RecycledGamer

Hi all. Quick announcement about PRGE 2014 - presale admission is now available! Will we sell out this year? Based on our growth it is possible! Buying passes now helps out the Portland Retro Gaming Expo and guarantees your spot in October. Go to the PRGE ticketing page See you there! Chuck

I'll be there! Looking forward to it!

I think the Supercade was off the hook. Need to make more time to spend in there next year! Al outdid himself on the AA booth. Lots of great panels this year as well.

Lots of great stuff in the auction this year, and more being added every day. Here's the latest list: http://retrogamingexpo.com/auction.php If you will be at PRGE and have something special or unique that you would like to sell in the auction, send me an email at auctions@retrogamingexpo.com. Please include your name, photos, description and the starting bid and/or reserve amount if any. The best items tend to be those that are unique or extremely rare. Items that could probably be purchased outright on the show floor are probably not good auction items. Since we can only get about 40-45 items in the auction, we reserve the right to approve or deny items at our discretion. About the PRGE live auction: This will be our 5th year hosting a live game collectibles auction at PRGE. We do not charge any fees to buyers OR sellers in the auction. We also do not facilitate payments - we simply connect the winning bidder with the seller and let them work out the details. The auction starts at 7:00 PM on Saturday, October 5 in Auditorium A. Let's start a discussion here - What do you see that you like in the auction item list? Alternately, what do you not like to see in the auction? Chuck

Glad to see so many coming to PDX! For anyone woried about not having a Google Wallet account, we use Google Wallet only for credit card processing. It's not like PayPal or whatever. Just plug your credit card in during checkout just like any online shopping cart and you are good to go! Chuck

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of responsiveness. I know I'm super-lame. I've been busy with my day job as well as preparing for the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. I'm trying to make time to do a batch of the SNES controllers. Is there anything else in particular that you guys are lookng for? Chuck PS: I updated the site to remove the vacation notice from January. :-)

Glad you're coming again, Al! That big Atari Age booth looks pretty sweet right inside the main entrance.

I'm heading to the Cowlitz expo this weekend. Anyone else going?

Our web site has been updated for PRGE 2013 including information on admissions, exhibitors and more. http://RetroGamingExpo.com

I let the site languish a bit while I was busy with various expos this summer and fall, but I finally added some new modded Vectrex controller inventory to RecycledGamer.com. Highlights include new old-stock arcade sticks, some PS1 fighting sticks and more. I have the repro lightpens and Genesis controllers in stock, but I am still working on a batch of SNES controllers (my most popular modded Vectrex controller) so they are unavailable at this time. As always, thanks for supporting my little hobby. Chuck RecycledGamer.com

Yes, the "case of Air Raids" thought experiment! That was a fun evening at CGE. Chuck

No, they stopped doing that show awhile ago. There will be plenty of other podcasters though, including the Dangerous Kids podcast who are doing their 100th episode in one of the auditoriums on Saturday afternoon.

Hi Trevor - this is Chuck and we haven't met yet, but I am one of the PRGE organizers. Welsome to the Expo! Just wondering where your store is? Also, do you have some flyers? We can bring some out to you. Chuck

I guess I'll have to show up as well. Glad you're making the trek to Portland, Al! Chuck

No problem at all! Like I said, I love getting feedback and making my controllers better if I can. I will respond to your PM momentarily. Chuck

Hi everyone, Chuck here - the maker of the RecycledGamer modified controllers for Vectrex. Rick Weis was kind enough to point me over to this discussion. I definitely appreciate getting feedback on my controllers. I'm a huge Vectrex nut and love making these controllers as a hobby so it's nice to hear commentary, both positive and negative. Hearing from users is the only way I can make them better. I'm working on getting the prices down and have lowered them quite a bit since I started making modded controllers for Vectrex. I charge what I do because I use only the best condition donors and completely disassemble, clean and reassemble them. The labor for each controller is substantial. The SNES controller is my most popular and each one requires a SNES controller donor, a Genesis controller donor for the cord/connector, and a few dollars in parts. Incidentally, thanks to all of the Pacific Northwest folks who have been collecting donor controllers for me! Such a great community of collectors up here. Gliptitude mentioned that the buttons are not as responsive as he would like. This is a known issue I have where the button contacts on my boards sometimes oxidize because they don't have enough tin on them - especially of they don't get used much. What AX said is true about the existing boards being perfectly good and I have, indeed, already changed my manufacturing to simply modify the existing board by adding on a small daughterboard instead of making a whole new board myself. On the SNES controllers this means that the buttons use the original carbon button contacts and the Genesis controllers are split between gold and carbon contacts depending on when and where they were manufactured. The labor to do this, however, is actually substantially more than just making my own boards. Reliability on these new controllers is much higher. Glibtitude - PM me your address and I will ship you out one of the SNES Vectrex controllers that uses the existing board. If you like it better, just ship back the old one so I can use it for a donor. This goes for anyone else having issues with one of my controllers - contact me and we'll work something out. If any of you will be at CGE this year, I will be introducing several different types of arcade sticks modded for Vectrex. I have some Sega and a few other types on my site now, but I was able to secure several lots of new old-stock controllers that I will be selling in Vegas. One of sticks I will have is the Sega Saturn Virtua Stick - there was a warehouse find and I will have a bunch of those, new in box, modded with special RecycledGamer labeling. The Virtua stick is quickly becoming my favorite controller for Vectrex. That and the Interact Pro-Shock sticks. Thanks again for the feedback. Feed free to toss out any questions you have and I will monitor this thread. Chuck PS: You will have to talk to my sister Lucy for psychiatric advice.

We'll put a bird on it for you!

We can hardly believe it, but it's our 7th year of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in beautiful Portland, Oregon. Here's the big news for 2012: PRGE has moved to the Oregon Convention Center! The main show floor will be in a massive 60,000 square foot hall with the speakers and panels taking place in two separate auditoriums just outside the main hall. The venue is more the three times the size of the Doubletree last year and is fully cllimate controlled to eliminate that glorious geek-stank we enjoyed so much last year. PRGE, in cooperation with Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade, introduces Mega-Cade - a 20,000 square foot zone of full-size arcade and pinball machines - all set to freeplay. Main show floor with be open until 7:00 PM on Saturday - vendors and all! Main show floor will close down between 7:00 and 9:00 on Saturday during the live auction, but will reopen for an after-hours party in the Mega-Cade sponsored by Ground Kontrol for those 21 and up. Features musical entertainment, snacks and a cash bar. As always, PRGE is right on Portland's famous light rail line and close by several hotels. Tickets just went on sale and we are continuing our tradition of 1 hour early admission for presale badge holders. We have no idea what kind of demand we are going to see this year by moving to the Convention Center so you may want to reserve your passes early. Order Passes for PRGE 2012 Lodging Options for PRGE 2012 Stay tuned for announcemments about our speakers and entertainment! Want to be an exhibitor at PRGE 2012? Check out our vendor packages and sponsorship opportunities. Sincerely, The PRGE staff and volunteers

I just refreshed my site with a bunch of new inventory. If you were waiting for me to get a particular moded Vectrex controller back in stock, now is the time! http://RecycledGamer.com To everyone who has purchased from my new online store, thank you! Chuck

Thanks! I really appreciate it! It will be shipped out ASAP. Chuck

Thanks, Morgan! Great seeing you and the fam this Friday.

Indeed, that one is pretty sweet if I do say so myself.

Hi all, Chuck Van Pelt here. You may remember me as the guy who sells modded controllers and repro lightpens for the Vectrex. I finally got around to building an online store at RecycledGamer.com! For now it is stocked with lightpens, modded Genny and SNES D-pad controllers and several types of arcade sticks - all modded to work with the Vectrex. If an item is available for sale in the store then it is in stock and will ship right away - these are not pre-sales. Inventory on the D-pad controllers is pretty low right now, but I an doing a huge lot of both types within the next couple weeks. In the future I plan to add additional accessories for the Vectrex and other classic systems. It is my intention to be at CGE again this year along with the rest of the Portland/NWCGE crew. I'm hoping this store takes off enough to help fund that trip. It was great talking with so many Vectrex fans at the last CGE. Finally, I'd like to say thank you to the AA community. You guys have always been so great to me and provided such positive feedback. I'd appreciate your input on the store even if you don't buy anything from me. Cheers, Chuck RecycledGamer.com

Did you attend the Portland Retro Gaming Expo? If you haven't already, please take a moment to complete our attendee survey. Your feedback matters and will help us make the show even better next year. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HXXCVL5 Thanks! Chuck

No! It means you need a bigger truck!