XEGS really 64K?

[XEGS really 64K?]

BASIC can only address 48k of RAM, and takes some of that for its own uses.

 

Needing "64k of extended RAM" means that the program requires a 128K Atari to run (64k built-in, plus 64k extended).

[Bringing the 1027 printer back from the dead]

Sure, and then someone will come up with a fix for the misaligned characters, and someone else will make the buffer bigger, and someone else will make it faster.... it's the way of the classics.

[5200 dimensions]

I remember going from the 2600 to the 5200 and thinking, "Man, these carts are big! That must be so they can do all this advanced graphics and stuff."

 

Then I got an Atari 400 and some of the boxed games. Of course, the boxes for those games were way larger than the 2600/5200 boxes. So I'm thinking, "Wow, these cartridges are going to be huge!!" Then I get it home, open the box, and there's this tiny little cartridge in there.

 

Me, at the time:

[What are your top THREE favorite 5200 games?]

3. Berzerk. Simple, elegant, perfect port with speech!

 

I forgot about that one! It's coin-op difficult. I love that about it, and it's absolutely what it should be on the 5200 SuperSystem. But I still play the 2600 version more, because I am a chicken!

[What are your top THREE favorite 5200 games?]

Hoo boy. Hard one! Let's see...

 

Defender: This is my favorite version. It's the same as the awesome A8 one, but with two buttons!

Qix: Again, a long-time fave on the A8, but this version has two buttons.

Star Raiders: This one has some small bugfixes versus the A8 original, plus it benefits from the analog controller as well as having all the controls at hand instead of switching from joystick to keyboard.

 

Honorable mentions:

Adventure II

Blueprint

Kangaroo

Missile Command: Trak-ball, baby!

Robotron: 2084

Space Dungeon

Tempest: If this and Adventure II had been produced for the 5200 back in the day, it would have done much better against the competition.

[Nintendo Switch]

Or, to put it another way, it's now possible for a middle-class American to buy enough stuff to completely fill their house, top to bottom, wall to wall.

 

You have to choose what physical stuff is worth having.

 

For most people, it's not important that they own physical media for music, movies, or video games.

[I can FINALLY display my collection!]

Very nice!

 

I like that your collection is stored behind glass doors. For years I bought shelf units without doors, but the last few I've bought have had them and I much prefer them. I think if I replace the included glass with UV protective glass, the result will be a reasonable place to keep things on display.

[When and where did you get your first 7800?]

I got my first one at a flea market in 1991. Came with a few games and the box, but no packing material.

 

It worked fine, but I didn't play it much. Those were the years I was aggressively buying classic consoles and computers at flea markets, Goodwills, and at surplus warehouses around Silicon Valley (plus getting stuff from Best and B&C). I didn't play any of them very much, other than the 2600 and the A8. By the mid-90s, I'd sold off everything but the A8 stuff (which I still have to this day). Of course, 10 years later I started re-acquiring. And now I've been in divest mode again for a few years. Sheesh! Maybe I have it right this time, and will end up keeping the right amount of stuff. We'll see!

[Bringing the 1027 printer back from the dead]

I don't have a 1027 any more, but I'd buy one if I keep one working. I loved mine, along with the 1020 plotter.

 

I'd back a Kickstarter.

[Nintendo Switch]

Looks like Amazon and Gamestop are sold out of preorders.

 

Sold out of pre-orders. Sheesh. Nintendo really can't get its act together. Pre-orders should be a way to guage interest, and adjust production accordingly. Not a marketing tool.

 

Anyway, I let my wife know she needs to make a decision soon, and she decided she's in no hurry. If they're not generally available, then she just won't get one.

 

Too bad, Nintendo. You're on your way to losing another loyal customer.

[Nintendo Switch]

My wife's not sure she wants this one. She's the one who uses the current systems for the most part, so it's up to her whether we get the Switch. She's a big fan of the Zelda and Pikmen series, and enjoys some of the Mario games. We'll see...

[new book on making games for the 2600]

Neat! Looks like it's consciously done in the style of classic programming books.

[Please! Can we have one more Incognito run?]

Well, that's interesting! SD card would be good.

[Tempest Elite coming soon to Atari 8-bit]

Looks fantastic!

[3 new Colecovision Games !]

I'll have to wait a couple of weeks, but hopefully I'll be able to place an order at that point. I've been looking forward to Rip Cord in particular for a long time.

[Thinking about getting back into the Atari 5200 after 30+ years (QUESTIONS)]

There's also the Ultimate Atari Video, Rev. D that Bryan is developing, if you're handy. I have the previous rev in a few systems, and it's very good. This revision promises to be near-perfect.

[The UAV Rev. D Video Upgrade Thread]

Somehow I missed this thread. Huh. Well, PM sent!

[Penguin Adventure, Gradius and Super Game Module 3rd Production Status]

Both Gradius and Penguin Adventure work great for me. My CV is Yurkie AV modded with the skip BIOS and the pause switch. My SGM is 1st gen. Dunno what rev the motherboard is, but I'm using a standard US CV power supply.

[Penguin Adventure, Gradius and Super Game Module 3rd Production Status]

BTW, it worries me that quite a few people seem to be modding their CVs and removing the 12V power supply. That will be a problem with the SGM Pro.

 

Solution: the CV II, a drop-in replacement for the CV board, with SGM Pro built in, and that uses an easily obtainable power supply. =)

[Collecting Goals for 2017]

I'm still evaluating, but I believe I'll end up getting rid of the Vectrex, the 7800, and possibly one other system this year.

 

I would also like to continue getting rid of duplicates, spare parts, etc., but I probably won't get to that. Maybe I'll get rid of either the //c or platinum //e, though.

 

As far a acquisitions, I expect I'll buy a few CIB homebrews that Atari Age will be selling for my remaining systems. Otherwise, I don't expect to buy anything.

[ATARI Cassette belts now available -1010, 410, XC12]

 

Thanks Doctor,

 

Appreciate the kind words. I myself was fed up with it saw the spares availability out there as needing addressing.

 

I really appreciate you stepping up. It's wonderful to have these kits available.

[Nintendo Switch]

I'm too old for lines.

 

Generally speaking, I don't wait in line for more than a few minutes to spend money. I never have. And I don't buy from scalpers. I'm happy to do without rather than reward customer-hostile business practices.

[ColecoVision 1.2 - replacement PCB, added features]

Great! I hope your tests go well.

[7800 vs. XEGS: which would you prefer?]

Let's see...in 1988 I was in college and using an Apple //c, AppleWorks, and an ImageWriter. I didn't own any videogame system and didn't want one (the last one I'd owned was the 5200, which I got rid of in favor of a 400, which I got rid of in favor of a 1200XL, which I got rid of in favor of the Apple //c).

 

If I had to choose either the 7800 or the XEGS at the time, I probably would have chosen the XEGS so I could play Star Raiders again. I missed that game a lot.

[ATARI Cassette belts now available -1010, 410, XC12]

Thanks!

 

 

Hi, yes

 

Postage to the US is £3.50 and £0.25 for each additional item.

(europe £2.50+£0.20, UK £1.00+ £0.10)

 

Feel free to get a quote and or if done on Ebay - buy from the checkout, but dont pay - i will send an adjusted invoice to reflect the discounts.

 

 

Anyone already paid will of course be refunded the discounted amount,

 

Richard

 

Thanks for the refund!

 

Just so you know, I tried to request an invoice and eBay said "Seller does not combine shipments." You may want to look into that.