gamecat80

Well, the Master System did have the Alex Kidd series to compete with the Super Mario Bros. series on NES. But the Atari 7800 still outsold the Master System in North America! I can only imagine how well the Atari 7800 could have competed with the NES if it had proper funding for more games, POKEY sound chip added, and Nintendo didn't use bully business practices. Some ppl will talk about how the Atari 7800 didn't have Super Mario Bros. But what about other, earlier platform games with similar gameplay like Pitfall, Pitfall 2, Jungle Hunt, Tarzan, Spelunker. Those games were on earlier systems like the ColecoVision and Commodore 64, but not on the 7800. Think of those games "updated" for the 7800 with better graphics and more advanced gameplay. Also, games made by Konami and Capcom would have been awesome on the 7800

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzr12gBrXA8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzr12gBrXA8

I use one of those CD cleaners that has a little brush on the disc -- it wipes the lens. I also just wipe the CD on my shirt or pants if there is dirt on it. Related question: Does anyone know of something that can buff out scratches on CDs/DVDs? I have some that are scratched, and they skip bad or wont play at all!

Not gonna win any fans, but I gotta laugh at some of the comments here. People bitching and moaning about certain games not being on a $40 flashback console with 60 built-in games that looks like a small version of the original console and most likely will have perfect/near-perfect emulation. It's that entitled Burger King mentality so prevalent these days: "Have It YOUR way". Yet a lot of the same ppl willingly spend $60 on a mediocre homebrew game...

I see a MAJOR upgrade in tech between the Atari 2600/O2/Fairchild and the ColecoVision/Atari 5200. I'd argue the ColecoVision and Atari 5200 are closer to the Famicom (NES) than to the Atari 2600. The Intellivision and Astrocade are somewhere in between the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision.

I know that. I'm talking more about Coleco's R&D, main headquarters, main factory, and hardware chips used inside the CV. I will just leave it at that. Nintendo had a major office in the Seattle area for many years. it's still a quintessential Japanese company. I look forward to the CV flashback.

I never understood the allure of the handhelds; especially the Game Boy. I remember when it came out (early 90s) and thought it unimpressive for it's release because of it's fugly monochrome graphics. The Game Gear has it's flaws for sure, but it's graphics are nearly on-par with the TG-16! That is a H-U-G-E difference. I know it's not all about graphics, but both systems had good games...

It's nice that some Canadians were/are so enthusiastic about a quintessential American retro console I'm getting the CV and Intv flashbacks when they come out later this year.

Great channel! I am enjoying your videos.

Definitely. I think carlsson placed the Astrocade in the "insignificant" category because it was only sold in computer stores or thru mail-order, so it was not a big seller. The Astrocade was more powerful/advanced than any pre-Intellivision home console.

The Bally Astrocade and ColecoVision were also advertised as home arcade machines. The ColecoVision would argue with that. Many ppl consider the ColecoVision the "Neo-Geo of the early 80s" for a number of reasons... The Bally Astrocade (released in early 1978) has 4 controller ports on the back of the unit. So, it was released some 4.5+ years before the Atari 5200

I primarily grew up with the C-64 and NES back in the day. I was only a toddler when the ColecoVision was released in 1982, so I didn't get to experience it back in the day. The C-64 was released the same year as the CV, but was on the market much longer. I do love the NES, but I also love the CV and play it quite a bit now. I love the "feel" of CV games......it's in that weird place between the Atari generation and NES generation. The games are mostly arcade classics (which I love), but with a few obscure titles thrown into the mix, and noticeably higher-res graphics than the other systems out at the time. And I love the "limited" 16-color palette -- very vibrant and clear colors -- not as "dull" as NES colors. I like the sound on the CV, too. And when you throw in the Roller Controller, Driving Controller/ w pedal, Atari 2600 module, etc it just makes the ColecoVision awesome! The Famicom/NES was quite good when it came out, but it aint "all that", especially when you realize most NES games have added hardware chips inside their cartridges. Early NES games like Duck Hunt and Excitebike are on-par with many ColecoVision games. I think most of us can agree that Nintendo and Sega owe a LOT to the ColecoVision

Sega SG-1000 = Japanese ColecoVision. The SG-1000 provided the foundation for the later, more powerful Mark 3 (Sega Master System). Interestingly, I have read that the ColecoVision inspired Nintendo to create the Famicom (NES). And there were Sega and Nintendo licensed games on the ColecoVision. Sega and Nintendo owe A LOT to the ColecoVision

Yep, I agree. I generally group the Arcadia 2001 along with the Intellivision and Bally Astrocade, graphics-wise. The colors and resolution are similar between those systems --- better than systems like the Channel F, Atari VCS and O2; but not as good as the ColecoVision and Atari 5200. But the Intellivision and Astrocade have much better sound than the Arcadia 2001. How many games came out for the Arcadia 2001 and it's clones? Something like 25-30?

The Incredible Wizard (Astrocade) Ms. Candyman (Astrocade) Muncher (Astrocade)

I prefer the newer TVs, too. I bought a cheap LED TV last year because my old CRT crapped out. I could immediately tell a big difference in picture quality -- crisper picture, no distortion, colors more vibrant on my LED TV. Not to mention all the possible connections and menu options. But there are some ppl who think retro systems should always be played on CRTs because "they were meant to be played on them". Whatevs. My old retro systems look great on my LED TV. The only thing I think lacks on my LED are the small, "wimpy" speakers. Thinking of maybe getting a soundbar for it someday...

I'd say about $100 for a working console/system + 5 games. More if you include the Super Action Controllers.

Same here. I've always had problems with those damn high-bouncing balls on stage 23

Agree with ls650. Very good deal. That CV system + 24 games + Super Action Controllers are easily worth double what the guy is asking for if everything is in working condition.

The game Venture has stiff, unforgiving controls. Diagonals are especially unforgiving -- you have to aim the joystick just right to make "Winky" move. It's the way the game was programmed, and is one of the more frustrating games to play, imo. The CV joystick with it's rigid internal spring doesn't help either. So, it's the game and controllers that feel stiff

The MSX and ColecoVision versions have noticeably higher-res graphics than the other versions, but are lacking the mountains that are in some of those other versions. The colors in the A8/5200 versions are too dark for my tastes. Overall I think I like the C-64 version the best here.

Yeah, Solar Conqueror is a great space shooter. Cosmic Raider is, too. I've played those games several times on my UltiMulti cart Lots of good/great games on the Astrocade; especially the space shooters

Oh yeah, those are all great games! I first found out about the Astrocade from stumbling onto NiceandGames' vids on YT last year. The Incredible Wizard was the first game I saw from the Astrocade -- in fact, it was this very video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2UMwarnPvY Talk about a great first impression! I then found other Astrocade game vids, viewed them and was impressed, and knew I would eventually end up buying an Astrocade. I agree with the comments about the Astrocades' clear, rich colors and great sound and how advanced it was for it's time. I mean, just compare it to other systems of the time -- Fairchild Channel F, Atari VCS, Odyssey 2, etc, -- and you will see how ahead the Astrocade was. I'd say the graphics are more-or-less on par with the Intellivision and Arcadia 2001. And the deep, thick, arcade-like sound is just incredible for it's time I understand the Astrocade uses the same hardware as the Bally arcade machines, but that the Astrocade was stuck with the lower-res graphics mode due to lower RAM. Just imagine if the Astrocade had more RAM/VRAM for the hi-res graphics mode and take even better advantage of it's sound! That would probably make it the most advanced 8-bit game system ever! I can say playing the Astrocade is kinda like driving an old, classic Cadillac -- it feels high-end, has nice touches (gold trim, cart port w/cover on top, etc), graphics and sound were great for it's time, controllers were/are comfy & innovative, and you have to treat it with finesse. I think it's an incredibly rewarding system to own and play

Sounds like you have one of the earlier models. I think those are more prone to overheating. I have a later Astrovision-made model made in the early 1980s. But all Bally Astrocade "models" (I think there are four) have the same design and need proper ventilation under the unit. I keep mine on a little metal "rack" that keeps the unit lifted up off the floor so it can breathe. You might also wanna open it and check to see if the copper foil strips are peeling off or not. I think they are for diffusing some of the voltage/heat from some of the main chips to the RF casing & metal plate (that is soldered over the motherboard)? Others here could give more info as I'm still fairly new to the Astrocade.

I had to go back to the beginning of this huge thread to see "where it all started". Early on, Opcode said the entire project would cost about $16,000. Plus he apparently had issues with the printer companies, costing him a few thousand more. But I found some of his early posts interesting... Seems he completely sold out of SGMs and would not take any more orders. So everything -- production/manufacturing/printing --costs have been paid for, so it seems. The big questions are: -Why is he not communicating with anyone? -Why have some ppl not received their paid-for SGMs, when he put some up on Ebay for much more money? There seem to be many red flags going up here. I'm thinking he may be in some kind of tough financial situation. But if he is alive and well, that does not excuse the lack of communication... But like you said, a lot of ppl here give a "pass" to homebrew projects like this. If this happened on Ebay or Amazon or many other places, there would be filed complaints left and right. There is much more security and accountability at those places. The homebrewers are doing some great things, but they also get an easy "pass" here that they would not get away with elsewhere...