zetastrike

Yeah, considering the 800XL/130XE are smaller, have the same or more memory, and are more common/cheaper, I don't get the desire for the XEGS besides being a completist.

There isn't a whole lot left that I want that I don't have. The list is pretty much down to C64 Dreamcast MSX Original Xbox and maybe a model 1 V-Saturn (but I already have a regular model 1 JP Saturn)

I like the look of the Sears models. The fake walnut, aluminum plate, and digital clock logo font put it over the rest.

Besides games, I collect hockey jerseys and Retro Gamer magazine. That's it really.

Hi, I recently acquired a 2600 Jr only to find out that my main TV doesn't really like it. The picture is extremely snowy and staticy even with an RF interference filter. Also, I think there may be some cracked solder joints in the RF out jack because touching it can make it lose the picture. So, would anyone be willing to install the AV mod as well as inspect/fix the board of any damage? Thanks!

My first VCS and games. [/url]">http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/zetastrike/media/IMG_20150505_170528_zpsj0jahexg.jpg.html'>

The Saturn would be the obvious choice here, but I still want to give props to the 3DO. It has a very unique library unlike any other console. I know that sounds like a flaw disguised as a compliment, but I've been enjoying mine ever since I got it last summer. It's full of very experimental and ambitious titles. Just don't walk into it expecting something like the Saturn or PS1.

I just noticed that the TV skips channels 2 and 3 even with cable. It starts at channel 4. Is that the problem? EDIT: Ok, I did some more finagling and I get the VCS to display in color and with sound on channel 2. There's just a ton of video noise. I ordered a Radio Shack RF interference filter, so I would think that would do the job of the switchbox but better.

I've watched cable TV on it within the last couple of months. That would mean it's not the TV's fault, right? EDIT: just screwed in cable and I'm watching TV right now.

I tried again and after moving the cable around, I got a color image and sound, but with a lot of noise. I do have the switchbox that came with the 800XL as well and hooked it up in a way that seemed to make sense (I've never used one before). I ran the RCA from the 2600 to the RCA port in the box, then ran some coax cable from the box to the TV. That yielded no image/sound. Then I tried plugging that weird plastic bit that's labeled "TV" into the TV and got shapes in the snow. I'm really confused. I also had it autoscan for channels while the system was on, but it didn't find it. EDIT: I may just need an RF interference filter

I just brought home my new 2600 Jr. I hooked it up according to instructions. I'm using an Atari RCA cable (came with my 800XL) and an RCA to coaxial adapter. When I use it with my Trinitron, all I get is snow with the vague shapes of the games showing through with no sound. I just tried it on my Samsung plasma and it worked perfectly. I would greatly prefer to use it with my CRT, so can anyone give me a suggestion for what to do?

Castlevania Chronicles. I got my tax return recently and was perusing ebay for anything that interested me. I searched for CC and (not) to my surprise, it's a $100+ game CIB. I could not justify it, no matter how much I want it so I bought a PSone LCD monitor for $40 instead. Rockman/Mega Man 8 for the Saturn is another one.

I had to burn a lot of games for my Sega CD back when I first got it because there weren't many games available where I lived and this was long before I had an amazon or ebay account. That being said, I don't do it anymore and I won't use CDrs with my 3DO. The ethics don't concern me at all, it's because I think the memorex CDrs I used with my SCD really screwed up the laser. When I first got it, it read all my burned copies and original discs perfectly. A few years ago, though it started having a harder and harder time seeing discs at all. Now, it's a total crapshoot whether it will play any game I put in it. I can get it fixed pretty easily, but I don't want the same thing to happen to the 3DO.

How is this trolling? The ST was far behind the Amiga as a game machine. But the ST was cheaper and sold more for a while, so devs chose to make games for it first, then port to the Amiga with no optimizations.

That didn't stop many of the other computers of the time from being good at games.

Much of the Amiga library is comprised of terrible ST ports that can't even scroll properly and have no improvements beyond sound. The ST was the lowest common denominator, therefor most Euro devs preferred to make that version first and then copy/paste it to the Amiga. Are you going to argue against this?

My vote goes to the A8bit version. It's one of those games that I could play for hours on end.

The ST just screams "I'm not a game machine" to me. The lack of scrolling, dated soundchip, one button joystick (The Amiga had support for two I believe, but it's a moot point), and inability to run games a 50/60 fps make it look fairly weak compared to its competition. The only thing it accomplished over its lifetime was holding the Amiga back, because cheap Euro devs.

I haven't been here in a bit, but I got my 800XL problem taken care of. A member contacted me and offered to swap out my damaged socketed mobo for a working nonsocketed one. After I got it back I bought a newly made, modern PSU for it from an ebay seller on the suggestion of another member. So now it's working great. It's a good feeling when you can turn around a crappy situation pretty quickly. Thanks for all your help everyone.

I'll try to get a pic of it uploaded. My phone camera is pretty sucky though so I can't promise a good image. It looks like a <1mm thick line going across the copper contact itself.

I took the board out and it looks to me like the two eproms/chips are soldered directly to it. It doesn't look as if I can pop them off and back on. The contacts aren't dirty or corroded either. One thing I just noticed: on the back side, one of the contacts has a line going across it diagonally. Could that break a connection? Should I let the guy from ebay know about this? The cart has been nothing but trouble since I got it and now I can't get it to boot up after the pink eraser and alcohol. It was advertised as works and guaranteed.

Thanks for the advice. I'll check and see which % alcohol I have. If it is 95%, then I'll try opening the cart and seeing what's up.

I've had good luck with all but one of the carts I've bought for my 800XL. Every single one of them boots up on the first try except Donkey Kong Jr. It usually takes 4-5 tries to get it to work, but last night it wanted no part of it. After ~10 tries, it would briefly boot up to a yellow screen and make a quiet hissing noise. Every other cart I have works flawlessly. I've tried cleaning the contacts with alcohol a few times, so now I want to open it up and see if there's anything wrong. Before I do it, are the carts a pain to take apart or put back together? It looks like all you need is a Philips's screwdriver.

Did the MSX fall flat as soon as it came out? It had all those great games, but they were on carts. Did all those konami games get released there? Also, it's controller port isn't compatible with the atari standard. Did people just use normal joysticks regardless?

I can't help but think many these GBP 1.99 budget games that were sold to the masses weren't that good. I've been an avid reader of Retro Gamer for close to 10 years and many of the 8 bit micro games made in Europe just look cheap, like it's worth what you paid. European game design was very very different from what we got in NA. The strategy that all those dev houses seemed to be: 1) design a game for one platform. 2) port it to everything under the sun and do not waste any time or money optimizing it.