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Clint Thompson

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Posts posted by Clint Thompson

  2. Double Cola

    in Retro

    Posted

    Not sure I ever remember hearing of Double Soda but we do have a Cracker Barrel that I haven't visited in about 12 years (good reason for this) that I may swing by and now check out. I enjoy the oddities and am interested in knowing how this tastes compared to the others.

  3. Played the PSVR today... and it was awesome!

    in Modern Gaming

    Posted

    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-10-06-batman-arkham-vr-review

     

    Not wishing to sound cynical, review sites aren't having to fork out for the VR set up and then another whack of cash for games lasting all of an hour though, are they?.

    "If this is the future of PSVR - even with debatable running times - then sign me up. It's excellent."

     

    Still sounds promising to me. I never expected to spend endless hours in PSVR and I don't think anyone really wants to push someone to stay inside the headset for hours on end. I remember when we were reading about how the Jaguar VR would have a 30-minute auto-pause or break period built-in to the games so it would force the users to take a break. Seems like all those restrictions have all but left the table. 20 years ago everyone was worried about being sued and time constraints, maybe the expectation of reality now is that developers will just handle it by making the games more short-burst and arcade-like, which is kind of what VR had been built on for me growing up.

     

    If I do get one before the end of the year, it will be at least another month out.

  4. Played the PSVR today... and it was awesome!

    in Modern Gaming

    Posted · Edited by Clint Thompson

     

    Nice interview. The screenshots definitely remind me that the display output resolution of a proper 1080 TV is far more giving than that of the PSVR headset. It's almost like two different games because I played the game within the PSVR without seeing the visuals on the TV but can tell you absolutely do end up missing out on a lot of the intricate details due to the headset. Not saying that's necessarily a bad thing because it was still very cool to play.

     

    I also did not realize the IP for Battlezone from Atari is no longer theirs. I wonder if they plan on doing the same with many other titles or how that came about.

  6. Played the PSVR today... and it was awesome!

    in Modern Gaming

    Posted

    As time is nearing for the release, I'm finding myself more and more anxious in hopes to being able to pick one of these up. So, the feeling or desire for this hasn't passed and it's been in the back of my mind for some time now. Not sure about a killer app for it and I'll certainly not be a Day 1 adopter but probably very soon or shortly thereafter I'll be picking up a new PS4 and PSVR - Just have to justify the entry cost, considering I don't currently have a PS4.

     

    Anyone else planning on getting one now or have completely changed their minds? Resident Evil 7 seems like it'll be so much fun and I really hope that Alien Isolation gets the VR treatment!

  8. The worst system to code for...

    in Atari Jaguar

    Posted

    With huge thanks to Shinto for bringing this interview to my attention, Trevor Raynsford (Imagitec) talking of reality of Jaguar hardware and how it impacted game development:

     

    "....For the Jaguar, Atari gave developers some nifty DSP code for playing samples with effects like flanging. It was easy to port 68000 based mod player code to the Jag and use the DSP for the PVM part.  It sounded great.  Only problem was, it didn't work in a game!  By default, the display hardware had a higher bus priority, which meant, even with the huge bus bandwidth and fast chips, in Humans the sound was trashed every time the player moved.  Raiden just sounded awful!  We tried setting the DSP to have a higher bus priority, the graphics got trashed instead.  (I think the bus priority mechanism was broken.)  I spent 20 minutes on the phone to one of the Tramiel brothers trying to explain there was a problem.  In the end I abandoned the DSP code and wrote a new version which did the bare minimum PVM and importantly played the next sample at the top of the timer initiated loop to ensure accurate timing."

     

     

     

     

    Jaguar sounds very much like Sega Saturn, N64, 3DO, PS2 etc..fantastic specs given to developers, who soon realise they aren't going to be able to pull off what they expected due to very real hardware limitations and thus ideas abandoned, work arounds sought.

    http://freejag.atari.org/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=3sj7r63nl7852bs8aa15fgiok0&topic=51.0

     

    Interesting to read. Hardware limitations due to bugs and underdeveloped development systems must be the absolute worst. Being promised a laundry list of features that work solo or independently only to find that all your work is a waste of time and you'll have to come up with some clever work-around does seem frustrating. Still seems like the 68000 was being used for far more than it was supposed to.

  11. NEW AVP prototype found!

    in Atari Lynx

    Posted · Edited by Clint Thompson

    They went from big time video games to trying to corner the very serious computer market against Apple and IBM compatibles and then when the reality of decline set in that their sales of the STe and Falcon just weren't there to support the model, they rushed back into gaming... only the guys running it didn't really know or understand gaming as much as they knew or understood computers.

     

    Atari should have continued to push their Lynx alongside the Jaguar and I think they actually did for a very short period of time. The model was already there and so was the experience. AvP could have been an incredible portable game for the time. I've had very limited Game Gear experience with mostly just playing Sonic Spinball and a few others but could certainly see the appeal of wanting a system for the same game that was responsible for selling a lot of Jaguars as well.

     

    I don't remember it being the case but every single Jaguar should have shipped with a Lynx brochure and games list. Wouldn't do you any good if you can't go down to your local store to pick up whatever game but mail order was definitely an option. I was really young and had already ordered quite a few things, especially PC software games, via mail order. Didn't mind it and it was nice having things come in the mail for me.

     

    Anyways, for me... however I ended up stumbling upon the Lynx after getting a Jaguar, worked. I owned both the Jaguar, Lynx and then would go on to purchase a Jaguar CD for my birthday in 1995. Really wanted a Falcon too at the time but little did I know how limited it was in terms of software and games and the expense really put it far out of my reach.

  13. NEW AVP prototype found!

    in Atari Lynx

    Posted

    Yeah, I can see that for your area. I'm not claiming the Lynx was a mainstream smash. I just don't understand why it is called a horrible failure?  To me, such a failure wouldn't even last a year at a Toys R Us, yet I recall it being at TRU for multiple years. Most companies would be thrilled TRU carried their product so long. According to some reports, the Lynx had a longer life than the Colecovision, Vectrex, 3DO and Sega Dreamcast! Did it ever lose money for Atari? Maybe, but I never heard it did.

     

     

    FYI - Cost Comparison

    Lynx  in 1989 - $179.99 (or about $349.99 in today's dollars)

    Game Boy in 1989 - $89.99 (or about $174.99 in today's dollars)

     

    On a side note, did TRU even carry the Jaguar? I only recall seeing it at my Babagges.

     

    I remember the interviews with Sam Tramiel talking about the Jaguar getting into TRU but I never saw it myself. My parents purchased my Jaguar at a local Venture before they went out of business and Venture is also where I picked up my Lynx about a year later. Had it not been for the Jaguar, I wouldn't have even known about the Lynx and if memory serves correctly, in 1994 the Lynx was selling bundled with 4-games for either $99 or $129 new. I thought it was an awesome deal and actually played it quite a lot, despite not having very many games for it.

  14. Sad tales, near misses of collecting

    in Classic Gaming General

    Posted

    I have 2 off the top of my head...

     

    1st one was sometime in the late 90s- I was a Flea Market regular and always went to the same lady who would always hold fresh 2600/7800 carts for me in case I didn't have them already. Every weekend I would go and spend between $20-$40, leaving with 10-20 new games. I didn't have the money at the time but she just got in a huge pile of Atari 800XL stuff with a bunch of boxes, disks, drives and printer in. She only wanted $60 for it all and said she would hold it for me but I already had an Atari 800 just not all the juicy software that came with the XL. I ended up passing for whatever reason but have always regret doing so.

     

    2nd one was recently and while not gaming related, it was definitely a cool find. A Disco 200 Jukebox that needed a little bit of caring for and for only $50. I missed it by like a day in my procrastination in figuring out if I really wanted it or not and to basically gift to my parents. It was really nice and a no brainer really... now I'll be kicking myself for that one for some time to come...

     

    post-181-0-67196900-1472235507_thumb.jpg

  15. What entertainment items do you take on a long trip?

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    I don't fly and rarely ever get to go on a trip that doesn't involve me driving the entire time. The last time I think I got to switch off driving that allowed for bringing fun things along was way back in 2001 to JagFest. We had a power inverter in the car, a 20" CRT TV and a PS2 with Burnout that we took turns playing in the backseat. We got a lot of goofy looks as cars passed this tiny black Hyundai Elantra with a huge TV in the back, at least for the car haha...

  20. Crystal Pepsi

    in Retro

    Posted

    My buddy works at Pepsi and let me know the same day he delivered them to a local Speedway.  They were priced for 2 for $3 or $1.50 each. To be honest, I would much rather have had the Pepsi Perfect but they were limited qty and he couldn't get his hands on one. I've seen those on eBay for ridiculous amounts upwards of $170. While this is no Pepsi Perfect, it wouldn't surprise me if the same thing happens here and people end up listing Crystal Pepsi and actually selling them for $10-$20 a bottle because for some strange reason, there seems to be a cult following for what seems to be imo just an 'ok' drink, which is very passable.

     

    I'm a Coke drinker so Pepsi isn't exactly a soda choice by default but I'm not against it entirely, I'll definitely drink it and while it's not Coke, Pepsi is a good alternative if either Coke or Dr. Pepper isn't available. Crystal Pepsi reminds me more of a spinoff of the white Mountain Dew, no idea what the name of it is, as I'm not a Mt. Dew fan at all, just as I'm not a fan of this. It's ok and cool for the fact that they brought it back but in the end, I think it would have been cooler for them to just make the Pepsi Perfect a normally sold Pepsi item instead of a limited edition run since the only thing you're really changing is the packaging that people are willing to pay for and leave Crystal Pepsi where it belongs back in 1992/3.

     

    It does have a lot of caffeine and the upside is that it's a clear so with the need for the unnecessary coloring that sodas have. I may buy just a few more before they are completely gone but probably not because I'm dying to drink it again.

  22. Nintendo Announces the Mini-NES, w/ 30 Classic Games

    in Nintendo

    Posted

    With the Atari flashbacks, there was a huge issue with fakes. Is it possible you got a fake unit? I've been using and loving the FB2 controllers for years now. I think they are nice quality.

     

    No, I had several and one was even direct from Atari themselves from NY. Maybe my expectations are off...

     

    With that said, I've broken about every single controller that's come with the FB units. Junk....

  23. Nintendo Announces the Mini-NES, w/ 30 Classic Games

    in Nintendo

    Posted

    I'm curious as to how the quality will differ, or if at all, from the Flashback and other retro consoles released. I understand that you have to cut corners to meet a price point but have never understood why the quality has to be dwindled down so bad. I thought the Flashback was downright awful with the cheapest possible plastics and sticker decals made available. I realize at the end of the day that people probably only care about is playing games but what happened to them actually being of quality instead of toys you get from the $1 store.

     

    Of course, I come from a time where stereos were made from chunks of aluminum and Atari used very alluring, thick plastics, metal nameplates and shiny black reflective surfaces.

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