SoundGammon Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 There are some cool looking games for it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 I'd actually like to find out if those CX40 knockoffs with the pistol grips can be found separately from the system. Have an idea for a controller that I'd like to test out and those could potentially be exactly what I've been looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supergun Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 I’m confused by this unit. The screenshots on the box are at least NES or later. No way in hell are they 2600 graphics. Although the box says “2600 compatible” and the system appears to have a 2600 cartridge port. What is it exactly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubledown Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 21 minutes ago, Supergun said: I’m confused by this unit. The screenshots on the box are at least NES or later. No way in hell are they 2600 graphics. Although the box says “2600 compatible” and the system appears to have a 2600 cartridge port. What is it exactly? From what I've seen, basically exactly what you describe. It has built in games from "newer" types of systems (newer than the 2600, not sure if they're legit games or unknown pirates), but also has a 2600 cartridge slot, for 2600 games. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 These are a known quantity, and not worth the $140 one eBay seller is asking - or the $50 on top of that to ship it from Croatia. Not gonna link the auction, but it's easy enough to find. IIRC, they date from about the early- to mid-1990s, and were generally found in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Some had functional cartridge ports, some didn't (unless I'm confusing it with a different clone). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_79 Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 (edited) I'm pretty sure that those screenshots (and the number of built-in games) is just false advertising. Those are 2600 clones, with a number of pirated games installed (typically 128, 256 or 512), mostly badly converted to PAL from the NTSC versions and therefore showing wrong colors. They were sold with different brands and names (probably from the same few manufacturers). Here in Italy, I remember seeing them for cheap in the toy aisles of supermarkets and malls in the mid to late '90s, before being replaced by famiclones. I have a couple of them, boxed, which I bought locally for cheap (less than 10 EUR) a few years ago. They're not really worth more than that, IMO. But, if you happen to get one for cheap, it is worth checking the installed games, as you might get lucky and find some interesting one not yet dumped. 10 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said: I'd actually like to find out if those CX40 knockoffs with the pistol grips can be found separately from the system. Have an idea for a controller that I'd like to test out and those could potentially be exactly what I've been looking for. Just like the consoles, those joystick are cheap and low quality. Good luck trying to hit diagonals with any precision using them. Look at those "switches"! Edited March 10, 2023 by alex_79 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhd Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 And threads like this are why I love AtariAge! No matter how obscure the hardware, someone will have some detailed information to share about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 That's cool. I do like those joysticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 (edited) 20 minutes ago, TrekMD said: That's cool. I do like those joysticks. The look cool, but... I have a Rambo console too, but only with built-in Atari 2600 games. The packaging (also) has Arabian text. It looks like this: Edited March 10, 2023 by Thomas Jentzsch 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 You guys have all the cool consoles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 5 hours ago, alex_79 said: Just like the consoles, those joystick are cheap and low quality. Good luck trying to hit diagonals with any precision using them. Agreed - they did not look like quality items However: 5 hours ago, alex_79 said: Look at those "switches"! Yup, they're pretty terrible. The photos also confirmed what I suspected, which is that they basically slip over a standard (but slightly modified) CX40-style stick. Thanks for the photos - they confirmed one item I want to stay away from for this project. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_79 Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 19 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said: The photos also confirmed what I suspected, which is that they basically slip over a standard (but slightly modified) CX40-style stick. Actually, the shaft is shorter and has a different shape compared to a cx40. So you'd need to modify it quite a lot to make it fit. Also note that there's no rubber boot here, as it's all part of the top half of the shell, made of (cheap) hard plastic. Even the feet are part of the mold! This one is from another clone console and while similar in construction, it's better made. Not good, but it's at least usable. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 On 3/10/2023 at 11:20 AM, alex_79 said: Just like the consoles, those joystick are cheap and low quality. Good luck trying to hit diagonals with any precision using them. Look at those "switches"! In the picture, it looks like the joystick directions are not at a 90° angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_79 Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 1 hour ago, Thomas Jentzsch said: In the picture, it looks like the joystick directions are not at a 90° angle. Not surprising. They surely didn't require tight tolerances. If it (sort of) worked, then it was good enough! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_79 Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 I've been asked via PM about the console that came with the red joystick I posted above. I just reply here in case someone else is interested. The console is labeled "Diablo 128" and, apart for the weird color scheme, is no different from the other 4-switch clones mentioned in this thread. It has 128 games built in. It was sold in Italy, and both the box and the console control panel has Italian text. The following pictures are from on-line auctions, as I only own the joysticks and not the console itself. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 3 hours ago, alex_79 said: Actually, the shaft is shorter and has a different shape compared to a cx40. So you'd need to modify it quite a lot to make it fit. Oof. Yeah, I see what you mean. I was actually thinking of using this standalone for something other than the CX40, but there's absolutely no way I would touch that with a bargepole 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Atari2600PAL Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 By chance, earlier this week, I got given one of these pistol grip CX40 rip offs, but it didn't work properly Opened it up and found a section of the plastic that pushes down the metal contacts was broken off But when I saw how the joystick is constructed internally, it just went in the bin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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