don't click here

I picked up the Sega Genesis Classic Game Console with the 80 built in

Discussion in 'General Sega Discussion' started by MET∆TRON, Dec 3, 2014.

  1. Just a question, is it possible to take it apart and correct the sound issues? That would be cool for those that might get one for Christmas.
     
  2. Rosie

    Rosie

    aka Rosie Member
    The emulator is on a single chip, so all taking it apart would do is let you look at it. To fix the sound you'd have to fix the emulator itself, and I have a feeling that the chip used just isn't good enough to emulate the Mega Drive accurately enough.
     
  3. DigitalDuck

    DigitalDuck

    Arriving four years late. Member
    5,338
    412
    63
    Lincs, UK
    TurBoa, S1RL
    Some versions of the OutRun games aren't playable, but each game does run if you can find a working version of it.
     
  4. I received the portable 6-button Atgames system as a gift, and was wondering if an SD card hack could allow for saving and maybe an audio fix?

    Also (and this one is a long shot) has anyone attempted to make a Genesis ROM that would allow for playing Master System games on a Genesis? What I mean is, could a Genesis rom have whatever code is needed to make a Master System rom run on a Genesis emulator, along with a possible rom selection screen?
    Yes, I know about the Power Base Convertor, it obviously won't work on the AtGame portable.
     
  5. Rosie

    Rosie

    aka Rosie Member
    If I remember correctly there are already official carts that do that. The PBC is just an adapter and doesn't contain any hardware other than the cartridge slot, the Mega Drive does all the work. You don't need the power base converter if you're using a flash cart, for example.

    However, while it works like that on official hardware, it depends on what hacky methods they used to make the emulator in the first place, it could just crash or not play correctly. As for saving and fixing the audio, it may be possible if you reverse engineered the ATGames software, but I'm not sure anyone's bothered to do so yet. The YM2612 is a tricky beast to emulate, and it could be that the chip doesn't have the power to make that and everything else work correctly.
     
  6. I just had a revelation on how to make Games sound correctly in this device.

    It doesn't involve messing with the emulator per se...but the ROMs themselves.

    Could a Genesis ROM be altered to sound "bad" normally, and be pitch-corrected inside the emulator to sound correct?

    If that is possible, all we would need is a program to "convert" the roms sound pitch into the way that the Firecore emulator sounds correct. Those ROMs will sound wrong in any other emulator, but NOT on the Firecore Emulator.
     
  7. Overlord

    Overlord

    Now playable in Smash Bros Ultimate Moderator
    19,218
    965
    93
    Long-term happiness
    It's been done once with a Sonic 1 ROM. It sounds much better but there's still other sound issues.
     
  8. So....they are making a new revision of this console for the 25th Anniversary of Sonic:

    [​IMG]

    Apparently they may have actually added something to this version: saving.

    On PRWeb, they said the following:
    If this is true, at least one issue has been corrected. But that still doesn't fix the horrid audio or the crappy video quality.
     
  9. Overlord

    Overlord

    Now playable in Smash Bros Ultimate Moderator
    19,218
    965
    93
    Long-term happiness
    Actually I never thought the video quality was that bad... the sound though, that needs redoing from the ground up.
     
  10. MartiusR

    MartiusR

    Member
    This save game feature was planned even previously (in "Mortal Kombat" edition, in fact the same/almost the same one but with different label), both in handheld and "stationary" version, but as I've read in YT comments under reviews, by some reason wasn't implemented into handheld (don't know about stationary version).

    I don't understand though why they still didn't included Sonic 3. It was somehow understandable in previous editions without save feature (that they didn't want to include game which had showed you save game from the very beginning of the game, but wouldn't work), but since they've figured out how to pass it in case of pre-loaded Phantasy Star and Sword of Vermilion, couldn't be the same/similar method used for Sonic 3 to add it to available (pre-loaded) titles?

    I've never owned "stationary" edition, but handheld is actually not bad. If only there could be solved issue with sound and save games... It would be worth to recommend. It's not an acciddent that almost identical handhelds are sold on AliExpress, but without licences and far cheaper :P

    I don't know if it's true, but I've heard that HamyGames (chinese producer) actually developed GenMobile (still selling them, without licences, under different name and set of unlicensed games ;P).
     
  11. Impish

    Impish

    Member
    Probably something to do with qhy we rarely see ports or rereleases of Sonic 3 generally. I think the common theory is the music licensing rights, and the fact no one is quite certain if MJ had anything to do with them, and how that would effect them legally.
     
  12. 360

    360

    Light Vision Overdrive Oldbie
    2,282
    1
    0
    United Kingdom
    Sonic Neon
    Thanks for the heads up! I've always been interested in the reproduction consoles but it sounds it might not be the best idea to buy one. I bought a Sega Genesis handheld for my Nephew once (I believe it was produced by Blaze if I'm recalling correctly) and that was pretty good. Not sure if the sound core was nerfed but he seemed to enjoy using it.

    I wonder if there's any decent Genesis reproduction consoles out there - or are they all low quality like this one?
     
  13. Overlord

    Overlord

    Now playable in Smash Bros Ultimate Moderator
    19,218
    965
    93
    Long-term happiness
    They're pretty much all made by the same manufacturer, so they all have the same flaw, sadly. It's a shame.
     
  14. 360

    360

    Light Vision Overdrive Oldbie
    2,282
    1
    0
    United Kingdom
    Sonic Neon
    Man that is a shame. Perhaps Sega should take a leaf out of Nintendo's book and produce something official. Now that would be amazing to see.
     
  15. Retroman

    Retroman

    Member
    733
    2
    18
    Kinda reminds me of Nintendo's re-release mini NES console, except nintendo makes it unable to play any cartridge games, and no power supply so it only connects via usb for power
     
  16. Cooljerk

    Cooljerk

    NotEqual Tech, Inc - VR & Game Dev Oldbie
    4,505
    201
    43
    Sega isn't producing these, nor do they really have anything to do with this. Sega is simply licensing their brand to AtGames for these machines. It would be AtGames taking a leaf out of Nintendo's book.
     
  17. Black Squirrel

    Black Squirrel

    no reverse gear Wiki Sysop
    8,543
    2,465
    93
    Northumberland, UK
    steamboat wiki
    I've heard that with a bit of soldering you can improve things (and by that I mean, make a few connections as opposed to putting in a totally different motherboard that doesn't suck). Unless that was one of the non-cartridge ones.

    Still, AtGames have been producing these things for the best part of ten years - I'd be curious to know whether there's been any meaningful changes to the hardware over that time. I mean it's really really obvious that Sonic 1 doesn't sound right and that's a flagship product.
     
  18. Cooljerk

    Cooljerk

    NotEqual Tech, Inc - VR & Game Dev Oldbie
    4,505
    201
    43
    I very much doubt the SOAC design has changed at all during the course of these product's lives, but whats worse is that this product doesn't have to be terrible. You can put together a raspberry pi portable at off the shelf prices for about the same cost as this handheld that would blow it away in quality.
     
  19. 360

    360

    Light Vision Overdrive Oldbie
    2,282
    1
    0
    United Kingdom
    Sonic Neon
    Ah okay cool - thanks for the clarification! Hopefully something more impressive is released soon one day. I'd love to have a decent rendition of the Genesis console that is as close to the original hardware as possible with decent sound. Emulation is cool and all but nothing beats playing on an actual console in front of the television.
     
  20. Flygon

    Flygon

    Member
    A fairly large part of me wished they just printed more Genesis IIIs out, using the same ultra-dense SoC they designed by the late 90s. Complete with giant onboard ROMs, ala. the Master System. But, as I learned several days ago, there's a few reasons it's not possible without some redesigning.

    Still, a part of me does wonder if such a design could either be adapted for modern fabrication techniques, or the cost of re-adapting the Mega Drive design from scratch, as 99.97% accurate hardware (we noticed you, TAS instruction bugfix!).