Taito Egret II Mini

[onofrix]

I already have mine too! Does anyone know if the sd with the 10 extra games has been dumped? I'm curious to see what kind of format it has in and if roms can be modified.

 

[PresidentSenpai]

Well I honestly don't really know much about modding, but putting it in my computer it comes up as inaccessible and needing to be formatted.

 

[onofrix]

Well I honestly don't really know much about modding, but putting it in my computer it comes up as inaccessible and needing to be formatted.

are you talking about the sd card? that's interesting. That means that is not using a windows compatible format (if you are using windows, of course). Maybe a linux one? (you know: ext2, ext3, ext4, etc..). Can you check it with partition magic or any other similar software?

 

[PresidentSenpai]

Yeah I was talking about the SD card. I will try with that stuff tomorrow since I'm exhausted from tech troubleshooting some other stuff lol.

Also my take is that it really does seem like Taito intends to release additional game packs. My special edition came with a 'volume 1' book that includes deets of all the games currently included. This would also make sense this the game selection is a little strange. I like the deep cuts but I can't help but feel like certain games are weird for not being included. Like why is only the VS puzzle bobble available? super strange for a taito device.

I will say that I am otherwise super impressed with the device. When it works its like magic and it is a really great way to get quick game fixes. Switching to Tate mode is like magic. It's hard not to love this thing. The track ball paddle con is honestly worth to me. It plays really well and is pretty easy to tuck away when you are done, I actually own 2 with the hopes that they will work well with PC and I really don't want to build a full size con and have to deal with it.

PS. if anyone knows how to get the Egret mini Track ball and paddle con working with the PC please let me know. When plugging into a PC it is detected as a mouse, with the track ball acting as analog mouse movement and the paddle mapped as the mouse wheel. The buttons on the controller are not detected by the PC at all, so it is really close to being plug and play.

 

[onofrix]

Yeah I was talking about the SD card. I will try with that stuff tomorrow since I'm exhausted from tech troubleshooting some other stuff lol.

no problem! thank you!.

Also my take is that it really does seem like Taito intends to release additional game packs. My special edition came with a 'volume 1' book that includes deets of all the games currently included. This would also make sense this the game selection is a little strange. I like the deep cuts but I can't help but feel like certain games are weird for not being included. Like why is only the VS puzzle bobble available? super strange for a taito device.

yeah! or why Rainbow Islands Extra? Why not the regular version?

 

[subcon959]

why Rainbow Islands Extra? Why not the regular version?

It's a good game but it's so disappointing not hearing that iconic music when you start playing.

 

[onofrix]

It's a good game but it's so disappointing not hearing that iconic music when you start playing.

exactly.

 

[firecraft]

its annoying i need to remove the sd card if i want to use the main games , is there anyway to play the original egret II games without need to remove my trackball/spinner sd card ?

 

[firecraft]

---double reply---

 

[subcon959]

its annoying i need to remove the sd card if i want to use the main games , is there anyway to play the original egret II games without need to remove my trackball/spinner sd card ?

I don't have a spinner controller but I assume they used some kind of DRM method so you can't just put a bunch of roms on an SD card and play them. It's possible the card contains a whole separate OS that the mini boots into when it's inserted.

What happens when you remove the card while the machine is on?

 

[Unnholy]

are you talking about the sd card? that's interesting. That means that is not using a windows compatible format (if you are using windows, of course). Maybe a linux one? (you know: ext2, ext3, ext4, etc..). Can you check it with partition magic or any other similar software?

Hi guys! Very first post here!

So, the Taito Egret II mini got fully hacked by a guy on twitter, although other than some evidence he gave to back up his claims, not much else in known about the device. There is no available files to download yet, so no CFW obviously, or anything else end users could use... From what I can understand with the few info I got about this device, is that any "hacker" would be able to do it, it is basically an open book (unlike my beloved Astro City Mini, or the PCE Mini, unfortunately ((( ). So it is just a question of time before it gets shared.

Despite this great development, I was curious too about the SD card. As mentioned, windows won't recognize it, and will ask to format it. So obviously, I thought that it would be formatted in Ext4, so I fired up Diskinternals Linux Reader, but it again detected it as an unformatted SD card. There are no hidden partitions either. Just to be sure, I booted in Ubuntu, but again, it is seen as nothing else than an unformatted SD card...

So what is going on? Well, I think they pulled an old trick that I saw all of the time with old "Famiclone" systems, that would have all of the available games in the built-in memory, but use cartridges as "triggers" to boot into the UI with a predetermined list of games pulled from internal memory. Those cartridges contained almost nothing, with absolutely no roms in them. I think this it what Taito did here. I think ALL of the games, including the ones exclusive to use with the spinner/trackball controller and SD cards, are into the unit's internal memory. The SD card only serves as a key or passcode if you will, with zero substance in it. In fact, I would not be surprised that if it gets completely formatted, it will still work as intended (but I am not going to risk it right now...). And so, if it is the case, everyone will be able to access those games without needing the controller, once the hack gets out to end users (the guy on twitter demonstrated that he could now play paddle games with the joystick, without the spinner controller plugged in, so it won't be an issue, even for those who have not managed to get that overpriced, but unique, controller).

There was very little chance that this card would contain a folder with roms in it, and others for assets; it would have been awesome, and a crazy easy way to add stuff to it right now, but nope...

With its cool controllers, and ability to choose screen orientation, this will be a perfect emulation machine, as long as those roms stay within what the average mini console can emulate. So probably not the OG Killer Instinct, but about everything that came before.

Anyways, please give me your thoughts if you have a minute!

Thanks for reading.

 

[onofrix]

Hi guys! Very first post here!

So, the Taito Egret II mini got fully hacked by a guy on twitter, although other than some evidence he gave to back up his claims, not much else in known about the device. There is no available files to download yet, so no CFW obviously, or anything else end users could use... From what I can understand with the few info I got about this device, is that any "hacker" would be able to do it, it is basically an open book (unlike my beloved Astro City Mini, or the PCE Mini, unfortunately ((( ). So it is just a question of time before it gets shared.

Despite this great development, I was curious too about the SD card. As mentioned, windows won't recognize it, and will ask to format it. So obviously, I thought that it would be formatted in Ext4, so I fired up Diskinternals Linux Reader, but it again detected it as an unformatted SD card. There are no hidden partitions either. Just to be sure, I booted in Ubuntu, but again, it is seen as nothing else than an unformatted SD card...

So what is going on? Well, I think they pulled an old trick that I saw all of the time with old "Famiclone" systems, that would have all of the available games in the built-in memory, but use cartridges as "triggers" to boot into the UI with a predetermined list of games pulled from internal memory. Those cartridges contained almost nothing, with absolutely no roms in them. I think this it what Taito did here. I think ALL of the games, including the ones exclusive to use with the spinner/trackball controller and SD cards, are into the unit's internal memory. The SD card only serves as a key or passcode if you will, with zero substance in it. In fact, I would not be surprised that if it gets completely formatted, it will still work as intended (but I am not going to risk it right now...). And so, if it is the case, everyone will be able to access those games without needing the controller, once the hack gets out to end users (the guy on twitter demonstrated that he could now play paddle games with the joystick, without the spinner controller plugged in, so it won't be an issue, even for those who have not managed to get that overpriced, but unique, controller).

There was very little chance that this card would contain a folder with roms in it, and others for assets; it would have been awesome, and a crazy easy way to add stuff to it right now, but nope...

With its cool controllers, and ability to choose screen orientation, this will be a perfect emulation machine, as long as those roms stay within what the average mini console can emulate. So probably not the OG Killer Instinct, but about everything that came before.

Anyways, please give me your thoughts if you have a minute!

Thanks for reading.

hi! i saw that guy on twitter!. I talked with him on discord! .He told something interesting about sd. Is not just a "trigger". It really has the games inside, but it is "locked". He was able to unlock it using another specific device with an sd card reader. You can check this info here:



He even swap a rom with his international version, but to put extra games by yourself seems impossible. Is much easier to port retroarch directly. You can check further info on the above link.

 

[royvedas]

And nothing was ever heard from Slinky Ramune on the matter ever again...

 

[firecraft]

And nothing was ever heard from Slinky Ramune on the matter ever again...

so sad i was sooo happy to see him working on egret II mini and i support him but now im not hearing any news about it anymore

 

[royvedas]

so sad i was sooo happy to see him working on egret II mini and i support him but now im not hearing any news about it anymore

It sucks so bad. I can't for the life of me understand that work isn't being done. It would be the ultimate emulation box for other emulators - perfect size, "transforming" screen etc.

 

[Schwing]

In a tweet on the 16th of August, Slinky Ramune said "Modding instructions for Egret II Mini itself may be released in the future." (sorry, can't post link, new here).
Moreover, a firmware update was released 2 days ago, apparently it doesn't add any protection and the Egret is still hackable (still according to Slinky Ramune)
By the way, has anyone tried this update ? It seems it fixes a few bugs and changes the way resolutions are handled.

 

[Bogart]

Uh. Did this thread die? The SD card goes for $100 now. So, we need an image dump.