tisaperfectdayelise

So, I did some more digging, and came up with a few posts regarding available pitches and voices on the 2600....but I guess I just can't wrap my head around why accurate scales aren't available. Were all of the sound capabilities programmed by someone with no ear? Was it just too labor intensive to create TRUE (as in A is based on 440) notes....ARG! As I read more, I'm getting increasingly frustrated, as I don't understand how something (the VCS) that requires program instructions could be hardcoded with inaccurate pitches...and that programming couldn't get around that (or dictate it, for that matter)... Somebody, help me to understand this...

I apologize if this topic has already been covered, but I wasn't able to locate any specific article on the topic.... Were programmers quite limited with sound on the 2600? In many games (most games that have any sort of melody at any point), there are always notes that either flat or sharp. We're not talking complete half-steps, but pretty effing close. So, in games like "Journey's Escape," you can easily hear that, not only is the melody inconsistent with the original "Don't Stop Believin'," but the accompaniment part is also sharp or flat to the melody, at any given time. It is HORRIBLE sounding to any sort of trained ear (and I'd hope that someone with an untrained ear could hear how awful it is, as well). The melody at the beginning of Ms. Pac-Man is another example, with inconsistent distances between pitches (albeit, less noticeable than in Escape). Frogger is OK, but is not the exception. One would expect flawless (I'm avoiding using the word perfect, for the sake of avoiding musical confusion) intervals from an electronic source, making this Atari cunundrum baffling to me. The only thing that I can compare this to is if you try to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on a telephone's keypad. The pitches are ALMOST there, but not quite. So, I guess my question is: were there only a few pitches that the 2600 could generate? Did the machine have a very small pallet of musical keys from which to draw scales? Did programmers have SO much control over pitches, that getting the relationship between pitches correct was more tedious work than it was worth? Although I haven’t had much play on the 7800, I can hear this problem at the 7800's Donkey Kong title screen, as well as 7800's Ms. Pac-Man. It is significantly LESS noticeable than on the 2600, but it sounds like it’s still an issue. I am aware that the 7800 and 2600 shared the same audio, so maybe that’s the culprit….. Help me out here!

...do I dare admit that I've never liked Jenga, but feel completely included to pick up this game? It looks like Amazon has it in stock at the moment......

I was actually making a deal in the marketplace, and clearly added a 'g' to Skatboardin'.....does that count? (and probably effed up Koolaide Man as well)

Ditto. Ditto...again!

Where did you find this gem of a lot? This is very similar to one that I came across a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't found these forums yet, though, and gave away a lot of it before I could take pictures. About the manufacturing info...Every unit that I've owned (except for one Vedar unit) mentioned Sunnyvale, CA.....but were careful not say that it was manufactured there. I'm at work now, so I can't verify until morning, but I know that my backup unit (a light, sixer) says "Atari, Inc. Sunnyvale, CA".....then mentions that it was made in Hong Kong. Then again, the switch panel on the inside is also stamped March 11, 1983 (which is very odd to me, since only 4-switchers were being made then), so it might just be a freak unit.... Anyhow, good score!

You know, I was really excited to see that there are other human beings that don't know the rules to football (Americano) besides myself...then I saw your location....which confirms that I may be the only adult, American male who has no idea how to play the game...

Yard sale?!? In January!?! Where in the hell do you live? Oh - don't answer... I already know. My home is littered with more static electricity thanks to our build up of SNOW! lol Nice score bro! Same here! I can't even pet my cats without shocking them!

Hey guys! Thanks for the responses! I actually have purchased one, and I'm super-stoked to play this system. For all practicality's sake, I want this system for the arcade ports, and little more. I might be one the eight people that actually enjoy the 7800 joystick, and the arcade ports of Ms. PacMan, Donkey Kong, and Dig Dug are (for me) worth owning the system for! So, I will have an adaptor soon. Thanks again for all of the replies. As a newbie, you have certainly made me feel welcome here!

I doubt it. We are the first gen of gamers, they don't get to see it "from the ground up" like we did. Good call....

So, seeing as some of the items say, "Sold Out," have people actually purchased items from them? My goodness!

I picked up my first (finally!...after 18 years of wanting one!) 7800. It was actually part of a box of 2600 stuff. There were two units, 9 games, blah, blah, blah. Anyhow, there is no AC adapter. Does anyone have one lying around that I could purchase? I see new ones listed on eBay, but I thought I'd try my luck here first. If anyone has a small lot they'd like to sell, that'd be cool, too. I'd even make a trade for the neat-o Mean 18 cartridge that came with the lot! Update: I found one. Thanks for the help!

Hey!! I mentioned E.T........didn't I? What an underrated treasure!

If my games were ever stored long term, or stored in a basement/garage, I could see the necessity for using these. But in my normal, used-daily collection, I think having each game individually sealed would really take the fun out of it for me. Then again, though, I'm a collector/player, not archivist/preserver.

It's funny, because I remember when my sister and I wanted an NES in the late 1980s. My dad, however, was always trying to convince us to get the 7800 instead, since he trusted the Atari name much more than Nintendo's. We ended up getting the NES, but I always regretted that decision. We traded so many good arcade ports for Super Mario Bros. We only ever ended up getting a couple of titles for the NES, and ended up playing our 2600 more often than the Nintendo. I also remember KMart trying to clearance these out in 1995 or 1996. At that point, they were under $30, out of production, and I desperately wanted one....when I went back to the store, however, they were out.....Oh, the memories! Will the current video game kids have these kinds of fond memories about the current systems?

We had an Atari VCS growing up, but my collection exploded (even before I started actively collecting) when people would donate their old stuff to me. For example: one of my mother's Bridge mates had an old vcs in her basement with probably 30 games. While having a conversation with her, she had asked me what I do for fun, and I mentioned my affinity for the system. She said, "You know, I have a whole a box of that stuff. Why don't you come and pick it up." Those kinds of conversations happen all the time with older people. I also used to vonunteer at a church rummage sale. I just told the woman in charge to watch out for that stuff. Every couple of years, she still calls me to let me know if something Atari-related turns up. Is there a used video game store where you are? I'm talking mom-and-pop, not GameSpot. I just scored a huge box that was sitting in their back room, just because I'm in there all the time, and they know I collect Atari stuff. The box had 3 2600's, 2 7800's, and about 200 games. I was able to make three collections to sell, keep a 7800, and was able to add about 30 games to my collection, that I didn't already have. Also, try putting a notice on Craigslist that you're looking for Atari stuff. eBay seems to have good prices, but the good finds seem to come from first hand buyers. Good luck! If I still had one of the collections available, I would have sent it to you. Happy gaming!

Text, all the way!

Here's mine: S.N.: 11979P It's got the hole for the Channel Selector, but no switch.

I think, coming from someone who is faced with these "Should I buy soup or Atari stuff this week," dilemmas, I'd say to save your pennies, sell one or both of your current systems, THEN buy the heavy sixer. You'll miss the flea market find, but you can actually take the time to find one that's been tested and is in good condition. There are still a ton of these circulating, and, unless sealed in the box, aren't worth much. Also, you can always pick up a broken heavy sixer, and switch out the insides (as the size/layout of the boards are exactly the same between six switch units).....just a thought. What if you offered him $20 to buy it dirty and untested? I think that those finds are the best ones....plus, you can take pride in the "restoration" factor....

Astroblast: 80 Minutes Mario Brothers: 45 Minutes Jungle Hunt: 25 Minutes Adventure: 115 Minutes Joust: 30 Minutes Snoopy and the Red Barron: 15 Minutes Towering Inferno: 20 Minutes E.T.: 40 Minutes

Howdy! This is my first post ever.... I have quite a few games, but I don't think many are that rare. It looks like, based on the rarity guides here, that Tomarc the Barbarian might be one. Which rarity guide is more accurate: the one here or digitpress? Over there, it says that my Montezuma's Revenge is a rare one...but here it doesn't...Anyhow, I digress...