Today i spotted the latest Atgames console at a family dollar for $39. But before i get to that, a review of an earlier product:
Ok until pretty recently i'd never had an Atgames unit before, but was always curious about them. So the first unit i tried was the Arcade motion dual:
Manufacture date 09/10
^^ What i liked about this unit was its SD card capability and rom usage. The damn thing didn't come with an AC adapter out of the box, but instead has a compartment for 4 AA batteries. This irked me till i learned my PSP adapter(5v) worked with it, but for some reason does not stay on all the time. I have to position the plug a certain way but after that its cool, just don't bump it much. Whatever. No controller ports or cart slot.
Cosmetically the unit looks hideous with its sonic head visage, and the blue wii-mote KO controllers look equally stupid. Who thought this was a good idea? Wii controls button layout is also horrid however, quality is still decent and the wireless functions very well. Its has orbs on every side so the IR sensor can always see it. The d-pad is NOT suited for games like Street Fighter that require precise motions, but beat'em ups & platformers are great. Game menus are extremely bland BTW, just text. The Atari consoles have a moderate amount of cheap pizzazz on them, with box art and various graphics. Why not do that with Sega products?
SD card rom usage seemed to work well. Format card, create a "GAMES" folder and dump roms in. Can't be zipped or in .smd format or it won't touch them, must be .bin. No convenient category solutions like individual folders("beat'em ups", "Racing", etc), as it won't see it. System seemed to have no concept of alphabetical order, games just thrown around with the occasional groups. At least it always "remembered" what page i was on, so exiting out of a game and going back to where i was on the SD menu is fast.
Taking it apart, this is what it looked like:
Technicals aside, how are the games? For those titles that played at the proper speed and with no glitches(Avengers ran very fast), video emulation appeared good for the most part. Not much complaints here other than only having composite video output. Audio emulation is a different story. Its like if they ported the games to a console that had a lower-quality sound chip. It still sounds nice in its own right(for mono) with all the beats present, but its still watered down from the originals. Games are playable and fun but there are no excuses in the modern era with numerous examples of near-perfect emulation of the market.
Video emulation= About 95% accuracy. Good. Hindered mainly by Composite-only i think.
Audio emulation= About 83%. Pretty decent but has problems. Mono-only doesn't help.
Anyway, despite the gaming being decent, the hideous looks of the device, no cart slot or controller ports, and being forever stuck with the lousy wii-motes(even though they performed well) killed my interest. At least it was cheap, got it for $15 total. That was a late 2010 model, its nearly 2013 and Atgames has released another console for the holidays that is SUPPOSED to have improved emulation. The older model was not bad at all, so after the last few years they should be able to hit this one out of the park right?
Ok Atgames, show me something!
*pretends to leave for an unboxing that happened a week ago....comes running back*
....
Before i get into it, i just want to say that a flaw in the packaging is that the instruction manual is left entirely UNSECURED and left flopping around inside the box! When grabbing this item off shelves and hearing movement inside, this worried me that something had come loose during shipping and i might be purchasing a messed up set. However, upon opening it up everything else is firmly secured in the plastic packaging. Just a heads up.
As far as i can tell, the video/audio emulation is exactly the same!! If there was any improvements, it was to things like fixing game glitches, stableity, and improved game compatibility. Which i can't test for as the only carts in my modest collection include those present on the console and they all play identical(wish i had an Avengers cart to see if thats been fixed). So the actual quality of the emulation is the same. The built-in library runs great & stable as far as i can tell at least(zero crashing, freezing, etc). Moving on....
Visually i love the looks of the unit. Its almost what i would imagine the hardware evolving into if they kept making consoles past the Genesis 3.
Wireless controllers are hit & miss. Build quality feels nice but performance really comes and goes. The Wii-motes actually work a LOT better, partly due to their multiple IR orbs(yes, wireless controllers for each are compatible with both units), while these six-button pads only have one on top. Thats no excuse though because even when playing up-close to the console, they simply underperform. Shame as these pads otherwise look & feel nice. None of this matters though because wired gamepad use is the way to go and it works great, leaving the wireless as an afterthought.
The build quality on the unit itself is pretty nice as far as i can tell. I saw a video review where past model units held the carts in a virtual death grip, and the force applied to remove it would result in a bent slot pin or other damage. In my unit carts are inserted and extracted with only moderate resistance, and the cart slot appears durable enough. Plastic quality on the case is nice also and controller port pins are sturdy. I took the unit apart as well to take a look at the internals. While i didn't try to stress test anything exactly, after fiddling around things felt pretty solid, components well secured, and its unlikely anything would come loose after a jolt.
Kinda cool that so much gaming goodness can be contained on such a tiny PCB, even if it is flawed. Pictures:
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/o...ames2012-4.jpg
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/o...ames2012-3.jpg
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/o...ames2012-1.jpg
In the end though, emulation & output quality is what drags this unit down. Its not terrible by any stretch, games play great and appear to be at proper speed, video emulation is mostly good and audio is pretty decent. Although i think part of the problem is atgames neutering this unit from its potential with only composite and mono audio. Things would probably take a step up automatically with modern video output and True stereo sound, but they shot themselves in the foot by being cheap with mono composite only. Its bad enough the audio emulation is inaccurate but then its also hit by being mono, probably making it sound a little worse than it is.
Overall, i have mixed feelings about this one. Its a pretty decent product for what it is, a good deal at basically $1 a game with hardware being free after, games run great and I had fun testing it out(beat the golden Axe trilogy). However, while playing the "purist" in me couldn't help but be annoyed with the knowledge that games could easily look/sound 18% better, if only the emulation & output options were where they should be. So while i actually like this unit despite its flaws, its still tough to enjoy with the knowledge that all my old favorites are watered down and i'm not getting the true Sega Genesis experience.
Casuals would totally love this device(recommended) and with so many must-have titles in the library included on the unit, they probably wouldn't need to buy any additional games(they'd NEED a wired pad though). However, thats not saying much. Casual gamers in the modern era who would appreciate twenty-year old Genesis games AND not mind a compromise in quality, are few & far between. Back in the day(2003'ish) this unit would have rocked, but today Sega's presence in the market has been greatly diminished with only long time fans still around and we rightfully expect better representation than this. Citing numerous examples of emulation on the market, both professional and homebrew, that are at least 98% accurate or better. So with few casuals around, and the fanbase expecting better, what exactly is Atgames intended audience with this product?
This is a shame because i don't think this unit has that far to go to be successful in both markets. Just finish up the emulation & compatibility issues already, add modern output with true stereo, and spruce up the menu presentation a bit(and ditch the wireless. We don't need it). Then we'd have a really cool, officially licensed geniclone on the market that most would appreciate.
Oh well, a decent 3 out of 5. Maybe in 2016 Atgames will get its act together....
Edit: Oh and the amazon.com list price of $60 is crazy. Go to family dollar or other stores and grab it for $39 for those interested. I've even heard of some places having this for a mere $25-28! At that price it makes it tough not to recommend as a budget solution....so long as you lower your expectations accordingly....
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Full Review/rambling: Atgames Sega Genesis classic console 80 titles built-in
Last edited by Saturn Fan; 12-03-2012 at 02:36 AM.
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How is the audio "pretty decent" ? WTF?
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^Exactly.
I still wonder why people buy these ATrociousGames "products". -
Originally Posted by Christuserloeser
How is the audio "pretty decent" ? WTF?
Because it is. I wouldn't say its good or great, but its not THAT far off from the original either and sounds nice in its own right. Sooo....pretty decent.
My personal ranking scale BTW:
- Bad(horrid)
- Ok(eh passable)
- Decent(nice but flawed)
- Good(mildly presentable but needs improvement)
- Great(being close to 1:1 with original hardware)
So its definitely lacking from the original but its far from crap. Theres potential there.Last edited by Saturn Fan; 11-17-2012 at 05:43 PM.
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Everyone is pretty much spot on when it comes to the sound. However, keep in mind that these units were engineered to be cheap, casual retro gaming machines. Hardcore retro enthusiasts are obviously going to have some misgivings about these consoles. The unit mentioned above is the third or fourth incarnation of the genesis made by AtGames; Reducing the amount of components and increasing compatibility.
Have to give credit where it's due; AtGames has done a great job in creating a low cost bundled machine. The picture quality of these units (aside from being composite only) are really good. If they would only be bothered to fix the sound octave depth, even if that meant leaving the FM distortion and PSG sound issues there i really think it could be a viable alternative to the aging Genesis/Megadrive console. Still, the tinkerer in me enjoys looking over the hardware they use.
Some earlier board revisions including the Radica made boards were able to be modified to clean up some of the FM Sound distortion and increase the volume of the PSG sounds. Unfortunately, the LM358 OpAmp is no longer being used on the current revisions of the board.
Below are some larger images of their latest revision board. You can click on the thumbnails to see very large images.
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I don't understand.... What is so "hardcore" about having properly working sound? And yes, distortion and volume issues are minor problems here. The big issue is that it is completely out of tune! - If I produce a cheap portable radio for casual radio listeners, how would it be acceptable to everyone but "hardcore radio enthusiasts" if the music it plays was out of tune ? Originally Posted by 404
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Radio's and video games are clearly different things. Radio's have one function and are at the mercy of radio signals. Would hardly consider that a good analogy for a device that requires the handling of audio, video and user interaction. As I already mentioned, there are some casual gamers who have played the unit and don't really care about the sound. There are plenty of others that have played on these units and hate the sound. To each their own. Originally Posted by Christuserloeser
At the end of the day, you would have to ask ATGames but It seems obvious that sound accuracy is not part of their priorities. -
Just got one, super fun. I just wanted to play some old favorites. The one game I noticed tuning issue was Sonic and it was pretty bad. Also, graphical errors in the bottom of the screen of Eternal Champions (anyone else notice this?). Missing one major game, Street Fighter, but oh well! Worthh the cash for me.
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Originally Posted by Christuserloeser
Yeah its a cop-out to use the words "hardcore" when excusing inaccuracys. We just expect proper sound, especially in light of numerous other emulators that nail it almost perfect.
However, its not THAT much of a departure from the original either. Like i said, its decent imo and nice in its own right. Obviously WE wouldn't be satisfied with it in the long run, but casuals probably wouldn't mind it being a little watered down.
Which is kinda sad as i want to see Atgames to FIX their mistakes, not think its merely "good enough" and leave it at that. I believe the hardware is capable of getting it right, but the emulation programming needs more work.
Stop resting on your laurels Atgames....Last edited by Saturn Fan; 11-25-2012 at 02:14 PM.
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It isn't entirely far-fetched to think that those so-called casuals are their target market. After all, hardcore sega boys already own the original consoles and have no need for this thing. Originally Posted by Saturn Fan
As long as the casuals keep buying their products, there is no need to improve or fix anything. Those people don't even know what the originals are supposed to sound like anyway.
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The latest portable rendition of the AtGames genesis currently being called the "ultimate portable" has street fighter II: Special Champion Edition, Super Street Fighter II and Mega Man: The Wiley Wars. It also has the ability to load ROM images from SD Card and TV-out via composite cables. Originally Posted by zackp
At the risk of sounding disrespectful but this comes from the same guy that said the sound was "pretty decent". I thought i made it very clear that i felt the same way about the sound issues as most people did. If that wasn't clear enough, I will make it even more clear.... Originally Posted by Saturn Fan
The sound on the AtGames Sega Genesis consoles absolutely sucks. Happy?
^^ Don't think i could have explained it any better than that. Bravo! Originally Posted by Olls
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Originally Posted by Olls
I've already detailed in my first post why appealing to casuals-only is flawed, and how it doesn't have that far to go to appeal to both for optimum market success. Its a shame they won't put in a little more work to make their product better, it would go a long way!
I'm a longtime fan but also a proponent of emulation, and would have been satisfied with this device if the emulation & output options were where it should be(and the build quality continued to hold up).Last edited by Saturn Fan; 11-25-2012 at 04:16 PM.
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It would be nice if it had great sound but you cant expect much at that price point. I still think its pretty cool.
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Originally Posted by TurboRotary
Considering numerous unofficial, homebrew emulators exist for FREE on various platforms that are much better? Yeah we do expect more for the price point.
The console tech is 24 years old and considered ancient by today's standards. Kinda sad that they can't emulate it with at least 97% accuracy.
As it is the emulation is still nice, but theres no reason not to expect better. Atgames is an actual company last i checked, why are they being outdone by amateur programmers??Last edited by Saturn Fan; 11-25-2012 at 09:10 PM.
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Its about more than simply software. They are a business and they have to consider the time and cost of the products that they put out. I'm not going to pretend that I know their operating costs but it could be a matter of profitability for these things. Maybe they wouldn't be profitable if they brought them up to the quality that you are looking for. Maybe they just don't give a shit and are looking to make a quick buck.. I still don't think that these are a bad deal for the money.. That's a matter of opinion though. Originally Posted by Saturn Fan
