[Federated Group /Atari]

     Went to the Federated Group (Ontario, California store) as a kid and played the Atari, Vectrex, and other systems on display as much as I could while staying out of sight of the unfriendly clerk who'd kick me out if he saw.

     On one visit, the clerk wasn't there but an oddity was.  On display with the rest of the computer stock was a new machine by Tomy, the toy company.  It had a keyboard like the other computers, but had a very toy-like appearance.  It was demo-ing "Jungler," a pretty decent port of the arcade game.  Had never seen the game before that occasion, and there's a quirky part of the game where the enemy "worms" get stuck on a dead end and blow themselves up.  That was more than I could handle, and started laughing hysterically...so uncontrollably that some nearby shoppers came and asked me if I was OK. 

     Wish my memory was capable of remembering more important matters than these ridiculous incidents from long ago.

[game store gone downhill rant]

     Back in the early 2000's, in Reno NV, the best classic game stores were the thrift stores.  The Savers store in Sparks was selling Atari 2600 carts by the sackful...three or five for $1.00.  Before I left Reno in 2011 though, a few classic game stores had popped up around town and Atari thru NES era carts disappeared from the thrift stores.  

     The last time I saw an Atari cartridge in a thrift store was several years ago and it was a loose beat-up Pac-Man for $7.95.

[Department Stores Remembered.]

     I visited many of the stores already listed here, like Toys-R-Us, Kay-Bee, Sears, Kmart...

     Some others I didn't see listed (or missed) that had a good Atari selection were Broadway, Thrifty Drug, Gemco, and Sav-On Drugs.

     My best experience EVER was in 1985 at Pamida, the closest thing to a big box store in tiny Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  They were blowing out their Atari stock at ALL titles for $1.99 each.  The five bucks I had landed me Circus Atari and Star Raiders, which included the keypad controller at that price...hog heaven!

 

     Larry

[Introducing "Vectorlink": The Ultimate Vectrex Controller System!]

     WAY cool!  A merging of two different centuries' technology.  

     Imagine what Vectrex owners in 1982 would've thought.

 

     Larry

[How did licensing for Berzerk and Pole Position go down?]

     That's right, I'd forgotten that.  So maybe GCE went to Namco, but Atari still had home console licenses for Pole Position and Berzerk, and I would've thought that these home console rights were exclusive for one company...Scramble, created by Konami and licensed by Stern for US distribution, was produced for the Vectrex, but not by any other home console and game manufacturer that I know of, and ditto for the Cinematronics titles like Star Castle, Armor Attack, etc.  Coleco didn't waste their Donkey Kong license, making cartridges for Atari and Intellivision systems, as well as an electronic table top.  With those things in mind, how did it come to be that there were two competing versions of Berzerk and Pole Position on the home console market? 

[How did licensing for Berzerk and Pole Position go down?]

     Something I've been pondering for years.  It seems unlikely that in the height of the console wars of the early 80's that Atari would have licensed a super popular title like Pole Position to a competing console maker, but they HAD to have done exactly that, since they owned both the arcade and home console rights.  How did this happen?  And what about Berzerk?  Atari had a home console license, but Stern made the arcade original...

     Maybe I haven't looked in the right places, but I've not been able to find any info about how GCE secured these titles for Vectrex.

 

     Larry

[Speculation going on with Vectrex consoles?]

     Since I'm on US Ebay frequently I like to check in on prices of Vectrex and other classic consoles.  With many if not most consoles, a "buy it now" price is generally 20-30% higher than the average final selling price of the same unit on auction, and that's convenient for buyers, myself included, who really want a specific item and don't want to wait for it to show up on auction.  Here in the past year, though, that percentage has jumped off the scale with Vectrex consoles.  The final selling prices of Vectrex consoles on auction have risen a small amount during this time, but the "buy-it-now" prices I've never seen so high.  $1500?  $2000?  Even seen $3000 for nice CIB units with a handful of games but there was nothing exceptional about the packaging or games, at least by common standards of the past.

     Nothing in this post is intended to be critical of anyone, but I am curious why this is going on.  Speculators branching out from the Nintendo speculation boom, maybe?

 

     Larry

[MiniVex controllers for Vectrex available again]

     Short and sweet...MiniVex controllers for the Vectrex are being produced again on a limited basis, after a two-year hiatus.  Please shoot me a PM if interested.

 

     Larry

[I made some Soviet labels. Showcase your custom labels!]

The "serious" pictures on the labels are just...perfect.

[Heavy Sixer Serial Number Thread]

Here's one more for the list: #98208J, a factory-reconditioned Atari unit from pretty late in the run, apparently.

[I made some Soviet labels. Showcase your custom labels!]

Hilarious!  I love the Soviet military equipment on the Combat cartridge.

[Vectrex cable milling contraption]

Wrong Larry...I've never been a cable guy, but...this thing would be right at home in that Larry's tool shed, wouldn't it?  Right next to his souped-up riding mower, and Budweiser keg-erator, and who knows what else.

[Vectrex cable milling contraption]

For anyone out there who, like me, has been hand-filing DB9 cables to get them to fit into the Vectrex ports, here's a solution that really works.

     This is a cheap Harbor Freight power belt sander (3X21).  The added fixture is easy to make out of junk angle iron and flat steel stock.  The two angled slots in the guide plate provide the 45 degree cuts, and the straight slot is for flattening the curved edge on the style of cable end that has a teardrop shape.  I prefer the ones that are already flat, but sometimes there's good deals on the teardrops.  The nuts and fully-threaded carriage bolts allow the guide plate to be adjusted and locked into place easily for the correct length of the cut and to compensate for belt wear.  Use a fine-grit belt, with light, easy passes, and it won't gum up with molten plastic.  The slots in the guide plates are just wide enough for that narrow trapezoid-shaped tip to fit into, so as long as the shoulder below the tip is held flat and firm against the guide plate, you'll get clean, precise cuts every time, in a lot less time.

     My hat goes off to those who already have their own semi-automated alternative to filing cables by hand.  I wish I'd thought of this about 300 cables ago.

 

     Larry

[Playing Atari in the stores when you were a kid...]

On 6/12/2021 at 8:00 PM, christo930 said:

I lived near the major Sears distribution center in Philadelphia, which was attached to a very large Sears store.  It was 3 floors and just absolutely enormous.  I think it was the biggest store I have ever been in.  The current property holds a home depot, a Walmart, a shopping center and a bunch of individual stores and restaurants , but that includes the warehouse space. They had a catalog pick up part as well.  On the lowest floor, which was a basement was the electronics section complete with all the displays and on the top floor was a full sized arcade. They had about 10-15 arcade machines and like 5 pinball machines.  So it was straight to the arcade and then after blowing my allowance on arcade machines it was down to the game kiosks.   They had a restaurant in there too.

     I'd have had a blast at that store, bouncing between the arcade and electronics section.  If the restaurant had hot dogs, I'd have been in heaven.     

 

[Atari Kiosk Controller, Joystick & Paddle Controls]

Beautiful work!  And tough-looking!  I dare say it would've stood up to hordes of 10-year-olds pounding on it all day in Kmart and Sears many moons ago.

[What was typically repaired on a "FACTORY RECONDITIONED" 2600 / VCS unit?]

     This is purely to satisfy curiosity.  Anyone in the know about the 2600's that got sent back on warranty returns?  Was there some kind of "one size fits all" procedure where every unit got the same selection of parts replaced, or a more case-by-case diagnosis and repair, or some combination of both?  (Excepting those units with obvious physical damage.)

     As well as these were selling back in the day, there had to be some kind of streamlined process, or else a huge team of skilled technicians standing by.  And one would 

 

     Larry

[Modern style controller for Atari]

The MiniVex TwinStick...it does have two thumbsticks, but might only qualify as semi-ergonomic.  (The extra buttons are for 7800 compatibility.)

[Which accessories and Combat cart are "correct" for factory reconditioned Heavy Sixer?]

Thanks for the info.  The serial # is 98208 J, which would put it pretty late in the run.  With that in mind, maybe the accessories in the box are "correct" after all, even the non-01 labeled Combat in the gatefold box.  For $40, I have no complaints at all.

     On the same subject, does anyone know what was actually done to returned warranty units during the reconditioning process...some type of standard overhaul, or an individual case-by-case troubleshooting and repair?

[Which accessories and Combat cart are "correct" for factory reconditioned Heavy Sixer?]

     So a few years back, I happened on a near-complete and boxed Heavy Sixer for $40 in a pawn shop.  Needless to say, I jumped on it.  Still has the Sunnyvale sticker on the bottom as well as a "FACTORY RECONDITIONED" sticker.  Something I've not been able to find out, though, is what accessories and other items were routinely replaced as part of the factory reconditioning process.  The paddles in the box are of the later variety, with the crossed tennis rackets.  Didn't the original Heavy Sixer paddles have just an Atari logo on them?  Also, there was indeed a gatefold boxed "Combat" cart in the package, with the red lower-case text only label, but it does NOT say "01" on the label, which also doesn't seem right.

     Were these items in question replaced by the original owner, or as part of the reconditioning procedure?  Or are they correct for late-run Heavy Sixers?

[Playing Atari in the stores when you were a kid...]

Here's a chuckle...on numerous trips to the stores, when I wanted to play/watch at the Atari display, and my folks wanted to look around other areas of the store, my dad would say (very sternly) "OK, you stay RIGHT HERE and don't run off."

     I was the most obedient kid in the world on those occasions.  No arm-twisting required.

[Playing Atari in the stores when you were a kid...]

     Another flashback...the Sav-On Drugs in my area had an Atari kiosk.  

     On one visit, Adventure was the cartridge on display, and my experience was like others mentioned here.  Didn't understand it, didn't like it.  Thought it was ugly.  Indeed that sentiment would do a 180 eventually.

     On another visit, a much bigger, older kid was playing Dragonfire, and due to his age and size I assumed I would only be watching this amazing and colorful new game.  But no!  He not only happily turned over the controls, but gave me some playing tips as well.  That didn't happen too often.

[Playing Atari in the stores when you were a kid...]

      Hi again...I have thoroughly enjoyed every single story posted here.  Laugh at me if you want to, but I revisit this post often just to re-read the stories and phrases like "Those were great times."  They really brought back the memories of trips to the store where Atari was on display, and even the anticipation of those trips.

     Realized today that my ONLY experiences with some more obscure games, and a few complete systems, were in the stores.

     Might be scraping the bottom of the barrel here (pardon the cliche) but has anyone else out there got a story to share about squeezing in some games of Haunted House or Breakout at the Atari kiosk in Sears while your parents looked at toaster ovens and vacuum cleaners?

     Many thanks.

 

     Larry

[192 in 1 multi cart]

Had a spare copy of Cosmic Avenger with a really bad label.  It fits now, but was a cumbersome and stinky process.  Lots of Dremel-ing required.  Admittedly my specimen is ugly but perfectly functional.

     Sure do love the 192-IN-1 cart...great value, lotta bang for the buck as others have said.  Was a real joy to play Boulderdash again, as well as some other hard-to-find titles.

[Colecovision Black Screen after Controller IC Replacement]

Glad for the happy ending!  Especially if you were up all night trying to fix it, which would be the case if the times on your postings are correct.

Not poking fun at you, at all.  Been in that boat myself, more than once.

[Why is the Atari stock so high?]

What's the trading symbol for Atari stock, and on which exchange is it found?