HoshiChiri

I am very much in camp 'release the ROM'! I feel that it's better for our understanding of how games are made, that the ROM wasn't created by the person & them claiming full ownership of it seems unfair to other fans, that many keeping ROMs to themselves are doing so for profit, etc., etc. However- and this is important- no one is obligated or should be made to share an unreleased ROM. No matter how I feel about it, other people have differing opinions- and if the ROM is in their possession, they ultimately decide its fate. I can disagree & be upset all I want, but the world is not going to suffer for lack of access to incomplete videogames. It's not an important enough issue to override someone's freedom to use their possessions as they see fit.

My advice is: cater to your local crowd. What works in one part of the country will not inherently work in another. We can give tips, but the people you really want input from are the people who actually walk into your store. When I walk into a store, the first thing I "look" for, is just the general décor/ambience of the building. Gives an idea of what to expect & if I want to return. Your store, as it currently stands, I would interpret as 'hangout first, store second'. An open floor plan, homemade signage, & a comfy demo area very much says sit down & play awhile. It's not exactly my cup of tea, but I have friends who would go ga-ga in your building. If the locals seem into that too, consider expanding on the idea with tournaments & such. The first thing I look for spending-wise is 'the case'... you know, the glass display case with the expensive games in it. That's me being a 'late stage' collector where most of the retro I want is at least 50 bucks a game. On that end I say- make sure that 'Not For Sale' case is CLEARLY marked. I'd be fairly sour if the first things I found I wanted turned out to just be a display. One thing you have very right is displaying the games art-out. A few stores around here put their games spine/top label out... which takes less space but makes browsing largely impossible. The cleanliness is great, too- the closest shop to me is utterly filthy, to the point I now carry a game cleaning kit to work in case I stop in after work. I much prefer the tidy shops up north. Best of luck with the new venture!

I typically don't eat while playing- if I get hungry, I stop, go eat, then come back. Partially for the sake of clean controllers, partially becuase it's a distraction- I need my hands to play! I do tend to keep a drink handy for longer play sessions- this alternates between Dr. Pepper and just plain water, depending on how healthy I feel like being that day. Always with a lid, no open glasses- just in case of a spill. Keep things tidier for a quick cleanup. This is specifically for videogames- if it happens to be board game night, there's usually some sort of snacks floating around! We tend to have a mix of the dry & crunchy (popcorn, chips, etc.), candy, possibly snack cakes. Basically anything that can keep in a bowl on the table for an extended period of time. The proper 'meal' of board game night is usually pizza, burgers, or breaded chicken- and much like when playing videogames, it is handled separately from the actual games. This is purely for preservation's sake- we don't want greasy fingers or pizza sauce on the easily-stained cardboard bits!

That's nice, but current BC could be a heck of a lot better. I was just this morning looking at the lauded-at-announcement original Xbox compatibility. According to what I found, of the 863 North American Xbox games, 39 can be played on Xbox One. With no plans to add more. That's... all but nonexistent. The 360 fares better- about half- but still, that's a pretty big number of games to be ignoring. I'd hope they intend to increase that number with Scarlett. It'd be amazing if it was 100%- but as noted, that's not super likely becuase it would be harder sell back old titles in digital form. I just hope we don't see more people like my brother, finally having to give away old favorites kept safe for years becuase BC isn't coming. (I mean, it worked out for me- I just got a free copy of Stubbs the Zombie- but still!)

1) Wrong forum. 2) I suggest offering to BUY said radios. You're not the only enthusiast around here (I learned that looking for knobs). You might find hits slipping away to people who'll pay.

ANYTHING with a first person camera. Something about that setup really screws with my head.

The Atari bit was just an example- one could also collect specifically 3rd party Atari carts, or only prototypes, or whatever floats your boat. Similarly having multiple of the same system for a reason (like parts, or convention tourneys, or trading) is fine. The problem arises when things are being bought without consideration of any kind. I do agree an inability to let go is a big concern for flipping to hoarding.

I would assume '3 or more' at a minimum to be a collection. (Otherwise you either have 'one' or 'a pair'.) A quick poke 'round the net says there is no consensus as to when it officially becomes a collection, although the majority agree there seems to be a need for a form of curation. Basically, you need to be buying with intent for the item's use, AND how it relates to the other items you already own. One antique dealer suggested you grouping of items should tell a 'story' as you guide someone through it. Just as a random example- if someone collects Atari, you would assume their games would touch on important milestones in the Atari 'story'- you'd need a copy of E.T., you'd need Pitfall, etc. If you own more than one 2600, they should be different models. As for having a 'horde', I see two definitions there- either an uncurated collection (say, someone who buys everything Atari they find regardless of condition, provenance, or if they already own it), or a derogatory term for a collection from someone who doesn't appreciate the items therein.

Agreed- I've skipped several of the bucks promotions becuase I didn't need anything, but I tended to force the coupons becuase it was a rare, proper discount. So, in a way, they're costing themselves sales!

Just got me the Miku x Taito vol. 2 figure. I meant to get it at release, but ended up missing the window. I don't usually buy figured- but considering how much of my gameplay goes to retro & rhythm titles, it seemed like a really good addition!

In 2001, it would have failed. The key phrase here is 'causes muscle spasms'. Just a shock is one thing, but this would literally make you unable to continue playing after an error because you wouldn't have proper control of your arms! Now, these days? That's a different situation. YouTube & Let's Plays are a thing now, and there's absolutely an audience for watching people torture themselves playing games (I'm sure a few have rigged something like this up). Could be moderately successful now if they can make the concept go viral.

PM Sent!

So- now that the sale is good & over... how much of a backlog did we impart on the store? I'm just curious.

Just a quick walking pic- this was marked $2, but they charged me $1 since it was a music CD & not a game. I was gonna give it to some friends... then I looked it up on Ebay to see what the missing insert entailed. Yeah- they just get a copy now 😜

A bit on the edge of being 'classic' gaming, but since the modern forum starts at the 360... My twitter feed popped up a thread by a Mr. Jordan Baty today, who'd randomly bid on an Xbox DVT4 developer console on Yahoo auctions with no expections, but ended up winning. The system turned out to have an unreleased shooter called Rebellious Bullet tucked away into it. Here's his brief (and self-admittedly poor) play video: I think it looks like it would have been a fun one- I dig the music. For the curious, he's already dumped the ROM, links are in the twitter thread (I'm not too familiar with how roms work, so I'll let the interested of you sort it out.)

I was thinking that at first- but that ending is going to stick in your head as part of your final impression of a game. A bad ending can make a game seem less fun overall. The title screen's important too, but most will just skip past it after awhile. And the first impression factor will come from the box/label just as much as the title screen. I think a few more bits into the ending is better overall, with one caveat- do NOT skimp on your title MUSIC. You can get away with a cool static screen & save animations for the ending, but a good theme song can make a game damn memorable- especially if you'll be on the title screen for a few seconds picking difficulty or whatnot. Music is important!

I'm not particularly familiar with the Nuon machines, but my understanding is they're primarily DVD players that also happen to play games. That being the case, perhaps you can get a donor power board from a Samsung DVD player. I could see the drive being proprietary (so it can run the games), but I would imagine the actual power-supplying piece would be standard equipment. Perhaps Mr. Phil can help you identify the part number & find out if it's Nuon-specific.

10. Tetris Effect (PS4) ALL HAIL ACID TRIP TETRIS!😆 But seriously though, this is great fun- a classic game dripping with intriguing visualizations and audio effects. Very worth trying out!

I wouldn't put it on ThinkGeek specifically. Geek/liscensed ephemera of this nature has been available from many a tchotchke seller for quite some time. I grew up flipping through catalogs offering stuff plastered with I Love Lucy and Bewitched, for example. It's merely the by-product of kids of the heavily merchandised 80s growing up and just expecting to be able to get licensed goods for their properties of choice. Only now they're adults and the goods are weird, household objects. For a glimpse into the future, hit up a casino & check out the slot machines based on properties/celebrities from the 70s & back.

Well- my question is simple, but perhaps hard to answer. I've barely dipped my toes into the world of modern day Atari... my non-vintage collection consists of Rikki & Vikki/Beef Drop on 7800, and Blinky Goes Up/Swoops on 2600. What do you all recommend to get a $200, and which game should I get for free? 😉

Very interested, & would like a box/manual!

Oh, I never said I thought they were good- only that they hit all the right buttons to make me want to collect them. I'm hoping to hold out & see if people will get them for me for holiday presents... they never know what to buy anyway 😉

I saw Ashen's video on these this morning. I have a friend who collects both games & rubber ducks, she's definitely gonna end up with some of these. As for me, these will be my downfall. Super tiny portable game systems? Yeah, I think I'm gonna end up with a lot of these...

Two kinds of people: actual collectors who buy all of them (they do exist!), and well-meaning relatives who need a gift but don't know what to actually get. But yeah, I'm just waiting for that pop vinyl bubble to burst.