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We had SALT 2.04, 2.05, 2.07 but not 2.06 so here it is for the first time (I believe): http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-salt-diagnostic-cartridge-206_41514.html Disregard the rarity rating and commercial status, we need to modify the database to reflect the "internal" nature of such tools. Courtesy of John Hardie / @cx2k once again

Finally the pieces are starting to come together. From a compiled program it is now possible to run another compiled program when running in the XB environment. Also, you can also run a cart with compiled XB code from another cart. Here is a quick video to show one way of using this. COMBOCART has 4 compiled carts. Essentially, it is using the cartridge rom as a romdisk. The first cart is a compiled XB program that displays a menu. From the menu you can choose 3 different compiled cartridges. I didn't do this, but any cart can run any other cart, so you could return directly to the menu, rather than the master title screen. This is a very simple menu, but it would be possible to make a much fancier one with animation, attract mode, etc. You can combine over 60 carts into one cart. Next on the plate is to work out the details so you can have a compiled cart run another one without initializing the VDP. This would make a multi segment compiled XB program possible without losing any of the graphics. Here is the menu program: 10 CALL CLEAR 20 DISPLAY AT(6,1):"COMBO OF COMPILED CARTRIDGES" 40 DISPLAY AT(18,6):"1 FOR APERTURE" 50 DISPLAY AT(19,6):"2 FOR TMLDEMO" 60 DISPLAY AT(20,6):"3 FOR 256DEMO" 70 CALL KEY(0,K,S):: IF S<1 THEN 70 ELSE IF K<49 OR K>51 THEN 70 80 ON K-48 GOTO 110,120,130 110 RUN "B" 120 RUN "C" 130 RUN "D" I didn't have to test the menu program from XB, but if I had to do that, I would have had: 110 RUN "DSK2.PARTB" 120 RUN "DSK2.PARTC" 130 RUN "DSK2.PARTD" and that would work the same in the cartridge.

As a big surprise, John van Ryzin (the designer/programmer of H.E.R.O. for the Atari 2600) just released the new Atari 2600 game "Alien Abduction" as a digital download in the Atari VCS store. It's a 16K game ROM (using F6 bank-switching) and plays on the Stella emulator without issues. 20 levels, 140 play screens, 16 obstacle types. Wow!! [Edit: I just noticed the game was also announced in the Atari VCS forum] I wonder if John is working with Atari to release a cartridge version of the game later this year. If so, I hope the game is also released for PAL 50Hz! And I also wonder if John has talked with his former Activision colleagues at Audacity Games about a possible release on their platform.

Want a surprise? How about a new game from the legendary creator of Activision's H.E.R.O., John Van Ryzin? Wish granted! Welcome Alien Abduction, a new 2600 game exclusive to the Atari VCS! 20 Levels, 140 Play Screens, 16 Obstacle Types.

Atari has been doing some good stuff lately. Making smart moves… I hope it is making enough money for them to continue in this direction. Meanwhile, in Amico…

I have a really old one from LOEWE. It can be used for Lightguns and still works sine more than 33 years.

*UPDATE* LIGHT GUN CALIBRATION! Plus... something for the cheaters!

Final analysis : The hacked code is not part of the parser but the check for entered file names. 1.0C extends the range of allowed drives from D1-D4 to D1-D8. 1.0D does the modification described by drac030 in the thread linked by MrFish : "named the version 1.0d. It should produce binaries of non-zero size, and accept drive numbers D1: - D9: and DA: - DO: at the parameter prompt. Also, 😧 should no longer be explicitly translated to D1:"

Awesome. Thanks for the scan, Jim! I've paginated/rotated/cropped/retouched/OCRed the manual as follows, and of course uploaded to my manuals site: Cosmopoloy - Not Polyoptics - OCR.pdf

If I recall correctly, it was effectively an in-joke. "Polyoptics" was one of the names initially proposed, but as far as that choice of branding goes, they ended up being able to conclude on nothing save that "Polyoptics" was out of the question. So they ended up with "Not Polyoptics". Found a citation to that effect, in a Chicago Newsletter:

short presentation of level 1 - jungle 1939985989_level1.mp4

Cosmopoly is a different game with the same general concept. Here is the Cosmopoly manual. I thought I had it, and was able to locate it this afternoon. Now back to testing SAMS cards. . . Cosmopoly_0001.pdf

Welcome to the newly rebranded A8DS (formally XEGS-DS). https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/A8DS Given that the emulator was always a bit more than an XEGS emulator and it turned out to be a much more capable general-purpose Atari 8-bit emulator, I've decided to rebrand the XEGS-DS emulator (last version was 2.9 released in 2021) into A8DS (new version 3.0 released today): To go with this new release is a new keyboard handler and a nice clean set of keyboard skins included: These new keyboard skins can be picked using the GEAR icon. We have skins that cover the Atari 800 XL, XE and older Atari 400 styles so you can pick the one that best suits your tastes (the keyboards all function identically). This is a big improvement from the aesthetically unpleasing grid-layout that was included previously. Due to the limited screen resolution on the DS/DSi, a few keys had to be repositioned to optimize the space available. I think the placement still captures the stylings of the original machines. Otherwise all the same Atari 8-bit goodness is included in the emulator. Be sure to read the updated readme.md on the main github page for how to setup and use the emulator. In general this emulator supports: Memory configurations including 48K (base ATARI400/800), 64K XL/XE, 128K XE, 320K RAMBO, 576K COMPY and 1088K RAMBO Cart based games up to 1MB in size (.CAR and .ROM) XEX Atari 8-bit Executable images of any size provided they fit into the Memory Configuration configured ATR and ATX disk-based games (two emulated drives supported as D1 and D2) NTSC and PAL support Virtual keyboard in various Atari 800/XL/XE stylings R-Time8 Real-Time Clock support (mostly for SpartaDOS X) Built in Altirra OS (3.33) and BASIC (1.58) but optional external BIOS/BASIC support to use the real Atari firmware High Score support for 10 scores per game Full configuration of DS keys to any Atari 8-bit joystick/key/button Save and Restore state so you can snap out the memory/CPU and restore it to pick back up exactly where you left off The use of this emulator requires that your DS/DSi/XL/LL unit has the ability to play homebrew games. For older units, this is often accomplished with a flash cart such as the R4 or one of the generic clone cards. For the DSi and above, the SD card slot on the side can be loaded up to boot the handheld directly into a homebrew launcher such as Unlaunch or Twilight Menu++. The DSi via Unlaunch/TWL++ also will unlock the 2x CPU and 4X Memory of the DSi or above and is a better overall experience for the emulator as I don't have to resort to frame-skip to get the performance needed.

Waiting for my Tomy Tutor to arrive in the mail, I decided to surf the Japanese language web looking for cool stuff and I found this: http://nrtdrv.sakura.ne.jp/gbasic/ I'm not sure if everyone know about it and I'm just late to the Tomy party, but it looks really interesting. From the fractured Google Translate it looks like a comprehenive coding and silumation environment for G-BASIC. The language barrier prevents me from doing much, but there are several sample programs including a pretty cool looking Tetris clone. I was able to get it running and while slow, it looks great: I know that G-BASIC is a punchline, but maybe it can so some really interesting things. I can't wait to get my machine and poke around a little.

Thanks to the generosity of John Hardie @cx2k I'm happy to release several new Atari 5200 prototypes. All of these roms are slightly earlier versions, but I haven't been able to determine exactly what's different about most of them. Many of them are dated only a few days earlier so the differences are most likely very small (cope optimizations, obscure bug fixes, etc.). If anyone can tell what's different about these protos please let me know! Choplifter 1-13-84 - Seems to be very close to the known 1-4-84 proto. The only real differences I saw were the copyright on the splash screen says 1983 and there is no demo. I also found out that the unknown Choplifter prototype I had that I assumed was the final is actually slightly different. I'll attach it here as well. Gremlins 5-15-84 - Dated only two days before the final (5-17-84), but has some different bytes here and there Millipede 1-4-84 - An early version of Milllipede, but has some byte differences from the documented 1-5-84 version (http://www.atariprotos.com/5200/software/millipede/1584.htm) Stargate 1-13-84 - This is an interesting proto. It's very close to the known 'final version' (1-5-84), but despite being dated over a week later it seems to actually be an earlier proto. It has some differences on the options screen and is missing the copyright and demo. (http://www.atariprotos.com/5200/software/stargate/11384.htm) I'm also attaching some of my prototypes which I believe have already been released, but are very close in date to the new protos. Maybe they'll help people find some differences? Gremlins 5-15-84.bin Millipede 1-4-84.bin Choplifter 1-13-84.bin Choplifter (Unknown).bin Stargate 1-13-84.bin Stargate 1-5-84.bin Choplifter 1-4-84.bin

I love them. These days I use mine with my Video Music.

@jedimatt42 - I updated from 3.13 to 3.14, moved the modifier from the alias mapping "URIx=value" to the open statement, e.g., OPEN #1:"URI1.?J.request.json", and was able to successfully retrieve information via JSON query.

Update 3.14 - May 6th 2023 - Fix broken PROTECT bit after recent native file handling changes ( you cannot protect a native file, but any TIFILES file should support it ) - Fix broken JSON file handling with URI drive aliases. The ".?" modifier needs to stay with the device name you are using.. URI1.?J.request.json, or PI.?J.HTTPS://something.crazy.hostedby.com/request.json, it should not be in the value of the URI alias mapping. - Make restore more tolerant of files being renamed, nolonger crash the webui if they don't have the timestamp and perfect name... they still have to be named ____.tar.gz - Add some archive validation before extraction when the restore button is hit. - Add restore completion status to the web-ui

A guy named David Wragg commented on Twitter that a registered design has to be NEW (similar to a patent) and gives links to the EUIPO. If a design has been disclosed before, in may not be registered anymore. If it has been registered (as in this case), it can be challenged and the registration will probably be withdrawn. Since the Atari desings date back to the 1980s, earlier disclosure can easily be proven and RGL is acting on very thin ice. Let's community-fund the challenge and send RGL to where they belong. Using the name ATARI is certainly a different matter. Even when RGL did not show any proof that they have a valid agreement with Atari, Atari themselves hold the rights on the name.

Anyone else who thought of some region in the Middle East when reading "West Bank"?

But you should have an old TV, to use the Lightgun

The 7800GD just gets better and better. I like the SONY CRT.

@jedimatt42 Victory Lap Time! Many Thanks!

A huge vocabulary embiggens the smallest man.

Or a new case - something mixing XL/XE but fresh. 800XL case was banger but a fresh one looked similar Ataris (and they - this dues from c64mini - can go fck themselves then) would be also awesome. All old patens were gone anbd who would thou there going be this one in EU ehz-_-;

Even better. It wouldn't be the same if I didn't massively overpay for crap parts from 10 years ago, then not receive them. Wouldn't That Be Something?

Amico, always off. Tommy told me he loved me once, f*ckin' prick.

Glad you got it sorted out! The Atari Key was repurposed to exit the keyboard mode to the main emulator view since I can't support everything on the single screen. To be honest, we (the keyboard graphic designer with my input) used the ATARI Fuji symbol before we realized that some keyboards actually used that instead of the diagonally-shaded box. We can change that to some kind of exit button instead ... though I kinda like the look of it. And yes, that's true on the Control key. I'll look into making that more useful/intuitive. And yes, I agree that nobody will use the emulator for programming. It's really designed so you can play Caverns of Mars on the toilet ... but I do want to make it as complete and useful as possible given a limitation of time/effort to work on it. I always recommend Altirra as the gold standard in emulation - but having a clean portable A8 emulator can still be still a very enjoyable experience especially given how solid the Nintendo DS units are - comfortable to hold and rock-solid d-pad and button engineering. I do appreciate the feedback! Edit: I checked in 3.0a with the fix for the Control key handling so it's sticky (until you press CTRL again) plus a few very minor tweaks and cleanups from the rebranding. I also added a new option to set the d-pad to control 'diagonals' to help Q-bert like games so you don't have to press the diagonal directions which are not easy on a d-pad and also for the d-pad to emulate the cursor keys.

Some say her name is Beverly Morton aka Bevtris. 🤭

I'll only do it if I can enter into a contract with them, pay them millions, then terminate it and get absolutely nothing nor my money back. It's the Amico Way, after all.

Hey @Bill Loguidice any current thoughts on this dandy post now?

I finally eked out the patch score. Thanks for another great game!

Tails of Iron (PS5) This one was great. Finished up and got the platinum trophy today. I'm probably a bit bias as I LOVE Redwall and Mouseguard, and this feels like they took those 2 and blended with a Souls game. But it was darn near perfect for me.

Very cool, thanks : )

Defender: Rollage (539800) Some tips for this one: Prioritize clearing waves over saving all the humanoids. If a humanoid is abducted and is easy to save, go ahead and save them. Otherwise, it's not worth the risk, especially when there is a good chance you won't get to it soon enough. (Note - this completely contradicts the first "Helpful Hint" in the manual). Some players do not like killing the bomber that appears at the start of each wave. If you lose a ship or hyperspace, it always brings you back to the bomber which is less lethal than most other enemies. This is a decent strategy, although it isn't one I typically use. Your ship disappears and cannot be killed when you fire. Rapidly firing can sometimes get you out of tight situations. I like to use a smart bomb early in each wave to kill the two pods. The swarmers that appear after killing a pod can spawn in an unpredictable location, sometimes right on top of your ship for an insta-death. If I'm out of smart bombs, I like to hit the pods toward the top of the screen so I can quickly hyperspace and then regroup. I usually fly right to left since the faster enemies have a more predictable movement and are easier to kill. This is especially the case on the all-mutant waves you get after the city blows up. The game has an Easter Egg. If on wave 25 you are carrying a humanoid and hover your ship near the bottom of the screen, all enemy ships change to "BP" (for programmer Bob Polaro). This may be observed at about 15:30 in the video. If you want to try for this Easter Egg yourself, plan on using a lot of smart bombs in waves 21-24 so you still have a humanoid to save on wave 25. I played until completing wave 100. The wave counter rolls over to 0 and the difficulty reverts to a much easier setting with slower moving enemies.

Finally got this up and working. Was having issues with my srgb cables from eBay. Got some from retro gaming cables. Much better! No color issues anymore, no sync issues, and better yet the image is sharper than ever before and colors far more saturated. Didn’t help my green cable was bad and one extron unit to boot. It’s taken weeks of merry go round of hardware but I’m out of the woods! Pic 1 (Wario) is the crappy eBay cable, 2 and 3 (Mario) is the new setup and switch boxes. First box switches video between n64 and supergrafx. Box two switches audio.

This news is HOT!!! What a cool game and what a surprise! Atari almost certainly has to print off some carts for this one, right?

Update 3.13 - May 5th, 2023 - Fix Beery's report of NATIVE_TEXT_DIRS applying to siblings that start with the same letters as an entry in the NATIVE_TEXT_DIRS list.

It is for purchase on the VCS, the modern Atari VCS 800. This is the digital distribution. Physical cartridge is TBD.

It's not? Then Who creates the jailbreak? I was on the impression it was smoke monster all this time.

Which is your rearest game? Assteroids might be a candidate for me.

Did you just mention that? LEGAL INCOMING. Also yep! (I like to imagine TT going around to all those cell recycler kiosks and raiding them for parts in light of the Arc blowup. LOL)

Looks like RGL have secured the rights to remake the Atari 8-bit and ST machines. I wouldn't mind if they were doing remakes themselves but they've been promising announcements for months on end. RM should just continue and make a new case that is inspired by Atari computers or even some of those prototypes that never got made, just make no direct reference to Atari.

DSK images cannot be 100%, as they lack all data outside of sector contents. In that case you have to use HFE. I know that I got it working once; you can use the search function in the forum. By the way, what is a 44 KiB DSK file? This is certainly not supported, just because of its size. It must be 90K, 180K, 360K, or 720K. Edit: This was the thread: Interestingly, I cannot load Diskassembler, but the other ones (Advanced Diagnostics, Explorer). I found the Diskassembler image in a folder "notwork", even though that video proves the opposite. 5 years is quite enough time to start forgetting things, as it seems.

Surely enhanced graphics looks better, but converting a game doesn't mean you can't have enhanced graphics. We're just lacking people here with an interest in doing the graphics work. And it's not like the TMS9918A provides a huge advantage over the Spectrum, for instance it's almost impossible to draw anything with an outline. A 128x192 mode where each pixel could be colored individually would have been much more useful.

31,920 funky yellow mushrooms for me!! I rather like this port. Nothing beats the arcade cabinet with the ball controller, but it's solid for a game created and adapted by a rival company! Atari sure put Coleco to shame when it came to the intellivision 😛

Ok, I see what I did wrong... with the implied subdirs logic. I'll work up a fix.

Hi there, Our release schedule for 2023, for those not following us in other medias. - June: SGM 8th run, DKA (Super Game Club exclusive), Gradius 2nd edition - July: Pac-Man DX (enhanced version of Pac-Man Collection), Moon Cresta/Eagle - August: Super Game Club Season 2 (includes DKA Jr and Amidar) - Fall/Winter: Time Pilot Arcade, Lady Bug Arcade, Dig-Dug Arcade, Pengo We're excited to announce that all the titles listed in our latest release feature the new Super Game Cartridge (capable of saving settings and high scores), along with a deluxe box and manual. With the exception of Gradius, all games are part of our Arcade Series lineup, offering authentic arcade graphics, sound, and gameplay that are sure to impress. Subscribing to our newsletter is the best way to get notified: https://opcodegames.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ef7be83c593bc1d831a827842&id=8ed2c58e0f

No worries. Your a collector Bill. Youll break down and eventually get the Spiker box (maybe youll find a deal in a Lot?). It will eat at you, and eat at you... like an itch you cant scratch. Its a sickness we all suffer from. ..lol.