Retro Rogue
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Posts posted by Retro Rogue
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That was a regular production television model from Magnavox that's known among collectors and covered at Pong Story.
It's not a seperate box on the back, it'ls literally built in to the television, and the controllers plug in to the back. I've seen them on Ebay before, but they usually go in the $150 range, not anywhere near what the buy it now is. And who knows what the reserve is then with that kind of buy it now price. Probably at least $200.
Those controllers were OEM'd to other pong manufacturers, which is why you'll often find them seperate as well.
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Vegas had three things I absolutely loved when I went to CGE:* Cheap airplane tickets
* Cheap food all over town
* Cheap games at the show
If you want to add a fourth one, cheap hotel prices.
Actually if you want to add a fifth one, cheap BEER.
But honestly, how can San Jose possibly compare in any of the first three categories except one?
Well, I know the cost of living here compared to east and west coast makes MGC comparable to the first 4 points. And being it's in Milwaukee, we definitely have the cheap BEER point in the bag.
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He seems pretty sincere when I talked with him the few times.
On a related note, I'm still working on/kicking around restarting the original Milatari as a Milwaukee area video came/computer collectors group.
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Head on over to the Midwest Gaming Classic forums to vote on what games you want to be able to play on your favorite consoles and computers this year. Everything at the Midwest Gaming Classic's museum will be playable, so now's your chance to say what you want to be able to play!
The Midwest Gaming Classic is the midwest's largest electronic entertainment event, dedicated to console, computer, coin-op, and pinball entertainment from past to present! May 22nd and 23rd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Brookfield Sheraton. Visit ]MidwestGamingClassic.Com for more info.
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The AVM unit is featured somewhat prominently in the late 70's movie 'Over the Edge', Matt Dillons first film. Great movie.That's the name I was trying to remember the other day! Thanks! I saw that movie on cable in the early 80's and still remember one of the kids getting stoned and lying on his bed with the AVM going on the TV. Was a cool movie at the time when the locked all the parents in the school.
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That is a bit high for that. I can understand it reaching over $150 though because of the boxed The Voice (which is one of the rarer pieces in that condition) and the Odyssey Adventure magazines along with the boxed Master Strategy System games (All have a 6 rating at the O2 homepage), as well as Powerlords (a rare rated game). Plus, that appears to be the removeable joystick model which is less common than the hardwired one.
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I'm wondering what Atari's future would have been like if they had released the Atari XEGS instead of the Atari 5200 back in 1982. Everyone was moving to computers (everyone that I knew, anyway) and it would have made more sense to release a game console that was cartridge and I/O compatible with their 8-bit computer line. Kids would get the XEGS, get interested in making their own games, and then get a keyboard and floppy drive. It seems like all the game console makers back then were trying to make their machine into a computer, so it would have made more sense to put out the XEGS, because it was already a computer, just missing a few computer accesories, like a keyboard.That is actually what the 400 was. It was originaly supposed to be the actual replacement to the 2600, with the idea of a game console with a keyboard. What became known as the 800 was to be the serious high end computer. Kassar didn't want to take away from the 2600's marketing steam at the time and also had the idea of pushing the "computer as appliance" thing, even going as far as talking about marketing it in different colors to appeal to women (about 19 years before the IMAC). So instead it became pushed as the low end computer system, "little brother" to what became known as the 800.
The original concept of a console with an actual keyboard (for programmers to be able to program the games directly on it as well) was carried through eventually at Amiga. At first with the initial proto designs (which were nixed by the time of Commodore), and eventually realized in the Amiga 500 design.
When I talked to Leonard Tramiel, he mentioned that the XEGS was their attempt to do the 5200 "right".
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There's actually 3 CoJag (short for 'coin-operated Jaguar'...original, huh?) games - Area 51, Maximum Force and a proto called 'Freeze that Fish!' which was a quirky puzzle game. If you include the duo Area51/Max Force boardset (you can choose which game you play) then there's 4.Stone
Actually, there's 7 including the duo set. Three released:
Area 51 (4 megs ram)
Maximum Force (6 megs ram)
Area 51/Maximum Force Duo
And 4 prototypes:
3 on 3 Basketball
Fishing Frenzy (which you called "freeze that fish", rom based)
Freeze (which is rom based, not hard drive based)
Vicious Circle
Also I heard that when they switched to the Area 51 / Max Force duo machines that they converted the game code from 68020 over to RISC processor that they used for the original Maximum Force machine.
Area 51 = 68EC020
Maximum Force and all the prototypes = R3000
Both Primal Rage and T-Mek used the GT Hardware system (68020 and CAGE audio), so if Primal Rage was ported over to the Jag hardware for the home then T-Mek would have been feasible as well.
On a side note, Area 51: Site 4 did not use Jag hardware but instead used a literal PC board made by Cyrix.
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Also there is no barrel "destruct" or Mario death animation' date=' no "How high can you get?" no Donkey Kong intro...The CV (and Adam) versions are severly lacking.[/quote']
Gregory, you've had people post twice already stating that's not true. The Adam version does have the "How high can you get?" as well as
intermission stuff, etc. The Adam version came on a data tape and was a larger version. Are you confusing that for the cartridge version which could be played on both (and is most likely what you're loading in an emulator?)
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Voices...that might go to either the Magnavox O2 or the TI99-4A.Did the intellivoice come out before The Voice and the Synthesis module on the Ti?
Between the three, the honor of the voice module would go to the TI99/4 (not the 4A), released in 1979. The 4A (the more commonly seen model) was released in '81. The TI99/4 is a much rarer unit, as are it's peripherals. You can read more about it here. However, the TI99/4 is technically a computer - not a console. And as far as computers go, there were already speech modules for computers (s100 based cards as well) as well as kits that could be built.
The O2 Voice was released in 1982, as was INTV's Intellivoice. Both used voice synthesis chips (usually the chips already had the syllables and many of their words hardcoded in, so that the game had to use what was available). The Vectrex however, did not use a voice add-on to do it's speech. I believe the vectrex and more specifically the game Spike has the honor of being the first digitized voice on a console.
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I'm not surprised, Sega also claimed they were the first with 3D glasses.Weren't they?
I thought at least in combination with a console: The Master System (Mark III) had a few 3D games with the shutter glassesNope. As Crossbow mentioned, the Vectrex system (1982) had them. That's also one of the reasons the Sega "first in 3D" commerical was pulled.
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If you want the original handheld pong, pick up Blip (1977, Tomy). You can usually find them on ebay - in fact here's one.
We had a Blip tournament at the MGC this past year.
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If you want an entertaining read, yes - First Quarter (The Ultimate History of Video Games) is fun to read.
However - do not use it as a source for solid video game history. Be sure to crossreference with other sources if that's what you're after.
It is full of errors (naming the wrong company for the creation of the Vectrex for example), incorrect info (attributing things to the wrong people, wrong time periods/mixing several events together, or repeating heresay), and other problems.
I talked to the author about this, and he mentioned he doesn't have control over the book to do a revision. He sold the rights to the publisher.
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I'm not surprised, Sega also claimed they were the first with 3D glasses.
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They're on the Best site under collectibles.
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How hard would it be to incorporate a socket for ROM chips where one chip could be swapped out to play another?As someone previously stated - it's not an emulator. Roms wouldn't do you any good. The code for all these games have been ported over to the custom "nes on a chip" engine, and very poorly at that.
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BC's Quest for Tires is the first true side-scrolling SMB-type platformer on a console,Actually, that honor would belong to Smurf: Rescue In Gargamel's Castle
Yeah, but Smurf Rescue doesn't really scroll smoothly, which may or may not disqualify it. Personally, I wouldn't consider BC's Quest for Tires a "platformer" anyways.
Smooth scrolling is a hard thing to do on the colecovision, as I don't believe there's any hardware support for it. I've been interviewing one of the original programmers and he said they were all pretty much in awe when they saw Zaxxon come out on it and the scrolling that was achieved.
As for the controllers, I don't mind the CV controllers much. The only problem I have with them is when they get dirty, you sometimes have to be pretty rough with them to get the sticks to register.
Yah, that's something I hear about and I have encountered CV controllers from thrifts every so often that are like that. But I must have lucked out with my original pair - had them for 21 years, played the hell out of them during the 80's, and the still work just as good as when I got them.
Conversely, I never liked the Super Action Controllers at all. I have a couple of them, but they feel awkward and clumsy to me.
--Zero
What about them feels awkward and clumsy? I'm just shocked that someone could feel that way about them, as I feel the complete opposite.
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Mind you, BC's Quest for Tires is a cool game and the first true side-scrolling SMB-type platformer on a console,Actually, that honor would belong to Smurf: Rescue In Gargamel's Castle,
which came out on the Colecovision in 1982 (it's launch year). BC's Quest For Tires didn't come out until '83.
Dumping the Colecovision for the Adam = dumb, controllers = no, they weren't that good, and when my relatives had one in the 80s they had that 2600 stick adapter thing, which was good. I just HATE keypads, though . . . Massive numbers of buttons only work the way Sony did it, IMO,
Actually, I didn't have a problem with the stock controllers like most people did. I enjoyed them and they were a pleasure over the cramps I used to get holding the big 2600 stick bases. But the controllers I liked the best were the Super Controllers, which gave a really comfortable feel to the hands because of their vertical grip design. With the arcade style ball grip stick, keypad on the top, a roller dial and 4 "action" buttons in the handle (we're talking a 4 button controller in 1983) it was way ahead of it's time and I still prefer it over any other controller. They were originally supposed to have a rumble/vibration generator built in as well, which also would have put it even further ahead of the curve.
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I just found out that I have a heavy-sixer joystick as well (and I just thought it was a busted joystick with a mushy button
), and on the top, I don't see an indent where the hex disc would go. On the ones that had it, is there any kind of indent? or was it just glued right on top?
Yes, there was an indent and they were not just glued to the top. Take a look at my closeup photo of the pre-restored stick on the previous page.
Yours could most likely be a crossover period one, or one that has had the grip replaced. As I mentioned previously, the grips are heavy duty rubber with a real nice feel to them.
If you look at the Heavy Sixer box by the way, you will see the Atari logos on the tops of the sticks - though you'll just be able to make them out because of the angle of the picture. Interestingly, I have a non-heavy sixer six switch ('78 model) that uses the same heavy sixer picture.
BTW -- I think that mine came with a Sears console, cause it was in the same box as a heavy-sixer Sears console. I would assume that Sears didn't bother with having a hex disc.. or am I completely wrong, and someplace, there are hex discs that say Sears on them?
As Rob mentioned, he had a Sears one with the Sears logo on them.
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I disagree. While indeed sticks with them still intact from 1977 are harder to find, the hex disks themselves are not rare. B&C still sells the original Atari logo hexs for the heavy sixer sticks in fact.Woh! Now there will be a run on the hex discs! Nice pics!
Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA
Thanks.
Yah, I thought about that. But this was the only way I could think of right now to let people who need them know that they're there. Like I said in my last post, I hope people will be decent about them and not order them just to order them.
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I just checked B&C's site and didn't see any listings for the joystick hex discs. Where are they exactly?They're listed under the collectibles page. But guys, I'm going to ask a favor (and I know it might be to late). Please don't order these if you don't need them. I understand the need to "collect", but it will take them out of the hands of people who *actually* need them to restore original heavy sixer sticks.
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The hex disc on top of the joystick is not flat, the inside stick is black and the button/stick are springloaded. The circuit board is also screwed against the top piece of plastic as opposed to just wedged in.The stick feels rather mushy compared to the later version.
Also, the rubber guard itself is heavy duty rubber that's fit into the stick differently than the later versions. Likewise, the inside stick is not always black it can also be grey.
Here's what the underside spring area looks like:
Here's the contact board that the springs set in to:
And here's the actual pcb (contact side up). There are actually several revisions of the heavy sixer pcb, and I have a few different ones. This one is a revision 5:
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The hex disks are *extremely* rare and there are only a handful of people known to own them.
I agree! There would be alot more if .. they didn't fall off and get lost easily .. I lost the two SEARS discs that I had in the late 1970's.
Back in 1998, I mentioned the Hex Discs to John Hardie .. and he said that he remembered them. But he didn't have one.
I disagree. While indeed sticks with them still intact from 1977 are harder to find, the hex disks themselves are not rare. B&C still sells the original Atari logo hexs for the heavy sixer sticks in fact.
Here's a closeup of one of a pair I got at a thrift:
And here's the pair restored:
I think my disc is the only one that has ever been shown at a video game convention (Cinciclassic 1999 and 2000.)
Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA
Not quite. :wink: This was from the museum section of the last Midwest Classic (Now Midwest Gaming Classic):
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I don't think that it's all about being lazy really. Not as much that it's the fact they don't have the time to comb multiple thrift stores in hopes of beating out people raiding them to sell $5 items for $70 on ebay. :wink:
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Midwest Gaming Classic, anyone?
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Guy's don't forget to head on over to the Midwest Gaming Classic forum to vote on what games you want to be able to play in the museum area. The MGC Museum is one of the few museums where everything is available for play, and there will be actual seperate console and computer play areas in the museum (so don't forget to vote for computer games as well).