| Term | Definition |
| Reef Store Dream | Generic term for a videogame collector's dream in which he/she finds a fantasy store filled with prototypes, rare games, and other unusual items. Experienced by hard-core collectors. No kidding. Derived from one of the first descriptions of such a dream in which the dreamer visited a store simply called 'Reef Store'. |
| ROM | Read Only Memory. For the purpose of classic gaming, this usually refers to a binary image of a game cartridge that is played through an emulator. |
| Scan Line | A horizontal line of pixels generated by a single
horizontal sweep of the beam from a monitor's electron gun. The number of scanlines that make up a frame is the vertical resolution. |
| SECAM | Sèquentiel Coleur Á Mèmoire (Sequential Color and Memory). This is the television standard for France, Poland, and some other Eastern European countries. For the purposes of classic video games, this may be considered the same as PAL, as PAL games will work on SECAM TV's, and there were no games specifically written to a SECAM standard. |
| Sega Master System | Sega's first videogame console, the 8-bit Sega Master System was a direct competitor to the NES and Atari 7800. Technically the system was quite good, but could never compete with Nintendo's licenses and marketing. Was replaced by the Sega Genesis. |
| Sprite | A small graphic image on the computer screen that can be moved around independently with a mouse or with keyboard commands. Examples are the ordinary cursor in its many forms, and the characters in video games. |
| Stella | The in-house name for the Atari VCS while it was in development. Named after a bicycle owned by one of the Atari 2600's creators, Joe
Decuir. Stella is also the name of an Atari 2600 emulator that can be used not to just play Atari 2600 games, but also to help develop new games. |
| Sumguy | Name for a person fictional or real, usually referenced by a flea market vendor or a classic game collector. (Flea Market Dealer) "I had a big box of cartridges, but 'SumGuy' just bought them all". (Collector) "I stopped by the thrift store but they didn't have any games. 'SumGuy' must have beaten me to them". |
| Third Party | A company that produces software for a system that is not its own. For example, Activision making games for the Atari 2600. |
| Thrift Store | Predominately found in the US, thrift stores sell used merchandise donated to them. Usually they are associated with some sort of charity, religious or otherwise. A good source for finding old videogame equipment. |
| Vaporware | Hardware or software that was never released and is now gone or perhaps never even existed. Not to be confused with a prototype (which is an existing object), vaporware is non-existent. That's not to say the vaporware doesn't exist somewhere in unreleased form, it's just that no one has yet gotten their hands on it. |
| VCS | Video Computer System. The original name for the Atari 2600, changed after the introduction of the 5200. |
| VGR | Video Game Review (Craig Pell). Developed the first classic videogame rarity guide, although it is long since abandoned and out of date. |
| Woodgrain | What some people call the woodgrain version of the 2600. Sometimes referred to as a 'woody'. |
| YMEI | Yet More Ebay Insanity. A term used by some in r.g.v.c. to describe eBay auctions where bidding is excessive, the seller is asking an exorbitant amount of money, or some other extreme situation. |
| z26 | A popular Atari 2600 emulator for Windows and Dos. More Info |
| ZIF Socket | Zero Insertion Force Socket. A kind of socket for integrated circuits.
A ZIF socket can be opened and closed by means of a lever or
screw. When open, there the chip may be placed in the socket
without any pressure at all, the socket is then closed,
causing its contacts to grip the pins of the chip. Such
sockets are used where chips must be inserted and removed
frequently, such as in test equipment. |
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