Undrallio Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 (edited) Well, here's my story: About five years ago or so I was at a yard sale and found a huge box of Atari 2600 systems, games, controllers, accessories and the like for a price that I simply could not pass up. After many nights of cleaning, testing, organizing, selling, and packaging the games as I saw fit, I came across one that was lacking a label, but had once had a piece of tape across the front with "Pepsi Invaders" scrawled on it. I was new to Atari collecting at that point, and I had not heard of the game. I put it into my testing system, and began playing what I had considered to be a worthless Space Invaders rip-off. After presenting the story to the fellows at Cheap Ass Gamer, I learned that it was a fairly rare game. Not the rarest, but it's worth a heck of a lot more than E.T. So, they pressed me for information and pictures. The pictures attached to this post are the ones I took then. They're terrible quality as they were taken with my cell phone at the time (mind you, five years ago). A number of people confirmed that the chip looks like, and is numbered like, other copies of Pepsi Invaders that have surfaced over the years. Now, I come to you, Atari Age members, for further verification. I have it in my head to sell the game and buy something that I will use more frequently than this, an upgraded metal detector, perhaps, and I want to make sure of its legitimacy. The CAG members referred me here five years ago, and here I am today, asking for your help. Is it real? And if so, where should I sell it and how should I go about selling it? Thank you for any help you may be able to offer, C.T. Mills EDIT: Since I did put it on ebay, I figured the link would be best positioned at the top of the thread. http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5574883395&toolid=10001&campid=5336500554&customid=&icep_item=280710770195&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg Edited July 18, 2011 by Undrallio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Looks legit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esplonky Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 i would find a true collector or use ebay. me? im looking for cheap stuff. so i would offer like $5 and rip you off mwuhahahahahaha. but i saw on yahoo answers a user said this What you have is the holy grail of atari games. There was only 125 games produced and they were distributed to coke sales representatives at a conference in Atlanta Georgia in 1983. I've seen the game for saleon ebay a few years back and it sold for around $2000 dollars. If Iwere you I would hold onto the game, because it will only get morevaluable as time goes on. You also might want to get an insurancepolicy on this game, because if it gets damaged or stolen it will beimpossible to get it replaced. i would keep it. due to only 125 were made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undrallio Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 Yeah, I did all the research when I got it and that's why I've kept it for almost five years. However, I pull it out maybe three times a year (max) to show someone "Look at this thing I have!" but it's just not enough for me anymore. I want to pass it on to someone who will appreciate it as much as I once did, and, well, put a little money in my pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undrallio Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 Actually, I've gone so far as to list it on ebay. eBay Auction -- Item Number: 280710770195 Should I make another thread in the "Auctions" or will it be fine here? I don't want to spam up the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Looks genuine to me. Good luck with the auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nofrills100 Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Considering what it is probably worth - couldn't you take the time to make better photos of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undrallio Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) I know, the photos suck. There's not really much I could do about that. I don't own a camera, and I doubt my webcam would take any pictures that could be considered better. I can see if there's a neighbor with a camera, perhaps. I'll see what I can do. EDIT: Okay, well, I was able to borrow a friend's camera phone. It wasn't the best, but I got a better picture of the "K32 05" thing. Also, the back of the chip. They're up on the auction page now. Edited July 17, 2011 by Undrallio 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undrallio Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Bump: Last two days. Someone started the bidding early this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itchy Koala Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Can someone explain (in terms that an idiot could understand) what exactly you look for when you look at pictures of the cart opened up? How can you tell this is legitimate? Anyhow, good luck on your sale and a free bump for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HatefulGravey Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I was wondering about that myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itchy Koala Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 It seems to be some wild secret, I've tried searching and asking but have come up with no results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubular Gearhead Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 (edited) It seems to be some wild secret, I've tried searching and asking but have come up with no results. It is the "sharpie" writing, the type of pc board, metal shielding over the chip, type of chip (rom, eprom, etc.), and other distinguishing characteristics that align it with all other known originals. All fakes do not look like this (at least all the fakes I have seen). BTW, when you forward pictures like this to all the yo-yos on ebay that claim to have originals, they always come up with some sort of an excuse why they can't show you the insides... Edited July 22, 2011 by Tubular Gearhead 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 It seems to be some wild secret, I've tried searching and asking but have come up with no results. It is the "sharpie" writing, the type of pc board, metal shielding over the chip, type of chip (rom, eprom, etc.), and other distinguishing characteristics that align it with all other known originals. All fakes do not look like this (at least all the fakes I have seen). BTW, when you forward pictures like this to all the yo-yos on ebay that claim to have originals, they always come up with some sort of an excuse why they can't show you the insides... The main thing is if its a prom or an eprom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HatefulGravey Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 It seems to be some wild secret, I've tried searching and asking but have come up with no results. It is the "sharpie" writing, the type of pc board, metal shielding over the chip, type of chip (rom, eprom, etc.), and other distinguishing characteristics that align it with all other known originals. All fakes do not look like this (at least all the fakes I have seen). BTW, when you forward pictures like this to all the yo-yos on ebay that claim to have originals, they always come up with some sort of an excuse why they can't show you the insides... Good information to have. I need to have the kind of money that buys these kinds of games. It would be kind of nice to have something like this in the collection. One day I'll get there, untill then I'm stilling missing R3s... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undrallio Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 It seems to be some wild secret, I've tried searching and asking but have come up with no results. It is the "sharpie" writing, the type of pc board, metal shielding over the chip, type of chip (rom, eprom, etc.), and other distinguishing characteristics that align it with all other known originals. All fakes do not look like this (at least all the fakes I have seen). BTW, when you forward pictures like this to all the yo-yos on ebay that claim to have originals, they always come up with some sort of an excuse why they can't show you the insides... Awesome to know myself, actually. I knew it had something to do with the sharpie, but aside from that everyone who said, "Yep, that's real," never really gave me a reason. Thanks! =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2600Lives Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 (edited) " not the rarest " you say? your underselling of the game is quite unique . If 125 copies were made balanced against the huge amounts of copies of other games it is as rare as it gets. I wish you the best as you deserve the most you can get on this VERY rare cart. Good luck . Edited July 23, 2011 by Atari2600Lives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zwackery Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 " not the rarest " you say? your underselling of the game is quite unique . If 125 copies were made balanced against the huge amounts of copies of other games it is as rare as it gets. I wish you the best as you deserve the most you can get on this VERY rare cart. Good luck . Yet by your own sig, there are plenty of released games that had a lower run (or a lower remaining existence) than 125, and that 125 number is part of the cart's lore and not officially documented. Part of the situation with PI is how it was an internally produced promotional item, not commercially released, and as far as the code goes, essentially a hack. Yeah, it's rare, but it has an unusual position in the 2600 cartridge library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horseboy Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 It seems to be some wild secret, I've tried searching and asking but have come up with no results. It is the "sharpie" writing, the type of pc board, metal shielding over the chip, type of chip (rom, eprom, etc.), and other distinguishing characteristics that align it with all other known originals. All fakes do not look like this (at least all the fakes I have seen). BTW, when you forward pictures like this to all the yo-yos on ebay that claim to have originals, they always come up with some sort of an excuse why they can't show you the insides... The main thing is if its a prom or an eprom. This is the correct answer. I am pretty sure someone could figure out how to fake the sharpie part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itchy Koala Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 It seems to be some wild secret, I've tried searching and asking but have come up with no results. It is the "sharpie" writing, the type of pc board, metal shielding over the chip, type of chip (rom, eprom, etc.), and other distinguishing characteristics that align it with all other known originals. All fakes do not look like this (at least all the fakes I have seen). BTW, when you forward pictures like this to all the yo-yos on ebay that claim to have originals, they always come up with some sort of an excuse why they can't show you the insides... The main thing is if its a prom or an eprom. This is the correct answer. I am pretty sure someone could figure out how to fake the sharpie part. And to clear up any hanging confusions I have, how can you tell the difference between an eprom and a prom? I'm guessing its under the metal shield in that picture? And I'm gonna go on a limb and say that since eproms are erasable and reprogrammable, if an eprom was found in Pepsi Invaders it would be a fake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 And to clear up any hanging confusions I have, how can you tell the difference between an eprom and a prom? I'm guessing its under the metal shield in that picture? And I'm gonna go on a limb and say that since eproms are erasable and reprogrammable, if an eprom was found in Pepsi Invaders it would be a fake? Yes. EPROM's are made with ceramics and ROM's are housed in plastic. Now, there are OTP (one time programmable) EPROM's that are also housed in plastic, however, the BIG difference is that the enable line on Atari ROM's is inverted. Which means one or more components are needed to invert the EPROM's enable line, so, you would see additional components used in a fake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubular Gearhead Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 It seems to be some wild secret, I've tried searching and asking but have come up with no results. It is the "sharpie" writing, the type of pc board, metal shielding over the chip, type of chip (rom, eprom, etc.), and other distinguishing characteristics that align it with all other known originals. All fakes do not look like this (at least all the fakes I have seen). BTW, when you forward pictures like this to all the yo-yos on ebay that claim to have originals, they always come up with some sort of an excuse why they can't show you the insides... The main thing is if its a prom or an eprom. This is the correct answer. I am pretty sure someone could figure out how to fake the sharpie part. ... Which was included in my answer. The question was asked in such a way- "Can someone explain (in terms that an idiot could understand)". So, as I said, The first level of critique will be the overall view of the board with all the things I listed. If it doesn't pass this first test, then it is an obvious FAIL. Aren't all the Pepsi Invader supposed to look like this? If it doesn't look like this from 6-feet away, it is obviously a fake. Then you can look much closer and make sure it is the correct type of chip. Check numbers, date codes, manufacturers, etc. on the chip if you can, whatever. Anyway, it was a pretty good find. I hope you got what you wanted for it. Cheers, -Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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