mikey.shake

Well, it looks like I have fixed the power input problem. I opened up the console and it looked like the connection closest to the actual input jack was a bit dodgy. I re-soldered that joint after cleaning it out, and everything seems to be fine on that front now. But the problem with some of the games remains. I've given each of the six "problem carts" another "alcohol & swab" cleaning, but no real improvement. Can anyone diagnose that screenshot above? Should I get in there gently with some 400-grit sandpaper and another alcohol rinse, to see if that helps? The cruelest part is that all I have right now are paddles, no joysticks. And the only games that are giving me problems are paddle games. All of the joystick based games start up right away each time I've tested them, and taunted me with what I can't have. (Especially that opening screen in Atlantis!) Any suggestions?

Hey Everyone! So I’m delighted to report that the first of my two consoles arrived! Well, not so much arrived as “was forcefully retrieved”, but that’s another story. (I’ll post a link once I write it all out -- it’s a little nutty.) I plan to give a full report soon, but I’ve only had two hiccups so far. If anybody can offer any help or advice, well -- this must be the place. 1) The first issue is that the power input seems a little dodgy. A few times now, the power cable’s gotten nudged and knocked things out like a reset button would. I’d understand if it had gotten knocked around a bit, but it doesn’t take much for things to fritz out. I’ve only been fuzting around with the console for a few hours, so I’m undecided on whether this is something I should take in stride and fix myself (bent connector, bad soldering connection) or something I should contact the eBay seller about. I've done some modding work on musical gear, so I can solder well enough. Best Electronics' FAQ suggests it’s the right angle power supply, and I'm inclined to agree, though I realize they're basically trying to sell me a part. Obviously, electronics should be handled carefully, but are these jacks particularly sensitive to rustling? 2) Secondly... some of my cartridges won’t play consistently. Before the console even arrived, I polished them up on the outside, and made sure to give each connector a good cleaning with cotton swabs and alcohol. I thought I was pretty methodical about things, but maybe I need to give them another good scrub or a sanding? About a half-dozen of them only play intermittently. I don't have another console to test them on (yet), but this one was allegedly refurbed and well-cleaned inside and out. The other 12 carts I have or so have loaded fine every time I plug them in (I've been rotating through the stack to note which consistently turn on and which don't. Sometimes they "error out" even when I turn off the console, wait a few moments, then turn them back on -- without touching the cartridge. Which is why I’m wondering whether it’s the carts or the console. When they won’t work, they all pretty much “do” (or “don’t do”) the same thing, which looks like this, but with a whining buzz: Is this some kind of obvious connection problem a n00b like me is too naive to know about? Like the blinking white screen I’m familiar with on the NES? I’ve tried searching, but having trouble coming up with the right term to input to find an image like that. Sorry if this is old hat, but I thought I’d come to where the knowledge is first before getting frustrated. Thanks in advance, hope you're all having a good Valentine's Day!

Thanks for the advice, everyone! So many options! I'm definitely making myself an "expansion list", beyond my "gotta get" basics above. I only wish I had deeper pockets for the AA store and all the amazing homebrews I never knew existed until now! I've definitely taken the VGC reviews with a grain of salt. When I saw "undisputed classics" barely getting above a B, I knew not to believe everything I read. But I'm finding it a very useful guide as to what I may or may not like. I've downloaded ROMs and have been playing around in Stella for a bit, but finding myself wanting to hold off from playing any/many of my wishlist. Something about the satisfaction of finally getting it on the console when I finally (re-) experience them! But it's definitely given me a chance to try some unfamiliar titles. And since I'm new to collecting these things -- can anyone give any advice on where to buy online? Reading has indicated that eBay can be risky and overpriced sometimes. Beyond the AA marketplace forum, can anyone advise on where to find well-priced games? I've seen some posts here and there, but many are old enough they're not likely still valid. Apologies in advance if that's one of those "asked all the time" n00b questions...(Bonus points if anyone can suggest any Boston-area brick and mortar retailers.)

Wow! Thanks! I'll definitely have to find an excuse for another vacation now! If only we'd known -- we were staying in South Portland anyway! And thank you, Thomas for all your info! I'm working my way through the Videogamecritic reviews now -- and Nathan Strum's blog is next! I'm glad to hear Double Dragon is more than a curiosity! My wife likes to play, too, so the two-player modes sound appealing! It might be a bit of a reality check for her after playing through Double Dragon: Neon! And if that weren't enough... the idea of hearing those tunes on a 2600... wow.

I had to chew on this one a while. I think the first is the greatest, while the third is the "best" -- it kind of took all of the awesome elements the first one innovated and cranked them up to "10". But I've always loved the cheerful psychedelic aspects of the second one since long before I knew it was a Doki Doki Panic reimagining. It's so bright and swirly, with cool personalities for each of the characters. It doesn't FEEL like a Super Mario game, but when it was only the second one out there, it just felt like a different style. I guess semantics and explanation are a way to try and have my cake and eat it, too. While it's my favorite, I realize that the second one's...different. (Of COURSE nobody had voted for it yet -- now I'm "that guy") The third one is certainly has more of everything the first one does (and some stuff from the second one). But the innovation, imagination, user-friendliness, and charm of the first one really can't be beat, right?

Thanks for the warm welcome! And thanks for the suggestions on my wishlist! All good info. Both Pac-Man and E.T. are sort of "just because" choices. I remember playing them them as a kid, and for only a couple bucks (based on their reputation), it seems like I should have 'em in my Atari 2600 collection. That said, I do love Pac-Man games, which makes 4K pretty alluring (as in, "get it next payday"). I don't have any particular attachment to Tempest, so that'd be an easy one to pass on -- and those Sinistar and the 4K/8K PacMan options will have me heading over to the store once I collect enough Reese's Pieces to re-load my bank account. Somehow, Millipede was a blank spot in my memory until I read the name, and now it's definitely a "to-get" title. I also forgot to add Princess Rescue to my list of modern games. That oversight's been corrected. I feel like the odd man out on my list is "Double Dragon", what with it being a "late-era" game. I've heard it's a crappy 2600 game, but my love of the early DD franchise dictates that I've got to try and get one eventually. I just about did a spit-take when I found out it existed. Glad to hear my memory of SW:TAG isn't fuzzy! A friend had it, and having "Star Wars at home" was just... too much to deal with. "3-D"? First person? STAR WARS? So much fun. And I distinctly remember the ad for it (the guy with reflecting glasses) in one of the first comic books I ever bought a few years later. I there was even an ad for the 2600/5200 Mario Bros. inside the front cover the same issue... -------- (A Beginner's) Updated Wishlist: Adventure, Alien, Astroblast, Berserk, Centipede, Chuck Norris Superkicks, Cosmic Ark, Demon Attack, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, E.T., Galaxian, Halo 2600, H.E.R.O., Joust, Mario Bros., Megamania, Millipede, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Pac Man 4K*, Phoenix, Pitfall, Pitfall II, Princess Rescue*, River Raid, River Raid II, Sinistar*, Solaris, Star Wars: The Arcade Game, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Stargate/Defender II

Thanks for the warm welcome! And thanks for the suggestions on my wishlist! All good info. Both Pac-Man and E.T. are sort of "just because" choices. I remember playing them them as a kid, and for only a couple bucks (based on their reputation), it seems like I should have 'em in my Atari 2600 collection. That said, I do love Pac-Man games, which makes 4K pretty alluring (as in, "get it next payday"). I don't have any particular attachment to Tempest, so that'd be an easy one to pass on -- and those Sinistar and the 4K/8K PacMan options will have me heading over to the store once I collect enough Reese's Pieces to re-load my bank account. Somehow, Millipede was a blank spot in my memory until I read the name, and now it's definitely a "to-get" title. I also forgot to add Princess Rescue to my list of modern games. That oversight's been corrected. I feel like the odd man out on my list is "Double Dragon", what with it being a "late-era" game. I've heard it's a crappy 2600 game, but my love of the early DD franchise dictates that I've got to try and get one eventually. I just about did a spit-take when I found out it existed. Glad to hear my memory of SW:TAG isn't fuzzy! A friend had it, and having "Star Wars at home" was just... too much to deal with. "3-D"? First person? STAR WARS? So much fun. And I distinctly remember the ad for it (the guy with reflecting glasses) in one of the first comic books I ever bought a few years later. I there was even an ad for the 2600/5200 Mario Bros. inside the front cover the same issue... -------- (A Beginner's) Updated Wishlist: Adventure, Alien, Astroblast, Berserk, Centipede, Chuck Norris Superkicks, Cosmic Ark, Demon Attack, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, E.T., Galaxian, Halo 2600, H.E.R.O., Joust, Mario Bros., Megamania, Millipede, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Pac Man 4K*, Phoenix, Pitfall, Pitfall II, Princess Rescue*, River Raid, River Raid II, Sinistar*, Solaris, Star Wars: The Arcade Game, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Stargate/Defender II

Hey everyone! Like just about every other “I finally joined” post I’ve read on here, I finally got bit by the bug and had to acquire a physical part of my youth. It started as a “maybe” on a 7800, but ended up at a restored Light Sixer and an “accidental" 4-switch woody. It’s really been a lot of fun digging in and finally learning about all this stuff. I’m a writer by trade, so I tend to go on and on. I've been keeping a record of the process and posted it as a series of articles on my blog. Frankly, without this site/forum, I would likely never have known what I was looking for I’m still in the “first blush" phase -- hunting down cartridge info, continuing to sponge up specifics on different models, noting what I should be keeping my eye out for, etc. ROMs are keeping me busy and excited until everything finally gets here. I’ve even scribbled out my "games wishlist”*. (I’m not a completist, just looking for a nice tidy collection of my favorites). Time to start hunting. I was initially going to post the articles in their original form as one long piece, but there was so much of it, I figured I’d cut it up just post some links in case anyone’s interested in hearing yet another story about how someone fell back in love with Atari gaming. The process is still ongoing, but the first three installments seemed like there was enough to share. I'll post links as things develop. (Journalism!) The more technical aspects (hardware details, etc.) were DEFINITELY not written with you savvy experts in mind -- more for fellow wanderers like me. All that will likely be old hat here. But if you notice any major errors or anything, please let me know! Part 1: Nostalgia http://bit.ly/1z5ShPT Part 2: Digging Deeper Into Retro Tech - Dust & Detective Work http://bit.ly/1IOSHUM Part 3: "PULL THE TRIGGER! FIRE! FIRE!” http://bit.ly/1EWJxTi A big “thank you” to all the members here who’ve taken their time to post their stories and info! I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your work! -- (*Included so everyone can see just what a silly, excited n00b I really am.) Wishlist: Adventure, Alien, Astroblast, Berserk, Centipede, Chuck Norris Superkicks, Cosmic Ark, Demon Attack, Donkey Kong, *Double Dragon*, E.T., Galaxian, Halo 2600, H.E.R.O., Joust, Mario Bros., Megamania, Ms. Pac Man, Pac Man, Phoenix, Pitfall, Pitfall II, River Raid, River Raid II, Solaris, Star Wars: The Arcade Game, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Stargate/Defender II, Tempest