Arcade Ultimate

Arcade Ultimate
Manufacturer: AtGames
Distributor: AtGames, Blaze Europe (UK), H&B (France), Tectoy (Brazil), Hyperkin (USA)
Built-in games: 20 / 80
Release Date RRP Code

The Arcade Ultimate is a handheld Sega Mega Drive console on a chip created by AtGames. It can be seen as an enhanced version of the Arcade Portable.

Like its predecessors, the name of this product is disputed and varies considerably between regions and distributors. While AtGames call it the Arcade Ultimate on their website, most packaging designs call the system the Gopher, with Sega Mega Drive Arcade Ultimate Portable, Sega Genesis Ultimate Portable Game Player, Sega Genesis Firecore Portable Player, and Sega Mega Drive Firecore Portable Player also in use. In Brazil the system is known as the MD Play.

There are three versions of the Arcade Ultimate, all with similar aesthetics. Models GP2628 and GP2628-80 are the most common with 20 or 80 built-in games respectively, however a GP2628R variant (frequently referred to as Gopher Wireless) also exists which adds support for AtGames' range of wireless controllers (which are both sold separately and bundled with some other AtGames consoles).

Arcade Ultimates are available worldwide, however are most common in the likes of Asia, specifically Russian and Chinese markets.

Hardware

The Arcade Ultimate is a handheld device with a built-in, backlit LCD screen and a 6-button control pad (as oppsoed to the three seen in the Arcade Portable). Also featured is an SD card slot and a built-in lithium battery with USB charger. Furthermore there exists a TV output connection, so that games can be played on a large screen, however the device will only produce a NTSC signal.

The console uses the same "console-on-a-chip" technology as its predecessor, and comes equipped with a similar selection of Mega Drive games. SD card support allows most Mega Drive games to be played, emulation permitting. The console does not support saving however, thus games must be finished in one sitting.

Using an SD card

To boot games from an SD card, Sega Mega Drive ROMs should be placed inside a folder called "GAME" at the root of the card. ROMs can be either .bin or .smd and all regions are compatible. There is not full compatibility with all games, if you find that a particular ROM doesn't work; try to use verified dumps [!] and if a certain region doesn't work, try another. The games will be listed in the order they were added to the card, you can use a tool called folder_sort to force this order into alphabetical order.

MDB.DAT

Images can be displayed for custom games on the SD card, in the same way as the built-in games, by the use of an MDB.DAT file. Without the presence of this file all games on the SD card will display a blank place-holder image. There are at least two tools that can edit or create an MDB.DAT file: ScreenGopher and MDB_Edit

Using either tool you need to create an entry for each ROM and assign a picture (120x112). The name you enter in the MDB.DAT must match the filename exactly (excluding the extension). You cannot use a period "." in the name and a space is automatically inserted before a capitalized word, so if you put a space in yourself you will see a double-space on the device's menu. For example "Sonic theHedgehog 2" in the MDB.DAT would give you "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" on your device.

You can read more about the structure of the MDB.DAT file in the ScreenGopher Manual. The application is currently unavailable but the PDF is filled with useful information.

List of Built-in Games

Depending on the distributor, the number and library of games varies across Arcade Ultimate consoles.

AtGames 20 Games version

• Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle
• Alien Storm
• Altered Beast
• Arrow Flash
• Columns III
• Crack Down
• Decap Attack
• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
• E-Swat: City Under Siege
• Ecco the Dolphin
• Ecco Jr.
• Flicky
• Gain Ground
• Golden Axe
• Jewel Master
• Kid Chameleon
• Ristar
• Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
• Sonic & Knuckles
• The Revenge of Shinobi II

Blaze 20 Games version

• Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle
• Alien Storm
• Altered Beast
• Arrow Flash
• Columns III
• Crack Down
• Decap Attack
• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
• E-Swat: City Under Siege
• Ecco the Dolphin
• Ecco Jr.
• Shinobi III
• Flicky
• Gain Ground
• Golden Axe
• Jewel Master
• Kid Chameleon
• Sonic Spinball
• Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
• Sonic & Knuckles

AtGames 80 Games version

• Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle
• Alien Storm
• Altered Beast
• Arrow Flash
• Bonanza Bros
• Chakan: The Forever Man
• Columns
• Columns III
• Comix Zone
• Crack Down
• Decap Attack
• Ecco the Dolphin
• Ecco Jr.
• Ecco 2: The Tides of Time
• E-Swat: City Under Siege
• Eternal Champions
• Fatal Labyrinth
• Flicky
• Gain Ground
• Golden Axe
• Golden Axe II
• Golden Axe III
• Jewel Master
• Kid Chameleon
• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
• Mega Man: The Wily Wars
• Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
• Shinobi III
• Sonic & Knuckles
• Sonic Spinball
• Sonic The Hedgehog
• Sonic The Hedgehog 2
• Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition
• Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers
• Streets of Rage
• Streets of Rage 2
• Streets of Rage 3
• The Ooze
• Vectorman
• Vectorman 2

The 80 Games version only includes 40 Mega Drive/Genesis games, however it also has 40 AtGames developed games to bring the total up to the stated 80. The game list is below:

• Air Hockey
• Black Sheep
• Bomber
• Bottle Taps Race
• Brain Switch
• Bulls and Cows
• Cannon
• Checker
• Chess
• Color Puzzle
• Cross the Road
• Curling 2010
• Dominant Color
• Fight or Lose
• Firefly Glow
• Fish Story
• Flash Memory
• Formula Challenge
• Hexagonos
• Jack’s Pea
• Jewel Magic
• Logic Dial
• Mahjong Solitaire
• Match Eleven
• Mega Brain Switch
• Memory
• Memory Match
• Mirror Mirror
• Mr. Balls
• Naval Power
• Panic Lift
• Reaction Match
• Snake
• Space Hunter
• Spider
• Sudoku Quiz
• Table Magic
• Treasure Hunt
• Warehouse Keeper
• Whack A Wolf

Digital manuals

• 

  PDF manual for the AtGames Arcade Ultimate (Model Numbers GP2628 and GP2628R)

• 

  PDF manual for the AtGames Arcade Ultimate (Model Number GP2628-80)

• 

  ScreenGopher user manual

• 

  MD Play user manual

Gallery

• 

  Unbranded red model

• 

  Tectoy model

• 

  H&B model

• 

  Russian model (blue)

• 

  Russian model (green)

• 

  Ultimate Portable Game Player model

Physical scans

Mega Drive, US (20G; blister pack)
Cover

Mega Drive, US (20G)
Cover

Mega Drive, US (80G; blue)
Cover

Mega Drive, US (80G; blue; alt)
Cover

Mega Drive, US (80G; blue; deluxe)

Mega Drive, US (80G; white)
Cover

Mega Drive, US (80G; white; alt)
Cover

Mega Drive, US (80G; white; alt newer)
Cover

Mega Drive, US (80G; deluxe; white)

Mega Drive, US (80G; deluxe; white; newer)
Cover

Mega Drive, UK (18G)
Cover

Mega Drive, UK (20G)
Cover

Mega Drive, FR (20G)
Cover

Mega Drive, FR (20G)
Cover

Mega Drive, RU (20G; orange)
Cover

Mega Drive, RU (20G; blue)
Cover

Mega Drive, ?? (15G)
Cover

Mega Drive, ?? (20G; blister pack)
Cover

Mega Drive, ?? (orange; 20G)
Cover

Mega Drive, ?? (100G)
Cover

Mega Drive, ?? (blue; 20G)
Cover

Mega Drive, RU (20G; blue; alt)
Cover

Mega Drive, ?? (20G)
Cover