tz101

Remembering the heyday of Atari, Intellivision, and Colecovision got me thinking about some of the third party game developers that either went under or just got entirely out of the business with the "great crash of 83". Companies like Imagic, Parker Bros, 20th Century Fox, and CBS. Now, my question is: Why? Obviously companies such as Mattel, Parker Bros, Fox, and CBS exist to this day, so why did they never re-enter the game development arena again on platforms like NES and the 7800? I am guessing that Imagic and Parker Bros. made pretty good money from their 2600, Intellivision, and Colecovision games, so why would they not want to try their hand at success on the platforms that followed? Even if they were gun-shy after the great fallout of '83, they had to see that things had turned for the better after NES began to rule the world around '87 or so. Did they get burned so badly in the great crash that they could not muster the backing among shareholders to re-enter the video game sector? For all intents and purposes, Imagic ceased to exist in the mid 80's, so they must have been irreparably harmed by the crash, but all the others I have named remain to this day. So, the mystery is, why did all these companies permanently bow out of the video game wars after 1983?

The pictured cable end is the wrong gender for 5200. Gender changer would do the trick.

RF modulators can be had for ~$14-$15 new, or used for ~$5-$10 at thrift stores. No VCR needed.

Would probably help, but maybe redundant because most consoles already have RF shielding installed from the factory.

Oh dude, tell me about it. People also horrendously misuse the words "THEN" and "THAN"... that really gets me. How about "irregardless", which isn't even a word, used in place of "regardless", but plenty of educated types continue to use it?

5200 was actually designed to leave turned on while you swap out the game carts. You can do absolutely zero harm by leaving it turned on while switching games.

5200 rocks! Don't believe all the controller hatred. New rubber boots make the controllers self-centering for games like Pac Man and Ms. Wico sticks are better than the originals if they can be found for a decent enough price.

I glanced over the instructions. Is this doable for the average collector with average soldering skills? How much is spent on parts?

Man, you guys hung out in the perv districts for sure. I mainly went to Aladdin's Castle in the mall and a couple others in mainstream strip malls. Nothing creepy or perverted, but I did get an eyeful of a nice looking lady's breasts once, She was wearing a short crop-top and bent over to tie her shoes, nicely displaying everything she had from the rear perspective. Best arcade experience ever.

No, you were "disinformed" and it is your fault that you felt this way toward GG. Now go and repent before all the smoochers on this thread crucify you.

Sorry, Mike, my intent was never to paint you as a greedy person, but I did interpret your email to be concerned with driving traffic, and revenue, to the site. My email received read in its entirety as follows: Hello GameGavel Community, This is just a short email discussing a very important subject. And that is the listing of pirated/modded games, systems, accessories, etc. on GameGavel.com . At first I wasn’t against this, but since have learned the listing of these types of items is in strict conflict with the Google Base Feed guidelines. Basically, one of the things sellers depend on is more buyers visiting GameGavel to bid and buy our items. And Google Base is one free method of bringing in significant buyer traffic to GameGavel. Google Base is a free service by Google to include our seller’s items within the Google Search Environment. If Google Base determines there are modded/pirated items for sale on GameGavel, they immediately shut down our feed and our items are not included within their search environment. So, starting now, sellers can only list legal, commercially available items up for sale or auction on GameGavel. If any of you currently have one of these types of items listed, please remove it right away. If anyone sees a modded or pirated item up for sale, please report this item using the “report violation” button, which is located on all listing pages in the lower right hand column so we can get the item removed and not jeopardize our Google Base Feed. Any listing enhancement fees associated with an item violation will not be credited back. Thanks again, So Cal Mike, Founder GameGavel.com The underlined section is where I got the "disinformed" notion that even av mods on older systems would not be permissible, and that it is of utmost importance to keep Google's revenue flowing. Call me crazy if you want, but it reads as such in my humble opinion.

If I was "disinformed", then whose issue is that? I am only going by the email I received, and did not state anything that was not contained in that email. Q: Is the word "custom" or "customized" a no-no as far as Google is concerned?

I still have my original NES gamepads with original rubberized carbon contacts from 1986. So this is false. A company called Doc's used to make fix-a-pad kits that worked great for repairing NES gamepads if needed. They came with replacement buttons, directional cross, and rubberized contacts. Usually you can tell a NES controller had these installed if it has bright orange and yellow buttons instead of the red and black ones that came with the system. As for the OP, most computer keyboards have rubberized contacts underneath each key these days. Go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and keyboards can be had for under $5. Just an idea...

Somehow, I thought SoCal Mike ran Chasethechuckwagon a little differently. Maybe I only hoped inside that they were the anti-ebay. They just proved me wrong. I received an email tonight informing all Game Gavel listers that modded and altered systems will no longer be permitted. Only factory spec systems will be allowed for listing on their site. The reasoning given is that they are now linked in with Google ad service as a revenue stream and they will cancel Game Gavel if there are any modded game systems listed for sale on their site. I am not a fan of piracy in the slightest, but do not understand roping people like myself into the same proverbial boat with those types as it pertains to modding systems. All I do is audio/video upgrades along with region mods on outdated 8-bit and 16-bit consoles. Seeing as those are no longer in production and that the original software is no longer being distributed, what should it matter if somebody desires to improve the video or audio quality of their classic gaming system, or to do away with the annoying flashing startup screen on their NES? I wish Game Gavel the best, but will not be doing business with their sell-out site any longer.

So the game is made by Camerica? Really funny the legal dancing they did to avoid lawsuit: Forcing the purchaser to switch the game over to NES compatibility so they could claim they did not sell it with that intent. Thinly veiled argument for any court to rule on in any case. Only one question: What was it designed for when not switched for NES compatibility? Was there another game console that it would play on in that mode?

Or are there some recycled electronic parts in there? Reason for asking is because of the forecast life expectancy of the HC. I am thinking about buying one but want to know that it will last for many years to come.

Just curious: What is the intent with this lengthy undertaking? Is it for cataloging purposes? Just go to sites that already have all the label scans and download the images for all your cart titles. If some are not readily available, then use the label maker software found on AA forums to make replacement images.

5200's are unique in their own way. Probably most of the games were either ported to 2600 or 7800, but the 5200 is still a very worthwhile system to own. Games for it are relatively inexpensive and can regularly be found in the wild around my area. Some good games are Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Pengo, Zaxxon, and Space Dungeon. I hope you end up getting the 5200. Extra 2600 and 7800 games can always be bought later.

Avoid Nintendo-Scene. It is chock full of snobs who refuse to answer anything for "diseased noobs". The site basically stinks.

I originally loved the Metal Gear series because it was relatively non-violent, being mostly about stealth. The later releases took the shooting and violence angle though. The Splinter Cell series never pretended to be anything but stealth/shooter/stabber/violent. I quit playing them all when they seemed to pander to the teenage adrenaline rush crowd. Stealth is where it is at for me, and there is nothing out there that sticks purely to that genre. Quite a shame. As for your question, definitely more shooting, stabbing and blowing things up in the Tom Clancy games, if that is what you are into.

Umm, that's the cast aluminum RF shield of the Heavy Sixer you have pictured.

Was this an original release for 2600, or a later port? I thought Cat Trax only existed on the Emerson Arcadia 2000 system.

Yeah, somebody didn't think this poll through well enough. The 2800 and Gemini got left off.

Years from now this time will be referred to as the great depression, not recession as all the elected "leaders" would have us believe. I know too many people who are unemployed for the rate to be only 9.7% or whatever the latest reported figure was. More closer to 25% probably. In any case, unemployed people cannot afford to buy, and that is the current state of affairs, unfortunately. On the other side of the CL equation, I have had some weird dealings from the buyer side in the past few months. Stuff like ads that are still running but the seller will not answer my emails. I mean if they have already sold the item(s) then it is past time to pull the ad.

When Project Natal arrives, you may want the 360 over Sony. Just an observation...