Major_Tom_coming_home
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Posts posted by Major_Tom_coming_home
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I realize this is more of a Nintendo age question but I find this community to be more helpful and mature.
Are there any NES clones that are known to support the use of ROM carts and are worth getting? I'm not interested in collecting for Nintendo, but would like to play the games on an actual console vs. emulation on a PC. The malfunctioning front loader kinda sorta raped my childhood and I want nothing to do with getting another. I would get a Top Loader if that is the only other option, but price and RF only (and not even good RF) are the obvious drawbacks. Thanks!
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I recently realized what most collectors have probably known all along - PAL games will play on an NTSC Atari by using an older television with an adjustable vertical hold (I suppose they may also work on modern televisions with automatic vertical holds but I haven't tried that). So far the only PAL exclusive I own or have played is Klax. I was wondering if there are any other PAL exclusives worth getting?
Also, I bought a PAL copy of Kangaroo from the same seller that is an Atari red label varient. Apparently, the only NTSC variant of this game is silver. Are there many other Atari published games that have a similar PAL only variant? Thanks!
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It could have been worse...
You could have Googled Nintendo.
It costs a fortune to collect Nintendo.
Great 'rare' Atari games like H.E.R.O., Tapper, and Pitfall 2 cost $30 or less
Great 'rare' Nintendo games like Little Samson, Earthbound, and Bubble Bobble 2 cost a house, firstborn child , and wife.
1. Googling atari.
2. Finding AtariAge.
3. Ruining my life!!
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I have also made the mistake of buying a Colecovision game thinking it was for the Atari VCS, and in most cases the mistake involved a Parker Brother's game. I wonder if the reason Coleco made their cartridge cases the same size as Atari so that they could use the same molds for manufacturing. For what it's worth, after a few mistakes I finally learned what to look for: For Parker Brothers, the easiest way to tell is that the Atari versions are flared near the end and Coleco isn't.
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I own a few Wico "bat" controllers, and have noticed there is a similar Wico joystick that seemingly uses the same base but has a red ball and fire button instead of a bat for a handle. Was the Wico 'Ball' a different model of joystick than the bat, or was the ball handle sold to consumers as a stand alone part that could be swapped out with the bat? Thanks
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I'm not jealous in any way...really...I'm not...
Congrats!
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Very cool looking, but it wouldn't match in my living room. Pretty much all of my living room furniture is even older then my Light Sixer - I have a mid-century theme going on and that includes my choice of video game console :-)
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Thanks, I might end up building something similar out of wood, but sized to fit the space I plan on using. For some reason it seems appropriate to me that VCS games should be stored in something made of wood...or at least fake plastic wood grain. :-)
I found a couple adjustable media shelves , stacked 'em & added some shelves to what was there .... the spacing isn't quite uniform but has gotten my carts out where I can get at them
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Thanks! I like the idea of something with individual slots for the cartridges, but it would have to be bought since building would be a pain. If there was something that was a wood finish and the slots were the right size for 2600 games t would be a nice idea.
Don't know if this would work, but I remember having cassette cases that would separate the individual cassettes. If you don't want carts stacked, maybe you can create a very thin plywood. Here's a picture of I guess a shelf that holds 100 cassettes. Probably would look better too.
Phil
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I was wondering if anyone had suggestions / pictures / or plans for building storage for loose 2600 carts? I'm up to about 350 cartridges and my three shelf bookcase just isn't cutting it any more. I have games stacked 17 high which is getting awkward. My neighbor is a retired cabinet maker and is going to help me out, but the only idea that comes to my mind is a bookcase with a lot of shelves spaced slightly taller than the width of a cartridge that can hold the games horizontally without sacking anything vertically.
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I have a Jr. with an A/V mod and I am very happy with it. It's not as sturdy as the other Atari consoles but I think the quality is still good, certainly MUCH better than the NES with it's horrible cartridge connector and Bi-Polar 10-NES lockout chip. The only actual benefit I've found vs earlier VCS consoles is the small size which can be handy for certain applications, and it's 'cool' looking modern appearance that some folks might prefer. If you have a VCS already I think there is no reason to buy one, but also there is no reason to NOT buy one - it's really just an optional thing to collect.
Personally, I think you should consider getting a Sears Video Arcade II Atari clone with it's combination paddle / joystick controllers before getting the Jr. In my opinion it's much cooler than the Jr. and very unique.
Okay, so I own a 4 switch Vader, A Light Sixer, and a Heavy Sixer. I mostly play my Vader due to it being a newer more reliable console. But also play my Heavy often, due to the better video quality. But my question is. Is it worth owning a Junior? They look cheap and ugly to me and it just seemed like Atari's last ditch effort to breath life into a dying console. Even though I do consider myself a collector of Atari 2600's. I still need a legitimate reason before I spend my money on a console. So is there a real reason to buy a Junior? Or am I good with what I already have?
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I'm interested as well
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Err... actually there has been a modern clone in a manner of speaking. The Atari Flashback 2 plug and play console was a hardware clone of the 2600. It only came with built-in games, but it was designed in such a way that a cartridge port could be added and it would then become a fully functional 2600 with modern A/V inputs. I believe it was possible to do the mod so it would still be able to play the built in games but I'm not 100% sure about that. I don't think too many Flashback 2 consoles were ever modded however. By the time you bought the flashback and the parts to do the mod, it was cheaper to just get an original 2600. Fortunately for all of us there isn't a really a need for a modern clone. the 2600 has proven to be a very sturdy console and lots of them were made. Since they can be purchased inexpensively I suspect there is no money to be made by selling a clone. The random untested Atari 2600 bought at a flea market will stand a good chance of actually working. On the other hand, the random NES is almost guaranteed to not work without the cartridge adapter being repaired or replaced.
But hey, what about a 5-in-1 Atari clone that can play 2600, 5200, 7800, 8-bit, and lynx games? (I'm thinking a jaguar clone would be too expensive to clone with hardware and too difficult or even impossible to emulate on an inexpensive plug-and-play.)
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Snagged a 7800 with hookups, 2 controllers, and a dozen games for $35 shipped. Also an XEGS console / keyboard with hookups and 2 gemsticks for $80 shipped.
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My thanks to everyone for the advice. So if I understand correctly, I could use either the $59.99 Maxflash USB Cartridge Programmer Kit to create a multicart, or get the SIO2PC which would let the Atari computer read ROM files off of a PC via a USB cable?
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I recently bought an Atari XEGS console / keyboard and was wondering what the options are as far as buying a ROM cartridge? I read the pinned newbie thread, but it gave me information overload and left me kind of unclear. Other than the cartridge itself, what exactly do I need to purchase in order to load ROMS from my PC and onto a ROM cartridge, and then use that ROM cartridge on my XEGS? The Newbie thread mentioned hardware add-ons being available for Atari Computers, but is this needed to use a Rom Cartridge? Also, are there any ROM cartridges that other users would recommend (or any other kind of advice advice)? I build PCs and I'm intimately familiar with PC hardware / software but I've never had an Atari Computer before (I grew up with a TRS-80 Coco II). Thanks!!!
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Modern Controller on a 2600...Nah, I have a Genesis controller somewhere but I mostly use a TAC-2. For games that have a first person or behind view (like Solaris) I use a Wico Bat. I'll admit that a Genesis controller is pretty nice for Pitfall though.
Emulation...I don't emulate Atari 2600 any more since I have the actual console, a cartridge collection, and a harmony cart. If I was emulating Atari I'd use my iBuffalo USB Famicom gamepad. If I was being lazy and didn't want to hunt down the iBuffalo then I'd use the XBox 360 controller already attached to my computer. Now that is blasphemy!
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Of course you might be able to defray some of the cost by selling some of your duplicate cartridges to some random
suckernew collector.
This Atari sickness is just getting worse and now I find myself on the lookout for a good deal on a heavy sixer. I haven't decided if I prefer an Atari or a Telegames so I'm watching prices on both. I have a line on a Sears version but I'm curious what you guys think is a good value on these. I know that Atari Age value is going to be different than say eBay value, but what would you guys consider to be a good deal on a Telegames heavy?
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I think fair market value for a heavy in good condition with first party hookups and joysticks is $100. This is obviously only my opinion. I paid about $50 for my Light Sears Sixer that included hoockups and a few extras. The heavies carry a premium at least on Ebay, but I think most of the buy-it-now heavies are grossly overpriced. Of course, a Heavy Sixer is worth different amounts to different collectors. At the end of the day I think it comes down to this: how much of a premium are you willing to pay to get a Heavy Sixer vs. the cosmetically similar and functionally identical Light Sixer???
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I think that owning 'rare' and 'valuable' stuff is the only way some of these people have to feel important and good about themselves. If their CIB copies of Combat and Missile Command aren't worth $50 each, that would mean that they don't own anything of value and therefore aren't influential or important. The fact that their flea market booth doesn't break even and has to be subsidized with their meager social security check is besides the point. In their deluded world, somebody who will see the value of their merchandise and actually want to buy it will eventually come along and they will be vindicated. If I'm sounding cruel that isn't my intent, I think it's pretty much just sad but reality.
The shear ignorance of these vendors is amazing. We have a large flea market that has a gaming vendor that has vintage stuff that is badly overpriced. He won't budge or bargain on any of his older stuff. Makes me wonder if he overpaid himself and just can't let bring himself to let the games go for a fair price. I think pawn shops etc. realize that their is a collectors market for vintage gaming but just don't take time to research inventory. Just slap on a high price and hope a sucker comes along one day. It does take some of the fun out of trying to find a diamond in the rough out in the wild.
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So very true, especially if it's a thrift store like Goodwill that's a charity in theory only, but a vehicle for excessive executive compensation in practice. My opinion is that Goodwill does the bare minimum to be considered a charity and get free merchandise to resell in their stores at a 100% profit.
Thrifts shops are getting bad about overpricing video games and systems too. I used to be able to go to my local thrift shops and pick up a complete gaming systems bundled with games for under $20. Those days are long gone and it has a lot to do with resellers coming into the shops with their phones and checking eBay for pricing. These thrift stores have caught on and now are charging eBay prices. There is really no reason for me to even shop in their establishments anymore when I can just purchase it online for the same price with buyer protection.
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Thought I'd revive this old thread to plug 3D games in Farmington and Skowhegan. I got some good VCS deals and they worked with me a little on price in the Skowhegan store. I picked up Laser Gates, Star Wars Arcade, and a few other games.
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My favorite lines to tell to a clueless thrift store manager: 1) "I understand you'd like to get $159 for it, but this is a Goodwill and not Macys. I can buy one of these brand new for the same price" 2) "When you saw the same item on Ebay for $159, was that the asking price or the selling price? Because asking is not the same as getting". 3) "If you want to get the Ebay price then you should go through the trouble of selling it on Ebay. This isn't Ebay. I am offering you $X in easy cash right now".
If you look closely, you might notice the Wii system is $159- and this was taken earlier this year at a local thrift store near downtown Columbus, Ohio. ...just the used console, power supply, a common game everybody has, and the av cable. O_o
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It would be possible, but the real question is how faithful could the port be? For instance the 2600 port of Zaxxon isn't faithful at all, but IMO it's still a good game that still has the spirit of the original game.
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NES Rom cart question
in Classic Console Discussion
Posted
I have fixed and sold them before, but I hate the front loader on a personal level. I'm sure they can be made reliable but I'd prefer to play NES games on something else. For me having a front loader would be kind of like owning and driving a car that is hideously ugly I suppose. It will get you where you need to go but given the choice you would rather drive almost anything else.