
As others have said use plain ascii characters for names and no spaces.


----------



## subcon959 (Jan 16, 2019)

SwiftNick said:


> I have the UK 2018 Flashback HD model and it supports SD card games out of the box.
> Just add the bin files to a folder called Game on the root of the SD card.
> As others have said use plain ascii characters for names and no spaces.


Where did you get it from mate? I want to make sure I don't get the older version without SD card reader.


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 16, 2019)

subcon959 said:


> Where did you get it from mate? I want to make sure I don't get the older version without SD card reader.


Argos are selling the 2018 model (even though their product pic shows the 2017 model. Also, Menkind both online and in-store are selling it as the SEGA Mega Drive Gold.


----------



## D-an-W (Jan 16, 2019)

Can I just check if the info showing the SD Card slot of the 2018 version is visible from the outside of the box (Just reserved one at Argos)?

The 2018 version has a volume slider too?


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 17, 2019)

Yes, 2018 has the volume slider which the 2017 does not. Also, the side of the box will show it using micro usb for power (see first post in this thread).

I called Argos before I got mine. Confirmed that all their stock is the model with SD card support.


----------



## D-an-W (Jan 17, 2019)

Got the 2018 version from my local Argos on the way home, thanks for the tip @dcuk7


----------



## Casey-Strange (Jan 21, 2019)

Can the PicoDrive Genesis GX CFW updates be given their own thread?
I'm trying to keep up with this being the main topic but two consoles are being discussed here.

I'm very interested in trying to run Sega CD games on my Atgames Flashback using the CFW but am still having troubles understanding exactly how to use this firmware to do so.  There really isn't a thread dedicated to this topic and so far, I found the links for this on or around page 6 of this thread.   People looking to try out this CFW and or test it may have trouble locating the link.

The current thread for this model is dedicated to the one released that Atgames recnetly modified. 
Another user here unlocked the Sega CD feature so you can run games off the SD card using the BIOS.  
But no instructions or specifications on what demands may be placed on you to get the game to run.


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## rrifonas (Jan 22, 2019)

Casey-Strange said:


> Can the PicoDrive Genesis GX CFW updates be given their own thread?
> I'm trying to keep up with this being the main topic but two consoles are being discussed here.
> 
> I'm very interested in trying to run Sega CD games on my Atgames Flashback using the CFW but am still having troubles understanding exactly how to use this firmware to do so.  There really isn't a thread dedicated to this topic and so far, I found the links for this on or around page 6 of this thread.   People looking to try out this CFW and or test it may have trouble locating the link.
> ...


This thread is being used to discuss the custom firmware for the Genesis Flashback / MD Flashback 2018.


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## BillyHGamer (Jan 22, 2019)

Is their going to be more updates and will it work for sega dreamcast


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## dcuk7 (Jan 28, 2019)

The gadget store Menkind here in the UK had a flash sale on Sunday night and the Flashback HD (or Mega Drive Gold as they call it) were on discount and they sold out in a few hours! Who knew an AtGames console would be ever be so popular!


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## dcuk7 (Feb 2, 2019)

UK peeps, the Mega Drive Flashback is on a bit of a sale from Argos this weekend. 25% off: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8367862


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## D-an-W (Feb 2, 2019)

Just returned the one I bought to my local Argos, got a £20 refund and a £5 gift card!

Thanks for the tip @dcuk7


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## Joeyramone82 (Apr 5, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> @Zaphod77,
> Thanks for sharing the comparison, the sound in the second video is awful. My console doesn't sound that bad. I don't have a capture card but the sound seems on par with the with the original.
> I enabled the FPS to show changing an internal file. Are you running the version 2.3, right? I can share my 'test' version so you can check the framerate - this version has support for NES games using FCEUMM, Genesis, Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear with Genesis Plus GX. I haven't change the arcade emulators so it will be a good test to compare the FPS between our units. I can also help you to rollback to the stock version if you want. Please send me an private message and I can share the details/instructions.
> 
> If it works fine, I will share with everyone.


Hi how do you load sega cd roms do you have to put all the files in the game folder as when i download i get 4 files ccd cue img sub files and do you need the bios file aswell and useing the 1st update with out the 32x support many thanks


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## dcuk7 (Apr 6, 2019)

You should convert those files to CHD. This makes it much easier to work with. Have a look at the tutorial in this reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroPie/comments/72kh6q/stepbystep_guide_how_to_convert_sega_cd_or_pc/


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## Zaphod77 (Apr 6, 2019)

btw the sound skipping is caused by failing to plug in controller 2 for a 2 player game.

as long as both controllers are plugged in, things are fine. 

it's because two player arcade games keep trying to poll start and coin in for player 2, and when the controller is missing, that causes a performance hit.


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## dcuk7 (Apr 13, 2019)

Another FYI for all the UK guys. Argos has the 2018 Flashback HD on sale again for £45.99: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8367862

Just ordered myself another whilst the price is good! With the custom firmware and the Game Manager app this is a really neat Mega Drive/Genesis emulator!


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## MB79 (Apr 13, 2019)

Thanks for the heads up.
I can go get one to replace my frozen one now and get back to enjoying my childhood games.


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## dcuk7 (Apr 15, 2019)

Just got my new one delivered from Argos and it looks like this on start up:


 

Did they forget to install the firmware on it from the factory?!


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## rrifonas (Apr 16, 2019)

This looks like the Input Test from FB2017. I've never tried to check if this test exists in the 2018 version.


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## dcuk7 (Apr 16, 2019)

It loads straight to this screen every time. The menu music is still playing in the background but the controller doesn't respond to any inputs. I tried putting an update image on the SD card but again it skips that and goes straight to that red screen.

I was tempted to open it, mod it with the wire and flash it but Argos are replacing it today so not worth wasting £45 I feel.


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## nuy (Apr 17, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> Another FYI for all the UK guys. Argos has the 2018 Flashback HD on sale again for £45.99:
> 
> Just ordered myself another whilst the price is good! With the custom firmware and the Game Manager app this is a really neat Mega Drive/Genesis emulator!



Picked one up today from Argos and strangely wasn't picking up rom images from the SD card - tried all combinations of case for the game folder and initial caps for the bin files, but the SD menu just wasn't showing up. Grabbed the official FW from AFZ and flashed with no issues (aside from not having the About menu to get the console ID), and got the SD card menu fine. Only minor issue for me is the MD logo at top left was replaced with Genesis logo!


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## dcuk7 (Apr 17, 2019)

The issue you had with the games on the SD card is to be expected. The very first firmware for this unit did not have the SD card support for games. It was unlocked by @WD_GASTER2 before AtGames added it in the next firmware release.

If you use my app to download the correct custom firmware for your console, you can get your Mega Drive branding back. Just use the download option and choose Mega Drive from the region.


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## nuy (Apr 17, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> The issue you had with the games on the SD card is to be expected. The very first firmware for this unit did not have the SD card support for games. It was unlocked by @WD_GASTER2 before AtGames added it in the next firmware release.
> 
> If you use my app to download the correct custom firmware for your console, you can get your Mega Drive branding back. Just use the download option and choose Mega Drive from the region.



Aye, I was going off post 198 - strange.

The Genesis branding doesn't really bother me, would just be nice if Atgames did an OFW for EU people!

Have downloaded your app already, looks good. Thanks for putting in the effort writing it! Are there any automation tools to scan existing game libraries and pull artwork/descriptions from pre-existing repositories (assuming any exist a la Hackchii)?


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## dcuk7 (Apr 18, 2019)

I'm not aware of anything that could do that for this console. It is something I really want to add to my app at some point. The best you can do for now is to use my app and download the libretro thumbnail artwork pack for the Mega Drive. This has all US/JP/EU box art and does make it easier when adding games.


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## Mal9762 (Apr 19, 2019)

My 2018 Flashback unit arrived today and I think I got a defective unit. The sound doesn't work when I try to play games(the menu music still plays, though), I've tried to download custom firmware but it won't enable the SD card slot feature. I've tried the official firmware and all it does it loop the "installing update" screen over and over. I've tried the picodrive CFW and that gets sound but it STILL doesn't enable the SD card slot.

Any ideas or am I screwed?


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## WD_GASTER2 (Apr 19, 2019)

hmm that is odd. did you format the sd card with SD FORMATTER?
do a full fat32 format with it.


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## Mal9762 (Apr 19, 2019)

Just tried formatting the SD card and it's still doing the infinite firmware installation loop. Basically what it does it shows a screen saying "installing update" or something, the progress bar moves, then hangs about a little bit, then the bar disappears and the screen still says "installing update", resets, then does the whole thing all over again. 

I tried using the GenesisPlus GX CFW and the system boots, but there will be no sound in the games and no "SD card" option(greyed out or otherwise). It was like this before I even messed with it. If I install the picodrive CFW, the sound will work but there's STILL no "SD card" option.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Apr 19, 2019)

the emulator partition may be borked. :/


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## Mal9762 (Apr 19, 2019)

And I'm guessing there's nothing I can do about it, is there?


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## WD_GASTER2 (Apr 19, 2019)

i am pretty sure that reflashing your entire nand partition may help but if it keeps getting stuck during the update you may need to flash the entire nand the "shorting the bridge" way. Alternatively reflashing through the SD and flashing the entire nand as an update is a possibility. However the latter is something i would defer to rrifonas as he got that down to a T.

edit: heading to bed but hopefully rrifonas can chime in on this and i may also ping him tomorrow as i think its possible to do the sd card flash method if i recall.


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## rrifonas (Apr 20, 2019)

SD Card is enabled by a ini file in the data partition.
Have you tried to use the update from Atgames site? It will replace the emulator and data partition. The latest custom firmware also replaces the data partition.
Sound issues/No sound can be related with your TV, some atgames devices have problems with some TVs.

If the device is on warranty I would not go to NAND flash option (you will need to open the device and void the warranty) and I would ask for a replacement.


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## Mal9762 (Apr 20, 2019)

I've tried the official atgames firmware at that just causes the looping problem. Using any of the custom firmware let's the console start up but I get no sound in the games(unless I use the picodrive CFW).

The seller gave me a prepaid shipping label so I'm just gonna return it and get my money back.


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## Beetch18 (Apr 20, 2019)

After it installs the update have you tried removing the SD card. If I remember correctly you need to remove card or it will find a update file on the card and act like an update is needed


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## Mal9762 (Apr 20, 2019)

I tried that and I just get an error screen.

Just to go into detail, when the update restarts itself it doesn't go to the main menu to ask if it needs an update. It just keeps looping the installing update. No menu. The only way I know how to undo the error and get the console back to default(ish) is if I install the older 6mb CFW GenesisPlus GX file.


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## Mal9762 (Apr 21, 2019)

I apologize for the double post, but I found a work around. I used the old picodrive CFW update and used the Genesis Flashback HD Game Manager app to copy games to the card. This lets me read games off the SD card while having sound in games.

So at least it works in a way.

Update: Only problem so far is that I can't play Decap Attack because Start seems to also be mapped to the "C" button, but only for that game.

Update#2: Looks like I spoke too soon. My console freezes after 10 minutes. It's a dud. I'm starting to wish I had bought the Legends Flashback instead...


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## rrifonas (Apr 21, 2019)

My Genesis Flashback has the same issue... it freezes after 10 minutes. At some point I thought it could be caused by something weird with the firmware, but this happens even with the original firmware and it freezes even with the Legends Flashback firmware loaded, so I'm quite sure it's a hardware problems.

On the other hand, the Legends Flashback works perfectly...


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## Mal9762 (Apr 21, 2019)

I'm kinda miffed that I'm pretty much stuck with a defective product because I literally don't have the money to ship it back. I know I said I was given a prepaid label, I don't have any cash on me to print one out since I don't own a printer.

At least I still have the 2017 model(as choppy as the emulation on that is...). I mean I could by a Sega stye controller for the Retro-Cade but the only ones I can find are those crappy chinese knockoffs from retrolink and they're charging waaaaay too much for those especially for how crappy the quality is. Seriously, they are not worth over 10 bucks.


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## leongti (May 13, 2019)

stupid question but will these custom firmware updates bring up the sd card slot section on my console or do I still need to update it first with the one off the official website? thanks in advance



rrifonas said:


> I've been playing around with the emulators for the Genesis Flashback 2018, and I was able to unlock the extensions on the SD Card and give an alternative for Genesis Plus GX (Picodrive).
> 
> Genesis Plus GX still the most complete emulator, and it will run Genesis (.bin/.md), Master System (.sms), Game Gear (.gg) and Sega CD games (.bin/.cue or .chd). For Sega CD support, copy the BIOS files (BIOS_CD_U.bin, BIOS_CD_J.bin and BIOS_CD_E.bin) to the same folder as the games.
> 
> ...


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## spanner (May 17, 2019)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> camera is charging and will upload pics later but atgames seems to have silently release the 2018 version of the sega genesis mini as a silent update for the 2017 line. has sd card and everything any body else got one of these units yet?
> 
> update: pretty bummed out... no adb. making homebrew for this guy will just be absurdly hard .
> why god why was adb taken out ;.;
> ...



The main board is Linux,its looks like TheC64 Mini board,has it got a UART on it ,theC64 Mini has,so this should,all of them do, then you be able to get to the boot log and see whats its booting up then someone have to see you can interrupt boot and try and get into it.The 3 holes on the bottom left could be it,From Top looks like ground and the other 2 below it could be Rx and Tx or the other way round.You can connect to it using Putty,but have to cheat to see if it is a UART connector first.Its properly a 3.3v Rx line. if it is don't feed it 5v you will blow the UART.


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## WD_GASTER2 (May 18, 2019)

we tried that. its not uart. connecting one returns garbage and we tried all the baud rates.
me, micronut and more specifically rrifonas went through a lot of avenues doing early work during the launch window of this device. realistically there is not much that can be done with this device that has not been done already.


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## spanner (May 19, 2019)

It might have a FEL mode button on the board like TheC64 Mini does. You know if it a FEL-Mode button if you hold it down on boot up the console and have the Mini USB connected to your PC, it will try to install drivers  and it will not boot cause it looking for some from the Mini USB port.

About FEL Mode is here on TheC64 Mini site.. http://thec64community.online/thread/270/c64mini-mode-hack-uart-needed

TheC64 Mini has a AllWinner A20 CPU so its made by Sunxi, its has the same specs as a Cubieboard 2.  About FEL http://linux-sunxi.org/FEL

Whats its specs CPU MMU,Memory..?


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## WD_GASTER2 (May 19, 2019)

its a rockchip 3066 dual core. 256mb of ram 256mb flash.
Android for for LR devices would be near impossible due to how tiny the flash ram is.
it does have a FEL mode button (more like a bootloader button as FEL is exclusive to sunxi processors) and it can be enabled by briding 2 solder points. I do suggest you re-read this thread. we spoke about it at length a few months back.
also before you do some digging, yes the rockchip tool can flash it, it can also backup the nand. I heavily suggest you read the thread entirely.


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## dcuk7 (Jul 4, 2019)

Heads up for UK. Argos are doing a clearance sale on these units now so they are as cheap as they've ever been. £37.99 now: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8367862


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## TravisGornicke (Jun 14, 2020)

I can't even get the update screen to appear


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## TravisGornicke (Jun 14, 2020)

I can't even get the update screen to appear


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## TravisGornicke (Jun 14, 2020)

I can't even get the update screen to appear


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## spanner (Apr 9, 2021)

Can you run Retroarch on this, and has anyone tried the Legend Flashback UI with this, most all Atgames Flashbacks use the same UI, look at Atari Flashback 9 and X..?

Is there a post about how to connect this to a UART and Putty..?


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## rrifonas (Apr 10, 2021)

spanner said:


> Can you run Retroarch on this, and has anyone tried the Legend Flashback UI with this, most all Atgames Flashbacks use the same UI, look at Atari Flashback 9 and X..?
> 
> Is there a post about how to connect this to a UART and Putty..?


In theory you can run RetroArch. I've tried to build it a while ago and it didn't work, the way the device uses SDL is not trivial for a noob like me. 

Changing the UI with the Legends Flashback means you will lose access to the cartridge port, so it might not worth it.

Connecting to the UART is simple on the pinout perspective (I don't recall the order, but it's basically RX, TX and GND), but you need a UART adapter supporting 1500000 baud, which most doesn't support. There are lots of guides on how to connect a SBC, it's the same process.


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## spanner (Apr 22, 2021)

rrifonas said:


> In theory you can run RetroArch. I've tried to build it a while ago and it didn't work, the way the device uses SDL is not trivial for a noob like me.
> 
> Changing the UI with the Legends Flashback means you will lose access to the cartridge port, so it might not worth it.
> 
> Connecting to the UART is simple on the pinout perspective (I don't recall the order, but it's basically RX, TX and GND), but you need a UART adapter supporting 1500000 baud, which most doesn't support. There are lots of guides on how to connect a SBC, it's the same process.



Have you got any info on making the sega_update.img file please that you could send me.? I need a step by step guide, so what to use and what commands I need to run if any, I know you have to use the ImgRepackerRk Tool but I do not know how to use it on Windows, never used it before, I do have Linux too in VMWare Workstation 16.

I have read the fourm but its not chear to me what I need to do, I think I have to dump the 2 partitions from the MD Flashback but not sure, I have added a lot from this forum here now... so its all in one place not scattered...
http://atgamesgenesis.wikidot.com/wiki:hardware-genesis-flashback-2018

I noticed the sega_update.img file is 138mb is that because it has 2 partitions in it, data and emulator partitions ...?


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## Rehpyc (May 28, 2021)

Dear all,

I'd like to back up the Nand of my 2019 Flashback Mega Drive, which I just got.
I see this has been achieved by WD_GASTER2 very early on, but how so eludes me.

I do not want to change the firmware of my device, which seems to be the actual main topic in this thread.

From the various comments in thsi thread, I've already gathered that my project may involve the use of rockchip-tools (but which ones?), the use of linux and potential soldering of the board.
But how this all comes together, I unfortunately fail to puzzle out ...

Would be great if you could help me out there or at least steer in the right direction! :-)

P.S.: Had to remove all relevant links due to me being new to to the boards and not yet having access to such features. Sorry!


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## Rehpyc (Jun 16, 2021)

Any help on this matter would be truly highly appreciated!


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## The Beatle (Jul 1, 2021)

Hi everyone, i have a problem, hope you can help me, i downloaded and installed the firmwareupdate from the atgames website, i put some games in my sd card but they dont execute, they are in bin extension and even converted md and smd files to bin, and they doesnt work, the screen goes black and then it returns to the main menu... please can you help me???


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## Rehpyc (Sep 13, 2021)

Not sure what is going on here?
Why is there no more talk in this thread and why do question not get any answers at all - not even nasty ones?
Have the members of this board moved to a new place?
Or is it something else?
Where would I go if I'd really seek answers to my questions?

Again, any help would be highly appreciated!


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## MicroNut99 (Sep 13, 2021)

Rehpyc said:


> Not sure what is going on here?
> Why is there no more talk in this thread and why do question not get any answers at all - not even nasty ones?
> Have the members of this board moved to a new place?
> Or is it something else?
> ...



As stated on page 11 most of the discussion moved here:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-firmware-for-sega-flashback-2018.523590/

Be specific with your questions and you should get an answer.

Many have moved on to other projects.
The Sega Genesis Mini was a big deal for some of the devs here.

When the MiSTer came out emulation went out of fashion.
FPGA's basically became the retro machine so its not "emulation" anymore.
https://www.retrorgb.com/mister.html


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## Rehpyc (Sep 14, 2021)

Dear MicoNut99,

thank you so much for taking your time and pointing this all out to me - seems everything you said just went by my head previously. And that MiSTer device truly seems intriguing, will definitely check it out as soon as possible! 

Now I'll head for that other thread you mentioned, try to ask my question there again and hope the people over there will be as helpful as you've been! 

Cheers!


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