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atari_envy

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Posts posted by atari_envy

  1. Posted

    Well, I had a bit of a "DOH!" moment. My non-working 5200 4-port arrived last week. Over the weekend I opened it and pulled out the BIOS chip. It was labeled C019156-05. The chip came out easily, but unless you have a chip-puller, you will bend the prongs. No big deal -- they easily go back into place.

     

    Next I opened my 2-port system. As described above, the hardest part of this operation is getting the shielding off. Those little twisted metal things are a pain to line up with the hole. I ended up breaking a couple off (again, no big deal, you don't need all of them to hold the shield in place).

     

    Once I got the shield off, I located the BIOS on my 2-port.....only to discover it was also labeled C019156-05 -- the exact same chip I had pulled from the 4-port. In my defense, I didn't have a Pitfall or Mountain King cart to test, and the Atari2600.com site states that those games don't work with most 2-port systems, so I never picked one up until now. But guess what? They work fine with my un-modded 2-port system.

     

    I now have an extra 4-port BIOS chip. I do have a spare 2-port 5200 in the closet that I could open up as well. But my luck would be that it already has the correct chip too, so I am going to hold off for now.

     

    Anywho, thanks to those who posted on this thread. Good stuff.

  2. Posted

    While not a long time collector, I have been at it for over four years. My observation of recent pricing is that while common games have become dirt cheap, the rare and very rare carts have been going up in price. And while I have seen some of price increase due to bidding, I feel a lot of the recent increases have been driven by the sellers because of higher and higher BIN and reserve prices.

     

    Halloween is a good example. A couple years ago, you could get a loose cart for about $50-$75 with an auction starting at .99 cents. But recently sellers have set the reserve/BIN price in the low hundreds for a loose cart and in the thousands for CIB. In response, the bid price for a loose cart has been pushed towards the $200-$300 range.

  5. Posted

    I was curious, so I went and counted. The Atari collection is up to 408, all unique titles:

     

    Atari 2600, 320 games:

    242 CIB

    71 Cart w\manual

    7 Cart only

     

    Atari 5200, 41 games:

    33 CIB

    8 Cart only

     

    Atari 7800, 47 games:

    41 CIB

    5 Cart w\manual

    1 Cart only (grrrr, this was supposed to be CIB, long story)

     

    I have some Intellivision, C64 and Apple II systems and games, but the Atari stuff is my pride and joy.

  6. Posted

    I also kind of like owning all the carts with 'Bobby' (or whomever) written on them in sharpie marker. I'm the guy who rescues all the games that used to be loved and well played by someone.

    I am the opposite of that. I get rid of any carts or boxes with writing on them (e.g. names, prices, scribbles, etc.) I dunno, reminds me that I wasn't the original owner.

     

    I upgrade when I can get a good deal on the replacement or if there is significant wear such as crushing, cracks, stains, etc. This can make the game a little more expensive. However, I like having a nice, clean, straight-edged box sitting on the shelf.

     

    I did go on a run to get all my Atari red-boxes and Mattel CIB in shrinkwrap after I noticed that the majority were already NIS. That was a little expensive buying a lot of games again.

  7. Posted

    While you can acquire a large amount of those Activision patches pretty quickly via eBay, some are still hard to find, and 2 are extremely elusive.

    I am curious which 2 you feel are the extremely elusive ones?

    The original 2600 Beamrider (half-moon/semi-circle version) and the embroidered Star Master patch.

    Interesting. I don't think I have seen the "original" Beamrider patch as you describe, only the one as shown in a previous link to the patches. And when you say "embroidered" Star Master, is this different than the standard patch as shown in the list?

     

    The ones I feel are very hard to get (and going to cost $100+ on eBay) is the Decathlon Silver and Gold patches, and the Hero patch. Personally, I am missing the Silver patch and Pitfall II.

  8. Posted

    While you can acquire a large amount of those Activision patches pretty quickly via eBay, some are still hard to find, and 2 are extremely elusive.

    I am curious which 2 you feel are the extremely elusive ones?

     

    I have been collecting the Activision patches for about three years now, and I have only two more to go. I would put the number at three or four that are very HTF.

  9. Posted

    Many times I have looked at my collection and cringed at the thought of something happening to it like in a fire. Sadly, I have never called my insurance agent to discuss.

     

    The biggest problem I see is the actual worth vs the replacement cost. In other words, if I sold my whole collection either individually or as a lot, that amount would be a LOT less then the cost to replace it -- not to mention the time and effort. As many of you know, it takes years to accumulate certain items. And often you end up buying multiples of the same item to get it in the condition you want (e.g. "Near mint condition" actually means water damage and mold on the box of a $50 CIB game or the poorly packed squished CIB games).

  10. Posted

    I'd use a glue stick.

    The trusty glue stick seems to work quite well on cartridge labels, but I have doubts about its ability to hold a box together over time.

    Don't underestimate the sticking power of a good glue stick. I use an Elmer's glue stick for labels and boxes. It is easy to work with, forgiving, and even after a few years, is still holding up.

  13. Posted

    The 4-port switch box really isn't that bad. But if you got one and wanted to modify it, you always can, quite easily.

     

    It may even be easier than going through the trouble of finding a 2-port specifically then putting in a 4-port BIOS.

     

    EDIT: I posted the wrong link. The info to modify the 4-port is around here somewhere, I've seen it just this week.

    Please keep an eye out for the link. I am very interested in knowing how to do this. I am assuming it is a case of pulling some chips off a 4 port and swapping them out with the 2 port.

  14. Posted

    LMFAO, but he is right. He just sold a $100 pong for $225. It only takes one. :roll:

     

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ATARI-SUPER-PONG-C140-...1QQcmdZViewItem

    Here is what cracks me up, in the QA for the pong unit we find this:

     

    Q: I have an identical Super Pong system. Would you be interested in purchasing from me? Jan-25-09

    A: I do not buy off line. List it and I will bid.

     

    Translation:

    Q: Would you buy my pong unit for the (ridiculously high) price you are listing yours for?

    A: I do not pay such exorbitant prices myself. List yours as an auction so I can pay a lower (reasonable) price while I list mine with a high BIN in the hopes someone buys it without shopping around.

  15. Posted

    There are some good games on that list. Sure, Food Fight is a winner, but if the likes of Joust, Dig Dug and especially Centipede aren't doing it for you, then this system is probably never going to raise your temperature.

     

    To each their own. I really like the 7800. I love that it plays 2600 games, can use the 2600 joysticks, and has some faithful arcade ports. If I could only have one Atari system, it would be the 7800.

     

    For me, it is the 5200 that doesn't float my boat. I try to play it once a week, but when I do, there just isn't the satisfying feeling like I get with the 2600.

  16. Posted

    I tried Centipede on my heavy sixer and my two 7800s -- an 84 model and an 88. None had any issues with the title screen or the gameplay.

     

    Great game, but Millipede is the one you want. It's one of the best for the 2600.

  21. Posted

    Not a fan of the red labels and boxes. Kinda cheap looking imho, especially inside with the brown cardboard showing, the non-color manuals, and lack of inserts/catalogs. The shrinking shrinkwrap that warps the boxes is also an annoyance.

     

    However, I am a big fan of almost all of the games that are red. Some of the 2600's best (or at least technically most impressive) games are red boxes.

     

    To each their own. My favorite is the 82-83 silvers. Love the boxes with the Atari hologram, color manuals, carts with pictures with retracting spring flap, and lots of color inserts/catalogs. The shrinkwrap is also nice and sturdy and not prone to shrinkage.

     

    Kudos also to the Atari colored boxes artwork. Classic.

  24. Posted

    and review all the Atariage games for sale....

    but of course I will comment negatively the games I dont like too...

    Please do. I don't pay much attention to the reviews since they are mostly "AWESOME!! YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS GAME. FIVE STARS/JOYSTICKS!"

     

    Word of mouth on these forums is the best way to discover the homebrew gems.

  25. Posted · Edited by atari_envy

    I am going to pick Miner 2049er because I argue it would fall under the definition of a "nuclear reactor accident". The game objective is to pick up "chunks of uranium ore" while being chased by "mutants" in a mine "once owned by Nuclear Ned" that recently suffered a "massive explosion and ... huge cave-in" filling the mine with "radiation." (All quoted items from game manual). I submit that the ore was being used by a Nuclear Reactor, with over-mining causing the accident.

     

    Plus, I really am not a fan of the other games mentioned that do fall under the approved definition.

     

    2049er has gotten a few poor reviews, but I like it, despite a couple flaws.

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