Atari2008

March 4, 2020

1 hour ago, CatPix said:

Yep, it's a good match. Don't midn the "extra" milliamps in the Atari power supply; it's a neglectible amount first, and second, electrical devices only use what they need.

I was wondering about the extra milliamps, thank you for clarifying! Looks like the jack is a bit smaller than the tip of the 2600 power supply but perhaps I can find something comparable that will fit now that I know the specs.

March 3, 2020

20 hours ago, CatPix said:

Most likely one form an Atari 2600 should do as the 9V jack power supply was kinda universal in the 70's but it's always best to check out any peculiarities the Odyssey might have.

Funny I was thinking the Atari 2600 one would be a good candidate, but exactly I'm going to find out the exact specs of the original power supply to be sure. Think I might actually have the opportunity to play the Odyssey with someone instead of me just testing it out solo to make sure it works.

March 3, 2020

21 hours ago, CatPix said:

Absolutely.

The most common failure will be with electrolytic capacitors. If left idle, the components inside will start to dissolve the inner layers or the sealant; when that happen, their will either goes up in flame or just not work. Either way, they are dead.

For systems with motors (CD-based mostly) grease and lubricant can dry. It's less of an issue but never a nice thing to deal with.

Rubber belts for tape or floppies will harder or melt into goo, though I believe that it will happen regardless of use; but it's better if the belt snaps and fall down rather than melting on the hub.

For systems with batteries it's good to see if your system keep memory. If it no longer retain dates and doesn't seems to recharge (if it's a rechargeable-based battery system) then it's time to replace it.

As you suggested, firing them once a motnh for about 15/20 minutes should be more than enough to prevent/slow down the death of certain components.

Note that if you own a system that have been recapped with dry capacitors, have no battery and is cart-based you can leave it in storage for quite a long time

Thank you for this clarification, cool I'll put my systems on a monthly schedule, well the ones that aren't getting active use anyway. All my systems are cartridge based, original capacitors though so I'll have to test them periodically to make sure everything is cool. So far the ones longest in storage are a Fairchild Channel F (1st model) and the Atari 2600 (4 switch woodgrain). I like how you outlined the different things that could go wrong with different types of systems, what about the original Magnavox Odyssey, any unique things to watch out for with that one? I know not to leave batteries in as they can leak but since it's a more basic unit and more dated tech compared to the others, I wonder if I should do anything differently with it.

March 2, 2020

On 3/1/2020 at 1:54 AM, RJ said:

You're better off going to a barcade, getting plowed, then bring her home & see how she wiggles your joystick.

You know there's a Barcade not far from me at all, I'm digging this suggestion. :cool:

March 2, 2020

On 2/27/2020 at 1:11 PM, keithbk said:

When introducing someone to the Atari 2600, remember these tips:

1) You don't need to dress up. The Atari 2600 doesn't care what you are wearing.

2) Don't EVER offer the Atari 2600 a drink. Liquids and electronics are a potentially lethal combination.

3) It's just as easy to turn OFF the Atari 2600 as it is to turn it ON. Touch the switches only at the appropriate times, and always be gentle, but firm.

4) To have a working relationship with an Atari 2600, you need to empower it. Just like your job, if you are not plugged in to the appropriate resources, your results will be less than impressive.

5) Insert to play, pull out when you want to stop or swap.

Hope that helps.

This is the MOST helpful advice ever :rolling:

March 2, 2020

On 2/29/2020 at 4:18 PM, CatPix said:

Use it from time to time as storage is worst than regular use to wear out a system.

Use it as a demo to show to fellow retrogamers so you have a reason to keep it around with you.

I remember reading on here, years back, that video game systems need to see some electricity periodically otherwise they're likely to stop working, which seems similar to what you're saying here. I only ask because I do have some systems that I keep in storage for extended periods and sometimes don't get around to playing for a year. So would it be a good idea to at least for the ones I don't play regularly, to maybe fire them up about once a month?

This thread is a very good question, I've been thinking about this myself as I live in a studio currently, so I think about space a lot. I think the advice here is good, I would add and it's helped me, is look at your systems and the ones that you haven't used in 6 months to a year maybe assess if its worth selling. Folks have also suggested maybe selling things that can be easily obtained later if you change your mind, like a common console vs things that might be more rare and harder to get like a limited edition homebrew game. I too am looking to slim down my collection a bit and focus.

March 2, 2020

Great, thank you! I'll track down those specs, so far I know it's a 9 volt. Once I get the other info I'll see if either the AC adapter of another classic console or a universal one will work.

February 27, 2020

I have the original Odyssey (the one released in 1972), and I was wondering since the original AC adapters are a bit hard to find, is it compatible with any other AC adapter? I'm fine using the batteries but figured it would be better to just plug it into an outlet rather than cause any wear and tear to the battery compartment.

February 27, 2020

On 2/25/2020 at 3:08 PM, Keatah said:

Just don't script the whole thing.

Been thinking a lot about that especially based on this thread, and I think my original approach was going to be pretty scripted. I think it might be better that I just add a few of the titles people suggested, since I'm genuinely interested in playing them personally, and just on the night of going with the flow and not have like a run down of games in my brain and a schedule of what we'll be doing. The 2600 is in the entertainment center and hooked up to the TV already anyway, so it'll be somewhat prominent if it peaks her interest but I agree a more go with the flow approach might be best. Also she may just want to look at the stuff and talk about it like friends usually want to instead of taking a deep dive.

February 27, 2020

On 2/25/2020 at 3:12 PM, zzip said:

Wow, dating sure has changed! BITD, this was a sure way to not get a 2nd date ?

LMAO!!!!! :rolling: By then it will have been a few dates in so I'm hoping she'll like me enough to excuse the weird nerdiness. But I am planning to make it much less of a focus on our date cuz I can see this going South very rapidly lol. Listen I've been single for a bit haha, I'm rusty.

February 25, 2020

On 2/22/2020 at 7:57 PM, Flojomojo said:

Naked Combat
Strip Kaboom

Donkey Kong or Dare

Pac-Man or Consequences

Donination Defender

Tie Me Up 3D Tic Tac Toe

Safeword Centipede

Now this is the DEFINITIVE list of games for date night.

February 25, 2020

I'm digging all these ideas, also I'm realizing how many great 2600 games I either haven't tried or wasn't aware of so this is awesome. Also, I like the drinking game idea, that'll be a fun way to spice things up. Additionally throwing in a little history of hard it was to program a game at the time and how much work went into it could be cool. I also wasn't aware of some of the variations like in Space Invaders, the 2600 is the gift that keeps on giving.

February 22, 2020

Trust years ago I would've needed a good talking to. ?

I like that original & homebrew idea, that's great! It'll show what the system is capable of and I do like the idea of introducing her to the concept of homebrews which in my experience, people tend to be surprised by.

February 22, 2020

17 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

And be prepared to turn it all off and put it all away if your date wants to move in a different direction than joysticks and reset switches.

That's the part I'm more than prepared for. ?

And just for context this will be for a date in the near future and by then it'll be date 5 or thereabouts and I've been on enough dates to learn not to spring "hey wanna play retro video games?" to someone I'm trying to get with. ??? She wants to check out the retro things I'm into (we'll also be listening to vinyl) and I figured the 2600 is less scary than the Channel F or original Odyssey. ?

I LOVE all of these suggestions! Thank you everyone! I see there's a consensus on Warlords and Ice Hockey so will definitely be picking those up. Also like the idea of games we can play together like Space Invaders or a homebrew like Fall Down. Also games that tend to be popular with women like Ms. Pac-man sounds great.

I've been thinking of the Harmony cart since I like the Heavy Sixer and it has that tight cartridge port, so this might be a good time to get it.

Looking forward to this and yeah I doubt the gameplay portion will last very long. ?

February 21, 2020

I'm planning a retro themed date night, and I will be introducing my date to the 2600 for the first time. I'm thinking of focusing on 2-player simultaneous games since I think that'll be the most fun plus pretty cool for a date, so I've been looking at the 2-player games list thread on here. Despite having a 2600 since I was a kid, I haven't always kept up with my collection, usually focusing on other systems of the time, but for this I think the 2600 is the best candidate in terms of it tends to be easy to pick up and play and in past experience, I found people tend to like it more than others. I wanted to share what I have in my collection, because I basically want to ask, am I missing anything that would be cool for showcasing the 2600? Any must have titles I'm missing? Including homebrews. Also would love opinions on controllers too.

This i what I have:

Atari 2600 4 switch woodgrain console
Atari 2600 Heavy Sixer console
CX40 evolved Joystick (it has 2 buttons for left handed and right handed players, I'm a lefty) from Atari Sales
CX40 replica Joystick (I believe I bought this one from Atari2600.com back in the day)
Paddles

Games:

Pac-Man
Jr. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Pac-Man 4K
Space Invaders
Asteroids
Joust
Wizard of Wor
Pitfall
Defender 2
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back
ET
Mouse Trap
Frog Bog
Smurf
Enduro
Yars Revenge
Blueprint
Chopper Command
Missile Command
Frogger
Tunnel Runner
Kangaroo

Looking forward to your suggestions. Let me know if there are any cool titles I'm missing and also if you think it makes sense to add some additional controllers. I like the joysticks well enough but I know there are many options for the 2600 out there so I'm interested in hearing about them. I was thinking also maybe Genesis pads or a replica for comfort.

February 18, 2020

This thread is so awesome! Funny thing as I was thinking of looking up a list of 2-player simultaneous games since I'm going to have a retro themed date night and want to introduce my date to the 2600. This is a good list.

February 2, 2020

This podcast was GREAT! Inspired me to hook up my Studio II, glad it works with my TV. ?

November 4, 2019

4 hours ago, intvsteve said:

Some approaches work well for when you've still got an RF-capable TV with a coaxial input:

Just grab an old composite video cable and pick one of the three colors (red, white, or yellow). Or even an old fancy S-Video that has 3 connectors (the S-video and red and white for Audio)... or an old Component video cable... Anything with the 'RCA banana' plug style. As long as you plug the same color (e.g. yellow) in at both ends, you're good! These usually work.

If you have a coaxial input on the TV, grab a cable as above, and use one of these -=OR=-

Grab a coaxial cable and an F-Type to RCA male adapter like one of these

You can often find 10-packs of these pretty cheaply. I lose mine or leave them connected to things and forget so you'd be surprised how useful having a few extras around can be.

Back when Fry's Electronics wasn't a desolate wasteland, and Radio Shack stores hadn't all turned into Starbucks or Sprint stores, you'd practically trip over these things. Now I guess it's up to a 24 hour wait from Amazon.

Thank you for these thorough suggestions! Those coaxial adapters come in super handy! I have a few and similarly I leave them connected to things then forget I did so lollll.

Sweet! I do have composite cables, so I tried as you suggested. I get an image yayyyyy but it looks pretty bad, I'm guessing it's due to the fact that it's a cheap composite cable from the dollar store, so likely not much shielding in it. I'm getting a proper RF cable that should arrive later this week, so this should hold me over for now.

I do miss Radio Shack at times like these.

Many thanks!

November 4, 2019

Hey everyone, I got an Intellivision II recently but it doesn't have the RF cable to hook it up to the TV. I do have other retro game systems but for all of them I'd have to open them up and take the RF cable out from the inside if I wanted to swap it into the Inty II. I've ordered a replacement cable that's compatible with the Inty II on eBay which should arrive later this week.

I was wondering, if I wanted to connect the system to the TV in the meantime, is there a more common type of cable I can use?

November 3, 2019

6 hours ago, mr_me said:

It takes about five minutes to read most instructions. You can find electronic copies here. The site is in Portuguese but the instructions are english (EUA=USA).

http://www.intellivisionbrasil.com.br/Menu_Jogos.htm

Awesome, thank you! I was going to look for a site that had the instructions online. This is great.

November 2, 2019

On 10/31/2019 at 3:09 PM, intvsteve said:

Awesome! One of the best aspects of Intellivision -- there are fun titles in so many different genres. You can tailor your acquisitions to suit your tastes and likely not break the bank. Another approach is the flash cart route, though there's a (hopefully temporary) pause in availability of the current one.

That said, Intellivision is also infamous for having a lot of games where the instructions and overlays are necessary. That's balanced by the fact that so many of the items you can cheaply get come complete in box.

More generally... Do we have a good 'pick up and play' list of Intellivision game? You'd think, for example, that several of the Imagic games would naturally fit (Demon Attack, Atlantis, Dragonfire) ... but I always stumble on getting started. It's the choosing of difficulty and number of players steps that trip me up. Atlantis also has the 'launch / dock the saucer' feature that's important to know about.

Here's a starter batch (no particular rhyme or reason to the list other than: can I play without ever reading anything - not even an overlay!):

Astrosmash

Space Armada

Beauty & the Beast

Beamrider

Bump 'n' Jump

BurgerTime

Buzz Bombers

Carnival

Pinball

Star Strike

I'm glad to hear there's a variety of titles, when I first heard of the Intellivision I just thought it mostly had sports games, but now after having seen a list of the library I see that it has a nice selection of different types of games. I also like how affordable many of the games are, including CIB! I was looking into the Flash Cart and noticed it wasn't available at the moment, hope there are more soon.

Nice, I actually am expecting 3 of the Imagic games, they came highly recommended. Glad I'm getting manuals with everything, sounds like with some of them I would be a bit lost otherwise.

Thank you for this list! I can sometimes be a bit of a lazy gamer aka I don't feel like reading instructions lol so this list will come in handy. I'm actually expecting some titles on this list, so awesome! I can't wait to play some Intellivision and see what it's all about.

October 31, 2019

Just wanted to announce that I've taken the plunge, expecting my Intellivision and a few games soon. So psyched! Looking forward to exploring the Intellivision world.

October 26, 2019

On 10/24/2019 at 10:24 PM, Captain Kiwi said:

It came in the mail today. Clean working great, two games with it with overlays and everything. And all for less than $60 Very very very happy with it!

Thank you all for your advice and insight! Please keep 'em coming. Got a lot of interesting games I need to get. I'm looking forward to hours of fun on yet another system.