The Atari Xegs Cart by Cart Podcast.

[Justin Payne]

If you want to get technical, you should all be prouncing it The XE Gaming System but the other two ways save on valuable breath. ?

Now, here is a better question. Is Jaguar pronounced, "jag-waur", "jag-u-are", or "jag-wire". Discuss amongst yourselves.

(distraction: initiated)

[+CharlieChaplin]

If you want to get technical, you should all be prouncing it The XE Gaming System but the other two ways save on valuable breath.

Now, here is a better question. Is Jaguar pronounced, "jag-waur", "jag-u-are", or "jag-wire". Discuss amongst yourselves.

(distraction: initiated)

 

1) If you have an opinion about Jack Tramiel, then its pronounced "Jack you are..."

 

2) If you like Scream, Saw or other funny murder movies, then its pronounced "Jack you aaahhhhh !"

 

3) If its the brother (or cousin?) of James/Midge Ure (Ultravox), then its pronounced "Jac Ure"

Edited February 12, 2016 by CharlieChaplin

[Kyle22]

If you want to get technical, you should all be prouncing it The XE Gaming System but the other two ways save on valuable breath.

Now, here is a better question. Is Jaguar pronounced, "jag-waur", "jag-u-are", or "jag-wire". Discuss amongst yourselves.

(distraction: initiated)

I'd say that the first two are valid. I would expect that the uneducated hick type of person would be the one to say "jag-wire"

 

This is by no means an insult to any one here, it is from personal experience.

[WizWor]

This is by no means an insult to any one here, it is from personal experience.

 

Of course

[Justin Payne]

We've had a couple of sick hosts lately so the recording of next podcast, Episode 2, keeps getting delayed. Our plan is to record next Saturday but just in case I'm beefing up my life insurance.

[David Alexander]

We've had a couple of sick hosts lately so the recording of next podcast, Episode 2, keeps getting delayed. Our plan is to record next Saturday but just in case I'm beefing up my life insurance.

 

I am preparing all this week for recording on the 19th.

[David Alexander]

Warming up the XEGS and getting ready to review Mario Bros. and Blue Max By playing a little of TEP932's Pac Man Arcade Masterpiece.

[billkendrick]

Can't wait to record! We've even lined up our next episode's games (Choplifter! and Crystal Castles).

 

Also, keep an ear out for our new theme song, Software (Atari 800XL mix) by ComputeHER (Michelle Sternberger, who's also the other half of 8 Bit Weapon, along with her husband Seth).

 

Huge thanks to Michelle for letting us use that awesome tune (recorded on an awesome computer, if we do say so ourselves) in our show! (Now go check out all her other music!)

[David Alexander]

In Episode 2, we take to the skies with Blue Max, then dive down to the sewers to join the Mario Brothers. We also touch on Joust and Zaxxon, two games that share many similarities to our featured reviews. Kieren Hawken is back with more budget titles and we finally get to our user feedback.

 

 

http://xegs8bit.com/episodes.htm

[David Alexander]

We are looking for feedback from all listeners.

So far there have been 3 episodes edited by two of us.

We want to know what you like and dislike about the format, sound effects, etc.

I got some feedback that episode 2 had way too many sound clips that was more of a distraction and really didn't add anything to the show as a whole.

So don't be shy, as long as its constructive criticism its welcome.

After all we are not doing this show to listen to ourselves talk since we all dislike are own voices.

Thanks for any input.

[+therealbountybob]

Epsiode 2 was very enjoyable. I liked the different opinions on the same games (ignoring the low scorer for Blue Max ). The comparative reviews are a nice way to think about the games and might inspire someone to create a hybrid (he hopes)

 

The budget games segment is good as they are perhaps less well known outside the UK. On the superb BMX simulator you might not know that you can play 1 player using either racer which is neat.

[David Alexander]

Epsiode 2 was very enjoyable. I liked the different opinions on the same games (ignoring the low scorer for Blue Max ). The comparative reviews are a nice way to think about the games and might inspire someone to create a hybrid (he hopes)

 

The budget games segment is good as they are perhaps less well known outside the UK. On the superb BMX simulator you might not know that you can play 1 player using either racer which is neat.

Thanks therealbountybob

[Justin Payne]

Bounty Bob approved? We get some form of sticker or award for this, right? Maybe a golden statue? The Bobby perhaps?

 

Yea, SOME of us don't like Blue Max as much as OTHERS ?. You definitely get your mix of opinion with out group...and that's a good thing.

[David Alexander]

Hi everybody, we will be recording episode 3 in about an hour.

[Lynxpro]

We are looking for feedback from all listeners.

So far there have been 3 episodes edited by two of us.

We want to know what you like and dislike about the format, sound effects, etc.

I got some feedback that episode 2 had way too many sound clips that was more of a distraction and really didn't add anything to the show as a whole.

So don't be shy, as long as its constructive criticism its welcome.

After all we are not doing this show to listen to ourselves talk since we all dislike are own voices.

Thanks for any input.

 

Listening to the first one right now so here goes.

 

*Please stop calling it the *Zegs*. Nobody called it that back then. It's as grating - to my ears at least - as NewWho fans declaring all Doctor Who fans universally should be referred to as Dweeks instead of Whovians. It's the X-E-G-S. You wouldn't refer to the 130XE as the 130-Zee unless you happen to work for Blackwater.

 

*The XG-1light gun was sold in some parts for the 2600/7800 painted orange. I never saw it back-in-the-day but I did witness the local Commode dealer selling the normal gray gun sans branding in a plain cardboard box for C64 light gun games.

 

*Please don't tell people to cannibalize 7800 Ballblazer and Commando cartridges for POKEY chips. We already have to contend with coin-op enthusiasts cannibalizing the carts for use with the Quad-POKEY Eliminator Board for when their Quad POKEY chips short out in their Atari Star Wars series arcade games. Btw, both 7800 Ballblazer and Commando are better on the 7800 than on the Atari 8-bit computers. What the Atari community really needs is a Kickstarter campaign to get more POKEYs made…single, dual, and quad variants. And the PORKEY too.

 

*The 7800 relies upon shoddy TIA audio because GCC snowed over Warner Communications when developing the 7800. They told Warner that the POKEY wasn't necessary because they'd create their own low-cost audio chip called the GUMBY that would be superior yet cheaper than the POKEY and then Warner could buy them to place in every 7800 cart they desired. That's why the 7800 carts are designed to use cart-based audio. GCC lamely claimed they couldn't fit the POKEY on their 7800 motherboard since it had to be able to fit in the redesigned/repurposed Atari 2800/Sears Video Arcade II case. The GUMBY was never made and possibly was never even worked on. But since the 7800 carts can use audio chips, 7800 Commando uses the POKEY for the music while the TIA is used for audio sfx so it's the only 6-channel audio game that was sold commercially back during the 7800's original product life.

 

*The 5200 was the realization of what the 400/800 was originally meant to be…the replacement console for the 2600. It was Ray Kassar who decided he wanted Atari to be in the computer business - after seeing Apple's margins on the Apple // - and thus the 2600 replacement project became a computer project. So the 5200 isn't exactly a repackaging of the 400. #respectthe5200

 

*Another main reason why Atari Corp created the XEGS was to stop the decline of the Atari 8-bit computer line. Remember, software publishers were dumping A8 and claiming it was due to rampant piracy [even though piracy was far greater on the Commode 64 platform, but I digress]. So Atari Corp "created" a platform that would push cartridges - instead of disks - and hopefully attract a new user base to help stabilize the 8-bit decline.

 

*Joe Decuir doesn't like being associated with USB 1.x. Yes, USB and Firewire owe their being to SIO even if SIO wasn't the only serial port standard that could be daisy-chained. [it certainly was better than what Commode tried to do with their copy-cat port on the C64, but I digress again]. Joe Decuir does hold patents on USB 2.0 which he doesn't mind to be associated with.

 

*Missile Command has a native Trak-Ball mode for Atari 8-bit. Thanks to Glenn the 5200 Man, there are several 5200 games that had native Trak-Ball support that he ported over to Atari 8-bit. The CX22 and the CX80 Trak-Balls aren't as awesome as the 5200's CX53, but hey, native Trak-Ball support for you nonetheless. Slime also natively supported the Trak-Ball on A8.

 

*John Skruch should be interviewed. He's the father of the XEGS, so to speak. He also was a surviving Atari Inc employee who stayed throughout the entire life of Atari Corp and he also holds the distinction as the last person to turn out the lights at Corp.

 

Onto Episode 2!

Edited May 30, 2016 by Lynxpro

[Lynxpro]

You know what would be cool… take a Sega Genesis game pad, paint it the same color as the X-E-G-S case, and then paint the buttons with the the X-E-G-S pastels.

 

It should still count as "Atari" authentic since Atari Corp almost had the rights to the Sega Genesis.

[Justin Payne]

I think we only called it the ZEGS in the first episode so you're ears are safe....for now.

As far as the term, ZEGS, I think it sounds kinda cool, like calling the Xbox One the XBone. The TRS-80 Color Computer is called the Co-Co. The Commodore 64 is most often shortened to the C64, or as you call it, the "Commode. I've seen many call the Atari 800, the A800. It's just a cooler and less CO2 expelling way of saying, " X EE GEE ESS". Also, if we didn't call it Zegs, I couldn't have come up with the phrase, "Let's crack some zegs" which might make some think I'm actually going to break the case open but instead it's meant to taken metaphorically to mean we're going to open everyone up to the world of the XEGS to see what golden treasure are exposed. Pretty deep stuff, eh? That's also why I wouldn't call the 130XE the 130Z. It doesn't have the GS on the end to make it sound like EGGS and if you did, it would sound Datsun Z-line car.

Trekers? Treckies? Whovians? Dorks? What's in a name? As long as someone says it and you know what they're talking about, the message was received and understood.

 

Gaud! I hope we didn't encourage people to cannibalizing 7800 Ballblazer and Commando cartridges for POKEY chips. In my book, that's a bad, bad thing...unless it's to repair a more useful item, such as a computer or maybe even a arcade machine (SHAMELESS PLUG: ...like Crystal Castles, whose XEGS game is reviewed in episode 3)...and even then hold on to that cart so that it possibly could be saved when someone can a replacement for the POKEY chip (HOKEY?).

 

Thanks for additional info on the XEGS. Bill did a fantastic job of researching the system but there's always a chance to miss something. Of course, that just would have meant that the Podcast would have run that much longer and SOME people, and you know who you are , would like a slightly shorter podcast.

 

Additional thanks for the 5200 and 7800 info. We humbly yield to the knowledge to those respective podcasts.

 

Yes, although interviews are mostly done by the Antic team, I'd love to start having interview only episodes. We'll reach out to John Skruch to see if he'd like to talk with us.
BTW: We have an interview episode coming up. This will be our first and just for that aspect we're very excited.

 

As far as painting a Sega Genesis game pad, although a very clever idea, I'm with keeping things looking original unless they're so marred up that painting it would only improve the look of it. If you caught the thread where someone painted their Atari 800 to look like Starsky & Hutch's Gran Torino, you might have read that I had the same position about that. We just need to 3D print up some gamepads or create some injection molds. Now that would be ideal.

 

Glad you're still listening after the first episode. We're constantly reevaluating the podcast format. For example, we thought having separate scores for the sound and music would drag down a overall score if the game didn't contain music so we combined them into one score. It's still a consideration but if there is little to no music, it make a lighter dent. I think were considering another subtle tweak to the scoring but I'm not sure that's finalized so I wouldn't suggest anyone make comments about it until after Episode 4, which would be the first time that change would be implemented.

[David Alexander]

You know what would be cool… take a Sega Genesis game pad, paint it the same color as the X-E-G-S case, and then paint the buttons with the the X-E-G-S pastels.

 

It should still count as "Atari" authentic since Atari Corp almost had the rights to the Sega Genesis.

 

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I personally know people from the UK, Australia, etc., that did call the X E G S the Xegs for short. And just a heads up I think I did use the word Xegs in Episode 3. In the end the world's a large place and we all have our nicknames, short forms for our beloved systems. Happy to have you as a new listener

[Justin Payne]

I think we get to use up a dozen zegs...and then we make breakfast. ?

[Lynxpro]

I skipped ahead. I was unclear whether the XEGS Mario Bros cart will work in an unmodded 400 or 600XL. Some XEGS titles stated on the box they required 64K RAM but some have since found that not to be the case with some of 'em. It's too bad someone couldn't combine the best elements of both into a single updated version…say, take the pipes and character animation from the earlier 5200/ported version and combine it with the better elements of the XEGS release. Sounds like a challenge for Tep392! Well, after he's done with the 7800 XM BIOS though.

 

Gotta budget time to listen to the light gun talk. I hope you guys discuss the merits of the XG-1 versus the Best Electronics gun, or for that matter, modded Sega Phasers and NES Zappers. Personally, I'd like to see the light gun games, whether for the XEGS, 2600, or 7800, all modded to have Trak-Ball versions. That way, they'd at least be playable on LCD screens. But that's just me…and the Trak Community Enthusiasts!

[David Alexander]

I skipped ahead. I was unclear whether the XEGS Mario Bros cart will work in an unmodded 400 or 600XL. Some XEGS titles stated on the box they required 64K RAM but some have since found that not to be the case with some of 'em. It's too bad someone couldn't combine the best elements of both into a single updated version…say, take the pipes and character animation from the earlier 5200/ported version and combine it with the better elements of the XEGS release. Sounds like a challenge for Tep392! Well, after he's done with the 7800 XM BIOS though.

 

Gotta budget time to listen to the light gun talk. I hope you guys discuss the merits of the XG-1 versus the Best Electronics gun, or for that matter, modded Sega Phasers and NES Zappers. Personally, I'd like to see the light gun games, whether for the XEGS, 2600, or 7800, all modded to have Trak-Ball versions. That way, they'd at least be playable on LCD screens. But that's just me…and the Trak Community Enthusiasts!

 

As far as I know and all the other Atari enthusiasts I have spoken to Mario Bros. for the XEGS will not play unless you have 64K ram. In prior episodes I was the only person who had the light gun and played the games on actual hardware. Hopefully in the future we will all own compatible hardware and accessories but until them at least we have different perspectives when we rate the games, Myself on real hardware and others using emulation. Kieren owns a XEGS so at least two of us can play on original hardware.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Protestari

[Justin Payne]

Yea, I'd love to get a light gun but right now I don't have room for a huge CRT. I do plan to make sure I have room for one in the new house (which will have my retro room) but since more and more people are dumping the CRT for the LCDs, the controller is becoming less useful so the focus on games that use them might not be as interesting as a game that everyone can play with a joystick, paddles, driving wheels, etc. In fact, unless you collect games for other consoles that also have light gun games, having that CRT to play the few light gun games the Atari 8-bits have mostly makes for having a heavy space filler. I also have a 7800, which, I think, has 4 NTSC light gun games so getting a CRT starts to make more sense.
In the end, if the public wants light gun talk, you'll get it.

[David Alexander]

I should have posted this earlier but Episode 3 has been out for a while.

I will be interviewing one of my homebrew heroes Perry aka TEP932 about his awesome Pac Man Arcade game.

Once the interview is completed we will then move on to getting ready to record Episode 4.

 

http://xegs8bit.com/episodes.htm

Edited July 2, 2016 by Protestari

[David Alexander]

You know what would be cool… take a Sega Genesis game pad, paint it the same color as the X-E-G-S case, and then paint the buttons with the the X-E-G-S pastels.

 

It should still count as "Atari" authentic since Atari Corp almost had the rights to the Sega Genesis.

 

You know, that's a great idea. Better yet if someone could 3D print the coloured buttons so you wouldn't have to worry about paint wearing off.

[Roydea6]

I should have posted this earlier but Episode 3 has been out for a while.

I will be interviewing one of my homebrew heroes Perry aka TEP932 about his awesome Pac Man Arcade game.

Once the interview is completed we will then move on to getting ready to record Episode 4.

 

http://xegs8bit.com/episodes.htm

also known as Tep392..