CDS Games Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Been toying with an idea lately and thought I'd throw it out to see if it was worth pursuing or too dumb to waste more time on. Basically it involves upgrading common VCS carts via bankswitching to add levels, variations, and other functionalities that weren't in the original: like a 4-screen Donkey Kong for example (see my hack here). The original PCB would be swapped out for a new one with added memory (8k or higher), and a brand new sticker would be slapped on it. Alternatively, I suppose, this all could be done as an upgrade kit, where you can order a PCB and a sticker and assemble it yourself from your commons. There are quite a few games that I think could benefit from something like this: Combat (more scenarios), Venture (level 3), Wizard of Wor (more levels), Superman (different heroes), Adventure, etc. Why not just go the traditional homebrew route? Mainly I want to spare myself the trouble of acquiring donor carts. Also, I just like the idea of cart designs blending seamlessly into your stacks of vintage ones, like Al's beautiful Coleco-style Turbo and Lady Bug. Does this all sound like something folks would be interested in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 would there be a way to switch between classic and upgraded modes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Cool idea, but largely already exists in the form of hacks found here and elsewhere. AND I personally wouldn't want to send in any of my originals to have their innards and labels messed with. That said, if you produced finished/polished hacks like your excellent DK Lost Levels and they're on a level of quality that the AtariAge store provides, I'd be in to purchase them. Just wouldn't want to send my originals in for a swap out. And/or you could also offer the ROM's on a budget for play in Harmony, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hizzy Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 I'd buy pre-modded carts, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+swlovinist Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 I am interested in this service, and would like to know all that you can do plus prices. PM sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Price is the kicker here, if it's cheap I'm sure you will get loads of interest...if it costs more than just buying a hack/etc then probably not much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMPXANDER Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 I would definitely check out carts ready-to-go, but I would not want to be hunting down more Atari carts just to send in for modification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkMines Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 That would be great! Then I could send out one of my 5 Donkey Kongs to the slaughter to become a better version of itself. Only problem would be the price. Anything more than $10 and I'd rather just spend the extra money to buy a hack on the AtariAge store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDS Games Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 Thanks all for the comments! Lots of good points...sounds like I may be trying to reinvent the wheel here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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