Homebreviews - part 26

Video Game Reviews

Entry posted by Nathan Strum November 22, 2008

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I never reviewed this one, but I meant to...

AtariVox USB Interface
4/5

The AtariVox USB Interface allows you to hook up an AtariVox Speech Synthesizer to your computer via USB cable. This is absolutely essential for developing AtariVox speech and sounds for Atari 2600 homebrews. The interface lets you use programs like Phrase-A-Lator to develop your audio and be able to hear it played directly through the AtariVox. Perhaps even more important - it allows the AtariVox to work with emulators, and gives you a way to test your audio code without the hassle of having to upload a new binary to a real 2600 every time you make a change.

The interface is easy to set up, once you download and install the proper driver for it. Just plug the interface into your computer with a USB cable, plug an AtariVox into the interface, then hook up a spare pair of computer speakers to the AtariVox. The interface was made in limited quantities, and is available only through the AtariVox's developer, Richard Hutchinson. Nothing is included with it - no manual, drivers, USB cable or of course, the AtariVox itself. You also have to have a dedicated set of speakers for the AtariVox (unless you build a mixer for use with a line-level amplifier), and if you have only one AtariVox, you'll have to move it back and forth between your computer and the 2600. But the AtariVox USB Interface does exactly what it's supposed to do: it allows an AtariVox to work with your computer. If you're a programmer, it is absolutely well-worth having; and if you're programming for the AtariVox (or the VecVox for the Vectrex) it's indispensable. If you're a non-programmer, you'd be better off just playing AtariVox-enhanced games on a real 2600, rather than adding the extra hardware and speakers to your computer. The ideal product would be to have an all-in-one USB/AtariVox, with an integrated mixer to send audio from both the computer and the AtariVox into a single set of speakers; but that's probably not practical to build on this kind of scale. The AtariVox is a cool addition to the world of the 2600, and hopefully the AtariVox USB Interface will encourage more programmers to add its features to their games.

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