tz101

They have for NES games, they just aren't "officially licensed". Y, and consequently are not easy to locate in stores. Once in a while, mall kiosks have them around Christmas season, but usually charge too much.

Also keep in mind that a lot of the Goodwill stores never put the good stuff on their shelves for local sale. Take a look at their auction site sometime to see where they tend to get greedy. I had a friend who donated his NES and 15 games to the local Goodwill. I went in on several occasions for about two weeks and never saw it out for sale. It went to their auction site. I would give anything to Salvation Army or St. Vincent, but do not recommend giving to Goodwill for this reason alone.

I am wondering why no company has released one with classic NES or SMS games. Now, I know that Nintendo has all their own titles locked up on virtual console for Wii, but there were plenty of classic games released for NES by companies like Konami, Acclaim, LJN, and the like. Release a plug and play that looks similar to a NES console and I would certainly buy it.

Wow! Where do you live? Things around our parts get lean this time of year. Keep in mind that I live within 40 minutes of 7 Goodwills, 3 St. Vincent De Pauls, and 4 Salvation Army's. I try to hit them all about once a week, but things are lean right now. I have never even seen a 32X in the wild around here. Odyssey 2 is unheard of too. I went around today and found a few Genesis carts, but most of the selection was Madden and sports titles.

Question: Do licensing agreements between Atari and other companies like Williams and Nintendo ever expire? This is the only stumbling block I could see: If Atari no longer has rights to release many of those 8-bit games on any platform whatsoever.

Are there known games (bigger than 32k) that will not work with the Harmony cart? What are those titles? Need to know before I decide.

Atari's CX-40 was better than most for controlling the majority of games on the VCS platform. Didn't lead to hand cramps like the stock NES game pad. I got one of these Prostick II controllers for only $1 at Salvation Army a while back and it is the best 2600 stick ever. Built just like the arcade sticks and incredibly responsive. Very durable too.

That's what I keep hearing, but no thrifts in my area ever have any Activision carts. Only stuff like Combat and Real Sports Football. Ebay is not bad on prices sometimes, but by the time you figure in shipping fees, its often not worth it.

Overall, I like most Jaaks-type plug 'n' play units. I presently have a Pac Man one with Galaxian and Mappy included, a Taito one with Qix, Phoenix, and a few others, and an Activision one that contains 10 of their better 2600 games. Oh, I also have an Atari Flashback 1 system with about 20 2600 games on it and an Atari paddle controller that I picked up at Goodwill. It has all the Atari branded 2600 paddle games like Breakout, Circus Atari and Warlords. While the Jaaks branded units normally have nice arcade quality sticks, I have been underwhelmed with the directional pad on my Activision plug 'n' play system. I only wish some company would license all the 2600 Activision titles and release them on a Flashback type of console so I could play them with a genuine CX-40 joystick. Adding the 2600 Imagic games like Demon Attack and Atlantis would be great as well. I can dream...

I saw my local Wal Mart clearancing HS controllers after Christmas for $5 a piece. Since I don't have a system or any games, I passed. Does anyone know if these controllers can be rewired to work with other systems like say, Sega Saturn? If so, then I might go back and pick a couple up.

I will agree with a couple on here and say that my initial reaction to seeing Super Mario Bros. demonstrated in a Target store, I was awestruck. I don't think SMB actually hit the arcades with the Playchoice 10 until the carts were released to the stores, so I had never even seen it in an arcade at that point. My initial reaction was that you could actually move a character in a cartoon. Nobody had ever offered that before. Simply amazing for 1986 tech.

The game cart in the lower right corner of the pic is Combat.

Do they ever update the list? I posted the s/n's from my two systems over a month ago and they still have not been added. What gives?

Because all the 2600 consoles up to the 2800 used a male "stereo" plug to fit into the console's power port, it becomes difficult to find another systems adapter that will fit. The SMS, NES, and Genesis all used female adapter ends on their power bricks. The Sega Genesis model I used a 9v DC adapter like the Vader requires, but you would have to cut and splice the end plug from your overheating power brick. Also, be careful about polarity. VCS Atari power brick outputs 9v DC (not AC as you originally posted) and the Genesis model I/Sega Master System power adapter also outputs 9v DC. Again, just watch for polarity if/when you splice the different connector onto a Genesis/SMS power brick. The Atari uses center positive polarity, while the Genesis/SMS adapter has center polarity of negative. This is not a problem as long as you wire it correctly when you make the splice. Definitely do not use a NES power brick on your Vader 2600 console as it outputs AC current which will permanently damage it. The 2600 was made to accept DC input. You can use DC current to power an AC device, but cannot use AC current to power a DC device. Hope this helps.

Actually, if you are somewhat mechanical you can repair and clean old dirty pots with little effort. First, unplug the six controller wires (three for each pot) that connect to the pots, being careful to remember which colored wire connected to which pot connection point. Second, remove the pots from the plastic 5200 controller housing. On some controllers this can require a little force since the pots are dlued into the controller from the factory. Third, use a jeweler's flat type screwdriver to bend up the four crimped corner tabs on the pot outer housing. Fourth, disassemble the pot, taking notice of how the stem and disc are oriented for later reference. You will also have to remove the rotating pot arm at this step. It is press fit over the pot shaft so may require a little force. Fifth, use fine grain sandpaper to lightly polish the ends of the "feathered" metal contact that rotates within the pot, then finish cleaning it with a cotton swab dipped in 91% alcohol. Sixth, Use cotton swab and alcohol to thoroughly clean the carbon pad that is on the inside of the pot's stationary housing. This carbon pad is what contacts the feathered metal connector during game play. Seventh, reassemble the pot and use the jeweler's screwdriver to re-crimp the four corner tabs of the outer metal housing to capture all the internal components in their proper place. Eighth, replace the pots into the controller plastic housing and reconnect the colored wires to their proper contacts. Ninth, press the pot arms back over the pot stems and properly adjust the on-screen movement of your avatar/cursor. The best game for this alignment is Missile Command. With the cursor centered vertically on your TV screen the upper pot arm should be positioned at exactly the 9 o'clock position. With the cursor centered horizontally on your TV screen the lower pot arm should be positioned at exactly the 6 o'clock position. Finally, reassemble the controller casing, being careful to not rotate the pot arms out of their proper positions with the plastic slider plates. Plug it into the 5200 console and enjoy.

For all of us, there has to have been an event in our lives where we recall first being wowed by a video game or system. A defining moment we will never forget. I will show my age and tell that my first video gaming "wow" moment came in the late 70s as I stepped into a Sears store in our town and saw an Atari VCS (wasn't yet called the 2600) for the first time. Up to that point I had seen a Pong system at some relatives' house and that was about my level of exposure to video games. Every electronic game I had ever seen in a public venue had been pinball or some derivative thereof. Atari and Sears blew my juvenile mind with the shear amount of games I saw displayed on that wall rack. Who knew you could have one appliance that offered so many awesome game playing options? Bowling, Space Invaders, Circus Atari, Combat. They were all there in grand array at that Sears store that night. My life has never been the same since.

I am not so certain that power adapters are affecting the color discrepancies you are experiencing. This might be as simple of a fix as to take the Vader's case apart and adjust the color saturation adjustment screw on the main board. I just had my Sears Video Arcade II console putting red coloring on E.T. where the landscapes should have been green. Then, I tried Activision Enduro and the ground was red and the sky was beige. All I did was take the console apart and make adjustments with the Enduro game powered on and all the color problems were solved.

I have the Atari Flashback I along with a handheld Activision plug-n-play unit purchased at Walgreens and a couple Atari compilation discs for Gamecube and PS2, but really wish somebody would license and manufacture an Activision version of the Atari Flashback II system. Playing all the 2600 Activision titles on real CX-40 style sticks would be a truly unbeatable experience. Probably would have to include a paddle for Kaboom as well. Although I have 27 of Activision's carts in my 2600 collection, I am missing some good ones like Pitfall II and Plaque Attack, and have had real difficulty finding them at used game dealers around my area. The Activision Flashback console would solve all of that for classic 2600 gaming fans. Please, somebody say you'll do this in the near future.

Really, the decision is between you an God. I know I am risky with the ban on religious posts, but so be it because it is the absolute truth. Evidently, you collected video games from the time you were a child. At some time, perhaps recently, you became somewhat obsessed (for lack of a better word) and decided to collect as much as you could as fast as you could. I am guessing from your wording that it has become somewhat of an unhealthy "addiction" for you at this point in your life. Now, what has led you to this decision, to sell it all off? Do you find that all your time and thoughts are spent on video gaming and collecting? Is it strapping your budget? Then, yes, this is unhealthy. However, also realize that everyone needs hobbies and interests in life, or it would be really boring. Is this decision coming from you but maybe really coming from a significant other? You know, like maybe your wife has stated some dislike for your video gaming and asked you to spend less time with this hobby and more time with her and the kids? OK, then take that as a sign that some reallocation of your time is necessary in your family and relationships. Maybe, just maybe, you keep all or most of your current collection and vow to put a hold on buying anything else, at least for the foreseeable future. Of course this takes real self discipline on your part, and again, only you and God know where you stand in that department. Or, as you have alluded to, maybe you go forward and sell it all off due to lack of restraint. Only question I would ask with that is how certain are you that your buying and collecting behavior would suddenly change, just because you have suddenly sold it all off. Ultimately, your depression and need to make changes in your life run deeper than these games and systems, and may well require some real soul-searching and prayer on your part. Having said that, if that room half full of gaming stuff is becoming too great a temptation and perhaps even a burden in your daily life, then by all means do what you feel the Lord leading you to do. If I truly felt God telling me to sell all my gaming stuff in order to spend my time on more "profitable" pursuits like art or what not, then by no means would I hold onto it for one more day, regardless of perceived difficulty of reacquiring it at a later time. Your health, and your family's overall well-being are much more important than any video games or systems. No amount of money can buy peace of mind. Best wishes to you, and I hope you get past your depression soon.

Get with Best Electronics for replacement flex circuit and pots and your controller will work good as new. They are very reasonable on their prices too.

It is not a resistor. It is a fuse in a package that looks like a resistor, so it's not surprising that some random person would say it's a resistor as though he knew what he was talking about. Not that a low-value high-wattage resistor would be a bad thing, but that's not what it is. I had one get blown for some reason, I think I had a controller open and was poking around in it. When that happens, the controllers won't work, period, because the fuse is on the power line to the controllers. I replaced it with a single strand of thin copper wire. Not quite as safe, but still better than a big fat wire. Replacing the controller PCB fuse with a wire will work as a temporary fix, especially if no controllers are recognized at all. Another quick fix that is a little easier is to simply take a pair of needle nosed pliers and twist the original fuse 360° so that the wire "legs" are touching, and this essentially bypasses the fuse. I do not recommend this as a permanent repair because, again, the controller PCB fuse is designed into the system for a very important reason: Protecting the remainder of the DC console's electronic components from electrical shorts and surges generated within the controllers and their cords. It is cheaper to pay $2 for three picofuses than who knows what for a replacement DC console. See my image below for the F1 fuse location on the DC controller PCB.

Replaced the flex circuits, stick rubber boots, and pots with new ones from Best, and guess what, the sticks are centering. Even games like Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man play nicely with the new rubber boots. What a difference new parts can make.

Wire the LED's to the unregulated side of the 7805 and solder resistor(s) inline. Not certain of the ohms needed, but it should do the trick.

Sears Tele-Games Sixer. I have that same unit. Pleasant gaming to you.

Absolutely no way to recover the game data from the on-board chip?