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CollectorVision Club 2020


retroillucid

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For what it's worth, when it comes to ColecoVision stuff, I usually use my CollectorVision Phoenix on a good quality ultra widescreen monitor (at the correct aspect ratio) and my ColecoVision (with composite mod) and Coleco Adam on a Commodore 1084S monitor (the only other way I play ColecoVision stuff is on the Legends Ultimate home arcade and Legends Gamer Pro). The handful of small CRT monitors I have is all I have for CRTs. I got rid of my TV CRTs.

 

While I have an XRGB-mini and RetroTink 2X Pro among other quality modern conversion solutions, they're still not as enjoyable as using the ColecoVision or Adam directly on the 1084S. 

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Personally when i play a game on a non CRT screen , i don't have the feeling to play the same game at all.   

 

Concerning Mame , i have a PC with an ArcadeVGA card (that allows to output 15khz signal and to have original arcade resolutions for most of the game) and i put that in a old Arcade Cabinet.   That way i retrieve the almost original sensation ,  Playing mame old classic on a VGA Screen 31Khz or an HDMI , that's not the same experience at all.. no nostalgic appeal for me , as i don't recognize the games...  even if you add all the graphical effects , scanline etc... you can have today.  It is better, but still not good enough.

 

Recently i have bought  TheC64   ,  i am absolute fan of the C64...    Despite my enthousiasm for that new machine , playing on HDMI  , for me it is no more a C64 :(

 

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26 minutes ago, youki said:

Personally when i play a game on a non CRT screen , i don't have the feeling to play the same game at all.   

 

Concerning Mame , i have a PC with an ArcadeVGA card (that allows to output 15khz signal and to have original arcade resolutions for most of the game) and i put that in a old Arcade Cabinet.   That way i retrieve the almost original sensation ,  Playing mame old classic on a VGA Screen 31Khz or an HDMI , that's not the same experience at all.. no nostalgic appeal for me , as i don't recognize the games...  even if you add all the graphical effects , scanline etc... you can have today.  It is better, but still not good enough.

 

Recently i have bought  TheC64   ,  i am absolute fan of the C64...    Despite my enthousiasm for that new machine , playing on HDMI  , for me it is no more a C64 :(

 


I own a Sony PVM monitor, so I totally understand the feeling of playing on a CRT monitor
I also own arcades with CRT


But I'm not one of those people who will never plays on a HDMI monitor
I like using the Analogue SuperNT, CollectorVision Phoenix etc.. 
It's WAY more convenient, and take way less space as well 

CRT monitors are overrated IMO, I mean it just became the thing to say nowadays
''Pff...  I'm a purist, I only play on CRT'' and all those kind of bullshit
Besides, CRT monitors won't be here forever
Of course HDMI monitors are not always perfect for gaming, but still....



 

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I don't say, i never play on HDMI ,   nowadays we have unfortunatly almost no choice...    And it is better than nothing!.

And I thanks all initiatives like the Phoenix and other that allows us to play our retro game with modern device!.  I don't say it is bad!.  It is fantastic because our old machine and Screen won't be here forever as you said.

I just say if i can have the choice  and i think i'm not the only one ,  i prefer play on CRT and Original Machine.

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On 7/27/2020 at 8:53 PM, doubledown said:

I can't express how much I want this comment to be a "just kidding" post!  Do people (adults) seriously, and with regularity play games on their phones (or any other touch-screen device)?  I'm sure kids do (fortunately I have no first hand knowledge of this), and when smart-phones first became a "thing" all those years ago, I remember getting a few games on my first smart phone...realized how bad they sucked (new made for smart-phone games, angry birds, tower defense games and the likes), and realized how unplayable vintage games are without a controller...swipe the screen to move...no thank you.  This truly saddens me...and really makes me wonder what will happen to all of the "hardware" in the probably not-too-distant future.  Obviously people can do whatever they like, play games however they like, I just find it really depressing to think of people playing games like Pac-Man or other vintage classics on a smart-device with a touch-screen.  This now concludes the daily ranting of a crazy old man...now back to your regularly scheduled programming.  

oh,  I do Love a Good Rant!

 

PS:  I tried playing 1 cell phone game which 2 24-year-old coworkers were playing on their phones....Here's how it went.  I got to one screen after a long and painful "setting up an account" situation...Then the account and the game disappeared and I NEVER tried again.   Old timers are just not welcome in that club I guess...I need to go back to yelling at clouds or some shit.

On 7/28/2020 at 6:53 AM, Bill Loguidice said:

I don't know if I fully agree in the "forced" part. It's still easy enough to have a CRT if you really want one and there are still plenty of working original ColecoVisions out there. I think the desire to video mod a ColecoVision or to put a balltop on the controller or to do any number of other things is to make the experience more enjoyable overall. Even if some of us don't like to admit we've changed, we HAVE changed over the past 38 years, and our expectations with them. And I'll argue again that that's not a bad thing. I don't think any of us are ever trying to replicate the EXACT experience from our youth, just the essence of it, the fun of it.

^This...Esp. the last couple of sentences...

 

Let me see if I can put into words the way I (personally) feel:

 

If someone asked me if I want to play original Coleco Donkey Kong on an original (unmodded) ColecoVision from 1982, going through (crappy) RF, to a (crappy) CRT, using a (crappy) Coleco Controller, then I'd probably say, "No thank you", which is different than the answer to the same question in August, 1982.

 

However,

 

If someone asked me if I want to play a (new and shiny) CollectorVision Homebrew, through a (new and shiny) Composite modded ColecoVision, or a (new and shiny) CollectorVision Phoenix, through HDMI going to a (new and shiny) LCD TV, using a (new and shiny) Edladdin Arcade Stick,  Then the answer is, "Hell Yeah!!" ...likely followed by Woots and Whistles.

 

 

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On 7/27/2020 at 7:53 PM, doubledown said:

I can't express how much I want this comment to be a "just kidding" post!  Do people (adults) seriously, and with regularity play games on their phones (or any other touch-screen device)?  I'm sure kids do (fortunately I have no first hand knowledge of this), and when smart-phones first became a "thing" all those years ago, I remember getting a few games on my first smart phone...realized how bad they sucked (new made for smart-phone games, angry birds, tower defense games and the likes), and realized how unplayable vintage games are without a controller...swipe the screen to move...no thank you.  This truly saddens me...and really makes me wonder what will happen to all of the "hardware" in the probably not-too-distant future.  Obviously people can do whatever they like, play games however they like, I just find it really depressing to think of people playing games like Pac-Man or other vintage classics on a smart-device with a touch-screen.  This now concludes the daily ranting of a crazy old man...now back to your regularly scheduled programming.  

I find it sad you went out of your way to disparage anyone for how they choose to play.  For the record, and even if I don't need to justify my actions, I have my original CV from 1983 hooked up to an old 20 inch CRT and play it regularly.  I also have an ADAM, also hooked up and used regularly to a CRT.  My Phoenix is currently used in my family room hooked up to a 65 inch LED.  

 

I also enjoy using my raspberry pi in my man cave and playing CV games that way.  Often, when down time at work, or on a lunch or maybe an overnight work event, yes I use my phone to emulate.  I completely fail to see, or grasp what the issue is or why anyone would go out of their way to comment to someone in a negative way as to how or why they choose to play a game the way they do.  Makes no sense to me, but I guess its the internet and anyone can say anything apparently with little to no negative effects.  I hope however, you enjoy your games your way, because I'll continue to enjoy my games my way, in all forms and in all ways!!!!

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I think there is a little too much seriousness given to DD's post, I mean doesn't the last sentence say it all?  Even doubledown recognizes it for that it is: a get off my lawn rant.

 

At the end of the day I'll play anything, anywhere if it's to scratch the itch. But for serious playtime, I'll limit that to either the original hardware, bitch and moan a bit but will really enjoy it and then will marvel at the not realistic but much preferred sharpness of the Phoenix's output and be happy. Both are awesome for what they are.

 

Although it's been a while, I've played the odd retro games at work on the phone.  In no way is it gonna replace the real hardware but jeez, it really does scratch the itch and is its own thing.  Don't label me, I'm an imperfect human

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4 hours ago, Loafer said:

I think there is a little too much seriousness given to DD's post, I mean doesn't the last sentence say it all?  Even doubledown recognizes it for that it is: a get off my lawn rant.

 

At the end of the day I'll play anything, anywhere if it's to scratch the itch. But for serious playtime, I'll limit that to either the original hardware, bitch and moan a bit but will really enjoy it and then will marvel at the not realistic but much preferred sharpness of the Phoenix's output and be happy. Both are awesome for what they are.

 

Although it's been a while, I've played the odd retro games at work on the phone.  In no way is it gonna replace the real hardware but jeez, it really does scratch the itch and is its own thing.  Don't label me, I'm an imperfect human

The Green emphasis is mine.   Wait!  I think you just labeled yourself!  :lol:

 

PS:  I agree we weren't supposed to analyze DD's post so much...It was like an old man yelling at a cloud (A Microsoft Cloud perhaps?)...I agree because I had lousy luck the one time I tried "Phone Gaming"...Whadda U kidz call it?  Mobile Gaming?

 

I might stir the pot a little from time to time, but...

 

I wouldn't really look down on someone for playing games,... wherever.   As long as they're having fun.  I have my old original ColecoVision (With a simple AV Mod I did myself (Thanks to Ben Heck's instructions!)) and my ADAM (With an AV cable which was a big deal when I got it) hooked up to an old school CRT, but (unlike some folks here for sure) I do like the sharp clean look of an LCD HDTV...

 

Anyhow...It's like when people on the internet say Records sound Better than CDs!  Nope! Never!  Not Possible!

 

Sure I like records, too, and it is true that if you spend thousands on nice equipment, turntable, cartridges, amps, speakers etc.  You do get to say you probably sound better than a cheap MP3 player that someone wears when they  go jogging...Let's see, what was my point?    I don't know ...Lot of us dudes yelling at clouds round here :-o

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I apologize if my post caused any offense...I was just simply stating my view of the ever changing state of the world and its technology, and the old adage of "out with the old, and in with the new."  There are a lot of things, skills, and hobbies, that once were very prevalent, being discarded or forgotten...and to restate my point...it makes me sad.  As a hardware aficionado, I appreciate actual consoles, actual media, and actual controllers that I can hold and/or manipulate with my hands...but that's what I grew up with.  I am also a long time model builder...static plastic models when I was young, then into R/C cars when I got old enough...and I still build/race R/C cars to this day.  Even in that hobby, the available products have shifted so much to "RTR" (ready-to-run) models, versus kits that you actually have to build.  Heaven forbid you actually have to read the instructions and learn how to put something together yourself.  Granted, I realize that you also need space, the time, and some tools to build model kits, and growing up with an active model building father (who himself also grew up building models), I had a bit of an unfair advantage in the arena.  But it still makes me laugh when I happen to go to the local hobby store for parts, and I hear a customer who bought an expensive RTR car/boat/plane talking with a salesperson...and the conversation describes the instance that he took it out of the box, ran it one time, something failed or it crashed...and now he has no idea what to do with it because he didn't build it himself, and has absolutely no understanding of how it works.  Radio Shack was also a big part of my life as a kid through into being a young man.  Our first computer was a Tandy 1000EX, and 1 of the many local Radio Shack stores was about a 5 minute bike ride from my house, so I was in there all the time.  Then once getting into electronics, again Radio Shack was there with any/all of the parts I ever needed.  I even worked for Radio Shack back in '94-'96...when it was still a reasonably viable electronics store....with entire walls/gondolas of electronic components, replacement record player needles, CB radios, and all other kinds of neat stuff...although at that time period granted, most people coming in were buying batteries, cell phones, and satellite dishes...the old school products were still there, and a few old timers were regulars coming in once every week or two to shoot the breeze and pick up some parts.  So again, if my post offended anybody, I apologize...but now, I see a car driving too fast down my street and I have to go yell at them!

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LOL that was awesome and as I was born in 1964, I totally get that love for the old Radio Shack.  Although personally, I wasn't much for messing with electronics, that doesn't mean I didn't love what they did or what they represented.  It was a love affair from afar and their TRS-80 computer in their catalog looked like p0rn to me.  :)

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One of my favorite things about "the Shack", (as we use in the biz to call it), were the catalogs...specifically the old ones.  Each store would obviously get cases of the new yearly catalogs that were at the store to give away or sold for a few bucks...and a couple of copies were always kept as "store copies" under the counter.  Inherently, the new ones came in, and usually the last 1 or 2 years' catalogs were also still kept under the counter for customer reference when needed...trying to remember something that was previously sold or the likes.  But every store would always have some old catalogs left over that somehow never got thrown away for some reason or another...so any given store may have 8-10 different years worth of catalogs in the back office just for fun (some 15-20 years old at this point in '94-'96).  When helping out at another store when they were shorthanded, once you got in and got the store's layout figured out, (login password, POS cash drawer access, and the likes)...it was always, "ok, where's your stash of back catalogs" to see if they had any yearly editions you hadn't seen yet.  It was a great time filler in between customer service, and stocking.  I remember my store had 1 old catalog (don't remember the year, probably 1982, or 1983) that had the original Motorola DynaTAC (brick / Zack Morris style) "portable" cellular telephone when it first came out...and I remember that phone was like $4000...back then.  I also remember in one of the catalogs at another store, probably from late 70's or early 80's, there was an 8-track adapter that would let you play your new-fangled cassette tapes on your car radio.  Just like the ones from the early 90s that was a cassette tape you slid into your tape deck that had a wire that would connect to the headphone jack of your portable CD player, they made one way back for 8-track players to use with your portable cassette players.  Plus there was always the early to late 80s catalogs with all of the Radio Shack / Tandy computers...and the ridiculous prices they were, for what they were, in comparison to what was new/available at that time.  When I was working there, Tandy wasn't making/selling their own computers any more, we were selling the IBM Aptivas at the time.  I remember the 2 models we stocked/sold, I want to say a 75Mhz and the better 100Mhz versions...both with Windows 95, and CD-Rom drives with full-motion "games", that only actually displayed in a small square in the middle of the 14" or 15" monitors.  Good times!

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oh I miss "the shack"...

I do remember some strange qty pricing with them....   ie  $.25 each 3 for a dollar.  LOL 

I needed 40 spdt switches one day.  they were like $4 each.  But if I bought 50 they were $1 each.  hmmm  40 for $160 or 50 for $50..  Sure, I'll have 10 extras.

 

Maybe part of why they are no more?

 

They became a cellphone kiosk the last few years.  But I could still grab connectors etc.  I guess 1 or 2 day shipping is convenient enough for most these days.

 

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I agree, what they turned into in the end was a travesty (literally a cell phone, accessory, and power adapter store)...and what the name represents today, with a small pegboard section at stores like Hobby Town and their online presence, it was definitely sad for me to see them go.  The biggest problem I have with them gone is little component availability time and shipping costs.  I buy almost all of my electronic components from Mouser or Digi-Key, and can get them in 2 days, but with a shipping cost of $8.  Not "ridiculous" in the grand scheme of things mind you, but if I need (5) $0.10 resistors, its hard to pay $8.00 for shipping...so I usually add stuff to my cart, and order when I've got enough stuff to justify the shipping.  

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We're lucky enough to have an electronics store a couple towns over (coincidentally run by the father of a girl i went to high school with) that we can still go to if we need parts quick.  They're not cheap, but they're quick.  Business must be at least acceptable because (at least before the plague) they're still there!

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

On 7/28/2020 at 8:53 AM, Bill Loguidice said:

I don't know if I fully agree in the "forced" part. It's still easy enough to have a CRT if you really want one and there are still plenty of working original ColecoVisions out there. I think the desire to video mod a ColecoVision or to put a balltop on the controller or to do any number of other things is to make the experience more enjoyable overall. Even if some of us don't like to admit we've changed, we HAVE changed over the past 38 years, and our expectations with them. And I'll argue again that that's not a bad thing. I don't think any of us are ever trying to replicate the EXACT experience from our youth, just the essence of it, the fun of it.

 

It's funny that you mention this, as I have been trying just that....to replicate the exact (or as close to) experience from my youth. I have dozens of ways to play Colecovision games in high definition glory and have also owned various composite and RGB modded consoles with joystick mods (ball mods) over the years. Of course it enhances the game play experience, but it also changes it for me personally.

 

So, I did track down a CRT TV (actually two of them) and a perfect unadulterated Colecovision. No ball mods, no video mods...just the good old stock unit, fully functional with the good old RF video connection. Normal controllers (that work of course) that are not modified in any way.

 

Call me nuts (and I am sure most will) but this is absolutely positively how I prefer to play the Colecovision. Exactly how it was then...right now. Even cooler is playing new games this way. I may be a minority, but THIS is the way I prefer to play.

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