84 replies to this topic

[RichG1972]

As most of you know I posted back in 2002 a list of every Atari cartridge I had when I bought my 6 switch Atari that I later restored, well that system is long gone now along with the games, controllers and even my Star-Raiders Video Touch Pad and Video Game Organizer with smoked lid, here is the list of the games I once had and now have to find SOME way of getting them again, I already re-acquired some of the titles locally here but could not find all of them so any help would be greatly appreciated if any of you have any doubles laying around that you can spare to help a fellow Atari enthusiast and longtime member of the board out after all it isn't easy for someone like me who has Cerebral Palsy and is on SSI to do alone and some of you have helped me out a few times already, in fact the Frogger in the list here that I had was donated to me by a board member here but now it's gone thanks to my ex-wife , now onto the list below:

3-D Tic-Tac-Toe
Air Sea Battle
Airlock
Asteroids
Atlantis
Basketball
Berzerk
Bowling (got it again)
Breakout (got it again)
Canyon Bomber
Carnival (got it again)
Casino
Centipede
Chopper Command
Circus Atari
Combat
Cosmic Ark (got it again)
Cosmic Creeps
Defender
Demons To Diamonds
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Junior*
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Enduro
Football
Freeway
Frogger
Grand Prix
Haunted House
Jungle Hunt (got it this year)
Kaboom!
Kangaroo
Keystone Kapers
Krull*
Laser Blast
Maze Craze
Megamania
Missile Command
Moon Patrol
Mouse Trap (got it again)
Ms. Pac-Man
Pac-Man
Phoenix
Pitfall
Q*Bert (got it again)
Riddle Of The Sphinx
Skate Boardin'*
Slot Racers
Solar Fox (got it this year)
Space Invaders
Space Jockey
Space Shuttle*
Space War
Star Raiders
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back*
Starmaster*
Super Breakout
Swordquest
Video Chess
Video Olympics
Video Pinball
Warlords (got it again)
Yars' Revenge*

Edited by RichG1972, Fri May 20, 2011 8:33 AM.

[GroovyBee]

How about getting a Harmony cart? It might work out cheaper in the long run.

[RichG1972]

GroovyBee, on Fri May 20, 2011 8:37 AM, said:

How about getting a Harmony cart? It might work out cheaper in the long run.

Maybe it might but I kinda like switching cartridges myself, plus back then I was also trying to rebuild the collection my father and I started years ago when he first got HIS Atari system and his collection was toasted in a house fire back in 1991, so he lost about half of what he had, but he still has everything controller-wise and the original system even if it is in need of a little TLC to bring it back to life, and before you ask it it intended to stay stock as it has always been all these years because it is my father's system and he is currently not doing well as the doctors have finally told him that his cancer is incurable so the system being left stock is the only thing I'll really have left of him in the long run, but I want to rebuild my collection first, and then his as a fitting tribute to him, and to the fun we had together when I was a kid.  I am 38 now and even if it takes me until I MYSELF am gone, I will rebuild my collection and his no matter how long it may take

[accousticguitar]

I have Pac-Man and Frogger I can donate to the cause.  PM sent.

[RichG1972]

accousticguitar, on Fri May 20, 2011 9:10 AM, said:

I have Pac-Man and Frogger I can donate to the cause.  PM sent.

Much obliged acoustic, I shall return the favor someday for certain perhaps maybe even fix a system for you inj the same manner I did mine for sure

[raskar42]

maybe i missed it, do the asterisks on your list mean you got it already?

[RichG1972]

raskar42, on Fri May 20, 2011 5:22 PM, said:

maybe i missed it, do the asterisks on your list mean you got it already?

Asterisks mean games I had when I was a kid but no longer have, they were belonging to my original 2600 cartridge collection from 1982 to 1986, then I lost those games and I do not have them anymore

[Random Terrain]

RichG1972, on Fri May 20, 2011 8:24 AM, said:

As most of you know . . .

I didn't get the memo.

The cartridges that you collect won't be the same ones that you and your father bonded over. They won't have the same sticky fingerprints or the same coffee stains on the manuals. If none of that matters to you, then you bonded over the games on the screen, and that means the Harmony cartridge should satisfy your needs.

[RichG1972]

Random Terrain, on Fri May 20, 2011 7:42 PM, said:

RichG1972, on Fri May 20, 2011 8:24 AM, said:

As most of you know . . .

I didn't get the memo.

The cartridges that you collect won't be the same ones that you and your father bonded over. They won't have the same sticky fingerprints or the same coffee stains on the manuals. If none of that matters to you, then you bonded over the games on the screen, and that means the Harmony cartridge should satisfy your needs.

To me a harmony cart wouldn't be as much fun, I kinda like having to pull the cart from the slot and switch it, yes it won't be the exact same games but his didn't have fingerprints or anything on them the only thing the new ones will not have are the smoke on the labels from the house fire, I want the games in cartridge form because the cartridges represent the good times my father and I had, and also think about it, you didn't see the look on my father's face when he had to put all those games he spent years buying into a trash bag because they were smoke damaged or melted and he kept a book list of every game he had.  

He said someday he would get them again even if he had to go to flea markets, and with him now having cancer I am gonna continue what he started, to honor him both in life and after his passing, are there none of you that are so close to a parent you would do whatever you could come up with as a fitting tribute to them while they were still around?  Because of what those games, and my father meant to me I have to do it this way, if all of you want to get Harmoney carts that's fine I'll take the games you no longer want off your hands, as I am not a man who takes shortcuts, I don't shortcut or alter anything I prefer to take in all the original scenery and appreciate it for what it is.

[RichG1972]

RichG1972, on Fri May 20, 2011 8:11 PM, said:

Random Terrain, on Fri May 20, 2011 7:42 PM, said:

RichG1972, on Fri May 20, 2011 8:24 AM, said:

As most of you know . . .

I didn't get the memo.

The cartridges that you collect won't be the same ones that you and your father bonded over. They won't have the same sticky fingerprints or the same coffee stains on the manuals. If none of that matters to you, then you bonded over the games on the screen, and that means the Harmony cartridge should satisfy your needs.

To me a harmony cart wouldn't be as much fun, I kinda like having to pull the cart from the slot and switch it, yes it won't be the exact same games but his didn't have fingerprints or anything on them the only thing the new ones will not have are the smoke on the labels from the house fire, I want the games in cartridge form because the cartridges represent the good times my father and I had, and also think about it, you didn't see the look on my father's face when he had to put all those games he spent years buying into a trash bag because they were smoke damaged or melted and he kept a book list of every game he had.  

He said someday he would get them again even if he had to go to flea markets, and with him now having cancer I am gonna continue what he started, to honor him both in life and after his passing, are there none of you that are so close to a parent you would do whatever you could come up with as a fitting tribute to them while they were still around?  Because of what those games, and my father meant to me I have to do it this way, if all of you want to get Harmoney carts that's fine I'll take the games you no longer want off your hands, as I am not a man who takes shortcuts, I don't shortcut or alter anything I prefer to take in all the original scenery and appreciate it for what it is.

I also would like to get a Video Game Organizer like the one I showed in the restoration thread of my 4 switch earlier today, and in all technicality what is the point of an organizer if there isn't anything to organize, that's like getting a house with a garage and no car to put in it.....pointless

[Random Terrain]

RichG1972, on Fri May 20, 2011 8:11 PM, said:

He said someday he would get them again even if he had to go to flea markets, and with him now having cancer I am gonna continue what he started, to honor him both in life and after his passing, are there none of you that are so close to a parent you would do whatever you could come up with as a fitting tribute to them while they were still around?

For me, it's my Mom who played Atari 2600 games with us. She'd crap her pants if she got to have a Harmony cartridge. If the Harmony cartridge would have existed back in the early to mid 1980s, she would have found a way to buy us one. None of us had a desire to move cartridges in and out of the Atari 2600 slot like some kind of subconscious sex act, so we would have been fine with leaving the same cartridge in the slot.

You can do what you want, but I like shortcuts. I'm glad I don't have to hunt for meat, make my own clothing, or poop in the woods and wipe with leaves. Life keeps getting more convenient and more fun to be alive. We don't even have to tie our shoes thanks to Velcro! But like I said, if you like having twigs stuck in your butt crack and spending all day trying to hit wild boar with a spear, have fun.

[RichG1972]

RandomTerrain,

Some people like nostalgia, and some don't.  Some people like to keep their 2600 systems stock where others like the 3 wire composite modifications, its all a matter of personal preference.  I myself prefer the nostalgia of the individual cartridges, plus the look and feel of the different types of cartridges that were produced over the years, which basically shows how inventive, ingenious and resourceful that people were back in the day to brainstorm a variety of cartridge designs.   Tomato To-mah-toe....eh, also I didn't start this thread as a way to promote or flame the Harmony Cart, I just prefer the original games in their original casings rather than copied duplicate on a recordable ROM chip that could eventually wear out over time due to not being to the same specifications as the source ROM, and those recordable chips over time are more prone to degradation than the original ROM chips.  And don't get me started on the Gemstik....those the rubber/plastic boot on them most of the time won't stay under the plastic ring making gameplay almost imppossible, worst stick ever made IMHO

Edited by RichG1972, Fri May 20, 2011 9:06 PM.

[raskar42]

carts have labels and labels are cool

[RichG1972]

raskar42, on Fri May 20, 2011 9:04 PM, said:

carts have labels and labels are cool

Precisely my point, you plug in a new cartridge and you know by the label which game you are playing and so does a person who just walked into the room, on the other hand with a Harmony Cart there are no labels leaving an uneducated onlooker staring at the screen like "WTF?????", plus if the Harmony Cart has multiple games in it there is a list to choose from which relegates the 2600 to nothing more than a paperweight computer with a plug-in emulator

[Random Terrain]

We don't want to turn this from an "I love my Daddy" thread to a "Harmony cartridge is great" thread, but there is another way to think about the things you mentioned:

RichG1972, on Fri May 20, 2011 9:11 PM, said:

. . . you plug in a new cartridge and you know by the label which game you are playing . . .

People like us who play Atari 2600 games can tell what game we're playing just by looking at the screen. We don't have to constantly look down at the cartridge to figure it out. If our memories are so bad that we have to keep looking down at the cartridge to remember, it might be time to drop the joystick before we forget what we're supposed to do with it and end up shoving it up our nose.

RichG1972, on Fri May 20, 2011 9:11 PM, said:

. . . and so does a person who just walked into the room, on the other hand with a Harmony Cart there are no labels leaving an uneducated onlooker staring at the screen like "WTF?????" . . .

A person walking into the room who plays Atari 2600 games wouldn't need to look at the cartridge and an uneducated onlooker wouldn't be able to read the label on the cartridge if you are into nostalgia and play the classic way you are supposed to by sitting on the floor with your legs crossed in front of the Atari 2600 and your face 2 feet or less from the TV screen (blocking the cartridge from their view). Uneducated onlookers would have two choices. They could either shove you out of the way to see the cartridge label or they could ask you what you are playing.

RichG1972, on Fri May 20, 2011 9:11 PM, said:

. . . plus if the Harmony Cart has multiple games in it there is a list to choose from which relegates the 2600 to nothing more than a paperweight computer with a plug-in emulator.

The Harmony cartridge can have whatever games you want to put on it (from one game to just about all of them). Put your favorite games in a folder, put all paddle games in another folder or do whatever your imagination can come up with.

The difference between a Harmony cartridge and an emulator is that the Harmony cartridge gives you the convenience of an emulator but you get the rock-solid quality of a real console. You're playing the real games on a real console, having a real experience. The inconsistent performance of emulators is eliminated.

From what Harmony cartridge owners have posted, it seems a lot of them still collect cartridges, but they play games using the Harmony cart to keep their collection from getting damaged/dirty/sticky/gooey or wet from dumped soft drinks or floods.

I just wanted to point out that you may not want to count out the Harmony cartridge forever. If you'll open your heart and invite the Harmony cart into your life, you'll soon be bubbling over with the love that only the Harmony cartridge can provide and you'll want to spread the word. You'll soon be singing "if Harmony haters don't like it they can sit on a tack, sit on a tack, sit on a tack . . ."

Edited by Random Terrain, Fri May 20, 2011 10:24 PM.

[RichG1972]

Perhaps someday I might get one or I might just leave the emulated ROMs on my computer when I want a quick fix when the TV is being used for other things, eventually though I will have rebuilt my original game library because I want an 80's room in my home someday with all the bells and whistles that made them great, and while I applaud the versatility of the Harmony cart I prefer to do what current gamers do with their XBox360's or their PS3's because they have to switch games which in essence would be construed as a setback because unfortunately those systems do not have and probably never will have the equivalent to a Harmony cart.  

Maybe that's the point of nostalgia though, to be able to enjoy things as they are, to be transported back to a time when this country wasn't about day to day political drama, the skyrocketing prices of gas, oil and cigarettes, transported back to a time when the Harmony cart wasn't even conceptualized when all of us "kids" around my age led simpler lives and cared about nothing other than watching Prince Adam transform into He-Man after school, watching the Autobots "transform and roll out", or watching Voltron form after school, then playing a few games on the Atari before doing their homework, having supper and then playing the Atari even more until bedtime.

You see, doing things the old-school, old-fashioned way helps me to relive a time in my life when things were simpler, a time when I was actually able to walk and wasn't imprisoned in a wheelchair on a day-to-day basis.  When remembering my childhood by playing the games this way with the carts I remember what it was like to walk, and to run which I haven't been able to do in over a year and I find myself missing it, do I want to be able to walk again?  Yes, do I think I will someday.....no.  Not without a bunch of extensive and expensive surgery.

Edited by RichG1972, Fri May 20, 2011 10:41 PM.

[RichG1972]

After reading up on how the Harmony cart works, I have decided just to keep rebuilding my cart collection because my computer is an older one and has no SD card reader, and while I have more than 100 ROMs on my computer currently it is an older system with no reader for SD cards and yes it does have USB ports, but after reading how it works and etc, it's just a wee bit too confusing for me so for the time being I'll stick to collecting carts but thanks for the tip on the Harmony carts though it is appreciated but I doubt Harmony carts were meant for people with partial brain damage to try to understand.  Heck I don't even bother with most MODERN gaming systems because they are decked out like an aircraft dashboard.....mission control for criminy's sake, too many buttons to keep track of.  

Edited by RichG1972, Fri May 20, 2011 10:54 PM.

[Schizophretard]

I have a little more than partial brain damage(some genetic and some from once being a teenager) and I figured out the Harmony Cart right away. I downloaded Rom Hunter's collection, inserted the SD card, clicked copy then paste into the SD card, waited about 5 minutes for it to copy, put SD card into Harmony Cart, and BAM DONE! It was almost as easy as Random Terrain putting on his pocket protector, suspenders, and Velcro shoes. It is definitely easier than refurbishing an Atari.

I see your point though. You want the carts for a similar reason that I recently bought a 1978 Sony Trinitron for my Atari. You want the closest you can come to traveling to the past without having to wait until the 2030s for General Electric to invent the first time machine. You collect and play according to your standards to go back to the Garden of Eden days of your childhood. I respect that and can relate.

I see Random Terrain's points too. I collect the carts but use the Harmony Cart for the convenience of not pulling them in and out and to keep my carts safe in their Ziploc type bags. I can enjoy the games as they were because it is NOT emulation and I can enjoy my mini museum of beautiful carts.

I understand how the Harmony Cart doesn't fit with trying to get as close to my past as possible but you using a RF/RCA connector instead of a switch box and upgraded gold PCBs probably weren't part of your past either. We both take a little bit of the present back with us and there is nothing wrong with that. It is better to keep Atari alive in the present than let it die in the past.

[RichG1972]

Schizophretard, on Sat May 21, 2011 2:11 AM, said:

I have a little more than partial brain damage(some genetic and some from once being a teenager) and I figured out the Harmony Cart right away. I downloaded Rom Hunter's collection, inserted the SD card, clicked copy then paste into the SD card, waited about 5 minutes for it to copy, put SD card into Harmony Cart, and BAM DONE! It was almost as easy as Random Terrain putting on his pocket protector, suspenders, and Velcro shoes. It is definitely easier than refurbishing an Atari.

I see your point though. You want the carts for a similar reason that I recently bought a 1978 Sony Trinitron for my Atari. You want the closest you can come to traveling to the past without having to wait until the 2030s for General Electric to invent the first time machine. You collect and play according to your standards to go back to the Garden of Eden days of your childhood. I respect that and can relate.

I see Random Terrain's points too. I collect the carts but use the Harmony Cart for the convenience of not pulling them in and out and to keep my carts safe in their Ziploc type bags. I can enjoy the games as they were because it is NOT emulation and I can enjoy my mini museum of beautiful carts.

I understand how the Harmony Cart doesn't fit with trying to get as close to my past as possible but you using a RF/RCA connector instead of a switch box and upgraded gold PCBs probably weren't part of your past either. We both take a little bit of the present back with us and there is nothing wrong with that. It is better to keep Atari alive in the present than let it die in the past.

The reason I have to use the RCA connector is simply because right now I am having difficulty locating an OEM switch box like what was originally packaged with the Atari, if I had one I would indeed be using it, plus I got the gold PCB's because of the availability of the original ones becoming scarce.  But the carts are still out there and readily available, all I am asking is if there are people out there who (A) have duplicates laying around that they don't want, or games that they have in their inventory that they don't want/like anymore I would gladly take them off their hands and welcome them as part of my own collection.

I still have the pieces I pulled from my Atari and I gotta say if you saw the looks of them you would lose your lunch, its a good thing I did what I did WHEN I did it otherwise any longer being the way it was it likely would have blown up before too long

[zylon]

RichG1972, on Sat May 21, 2011 9:57 AM, said:

The reason I have to use the RCA connector is simply because right now I am having difficulty locating an OEM switch box like what was originally packaged with the Atari, if I had one I would indeed be using it, plus I got the gold PCB's because of the availability of the original ones becoming scarce.  But the carts are still out there and readily available, all I am asking is if there are people out there who (A) have duplicates laying around that they don't want, or games that they have in their inventory that they don't want/like anymore I would gladly take them off their hands and welcome them as part of my own collection.

I still have the pieces I pulled from my Atari and I gotta say if you saw the looks of them you would lose your lunch, its a good thing I did what I did WHEN I did it otherwise any longer being the way it was it likely would have blown up before too long

I have some of those switchboxes around. They can still be found new, though getting tougher. The original joystick PCB's are still good most of the time. I just clean them and put new dome switches on them. I like the 4-leg ones better. Usually, I bundle unwanted or not scrap worthy games with systems, but I'll keep you in mind.
I like to sit on the floor in front of the tv with my Atari and a shoebox of carts at my side. The good old days...

Edited by zylon, Sat May 21, 2011 11:07 AM.

[Atarist 2600]

I agree with zylon, i can't sit in front of a LCD tv while it fries my eyes out playing a PS3. I like collecting reese's pieces while a FBI dude comes and steals them Edit: i can't sit 2 feet in front of a LCD tv while it fries my eyes AND gives me a seizure.

Edited by Atarist 2600, Sat May 21, 2011 12:09 PM.

[toiletunes]

I can spare a few common dupes, pm me.

[potatohead]

Nothing wrong with old school.  I like carts too, and have both.  When I show the machine off, people like the carts.  If I put those, and the harmony out there, they will generally futz around with both, using the carts more than I would expect.

There is something pretty great about plugging them in, pulling them out, and looking at the cool labels.

I've a stash, and I can part with some of it, but it will take me a bit to get it out and pick through.  PM me with your details.  I'm sure I can find some carts to get "the love" represented proper.  They sit around much of the time anyway.  Can't think of a better reason to get them into more regular service.

I lost a ton of stuff in a forced move, due to a thief.  Fucker.  Still have not replaced my old 7800, though I did find boards, currently with Batari for development / testing.  No shells.  Did replace my sixer and somebody gave me a nice 800 XL, so it's progressing.  The carts were never taken.  Computer, disks, lots of stuff gone.  I feel for you big.  Hate that kind of thing. Getting the 800XL kind of makes me want to pay it forward!

Pester me, if you don't get a reply back.  I am happy to send you some carts, but I might get busy, and this needs to happen.  

[RichG1972]

Heck back in the day when my father first bought HIS Atari 2600 4 switch woodgrain, we kids only got to play it every summer as we didn't have one of our own until the all black version came out, and HE had to switch the cartridge or his girlfriend, WE were not allowed to do it because he didn't think us old enough or responsible enough and he had a rule, after we ate we washed up immediately or we didn't play.  I still employ that rule, plus I still use what he did back in the day a green Mead 3 subject notebook to keep score of each game and which difficulty/game level it was played on written in the book.

But what really made those days special was me sitting at the Atari with my Dad sipping on a bottle of yoo-hoo, the older bottle style with the beer bottle design influences including cap, and a Mars candy bar while playing (my hands never touched the candy itself so it was cool, plus I only ate them when it was his turn then used a Diaperene wipe on my hands lol....oh the memories!

Now if only I could find one of these:

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by RichG1972, Sat May 21, 2011 2:21 PM.

[RichG1972]

To give an idea of how close I think I am coming to regaining all the games my father had before the fire that he lost a majority of, and no I don't really care about the label condition, here is the complete list I dug up of every last game he owned completely from memory because I played them so often it is impossible to NOT remember every last one he had and compared to HIS inventory list it makes mine look like an Atari snack, the ones that do not say Got Again are the ones I am currently missing to complete the exact collection he had that I grew up with:

3-D Tic-Tac-Toe
Adventure
Alien
Air Sea Battle
Airlock
Amidar
Asteroids
Atlantis
Barnstorming
Basketball
Beany Bopper
Bermuda Triangle
Berzerk
Blackjack
Blueprint
Bowling* (got again)
Boxing
Breakout (got again)
Bugs
Canyon Bomber
Carnival (got again)
Casino
Centipede
Challenge of Nexar
Chopper Command
Circus Atari
Combat*
Congo Bongo
Cosmic Ark* (got again)
Cosmic Creeps
Crystal Castles
Dark Cavern
Deadly Duck
Defender
Demons To Diamonds
Demon Attack
Dodge 'Em
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Junior*
Dragster
Dragonfire
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Encounter At L-5
Enduro
Football
Fantastic Voyage
Fire Fighter
Freeway
Frogger
Frogs N Flies
Galaxian
Gangster Alley
GI Joe Cobra Strike
Gopher
Gorf
Grand Prix
Haunted House
Human Cannonball
Infiltrate
I Want My Mommy
Jungle Hunt
Kaboom!
Kangaroo
Keystone Kapers
Kool-Aid Man
Krull*
Laser Blast
Lock N Chase
Lost Luggage
M.A.S.H.
Maze Craze
Megamania
Midnight Magic
Missile Command
Moon Patrol
Mountain King
Mouse Trap* (got again)
Ms. Pac-Man
Name This Game
Night Driver
No Escape
Othello
Outlaw
Picnic
Piece O' Cake
Pac-Man*
Phoenix
Pitfall
Pooyan
Q*Bert (got again)
Quick Step
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Reactor
Revenge Of The Beefsteak Tomatoes
Riddle Of The Sphinx
Seaquest
Shootin' Gallery
Skate Boardin'*
Skiing
Sky Diver
Sky Jinks
Sky Skipper
Slot Racers
Solar Fox
Sorcerer's Apprentice
Space Attack
Space Cavern
Space Invaders
Space Jockey*
Space Shuttle*
Space War*
Spider Fighter
Spikes Peak/Ghost Manor
Squeeze Box
SSSnake
Star Raiders*
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back*
Star Wars: Jedi Arena
Starmaster*
Street Racer
Super Breakout*
Superman
Surround
Swordquest
Taz
Tunnel Runner
Turmoil
Tutankham
Threshold
Vanguard
Venture
Video Checkers
Video Pinball
Warlords* (got again)
Warplock
Wizard Of Wor
Word Zapper
Worm War I
Yars' Revenge*
Zaxxon

Edited by RichG1972, Sat May 21, 2011 4:22 PM.