jane&dan Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Good morning, I have 3 boxes (mint) that say Educator, Entertainer, & Programmer filled with boxes and joysticks. I have a big box of game boxes and another box of games. I have no idea what to do with all of this. I don't know if it works. I've looked up some of the games. I've looked on EBay. Are these systems worth keeping or selling or what? My nephews have expressed an interest in them. Me? Don't know. I had no idea my brother kept our entire childhood in his basement wrapped in plastic. So many fun memories in great condition. So. What the heck do I do with all this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Post some pictures here and we'll be happy to let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Payne Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Yes, they're worth something emotionally to people like us so DO NOT toss it in the trash or hand it over to someone who really doesn't understand the historic value of it. Depending on the condition and state of functionality, some people will pay well to add it to their collection. People here have a good idea of what it is really worth As previous stated, good pics of everything would gives us a good understanding of what you have. Believe it or not but even product boxes are worth something depending on the condition. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 If your nephews have expressed an interest in them, by all means let them learn/play with them... Keep the Fire Burning Baby, Yeah! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Cade Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 (edited) Make sure they actually have interest in learning about them and using them, though, and not just trying to flip them... Actual interest on their part in retro computing is a *really* long shot. Edited June 28, 2015 by R.Cade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane&dan Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 Thank you to all. The boxes are the best part! We used to be antique pickers way before they were famous (and rich) on TV. LOL. I am a bit of a box nut so these boxes quite simply blew me away. Really, I had no idea Danny kept all these things. He took his own life and I've held on to them for memories. He and the wife and friends had this. We are actually old enough to be part of the board games and cap gun generation. I will take pictures and post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Payne Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 If your nephews have expressed an interest in them, by all means let them learn/play with them... Keep the Fire Burning Baby, Yeah! Well......just as long as they won't get damaged. I mean, did you see Karate Kid 1 and 2? Mr. Miyagi gives Danialsan his choice of one classic car from his collection. By the second movie, that car is a wreck. Let's not make the same mistake twice so if the nephew gets close to the computer, "sweeping the leg" is an option. Also, we have a burn ban going on right now so I'm also going to have to say to "No" keep keeping that fire going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizWor Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Good morning, I have 3 boxes (mint) that say Educator, Entertainer, & Programmer filled with boxes and joysticks. I have a big box of game boxes and another box of games. I have no idea what to do with all of this. I don't know if it works. I've looked up some of the games. I've looked on EBay. Are these systems worth keeping or selling or what? My nephews have expressed an interest in them. Me? Don't know. I had no idea my brother kept our entire childhood in his basement wrapped in plastic. So many fun memories in great condition. So. What the heck do I do with all this? I don't think any of this will be of much value to the general public. Those of us who still play with Atari computers do so out of nostalgia. If you or your nephews never played with Atari hardware, you will not likely be impressed by the capability of the hardware or the magic of the games. You can play modern versions of the most popular games on a Fire TV which are much better. We played Radiant this weekend which is an Asteroids meets Galaxian kind of game... However, if owning a 40 year old computer tickles your fancy, this is a pretty good one. It was a pretty great computer when it hit the market. The fact that the hardware still works is amazing -- I can still load 40 year old floppy disks. The games are available in cartridge form as well as images which can be run off modern hardware like SD cards. The CX40 joysticks you inherited will are not very durable. If you actually want to play with this computer, you will want to shop ebay for at least two wico joysticks. Mine still work after a generation of use... The biggest problem you will have is displaying output from these computers. They were designed to run on CRTs. The Light Gun peripheral that comes with the XEGS model will not even work with a modern television. I like the XEGS because the composite out can be used with most of my televisions. If you are not interested and know no one who is, go ahead and sell the stuff on ebay. Someone will be happy to give it a good home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 You can learn a lot about the system on YouTube: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanmercer Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 So. What the heck do I do with all this? Use it, enjoy it, love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanmercer Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Actual interest on their part in retro computing is a *really* long shot. I disagree, my nephew just turned 22 and his peers are all about vintage gaming (one of the people he works with has several arcade cabinets at his house and they all go over there and play them), and pre-teens on up now are all about 8-bit NES era stuff thanks to minecraft. Vintage is cool now. It started with vinyl 5-10 years ago and spread to vintage video game consoles fast. 10 years ago you could get an NES with two original controllers on eBay for 30$ shipped now they'll quickly fetch 50-200$ depending on condition before shipping and via retail sites will go for 80$+. I could totally see some of them being interested in even earlier platforms like the 8-bit Ataris, especially with these video game documentaries that keep coming out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Payne Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Key word, "NES". Ol' skool retro platformers still have and audience but the 8-bit computers we're on their way out at that time. 16-bit systems were there but the PC also started to gain ground in the US for gaming on a computer. So, for the younger retro crowd, it's there. It's just not the hardware we all talk about in this forum. Just cuz it looks retro doesn't mean it's the same thing. Check out Fez and Broforce. Both do a great job of simulating that retro look but there are more colors, effects, and NPC than any retro console could ever produce. I would be interested in getting a forum demographic. My guess is >= 43 is very common but head over to an NES forum and it's much younger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanmercer Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I would be interested in getting a forum demographic. My guess is >= 43 is very common but head over to an NES forum and it's much younger. I'm 30 as of this past March, I'd never owned any atari equipment until last summer at which point I bought up several grand of stuff (I've 3 800xl's, an 800, a 400, a 1200xl, an xe, a half dozenf loppy drives, a drawing tablet, printers, casette drives, modems, homebrew hardware, a dozeni-ish 2600's etc). We had a 2600 in the house when I was 3-5ish but I don't remember ever playing it, I just remember my NES I got in 89 for my birthday although I played a ton of Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Galaga on it which weren't much different than their atari 8-bit computer and 2600 versions. But like I said, my nephew and his late teens/early 20's friends and co-workers are all about vintage arcade cabinets and NES stuff, kinda like in high school me and my friends were all about pinball machines and several of us owned machines (I had a Haunted Mansion, you can see one in the Richard Pryor movie The Toy). Atari stuff also goes for absurd amounts now on shopgoodwill.com (although last summer it's where I got a lot of my stuff and the first month or so I was the only bidder on just about everything). I honestly wouldn't be surprised if teens were interested in Atari 8-bit stuff now, especially after documentaries like Video Games: The Movie. Video Games: The Movie and Halt & Catch Fire's first season are what got me interested in 8-bit computers (prior to those my 386 with Win 3.1 workgroup was the oldest machine I owned and used). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane&dan Posted July 6, 2015 Author Share Posted July 6, 2015 I will try to get the pictures posted soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Payne Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 So, that's where all of the 8-bit Atari stuff went and why I still don't have one for my collection. Well, your nephew is and friends are doing consoles and arcade games. These are computer so I see these having a different interest. You might be the exception. I do go to a local retro computer meet and there are some younger guys but most are kids of the real owners. Without the demographic, we're all just speculating. The real point is that whomever gets this hardware hopefully appreciates it and takes good care of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Usotsuki Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Not much myself an Atari-head, I grew up with the Apple //c, but if it matters, I'm 35. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kogden Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Not much myself an Atari-head, I grew up with the Apple //c, but if it matters, I'm 35. I was late to the 8-bit party as I'm only 33 and didn't get my own computer until Christmas '88 (a 130XE). When the ST scene started to die out I got a Mac Plus and my parents replaced their ST's with Mac II-series machines. I was the opposite, I started in Atari-land and ended up in the Apple camp later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Payne Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Uh oh. Looks like my 30 second attention span has cause a seperate thread to spawn. I'd start a new thread about this communities age demographic but maybe just add your age to your profile. You can make it private but then we could have the admins do an simple SQL query to get an age average. Any reason to write code to answer a question is aces in my book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Z Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Uh oh. Looks like my 30 second attention span has cause a seperate thread to spawn. I'd start a new thread about this communities age demographic but maybe just add your age to your profile. You can make it private but then we could have the admins do an simple SQL query to get an age average. Any reason to write code to answer a question is aces in my book. we've already had this thread somewhere, as a poll... Does no one remember? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Z Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 http://atariage.com/forums/topic/233631-aa-8-bit-user-age-demographics/page-4?hl=%2Buser+%2Bdemographics&do=findComment&comment=3195594 Here it is, by no means complete, but it gives a pretty good representation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwilove Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I think retrogaming or vintage computing / etc is just like vintage cars, or railway enthusiasts etc etc... It is not any different really than them. And those of the younger generation - who are really into their videogames - some of them may/will eventually want to know how did it all start - and rather than it being a boring history lesson or two - can experience so-called classic videogames for themselves. I don't think videogames lose their playability decades later on - but that they'll always have that playability - if they had it in the first place. Though certain games do have that frustrating factor present - in which if you don't have the patience and time to put up with it - are just too hard for most videogame players today. Typically having to repeat a level all over again (and again) - we should have a name/term that describes this more easily. And any videogame designer ought to revisit all the old games - because they can provide marvellous inspiration for possible future projects. Harvey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Cade Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Though certain games do have that frustrating factor present - in which if you don't have the patience and time to put up with it - are just too hard for most videogame players today. Typically having to repeat a level all over again (and again) - we should have a name/term that describes this more easily. I call one of these problems "precision jumping" and I notice it more starting in the Playstation era. Any game where you have to jump very precisely onto different platforms, repeating the same thing over if you fall, is the worst game design failure, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwilove Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I call one of these problems "precision jumping" and I notice it more starting in the Playstation era. Any game where you have to jump very precisely onto different platforms, repeating the same thing over if you fall, is the worst game design failure, in my opinion. I'm of the opinion that anyone designing games for these old videogames/computer systems today - should not have a frustrating gameplay element present - like with getting a jump wrong (or getting shot up) - that you have to repeat the whole level all over again. But that you have a trainer mode present - whereby- you can carry on, from where you left off. Gamers who think this makes it all too easy - should play the regular mode - which doesn't have this feature working. I thought Thrust was great in it's day - but these days - I don't have that kind of patience anymore - and think a Trainer level for this game in particular is very much needed - and while you could finish the trainer mode very quickly and easily - there would always be the regular mode to play through - after finishing the trainer. Harvey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kogden Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 On the thread's original subject..... In the OP's position I wouldn't give my newphews the machine but I'd hook it up and let them play it. I have 3 kids and the 2 younger ones (9 and 12) really enjoy playing some older games on the 400 from time to time. The teenager just laughed and gave me this look like she felt sorry for me as a kid. I have a 48K 400 w/ SIO2SD and Wico sticks. Kid-proof setup w/ a HUGE variety of games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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