PAC-MAN PRIME

Ah yes, I forgot to consider that. Thanks! Here are a few more then. I'll add more later. EDIT: Added a couple of end labels.

Lookin' AWESOME!

This is true. Of course there will have to be some kind of designation on games designed for the 7800XM. Jaybird3rd, those look nice! Definitely a fitting theme. Here is something I put together. All just miniscule variations of the same idea. Nothing groundbreaking. Just playing off Jaybird3rd's general concept. But it seemed like still a natural start.

As a kid, I remember wondering why the arcade version was "just" white outlines. After all, aren't arcades supposed to be better than the home versions? :-P I'm sure the reason for the home version's colorful look was just that; to be more colorful. Not to mention with all the flickering, the color also probably helps to determine which asteroids are which, aiding in avoiding oncoming pieces.

SOOOO EXCITING!!!

Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing it! I guess I need to get an anti-static mat too now. :-)

Ok, thanks for the advice. I may try again after all.

Thanks ApolloBoy. I will take a look at it again.

Glad to hear you did it successfully. Would you do it again or recommend others trying it? I am still afraid of breaking mine if I try again. :-/

Exciting updates! Thanks Curt! I cannot wait!!! I feel like a kid all over again!

Got my Ultimate SD cart a few days ago, but just tried it out last night. It is AWESOME! Thanks Steve! Mario Bros. is excellent, and Mr. Chin is fun too. Now I have to load it up with more games. What is the best way to get ROMs for it?

Hey all, I was wondering if it is common for carts to not go in straight when inserting it into the CV console. On my machine, fully inserted carts don't go in straight, even though they're all the way in. It operates fine, so it's just an aesthetic issue, but it just seems like something isn't right with it. Any comments, ideas, or suggestions?

I was experiencing the same thing when I tried opening mine up a couple of weeks ago. Removed the bottom screws, then tried prying it open from the bottom, but it didn't want to give and seemed like it was about to break. So I threw in the towel and just put it back together.

Yeah it is really flimsy! I'm actually a bit nervous when handling it, as this one is in really nice shape and I'd like to keep it that way. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to leave the console be for now. I cleaned the outside pretty well and the games worked fine, so I guess it's not too dirty inside it. Don't take the front panel off. Just remove the bottom screws, then bend forward the front piece to take the unit apart. See the first page or two of this document: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/153635-component-video-mod-for-colecovision/page__view__findpost__p__2017724 5-11under Thanks for the link! I may get brave and try that some day if the machine starts performing poorly. It's good to know that it at least can be opened without sacrificing the strip. Thanks for the congrats! I am really glad to finally have it and look forward to many years of game play to come. It's a really cool system.

Thanks! I didn't make the Odyssey 2 connection, but I see the resemblance now that you mention it. I think it looks cool though. Still the same 400 key pad, just in different colors. Yeah I agree, it does look like a completely different machine in black. I always thought the 400 looked sleek, it was mostly that beige color that gave it that bland (but still beloved) '70s equipment look. lol It would look cool with the metal plate, but for this one the idea was that it was based off the design and color scheme of the Wico Command Control joysticks, and not so much Atari's black with metal plate style. The metal plate mod on a 400 would definitely be awesome to match the 5200, 7800, and 2600JR though. Thanks, and I agree. Cool! Thanks and so do I!

Ah, that explains that then. I don't think I want to remove the strip, so I'll leave it be. Glad I didn't try to force it. Thanks for the info.

Thank you all for the valuable information and resources. I'm sure I'll be referring to these plenty in the future. Well, my CV system arrived today. I spent the better part of the evening cleaning it up, and it looks beautiful! Practically brand new, with some exceptions of scuffs on the controllers' metallic discs. Amidst my excitement I forgot to take pics before I put it back into the box for now, but I will do so when I take it back out again soon. I attempted to disassemble the console and clean the inside as well, so I removed the screws from the bottom, but I still couldn't get it apart. I couldn't find any other screws so it looked like it should have separated easily, but I was too afraid to force it to get it open. Are there more screws hidden underneath any of the labels or metallic panels that are holding it together? What is the best way to disassemble the unit? Another thing I noticed is, when I tested my games (DK and Pac-Man Collection, the only two I have so far), they both looked crooked inserted into the CV, leaning slightly to the left. It looked like they weren't plugged all the way in, but they definitely were. They played fine, and again, I didn't want to force them in further and risk breaking something. Is this common with CV systems, or is something wrong with mine?

I will echo eightbit by agreeing that these are beautiful, top notch carts of two really awesome unreleased games. I got my two from CPUWIZ a few weeks back and I LOVE them! The cost is $60 for the set of both games, not each one. They are just the carts, but they have professional labels that look like they came straight from the developer/publisher. Marc Oberhauser has boxes available, which he posted pics of here: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/123657-sirius-plutos-and-rampart-prototypes-released-for-real/page__st__200 Below is a photo of the carts I received from CPUWIZ.

Warning: long story ahead. I've always had a really soft spot for the Atari 400. For starters, it was my first Atari (and video game system, period). We later got an 800, but to me, it felt like less of a video game system, and more like a typewriter, probably because of its conventional keys, unlike the super cool space age membrane pad on the 400. Not to mention that "Right cartridge" that I had no use for, since being a little kid, all I wanted to do was play video games. LOL (Although now I wish I had learned and experienced more of what the 800 was actually capable of). So anyway, the 400 will always be my first love. Since it didn't come with any joysticks, my thoughtful Dad wanted the best at the time, so instead of regular Atari sticks, he got us two Wico bats and a Wico trackball. I remember thinking I was so cool for having the real arcade stuff to play Pac-Man and Centipede with. I have also always loved the plastics used and the color schemes they were molded in, which made them look all high tech and space age in that beloved '80s fashion, and had often wished the 400 matched them. So eventually I learned how to use photoshop, and finally able to see how one would look in that style. So now... I want to make it!!! I think for the most part it would be relatively easy, by either painting, or dying (anyone have experience with dying plastics?) the 400 casing black and red. Of course I'd also have to make the label, which I think wouldn't be too much of a problem. But I think the biggest hurdle would be making a custom membrane to match... ...which ultimately leads me to my questions for you guys... Has anyone ever customized a 400? Is there a way to make custom colored membranes? If so, how? Are there pics of custom modded A400s? Thanks, and I apologize in advance for my ramblings.

I was just thinking this as well. "Why isn't the 7800XM info posted on the AA home page?" This should be a top headline, no doubt.

Just put my payment through! Woohoo!!! What an awesome way to start the week!

So your the one that drove up the price on that nice boxed system! Congrats on winning the auction and becoming a ColecoVision owner. I hope the system is as advertised and you get many years of enjoyment from it. BTW, you next purchase should be the AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart (www.AtariMax.com). This cart allows you to copy all the available CV roms files onto the SD Card, insert the SD Card into the Cart and then play away on the CV. This is a great way to try out all the CV carts that are available in rom image format and then you can go about hunting down the actual carts if you wish to collect them. Enjoy and welcome aboard. Haha, well I didn't drive it up. I just bid once at the end to win it. :-P I hope I didn't upset you or if anyone else here were bidding on it as well. If we're referring to the same one, that is. I went for this one particularly because it was complete and the box actually looks pretty nice. Finding one with a decent box seems to be a bit of a task. Why is it that so many CV boxes often look so ravaged? Is the cardboard really flimsy or something? The system itself looks kinda dusty, and I get the impression that only one of the controllers works moderately, but not great. So we'll see. I hope a little elbow grease will clean up the system, and I will most likely be shopping for new controllers in the near future. Guess I'll find out when it arrives. The AtariMax cart sounds awesome. I will definitely look into it. Thanks for the heads up! :-)

I agree as well. As long as we are informed and updated so that none of us here who really want it don't miss it when it happens, I am ok with waiting for everything to be just as it is planned to be. Thank you Curt for your hard work on this. Whenever you're ready, I will be too. :-)

Well, I just won it off eBay. Now I can't wait to receive it! I am pretty excited about it. I do have memories of seeing the ColecoVision when I was a kid, but being the lifelong Atari fan I am, I remember having zero interest in the CV back then. Plus, my cousin had the Intellivision, and I vividly remember disliking it, so I think my kid-self was comparing the CV to the INTV, with their similar controllers and all. Fast forward to the modern era, and my curiousity is spiked again and I look at the CV again via YouTube vids and such. I have to admit, I am really impressed with the clips I've seen of the games. Really impressive quality especially for its time. It really is a wonder of what it could have been had the market not crashed in '83. So, I have already received my first game last week: OpCode's Pac-Man Collection. Wow, it never ceases to amaze me what programmers today can do with these new homebrews. So professionally done. The videos I've seen of that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I finally had no choice but to get a ColecoVision. haha Now I can't wait to get the system to play it on!

Hmmm... big lot to choose from, but here are a few I feel are pretty high up on my list of "Games I MUST own one day" (two of these are already acquired, thankfully ). Asteroids Centipede (*check*) Missile Command Tempest Pole Position II (in PP1 cockpit: *check*) Space Duel Star Wars (cockpit please ) Honorable mentions include: Dig Dug Xevious Black Widow Asteroids Deluxe Gravitar Battlezone Millipede S.T.U.N. Runner Plus, I'm sure I'm missing some...