Atari Smeghead

Thanks, Cvga! I understand about cutting back. I'm not a fan of it myself, but my bank account is saying something entirely different.

I'm cleaning out my storage area downstairs and look at what I found! Lots of video game magazines from the turn of the century! I have: 73 of the Next Generation (Next Gen) magazine: Issues 1, 4, 7, 12, 14, 17-56, (then they changed the numbering system) Lifecycle 2-4, which are from 9/99-1/02. So it appears to be a complete (sequential) run starting with issue 17 and ending with the 1/02 edition. 130 PSM magazines - Issues 1-130. There are some other random magazines in there, including a few Funny Times, Readers Digests, and the odd Tips and Tricks magazine. And as a bonus, I'll include all five of the Tomb Raider candy bar sleeves I found inside one of these boxes. I ate the chocolate long ago, but kept the covers. Overall they're in good shape, but they haven't been kept like comic books or anything so don't expect perfection. In fact, I know for sure that I cut out a few pictures from the mags to adorn my Jaguar cartridge holder. I didn't flip through very many, but I found the spot where I cut out an AvP picture from the Jaguar review in NextGen's issue #1. (Sorry, I didn't understand the concept of collecting back then.) And the PSM magazines probably have a missing lid cover or two as well as some of the game CD inserts. I remember removing the smiley face PSM lid sticker from the 1st PSM and stuck that baby on my PS1, and my roommate took a few of the inserts. But for the most part the mags are intact. If there are any individual mags you'd like to see pictures of, or want me flip through, let me know. So, there are 203 PSM/Next Gen video game magazines here (not including the other random mags). Fifty cents a piece doesn't seem outrageous, so I'd round that down to $100, plus shipping. There are three boxes in total, and each one weighs something like 20-25 pounds, but I can send them Media Mail so the cost won't be too bad. (A 25 pound box sent from MI to CA would cost around $15 with Media Mail. But we'll calculate actual postage before finalizing anything.) If you only wanted the PSM or the Next Gen mags, I could see about rearranging or locating a different box, but I'd rather sell everything as a lot. If there's any interest, I can post more pics later. But for now, it's bed time. :^) Cheers, Smeg

Up for sale are two Atari 1050 Disk Drives. I bought these several years ago from a company called Future Media. They used to use the Atari system to make commercials - or some such thing. I forget. The important things are: Both disk drives were just tested on my 800 and they both work fine. They are stock 1050s (no US Doubler or anything cool) but I loaded a few games off my old floppies and they worked fine. They are the quieter-sounding drives. Both are still quite white - no major yellowing. Both cases have two strips of Velcro on the bottom. These were stacked in a specially built tower and were Velcro'd in. As you can see in the pic, one of them is missing the front cover. That drive also doesn't eject the disk properly, so you have to reach in and grab the disk with the tips of your fingers to retrieve it. The other one springs the disk out like it's supposed to. They both come with working power supplies. One of the power supplies was modified by Future Media to make the cables extremely short. Because of the tower they were in, they didn't need the extra length. I'll also toss in one SIO cable and I'll stick a floppy disk in each drive and lock down the mechanism so the heads don't bounce in shipping. There may or may not be games on these disks. :^) I'm hoping to get $60 for both, plus actual shipping. If you only want one, I'd go $40 for the one with the front cover and $30 for the other. Cheers! Smeg

No one here jumped on it, so it's on eBay. If you're curious to see how it goes, you can check here:

Thanks, A2L! The system is panned by lots of people, but it has plenty of enjoyable games.

By the way, has anyone here had issues with the screen developing lines? My Game.Com has multiple horizontal lines and one vertical line. (You can see the pics in the Marketplace advert linked above.) Any clue what would've caused that?

Hi all, If anyone is actually looking for a Game.Com system, I'm selling mine. It comes with all 20 of the games (including WOF2) and the system works, but has lots of lines running through the display. Here's the link to the Marketplace if you're in the market. Cheers, Smeg

Hi all, Seems like every time I fall on hard times, another of my systems or pieces of my prized collection have to go up for sale. Here we are again. I have a "complete" Game.Com game system. It's the system itself with all 20 of the commercially released games - including the rare Wheel of Fortune 2. All games come with instructions, and other than Lights Out, which came packed in with the system, all the games come with their original boxes. 15 are in the square boxes (and 12 of those came in a plastic outer box which I had to cut to get into, but I cut them in such a way that the games slide right back inside). The other four are in those clam-shell style containers. All the games are in great condition, and are tested and working properly. The system is the Model 71-770, which allows you to insert two games and choose between them. It's been tested with a power supply and batteries (neither of which are included). The system looks great on the outside, the screen itself is scratch-free (and comes with the stylus) and there's no battery corrosion. However, while the game powers up and you can play the games and the included built-in apps, the screen display is for crap. There are multiple horizontal lines running the length of the display, and there's one vertical line. You can play games on it, but it's really hard to see. The pictures don't do the lines justice - it's quite bad. So I'd tell you that you're buying this to get a "complete" system, but in order to play, you'll want to buy another system. I put quote marks around "complete" because while it comes with all the games, I don't have the Internet connection or any other add-on. It's just the 20 games and the unit. As for price - at this point, I'm going to let you decide. Either post here or IM me with an offer, and we'll go from there. Shipping will be actual cost to send it using USPS, rounded up to the next dollar for handling. Cheers, Randy "Smeg" Pearson

You've done the Atari community a major service over the years, so it's sad to see you go. But as we know, nothing lasts forever. Take care of yourself Nick! See ya around! Smeg

Well heck, we've gone a month, with no comments, posts, or stories. So, I'm guessing no one went through any adventures to add fun games to their collection. Looks like my fictional adventure is truly unique. Who knew? If anyone reads this and still wants to "enter" (or just share their story) obviously, feel free. Seriously, the first entry would most likely win the free signed copy. Just sayin'. Take care everyone, and have a wonderful New Year! Randy

The version that EricDeLee sold is (as far as I know) complete, and even includes a save feature on a separate chip. It's quite "as the ten year olds say) epic! Cheers, Smeg

So, for those who don't know, I wrote a novel (Driving Crazy) about two lifelong friends who drive across the United States to pick up a Crazy Climber arcade game. They have all sorts of funny, horrible, amazing things happen to them along their journey. People constantly ask me if it's a true story, and are generally disappointed when I tell them it's not. (Or in the case of the realtor who sold me my house, he refuses to believe it's a work of fiction. He keeps telling my wife, "I can't believe you married him after what he did! Have you read this story? Oh my!" He's an odd duck, what can I say?) Occasionally, I'll get someone to tell me about their own road trip adventure, which got me to thinking... Have you had any sort of adventure while traveling to pick up a video game? It can be an eBay purchase, Craigslist, someone you met here on AtariAge or another forum, even an ad in a newspaper. My hope is to get enough stories to write an article for a gaming magazine. If nothing else, I think it could be amusing to hear what you've gone through to get your prized possession home. I put this in contests because, as an incentive, to the story that I enjoy the most, I'll send you a free signed paperback copy of Driving Crazy! (Open to people around the world. I know shipping outside the US is insanely expensive these days, but for the best story, it's worth it!) I'll let this contest run through December 31, and decide the winner in January. (Just a little disclaimer - posting your stories here means you're giving me permission to use it in the article, or perhaps as fodder for Driving Crazy II. I can certainly leave names out, to protect the innocent or guilty alike. If you still want to post here but not have me use the story, just make mention of that in your post. If that's the case, I promise I won't use any part of it, but you also won't be eligible to win the prize.) So, do you have a fun / horrible / interesting / amazing / unbelievable video game-based road trip story? Let's hear it! Cheers, Smeg

Hi all! I wanted to sweeten the deal a bit... if anyone decides to purchase a $9.99 signed copy from my website during this special offer, I'll also send you a fridge magnet of the cover and a bookmark, while supplies last. I'm a fridge magnet junkie, so getting these made was a no-brainer.

Thanks! Life has a way of changing a man's priorities, that's for sure. ujhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (Sorry, that was my cat stepping on the keyboard. ) Sounds like most are similar enough, but the subtle differences make it cool! Y'know, I have a prototype version of Super Asteroids/Missile Command that I bought from Eric many years ago. It appears to be the same version as was released, but it's cool to have a green PCB with, "This cart must be rtnd to Juli Wade Atari Corp" on it. Cheers, Smeg

Congrats Mr. Bland on those fantastic finds!! It's been like a week - Have ya done much play testing yet? Cheers, Smeg

HI everyone! Sorry I've been away... writing, doing book signings, working (at my real job - Gads!) and being a husband and step-father. It all chips away at my Atari time, but y'know, all work and no play... Anyway, I wanted to stop by and tell you something you may find helpful, especially if you're looking for the perfect gift for the gamer in your life. My publisher gave me a really good deal on extra copies of Driving Crazy, and I wanted to pass the savings along to you! Driving Crazy normally retails for $20.99 USD, (at your local book stores or through Amazon) but if you purchase a copy through my website, you can get it for only $9.99 USD plus shipping. This way, you can get a signed and personalized copy of this funny videogame road trip story, and save several bucks in the process. I ship worldwide! You can also pick up an eBook (PDF) version for only $4.99, with no shipping charges. This offer is valid until December 25th, so you have some time, but don't dilly or dally too much! In other Driving Crazy news, I've received several more glowing reviews, including this one from the leader of Bikers for Books and several new ones on Amazon. So yeah... if you're looking for a, "Thoroughly enjoyable book with the perfect blend of fun, hardship, friendship, relationships, heart and more fun!" for the video game fan in your life, you could do worse! Cheers, Smeg

HI everyone! Sorry I've been away... writing, doing book signings, working (at my real job - Gads!) and being a husband and step-father. It all chips away at my Atari time, but y'know, all work and no play... Anyway, I wanted to stop by and tell you something you may find helpful, especially if you're looking for the perfect gift for the gamer in your life. My publisher gave me a really good deal on extra copies of Driving Crazy, and I wanted to pass the savings along to you! Driving Crazy normally retails for $20.99 USD, (at your local book stores or through Amazon) but if you purchase a copy through my website, you can get it for only $9.99 USD plus shipping. This way, you can get a signed and personalized copy of this funny videogame road trip story, and save several bucks in the process. I ship worldwide! You can also pick up an eBook (PDF) version for only $4.99, with no shipping charges. This offer is valid until December 25th, so you have some time, but don't dilly or dally too much! In other Driving Crazy news, I've received several more glowing reviews, including this one from the leader of Bikers for Books and several new ones on Amazon. So yeah... if you're looking for a, "Thoroughly enjoyable book with the perfect blend of fun, hardship, friendship, relationships, heart and more fun!" for the video game fan in your life, you could do worse! Cheers, Smeg

Boy, this is a tough one. For me, it would have to be (in no particular order): Loopz Cyber Virus Crystal Mines II Remnant Rygar I also really enjoyed Shanghai and Sokomania... really, I've enjoyed half of the games on this fun machine, truth be told, but I tend to gravitate toward the puzzle games. Cheers, Smeg

Hi everyone! Sales of Driving Crazy have been pretty good (earlier this week, my Amazon ranking shot up from 1,800,000 to something like 400,000 ), and I've enjoyed the signings and interviews I've done. Here's a recently published Q and A interview, if you're interested. I also have a DVD copy of my segment on WLNZ TV, but I'm still not sure how to transfer it to Youtube or my website. Working on it. ) Also, it appears that Amazon is having a sale on my novel this weekend, If you've been on the fence with the novel called, "Entertaining from start to finish" and "laugh out loud funny," this could be a prime opportunity. Enjoy your Independence Day weekend, or if your country is not all gung-ho on fireworks this weekend, enjoy your Saturday and Sunday! Cheers, Smeg