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Speaking only for myself, I expect to eventually die and I want my estate to realise as much money as possible from the sale of my assets. If grading games serves that purpose then so be it. (I have no family who will want to inherit my collection, and not enough years remaining to change that.)

The PlayStation 2 has a very large selection of classic game compilations (ranging from the Genesis to the Intellivision, and several arcade compilations). There is also a good amount of RPGs. The NES has a just massive selection across all genres. I own several "Famiclones" with games not otherwise released in North America. Personally, I am not a fan of handhelds so I have no recommendations.

Yes, it is indeed that bad! https://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ab443/reviews.html#BB

Are there any alternatives to WATA? Are they the only organization that does game grading? As I see it, a WATA-graded game will get the biggest boost in price, but a game graded by a lesser-known entity should still be worth more than an ungraded game. Just as a three-star hotel is not as nice (or expensive) as a five-star hotel, but it is better than a completely unrated establishment.

I love the detailed discussion about the business side of running an arcade. Thank-you @Shaggy the Atarian for sharing this information. I do have a question: what happens to these machines after, say, three or four years in service when they have been superseded by something newer? Is there a market for used hardware; say in smaller communities? Is it just sold for salvage/scrap/recycling? I know that there are individuals who collect classic arcade games (and/or turn them into MAME consoles), but these new games are far too massive for that to be a viable option.

It might also be a good idea to get formal permission to use the footage, etc. before spending too much time and effort on developing this game. It would be a tragedy if the game was completed, but then could not be distributed. A very quick search suggests that Hasbro has the North American(?) rights, but Toei also has an ownership stake.

The Coco 2 is functionally the same as an original Coco. The version of BASIC is slightly newer (1.2 for Standard BASIC, 1.1 for Extended BASIC) and there are a few small hardware changes (e.g. no 12V line on the cartridge port). There is a different (I hesitate to say "better") keyboard and a smaller and more ventilated case overall. There may be some edge-case software that will not run on it and a few items of hardware will not work (e.g. some disk controllers). I understand that late releases of the Coco 2 had more internal changes (reduced chip count?), but there are no functional differences evident to the user.

I wonder if there is a viable business model for a third-party to purchase the games and then lease them out to the operators. I understand that aircraft are often financed in a similar manner; airlines lease the planes from a third-party who actually purchased them from Boeing/Airbus/etc.

Someone needs to develop a game for a Jacquard loom. Sadly, Babbage's Difference Engine was never finished, or that could be another potential target for new game software.

There were actually two Taito collections. I only ever saw the second collection once (in a random pawn shop in a small city), so it is quite obscure. As far as I can tell, this is a comprehensive list of the various arcade games that have been ported to the PS 2 and what compilation they are a part of: https://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ab443/arcade_games.htm

The challenge is that liquidating such a large collection all at once would depress the market and the seller would never realize on the total value. On the other hand, it would take a very long time to slowly part everything out at full price.

I wonder if State Farm applied to formally use the Crystal Castles title and either the request was denied or it was unwilling to pay whatever fee was requested. So they just changed the name and went ahead anyway. Many years ago I handled copyright and licensing for my (then) employer -- primarily photographs. On at least two occasions we had requests for permission to use a photograph that was denied (in one case, copyright was held by an estate currently tangled in litigation and nobody could give clear rights; in the other case, copyright was owned by a direct competitor of the firm making the request). In both cases, the requestor went ahead and used the photograph anyway without permission. I do not know if either matter resulted in litigation, but people were certainly not happy with how this happened.

There are multiple officially published compilations of arcade game collections, including Midway, Atari, Taito, Namco, Sega, and the Neo Geo. These are (for the most part) running original arcade ROMS. Of course not everything is available -- there is nothing from Stern, for example, so no officially licensed Bezerk or Moon Patrol is available. The other option is to just not play those specific games.

Call me a cynic, but rather than complain about (or fight) the existing social order I look for ways to become part of it. Have you ever approached either organization (or any other firms in the entertainment industry) about actually working for them? I would expect that your experience in producing videos would count for something. Some people dedicate themselves to protesting government policies; I became a civil servant and implemented the policies. Guess which of us will be retiring sooner?

I seem to recall that there was some issue determining what items were owned by Curt's estate and what was on loan from other collectors. Presumably those claims have been resolved as it has been several years now. I do not know why those issues would prevent the continuation of the website, however. Was the Museum a separate legal entity, i.e. was it incorporated as a non-profit or charity? If not, perhaps cost of hosting became too much of a burden on whatever individuals became responsible for the contract.

This looks like great fun, but I have no idea where the nearest arcade is anymore -- probably Boston. How big is the remaining market for arcade games? Of course if Atari is only licensing its IP then there is really no downside risk for them.

People need to understand that it is entirely possible to hold an option -- about politics, religion, video games, and a myriad of other topics -- without shouting it from the rooftops. It is perfectly acceptable to keep one's thoughts, feelings, and opinions private. Indeed, if pressed, it may even be necessary to lie about one's beliefs so as to mollify the questioner. I once had someone persistently ask very inappropriate personal questions about my employment, family status, etc. I simply got creative and made up an interesting story. He went away happy, but he learned nothing about me that was even close to true. I do have an opinion about the Amico, but I am not going to discuss it in a public forum.

I still have a CRT TV -- would it be worth significantly more if I had it professionally graded?

I wonder if some specific titles will work. I too have an original Slim PS 2, and while I have one copied game that I purchased at a flea market, it is not recognized and so it will not boot-up. I do not recall the name of the game; my PS 2 has been in storage since I moved 2.5 years ago. The other alternative is that if you bought the system used, it may have been moded by a previous owner. My original PlayStation console had a mod chip added sometime before I bought it.

I have multiples of original consoles (6 switch, 4 switch, Junior, and Gemini) and some 130 cartridges. I also still have a CRT TV. 😃 That said, I wanted something newer that could connect to a modern TV. Sadly, when the 2600+ arrived in December I was extremely ill so I did nothing more than open the box to look at it. Due to work and other commitments, I have not yet played any games with it.

On a related note, is it possible to fabricate a new 2600 without scavenging any parts from existing consoles? Are any of the custom chips no longer available from various suppliers? (I realise that Pokey, for example, is difficult to source, but not quite impossible.)

I dimly recall that the Flight Simulator game was the subject of an article in Byte magazine in about 1982. It may have published the listing or just reviewed the game. I do not have the issue handy to verify. The Bridge game seems really complex. I wonder how many copies were sold of such a very niche title.

The best way to handle releases of prototypes and other things is via one's estate. Once someone is dead, they are free of any obligations like NDAs and they cannot be further questioned about the provenance. Given the age of many programmers active in the 1980s this will not be too long to wait. I personally have compiled a very significant non-gaming collection that will only be made publicly accessible after I am deceased. My executor will be provided with detailed instructions. To avoid complaints (and demands), I do not share any details about it -- and yes I have already had random people ask to come to my residence to view it!

I recall a letter to a computer magazine (Hot Coco?) from the author of a very niche game in about 1984. He had only sold a very small number of copies, and each had the purchaser's name embedded in the code. The point of the letter was that this did nothing to prevent the widespread distribution of copies. There is also the issue of what about legitimate resale: Back in the early-1990s, I had an original copy of Lotus 1-2-3 (disks, manual) that I had purchased from a local business when it was closing -- they literally sold everything that was not nailed-down for cash shortly before the bailiff arrived to seize the assets 😆. The title screen indicated that it was licensed to Rainbow Distributing, which was the defunct company even though I was the new owner. I could, for example, purchase an official ROM (at a discount, of course) from someone who bought it directly from AA. The name encoded would no longer reflect the current owner.

I wonder what the official response would be to an (unauthorized) Atari tattoo, ideally somewhere prominent? 🤔