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jhd

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Posts posted by jhd

  1. Posted

    I was a bit late to the party -- I did not get my PS 2 until 2010. I was still happily enjoying the original PlayStation that I had purchased second-hand in 2004. I purchased a slim sliver version at, IIRC, the Sony store.

     

    I remember seeing these new in stores around 2011 still. Fry's Electronics always had a few stocked in a corner.

     

    By 2011, they were getting harder to find. The Singstar bundle (with the slim white console and the microphones) was still readily available, but other models somewhat less so.

     

    Around 2012, I bought the very last unit from Future Shop or Best Buy; it was new in an opened box. I retain it as a backup system.

  2. Posted

    I was in a retro game shop today, and saw some featured prominently for 'only' $129.95.... Yeah, good luck with that.

     

    I wonder if they may have originally purchased the systems at retail, and so they are just adding their own markup to the retail price.

     

    I have seen that practice a few times, especially with stuff that is not "officially" sold in Canada. Someone purchases several units at retail in the US, and then resells it at a markup in Canada.

  3. Posted

    I have not purchased anything 2600-related in probably 8 years; and that was when I last found some (R6) games at a thrift shop. ;-)

     

    I am not planning on selling off all or part of my collection anytime soon (it is actually currently in storage in another province, so physical access is an issue), but I am very definitely happy to watch it increase in value. I did not purchase this stuff as an investment, but I am also not opposed to separating fools and their money.

  5. Posted

    So the source code becomes an item that people would want to buy, but is not possible to sell or even donate? All that remains is destruction, at least if it contains fragments of Activision IP.

     

    I do not see why he could not donate these materials to an institution -- even if they could not make them available straight away.

     

    I once worked at an archives that held sensitive records that were access restricted for 100+ years. Someday, all of the people whose privacy interests are affected will be dead, and then the records can be made available.

     

    Similarly, Activision's copyright will eventually expire; it is just a matter of waiting long enough. People die, but public institutions can last forever, so that is an argument for transferring material to an archives or museum. YOU may not live long enough to gain access to these materials, but future generations will.

     

     

    I am unfamiliar with American tax law, but, in Canada, such a donation to a public institution would be rewarded with an income tax credit for the fair market value of the donation.

  6. Posted

    Congratulations on finally acquiring one, especially with the accompanying documentation/printed ephemera! That thing is truly massive.

     

    How long were these sold for? Were they available past the demise of the ST?

     

     


    I couldn't find anything online about the MIDI Magazine nor do I remember seeing it, has anyone seen it before?

     

    It may have been an internal publication.

     

    I have found

    MIDI magazine: informatief tijdschrift voor musici (published in Holland, 1989-1993) and MIDI: written for the mind of the musician (American, 1993- present).

    • Like 1

  9. Posted

    Robot Battle is definitely one of the more obscure titles -- it is a self-contained programming language environment, rather than a game. It came with a massive manual, and it is rather useless without it.

     

    Since they are not games, I would expect that Color Scripsit and Handyman are the least valuable/desirable cartridges in the lot.

     

    Some of those cartridges (e.g. Poltergeist, Space Assault, Pinball) are really early titles that were later discontinued. Presumably they are harder to find than those titles that remained on the market longer.

     

    I have no sense of how rarity correlates to value on the Coco market, so I cannot offer any specific prices.

  10. Posted

    I had a Coco BITD and, like many others, my main source of games was type-in BASIC listings from various books and magazines.

     

    Both because I was just learning to type, and because of the lousy "chicklet" keyboard on the Coco, it took a LONG time to enter a program. I remember that it would take me about an hour per page (including breaks, etc.) to enter the program, plus additional time to fix the inevitable typos. Consequently, for really long listings, I had to decide if the enjoyment that I would get from playing the game was worth the time that it would take to type it in. There were even a few really large programs that I started entering but just never finished.

     

    Did anyone else "benchmark" their typing speed, and make similar cost-benefit decisions about typing-in long program listings?

  13. Posted

    Have any of my fellow Canadians yet bought one?

     

    Most of the local retailers are listed as being sold-out, so somebody is buying them.

     

    Sadly, it is priced at Cdn$130 (about US$97). I can certainly afford it, but that's expensive enough to make me question how very badly I want it. Like many others, I will wait to see if it is placed on clearance after the holidays. Otherwise, I can easily wait for them to hit the thrift shops (It took me ~10 years to find a Flashback 2 at a thrift shop!).

     

    For the record, I have an original PlayStation console and a PSOne still in its original packaging.

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    Do the disks include all of the graphics assets, etc.? I can recall once receiving the source code to a game that failed to include some key support files. I could therefore modify the code as I saw fit, but not actually compile it. :(

     

    Of course the source for Leisure Suit Larry, etc. is of primarily historic interest. I cannot anyone wanting to release their own version of the game.

  16. Posted

    It is not computer-related, but I am amused by the inclusion of Pan-Am Airlines on the list.

     

    Indeed, a parallel can be drawn with the current incarnation of Atari: the corporate name (and logo) are still in use, albeit by a completely new, different and unrelated company.

    http://www.panamrailways.com/

     

     

     

    In 1998 GTI purchased Pan Am Airways from bankruptcy and revived the airline. In 2006 the railroad was rebranded as Pan Am as well.
    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    Computronics magazine was mostly about TRS-80 computers, but it included a brief section about industry news more generally. The June 1983 issue includes some interesting news about Atari's relationship with its retailers:

     

     

    *** ATARI HAS PROBLEMS CONTROLLING ITS DISTRIBUTORS ***

     

    ATARI recently introduced a new computer, the 1200XL, intended to have an image that is less that of a game-playing computer and more of a workhorse computer. Apparently they have realized that the continuing slump of interest in video games could hurt them badly -- their Models 400 and 800 are very well designed for sound effects and extremely sophisticated game graphics, but very difficult to program and use for serious applications such as personal budgeting, word processing, and business applications.

     

    So they introduced the 1200XL, which at least LOOKS like a much more serious computer. But some who have seen it say that it's mostly looks land looks don't count for much in this business. Consumers apparently find little added value in the new ATARI model. The problem is that the 1200XL is not cost-competitive with other similar computers on the market, and most of ATARI's own distributors agree -- the machine is overpriced.

     

    ATARI's original suggested retail price for the 1200XL was $899. This is far above competitive computers like the COMMODORE 64 or the TI ARMADILLO (which has 80K of RAM). When the 1200XL first arrived on the dealers' shelves, discounting began immediately, to ATARI's dismay. It may be that they want to keep the price Jacked up so that the 1200XL will not compete with sales of remaining stocks of 400 and 800 computers.

     

    ATARI has apparently requested that retailers not advertise the 1200XL for less than $749, because they "feel that $749 is a viable price for that computer."

    But at that price, dealers are not very enthusiastic about selling the new computer. One dealer who sold almost $500,000 worth of ATARI computers last year ordered only 60 of the new 1200XL's, because of fears that it "wouldn't sell very well."

     

    And now price wars have begun, with only a few dealers holding to prices above $700, and most are selling the 1200XL for between $600 and $700. There is at least one retailer selling the new machine for only $589.88.

     

    The price of the 1200XL is not the only problem ATARI is having with its dealers. A new policy has been adopted regarding distribution of all ATARI computers, and distributors may no longer sell to dealers located outside of a specific geographic region -- the distributors can only sell within their own exclusive territory.

    This is causing big problems for retailers who operate large chains of computer stores.

     

    In many cases, the chains are widespread across many regional areas, and some are nationwide chains. These chain operators can no longer purchase ATARI computers from a single distributor, and they are not happy about it. One retailer said that to abide by the new regulations, he would have to buy from 15 different distributors, often at different prices. The result of all this is that many large computer store chains are seriously considering dropping the ATARI line altogether. There are so many other computer companies fighting for shelf space that many dealers will be content to stock their shelves with computers from ATARI's competitors.

    • Like 6

  18. Posted · Edited by jhd

    I imagine that the prices mentioned are in Canadian dollars. If you convert them to US,, you might find that they better reflect what you are used to seeing.

     

    No, sadly those prices are clearly in American currency.

     

     

    I don't think their Vectrex buying price is bad at all, assuming it works. I could certainly see them doubling their money on it on a resale.

     

    They played Minestorm on it for a few minutes, so it does work.

     

     

    Not too bad of a show, even though the episode I saw had nothing to do with video games.

     

    The first two episodes included some video games; not so much after that. They have defined "technology" as broadly as possible -- one episode included a vintage electric razor!

    • Like 1

  19. Posted · Edited by jhd

    A few weeks, ago, the Discovery Channel (in Canada) launched the show Vintage Tech Hunters. The premise is these two "collectors" visit flea markets, garage sales, antique shops, etc. in search of old "technology" that they can then (presumably) resell at a profit. This includes everything from musical instruments and portable stereos to a 1950s gas pump and even exercise equipment.

     

    There were some classic video games featured in the first two episodes, but not very much since.

     

    The show is "Canadian", even though it is mostly set in Illinois and Wisconsin; my impression is that the principles are based somewhere in Chicago.

     

    It does not appear that the episodes are available online, just some promotional material:

    https://www.bellmedia.ca/pr/press/discoverys-newest-original-canadian-series-vintage-tech-hunters-unearths-retro-technology-and-rare-pop-culture-treasures-premiering-nov-5/

     

    This show is mildly entertaining -- especially the well-produced background segments about the "tech", usually featuring contemporary commercials or other period TV/film footage. On the other hand, I am concerned that (like other shows before it) it will give the public the impression that vintage hardware is worth (at least) its weight in gold.

     

    The following vintage gaming items have been featured so far:

     

    Original Odyessy 2 + 6 cartridges (complete with overlays, etc.)
    Picked: $325
    Valued: $625-$675

    JVC X'eye (bare?)
    Picked: $150
    Valued: $200-$300

    Vectrex (1 controller, no games)
    Picked: $115
    Valued: $175-$300

    Gorgar pinball
    Picked: $500 (+ $1,000 for repairs)
    Valued: $3,500

    Berzerk arcade game (fair condition)
    Picked: $1,250
    Valued: $1,500-$1,800

     

    Other than perhaps Berzerk, these resale prices strike me as somewhere between high and utterly unrealistic, but I welcome other opinions.

  20. Posted

     

    Agreed, however if you go through the extra 'expense' of digitally stamping each with a unique identifier then this can be mapped to the buyer such that if a file version does surface then there is a good chance they can be named and shamed... not that it would bother them I would suspect. Then again, it can be equally distributed amongst a non-public group and who would be the wiser?

     

    This has already been done; BITD there was a letter to a Coco magazine from the developer of a heavily copied game. Since only a very small number of copies had been sold originally, the purchaser's name was encoded into the software itself.

     

    I have also seen (non-gaming) PC software with the purchaser's name prominently displayed on the title screen: for several years in the 1990s, I used a second-hand copy of Lotus 1-2-3 that I had legitimately purchased at the bankruptcy sale of a local business. Since that copy was initially registered to the (now defunct) company, its name always appeared on the main title screen.

  21. Posted

    If money is no object, purchase proper acid-free archival storage boxes and buffered tissue with which to carefully wrap the the game boxes. Keep them in a climate and humidity controlled facility, and your treasures will last significantly longer than you will ever live. Of course you will have to make a decision about keeping or removing original price stickers, etc. as the adhesive will eventually leach out and stain the underlying material.

     

    If money is really no object, you can have the boxes deacidified -- a process generally reserved for rare books and archival materials.

     

    (I worked as a professional archivist for 7.5 years; my institution held items made of cardboard but, sadly, nothing video game related.)

     

    My own game boxes are stored flat inside of a much larger box. It is currently in indoor, but not climate controlled, storage. Most were in less than pristine condition when acquired, so the imperfect storage conditions will not make a huge difference.

  22. Posted

    I bought a Coco in about June 1983. For my birthday in November, I received a cassette deck so that I could finally store programs. About a year later, I had it upgraded to 64K RAM (at a local shop).

     

    The first computer upgrade that I did by myself was adding a 4 Meg. SIM to my '486. I later added a sound card (a second-hand original AdLib) and then a joystick interface card. This would have been in about 1996 or 1997. I badly wanted to add a CD drive, but there was no room in the case.

     

    I replaced a faulty power supply fan in a later PC.

    • Like 3

  23. Posted

    Thank-you! Now that I know what to look for, I was able to find a photograph (and some information) online.

     

    This seems very much like a solution in search of a problem. Who was clamoring for an international keyboard for the Coco?

     

    The market for such a product in North America would be tiny; anyone seriously needing international characters would (presumably) have purchased a computer with that capability built-in.

  24. Posted

    I understand. I have passed on numerous oddball controllers and other items (for various systems) simply because I know that I will never play the game/use the hardware/etc. and there is no point in buying something "rare" just to store it away.

     

    The only exception is my original ROB who lives on top of my entertainment centre. I bought that purely as a display piece; I have no idea if it actually works (nor do I care).

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