A600GS Feedback/Discussion

[lordofchaos]

As this device seems like a forward looking prospect I thought it might be a good idea to have a separate thread dedicated to user experience, I realise there is the Official website forum too but this place get's quite a decent amount of Amiga users so maybe worth having one here, also it doesn't drown out the related discourse on the official updates.

I'd like to know if others having been experiencing the frame hitches/drops that I've experienced and if the developers have looked into it. So if anybody wants to set their GS to output at 1080p50 and run some games (A500 stuff), preferably for at least 5/10 minutes to see if they get the same drops would be nice. As it seems intermittent it's best if you can get some uninterrupted scrolling (boring I know) and carefully observe for any hiccups.

I've not see any other users report this so I'm curious.

[d4rk3lf]

Ah, this is awesome.

Is it (at least theoretically) possible playing Dyna Blaster or Master Blaster in 4 players mode, using 2 Amiga joysticks, and 2 USB joysticks, on the A600GS?
From what I recall, Super Skidmarks could also support 4 players mode back in the day, if I am not wrong?

[alexh]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

Is it (at least theoretically) possible playing 4 players mode, using 2 Amiga joysticks, and 2 USB joysticks, on the A600GS?

Interesting idea. I imagine that could be very feasible. Amiberry supports "Emulated Parallel Port Joystick Adapter". The HID input is probably irrelevant, Amiga joysticks, USB, Bluetooth I imagine it doesn't matter so long as the underlaying OS detects them.

[amigakit.com]

It should be possible to play 4 player compatible games by using the 2x USB and 2x DB9 ports

[SkulleateR]

Originally Posted by amigakit.com

It should be possible to play 4 player compatible games by using the 2x USB and 2x DB9 ports

Why shouldn´t it ? It already works on Pi400 with the GPIO to DB9 Adapter and Amiberry ... https://github.com/thinghacker/RaspberryPi400-GPIO-DB9

So on the A600GS it should work out of the Box !

[swoslover]

How are you finding the A600GS so far? Is it an enjoyable experience? Really looking forward to getting mine. The new games included have only served to whet my appetite even further as they are ones I didn't have on my A1200 back in the day but wanted to try.

[alexh]

It was ok. It needed more time than I could give it to work out all the ins and outs. It is school holiday at the moment but come sept I will have more free time.

It might become more interesting if it works with a Drawbridge USB floppy disk drive (e.g. can read real Amiga disks)

[FOL]

Originally Posted by alexh

It might become more interesting if it works with a Drawbridge USB floppy disk drive (e.g. can read real Amiga disks)

It does out of the box, just need to add the option to use it.
I have been testing it on mine.

[mesklin]

It's a good project, and seems to be getting a lot more support than the A5000 Mini got after the initial excitement died down.

One thing that annoys the hell out of me is the menu on the left - it slides open but if you go too far (like to the edge of the screen) it closes again. I'm assuming it's HTML-based and uses a hover, and on the right they are using margin rather than padding, which doesn't detect the hover.

[BigD]

Originally Posted by mesklin

It's a good project, and seems to be getting a lot more support than the A5000 Mini got after the initial excitement died down

I assume you mean from Retro Games Limited? While their hands were tied by their licence agreement other parties like the Pandory Team and Ami-Jimmy have done a sterling job of supporting the Mini up to today! I can use Workbench and animate on DPaint and play WipEout 2097 pretending like it's the PPC version. It's well and truly exceeded expectations and given time I hope the A600GS will too! Just wake me up when the AmiStore launches and there's a deluxe model with a serial port!

[alexh]

Originally Posted by BigD

Just wake me up when there's a deluxe model with a serial port!

What for? I'm sure a USB serial port dongle would work

[Toki]

Like the new thread. I'm really enjoying my A600GS. The convenience of loading the games by clicking on "add" the ADF file in your USB stick and there it is immediately playable stored on the A600GS. The Save State feature is great with the picture snapshot of where you are. Bluetooth connectivity. Amisphere and it's future potential to distribute new games / programmes. I've been playing Hoffman's games - so new releases on a future facing machine. At last Amiga feels current again and not just part of our history.

[lordofchaos]

Just curious, how many people are actually playing games? Not just loading stuff up for nostalgia but proper playing?

[swoslover]

Is there any option to rewind games? Maybe an impossible feature but knew which j enjoy on the switch.

[BigD]

Originally Posted by SkulleateR

Why shouldn´t it ? It already works on Pi400 with the GPIO to DB9 Adapter and Amiberry ... https://github.com/thinghacker/RaspberryPi400-GPIO-DB9

So on the A600GS it should work out of the Box !

Looking forward to seeing a Amiga User Group put it through its paces properly. I thought that would be the case at Zzap! Live but the User Group A600GS just sat there with a static Virtual GP car just sat on the track as no one could configure the controls! No keyboard didn't help!

[BigD]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

Ah, this is awesome.

Is it (at least theoretically) possible playing Dyna Blaster or Master Blaster in 4 players mode, using 2 Amiga joysticks, and 2 USB joysticks, on the A600GS?
From what I recall, Super Skidmarks could also support 4 players mode back in the day, if I am not wrong?

Zzap! Live had AmigaKit showing the Super Skidmarks menu. I hope people were able to have a go especially in multiplayer?

[BigD]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

Ah, this is awesome.

Is it (at least theoretically) possible playing Dyna Blaster or Master Blaster in 4 players mode, using 2 Amiga joysticks, and 2 USB joysticks, on the A600GS?
From what I recall, Super Skidmarks could also support 4 players mode back in the day, if I am not wrong?

My THEA500 Mini had Dynablaster 5-player going under Pandory500 soft-mod at Zzap! Live. The one limitation I found was that the keyboard locks up when player 1 and 2 controllers are in use! It's a shame that Player 3 defaults to the keyboard. You end up having to select 4 and 5 player games to play 3 and 4-player joystick/pad games and just kill off the keyboard player!

[FOL]

Originally Posted by BigD

Looking forward to seeing a Amiga User Group put it through its paces properly. I thought that would be the case at Zzap! Live but the User Group A600GS just sat there with a static Virtual GP car just sat on the track as no one could configure the controls! No keyboard didn't help!

VGP works fine from Joypad. Just takes a bit of getting used to. Nothing to do with GS. As you have to put it in gear, then you can start moving. Personally, its not my cup of tea.

Originally Posted by BigD

Zzap! Live had AmigaKit showing the Super Skidmarks menu. I hope people were able to have a go especially in multiplayer?

Multiplayer does work, but no one asked to try it multiplayer.

Originally Posted by BigD

My THEA500 Mini had Dynablaster 5-player going under Pandory500 soft-mod at Zzap! Live. The one limitation I found was that the keyboard locks up when player 1 and 2 controllers are in use! It's a shame that Player 3 defaults to the keyboard. You end up having to select 4 and 5 player games to play 3 and 4-player joystick/pad games and just kill off the keyboard player!

Sigh, we really doing this. WoW, not a soft modded A500 Mini. Wake me up, when it can run without locking up and actually use real floppy drives with out SOFT MODDING. Then maybe, I will use mine more.

[amigakit.com]

@BigD

All these soft-mods you promote are not officially supported by RGL because they are of dubious legal origin. They are a collection of mostly unlicenced software without many original author's permission. Therefore these hacks are not a product feature of THEA500 Mini as they are third party underground archives distributed by dubious means: Mega, Torrents etc.

Everything on the A600GS has been either source code rights purchased by us or licenced by us. So customers are buying a legal product. We have gone to great efforts to provide a legitimate commercial product. Therefore comparing a legal product with unlicenced hacks is not a fair comparison.

[BigD]

Originally Posted by FOL

VGP works fine from Joypad. Just takes a bit of getting used to. Nothing to do with GS. As you have to put it in gear, then you can start moving. Personally, its not my cup of tea.



Multiplayer does work, but no one asked to try it multiplayer.



Sigh, we really doing this. WoW, not a soft modded A500 Mini. Wake me up, when it can run without locking up and actually use real floppy drives with out SOFT MODDING. Then maybe, I will use mine more.

Only had one lock up all day when loading WipEout 2097 after prolonged Amiga emulator use on Pandory500.

It's rock solid really. My son even had a go at some Blitz Basic 2 coding under AMiNIMiga along with some DPaint to generate the shapes/background. Would have been nice if the owner of the A600GS in the Amiga User Group area would have had time to demo Octamed/Personal Paint etc to the passers by but he was busy in the sellers hall. Maybe we should have asked you for help but you both looked busy. Happy to give your machine a good demo given the chance but it doesn't look after itself in a show environment like the Mini can IMHO. Crashes were reported on the A600GS during the duration by those that tried it. I'm just reporting what we experienced.

Good to know about the multiplayer. Shame we didn't know the Virtual GP controls. Hope you had some interest/sales. Just to check, I'm guessing I could have hot-plugged in a THEC64 Joystick that I had spare to play 2-player Super Skidmarks? You have 3xUSB ports on the back, so I guess I could have just plugged it into the 3rd alongside the mouse and official pad? Was afraid to mess with it while the owner wasn't there.