socrates63

I also got the fever and I am up to almost 200 CIB 2600 games 🩺 💊 🌡 Starmaster is one of the top 2600 games. The only thing is is that it uses the switches on the 2600 to change display views. Since the 7800 has a different switch style, I'm not sure whether playability is impacted. I didn't realize there were Chopper Command box variations. I have the more common tan box. I'm not sure about the address issue. 🤷‍♂️

For a while, I did the 7800 s-video --> RetroTink 2x --> 4K TV. The one pain was that the RetroTink 2x had to be connected directly to the TV. It didn't work when I had a HDMI switch or home theater receiver between it and the TV. I recently got a CRT TV. Now my 2600, 5200, and 7800 (all have s-video output) are all hooked up to the CRT. I know you didn't ask but I suggest getting a CRT TV. It's the cheaper route and the games look better (to me anyway) with no lag and no upscaling/massaging the video signal involved. My PS2 via composite even looked good. The only downside is finding space for the TV.

Ed Fries shared his post with me. He has the full set of EA "flats" release for the Atari 8-bit:

New patches arrived today. Thanks!

Yesterday, I shared these photos in the AtariAge Facebook group page, and I was overwhelmed by the response. I always considered my EA folio game collection to be a bit on the esoteric side because I had not seen them shared in forums much. But apparently not! There are a lot of fans of these games. During the 80s, I (and many others, I'm sure) became a fan of Electronic Arts because of their creative and groundbreaking games. EA released a lot of classics back then. My favorites were M.U.L.E., Archon, and Seven Cities of Gold. With the pick up of M.U.L.E. last month, I finished my collection of the 3 EA games that held personal sentiment. Along the way, I did pick up additional EA games in the folio style packaging when I came across them for a reasonable price. I'm up to 16 games. With the exception of Arcticfox (Amiga), Bard's Tale (ST), Skyfox (C64), and a second copy of Seven Cities of Gold (C64), these are Atari 400/800 releases. While I have not played all of the 16 EA games I've collected, the LP record style packaging take me back to my time with the Atari 800 during the 80s when I developed a love for all things computers. I've also developed love for publishers who released a lot of my favorite Atari 8-bit games from those days -- Br0derbund, EA, Epyx, SSI, Synapse.

Sure, but what’s with the gang sign 👌 Is that like the Atari Club secret handshake?

Please add me for one

Great price! I paid more on eBay ($170 + tax + shipping) for a UAV modded 7800 that came with nothing — no power supply, no controllers, just some av cables

I picked up a light sixer a few weeks ago. I previously played 2600 games on the 7800. I got the 7800 thinking that it’d eliminate the need for a 2600. I was wrong. Aesthetics aside, the six switches offer easier usability than the controls on the 7800 console. Also, you get 100% compatibility (Space Rocks wouldn’t work on my 7800; Crossbow explained the technical reason to me but I forget) and all cartridges fit without issue (I picked up the 2600 Lock-on adapter for the 7800 to work around that). I’m happy to have both consoles.

I picked up a Sony KV-20FV12 CRT TV several weeks ago. I have 2600, 5200, and 7800 connected via s-video. PS2 and 800XL will soon join the Atari consoles. The CRT has been a game changer. I previously hooked up the consoles to a 65” 4K TV.

Thanks, John and Karl for the info. I now have a better reason to pick up Genesis arcade stick or gamepad. It's great to hear that community feedback played a role in Champ Games project prioritization. I love the Qix game concept, and I am a fan of Taito arcade games in general. Finally, some good news in 2020

John, will 7800 controllers work in the two-button Genesis gamepad mode you mentioned? Thanks for dropping that bomb of an announcement on FB the other day. It was great seeing the community respond to your announcement. 💥💥💥💥

I bought Jesse's Atari 5200 that he posted here. I am very happy with the obvious love and care and craftsmanship that he put into restoring this 5200 back to life. Communication before, during, and after the purchase have been fantastic. I think I've found my go-to Atari technician and engineer for any future needs.

My 5200 arrived yesterday. It was rebuilt and restored by @-^CrossBow^- and you can read about what he did here. I am very happy to have bought the console from an AtariAge user because of the love and care and craftsmanship that went into the restoration. It's a 4 port UAV modded 5200 and looks and works great.

Thanks for the link. I've been trying to research controller options for the 5200 having read that the Atari controllers are horrible (reliability issues aside). Edit: I'm going to order this. It'll be interesting trying out adapter with the controllers I already have. Before I knew about this adapter, I was thinking about getting the 5200 customer gamepad on eBay but that's $125.

That looks great! I'm in a similar situation where I have a small corner area with no room to either side. I'll need to go vertical to gain extra space. The small TV stand I'm using has two shelves below the TV but it fits only 2 consoles and I need room for 2600, 5200, and 7800. I also have a PS2 standing vertically right next to the TV stand but not in it.

In preparation for the 5200 that I bought from Crossbow, I ordered the 5200 PS from eBay and refurbished controllers from Best (along with extra PS for 2600 and 800XL). The 5200 is arriving later today.

Reviving an old thread... @nadir you got my hopes up that there was an update about Astronomer and another run of boxes I recently got mine from Packrat VG.

They're not a big investment (IMHO of course) and Mike even offers 30 day satisfaction guarantee. They work on both 2600 and 7800 as well. I highly recommend buying one and giving it a test. I have 3 with the arcade joystick, the Robotron gamepad, and an all-button controller in the Asteroids layout.

I did a lot of drooling over the SSI catalog I even bought an SSI catalog from eBay last year. I owned Cosmic Balance and maybe a couple more. I also admired the Brøderbund catalog Also a fan of Electronic Arts during the days of Archon, Seven Cities of Gold, and MULE. I was born in 1969 and graduated high school in 88 so we are about the same age. Yes, I’m in the tech industry. I started my career with Microsoft and then moved to Amazon before landing in my current gig three years ago with HBO (now known as WarnerMedia). It’s cool to hear the tech industry has moved to the Midwest. My wife and I sometimes talk about what our lives may look like when we become empty nesters (still 8-10 years out). Moving to a different part of our vast country has come up in our conversations. How is life in Kansas City? What do you do for a living? Football fan?

Yep, I played Alley Cat quite a bit as well as Necromancer, Shamus, Rainbow Walker, and Dimension X. Fort Apocalypse was my very first Synapse game. I'm in the Seattle area. it used to be called the Second Silicon Valley back in the 90s, I think.

Someone in Synapse marketing department must have been a cat person 😸 Thank you for the link to the interview. Had I known that there was this thing called “retro” gaming, I’d have held on to stuff 😭 Oh well. At least I’ve started enjoying all things Atari again.

I'm pretty sure I probably send the letter to Synapse and it got forwarded. That's great that you conversed with him recently. I wonder if there are any published interviews with him. I became of fan of Synapse games and I've collected a few this past year. I also reacquired an Atari 800 (and 800XL) recently. Unfortunately, I threw away all my original hardware about 20 years during a move after having kept everything in boxes for years. You'll need to help me with the user icon.

I came here because of the Blue Max banner. I played that game so much as a kid and I even wrote a letter to Bob Polin with some questions and suggestions. He wrote back; wish I still had that letter. Best of luck to your 8 bit programming endeavors. I also did a bunch of BASIC programming on my 800 as a kid but haven't done much programming in the last 20 years.