Collecting for the 2600+

[shane857]

16 minutes ago, Maq said:

New delights via the UK, USA and France

Nice. I have only Frankenstein's Monster 👍

[shane857]

Bought this earlier. I remember playing the C64 version and enjoyed it.

I have never played the 7800 version so looking forward to playing it...

 

[JetmanUK]

36 minutes ago, Maq said:

New delights via the UK, USA and France

Woah! Track & Field. Very nice.

[JetmanUK]

14 minutes ago, shane857 said:

Bought this earlier. I remember playing the C64 version and enjoyed it.

I have never played the 7800 version so looking forward to playing it...

 

I have mixed feelings on this one. It's kinda clunky and has terrible sound, but for some reason I quite like it. I think it's because I have nostalgia for the ZX Spectrum version, Nebulus.

[tradyblix]

On 7/25/2024 at 12:44 PM, JetmanUK said:

Yeah, I hate those. 💁🏻🤷🏻 The CX40 is the formative years of gaming controllers. 🤟🏻

This is a thread on the 2600 series of consoles. 😋

the CX40 is an iconic controller no doubt. But perhaps unlike some folks, I actually used in it in the early 80s. It sucked then, it sucks now, and we have better options. 

 

I kept my CX40+ as purely a desk ornament and don't regret it. 

[JetmanUK]

29 minutes ago, tradyblix said:

the CX40 is an iconic controller no doubt. But perhaps unlike some folks, I actually used in it in the early 80s. It sucked then, it sucks now, and we have better options. 

 

I kept my CX40+ as purely a desk ornament and don't regret it. 

I used my CX-40 from under five years old on the VCS, all through 8 bit computers (Spectrum and C64) right until I got a SNES at launch!  I later got a Mega drive too and was excted to see the nine pin connector again. I still think it's a great stick to this day. 

 

On the 2600 Plus and my s-video modded woody I use a CX-40 and a Trooper. Nice to mix it up, also feels less of a waste of money when I buy the alternatives, I make myself use them. I like them, but I always come back to the CX-40. I guess it was just how I learnt to game, it's engrained in my gaming. 

 

What do you use with your 2600 Plus?

Edited July 26 by JetmanUK

[Ripweade]

Fresh in today, I just got Spider Fighter, Realsports Tennis, and Bump N Jump.  Tomorrow comes Gyruss!

 

It's fun getting some new titles but dang the prices have jumped!  I spent $25 for Gyruss mostly because I had the arcade machine and I tried the 2600 version on Stella and found it to be a very good port.

[JetmanUK]

6 minutes ago, Ripweade said:

Fresh in today, I just got Spider Fighter, Realsports Tennis, and Bump N Jump.  Tomorrow comes Gyruss!

 

It's fun getting some new titles but dang the prices have jumped!  I spent $25 for Gyruss mostly because I had the arcade machine and I tried the 2600 version on Stella and found it to be a very good port.

Yeah some games are crazy prices now. I buy mostly loose carts and have many that are not in great condition, just to keep the price down at purchase. Some I've just bit the bullet as I've wanted them and life's too short, enjoy your life and your games. Plus it's a nice pile of plastic to leave to my daughter. She can sell them all. 🤷🏻🤣

[+Intellivision Master]

I have a loose Activision game on the way.  I'll post a photo when it arrives.

[JetmanUK]

41 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

I have a loose Activision game on the way.  I'll post a photo when it arrives.

Did somebody say Activision?

 

A CIB copy and a box/manual only entered my house today. I previously only had these two as loose NTSC carts.

 

Welcome to Activision's second best game, and one of my favourites overall, Seaquest. A CIB PAL copy to go alongside my loose NTSC cart. These early version Activision manuals are really nice. Such a shame that their manuals became less pretty and then less pretty again, ending up a black and white pamphlet.

 

I also now have CIB (kinda) Spider Fighter, an underrated game with really good colourful sprites. I love this artwork! It feels very Ultimate Play The Game/RARE.

My NTSC cart now has a home inside a PAL box. I don't mind this, although it will probably upset some.

 

It's been nice finding some reasonably priced CIB and boxes recently, I have been quite lucky. Still lots of crazy sellers out there.

Edited July 27 by JetmanUK

[tradyblix]

15 hours ago, JetmanUK said:

I used my CX-40 from under five years old on the VCS, all through 8 bit computers (Spectrum and C64) right until I got a SNES at launch!  I later got a Mega drive too and was excted to see the nine pin connector again. I still think it's a great stick to this day. 

 

On the 2600 Plus and my s-video modded woody I use a CX-40 and a Trooper. Nice to mix it up, also feels less of a waste of money when I buy the alternatives, I make myself use them. I like them, but I always come back to the CX-40. I guess it was just how I learnt to game, it's engrained in my gaming. 

 

What do you use with your 2600 Plus?

I found a pretty cool seller on etsy, guy that goes by the name of BDRetroMods. He makes some bespoke arcade style controllers I've been enjoying at a price point that doesn't break the bank. I have a 2 button 7800 controller, a 3 button controller for space invaders and horizontal movement only games like galaga, galaxian, Phoenix, demon attack etc, And just because I love asteroids so much, I have a five button asteroids controller that mimics the arcade setup.

 

I also have some hyperkin ranger controllers which are pretty good, I really like the micro switches they use for the stick. but I don't use them now because they are 2600 controllers and I like to switch between the 2600 and 7800 games without worrying about it.

 

Also, got some 7800 nes style gamepad controllers, which came in handy because I had to use them with asteroids deluxe to trigger the code lol.

 

I got those before the availability of the CX78+. I don't really use them though, because I just don't really like the feel of them compared to having a real joystick and some nice arcade happ style buttons. I will say that gamepads might be better in some games That require very quick movement direction change like ms pac man.

 

I have a local arcade that I go to often to play a lot of the arcade versions of these games, so that probably influences me.

 

I just, there's something about the feel of arcade buttons to me, that I really love. They have a real springiness to them. I feel like that's half the experience is just the way the controls feel.

 

The problem I've always had with the original controller, Is that the joystick is really stiff and you don't get very good movement on certain games, That require fast movement. It's always felt kind of sluggish to me.

 

It's just, you have to push too hard. Pretty much no other joysticks evee made behave like that. It's just that controller. I had used a New old stock Wico commader for a while that I really enjoyed, Which has a more traditional joystick feel. That's also from the same time period so it's a pretty cool controller. But I ended up losing it.

 

I have certainly had my skin around my thumb webbing on my hand peeling off from CX40 in the past, and I just don't want to go back to that.

 

I remember being frustrated in many games because of that original controller. Since I stopped using it for the 2600 years ago many of my scores improved.

 

Everyone should, of course, use what they want. But I would encourage people that have never actually tried different controllers to go out there and experiment.

[+Intellivision Master]

8 minutes ago, tradyblix said:

I found a pretty cool seller on etsy, guy that goes by the name of BDRetroMods.

That's the guy I got my twin stick from.  I use it to play Robotron 2084.  It's well made and it works great.  I really like it.

 

10 minutes ago, tradyblix said:

The problem I've always had with the original controller, Is that the joystick is really stiff and you don't get very good movement on certain games, That require fast movement.

I prefer the Trooper joystick.  Using a stiff joystick is like a stiff d-pad.  

[tradyblix]

3 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

That's the guy I got my twin stick from.  I use it to play Robotron 2084.  It's well made and it works great.  I really like it.

 

I prefer the Trooper joystick.  Using a stiff joystick is like a stiff d-pad.  

Oh good, i'm glad that someone was able to confirm that it is better than the cx40(+?)

 

The only thing about the trooper is that I kinda wish they had made it in a seventy eight hundred variant, because seventy eight hundred tends to be generally backwards compatible with twenty six hundred.... And on this system I have a lot of seventy eight hundred games.

 

Or you know, have a toggle switch on it to go between modes. But of course, they could never anticipate the twenty six hundred plus being released.

Edited July 27 by tradyblix

[tradyblix]

Oh, and since I was replying to another topic about this similar subject, I  also have that twin stick and use it for:

 

Raiders (second controller moves menu)

Spy hunter (secondary weapon oil slick/smokescreen)

Defender II (inviso/smart bomb)

Robotron (naturally).

 

Let me know if you have any others that you've tried it with that it's useful for.

 

It just occurred to me that you could play a two player game by yourself if you were really inclined. 😄

Edited July 27 by tradyblix

[+Intellivision Master]

40 minutes ago, tradyblix said:

Oh, and since I was replying to another topic about this similar subject, I  also have that twin stick and use it for:

 

Raiders (second controller moves menu)

Spy hunter (secondary weapon oil slick/smokescreen)

Defender II (inviso/smart bomb)

Robotron (naturally).

 

Let me know if you have any others that you've tried it with that it's useful for.

 

It just occurred to me that you could play a two player game by yourself if you were really inclined. 😄

I haven't tried the twin stick with any other game.  I would have to experiment using it with other games to see what works. 

[shane857]

Won this on auction earlier for only £20/$25. Been meaning to get a copy, so couldn't let this pass by.

Opening that seal thou when it arrives...

 

[JetmanUK]

6 minutes ago, shane857 said:

Won this on auction earlier for only £20/$25. Been meaning to get a copy, so couldn't let this pass by.

Opening that seal thou when it arrives...

 

Very nice! Rip that bad boy straight open! 

This was my only paddle game as a kid, as far as I remember anyway. 

[MrChickenz]

3 hours ago, Intellivision Master said:

I have a loose Activision game on the way.  I'll post a photo when it arrives.

Can’t wait to see what you ordered!

 

[MrChickenz]

2 hours ago, JetmanUK said:

Did somebody say Activision?

 

A CIB copy and a box/manual only entered my house today. I previously only had these two as loose NTSC carts.

 

Welcome to Activision's second best game, and one of my favourites overall, Seaquest. A CIB PAL copy to go alongside my loose NTSC cart. These early version Activision manuals are really nice. Such a shame that their manuals became less pretty and then less pretty again, ending up a black and white pamphlet.

 

I also now have CIB (kinda) Spider Fighter, an underrated game with really good colourful sprites. I love this artwork! It feels very Ultimate Play The Game/RARE.

My NTSC cart now has a home inside a PAL box. I don't mind this, although it will probably upset some.

 

It's been nice finding some reasonably priced CIB and boxes recently, I have been quite lucky. Still lots of crazy sellers out there.

Very nice picks!

 

2 hours ago, JetmanUK said:

My NTSC cart now has a home inside a PAL box. I don't mind this, although it will probably upset some.

Get that cart out of there! The colors are gonna run! 🤣

[MrChickenz]

1 hour ago, tradyblix said:

Everyone should, of course, use what they want. But I would encourage people that have never actually tried different controllers to go out there and experiment.

I find certain controllers work really well with certain games. My high scores improved with a specific controller depending on what game I’m playing.

[MrChickenz]

21 minutes ago, shane857 said:

Won this on auction earlier for only £20/$25. Been meaning to get a copy, so couldn't let this pass by.

Opening that seal thou when it arrives...

 

I found a CIB of Warlords at my local game store, used but excellent condition. I still had my loose cartridge from way back and played a lot back then so I couldn’t pass it up myself.

[+Fred_M]

This is my collection of 2600 and 7800 games 😃 so far. Luckily I purchased most of them many many years ago when no one was interested in old Atari games 😉

 

 

 

 

[shane857]

1 hour ago, Fred_M said:

This is my collection of 2600 and 7800 games 😃 so far. Luckily I purchased most of them many many years ago when no one was interested in old Atari games 😉

 

 

 

 

That is one seriously awesome collection bro! 💪🏻

[Brad_from_the_80s]

Yer jealous.

 

 

As for venerable CX-40, I like it in general, but I especially like it in something like Pole Position.  Instead of a stick or pad that bottoms out, you just get increasing resistance and you get a feel for how much of it to engage to zoom around a curve or swerve around another car.  I don't know how else to describe other than once you get the hang of it, it's fun to use.  And I originally used CX-40 eternity ago as well and they hurt and frustrated my young hands, but now I enjoy using it on these old games.  I think it's just a matter of time spent and muscle memory.

[+sramirez2008]

2 hours ago, Fred_M said:

This is my collection of 2600 and 7800 games 😃 so far. Luckily I purchased most of them many many years ago when no one was interested in old Atari games 😉

 

 

 

 

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.