11 replies to this topic

[Syntaxerror999]

Heres an idea for you programers out there...

I was reading that 6502/RIOT chip combo in the atari has bi directional I/O ports that it uses for reading what buttons in the keypad controlers are being pressed. I was wondering... would it be possible to make a system link game that used these I/O lines where two ataris could be linked via a cable going from one controler port to another on a different atari. Imagine the possibilities... I dont expect anything close to what modern consols can do... but if a game could be made where a master cart in one consol sent instructions to a slave cart in another... we could have things like Texas holdem atari... combat where you can see yourself but not the enemy... Battleship atari...

I can already see the replys... that would never work... well how many times in the atari's history has that been said until somone found a way?

Failing that.. how about a dongle that goes in between the cart and the atari to system link?

[GroovyBee]

Search is your friend :-

http://www.atariage....53150-atarilan/
http://www.atariage....-5561-2600-lan/

[nathanallan]

GroovyBee, on Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:31 PM, said:

Search is your friend :-

http://www.atariage....53150-atarilan/
http://www.atariage....-5561-2600-lan/

That's a neat idea using the right controller port, and I can see what he meant by using a star-like pattern.

The cart port to cart port idea is sounding really good, where the game is what controls the comms between the systems. I believe a simple data send can be done with a single chip iirc.

[Syntaxerror999]

nathanallan, on Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:39 PM, said:

GroovyBee, on Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:31 PM, said:

Search is your friend :-

http://www.atariage....53150-atarilan/
http://www.atariage....-5561-2600-lan/

That's a neat idea using the right controller port, and I can see what he meant by using a star-like pattern.

The cart port to cart port idea is sounding really good, where the game is what controls the comms between the systems. I believe a simple data send can be done with a single chip iirc.

Awsome! Sounds like it would work better than I thought it would.

Heres an idea... the Atari uses a 6507 ... which is the 6502 with 3 less data channels... Ive seen atari clones that use the 6502 instead of a 6507... so theoreticly you can make an adaptor to re-pin a 6502 to work on a legit atari's 6507 chip socket... that being the case, could the remaining data lines be utilized as a serial port... in other words, would it be possible to make a null modem mod for the atari? Would the atari even be able to address these extra ports? Or would their be conflict issues? Sounds usless, I know.. but it could open up the door for new possibilites with the 2600.

Oppinions?

[GroovyBee]

Syntaxerror999, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:26 PM, said:

Oppinions?

Erm... Does not compute! Data channels? Remaining data lines?

[e1will]

It would be entirely possible to design a WiFi-enabled peripheral that attaches to a joystick port that would allow you to play against someone over the Internet. Depending on the quality of your Internet connection, a turn-based game like chess would probably be better than, say, Warlords. It'd be a lot of work, but it's definitely possible.

Similarly, you could design a WiFi-enabled cartridge. Heck, you could even design a "Twitter" cartridge that would display your Twitter feed as text that you could then shoot for points with a spaceship controlled by your joystick. The possibilities are endless.

--Will

[grafixbmp]

What I would love to see in the future is for a Harmony Cart (not the melody) allow attachments to the USB port on it if it were ever possible. Like some simple network adapter (WiFi or otherwise), and 2 aditional controllers. This could allow for 4 player joystick games.

Edited by grafixbmp, Thu Mar 3, 2011 1:04 PM.

[e1will]

grafixbmp, on Thu Mar 3, 2011 1:01 PM, said:

What I would love to see in the future is for a Harmony Cart (not the melody) allow attachments to the USB port on it if it were ever possible. Like some simple network adapter (WiFi or otherwise), and 2 aditional controllers. This could allow for 4 player joystick games.

There's actually a sufficient range of inputs in the two joystick ports to handle four joysticks; you'd just need to custom-build them and code the game to understand the signals. You could even support more josyticks (six? eight?) with a little creativity.

--Will

[grafixbmp]

e1will, on Thu Mar 3, 2011 2:00 PM, said:

grafixbmp, on Thu Mar 3, 2011 1:01 PM, said:

What I would love to see in the future is for a Harmony Cart (not the melody) allow attachments to the USB port on it if it were ever possible. Like some simple network adapter (WiFi or otherwise), and 2 aditional controllers. This could allow for 4 player joystick games.

There's actually a sufficient range of inputs in the two joystick ports to handle four joysticks; you'd just need to custom-build them and code the game to understand the signals. You could even support more josyticks (six? eight?) with a little creativity.

--Will

How ever true that may be, every time a new controller, or amount of them would be added, They would be totaly custom to either the game itself, custom controllers and or clock cycles would get eat up with more elaborate methods of control.

Ex:
joysticks 1 or 2 have direct switches and action buttons.: minimal coding

paddles 2 or 4 charging caps, action button : moderate to considerable coding depending on amount used. Difficult because of time it takes for caps to discharge. Rotational knob stops at far ends.

Key pads 1 or 2 used. Other controls possible when just 1 is used. average to moderate coding Cross-reading the buttons take some time to process.

Driving controls Uses directional lines used for joysticks with action buttons: Average coding. Doing more than standard joysticks but quicker than paddles. Full rotational knob with no stops.

extended control setups

SEGA Genesis controls 1 or 2 Directional pad and 2 action buttons per controller: minimal coding, quite similar to joysticks

NES/ SNES controller. TONS of buttons! Needs adapter: average to moderate depending on type and amount but with this there is tons of button feedback

Anything beyond all this would require either custom controllers, and or custom adapters with likely few games that would use them. Can you say $$$?

Going through a game cart keeps the 2 native ports free for all regular controls and with a 'standardized' adapter to a game cart that just adds 2 additional ports just like the regular ones, then any of the normal controls would fit them.

The easier, more accessible something like this is, the more use it would get amongst developers with minimal cost to users and full open compatibility to most if not all standard 2600 controls.

So ports 3 and 4 could just feed through the harmony and each game just reads ports 1 and 2 like normal and 3 and 4 through the cart hardware.

[Syntaxerror999]

e1will, on Thu Mar 3, 2011 10:41 AM, said:

It would be entirely possible to design a WiFi-enabled peripheral that attaches to a joystick port that would allow you to play against someone over the Internet. Depending on the quality of your Internet connection, a turn-based game like chess would probably be better than, say, Warlords. It'd be a lot of work, but it's definitely possible.

Similarly, you could design a WiFi-enabled cartridge. Heck, you could even design a "Twitter" cartridge that would display your Twitter feed as text that you could then shoot for points with a spaceship controlled by your joystick. The possibilities are endless.

--Will

I would never do that cause the 733T Don't Tweet!

[RevEng]

grafixbmp, on Thu Mar 3, 2011 2:43 PM, said:

extended control setups

SEGA Genesis controls 1 or 2 Directional pad and 2 action buttons per controller: minimal coding, quite similar to joysticks

NES/ SNES controller. TONS of buttons! Needs adapter: average to moderate depending on type and amount but with this there is tons of button feedback

Anything beyond all this would require either custom controllers, and or custom adapters with likely few games that would use them. Can you say $$$?

Sega Genesis controls + one 10 cent pull-up resistor can get you 4 buttons too, maybe even 7. A cheap adapter consisting of nothing more than a DE9 male+female and the resistor could also be made so the Genesis controllers could remain stock.

Harmony uses an inexpensive usb->serial interface for USB, and giving it full USB host capability would require more hardware and precious flash space for the USB drivers.

[grafixbmp]

RevEng, on Thu Mar 3, 2011 5:06 PM, said:

grafixbmp, on Thu Mar 3, 2011 2:43 PM, said:

extended control setups

SEGA Genesis controls 1 or 2 Directional pad and 2 action buttons per controller: minimal coding, quite similar to joysticks

NES/ SNES controller. TONS of buttons! Needs adapter: average to moderate depending on type and amount but with this there is tons of button feedback

Anything beyond all this would require either custom controllers, and or custom adapters with likely few games that would use them. Can you say $$$?

Sega Genesis controls + one 10 cent pull-up resistor can get you 4 buttons too, maybe even 7. A cheap adapter consisting of nothing more than a DE9 male+female and the resistor could also be made so the Genesis controllers could remain stock.

Harmony uses an inexpensive usb->serial interface for USB, and giving it full USB host capability would require more hardware and precious flash space for the USB drivers.

I had read this recently and wondered about it. If a simple adapter had the necessary things in it for this without modifying the controllers or the system, This sounds like the best approach with very minimal coding. I'll draw up a schematic.