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32 bit gamer

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Posts posted by 32 bit gamer

  5. Posted · Edited by 32 bit gamer

    Sorry. I tried to quote people, but It didn't work. I'll just say this. I might use an emulator for an atari or snes, and since my uncle might even get his out and give it to me, And I DO own old and new consoles respectively (Ps2, n64, sega master system from another uncle, xbox 360 that I dont use anymore, but then again who does? And an nes out of a dumpster) so I THOUGHT that getting an atari would be the answer, but if I have to wait a bit for my uncle to pull his atari out of his friends house (told me yesterday I could have it. Coolest uncle ever), then I can wait, I guess.

    EDIT: also have a sega nomad and game gear.

    • Like 2

  6. Posted

    Sorry I haven't been online in a while, so let me answer to some of this.

     

    Hmmm. Interesting. When I was 13, Nintendo was still King of gaming, SNES was all the rave, and anything Atari branded was considered junk.

    I didn't even get into Atari collecting until 2012, long after I collected all the Nintendo systems. I completely fell in love with the thriving homebrew scene as well. Thing is, you likely don't have much disposable income, and Atari games are very, very cheap right now compared to SNES and others. One key diffence though, many later games have a lot of depth. You could play some of them for hours across multiple game sessions assuming the battery still works. Replacing a dead battery can be done but it is not trivial.

    Atari goes way back to video gaming's arcade roots. Typically, you would sink a quarter or two into an arcade machine, then the game would be over rather quick, and you deposite another quarter. Being quick, I feel Atari games are bet enjoyed playing a stack of games in rapid succession. In this way, Atari satisfies my Adult ADD in ways that Nintendo can't.

    Nintendo and later games offer deeper gameplay where you tend to keep the game cart in the system for a while. In this way, a small handfull of pricier SNES games can be just as satisfying to play through as stacks and stacks of the cheaper Atari carts.

    So factoring in budget and availability, you need to ask yourself if you want to play lots of cheap arcade-style games that end very quickly or play fewer premium immersive 16-bit or higher games over longer periods of time.

    The thing is, I own lots of later games (ps2, n64, xbox360 , also found an nes in a dumpster that still works) and I love them. But not only is atari cheap, but it's classic. I always liked watching the old commercials and news about it. And if I don't get it, whatever. But at this point I might even wait a little because my uncle said he would give me his atari. If not, then I'll get one when I'm older.

     

    The other option of course (and I'll probably be ostracised by my peers for mentioning it) is emulation. Try looking at the "Stella" emulator http://stella.sourceforge.net/ and then download the 12MB file linked by mipaol above.

     

    This will give you pretty much every game you're likely to find in the wild (eBay, Garage sales, thrift stores, etc.). Use a USB joystick and you'll have pretty much the same experience as you would buying a Woody or Junior.

     

    Unless you're looking into collecting VCS carts with a view to making money from said collection in the future, you'll save money and (via emulation) probably not miss much by not owning the original hardware.

     

    Like myself, a lot of forum users here collect retro systems for nostalgic reasons. I'm over 4 times your age and grew up with this old hardware so for me, collecting satisfies my need for re-living the past.

     

    You're already playing Atari via emulation by using the Flashback, so using a computer with a USB joystick would be extending what you're already used to.

     

    If you really want to buy a 2600, try looking for a Junior. It's more compact than the earlier VCS consoles and runs all of the same cartridges. Being a later model also means the electronics have aged less, so it may last you longer.

     

    *EDIT* I typed this as freeweed posted his reply (above) so mine is no longer the first mention of emulation.

    I might even consider that. I should try more of the games as an emulator maybe.

     

     

    Personally, if I'm gonna say "use an emulator", it's for Genesis/SNES. They've been damn-near perfect for so many years now - hell they're console-perfect on DC emulation from nearly 15 years ago. Stella is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but it just doesn't have the same "feel" as playing on a real 2600. Something to do with having to hit all those big clunky switches maybe, or just using an honest-to-god joystick, or really awesome/bad audio consisting mostly of explosions.. I dunno, I just never really liked emulated 2600. It never comes close enough to the real thing for my tastes.

     

    But it's certainly a good way to check out if you even like playing the games. As someone said, you don't "beat" an Atari game. You just play the same thing over and over and try to get a higher score. Us old farts love that style of gameplay, and a lot of younger do too - but it's not for everyone. But if you do like it?

     

    People are talking about cost. Maybe it's just me, but unless someone wants to stock up on sports games, the 2600 is probably the cheapest console to get a pretty big collection for. The top 20-30 most common games can be had for like 50 cents each without even trying - just check out the AA Marketplace forum. You can buy huge lots on Ebay of 50-100 games that will average about a buck a piece, and include a fair number of less common games. Doing that with any other console will net you about 20 copies of Madden and NHL '94 on Genesis, plus some MLB and NBA carts. Oh and a dozen Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt combo carts. I just don't see a cheaper system, for someone who wants in the 20-50 game range. I suppose a Dreamcast is cheaper if you spend the time with the proper burning software and don't have a bandwidth cap. It's been a LOOONG time since I was into that scene so maybe it's gotten a bit easier, but I remember spending weeks at a time getting and burning games with Discjuggler. And original DC games are anything but cheap.

     

    And yes, a Harmony is absolutely the best way to go if you're playing more than collecting.

    I might also try that.

     

    I just recently got a couple of flashback units , I wasn't impressed with the mini 7800 unit (thinking flashback 1)

     

    however the flashback 2, I was really impressed with , I'm not one for modding consoles but understand the flashback 2 will accept a cartridge slot so you can play atari carts on it.

    not so with the newer models though (flashback 3 & 4)

     

    which is yours ?

     

    as far as an original atari 2600 I would say it's very well worth it.

     

    there are a few models to choose from ... http://atariage.com/2600/archives/consoles.html

     

    this is a good guide to cleaning system should it need it , usually the paddle controllers need the cleaning the most

    http://atariage.com/forums/topic/184296-slowcoders-guide-to-cleaning-up-your-2600/?p=2316144

    I have the flashbak 4. It didn't even have any activision games.

  8. Posted

    I have always liked old games (nes, dreamcast, snes, n64, etc.) but I always liked the atari 2600. I usually play an atari 2600 game on a plug in play console called the "flashback". I am wondering if the atari 2600 is worth it and is better than other consoles I might get instead (snes dreamcast or genisis). I want to know soon because my parents are letting me have another game console when we go to the game store in 3 days( I'm only 13 :) )

    • Like 1
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