MaximRecoil

I got a Space Attack cartridge in the mail today (the one I had as a kid is long gone), and after quite a few tries, I finally did it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9khm_sUVic&feature=youtu.be Both difficulty switches set to "A", no loss of lives.

There is no way to tell what the sticker underneath says without removing the top sticker, which I don't want to do. What error are you talking about? If you mean the lighter section at the bottom, that isn't an error; I lightened that section in Photoshop to make it easier to see the corner of the label underneath.

Also, it is cheap and available at your local grocery store, unlike actual "contact cleaner" products. You can buy a can of it for a couple/few dollars, and that is enough to clean probably thousands of cartridges. I got an Activision Ice Hockey cartridge (Atari 2600) in the mail today and I cleaned the contacts with 91% isopropyl alcohol like I always do with a newly acquired cartridge before putting it in my console (which is usually good enough). The alcohol cleaned the contacts somewhat, because they darkened the Q-tip, and I repeated with new Q-tips until one came back clean. The cartridge didn't work after cleaning with alcohol though. All I got was either a blank black screen, or a couple of vertical bars on the screen. I took a closer look at the contacts under good light and they had some crusty light colored stuff on them (probably corrosion). So I broke out the powerful stuff, i.e., Bar Keepers Friend. The active ingredient in Bar Keepers Friend is oxalic acid which is well known to cut through oxidation/corrosion on metal like a hot knife through butter. The way I use it is: I mix up a thin paste of the Bar Keepers Friend powder and water, and then I dip a Q-tip in it, squeeze off the excess so it doesn't run everywhere, and scrub the contacts until they are bright and shiny (it doesn't take long). Then I use a new dry Q-tip to wipe off the residue from the paste. Then I go over the contacts with a Q-tip and alcohol to fully remove any remaining residue from the paste. The Ice Hockey cartridge worked perfectly after that. This also works great for cleaning card edge connectors, such as the 72-pin connector in an NES. Instead of a Q-tip, use a tooth brush dipped in the Bar Keepers Friend paste, and scrub vigorously. I've brought several original NES 72-pin connectors back to life this way; ones that I thought were no good because they still didn't work after cleaning with alcohol (alcohol is a solvent, which is great for cleaning normal dirt and oils, but it has little to no effect on oxidation/corrosion).

In that case, hacking in composite output is leaving it "intentionally inferior" too, because RGB is superior (i.e., hacking in a PC-10 PPU and an RGB amp). There are plenty of people who value originality over performance, especially when the performance difference isn't all that much and/or isn't critical by any means.

I don't think that was his point. Some people don't want to hack a toploader; not because they are worried about messing it up; but simply because they don't want it to be hacked at all. I fall into that category.

I also have toploader. It only has RF output.

No, I used the word "irrelevant" whenever you typed something irrelevant; obviously; such as when you talked about the original purpose of the grill, which is irrelevant to its appearance (i.e., its appearance is the same regardless of its original purpose). I haven't lied about anything, but you have lied twice now in this very post. Is that a joke? You first replied to me, taking issue with my post about the aesthetics of the two consoles in question. By the way, are you still claiming that the VCS switches are hollow? Are you still claiming that you can get them at Radio Shack?

No, it looks nothing like a toilet. You can repeat that out-of-left-field claim all you want; it changes exactly nothing. 1. Plastic molds aren't cheap. 2. It isn't made out of molds, plastic or otherwise. 3. I've been referring to the lines of the design, which has nothing to do with the material it is made out of. 4. Plenty of industrial equipment uses plastic in its construction. Does that ribbing look familiar? How about the angular lines and utilitarian appearance? By the way, the top of that thing is made out of plastic, and that plastic rocker switch is not expensive. That is certainly industrial equipment though, regardless of the presence of plastic and an inexpensive switch; I used one in a PCB factory for 2 years. Irrelevant, given that we are talking about appearance. Not that it is relevant, because this is about appearance (see above), but ... [citation needed] Edit: That is almost certainly solid aluminum. If you don't have any proof that it is hollow, then how about you explain how they were manufactured in a way that makes sense? Are you suggesting that they started with hollow aluminum tubing, TIG welded a cap on top, then ground and polished the weld to make it appear seamless? That would be absurd, as it would end up costing them far more than simply using solid cylinders in the first place. Or perhaps you are suggesting that they started with solid cylinders of aluminum and then drilled out the center from the back? Again, that would be absurd, for the same reason. Again, irrelevant (see above), but how about a Radio Shack link for good measure? I'd like to know of all of the sources for those switches.

Not even remotely. You might as well say that two steps looks like a toilet, or a chair, or a hatchback car, or a half-open book, or anything at all that has a raised section at one end. Apparently proportions and shapes are foreign concepts to you, thus your take on aesthetics is dubious to say the least. I would bet a sizeable amount of money that you are the only person in the world that thinks a VCS looks like a toilet in any significant way. Or so you say. Keep in mind that you don't even know what a toilet looks like. A good use of angles actually. Can you draw? Are you an artist? Given that you think a VCS looks like a toilet (a psychologist would probably have a field day with that one by the way; I'd love to see your answers on a Rorschach test), I suspect that if you tried to draw e.g. a duck, it would come out looking like e.g. a wrench, and you would swear up and down that it was a duck. Generic and cheap looking is more like it. They started with what amounts to a blank off-the-shelf sloping console and added the guts. Not even remotely. The angular lines, solid aluminum levers, grill that has the appearance of cooling fins, and overall utilitarian appearance makes it look like an industrial piece of equipment. The only thing about it that can be pinned to the '70s is the woodgrain on the front, which isn't even on all models. Otherwise the design is timeless. Those are two more el generico off-the-shelf sloping console designs. See above.

I like actual dedicated cartridges, with their own unique labels for the single games that they contain. I don't even like the official Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt cartridges (and I especially don't like the Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt / World Class Track Meet cartridges); and even though I have a few of them that fell in my lap, I went out of my way to get the older separate Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt cartridges.

The end label that is underneath the visible label is black (most noticeable in the lower right-hand corner). Any information about this? Were they trying to reuse already labeled cartridge housings after switching to red labels, or is this just a mistake on the part of some random Taiwanese factory worker?

I would like to have this on a cartridge too. It is an 8K ROM and I don't know much about this stuff ... will it work on a normal cartridge in a normal 2600 without anything special like a Starpath Supercharger?

Thanks for the rundown. I just watched the blurry video of the Adam version from post #171, and I didn't see any fireball spawning from the burning oil barrel on the first (barrels) level, even though DK threw a barrel down there at the start of the level (he had to throw it at an angle instead of straight down because he's on the wrong side of the screen still, due to the missing girder). Also, there is still no animation for when you destroy an enemy with the hammer.

my 11 year old self in 1983 would have told you were bananas for this post. The Gemini looks like a Video Game system. It looked like new technology. Talk about ugly - the VCS looks like a black plastic toilet. "Toilet"? That's out of left field. There is no resemblance whatsoever between a VCS and any toilet I've ever seen. The VCS makes good use of triangular shapes, which makes it look good for the same reason that an M16/M16A1 looks good, or Darth Vader's helmet/mask looks good. Also, the BBQ grill style ribbing on the top makes it look like a serious piece of equipment, like the venerable BBQ grill style Rockford Fosgate Punch amplifiers from the late '80s / early '90s: The tall solid aluminum levers on the switches added to the "serious piece of equipment" effect. And the faux leather texture of the Gemini's plastic casing is better? At least with the VCS you can choose the "Darth Vader" style if you don't like the woodgrain.

Interesting. The video I watched (see above) has no springs. Is it a difficulty level thing? My cousin had an Adam when I was a kid, but it was about 1985 when I last played it. Edit: It looks like that video I linked to above isn't actually the Adam version, but rather a prototype ColecoVision version? I didn't know such a thing existed. Yes. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

If that's true then it is a "feature". It wouldn't be bad if Jumpman could climb the ladder at a normal arcade speed simply by holding up on the joystick, but he climbs super slow when you do that. This is an arbitrary deviation from the arcade style of gameplay, and as such, it is weird whether it was intentional or not. Where are they (jump to 3:23 time code)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1DsIUVmzoI I checked after I made that post; no animation when destroying things with the hammer; whatever you hammer simply disappears. Also, the hammer makes you invincible, even if your back is turned to the enemy. That's another flaw.

Punch-Out was one of the first arcade games I ever got good at; when it was brand new in 1984 (I was 9). It was an amazing game back then; definitely ahead of its time with its graphics and zooming/scaling capability. The dual monitors and the high quality voice synthesis made quite an impression on me too. Plus it was just plain fun to play. I still love Punch-Out, but I like Super Punch-Out even more (I got good at SPO in '87/'88). The Nintendo DS would be perfect for Punch-Out, Super Punch-Out, and Arm Wrestling because of its dual screens. Nintendo should release a cartridge with those 3 games on there, emulated arcade versions rather than ports. Karateka is single player only. Nice. I'd like to have a Pac-Man machine, even though I don't really care for the game. It is just so iconic, and guests are drawn to it (Pac-Man and Donkey Kong are the two big ones that every John/Jane Doe remembers). Here's my Super Punch-Out and Missile Command machines: I did a lot of work to the SPO, as it has always been my "grail". When I got it it was a $50 stripped and JAMMAtized PO that still had its original Sanyo 20-Z2AW monitors, but not much else. The good thing about it was that the cabinet itself was in pretty decent original condition, with its original unique black Nintendo finish that is next to impossible to replicate with paint. It still had its PO control panel, but it had extra holes drilled in it for additional buttons. So I had to find a PO control panel with a good original overlay, wiring harness, power supply, PCB cage, sideart, and a Super Punch-Out kit (I was determined that it was going to be a Super Punch-Out machine, rather than a Punch-Out; though I have a couple Punch-Out boardsets that I can swap in there whenever I want). That's all a long story in and of itself, but most recently I rebuilt the original monitors, with like-new burn-free tubes that I swapped in from another pair of Nintendo/Sanyo monitors, new Cinelabs flyback transformers (the originals both had cracked housings), and all new electrolytic capacitors. The monitors are beautiful now, they look brand new. Unfortunately it is difficult to take a picture that even comes close to doing them justice. The Missile Command was easy, as it was already complete and in good original condition. I rebuilt the ARII board and replaced the "big blue" capacitor just as a preventative measure, and I swapped out the original numbers matching (but screen burned) G07 for a new Happ Vision Pro, which is also beautiful. One day I'll find a new/like-new tube for the original G07 (which works fine) and put it back in there. I also have an Ikari Warriors that's rough cosmetically, but it is structurally solid, and the most important parts are new (i.e., new SNK LS-30 joysticks and a new Happ Vision Pro monitor). I have NOS sideart and an NOS control panel overlay that I can use if I ever get around to refurbishing the cabinet (it needs "body work" on the lower corners). Here's a picture of my niece and nephew playing it:

Pots can sometimes be made to work properly again simply by turning them back and forth a lot to sort of clean out the crud. Sit down with one and turn it all the way back and forth rapidly for like 5 minutes, and see if it makes a difference. This often works with staticky volume knobs/pots on e.g. TVs, PC speakers too.

The Adam version has all 4 levels. However, the 2010 Wii/VC/NES version is still superior for the following reasons: 1. The Adam version is missing a girder on both the barrels and the fireballs stages. 2. The Adam version has that weird glitch ("feature"?) where you have to press up twice when climbing a ladder if you want to climb it quickly. 3. The Adam version has no springs on the elevator stages. 4. The Adam version has no animation when you destroy things with your hammer (if I remember right) 5. The NES version has better graphics and audio. It was a memory issue when originally released on the NES in 1983 (in Japan). Memory wasn't an issue when it was released in the US a few years later; they were just too lazy to add the missing level into a game that they'd already released. "Memory issue" typically applies to all other ports that are missing a level as well.

Same here. It defined the "brawl" genre, just as Street Fighter II would later define the "fighter" genre. I own a Double Dragon boardset, which I'm currently running in my Street Fighter II (Dynamo HS-1) cabinet: I wouldn't go that far, though it is in my top 10 list of favorite arcade games. I put Super Punch-Out (arcade, 1984), Punch-Out (arcade, 1984), and Street Fighter II (arcade, 1991), all of which I also own, ahead of it.

What method does he use to delete the holes, depression, and raised trim for the NES controller's start and select buttons?

most people, myself included could not get passed the level being removed. But the "pie factory" level was removed in many (most?) home console/computer ports of the time, including the ColecoVision's port. I think the CV port is getting more votes than the NES port because of nostalgia; i.e., it was the best port available on a pre-crash console in the US; and the pre-crash era is when DK was most relevant (because it was still a fairly new game at the time). The CV port was amazing at the time, and that feeling of amazement burned into folks' brains during a time when DK was still a huge arcade hit isn't easily swayed by a better version becoming available on a "newfangled" console from the Far East in 1986.

Karateka for the Atari 7800: http://youtu.be/ODktLc-rM04 I beat that game in 2004 on an emulator, but I beat it on the real hardware for the first time just the other day. It is a very difficult game to beat due to the extremely poor/unresponsive controls and the cheap method of implementing the difficulty (i.e., the invincible attacking birds which take 3 arrows of your life in one hit, and starting you out with only 5 arrows of life for the final opponent compared to his 24 arrows of life).

The Gemini is ugly, while the Atari VCS is the best looking console ever made IMO, not to mention being iconic. Plus, I can't imagine voluntarily choosing a clone/bootleg/knockoff over the real thing. I already have an Atari 7800 which works perfectly for 2600 and 7800 games, but I recently ordered a 6-switch VCS just to have that iconic console in my living room again (I had one when I was a kid, and I miss it). Plus I like the convenient/easy access to the difficulty switches (along with the good visibility of their position without touching the console or getting into a position to look closely) on the 6-switch models. Also, as has been mentioned, parts are easy to come by for the VCS.

Pretty much everyone draws the same distinction. They are even in a different classification in MAME ("brawl" and "fighter"). Why would Karateka be in the "brawler" category? It is a fighter, like Yie Ar Kung Fu, Karate Champ, and most famously, Street Fighter II.