What is it?

[HFK]

http://cgi.ebay.com/47Atari-2600-Game-Chip...%3A1|240%3A1318

[HFK]

I mean is it just some homebrew stuff or is it maybe something good?

[lemoncurry]

Old skool Atari game pirating system... A lady I used to work with at Motorola back in the day had the same setup.

[Captain Beard]

From the auction ad: "I have never played video games, so have no idea if some of these are rare or what. I have no way of testing these."

 

So you don't know what it is and you don't know if it works, but you think it's worth $49.99?

 

What is the thought process here?

Edited November 10, 2008 by Captain Beard

[MrMark0673]

I just snapped this up without seeing this thread, if they're just run of the mill pirates does this set up have any value at all? How were the chips programmed initially? Oh well, you take a shot and sometimes it pays off, other times it doesn't...

[Nukey Shay]

How were the chips programmed initially?

 

Step 1: Somebody buys (or borrows) new current games...not uncommon to see them priced at $30 or more back in the day.

Step 2: That person desolders the original manufactured chip from it's PCB.

Step 3: Placing the original manufactured chip in an Eprom burner, a binary file is made of it's contents.

Step 4: The original chip is placed back onto it's PCB and cartridge casing.

Step 5: The binary file is used to burn as many Eprom copies as that person desires.

Step 6: The chips are mounted to a dime-a-dozen common cartridge's PCB...or a socket added to said cartridge for generic use.

Step 7: PROFIT!

Step 8: These things turn up decades later, with discoverers considering them to be worth $$$.

 

Meanwhile, burned CD's are still considered to be utterly worthless

[MrMark0673]

Eh, I saw some chips and took a shot, what can I say? It was this same chance taking that netted me this unknown until this year proto of the unreleased Hoppin' Mad for the NES:

 

 

That one is worth quite a bit more than a burned CD . Thanks for the info, if anyone wants these they can have them for $25 shipped anywhere in the US, just shoot me a PM!

 

-Mark