The Official "Thrift finds" Thread

[dashv]

I like the joystick. What kind of model is it?

It's a Power System joystick.

 

The Atari also included 4 paddles, and 2 standard joysticks but I didn't put those in the picture because everybody's seen those.

 

I plan to make a backup copy the smurfs tapes and play off of those to preserve the originals.

 

Anybody know if there's any copy protection I'll need to deal with?

 

I really don't want to play (and possibly damage) the original cassettes.

Edited October 1, 2014 by dashv

[Jess Ragan]

 

I like the joystick. What kind of model is it?

 

It's the Amiga Power Stick! And yeah, they are pretty awesome. Granted, very few controllers from that early era were particularly good, but this was better than most.

[Uzumaki]

Quite responsive as they used conductive rubber that just about every game controller post-Crash used rather than metal dome. And it's small enough you could play it one handed. If you're ambidextrous, you could probably play 2 controllers game like Raiders of the Lost Ark without having to swap controller or stop to change hands.

 

PS they also made Power Stick for Colecovision. Looks like the tiny Atari version with the number pad cobbled on the back end. I think they also did Intellivision too.

[Asaki]

Grabbed the DVD of SCTV Vol. 2 for $8 yesterday...itching to watch some of it, but October is national horror-movie-and-nothing-else month =|

[BigO]

Quite responsive as they used conductive rubber that just about every game controller post-Crash used rather than metal dome. And it's small enough you could play it one handed. If you're ambidextrous, you could probably play 2 controllers game like Raiders of the Lost Ark without having to swap controller or stop to change hands.

 

PS they also made Power Stick for Colecovision. Looks like the tiny Atari version with the number pad cobbled on the back end. I think they also did Intellivision too.

I'm pretty sure I have one of those around here somewhere. I just have no idea where somewhere is. Man, I need to purge some stuff...

[Dripfree]

Visiting the in-laws with my wife and they brought out a box of old Atari stuff they had and gave it to me...

The 2600 Vader and Coleco tape deck are dusty and will need cleaning.

The Smurfs game and tapes are mint.

Star Raiders with the pad and overlay, Haunted House, and Phoenix are all mint.

I know nothing about 2600 and cassettes. How does it work? Does the cart have a line in on it?

[dashv]

I know nothing about 2600 and cassettes. How does it work? Does the cart have a line in on it?

The cables I showed in the picture on top of the tape deck are used to plug the tape deck into the 2600 via the controller port.

 

The cartridge is just a driver that tells the 2600 how to seek and load data from the cassettes.

[Jess Ragan]

Could you theoretically use it with a CD player and a burned disc?

[dashv]

Could you theoretically use it with a CD player and a burned disc?

not sure. the end that plugs into the tape deck looks proprietary. I'll post a picture tomorrow in a separate thread.

[Uzumaki]

The audio format is probably like Starpath Supercharger and the audio is converted to 1's and 0's and fed through the controller port to internal RAM. It is possible to make CD player, MP3 player (with lossless wav capability) and computer playback in proper format.

[SRGilbert]

I'm pretty sure the cassettes are just for audio only. The controller cable acts like a remote start and stop button for the tape player. Certain parts of the game will activate the tape player and play whatever audio is on the tape through the speaker of the tape player. I don't think there's actually any data involved.

[dashv]

I'm pretty sure the cassettes are just for audio only. The controller cable acts like a remote start and stop button for the tape player. Certain parts of the game will activate the tape player and play whatever audio is on the tape through the speaker of the tape player. I don't think there's actually any data involved.

I'm not sure. Without the tapes the Cartridge just displays a screen with a Smurf walking back and forth.

 

So there does seem to be some kind of feedback provided from the device to the 2600.

[Asaki]

Without the tapes the Cartridge just displays a screen with a Smurf walking back and forth.

Now that you mention it, I think my friend had that game, and we could never figure it out.

 

...then again, we could never figure out Raiders of the Lost Ark or that Star Wars game, either.

[dashv]

Now that you mention it, I think my friend had that game, and we could never figure it out.

 

...then again, we could never figure out Raiders of the Lost Ark or that Star Wars game, either.

I have the original instructions. If someone hasn't beaten me to it I can scan them in.

[CRV]

Passed up a new CD-i (box open) at a sale for $40.

[Hyperboy]

Passed up a new CD-i (box open) at a sale for $40.

Damn..Grab it and I will pay you for your time + shipping!

[dashv]

Damn..Grab it and I will pay you for your time + shipping!

And if he leaves you hangin I'll take it off your hands

 

Picked up this today at goodwill:

 

Cat Trax (complete in box)

Space Attack (only missing the controller overlays)

Escape (cib)

Space Raiders (cib)

Alien Invaders (only missing the controller overlays)

Ocean Battle (cib)

Break Away (only missing the controller overlays)

Tanks Alot (cib)

 

The boxes have some shelf wear but all the carts themselves are mint.

 

Until today I didn't even know the Emerson Arcadia-2001 existed.

 

Anybody looking for these? I don't have the console and at $5 each they weren't exactly a steal but I'll never be in that Goodwill ever again (I was passing through a town while on vacation) so I figured I'd rather grab them than have regrets.

[Jess Ragan]

Until today I didn't even know the Emerson Arcadia-2001 existed.

Your life was much happier before you were burdened with that knowledge.

 

The Arcadia is pretty weak as classic consoles go, released alongside next generation machines like the 5200 and ColecoVision but struggling to keep pace with the last generation 2600 and Intellivision. Characters are often tiny and stiffly animated, and the sound is primitive even by the modest standards of the time.

 

You should in theory be able to recoup your investment. The Arcadia wasn't a very good system, but it wasn't a very common one, either.

[dashv]

Your life was much happier before you were burdened with that knowledge.

The Arcadia is pretty weak as classic consoles go, released alongside next generation machines like the 5200 and ColecoVision but struggling to keep pace with the last generation 2600 and Intellivision. Characters are often tiny and stiffly animated, and the sound is primitive even by the modest standards of the time.

You should in theory be able to recoup your investment. The Arcadia wasn't a very good system, but it wasn't a very common one, either.

Good info. Not looking to get rich. I'm cool with just breaking even. I just didn't want to leave them to the fates.

[AtariLeaf]

This was known as the Leisurevision in Canada I believe? I wonder if the carts are compatible, probably right? I don't have one, a knew a local collector that had a leisurevision and those boxes looked pretty much the same. Shame he couldn't get the machine to work though.

[dashv]

This was known as the Leisurevision in Canada I believe? I wonder if the carts are compatible, probably right? I don't have one, a knew a local collector that had a leisurevision and those boxes looked pretty much the same. Shame he couldn't get the machine to work though.

Supposedly there are something like 30 clones of this thing that were released worldwide.

 

Only console I see up for sale is a new in box unit on ebay for $500.

[Jess Ragan]

This was known as the Leisurevision in Canada I believe? I wonder if the carts are compatible, probably right? I don't have one, a knew a local collector that had a leisurevision and those boxes looked pretty much the same. Shame he couldn't get the machine to work though.

 

It'd be a greater shame if he could! :}

[dashv]

It'd be a greater shame if he could! :}

 

Actually I've been reading up on these games and Cat Trax and a few others are supposedly pretty good.

[Blazing Lazers]

And if he leaves you hangin I'll take it off your hands

 

Picked up this today at goodwill:

 

Cat Trax (complete in box)

Space Attack (only missing the controller overlays)

Escape (cib)

Space Raiders (cib)

Alien Invaders (only missing the controller overlays)

Ocean Battle (cib)

Break Away (only missing the controller overlays)

Tanks Alot (cib)

 

The boxes have some shelf wear but all the carts themselves are mint.

 

Until today I didn't even know the Emerson Arcadia-2001 existed.

 

Anybody looking for these? I don't have the console and at $5 each they weren't exactly a steal but I'll never be in that Goodwill ever again (I was passing through a town while on vacation) so I figured I'd rather grab them than have regrets.

 

Nice find! Especially in the wild too- somebody must have had those for over 30 years before they went to Goodwill. For some reason Arcadia games are usually found in sets of 8. The one's in your lot are guaranteed to be included whenever Arcadia lots turn up, which is usually on Ebay. Ocean Battle is the only uncommon one in your lot. To note, not all Arcadia games had overlays for the controllers, so your copies might be complete after all. The videogame critic has reviews of most here:

 

http://videogamecritic.com/arcadia.htm

[Omega-TI]

Actually with a little effort you can install and run this under Windows 7 with full 3DFX graphics (on non 3DFX hardware).

 

http://www.play-old-pc-games.com/2013/02/08/need-for-speed-2-special-edition/

 

Worked fine on my Extreme Edition Intel and Nvidia GTX Titan Black.

 

Hey, THANKS! Hopefully this weekend I can find time to install this on my Windoze7 machine.