mikey.shake

One of the Coleco Chameleon "prototypes"!

Well, I picked "Simon's Quest: Redaction" because, as I understood it, it had a revised translation, day/night transition speedup, more value per heart (i.e. less farming), and Dracula's face being replaced. I didn't mind missing out on some of the shortcomings of the original, but didn't want to stray too far from the core gameplay. I was glad I picked what I did. There was still plenty of farming, and I suddenly remembered why I'd never sat down and played this one all the way through. A BIG improvement, if you're just interested in fun gameplay over authenticity. The translation was really good, but since I was using a walkthrough I found it less than necessary, but still talked to everyone just to compare. So, how was it? It was great! Totally flawed, yeah. But the hack/revision I picked really went a long way toward helping those problems. It's still a weird game, with its somewhat underwhelming boss mansions/battles and strange "open-but-linear" world (in the left-to-right sense). The day/night changeover would be a total drag for me at normal speed, and some of the enemy placement was kind of cheap and sneaky, not tough but fair. Frankly, with this game's reputation, I don't consider playing it without a walkthrough an option. Ever since that Nintendo Power back in the day. Mrs. S calls it "touring" a game -- just wanting to see most everything it has within, but not wanting to let it frustrate you in the process. This had enough quirks, even with the radically improved update, that it certainly seemed like the definition of a touring game. Super Metroid draws you in and makes you want to unlock secrets. Simon's Quest just makes me irritated that I can't figure out some stupid riddle and get on to the next part of the game. But how about the good stuff? The atmosphere was so rich! Just like posted above, it's just so immersive, with all the timing you've got to be aware of and the 'quest-y" nature of the plot. I would easily elect this as a valid point to cite that "Metroidvania"-style gameplay first hit the series. "Explore area. Get item. Use item to unlock new area." The music's fantastic, the graphics as well -- I love the dual-palette concept, with each really looking sharp. And I remember back in '88 when my friend Toby got it... man, it looked gorgeous. It's just right in that late-'80s Konami sweet spot with the audio/visuals. I even LIKE some of the aspects people seem to hate. The time-factor is essentially the same as a ticking counter, but having it affect the gameplay itself was brilliant. I could NOT have done it without a walkthrough, but I like the "puzzle" aspect of it, with some of the more obtuse stuff making sense. Once I learned the first time about kneeling down to reveal the underwater walkway, I just tried equipping/kneeling at every body of water I came across to see what would happen -- you know, exploring. Sierra-style. I may very well whizz through the "Bisqwit" update, just to check it out. But if there's anyone out there reading this who's thinking "I kinda always wanted to try 'Simon's Quest', but never got around to it...", by all means do it. It's really immersive and exciting and gives you a Castlevania fix in a different way. I'm glad I used a hack, but I'll probably have fun going back and playing it again in a few months and seeing if I can remember how to do it myself from town to town. In short, big thumbs-up, thanks to The Almighty Guru for the hack, and happy playing, everyone. (Oh, and I got the "middle" ending, which had corrected text -- in this one, you're "injured". I'm assuming the B&W Simon-less one has you perishing, and I bet the Best Ending has proper text too... a great detail to have fixed.)

Since this popped up, I had to vote. I just discovered the 2010 Wii Special Edition version of Donkey Kong for the NES/Famicom. It's really wonderful. I like most ports, they each offer their platform's "flavor" of the basic game, but the Nintendo one, WITH the "pie/cement factory" level added back in... that's it for me. The intermissions aren't a deal breaker, and I get that it's not arcade perfect. But to me, it's got the closest to the arcade "flavor" while remaining distinctly "of it's console". And a close second to the awesome "Pauline Edition" hack, too. That one's just awesome!

I'm just DELIGHTED that they put Double Dragon II (The Revenge!) on there. It wasn't til I got older that I found out that wasn't universally considered top-echelon. I was stunned. It's mind-boggling to me that other greats like Contra are $40, but I see DDII (The Revenge!) for twelve bucks all over the place. I hope more people who haven't tried it will give it a whirl and enjoy it. Beat 'em ups like that seem to be a fading memory in the retro gaming discussion. And while I'm among those who love River City Ransom, I feel like that wouldn't have been an appropriate choice for this, with the leveling up, etc. DDII (The Revenge!) is a lot more straight-forward and "pick-up-and-play". Easier for non-gamers to jump in. I'm not saying that's a "make-or-break" game for me on a broad-spectrum, general-audience offering like this. I wouldn't have EXPECTED it on one of these, but would have hoped. But for some alternate-reality version of me that wasn't a retro gamer today, that would definitely push me over the edge into "no questions asked".

While it's got some great information contributed (and thanks to all), this thread is cracking me up. The love, the hate, the rampant speculation, a few quarrelsome back-and-forths. Total hilarity, I'm checking it as regularly as I can. For what it's worth, I think this is brilliant. I have virtually no need for one (NES/Trinitron/Everdrive at my place), but the HDMI means I'd still snag one for the living room in a heartbeat if the price drops just a few bucks. That's an impressive sale, as far as I'm concerned. But you know who'd love this? My sister. We didn't have an NES, but had a SNES a few years later. We're total polar opposites in personality and she barely played games when we were kids beyond a little Super Mario World and Donkey Kong Country. But even so I'd be willing to bet she'd drop on this at Target in a second. She might not even realize it's much different than the SNES. And while she's smart, I could see her thinking the Virtual Console was "too complicated" and wouldn't bother looking into it. What's more is that it makes a perfect gift for her two little boys. And mom and dad will have fun with it too. It's easy to set up and you'll be able to get these anywhere. No having to "figure out" how to hook up a Wii/WiiU, no learning curve, looks like it used to, no dirty and blinking original console somewhere in Mom's basement. No overpriced retro gaming stores where squares might feel intimidated and (quite possibly) get ripped off. And there are a whole lot of people like her out there. Way more than us. This is a low-pricepoint, low-R&D way for Nintendo to probably make a bunch of money trading on things they mostly already own, to (as someone else pointed out) diversify their market, increase brand awareness with a well-done reminder of their greatest triumph in anticipation of their new mysterious cross-platform thing, and even appeal to a big percentage of hardcores like us who are pulled in by the HDMI or the novelty or the collectibility. And with traditional consoles going the way of the dodo, IPs are suddenly getting a lot more important. And here's a company with some of the best of them. (Several companies, if you include the other publishers on the Mini.) Get people buzzing about them again. This is probably the best thing to happen to Castlevania's IP in ages. I feel like if they get these on the right shelves at department stores we can watch a thirty-year range of "non-gamers to casual gamers" deciding that $60 is just about right for most of the games they remember. ("All three Super Mario Bros! Punch-Out! Zelda! We'll get this, the kids will like it, too.")

Please? Pretty please? You make magic happen for all my favorite games. But it's not like I haven't been playing the bejeezus out of the WIP versions of it and Draconian.

Everdrive, actually, but yeah. And frankly, I'd probably just use my quick-save button combo anyway, but I was impressed with the implementation of the system! And you're right... that atmosphere. There's actually a real sense of tension when it's a matter of, "Oh, no...am I gonna make it to the church before nightfall?"

I know all the news lately is about the NES-Mini, and I guess this is sorta related... The game selection reminded me that I've been meaning to blast through Simon's Quest to completion for the first time. Played it a fair amount as a kid, tried it last year after I beat Castlevania, but there was some glitch where I wouldn't level up and it frustrated me and I swore it off for a while. So, I'm going to attack it with a guide if need be but I'm gonna get through it. I'm one of those "it's flawed but it's greatly ambitious" apologists for the game's overall concept, but since I've spent enough years dabbling with the official mis-translation, I was going to go with the popular "Simon's Quest: Redaction" re-vamp by TheAlmightyGuru. (Found on popular *ahem* *romhacking* sites and TAG's website.) When I was looking that up, I came across the existence of another patch, which says it adds a new English Translation and a map system and save system. Good lord! It's by "Bisqwit", and you can find it with a quick search. The Bisqwit one, based on the maps and stuff, seems like the obvious winner to pick... to someone who's never done a full play through. But is that the case? Any technical problems or glitches or translation preferences that might make the Redaction patch the preferable one? Just curious. I really can't find many reviews on the Bisqwit hack either way. Help a guy decide? It's getting late in the day, and it would be a horrible night to have a curse.

I'm interested in trying just about any port I can on any platform, just to try it, but I think this gets to the crux of what I was wondering. For instance, to my mind, despite all the charms of some of the Atari versions, they still aren't as close to the "feel" of the arcade game as the NES port is to me. (YMMV!) And I guess it's the "midair direction-change" that keeps the FDS port from being even closer to the arcade than it already is. What I wonder is with all the hacks out there, does anyone know of an attempt to hack the FDS program (or Euro Classic release) to include, say 1) arcade-style jump mechanics, 2) proper Shellcreepers, and 3) maybe intermissions? It seems like it would be something someone wants, but I've never seen one, and it seems like a slam-dunk for an aspiring hacker, but I don't know the logistics of reprogramming something like that. That said, I will check out the Apple II version, just for more Mario Bros. goodness! Thanks!

Thanks, everyone! I agree -- I'm really lucky that, when it works as it should, I do get a really clear picture with my setup. No static on the black really at all. Lol, however the old downtown apartment I live in has, uhhh, "creative" wiring. So when I turn on the TV in the other room, I get a little interference, and when I turn on the PA system in my office, it goes REALLY static-y. But under "primo" conditions, it's as clear as I could expect RF output to be! Now that I have it up and running thanks to your wisdom, I cannot recommend the DIY route enough, if "a new RF box" is your primary goal. (If the power input mod isn't your bag, or if you're unable to do that, like I was.) A basic step bit for my 30-year old hand drill, a seven dollar enclosure, and ten bucks worth of components, and I have a tank-proof replacement option. And I PROMISE, I'm all thumbs when it comes to soldering. This new device is half the size, sticks to my wall, and can have more than five inches of coaxial cable running to the TV. Now that I know even a goon like me can do it, it's preferable to buying another potentially rickety CX522 of questionable heritage online. So, if anyone else wants to do it down the road, hopefully these resources can help: Text Instructions: https://www.eskimo.com/%7Etmcintos/atari/5200.switchbox.html (also on AA 5200 FAQ under section 4.14:) https://atariage.com/5200/faq.html?SystemID=5200 Video Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icfVkWHScW0 Parts List: (w/Radio Shack part #'s) - Coaxial DC power jack (#2741563) - Cable TV type F jack (#2780212) - RCA type phono jack (#2740346) - 0.01 uF Ceramic Disc capacitor (#2720131) - 7/16 inch bolt ($.14 @ hardware store) - 22 gauge solid insulated wire - Step Bit for drill (to drill enclosure holes) - Electrical Tape (to wrap the bolt/choke) Now that I can, y'know, PLAY my 5200, getting the original box fixed (just 'cause) is something I can turn into a slow-paced project, rather than muck something up in my haste and eagerness to get back to Mario Bros. and Berzerk. Since it seems to be a problem with the switching process and not the output (when it plays, it plays fine, as you can see in my original post), but won't click back to the antenna input when I power off the 5200. Maybe that isolates where I should start sniffing first. But that will give me a good reason to get to know how to use my new multimeter, and maybe ask some more questions this summer.

"... its weight in gold." A few months ago, I finally broke down to get a copy. I'd wanted it since '94 or so. Waited for a good deal, and just eventually broke down and bought one online. It was $55, which was a little cheaper than some of the others I'd seen. I'd checked every store in town for weeks, and it never turned up. My wife was encouraging, and I told her to make sure to forget its place at the top of my birthday wishlist. When it showed up, we spent about 3-4 days chipping away at it, with her assisting. I'd never played it beyond a few brief encounters in '94. I'd heard the hype in the intervening years. It was supposed to be godhead. It was. It didn't disappoint one bit. I'd played (and for the first time beat) the original Metroid to psych me up. So much atmosphere, action, design. Wow. We made it a chunk of the way through together, and had to go out of town for a while, so it got paused. We put it on hold, where it remains. I've been waiting to go back 'til I can really focus over a weekend and finish it. Two weeks later, she cracks and tells me she's so excited for my birthday present to arrive. Super Metroid. I looked at her, confused. "Are you just messing with me?" I asked. She looked back at me, her face more confused than mine. For some reason, she'd just blanked out. After mentioning it, she said she completely remembered... now. Rattled off a bunch of details, remembered getting stuck. Oh, well. Part of the reason she was so excited that she'd found it for $45, which was much lower than most of the other copies she'd been watching, and much lower than it tends to run here in town. So, yeah, $45-$55 is the going rate in our house, and a better deal than we've seen it for in the rest of New England. I ended up trading in the extra copy for a 5200 Competition Pro stick. It was a triple-happy birthday bonus.

Deltronik, you have made my night. I was ready to give up, I really was. Your affirmation that the mod I spotted was, in fact, the VCS mod, encouraged me to press on right when I was about to throw in the towel. (Hence the exasperated tone of my last post.) I couldn't get my Build Box to work, and had no idea how to get around that VCS mod if I wanted to power-mod it. Realizing that you were right -- if the original box worked, this one probably should, too, as long as the recipe was correct. Being reasonably new to all this, I'm cautious. With a limited understanding of this stuff and a strange contraption like the 5200/switchbox, I was worried I'd do something stupid and send too much juice to the wrong place and fry whatever good parts were left. I was also concerned that the VCS mod would preclude my being able to power mod it (and having a hard time digging up compatibility info), and since I clearly can't build a DIY RF box, I felt I was doomed to a life of buying crappy probably-broken switchboxes from shady resellers and keeping a stock of IC chips on hand for periodic swapping. As one last effort, I completely pulled apart the DIY box one connection at a time and rebuilt it into exactly the same shape, using the last of my spare fresh parts (and one solder-sucked and re-used power jack from earlier). I once again led some grounding wire from the tab on the phono jack to the tab on the power jack (as short a length as space would allow), and made sure that every joint was well-flowed and every mount nice and secure. Much to my surprise, it worked this time. Like, for real. It really works! So, now I have a replacement box that's not likely to fail anytime soon, and I know I theoretically have the ability to build a working one (thanks to the great instructions out there, available on the AtariAge 5200 FAQ). Now I can get back to what matters to me -- playing, not tinkering. For what it's worth, even despite the trouble, I still think the "single cable" design is a pretty cool flawed idea, provided all the components in your setup are working as they should. I DEFINITELY get why people don't want to have to deal with it, though, and mod for power and A/V. Thanks, Deltronik. I'm gonna name this lil' rascal "Del" in your honor! [I'm also going to go pick up that VCS adapter sitting at the local retro shop. Now that I know I might be able to use it. What do you think -- is the mod work in the pictures above an early-'80s factory job, or something more... "after the fact(ory)"?]

I tried a plastic enclosure, then hooking up some grounding wire in the new DIY box... unfortunately, no luck. Rebuilt the thing from scratch with the backup parts I bought, and no luck. I had a couple beers and decided to consider CPUWIZ' version of the power supply mod. I prepped materials in case I wanted to pursue it, and then opened up the case. I saw an almost-literal red flag. A red wire connected to one of the components I needed to remove. Leading under the shielding to the cart slot. So I dig a little deeper and take off the shielding and immediately see something terrifying to an amateur like me. Someone else's work. Here's a closeup of the mod/fix/hack, with an attempt to make it more visible: I love this console. But I'm in way over my head. I'm exhausted, confused, and completely frustrated. At this point, the 5200 is just making me angry, and that's making me sad. I can't get a switchbox set up to work, and I'm willing to bet with that red wire leading where it is that it's going to screw up my ability to do the power supply mod on my own. I know this system isn't without its quirks, but I can deal with controllers and calibrations. This is just too much, and I can't afford to throw much more money at it. Nor can I afford to buy another one right now. And OEM switch boxes aren't turning up anywhere I can find them. Might this mod (clearly connected to components involved in the power mod) be the reason I can't get things to work right with the switchbox? Or is this something unrelated? What the hell is going on? Can anyone tell me what I'm looking at? Is this the "2600 adapter" mod? If so, where do I go from here?

At the risk of being dense, could you elaborate on this? Do you mean within the RF box build? I'm intrigued, as it may be a solution, and I'm willing to try it! EDIT: I also noticed that the power input I grabbed was a 2.1mm pin / 5.5mm ID. The instrux for the CPUWIZ version of the mod indicates a 2.5/5.5 power input. I thought I'd grabbed the right one. Could that be a factor?

It won't switch back to whatever input was going through the "antenna" input once it's shut off. For example: the antenna feed will be on, I turn on the 5200, it kicks over fine, like it's supposed to. But then I turn off the 5200, and it doesn't go back to the antenna input, it goes to snow. It also clicks a few times when I plug the power into it, rather than once, like something's not catching. Other times it won't click at all. I replaced the chip in it when it got it, and for a while, it worked perfectly. But since it's now intermittent, there's something in there that's not right. I don't wanna keep using it and potentially further mess up some component since I don't know what's going on. If the original is easily fixable/diagnosable, I'd fix that up and use it. But I want to be able to play my 5200 until I can diagnose it. Since the DIY build should be a simple, clean alternative, it would be optimal. Otherwise, I'll have to go grab a couple of caps and a diode and give a whirl to CPUWIZ' power mod. But again, i've got the box, I seem to have the right parts, and I have SOME idea of what I'm supposed to be doing. I just want to make this DIY build work if I can.

Hi everyone, I've been battling a batty RF switchbox for my 4-port (which I'm going to try to troubleshoot in another thread). I decided to try and go out and build my own before I bother doing a full mod to the console itself. I used the instructions from this site, and followed them as closely as I was able. I thought I was able to follow them to a T. I'm a bit of an amateur, but can solder-by-numbers in the right situation. I put everything together full of hope, and when I fired it up, just got a damp squib, but with tiny progress. At least i can see SOMETHING: But I can't figure out what's gone wrong. It seems like these instructions have been getting the "thumbs up" online for years, so I'm assuming it's not those. I also used this video as a reference for the work: Here's a gut shot of the newly-built box: - I used a 7/16-inch bolt for the choke, 22-gauge wire, wrapped it 12-14 times, taped that off to keep it secure and wound. - Choke gets connected from RF port to power input. - Connected the RF port to the coax-F TV output with a .01uF, 500V capacitor. - Nothing seems shorted, and the metal case should be grounding everything via the jacks. - It's connected to the TV via a brand-new 3ft coax cable. The original switchbox that's been giving me trouble has an issue switching between inputs, but when a 5200 game shows up onscreen, it's clear as can be. I even retested the system using the old switchbox, and here's how it looks (taken 3 minutes after the above photos): Again, those are AFTER hooking it up to the older, "funky" switcher, so I know the console's still good. I'd LOVE to just build a basic box that would allow me to output the 5200, but I'm going batty. What's in my hand is exactly what I want, only it doesn't work. So can anyone help me figure out where I went wrong? [And yeah, if I absolutely, ultimately, and completely strike out on building a replacement box or fixing the old one I have, I will probably mod the console. But that's a last resort, and I'd like to focus on figuring out how to build a better RF box first, since I literally have the materials sitting in front of me.]

Just today, I spotted a 2-port with 12 common games and two allegedly-working controllers for $150 in a local shop, though it may have been missing the dust cover. There's another one a half hour north of the city for the same price but no games, and I don't know how many controllers. But I got a 4-port (minus switchbox) for $20 at a store across town (to be fair, they were giving me a "good neighbor" price, so it'd probably sticker for a little more). I saw one a few months ago at yet another shop for $80, but only spotted it behind the counter, so couldn't get a good look. Seems like right now, prices can vary here in New England.

Thanks for weighing in so far! The XL and XE versions seem to be getting a lot of love (unfortunately a platform I don't have access to, but I'm willing to investigate). Are the key reasons the intermissions and animation that Zetastrike mentions, or is there some intangible quality to those or the CV version that make them a cut above? Incidentally, I'm always pleasantly surprised at how much intermissions can add to an "early arcade"-style game. You don't NEED them for Pac-Man, but it's so much fun when they pop up.

FWIW, I just finished assembling a $5 alternative to the TurboBooster, and it works great. Thanks to Kosmic Stardust a few pages back for filling me in on the term "pin header", I was able to order some 2.54mm, 1x40 female pin headers online for $3. I followed the instructions from Classic Gaming Quarterly (thanks once again for those instructions!), but instead of the crimp-style pin connectors, I cut the pin header strips down to 23 pins long. I glued three of those trimmed strips together, and then pulled all the unused pins out the back with some needle-nose pliers, to prevent accidental shorting out. They pulled out really easily. I'm lousy at soldering, but managed to connect each of the three composite wires and the ground to the correct pins (I used the leftmost ground pin option on the top row for ease of spacing while soldering), I used a little heat shrink on each connection for safety, and voila! Once that was set, I tried to clip the wire shorter on one side than the other, so I could lead it sideways to run out by the power port. I also used a small-but-strong piece of tape to tape the composite cord to the back of the console, so if there were any unexpected tugs, it wouldn't yank at the expansion port itself. The physical bulk of the plastic connector seems to help keep a tighter grip on the entirety of the male pin array -- maybe helping keep things a little more secure and stable than the four loose wires, taking tension off the thin wiring itself. The biggest problem I had was stripping the super-fine wires in the rather cheap composite cable I used. I kept tearing too much off and having to shorten the cable down to about 3-4 feet. Mostly because I'm clumsy and amateurish. I messed up my first attempt, but had more than enough spare pin header strips to give it a second go, and now I'm plugged in and have a nice, cheap upgrade to good-looking composite output, for less than the fortune a TurboBooster seems to cost these days. With a little planning, having the wires not sticking straight out the back also allows the cable to feed out the side by the power cable, and keep the back cover on! Hooray! It looks nice on the screen AND in real life! If you think you can handle the CGQ D.I.Y. instructions, but add "count to 23, cut some plastic, and solder 4 points", you can do this too. And I'm all thumbs. Thanks for those who weighed in, I appreciate all the help!

I like console ports of arcade games. I like the way they have their own flavor, based on the hardware they've been ported to. Sure, the arcade originals are the "best", but sometimes I prefer a console port. I recently came across the 2010 "Donkey Kong Original" port from the limited-edition Wii release. I was a little too young to be in the Coleco sweet spot, and always liked the NES version of Donkey Kong, as it was pretty close to the arcade in gameplay, but also "felt" like an NES game in some intangible way. This official 2010 version is now, as far as I'm concerned, the ultimate be-all, end-all port of the game, second only to a MAME rig and the original. It got me thinking about Mario Bros. Not the "super" variety. The "bugs and critters in the sewer" game from '83. One of my very favorites. I liked it as a kid in the arcade, and love picking up just about any home port I can. My love for the basics of the gameplay has me reaching for the 5200 version regularly, and even the 2600 more often than you'd think. I know a lot of people were iffy on the NES port. I like it enough, but valid complaints. Some say that the Euro version is even better. Some say that the Famicom Disk System game Kaettikita Mario Bros. is the best version, and that the Euro version is based on that. I've played Kaettikita and I quite liked it. (I need to figure out how to apply that recent translation patch to the FDS file.) But in this day and age of romhacking, is there a "better" version of Mario Bros. out there short of MAME? And I don't just mean "official" ports -- we're not limited to those in this day and age. Has anyone done to Mario Bros what Dintar816 did to Pac-Man for the 2600? (And I know and love Dintar's WIP of Mario Bros for the 2600). Is Kaettekita as good as it gets, or is there something out there (like that DKO update) that's even just a little bit better for the early few generations of home consoles? A "Mario Bros Arcade" NES hack, perhaps? Should I just content myself with the fact that the Disk System game is so much fun I don't really need to find anything superior?

It's stupidly hot. My brain's all melty, so I'll keep this brief. I beat Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden II (The Dark Sword of Chaos!) over the past couple days, and had lots of fun. I've also got a tender, almost squishy, spot in my heart for the Master System port of Shinobi. How about you? What's your favorite 8-bit/3rd Gen Ninja game? And I'm talkin' NINJA. (Plural.) No Kung Fu, no Double Dragon II, no Mighty Final Fight. Strictly shuriken-tossing, black-clad, '80s era ninja-ness.

Hopefully, it's just sitting back, looking at all the awesome games that you've acquired, and playing anything you've ever wanted. Sounds nice, doesn't it? And it can be yours... Have you heard about the Good Book? The Nintendo Player's Guide...?

I've long had a wishlist for physical carts/discs I want to own. And over the past few years, I've watched it get smaller and smaller, even though I keep adding cheap ("$10 and under") games to it, and the occasional nice one. Only interested in picking up the games I want, though I'll always discover new stuff I would pick up if the price is right. I have the 75 or so NES games that would have made my ultimate dream collection when I was 12, around the same number of loose 2600 games that represent the perfect collection for me (excepting the few still on the list), and then a smattering of carts/discs here and there for whatever other consoles I like. Just a selection (10-20 each, mostly 10) of my favorite games for each, to have an "always" collection for each system. "Mike's Greatest Hits", or whatever. The rest, I flash cart. I can have real copies of ALL the "ones I always wanted" -- to fetishize and enjoy on that small set of "nostalgia shelves" -- and still play anything else I might want to. Without completely burying myself under piles of "collection". My bag is "purity of experience", and if I can play the game perfectly via a flash cart through original hardware through a CRT, why not have all the convenience of space-saving and emulation features, while still getting my nostalgia rush through a pretty few shelves of antique electronic toys from my childhood that are still fun to play? Frankly, I've been buying more "random" selections because of the Everdrive. Especially Famicom stuff. Sorry, off track. But my point is that, yeah, now that I have all the games I could have ever wanted, and am able to play more games than I could ever have conceived of (via Everdrive N8, Harmony Cart, Mega Everdrive, and a couple more on the way), suddenly, my list is dwindling and I couldn't be happier. Summer's coming up and we only have AC in our bedroom, where the gaming stuff is. This is what I spent all those years buying games for -- being able to kick back and play anything I've ever wanted. Feels great.

Hi all! So much great info here in the 5200 section. I've been learning so much, but I've just hit a hitch that has me confused and concerned. I recently got a 4-port model, and after an initial hiccup with a bad chip in the switchbox, have been playing it like crazy. I replaced the chip after getting it, and once I did, everything worked perfectly, or at least, as I read it should be functioning. Today, something started feeling "off" about my setup, specifically around the 5200. Here's what's up. Symptoms: - I had a 7800 routed "through" the switchbox as well (as though it were the TV antenna). For the past few weeks, if I left the 7800 on, I could turn the 5200 on and off to "switch between the two", like it was supposed to do. , - As of today, this changed, though the static on the CRT tv is "dark" on that input, almost solid black. When I plug a game in (while the console is off), it brightens and audible static kicks in. This is new. Until yesterday it was standard static when the console was off. - When the console is off, and no game inserted, the power LED remains on but very dim. Once a game is inserted, the LED goes out completely. - I flipped the switch on the switchbox between "normal" and "standby" to see if that was what was up. I can see the "antenna input" in standby, but can't get the switchbox to automatically switch between the two in "normal" mode. Turning on the 5200 will not override the "antenna" input in "normal" mode. - The "click" I'd been hearing from the fixed switchbox isn't happening now. I figure that's a bad sign. - I opened up the switchbox again today, and replaced the chip once more (because I socketed last time), wondering if some other component might have blown the chip and if a fresh one could solve the problem, but the "fresh" chip resulted in the same behavior as the one that's been in there a month. So: - won't switch between inputs automatically - stopped "clicking" - LED will remain on, but dimmer, when "off", until a game is inserted, then it goes out. Diagnosis? Do these symptoms indicate any specific disease? Since most problems with the switchbox seem to be with that chip based on my reading, and a new chip didn't change a thing, I don't know what part of that switchbox could be causing problems. My theory is that maybe the power supply itself (from the wall, with the box, that feeds into the switchbox) could be the culprit? I haven't learned how to test that yet, and don't know what type of components might remain in that box and hold a charge. Can anyone offer suggestions? I unplugged everything when this occurred to me. I'm going to replace the power strip these were plugged into (and probably upgrade to a nicer one as well, just to be safe). I'm freaked and don't want to fry the thing. I promise I'm trying to learn all I can about electronics, and even bought a nice new multimeter, but I'm a beginner, and sort of a "solder-by-numbers" type of heat gun jockey. So if you have any ideas, "basic" might suit me better. And I didn't wanna go stabbing around with a multimeter without knowing what I might be looking for. I'll probably open up the console tomorrow and make sure nothing around the power input looks blown. Despite the behavior that's making me uneasy, it DOES fire up games just fine, and plays without glitches as well. I'm just worried something might be juicing it wrong in a way I can't notice and I don't want any invisible damage. My biggest concern I guess is that it's getting TOO MUCH power, and I know that's no good. I've recently become completely addicted to my 5200. My modest stack of 5200 games has already left the rest of my systems collecting dust. Can anyone help? Please? [NOTE: I do not plan on modding this console unless I absolutely have to. I often like keeping things as "stock" as possible, it's just my thing. So while I appreciate suggestions to do so, they're not what I'm looking for right now.]

This WIP game almost makes getting a Harmony worth it all on its own. Maybe my most-played 2600 game of the past year. Of course, there are others that aren't, to my knowledge, in the AA store. SpiceWare's Draconian and Frantic are both amazing examples of WIP games that I don't think are on offer physically, and I'd feel like I was missing out if I didn't have a way to play them! Stella's great, but Draconian on real hardware and a CRT is a pretty amazing feat. (I'd recommend anyone who hasn't tried it do so!) I still buy carts even after getting a Harmony Cart. Just because I like having a small, tidy collection of them. A Harmony Cart has just made me much more selective about what I actually shell out cash for. And a specific area like "homebrews" would definitely be a good place to point one's wallet. I'm in the camp that says "get both, but maybe grab a Harmony first". A Harmony Cart is perfect for putting whatever you want to put on, and one can limit themselves-- "homebrews and WIPs only", for example. Whatever you decide you want a tangible copy of is always something you can choose to go get. Having a "try before you buy" option has saved me a lot of dough. I've avoided convincing myself that I need to spend $15-$30 just to play some medium-uncommon game like, say, Adventures Of Tron or something, and then being disappointed once it arrives and putting my trusty $5 Pitfall cart back in. My 2600 cart collection's leaner and higher-quality because of the Harmony Cart. So, yeah... 'unpublished' WIPs and homebrews by themselves are GREAT reasons to get a Harmony Cart, and you can still load up a shelf with all your favorite homebrews from the AA store, and there's nothing quite like using an actual classic-style cart... the way it clicks it in and the way it feels to fire it up with that big chrome switch. In fact, I've been playing Space Rocks on my HC so much lately, I'm going to pick up a copy soon, just because.