Retro-Z

This is exactly what I was thinking. It looks the worst when playing a game with a dark background.

This was my reply over a year ago. I actually DID pick up a Master System and a nicer SNES. I also got my Raspberry Pi up and running with Retropie, but I don't currently have it fully set up for running old computer software. I got massively sidetracked by trying out a bunch of Atari 2600 games after I downloaded Stella LOL. So, I stuck to part of the plan, but then got a nice distraction courtesy of all of the great Atari 2600 games (especially homebrew) I never tried before. I still have too much stuff sitting around... I'll have to really focus on the liquidating part of last years plan. Besides, I have discovered that the flexibility of emulation is a lot of fun to play around with, allowing me to display my favorite classics on giant flatscreen TVs while using quality wireless controllers (like the Dualshock 3). Good times.

Nice. My brief review a few pages back (when everyone was busy arguing about TVs... LOL) made note of some of the same stuff. I find the issues with the viewing angle of the screen to be really annoying after a little while. The viewing angle is so narrow that the player's left eye sees different colors/contrast on the screen compared to the right eye, and it can be a bit trippy sometimes. I've also noticed that the D-pad doesn't like being pressed down very hard. With a gentle touch, it works fine, but start getting heavy-handed with it and it'll send you in a direction you didn't intend. I also agree that the included game selection is pretty "blah". There are only 4-5 built-in games that I personally find worthwhile. 7/10 is definitely a fair score. If they revised the button/switch layout, integrated some type of paddle support, and used a better display, it would be a much better product.

Yes, it's true. Just like any magnetic-based information storage media. The longevity of the tape largely depends on storage conditions, initial quality of the coatings on the tape, etc. While the tapes CAN retain their data for a surprising length of time, it isn't uncommon to come across one that is no longer any good, or the data on the tape isn't readable.

Sigh... I would have loved to have seen a "Wayne's World" style mocking of that marketing dude...

Yes, the "tour" is obviously about marketing hype. The "first come first serve" style of the final day open-to-the-public event definitely sounds like a good way to get the "look at the enormously long lines to try out the Nintendo Switch" type of news headlines. It's actually a really good idea from a marketing standpoint, and having them in the largest cities basically guarantees they'll be PACKED! I like the part in the news release about the Switch preview being available to the "public at large". However, believe it or not but there is a LOT more USA than just the East and West Coasts (and Chicago). In other words, most people won't be able to try this thing out in March... LOL... One of the downsides of living in "Flyover Country" USA... Anyway, hopefully Nintendo CAN build up some good press for this thing. They'll need it to be successful.

I think it depends largely on the sales success of Virtual Console games. I really don't see the games inside of the NES Classic competing with the new Nintendo Switch system/software, especially considering there will likely be a large gap in the retail pricing. However, continued shortages of the NES Classic could help promote the Switch in March (i.e. "while the NES Classic is still hard to find in stores, Nintendo has just released their new Switch console..."). At that point, Nintendo could stop production of the NES Classic and state they are focusing solely on the Switch, and that the games for the NES Classic will still be available for purchase on the Switch's Virtual Console. I totally agree that the NES Classic was primarily a marketing stunt and a way to get an influx of cash during a holiday season with no new and significant Nintendo offerings. Perhaps this same mindset prevented them from seeing that the NES Classic would be a wildly viable product. However, if the Virtual Console game sales have been lackluster to begin with, I could certainly see the NES Classic (and similar offerings) being used as the cash cow for the 1980s/1990s software library.

I'm pretty sure it's the exact same list of ROMs posted up here at AtariAge in the Atari Flashback Portable topics. I'm surprised to see it went for that MUCH. Craziness. There is already someone else selling a similar setup at the bargain price of $150 (even the wording in the listing is almost identical). LOL. And the seller of the $200 portable is now selling "custom" SD cards filled with the same 500+ games. Bid up to $26 so far! It's awesome he was able to get such a magnificent return on investment. It's unfortunate someone paid $200 for something they could have had for under $40 and 10 minutes of their time to setup the SD card. More power to him, but I certainly hope the buyers wise up a bit.

Found an interesting auction on good 'ol eBay... http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUSTOM-590-GAMES-Atari-Flashback-Portable-Handheld-Vintage-Classic-2600-ARCADE-/262750669177?hash=item3d2d290979:g:HKUAAOSwnKFYRkkz I like the strange statement about it being brand new and not having ever been owned by anyone... except maybe the person who opened the sealed box, filled an SD card with the ROMs from here at this site, and then listed it for sale on eBay.

Interesting. I've been using a SanDisk Ultra 8GB Class 10 Micro SDHC card in my AFP and it has been working flawlessly.

If the perspective were to be shifted a tad to the right, the left side of the screen would show the same effect (and the right side of the screen would be fine). AtGame's earlier Arcade Game Portable (aka Sega Master System/Game Gear portable) doesn't exhibit this on its screen. This lack of contrast on one side (or the other) of the screen can sometimes mask the yellow fish in Aquaventure, causing a surprise death when trying avoid the other fish. LOL. Oh, I forgot to mention earlier that I'm surprised AtGames doesn't market some basic accessories for this thing. Put a small advertising blurb on the box and at the front of the manual to "Visit the AtGames Website" for accessories like a carrying case, approved SD card, screen protectors, etc. These are the kinds of things that are easy and cheap to procure or produce, and are also easy to sell via a web store and ship out. I mean seriously... they already have the online retail site, and the accessories could be shared between the Genesis and Atari Portable model lines...

Older CRT TVs will all fail eventually. There aren't many techs around that service CRT units, so at some point it will be easier and/or more economical to upgrade the consoles (or use some other solution like emulation on modern hardware or an FPGA implementation of classic console hardware) for use with modern TVs/monitors than it will be to repair the CRT. This is of course, assuming the user is not an experienced electronics enthusiast or professional who can repair their own legacy equipment. Consequently, the future of "retro gaming" for a vast majority of people almost certainly rests on hi-def flatscreen TVs, modern hardware, etc. However, until that point, by all means, enjoy whatever you like! There is no need for everyone to agree on the best display solution for Atari 2600 goodness. BACK ON TOPIC: I picked up a Flashback portable at BB&B a few weeks ago, and while it does have a few issues, it is still a very cool little unit. Here's a brief list of pros/cons: CONS- 1. Very narrow viewing angle of the screen. The sides & corners tend to look washed out if not viewed PERFECTLY straight on. 2. The D-pad shape makes it a bit too easy to inadvertently move left or right when the intended direction of movement is UP or DOWN. A fairly minor quibble... 3. The "START/RESET" button on my unit is difficult to operate. Just pressing it till it clicks doesn't accomplish anything. It must be pushed down fairly hard to work. 4. Any games requiring the use of paddle controllers are basically unplayable. They should not have been included. Especially noticeable when playing Astrosmash. 5. Ridiculous instruction manual doesn't help much with the included games. Many Atari 2600 games NEED the information from the manuals so the player knows what to do. PROS- 1. This is a HUGE one: SD CARD!!! 2. Basic but functional layout and design that incorporates the switches of the 2600 console. 3. Good emulation that is compatible with a large number of Atari 2600 games 4. While not perfect, the D-pad is still an improvement (for me) over the Atari OEM CX-40 joysticks. 5. Internal battery has fairly good battery life. 6. I've had a blast trying out a TON of 2600 games I've never played before. Really, the pros far outweigh the cons in my experience. The issue with the instruction manual is easily solved by visiting online resources (such as the game database here at AtariAge). The screen and D-pad issues don't have a huge impact on gameplay. The biggest issue is really the digital emulation for the analog paddle controllers. It's pretty bad and incredibly frustrating. When playing Astrosmash, it is almost impossible to shoot anything as the player's shots always miss the target due to the imprecision of movement. In essence, the device is really limited to games that utilized the standard joystick controller. Anyway, I think the Atari Flashback Portable is an awesome little machine. I have played FAR more Atari 2600 titles in the two weeks I have had this thing than in the 10+ years I have been messing with Atari consoles/computers. I have also discovered about a dozen new favorites, and have finally tried out some interesting looking homebrews (like Blinky Goes Up). The D-pad and "A" button are starting to wear down to a smooth/glossy texture from all of the time spent burning through new games. (The picture below illustrates the screen issue. Notice that the right side of the screen is a bit washed out and has less contrast, despite being viewed almost directly straight-on. It is more pronounced on games with a black or dark colored background)

I actually loved the Master System portable... I believe it was called something like the "Arcade Gamer Portable"... which, to be honest, is an absolutely horrible name for something filled with Sega Master System/Game Gear games. The originals weren't even the right color scheme (black and yellow??? seriously???). I can understand why something like that didn't sell well. I think it would be much better for the SMS/GG games to be integrated into the Sega Genesis style products, as the Master System didn't sell well here in the US. Consequently, there isn't a lot of mass market nostalgia for a Master System inspired device. AtGames had them on their website till fairly recently (I purchased one of them as a spare for $20 + shipping a few months ago directly from the AtGames website). Now that AtGames has updated their website into the "Flashback Zone", they don't appear to be available any longer.

That actually was a really good review... definitely explained the video differences and display options very well!

First, I'll use whatever words I want to accurately portray anything I'm selling/describing. OEM is WAAAAAAY too broadly interpreted, as this thread proves. As I said, I have found it necessary to use more precise language to accurately describe parts that I'm selling, since saying "Dodge car restored with 100% OEM parts" is very dishonest without further clarification of exactly what "OEM parts" truly means. Second, thank you for telling me exactly what I already said. Yes, the distributor in my car is not an OEM part. I stated that quite clearly. Third, my statement about the quality (or lack of it) of OEM parts is completely relevant to the discussion. Just because YOU don't find it relevant doesn't make it irrelevant to this thread. I was pointing out that OEM parts aren't always well made or designed, which conflicts with your apparent view of the quality of OEM parts. If you bring up your opinions in a discussion, you should be OK with those opinions being argued against and not simply immediately throw those points out as "irrelevant". Considering that the original question that started this thread doesn't actually make any sense should illustrate that "relevance" in this discussion could include just about anything. Lastly, feel free to make your counterpoint to each of these comments. This is my last post in this thread. Believe it or not, I actually agree that an OEM part will always be an OEM part, no matter how the customer utilizes it. Just like a brick will always be a brick even if the buyer uses it as a doorstop.

Hmm... I guess I just prefer to distinguish between what's original for one thing and what's original for another. However, I regularly deal in lots of little original parts for random and sometimes obscure products, and I've found that most people expect the term "OEM" to signify some degree of originality to the respective end product. Otherwise, it's easy to mis-represent items, like selling an original 1980s NES controller PCB installed into NES Classic controller housing as "LIKE-NEW Genuine Nintendo NES controller restored with 100% genuine OEM Nintendo parts". While that statement may be 100% accurate, I think it's important that a prospective buyer should know that the housing came from a recently made product and the internal electronics from something made 30 years ago. The distributor installed in my car is an aftermarket item that was made by a manufacturer that never directly sold distributors to the company that made my vehicle. However, that parts manufacturer likely makes parts that are original equipment for OTHER brands of vehicles, so the part manufacturer is most certainly an "OEM". However, that does not make the distributor I installed an OEM part, as it was never "Original Equipment" for my vehicle. It would be completely dishonest for me, when selling this car, to say "ya, I just installed an OEM distributor about 10,000 miles ago". However, using your definition, it is most CERTAINLY an OEM part, as it was a part manufactured by an OEM, even if that company NEVER made parts that are original equipment for that particular brand of vehicle. Besides, "OEM" isn't necessarily a good thing. I've seen many different products that have flawed OEM parts that are fixed by using higher quality aftermarket parts. For instance, Atari controllers have LOTS of upgrade kits available to correct the flaws present in lower quality parts made by Atari or their OEMs.

It is my opinion that your definition of OEM may be a bit too broad. For instance, the AM radios used in 1967 and 1968 Mustangs are 100% interchangeable. However, there are a few minor differences, such as the radio station preset buttons being different (chromed on the 67 versions and black on the 68 units) and the both having different parts numbers. Both are "OEM" Ford radios. However, a 1968 radio is NOT an OEM 1967 Mustang part. Anyone selling a 1968 Mustang AM radio as an OEM 1967 Mustang radio is mistaken. In the end, it is a 1968 Mustang radio that just happens to also be compatible with the 1967 model year cars. You are right... an OEM part is an OEM part. However, an OEM part for one thing is NOT an OEM "Original Equipment" part for something different. Consequently, a 2016 Nintendo NES Classic controller is NOT an OEM 1980s NES controller. The internal component differences should reinforce this fact. However, the 2016 controller IS compatible with the PCB/cord of the 1980s controller. In your definition, any company that has ever made parts for any other company is an OEM, even if the parts themselves are different for different applications. Looking at another extreme, if I shove a 1970s Pioneer stereo into a Scion car, is it still an OEM radio (since Scion vehicles are equipped with Pioneer stereos as original equipment, and consequently, Pioneer is an "Original Equipment Manufacturer")? It would seem you are focusing too much on the "Manufacturer" part of the term "OEM", and not enough on the "Original" part... "OEM" is an often misused term, so it's easy to see how people interpret it differently.

Man, I always use an Elmer's "Disappearing Purple" glue stick (the purple ones that dry clear). Acid free, non-toxic, you can easily see where adhesive has been applied, and not messy at all.

Well, unfortunately, some stuff sells, and some stuff doesn't. Religious music on records? Even the thrift shops can't generally sell those locally. They just aren't fast movers. Some of it can go for surprisingly large amounts of money (just like with any genre of collectibles), but 99% of it is more or less unwanted, even by serious/passionate collectors. Byte magazines? Only the earliest years have any real value, and even then, only bring a few hundred dollars for nice and complete collections. Definitely not something worth wasting a lot of time on.

Well, I have actually seen a few cases where the deceased relative DID document the price of everything. One guy actually put a tag on everything that had a brief description of the item and how much it was worth. However, after he passed, the family had an incredibly hard time selling anything. The values on the tags were astronomically high, which is to be expected of someone who spent their life hoarding and not selling. I actually suggested that they just remove the tags altogether. I've seen this a few other times, where a family is left with a list of values, and it is very difficult to work with them. Typically, they aren't willing to negotiate prices thinking that everyone is trying to scam them somehow. Still, it's a good idea to keep stuff organized so different systems and accessories can be easily identified. Just imagine, if something happened to us, how would our family members know what went with what? I was at an estate sale recently where I found a bin full of Atari 8-bit floppy disk game boxes. I had to search the whole house before I found one of those plastic disk storage boxes full of the original game disks. The game boxes were in an upstairs bedroom, the disks themselves were in the basement. This was in a house where the only computer stuff was Atari 8-bit. Imagine having to go through the house of someone who collected multiple systems, and had a fairly large collection?

Awesome! I'm not really a "completist" collector and generally stick to picking up the games I remember having back in the day, or picking up ones I rented/borrowed or simply always wanted. But it's always cool to see the collections people can put together and learning about games I never heard of. During the 90s, I rocked a SNES and a Pentium powered PC running Win95. Lasted me all the way till well into the PS2 era. Anyway, looking forward to see if you ever do a review of Interplay games. They had a lot of good titles, Descent being EASILY my favorite, and one I still play all the time today.

Well, I enjoyed the video. Thanks for posting it up! I need to stop watching your stuff, though. Every time I see all of those big box PC games sitting in the background, I get tempted to accumulate more of them. LOL.

Maybe I didn't explain my thoughts properly. I know of the reasons WHY people may do something like this (and I fully understand many of them). I'm more than willing to throw stuff in the trash if I don't feel it's worth investing the time to sell it, or if I just need it gone for other plans. What I don't understand is throwing stuff out and THEN having a sale. Why discard your inventory before giving a possible buyer the chance to purchase AND move it for you? It may take a bit more work than a few garage sales and Craigslist ads to get vintage computers gone (in my experience, old computers do NOT sell well locally). One quick "heads up" post by these sellers on a vintage computer forum would have likely been well received. The market for vintage computers is EXTREMELY small, and HAM radio guys like HAM radio stuff, NOT vintage computers. I'm guessing the HAM radio stuff was priced extremely well. That kind of stuff doesn't "sell instantly" unless it was a heck of a deal. Nonetheless, there IS a market for vintage computers, and many people in that market are willing to spend some serious cash. A tested and working full-height Tandon 5.25" floppy drive gets about $50 each these days. If even half of the "70 or 80" were functional, that's nearly $2000 that got thrown out. That is just one example from this collection. It would also have been interesting to see what was in the 600lb. of "circuitboards". There is a very good chance there were some treasures in there. Still, maybe the liquidators of this collection had their reasons for doing it this way (such as needing to clear out the house so it could be sold, or needing to get back home), and again, that's their right. It's also hard to get the highest market price for things (especially vintage computer stuff) in a short amount of time. Hopefully, they are happy with what they've sold, it has allowed them to improve their finances, and that they are able to make their father comfortable in his final days. To the OP, if there was some stuff you really liked, you might just go ahead and go back. A 6-hour round trip isn't so bad for a casual weekend drive, and this stuff doesn't pop up all the time these days. Where I'm at, a 3-hour drive really isn't that far. LOL.

Recently had a 1980s Apple Macintosh external hard drive give me a good surprise. I picked it up from a guy that hadn't used it in probably 20 years. Anyway, I plugged it in to an old Macintosh SE, and miraculously it worked great. After firing it up a few more times, it seemed to be perfectly OK. Finally, about the time I was completely satisfied that is was fully operational, I turned it off one last time. As it was spinning down... SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECCHHHHHH. Needless to say, it made me jump. Surprised the [email protected] out of me.... and obviously the drive is now dead.

Great find!!! It almost as fun to dig through the stuff back at home and see exactly what all is there. It's too bad they basically trashed much of their stuff. I've never fully understood why, with the entire internet at their fingertips, people don't look up stuff before throwing things into a dumpster...