NoahsMyBro

I'm guessing your TV is producing the blue screen, not the 5200. Some TVs will display a blue screen and no volume when they don't have a signal, rather than displaying and sounding static. Check that your TV is on channel 2 or 3, and try moving the channel selector switch on the back of the 5200. The clicking sound you hear when turning the 5200 on is probably the relay in the switchbox changing from TV to GAME. Good Luck, Steve

I received my copy last week. I haven't had a chance to open it up yet, but to be honest I haven't really tried to find time for it, as it's assumedly for 2-4 players, and I have no second player to play against.

Well, I can't say what the problem IS, but I can tell you that the 2 port 5200 will work just fine with the switchbox used for the 2600 & 7800, and that is not your problem.

Are you playing for longevity, or points? I play for points, if for no other reason than to get as many extra lives as I can. Consequently, I try to hit [em]every[/em] single power-up that comes down. Each one is 1000 points. AND, if you keep shooting while a power up is coming down, you destroy bricks that could possibly have released another power up for another 1000 points. If you keep multiple balls in play, you also forfeit any additional opportunities. I guess I'm going on to a ridiculous length for such a silly matter, but really, it just seems far better to me to go for every single power up you can find. Steve

I think you're joking, or a really bad troll, but to give you the benefit of the doubt, and consider you might just be young or naive about older videogames, those are controller keypad overlays for the Intellivision, a system released by Mattel shortly after the Atari, in an attempt to compete against the VCS powerhouse.

OK, a few of you wanted to see pics of Thrust+, so I've posted some on my less-than-mediocre website. I'm about as skilled a photographer as I am a webpage designer, so don't expect anything approaching professional quality visuals, but to view the pics go to: http://64.81.193.244, select the 'Videogames' link, and there should be a link to view the Thrust+ pictures right near the top of the page. And for those of you that think my webpage sucks, A) you're right, & B) I didn't use Front Page; I pretty much did it myself, so cut me a little slack.

I don't understand how any of you could possibly dislike Starmaster. I remember being more disappointed by 2600 Star Raiders than I was for ET or Defender. Starmaster, on the other hand, was 2600 Star Raiders the way it should/could have been! It was as true and ideal a representation of Star Raiders as could have been done on the 2600. I loved it! As for my least favorite Activision title, that would have to be Boxing, although I must admit I haven't played any of their later titles yet.

Don't believe us? I can take some pics and get them posted tonight. Steve

I received my copy yesterday, #4. It is missing the end label on the cartridge itself, but other than that it's perfect. The packing was top-notch and the inner box took no damage at all. Was the game supposed to have an end-label? Can't wait to try it out this weekend! Steve

Sorry, I haven't yet found the time to look at it, but I have been feeling very, very guilty about that almost every single night. (Honestly. Picture an embarrassed, shamed boy with a sheepish grin & that's me right now.) I'll start printing sections out and reading them each night, beginning today. Steve

Al & Al: I found 2 problems with the AA site & Combat II this morning: 1) I didn't win! & 2) Due to the crushing defeat in the contest, I decided I wanted to buy the cartridge. Much to my disappointment, I was unable to submit the order using my web browser, Opera 5.12. Each time I tried, with Java enabled, trying out Browser IDs of all sorts (Opera, IE, Mozilla), I was shown a page stating that I had not filled in all of the required fields. Actually, I had filled out all of the fields; something just wasn't working properly. SO, I had to resort to launching IE to order the game. If you can fix that by the next time I order something that would be terrific. Thanks, Steve

The only ones I recognized were #6 - Donkey Kong, and I also thought the image of the trees looked like the old Windows 95 wallpaper. As for the post #, I'm going to guess 42.

Well, with the power attached to the switchbox, and the console plugged in to the switchbox, +9-11 volts is on the center conductor of the cable, and ground is on the outside conductor of the cable. I'd assume that you could just send +9v to the center post of the cable and ground on the outer ring, and see if the systme powers up. Of course I'd recommend you be VERY careful that the wires don't cross and that you don't mix up which is ground. And the standard disclaimer applies: I'm just winging this, I'm not certified, I'm not a trained electrician or repairman, and anything or anybody that is damaged or injured based on this advice is completely not my responsibility. Steve

Sorry - I wanted to not post the answers like that, but I didn't want somebody else to beat me to the punch either. I'll go have a look at the new batch, and more than likely I won't have a clue for these. Here goes nothing....

You probably should have renamed the image files. Obviously I haven't guessed the systems, so I'll have to forfeit the prizes to somebody else, but the only ones I knew from the pictures were Tempest and Punch Out (Super Punch Out?) Steve

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 Castlevania Symphony of the Night Joust Punch Out Tempest

As I've already said repeatedly, I just want to get my FIRST cart & book, as well as my copy of Thrust+ .

Nope.

Whoops. I knew I was forgetting something. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

air-sea battle

If you want to collect a bunch of the old games, FOR PLAY-VALUE (as opposed to collectability), I recommend you buy one of Sean Kelly's multicarts. The cart is $125, but includes nearly every game ever written for the 5200. Every game you mentioned is on the cartridge. I believe the only games not on the multicart are: *)modern homebrews *)Super Pac-Man -- it's actually on the cart, but locks up at the title-screen. As for the Trak-Ball, I think you can probably get one of those from eBay for about $30. Every time I've looked I've seen them listed. You could probably get the 4-port switchbox for $10-15. I think Best Electronics still has new units, and they are also pretty common on eBay. Worst case, if you can't find one I might have a working extra I could sell you for $10. Now go enjoy the best videogame system ever. 8-)

After a few minutes poking around, this was all I could find: http://www.mcmelectronics.com/Search/level...209&SKUID=29454. It's a bit pricey, but it does what you want. A much cheaper alternative would be to use an old and/or broken VCR to do the exact same thing. You could attach the RF output of the game to the antenna input on the back of the VCR and run the output of the VCR, via it's composite outputs (RCA phono plugs), into your TV. It isn't an elegant solution, but again, it does what you want. Then of course you could modify your systems to output composite signals, but while that would give you the best picture/sound, it is also the most difficult solution.

keystone kapers

WOW!!!!!!

Just a note: The 5200 was not the only, nor the first, system to use this setup. I once got an RCA Studio II at a garage sale, without the matching switchbox. I got it home and couldn't for the life of me figure out where to connect the power. It turns out, it also used a power supply-through-the-switchbox arrangement. I never got the thing hooked up, and ended up unloading it at last year's PhillyClassic. Steve