General Category > General Discussion
Retron 5 (aka 4)
JDavis:
I wrote up a detailed review a few days ago for the guys over at The Retro League podcast, and they posted it on their new site today.
It's already slightly inaccurate because I mentioned the cheat database not being up yet at the time, which it is now.
TyrannicalFascist:
Nice review, JDavis. Pretty much sums up my feelings as well.
I do wonder if there's any reason they couldn't add controller support for Sega Master System, Atari 2600, 7800 and even Colecovision controllers. If they all fit in the same port, isn't it just a firmware update needed to recognize them? Then they could set it up so you could have custom controller profiles you could name for each controller. The last 3 controllers I mentioned might be nice for some of those arcade compilation carts on GBA. I'd be especially impressed if they could add 2600 paddle controller support!
In fact, it looks like there's a lot of controllers that fit the "DB9" port: Amiga, Commodore, MSX, 3DO?... http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=controls:sega_atari_msx_x68000
lcvolt:
after all these years complaining for having a yellow snes and dirty nes cartridges, people still bought a gray console. i chose black, dont mind the wait.
Ozzy_98:
--- Quote from: TyrannicalFascist on June 07, 2014, 07:37:35 PM ---Nice review, JDavis. Pretty much sums up my feelings as well.
I do wonder if there's any reason they couldn't add controller support for Sega Master System, Atari 2600, 7800 and even Colecovision controllers. If they all fit in the same port, isn't it just a firmware update needed to recognize them? Then they could set it up so you could have custom controller profiles you could name for each controller. The last 3 controllers I mentioned might be nice for some of those arcade compilation carts on GBA. I'd be especially impressed if they could add 2600 paddle controller support!
In fact, it looks like there's a lot of controllers that fit the "DB9" port: Amiga, Commodore, MSX, 3DO?... http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=controls:sega_atari_msx_x68000
--- End quote ---
These are the kind of comments that makes me wanna write a book, and some people misread it as showing off, but oh well. ;)
Most of the older DB9 controllers are compatible with each other, sms, 2600, ect, but there's some tricks. The genesis controller for example does not have a pin for each button.
http://pinouts.ru/Game/genesiscontroller_pinout.shtml
This isn't a very clear read on that site, but in a nut shell, pin 7 is the magic line (There's no select button on sms, so that one marked select is not for a button!) If there's no power sent down pin 7, pin 6 is button A, and pin 9 is the start button. If there's 5 volts on pin 7, pin 6 is the status of button B, and pin 9 is C. When you plug a gens controller into say an Atari 2600, there's no power on 7 and 6 is the button, so it always reads button A on the gens pad.
The 7800 pinouts are different, 5 is right button, 6 is active when any button is pressed, and 9 is left button. I'm not sure though on how the logic works, whenever I use a gens pad on a 7800, I remember you have to hold a button to STOP firing, so they have some funny logic there.
Firmware wouldn't help for some of these changes unless the controller port was designed to be switched to ground or anything else ass needed via a pretty complex setup.
sheep2001:
All very true, but as it's emulation and not a real machine, firmware, or software in the Emulators CAN be revised to allow other controllers, but it's pretty niche, and I can't see them writing it in. (Unless enough people ask for it I guess)