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Retro Addict

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Posts posted by Retro Addict

  3. Posted

    Thanks for all the feedback so far, guys.

     

    Ian, you understand it perfectly. I thought a regular cable switcher would do the trick, but from these posts, obviously not. :)

     

    Anyway, I plugged AB switch (and A/B switch) into some online stores' search engines and nothing came up. Can anyone post an example or tell me where they can be found (and how for how much)?

     

    Thanks again.

  5. Posted

    I have the Atari 2600 Jr. model and I ordered this part from AtariAge. Everything works pefectly when I remove my regular TV cable and replace it with the 2600 cable. However, the 2600 picture is all scrambled when I try to use a cable splitter.

     

    If this helps, it's a Philips four-way splitter, the package says "For Best Results Amplify Signal Before Splitting" (I have no idea what that means), and the splitter itself says 500-900 MHz. I've tried different cables, etc. and nothing works. The TV picture is perfect, but the 2600 picture is scrambled through the splitter.

     

    Any help would be MUCH appreciated.

     

    Thank you!

  6. Posted

    Well, I got my part from AtariAge today (I ordered it Friday NIGHT and got it Monday - that has to be THE fastest service I've ever seen). Everything works beautifully. :) Thanks again to everyone in this thread who answered my questions, especially Ian. I just have one more question though: Outside of buying a cable splitter, is there any way I can hook up my Atari cable without having to remove the regular TV cable?

     

    Thanks!

  7. Posted

    Ah, ok, you must have an Atari 2600 Jr. model. That's the small, wedge shaped version with a metal plate with a rainbow across it. All older models of the Atari 2600 had their RF cables permanently attached. The one in the picture is the "Darth Vader" model, so called because it is all black. Most of the older units have woodgrain on them. Since you have the Jr. model, you don't have the RF cable attached. Instead, you have a round socket in the back to connect the cable to. You need to get a cable. It's a very common cable, and is easy to find. It's just an RCA to RCA cable, and they are used for lots of things, like connecting stereo components together, speakers, and Atari game machines.

    Yep, it's indeed the 2600 Jr. I found what appears to be an RCA to RCA cable (it fits the 2600 perfectly), and I just came back from Shack with the correct AC adapter (it set me back $20 - UGH! - but it'll be worth it). Now I just need to order that piece from AtariAge and I'll be all set. :)

     

    Thank you SO much for all of your help. I'll post again once my system is back up and running. :)

  8. Posted

    Ian, did you take those pictures yourself? I *REALLY* appreciate all the help you are giving me here. Just one more question though: What exactly is the black part in pic 2 (I'm looking at the pics from the bottom up in the right order) that connects to AtariAge's Coaxial (F-Type) to Female RCA Adapter? Thanks!

  9. Posted

    The signal that comes out of the Atari 2600 is RF, just like cable television. All 2600's have a long cable attached with an RCA connector on the end (except for the JR, that has a socket for one, the cable isn't permanently attached). This cable is the video cable, and is essentially the same as regular TV cable. All the switchbox does is convert between the RCA connector and 300 ohm TV antenna leads. Then, to plug into a modern cable ready TV, you would use a 75ohm matching transformer. So, in essence, you would be going from 75 ohm signal, to 300 ohm outputs, and back to 75 ohm. So, you can eliminate that switchbox entirely, and convert the connector over to an F type screw on connector that modern TV's use. Since the old switchboxes leak so much RFI, you generally get snow in the picture. That tiny adapter is much better shielded, so you will have a nice, direct feed into the TV. If you want even better picture, you can hack the 2600 to produce composite video, but I won't go into that now...

     

    Okay, if I buy AtariAge's Coaxial (F-Type) to Female RCA Adapter, what exactly what I have to do to get my 2600 up and running? Again, I'm not savvy on the technical aspect of things, so if you could give me a step-by-step guide of what to plug in where, what I'll need, etc., I'd be much grateful.

     

    Kick ass, another california games fan. Very cool.

    It's awesome, isn't it? :) The bike mode is UNREAL. No future-gen version of California Games has been able to touch it.

  10. Posted

    Thanks for your responses, guys. I have a couple more questions though:

     

    How does the connector adapter work exactly? Do I plug it into the 2600, then attach a cable to it that connects to the TV?

     

    For the power adapter, how do I know which ones will fit into the 2600? I found a couple of loose adapters lying around with Ian's specs (9 volt, etc.), but neither of them fit into the 2600.

     

    Thanks again.

  11. Posted

    Those TV/Game boxes are not that great.  You're better off getting one of these:

     

    http://www.atariage.com/store/index.php?cPath=21_28

     

    They are not expensive and give a clear signal when connecting through the Cabel input.

    That sounds great (and at a cheap price to boot), but what exactly would I have to do? It looks too small to plug directly from the 2600 into the TV, so is any extra part required? Again, I'd like to avoid soldering at all costs because I'm a complete amateur at that kind of stuff.

     

    Thanks.

  12. Posted

    Ian, forgive me, but a lot of the technical specs you posted went right over my head (I'm not a tech expert by any means).

     

    For the adapter, would this work without any soldering? I want something that I can just plug and play.

     

    http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?cata...5Fid=273%2D1612

     

    For the connector adapter, would this work?

     

    http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?cata...%5Fid=15%2D1268

     

    Both are pricier than I hoped (if those are indeed the correct parts). : Moving, packing stuff away, and not being able to find any of it later is a real drag. I lost a Genesis AV (which I just recently replaced), an Atari Lynx (sound was screwed up though), Road Blasters for the Lynx, and the aforementioned 2600 parts. Luckily, I still have the 2600 system itself, the Genesis and plug, and the rest of my Lynx games (but no Lynx to play them on).

     

    Thanks!

  13. Posted

    I want to dust off my old 2600 (I am in the mood for some Taz and California Games), but I can't find the AC adapter or the RF switch (not sure if that's the right name - it's the thing with a switch that goes from TV to game). Where can I buy them both for a reasonable price? I can't seem to find them at the AtariAge store.

     

    Thanks in advance.

  14. Posted

    So we should take whatever we're given and ask for more? You can keep begging for Activision's table scraps if you want. Activision is in a unique position to really make an impact for classic gaming.

     

    I personally think that Activision HAS made an impact on the classic gaming scene. Before Anthology, most of those compilations had 5-6 games at most and a few interviews. Whoopee! I'm much happier with 49 games. Other companies are finally being more generous. For example, the upcoming Midway Arcade Treasures will have 20+ games. Yeah, I wish it had a lot more, but they included some real gems.

     

    They have the ability to give us all the historical extras that classic games want but aside from running their commercials, they have chosen not to do so.

     

    Yes, added historical extras WOULD be nice, but is it really a catastrophe that they weren't included? I was personally blown away by all the stuff we did get: commercials, box scans, manuals, etc. What really matters are the games. Remember, Activision isn't going to spend millions of dollars for what is essentially a niche product. Also, it was released at $30 (and is now selling for $20 at most places). A lot of people would've hesitated to pay $50, but $20-$30 is just right. It takes time and money to put historical features and interviews together. Yeah, I'm aware that there's old footage on the net that Activision could've used, but they would've also had to spend a lot of time and money tracking people down for new interviews, footage, etc. Is it really worth it? Let's face it: As much as we'd all like it to, Anthology is not gonna sell as many copies as something like Vice City. Therefore, in order for it to be a reality, Activision HAS TO look at the bottom line. Again, I say we're better off WITH Anthology than without it.

     

    Activision is a billion dollar company with decades of experience, yet their classic gaming emulation is inferior to many programs that are produced by guys working in their spare time.

     

    The emulation isn't perfect, but it is very, very good. Purists will obviously notice any little mistakes, and I agree that they should've been rectified beforehand, but for the most part, the games look and play great.

     

    Let me ask this question: if AtariAge had somehow acquired the right to release such a compilation don't you think that the people around here would have done a far better job? Would the emulation be better? Would the historical context be provided? Would people have broken their backs to make it perfect?

     

    I say that they would have exceeded everyone's expectations because they truly care. After owning Activision's compilations I feel that they don't care.

     

    I sure as hell don't want them to stop releasing these collections. I just want them to live up to expectations for once. I want them to be as good as they should be.

     

    If Activision didn't care, they would've stuck 6 games on one disc and released Anthology in installments (like most of the other companies have done), but they gave us almost their entire collection of 2600 classics, along with box and manual art and the ability to unlock bonuses like commercials.

     

    More clarified thoughts:

     

    From all accounts Ken Love is a guy who truly cares about this scene. He is an employee of Activision which means he has to follow their orders, adhere to their budgets and schedules. He wanted the downloading feature included in the last anthology but was overruled by his bosses. I believe that he also wishes to film the interviews and collect the rare games and everything else that we ask for. It is up to Activision whether of not he is allowed to do this.

     

    I agree, it's rather unfortunate that Ken's bosses overruled him on those issues, but I don't think they did it just to be meanie corporate moguls; they obviously had to take monetary and other concerns into account. Like it or not, this is a business, and in order to survive, you have to keep your eye on the bottom line.

     

    It's a shame that the online component wasn't included at the last minute, but one of the reasons for that may have to do with how Sony deals with its online games. I'm not sure of the specifics, but I've heard a few complaints about Sony in that regard from other companies. I'm fairly new to this board (I had another name before but I lost the password), so I'm not sure if Ken has already explained exactly why the online feature was aborted at the last minute, but I'm assuming Sony had something to do with that.

     

    When Ken posts on this board he always does so as a representative of Activision products. And so I direct my complaints about the product to said representative. I hope that he copies these complaints and sends it to the budget people, saying "the last one sold well enough, but if you you give me the resources and freedom I need then we will make a killing on the next one."

     

    But would it really make a killing? I'm not trying to discourage the extra features that you want (I'd love 'em too), but you have to keep in mind that AtariAge users are a smarter niche audience. The average Joe who sees Anthology on store shelves isn't gonna care about how many interviews are on the disc, he'll just say, "Cool! I loved these games as a kid. I gotta get this!" Sad but true.

     

    There is nothing wrong with criticism that hopes to inspire better creations in the future. Look back on the old posts and you'll see many complaints over these anthologies. Over time apparently many have gotten to know and like Ken which has stopped much of the criticism.

     

    I agree that criticism is good, but so is giving credit where it's due.

     

    Many also have the attitude that something is better than nothing. I have the belief that a properly done anthology could be a boon to classic gaming and am saddened that I have not seen it happen yet when so many capable hands are around.

     

    Well, when all of those half-assed six-games-per-disc compilations were released for PSX, I complained about them because I knew that the companies could've included so much more than they did. As a result, I ended up not buying most of them. I regret that now, even though the comps were severely lacking, because most of those collections are currently hard to find. Activision, on the other hand, included 49 games and a lot of nice extras. That's a huge improvement over what we've seen so far. Of course, it is human nature to always want more, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, but when you think about how much we got with Anthology, you have to appreciate it. Back in the day, each one of those games set us back God knows how much, but now 49 of them can be had for $20-$30. We've never had it so good.

  15. Posted

    How ungrateful can you people be?! Ken shouldn't feel obligated to respond to ANY of this whiny garbage. He did an incredible job with Activision Anthology. What more do you people want?? Okay, there are little things that can be nitpicked, but so what? It's near-perfect, and I am damn glad to have it. As far as I'm concerned, we should all be kissing Ken's feet for making Activision Anthology a reality. I hope any plans for a sequel aren't scrapped because of the needless complaints on this board. We are a hell of a lot better off WITH Anthology on store shelves than without it. Just remember that before you start moaning for no reason.

     

    Ken, if you still post on this board, can you confirm if an Anthology sequel is indeed in the works and when it will be released? Thanks.

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