Atari2008

Wow!!!! Thank you for these. I can't wait to read them!

I'm looking to buy a tested and working APF MP1000 / M1000 console with the joysticks and power supply. If anyone has one they'd like to sell me please shoot me a PM. Thanks!

Thank you for this! I look forward to playing.

I'm looking to buy an RCA Studio II console with the power supply and switchbox. Please PM me.

Wow this game looks and sounds amazing! The game play is original, addicting and fun! Lots of depth and variety in this one. I'm definitely down for a copy. Thank you for this holiday treat! I'm sure it'll become a tradition for years to come.

I like your "preservation" approach, I for a while, viewed my retro collecting and gaming as such. I felt I was saving these systems from, you said it best, attics and basements and dumps. I do agree that even the unsuccessful consoles are historically significant and all contributed in some way to the history of gaming. I also do agree with your post in the Channel F thread, it really does put the 2600 in perspective. After playing the Channel F for a while, I remember being blown away by what the 2600 could do. That said I may just save an RCA Studio II from a dump.

That's a great deal! And the Basic cart with the jack, enjoy your purchase! All good stuff. The Astrocade is nice because it has quite a few nice games despite being a rare console. Most rare consoles are just collectible and have crappy games but the Astrocade has a quality library. Enjoy it when it arrives!

I used to own a Bally a few years back - very great machine! Very underrated in my view. I agree it's tough to find a working one, many have overheated and shut down over the years. They're a bit pricey though. I believe in the range of $200 if I'm not mistaken. I wasn't aware that the games are that cheap though. I remember the Incredible Wizard being awesome on it as well as their Pac-Man clone Muncher.

This has been a really interesting discussion, I've learned about a lot more systems that I didn't even know existed. I did get some money for the holiday so I may get something gaming related...another console or some games for existing consoles in my collection, so I may still get one of the obscure systems. I was thinking the RCA Studio II to be ready for the multicart release, fingers crossed as there's been no official word yet. But I may just get more Atari stuff since it's more playable and leave the obscure stuff for later. Nice to see people play their obscure consoles, pretty cool.

I love the look of the VideoBrain! I saw one as a friend shipped one to me to send to him abroad, pretty cool looking. Are you by any chance on the VideoBrain and Channel F Yahoo Group?

You play the Game.com? Nice! I agree TG-16 while not obscure it is underrated! I had the TurboExpress as a kid, the handheld version and I thought it was awesome. I liked the game cards, very cool design. There are some hidden gem consoles among the lesser known, I agree the Astrocade is fun. I'll admit to having fun playing RCA Studio II homebrews on an emulator, people have programmed versions of Crazy Climber, Pac-Man and Space Invaders...games I thought would never be possible on such a limited machine!

Can't argue with that logic. Do people play their obscure consoles? Or are they mostly cool things on a shelf?

It's cool to see that I'm not alone in collecting for obscure consoles. Just wonder if I should focus more on the biggies so I can have more to play and more playable games.

Thank you! I'll check out what's been going on with the CV since my absence, sounds like a lot which is great.

I usually do drool over the CV homebrews - they are quite amazing! Lots of activity there for sure. Are they still selling the Super Game Module? How much is it? It sounded really cool, I was following it when they were developing it, but I've been away from the CV scene for a while...fun console though. Hmm definitely one to consider.

I am interested in the RCA Studio II especially if there's some homebrew development for it which there is talk of, but I just wonder if that interest will be enough to justify spending money on a console. Also would be nice to collect some of the original games just for the sake of collecting, doubt I'd have much fun with them. You are right about the rare stuff becoming even more scarce since they were never produced in large numbers to begin with and now that it's been 37 or so years a lot of them don't work so that limits the supply. Plus prices have slowly climbed up on eBay. I guess it's a choice between getting a console that I'll have fun with (like the Colecovision) or just get an obscure console like the RCA Studio II just to collect something cool...

That 1292 APVS/Interton VC 4000 sure looks like an interesting machine! I guess that is part of the allure for me, it's sort of like uncovering a system from the early time of gaming, which I felt is what motivated me to look into the Channel F. I was like "wow there was something before Atari?" However you're right, it's not obscure by any means, I didn't mean to lump it in that category but rather to suggest that it's not as popular or as fondly remembered as other consoles of the era. But I'm thinking I should probably focus on the more popular consoles since I don't have a lot of money to spend on consoles that will probably sit on a shelf somewhere. As intriguing as the RCA Studio II is, it'll probably just collect dust, even after if the multi-cart gets released, even after that shock wears off...

That is a good idea. I find with watching videos and also being able to play on an emulator, it calms down that urge. I do get intrigued by what may come like there's talk of a possible RCA Studio II multicart, but again it probably wouldn't be worth it for me anyway to get that and a console, probably better left to the really hardcore.

That's actually a really good suggestion. I've owned both in the past and have sold them off. I really enjoyed the CV - fun ports of arcade games and nice-looking original titles like Smurfs. The homebrews do look awesome as well as does the expansion module. Perhaps I should pick one up again. The Intv, I've owned twice and I've never been able to get into it, too bad though as I think it's a very interesting system. The homebrews for it look great, I remember wanting the Donkey Kong homebrew. Also the Intv is generally cheaper than the CV right? I was also thinking a 5200 but the hassle of the controllers makes it more expensive.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I realized that for the past few years or so my retro gaming and collecting has centered around the Channel F. I was curious about the system from reading about it in a game book when I was younger so that curiosity was rekindled when the Pac-Man homebrew came out for it. I actually like the Channel F although I recognize its library is small and limited and obviously it's no Atari 2600. Now, I feel like I've been missing out on the 2600 scene by focusing so much on obscure consoles, also since I have limited discretionary funds for gaming, I need to be selective if I want to get in on the goods, which I consider to be the 2600 since it gets most of the action in terms of fans, original library and homebrews. But here I am once again looking at another obscure console the RCA Studio II. I had one earlier in the year, and it was cool for its historical value and quirkiness, I was debating getting another but I don't know if it's a poor investment given the low entertainment value, sure it can be fun in brief spurts and it's historically interesting but that's about it. So I'm curious why do you guys collect obscure consoles? I think a resolution for 2014 is I need to focus my gaming and collecting, and I think I should focus on more popular consoles like the 2600, even if I find the obscure ones to be interesting because of their rareness and obscurity.

I agree, I don't want to discourage you from getting a Channel F. I had a System I and II back in 2009 when the Pac-Man homebrew came out and, I loved it. I sold it about two years later but within the past 2 years I've purchased 2 more System I's and I'm never parting with my Channel F. It's a fun system, as has been mentioned you probably won't be spending all day playing it (unless you're me ) but it's fun in spurts. There are quite few games that I enjoy on it - Dodge It, Spitfire, Sonar Search, Drag Strip, Video Whizball, Alien Invasion and of course the Pac-Man homebrew. If you get the Multi-Cart you'll have access to all these games and more. And yes I'm one of those who keeps his Channel F connected for gameplay:

Now that's something I haven't tried - two player games. As you can imagine it's more difficult to find another person willing to play the Channel F or RCA Studio II, but I would imagine having a second player raises the fun factor somewhat. You can talk smack during the game, even poke fun at the limited graphics, definitely would make up for the crude and simple visuals. It's hard to recommend the Channel F, again I love it, but I know it's not for most people, including most retro-gamers. Even its best stuff is outdone by games on other systems like the 2600. Still it does have that crude charm and as the first programmable home console, the Channel F is historically significant. Also I say the RCA Studio while outclassed by the Channel F, it harkened back to the earlier Pong era and was a different route to a home console than the Channel F. Clearly the Channel F was more akin to future consoles like the 2600 while the RCA Studio II stayed more closely with the Pong-clone model. Still they're fun conversation pieces if not exactly enticing in terms of game play. For the Channel F, I do recommend the Pac-Man homebrew and the Multi-Cart, definitely increases the fun factor, but both are expensive as is the system.