MrBlackCat
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Posts posted by MrBlackCat
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I got one in my basked on Amazon, during the frenzy, but the page blanked when I clicked "No thanks" for Amazon prime... see, if I had been an Amazon Prime member, I might have been one of the Chosen Few.
Oh well...
Also, people keep saying there will be plenty... and while I agree that is a reasonable assumption, it is still, just an assumption... unless you have some kind of inside information relative to production.
MrBlackCat
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This is not the 101... this was in the 001 series as best I can remember... it is one I don't have however to verify, but I am almost certain. The "new integrated screen light" is just referencing the 001 being self lit vs the original Advance, non-sp models.
Even if the pink color is pearlized, I will bet this is not a 101... these are quite old.
I just HAVE to add, that after reading the description, and reading "almost pearly" I can't help but believe the seller knows what this is... or "is not". Even if the unit is "Pink Pearl" in color, I don't remember these being 101's. Its value is likely caused by the fact it IS Pearl Pink, but isn't a 101, as that is often a primary way to identify 101s vs 001s
Update: I just got verification from an owner... these were 001's.
MrBlackCat
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D:
Yep... got the email today that my Atari Handheld order has been delayed. Cwap.
MrBlackCat
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Wasn't this supposed to be at $60, give or take a buck?
Yes... I was just making an unclear reference to all the eBay scalping of dozens of pre-orders for the last month or so for amounts in excess of $150.00
MrBlackCat
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Oh thank heavens!
The thread has been placed back on the rails... excellent.
Due to the brutality of reading (I mean wading through) recent posts in this thread, I was setting up a series of converters JUST to post the picture to this thread when I get my NES Mini... it will be converted from HDMI to VGA to Composite to RF, to Component, and back to HDMI... and played on a 30" WEGA... then I will argue that game display is identical to my original hardware.
Anyway...
Well, myself and co-workers are all doing the count-down to release. None of us managed to get a pre-order. Does anyone have any idea if there what exact time any of the on-line outlets might actually fire up the availability? For example, does Toys R Us, Best Buy, Amazon etc auto-update their releases at midnight in some specific time-zone? Anyone have any insight? I just never pre-order enough to have tracked this sort of thing.
I will have one of these units and enjoy all of its flaws, I just want to have an idea of how much it is going to cost me.
Counting down...
MrBlackCat
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Not sure how long it has been up, but Toys R Us has pre-orders up for the Atari Flashback Portable... I just pre-ordered it here for 39.99+tax (free shipping)
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=96047666
I had previously pre-ordered it from GameStop for 49.99 +tax + 4.99 shipping... I cancelled that one.
Anyway, less than two weeks to ship date!
MrBlackCat
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Shouldn't the notification emails go out immediately?
Wait, a substantial number of your coworkers? Might I ask what kind of establishment you work at? If it's a game store, that's understandable. If people are talking about the NES Mini around the water cooler at the office, and others across the country doing likewise, then we are all screwed. I seriously doubt Nintendo produced more than a million of these suckers.....
I am guessing it doesn't go out immediately... I can probably find out how the system works, but I have never worked on or for anything Amazon, Yahoo etc. Just isn't my area.
I work at a factory (not related to gaming) with a couple hundred people of which a few dozen have an interest in gaming... because I am considered "the" gamer guy in a way, many come to me for all things gaming, repair, news etc. This is why I am aware of how many people are watching these things... when any of us find new stuff, we start texting and see who wants whatever it is we found, like plug n plays, Flashbacks, Sega Handhelds/Gophers etc. I always buy extras and sell them to those outside the loop at work.
Last year we had trouble finding enough Sega Handhelds to go around, so I went to a dozen Dollar Generals on an area road trip for three hours and got all I could find... and sold them at work. I almost always have some left over, so I have spares, and gifts for gamers sometimes.
MrBlackCat
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Everywhere I look there is no way to pre-order as of this day. Amazon never even notified me.:/
A substantial number of co-workers, and myself, had availability email notifications requested and not a single person that I know of received one. The notification system might be once or twice daily and they are selling out before it cycles is what I suspect.
MrBlackCat
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Nintendo has no incentive to not have ample stock on hand, so I don't think we have anything to worry about.
Determining market can be difficult... I think it more likely that Nintendo will be conservative. I say this because from a business standpoint, it is better to sell out at full price, than have any reason to reduce the price due to being over produced. Not having to reduce selling price is going to be more attractive to retailers, and even if demand isn't met, the customers are still in the store and might buy something related... like a FlashBack.
MrBlackCat
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Bed, Bath and Beyond is the best place to get them when they first come out because they offer 20% off one item coupons - all the time. I usually have 2 or 3 at any given time that come in the mail, plus they offer them online too.
I have read that also... there isn't a Bed, Bath and Beyond near here however, so I didn't include it as I couldn't personally verify it.
MrBlackCat
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As far as availability around here (Mississippi, US) I have only ever seen the Sega Handhelds at Dollar General... but this is what I recall.
1. Dollar General: Atari Flashback, Sega Genesis Classic Console, Genesis Handheld, (Coleco and Intellivision last year). (very low numbers, less than a dozen each per store of each type.)
2. Walgreens: Atari Flashback only.
3. Family Dollar: Atari Flashback and Sega Genesis Classic Console.
4. Kroger (grocery store): Atari Flashback and Sega Genesis Classic Console, (Coleco and Intellivision last year).
5. WalMart: Atari Flashback only that I saw, but I seldom go there, so this isn't as reliable as above listed.
This is what I have seen since the release of the first Sega Genesis Classic Console. I have often been the source of acquisition for these games for others I work with, so in some cases I go to as many as a dozen of any one of these stores in a collecting road trip to pick them up... the point being that the above list has been very consistent for years.
I still have a few of most to give as presents and occasionally sell/trade to someone who learns about them and wants older models and can't find them.
MrBlackCat
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The Game Boy Advance can be used as a Game Boy Player controller.
<image removed>
Cool! Never noticed that cable before. I am going to try one out. Got one on the way. Thanks for the post.
MrBlackCat
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I just wish the GameCube controller wasn't so poorly-shaped for Gameboy games.
Oh! I only use standard shaped GameCube controllers for it because I prefer wireless. If you don't mind corded controllers, and money isn't a concern, Hori made a classic style game pad for the GameCube you can still get hold of.
Like this...
MrBlackCat
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I've got an original brick and a GBA, but unfortunately, I find it difficult to play for more than 5 minutes with my big adult hands.
I've always really enjoyed the puzzle games on the Game Boy. My favorite these days is Quarth--so addictive.
I too have fairly large hands and this is an issue for myself as well, but I am used to it for the more part... but my eyes are becoming more a problem now, so I use my GameBoy Player for the GameCube a lot now. Solves both problems for me.
As far as game types, I agree that 3D Games aren't ideal for the GBA. I will play most anything on the GBA, but I still lean towards 3D... I love the Lego 3D Isometric view games on GBA. I also like Terminator 3 and I have played all of the Tony Hawk games for GBA.
MrBlackCat
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<snip>
The dooms and duke nukem games are indeed well worth owning. I also like ecks vs sever. There's another one like doom I cant recall off the top of my head. Backtracked was fun if you can tat over the draw distance.
I like Ecks vs Sever also... as far as 3D games, DooM, Duke Nukem, E vs S, all look pretty good. Starsky and Hutch, Driver 3 (Driv3r), Ice Nine, Medal of Honor, and couple of race games I can't remember right now, were all amazing for 3D on the GameBoy Advance. There are probably plenty of others I don't own that are on par with these examples though.
MrBlackCat
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Great looking game drawer, and very nice Doom collection! Doom and Doom II are definitely essential games for any GBA library.
<snip>
Thanks.
I have several GBA SP's and we play DooM, DooM II, and Duke Nukem multiplayer (4 player) every once in a while. Even with the tiny screens, we have a lot of fun. 200 games is a lot to flat display. I will show you another compact way to organize/display them I am almost finished with, when I get a chance to take pictures. Will be a few days as I got to go to work, but I will be back.
MrBlackCat
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I watched this video last month and think it answers your question well.
<snip video>
That is a really good idea in many cases.
Thanks for the video.MrBlackCat
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There's a question that's been on my mind a lot lately: How do you guys & gals store your loose Game Boy Advance games? I've been trying to track down a compartmented storage box with 2.5" wide divided compartments to keep all my GBA carts lined up in neat alphabetized rows, but I've yet to find any that would be the right size for the job. I'm discovering that GBA carts are kind of a nightmare to try to keep in orderly rows without dividers (especially when you have a lot of them) or spending a small fortune on plastic cases for each game so I'm wondering how you folks store your GBA carts and if anyone might have any suggestions for a particular storage box that works well.
I seldom take my games anywhere, so mobile cases aren't something I have considered, so I just made shallow drawers like these and lined them with automotive trunk carpet... and I can see them all at once. I realize you are likely wanting something a bit more compartmentalized, but here is how I chose to do my loose cartridges.
Sorry for the unclear image, didn't notice on my phone screen, but you can still see.
MrBlackCat
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The cloud (aka "other people's computers") is still very powerful ...many file sharing sites have learned from the takedown lessons of UG and sites like it. PirateBay keeps popping back up after many, many takedown attempts.
BlackCat -- so what would you do in the event of file corruption or ransomware attack that encrypted your files? Seems to me that your RAIDs and mirroring would simply give you many copies of trashed files. Could you recover from that or would you just move on without it?
Saying "I'm okay without it" is a perfectly valid response, but seems less reasonable if you already have a big financial investment in the setup. I'm too cheap to buy a single Drobo so I'm curious what you would do.
File corruption is limited by redundancy, but theoretically possible. The secure data is stored on duplex drive pairs or in one clients case, triple redundancy... then it is set on delayed (example, 24 hour) mirror. This is constantly adjusted based on degree of security per project. Again, most of what I am doing is working with test data that exists elsewhere. I might run twenty variant tests of the same data to verify the migration in different ways... but all I am doing is testing the method in most cases, not the actual work, which will be run on the clients system.
A fair part of my job has been hardware firewall OS's and scripting... because the various layers of my network here run through up to four layers of firewalls and managed switches, it is unlikely that something like ransom-ware could even work, at least on the internal PC's. Due to packet inspection techniques that myself and some of the companies I work for developed. But again, it could in theory occur. I have a large collection of viruses, trojans, worms etc to learn from. In my 25+ years in IT/IS, Network Engineer, etc, I have yet to have a virus, trojan, or malware, but good lord have I seen them in practice. I do a LOT (too much?) of cleaning and damage control for clients Windows PC's.
Drobo's are fine... lots of good products like that out there today... backup and unplug it.
Because of the issue of software modification of firmware I do my own network with physically separated layers, as seen in the image below. Network layers are various types and levels of security. Want more/different security, swap the cable to another layer. Instant, visual, verification of security.
I have a lot of personal data I would very much like NOT to lose... like my emails and games from the 80's and 90's, and they are stored multiple ways enough for me to be comfortable that I have done all I could within reason.
MrBlackCat
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Sounds like it's a mix of business and personal stuff ... I suppose massive duplication is like backup, but would you be able to find anything you needed in that mashup of different technology?
("electronic bill," heh sorry about my stupid phone typos)
I used to work mostly from home, so yes, it is mixed somewhat, but the mix is not random. There is little overlap between the type of data stored and server OS. The only exception is a few desktop NAS's (LinkSys units). The various systems are determined/required by the accessing system or hardware. Examples: Novell is kept to maintain connectivity between and back to various DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows CE/Mobile, Win95/98 as well as some other simplistic file system equipment. Window based servers for XP and newer Windows systems mostly, of course. The Linux based stuff is for software/data relative to hardware firewall and managed switch data and network emulation software... and some other proprietary stuff. FreeNAS is used for mass copy/storage testing more than anything.
As far as electricity, this is what I added to my house for the computer/game room...
This gives me real time view of amps and voltage on each UPS circuit as well as an electrical history through the meter via a digital reader. The industrial look is a small bit exaggerated and intentional as the panel is exposed in the room.
MrBlackCat
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I am older and never played the GameBoy handhelds in their day... I was more of a PC person early on, then later obtained most mainstream consoles and most handhelds.
Here is an older picture. I may try to get a more recent one later. I prefer the yellow of course.
Although this isn't the thread for Flashback and related retro consoles, my choice of cabinet to build for the Flashbacks was a GameBoy Color.
I just took an older 16:9 TV I had, Rack mount power switches, a 16 port video switch, a few hours on paper and Sketchup and a few nights a week for a month and this was the result.
I have a GameBoy Player on a GameCube nearby, and a wireless controller. This lets me play all my GameBoy, GameBoy Color, and GameBoy Advance games on a screen large enough for my aging eyes, and with a standard controller.
When I get a chance to update the pictures of my games and systems, I will post those and share my experiences with different games.
MrBlackCat
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88TB! What kind of equipment do you run? I don't think I'd even want to pay that electronic bill, to say nothing of the disc and tape resources (because of its worth storing, it's worth backing up).
The storage I use/build is constantly updated and therefor mixed/varied. I consistently use RocketRaid (2340's mostly) controllers due to compatibility with such a wide range of drives. MSI Micro and Mini Boards. Nothing fancy really... just reliable stuff. The drives vary from 2TB to 6TB in several brands and classes, but all 3.5. Note that I don't use any Enterprise class drives, all desktop drives. They just don't justify the cost vs failure rate in my application. I have no SSD based storage, but clients are using it now... amazing speeds for sure. All chassis are 3U, 16 bay. OS's are various Windows, client proprietary Linux branches, Novell, and some FreeNAS.
I don't use tapes because of the Data Volume. I just mirror to HDD and move storage set off site. I really seldom encounter tape systems in use in the field anymore. Portability and price are tape advantages, but with the speed of modern networks and internet, off-site backup is usually done at other branches, or commercial on-line backup sources.
Most of what I do doesn't have to be backed up... most is just massively redundant testing of data migration/conversion. While I do keep copies of my work, client data isn't lost if my place burns. I rotate my stuff off-site often anyway.
As far as paying an "electronic bill", it is just part of doing business. I am careful to use the most reliable components I can get, within reason.
MrBlackCat
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One item not yet mentioned in this thread... the possibility for a seller (or anyone with the knowledge to do so) to find out a bidders max bid amount entered on eBay. From that, the seller (or trolling random hacker) uses shill bid partners or alternate account(s) to place a bid (usually snipe) just a bit UNDER your maximum bid amount. This is done on big dollar items often like vehicles, construction equipment etc most of the time. This is a profit increasing business practice for some people on a large scale, but of course it does occur in every area of eBay... daily.
This process isn't simple to do, and takes a minimum of six or seven minutes depending on system/machines used to find/decrypt the bid. Times of 20 minutes aren't uncommon, so if you are a late bidder, this isn't a consideration.
The point is to use an auto-bidder (I use eSnipe daily) to avoid this possibility.
Good luck with your
MrBlackCat
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A healthier approach might be to think of time and the web as a river, and every time you step in, you get something new.
<snip>
I'm trying to live more in the moment, because backing up all that garbage can't be healthy.
Also, scans of old Nintendo Power magazines are still out there and you needn't feel like you're the only one holding on to them.
Regardless of how much I archive, I step into that digital river as often as possible. I don't consider my archives as replacement, but just a little insurance in case of loss or removal.
Maybe I am missing some context here, but relating "unhealthy" to archiving isn't how I view it. I am certain that anything can be done to unhealthy extremes or in unhealthy ways. I store around 65TB of archived material and will be migrating another 88TB server for personal storage next year. I also have most every email I have received since 1985. I enjoy occasionally reminiscing as well as just general research, time line verification etc.
The point being that I suffer no stress or unhealthy side effects from this.
This makes me think of all those YouTube videos I see converted from previous forms of media storage (VCR etc) that were old television commercials of video games from so long ago. I love that stuff.
Because of the nature of Digital Data, I see archiving as much as is reasonable with as many sources as is reasonable, a positive practice. SAVE IT!
MrBlackCat
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2016 Flashback speculation thread
in AtGames Flashback and Portable Consoles
Posted
Thanks for the heads up... I am going to Sams tomorrow.
MrBlackCat