Are Atari Games Still Copyright Protected?

[Are Atari Games Still Copyright Protected?]

No, I am no authority on the subject; I just saw mention of it a few years ago.

[Where did Vectrex Roli go?]

I always thought your FIRST name was Vectex, and your LAST name was Roli.

[Good find]

It's one of my favorites; you'll easily get ten bucks worth of fun out of it.

[Missing Artwork]

Looks like your list is missing everything.

[Is the 2600 jr case very brittle or did I just get unlucky?]

I think the history of some (individual) consoles must cause the plastic to age more quickly than others. I had a NES (one of maybe 50 so far) that just crumbled at every point where I applied small amount of pressure; all the screw holes disintegrated as I tried to remove screws, for example. I bet sitting in the sun for long periods could cause this.

[Are Atari Games Still Copyright Protected?]

Some IP owners may have given permission for anyone to copy; others may put their work in the public domain. There also may be a few cases on the margin where a work was copyrighted in a country that no longer exists.

You also may possibly get written permission to use any work from the copyright holder, especially if the use is for charity or other good cause.

Good luck identifying every games legal situation... there may be someplace that attempts to document it all (but I don't know where).

[What if?????]

I'm absolutely sure you could have built a TV tennis type game in the 1950's (or before) using analogue components and a few vacuum tubes connected to an oscilloscope, maybe even as part of a regular black and white TV, possibly even within the cost that some consumers might pay, but I still doubt it would have changed todays game industry much, if at all. The real enabling technology was consumer digital computers (ie., microprocessors), which depended on so many other things coming together first.

[Atari compatible controllers]

I know under some conditions, plugging or unplugging a controller from the colecovision while it's on can blow a chip(s). I wouldn't be surprised if the same effect could occur by pressing buttons on the genesis controller plugged into the colecovision.

I haven't heard of, or experienced any damage to a 2600 (or 7800) using a genesis controller, which I have been using routinely for many years.

Don't know why you would plug a colecovision controller into an Atari, except maybe just for funzies because it fits, but I wouldn't do it.

[what's your favorite cartridge case]

There aren't many, but I love the utter nonsense of the T-handles.

[What if?????]

Sorry...cold water coming...

I doubt the technology required for Pong (or especially anything microprocessor based) would have been commercially viable much earlier. Maybe Space War at MIT (?I think that's where it was invented?) would have come 15 years earlier, though.

Contrary to popular belief, the "idea" part of commercial invention is really only a small part of the equation.

[Best 2600 model for cartridge compatibility?]

The 7800 is known for tight fit on some carts. You can fix most or all of it if you are willing to cut the corners of the plastic sleeve around the cart connector (so you have 4 independent pieces of plastic that flex more easily around the tight carts). Or, you could probably dremel it to fit.

[What does the date code on the back of the small Playstations mean?]

Could either be a hex sequence number, or Barbie doll bra size variations.

[Vectrex unit goes directly to Mine Storm, does not read cart]

My guess is the cart and/or the slot need to be cleaned. Try 91% rubbing alcohol or Caig deoxit. Qtip on the cart connector; credit card wrapped with soaked lint-free cloth in the slot.

[My Pengo review]

----> "Have you tried with a third-party joystick/joypad (wico or similar)? "

Yes. I have an adapter allowing 2600 joystick use... better, but coin-op still seems more responsive (although at this point it's been many years since I've played on an actual coin-op machine).

[My Pengo review]

Pengo used to be my main coin op. I never could do as well with the 5200 stick...it just makes everything harder (than the coin op).

But I still really like the game.

[Adam Archive]

I have never uploaded anything, or even downloaded, but I really appreciate the fact that someone is preserving important information someplace besides FB, which I don't trust.

[The Pong Console Challenge]

My first thought was "not very long". I loved Pong when it was popular, especially the coin-ops. But it slowly faded as new games came out.

Then I realized that what really makes Pong fun is the two player aspect. This led to the realization that ANY two player game expands to fill the "fun space" when you build a social event around it. Other games, that seem a bit boring at first, become exciting when you create competition and social structure around it. Other examples can be found in just about any bar I've ever seen: darts, liars dice, fooseball, pool, etc.

With tourneys and staged rounds and, of course free-flowing drinks and good conversation, I think enjoyment of Pong could last indefinitely.

[Atari Flashback Portable!]

DB9 port(s) on the handheld would make it physically less desirable, imo. But maybe allow usb controller connected (via adapter) at the charger port?

[I have a question about selling imports...]

I know of several retro game stores (in the US) that will not buy any game that looks like a bootleg, import or otherwise. Besides that, they all seem to have no compunctions. I'm not a lawyer, but I wouldn't worry about it.

[Forum Upgrade Today, June 15th! PLEASE READ!]

Well, I guess I was not really specific enough in my comment. I really meant I like seeing the post number when reading the post without digging it out.

It is nice to know (thank you) that each post is uniquely identified, that I can determine that number, and it can be accessed when editing a response. However, right clicking the post time does NOT do that on my computer...not sure why (linux? no javascript?).

[Forum Upgrade Today, June 15th! PLEASE READ!]

Is it just me, or do posts no longer have identifying numbers? I always like knowing exactly how many comments came before...

[Forum Upgrade Today, June 15th! PLEASE READ!]

just posting so I get notified of new posts here...

[Curated set of Atari news articles from the New York Times (1974-1985)]

Thank you!

[Atari "Accepted" label what does it mean?]

What game is it? What else was it found with? How many did you find together? Where did you get it?

[Atari Flashback Portable FAQ and Compatibility List]

Yeah, bigger screen is the real need, in my opinion. Also, better emulation, but I'm OK with using the hacked games that work on it. Forget paddle games if it costs more...I love 'em, but I don't need that in a portable.