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jhd

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Everything posted by jhd

  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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?
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. I still have a CRT TV -- would it be worth significantly more if I had it professionally graded?
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.)
  14. 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.
  15. 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!
  16. 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.
  17. I wonder what the official response would be to an (unauthorized) Atari tattoo, ideally somewhere prominent? 🤔
  18. I paid no attention to developments in console gaming between about 1983 (when I sold my Atari 2600) and 2004 (when I purchased a used PlayStation), so obviously I did not read any of these magazines BITD. I very occasionally find copies of game magazines at thrift shops and used bookstores; I now have physical copies of perhaps half a dozen random issues of different titles from the mid-1990s onwards.
  19. Personally, I have literally never seen one and I was unaware of their existence until finding references online. Given that the hardware is more than 45 years old, the number of still working consoles is going to be very limited, and most of those are going to be held by harcore collectors. When I started collecting video games in the late-1980s, it was still possible (though unusual) to find Pong systems. These are of a similar vintage, albeit produced in much larger numbers, and I have not encountered one in decades.
  20. If it was established as authentic, the price would be significantly higher!
  21. Some of us especially value our personal privacy, so hard pass on this idea. Personally, I fully expect to be found when my neighbours eventually complain about the smell. Back on topic, my impression is that Keatah is only about in his mid-to-late-50s, so probably a bit young to have suffered a major health crisis.
  22. There is no way to completely turn-off the screen border. It may be possible to switch it to the same colour as the screen background; have you tried a different graphics mode? It's been a really long time, but, if memory serves, PMODE 4 has two options: black and white and black and green. The Coco does not include a screensaver mode; that may be a function of the monitor.
  23. Does anyone have an estimate as to (approximately) what it would cost to purchase a sufficiently large block of Atari stock so as to be able to challenge Wade's control of the company? Alternatively, it may be possible to buy enough stock to raise the price sufficiently that he will be unable to purchase the full 50%.
  24. All the more reason to go and play it while you still can! There used to be an excellent Vietnamese restaurant located close to my apartment. Sadly, the owner retired and the establishment closed. I ate there many times, but I still lament the fact that I will never again taste their lemongrass chicken.
  25. Thank-you for sharing these! Reading the review makes me think that Hobo was significantly "inspired" by Activision's Freeway and Keystone Kapers.
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