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These were pack-ins with the Playstation console. Some people (including me) collect them: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ab443/demos.htm

What specific model/version of the 1000 do you have? I had a 1000 SL and the memory expansion for that model used, IIRC, 4164 chips. I remember that I was never able to source any locally (this was well before Ebay existed) and so I was stuck with the base 384K memory that the system originally shipped with.

Last night, I bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00376AWK2/ref=asc_df_B00376AWK22209383?smid=A2R0FX412W1BDT&tag=shopzilla_mp_1562-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B00376AWK2 from someone moving out of my apartment building. Mine is a slightly older version, without the music games and it includes only 32 arcade games (and 8 sports games). There are no built-in games, rather the system comes with two cartridges (sports games and arcade gmes). These cartridges are much smaller than NES or Famicom cartridges, but they have the standard 60-pin connector. The games are apparently all "new", as opposed to pirated versions of NES releases. I was wondering if this system can use Famicom cartridges (some clones, like the Superjoy, can). I do have a cartridge that I can test, but I do not wish to destroy either the system or the game in the process. I have searched online, but I cannot find any technical information -- just places selling it.

I just did a quick Westlaw search for decisions involving Tommo, but there are no results. The matter may have settled (very few civil actions ever make it to final judgement) or it may still be before the courts.

Thanks; I was really hoping that somebody with some industry/knowledge would comment.

It seems that most current games are released on the PC, PS 3, Xbox, and (sometimes) the Wii. I was wondering how easy it is for developers to port these games across multiple systems. As a non-expert (the last serious programming I did was in Turbo Pascal 3), I would assume that everything is coded in a high-level language (C++?) and library calls are used to access the actual hardware. This would make the code fairly portable (if not optimized for every system).

I guess that it depends on where you are. Around here, most Wal-Mart stores still have a handful of PS 2 games in stock (albeit just sports and music games). I seem to recall having seen a 2012 (or 2013) sports game at Wal-Mart too -- I was very surprised as I did not think they were getting any new stock. Most titles are not yet at clearance prices. Until the recent closure of most of the stores, Zellers still sold PS 2 games and some Superstores still have a few PS 2 games remaining. I suspect that all of this is old stock that, for whatever reason, has not been marked down for clearance. Zellers was famous for having full-price games for many years after the system was discontinued. Gamestop has a small bin of battered used sports games without a manual or the original case. Everything has been thoroughly picked over.

How difficult would it be to wipe off the (excess) dust before you take the photograph?

My boxes are all packed away in storage, but I recall having seen price tags from Canadian Tire (which also sold the Vic-20 and it's own brand of home electronics -- Pulser, IIRC) and the now long defunct Bi-Way (a regional discount chain that sold packaged foods, cheap clothing, and other random merchandise -- predecessor to the Dollar Store). I also bought several NIB games from Woolco just before it closed in the early-1990s.

Please do not use tape on the boxes. Over time, the adhesive will dry-out causing the tape to fall-off. It will also discolour and permanently stain the box. If you must tape it, use something that will not cause damage to the item, e.g. https://sales.ccs.alberta.ca/paa/store/default.aspx?tagid=13 Personally, I have simply flattened all of my boxes and store them that way (inside of a larger box); space is an issue for me.

I have one each of the various 2600 models (except the Vader, but including a Gemini). There may even be one or two consoles beyond that; this stuff has all been in storage for many years. I also have a PS One (still sealed in the original box) and a slim PS 2 (bought new, but open box); both of these were purchased specifcially as backup systems.

According to a contemporary article in Fortune magazine, the $149.95 Sinclair ZX81 was launched in the U.S. by mail order in October 1981. By May 1982, total sales were over 50,000 units, and they were then being sold at the brisk rate of 15,000 units per month. There was no indication in the article that they were sold as kits (rather than completed units). Sinclair exited the (American) market in either late-1983 or early-1984 (I have been unable find a specific date reported in the business press). Would examining the quality of the soldering on the motherboard help to determine if it was hand assembled from a kit, rather than produced in a factory?

In March, Coleco also announced a computer expansion module for their console, originally priced at $200 for a June release date. That price had risen to $450 by July when the release was postponed until the Fall. When the Adam was announced in September 1983, the MSRP was $600. By December (when units were finally available for sale), the MSRP was $700 each. Source: http://www.retrogami...heme=blueyellow

Playstation 2 (slim version) It is currently being used to emulate Intellivision games if that counts for anything... My 2600 (and both Pong systems) are all packed away in storage. Space is an issue for me.

That's a very good deal -- it took me quite some time (and more money) to collect all of those titles. FF4 is included on Final Fantasy Chronicles for the PlayStation -- the one title missing from this set.

That was me. I had tons of games on cassettes and maybe 10-15 cartridges (including Color Logo and EDASM+). I never got a disk drive for the Coco because of the expense. I knew a small handful of other local people with Cocos, and none of them had a disk drive either. When I started University (1988), my Parents bought me a Tandy PC for Christmas. The Coco was soon retired and then sold. I may still have a box of tapes somewhere in the basement.

I've never heard of PVCS. I do have the commercial Atari and Activision collections for the PS 2. I have not (yet) tried any "non-commercial" emulators on the PS 2.

I have certainly not played all of them (yet), but I have collected versions of 1 through 12, (other than 3 and 11) -- and Tactics. For the original Playstation, I have the various compilation disks (Anthology, Chronicles, Origins) of the early titles. One of my collecting goals was to be able to obtain all of the titles and I feel that I have done so. It is a bit frustrating that 3 was only really released (in English) on the DS, but I am not going to buy a piece of hardware for one game. Likewise 11 is still available at retail, but I cannot use it with a slim PS 2, and I'm not going to buy a game that I cannot play.

I understand that the older version is less perfect. Good enough is good enough. Is there a list of the homebrew ROMs that won't work? The processor is 2.5 Ghz., single core. I have no idea about the graphics card. Gaming is not a high priority on this hardware -- that's what my PS 2 is for.

My desktop is rapidly approaching 10 years old. It is running Windows XP, SP1. It has an integrated video card (I don't know the specs). I have limited interest in replacing it because it does what I need (Word, basic photo editing software, download e-mail, create/edit web pages) and I'd rather spend my money on other things. I'm currently running a very old version of Stella; what is the most recent version that will reasonably run on my hardware? Is there another emulator that I should consider instead? My approach to software (and hardware) is when I get something that works well, I do not change it.

Snoopy and the Red Baron was a game that I really wanted when I first started collecting. I ultimately found it with a big lot of other games at a garage sale (this was about 1990). It is much more fun than I was expecting; especially since it was marketed as a children's game. I'm still looking for H.E.R.O., but I now have it on the Activision PS 2 collection.

I grew-up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In the early-to-mid-1980s, most of the people I knew had a Commodore 64. I and a few other people had a Coco, and one fellow had a TI. One or two people had a Vic 20. I did not know anybody with an Apple II (though I seem to recall that the public library had one or two), a Coleco Adam, Atari 8-bit, or anything "exotic". I saw an Odyessy^2 at a garge sale once, around 1990, but never in local stores. By about the late-1980s, one of the very few independent computer stores in town was selling the Atari ST line, but I don't think they sold many as prices were quite high and (local) support was very limited. I never saw an Amiga anywhere at retail. Very little software (for any system) was available locally at retail, and the exchange rate made purchasing from the US (by mail-order) very expensive.

How close (geographically) to Milpitas did you find the game? Had it "drifted" very far from its original owners?

Do you know which Paks used bank switching? This is the very first I've ever heard of that technique being used on the Coco. I always thought that it was just the basic 8K of memory, mapped to the cartridge space.