Clint Thompson

Figured this would be a fun topic and shed some light into the lives of everyone here and their background or experiences with Atari as a whole. Looking forward to hearing everyone's stories!
 
My first Atari 1040ST I lucked out and found at a local Goodwill for less than $20, which was in incredible deal!  Not only was it in really good condition, it also seemed to work flawlessly. Mind you, this was before the eBay and scalper or flipping days where people would buy things just to turn a profit immediately because they knew it was retro/vintage or what have you. I think I only owned the ST for a few years as I didn't have much software and this was before I had learned about LGT, which unfortunately now charges for all downloads. I want to say I remember the disks being downloadable for free at some point but maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. That was my first and last Atari ST and the plan is to get an 4MB STe sometime in the near future to fill that void.
 
Sometime in early 1999, I received my very first Atari Falcon, which I had always wanted since seeing them in the Toad Computers catalogs around the . At the time, I also had what I was finally happy with as a very fast PC as well - with an AMD K6-II 450Mhz and 64MB of RAM, WinTV card and eventually a 3DFX Voodoo 3 3000 16MB AGP card. Anyways, back to the Falcon - it arrived COD and I had no experience with cash on delivery. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly cash on delivery as I would soon learn lol and they had to re-deliver the next day because only money orders were accepted. So due to my own ignorance, I had to delay it another day. Had that machine for several years and enjoyed the many demos and capabilities of the machine for what I could use before selling it off. It had a BlowUpFX and some other board installed which made it highly incompatible with a lot of the software I wanted to try, as it turned out.
 
To kind of extend on that story, later on I would end up with yet another Falcon which was also modded unfortunately, as it had a Centurbo II installed and something was wonky with the DSP as a result and I also re-sold this unit as it just had problems. I remember learning from that point on to make sure I would only get another Falcon if it wasn't modded. I would finally end up with a really nice unit sometime in 2001 or 2002, upgrading it myself with an FPU and maxed out the RAM to 14MB. Foolishly, I would sell it years later due to financial constraints and still regret having to had done so.

Figured this would be a fun topic and shed some light into the lives of everyone here and their background or experiences with Atari as a whole. Looking forward to hearing everyone's stories!
 
My first Atari 1040ST I lucked out and found at a local Goodwill for less than $20, which was in incredible deal!  Not only was it in really good condition, it also seemed to work flawlessly. Mind you, this was before the eBay and scalper or flipping days where people would buy things just to turn a profit immediately because they knew it was retro/vintage or what have you. I think I only owned the ST for a few years as I didn't have much software and this was before I had learned about LGT, which unfortunately now charges for all downloads. I want to say I remember the disks being downloadable for free at some point but maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. That was my first and last Atari ST and the plan is to get an 4MB STe sometime in the near future to fill that void.
 
Sometime in early 1999, I received my very first Atari Falcon, which I had always wanted since seeing them in the Toad Computers catalogs around the . At the time, I also had what I was finally happy with as a very fast PC as well - with an AMD K6-II 450Mhz and 64MB of RAM, WinTV card and eventually a 3DFX Voodoo 3 3000 16MB AGP card. Anyways, back to the Falcon - it arrived COD and I had no experience with cash on delivery. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly cash on delivery as I would soon learn lol and they had to re-deliver the next day because only money orders were accepted. So due to my own ignorance, I had to delay it another day. Had that machine for several years and enjoyed the many demos and capabilities of the machine for what I could use before selling it off. It had a BlowUpFX and some other board installed which made it highly incompatible with a lot of the software I wanted to try, as it turned out.
 
To kind of extend on that story, later on I would end up with yet another Falcon which was also modded unfortunately, as it had a Centurbo II installed and something was wonky with the DSP as a result and I also re-sold this unit as it just had problems. I remember learning from that point on to make sure I would only get another Falcon if it wasn't modded. I would finally end up with a really nice unit sometime in 2001 or 2002, upgrading it myself with an FPU and maxed out the RAM to 14MB. Foolishly, I would sell it years later due to financial constraints and still regret having to had done so.

Thanks for the continued episodes, looking forward to seeing more and I hold you and AtariGamer responsible for my revived fascination with the Lynx again and that's a good thing. I've got 21 NIB games on the way, most of which you have covered so far.

Feel like the original Tempest 2000 will never be topped (I just love the pixels too much and it's really perfection) but very looking forward to playing some amazing 4K T4K soon

Wow... a TG16 AND a SMS v2 in one picture. Saucy stuff!

I find it fascating, the v2 of the SMS because it resembles the unreleased Atari Panther so much and I had only just recently stumbled upon the fact that Sega even made a second version of the SMS and it wasn't until I was in my early 20's that I even knew the SMS existed. Very cool 😃

Luchs Soft is re-releasing a game for the Atari Lynx called Quadromania.  It will come on a curved lip cart with a manual, poster and pin in April this year. As if that weren't enogh, it will come packaged in a standard Atari Lynx game box so it matches other games in your collection. The game was made by Alex Thissen, with official permission by RPM Software.  It can be preordered at Luchs Soft's web page (link below).


Order Here

The trifecta.
 

Does anyone have an Appla Pippin? I was thinking of adding it to the collection, but wanted to know if it was worth the price it seems to be valued at? Is it more of a game system or computer? Best games? I've heard mixed reviews on it. I just sold a Macintosh performa 200 to someone in my area and he showed me pics of his pippin. Hes both a video game and apple collector. Said it's a fun machine/computer. But I'm just not too sure. 

LOOK at what came in the mail today!  I already had the microSD card. 

Found one at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo Swap Meet today.  I also included a pic of the other good junk I bought.  It works great.  Only one game.  Anyone have games for sale?
 

... and I couldn't believe just how incredible it was. This is why magazines died. Not because it was bad but because they used to actually be REALLY good! 
 

 
I sat and read the entire thing. From topics of how cats talk, to women rubbing drugs over their bodies, to computer babies and introducing your infant to your computer from the first day you bring them home up into their 8th month to recognize patterns and colors and shapes from the screen and then talks about CD-ROMs being the medium of the future. It was such a refreshing read. It's weird how something from 1986 jam packed in under 120-pages could bring such joy and entertainment in 2017. The ending was my favorite part... The Last Word, and it was a story about a guy going to different food joints to eat genetically engineered foods that were micro-sized and you could pop them into your mouth. Seriously, where else can I find that many strangely interesting topics to read about in a short period of time? Facebook is full of cat videos and memes and the world seems super depressing with news, rants and bitching about literally everything. This was everything but.... we're talking about the future!
 
Even more-so interesting were the talks of medicine and Taurine. My girlfriend has multiple different types of seizures for the past 7-years, has a VNS installed and has tried probably more drugs than any lab rat should be subjected to, only to still have them. The magazine mentions scientists have known that Taurine has helped with seizures for a long time now. That was in 1986 and it's 2017 and she's still struggling with every known man made drug to find something that works. Sure enough, we did a quick search about Taruine and I'm finding that many people say it has helped or even cured them of seizures for years. So that's what we're going to try this weekend to see if it helps control them. It was also mentioned that it helps with floaters? Interesting. 
 
It also made me realize how diluted and boring things have become in comparison. How can I find something written from almost 30-years ago so fascinating? Things I wouldn't have really read as a kid or most likely unable to even really comprehend but now re-discovering for the first time. It's really refreshing. I'll definitely be picking up a few more magazines to see what else lies in store. There are definitely some bizarre stories to be read but at least it was truly entertaining. 
 
Just wanted to share how something so old can make someone feel really alive... even if only for a moment. It was magazines like this that helped people dream. Imagine. Inspire. Really look forward to the future. 

I've been a keyboardist for a couple of decades and have MIDI knowledge for half that.  To get my hands on what you have would be similar to getting my hands on a Yamaha Tyros...its a dream machine.  The STs are still the best MIDI systems on the planet, period.  I've had a Yamaha MIDI recorder combined with two Yamaha PSR keyboards (510 & 530) and always had timing issues.  I've not experienced that with the ST so far.
Does that Hotz Box have any drum sounds/patterns?

Has anyone here ever had the opportunity to use an Atari Hotz Box or ever own one even?
 
 

Strange how timing and such works out. A year later and many years of lusting (plus a decade) I finally had a Hotz Box sent out to me the same day you posted this but only just now catching up with everything after the holidays. I was actually in Tennessee when the unit arrived back at home in Indy so the excitement had to be contained until I got back home several days later. 
Anyways, it's a lot bigger and heavier than I thought it would be and it's definitely far cooler than I could have ever imagined. I'm going to make some proper videos for this since there really isn't much out there aside from the few videos that Jimmy has posted himself. I'm not really sure number count wise to date but the guy who did the music for Riddick said in 2004 that only 25 had been made. Naturally only 2 weeks after I receive the unit, another producer decided to offload a few of the smaller units he has that was custom made for him but I ultimately passed originally to hold out for a larger unit that I've coined The Mothership:

And a quick test video right after unboxing:
 

Here...a demo showcasing the Hotz Box played by a few famous artists.
 

I think that I might have seen one, but I don't remember. It looks familiar. But, I am not so sure.

Nope.  But I have heard of them.

Crazy.  Within a few days I've managed to locate a useful tool for ST owners.
SYSINFO
SysInfo is a small program that gives ST owners detailed information about their system.  Machine type, processor speed, amount of RAM, and more are printed out on your monitor/TV.  Kind of handy.  Program is a compressed PRG file, not a disk image.  
I am currently going through some more stuff to see what is helpful and learning how to use them.  I'll post more as I find more.  In the meantime, this is my resource:
Atari ST Essential Software 

Well, the STE was suppose to be part of what I got but, good news, a really nice replacement is on its way.  Other items included a new Pac-Man shirt, a Moose Union Suit (feels like getting a hug from a teddy bear when wearing it, warm too!), GTA V for 360, a new Dickens jacket, a step ladder, and after Christmas I took up GameStop's buy 2 get 1 free offer and found the entire Mass Effect series for $10.  Even the manager couldn't figure that one out because he said, and I quote, "We have the boxed trilogy set for $30 but he just got the same thing buying them individually for $10?  Doesn't make sense."  I agree but more power to me.
Our Sears store left in May and we just lost Payless Shoes before Christmas Day.  Our area is dwindling down on options for places to go to get gifts.  It's either Wal-Mart or travel to another town or order online.

HAPPY 2019! I hope everyone had a warm, relaxing and joyous holiday season! I thought it might be fun to share any fun or interesting presents we may have received (or given!) I have a few below that I am excited to share with you.
We ended up making this a "Sears Christmas" as it may be Sears' last. Growing up, it seems like a lot of birthday and Christmas presents came from Sears. So many childhood Christmas lists came from flipping through the Sears Wish Book and marking the toys and games I dreamed of. Of course we know the Sears connection to Atari history and how they were very helpful in Atari's early retail success. I have an immense fondness of Sears and hate to see them go. Although I haven't shopped at Sears as often in recent years, I go out of my way to give them my business for tools, their auto center, lawn and garden, and anywhere else where they were still offering stellar service, even if it meant paying a dollar or two more than the big box stores.
I'm not a mechanic or anything, but it's a good idea for any homeowner to have a basic set of good tools around. I have that brand loyalty to Sears and have been wanting to get a set of Craftsman tools for a while. Fearing there wouldn't be any Sears' left I went to our local Sears to build a nice set of tools a few months back, only to walk in and find that my store was already closing and they were halfway through liquidating the store. Fortunately for Christmas I received the Craftsman screwdriver set I had wanted! Now I just need to get a classic red Sears Craftsman tool box! FYI Craftsman tools are now sold through ACE Hardware, Lowe's Home Improvement, and some other places, but for nostalgia and loyalty alone I wanted to have tools that would last a lifetime that I knew came from Sears. Maybe heirlooms to pass on in 50 years.
Here is the 28-piece screwdriver set I received:

 
I also received a beautiful new pressure washer that I've been meaning to get for the longest time!

 
I also received some fun classic gaming-themed trinkets, like this Pac-Man wireless Bluetooth speaker that I'll put in my game room

 
Then on the 26th I was at Target and found just one of these babies left on the store shelf marked down to half price. This was the first time I had ever seen one of these in person and it ended up being a little present to myself 😎 Those who know me know I'm far more focused on collecting original games and bits of Atari history rather than Flashback and Mini consoles, but being marked down made this desirable for me to use in another room and would make it easier for me to join in on High Score Squad Challenges! So I bought one, no regrets.

 
And then finally I received the Retro Series version of Sorry! from Parker Brothers based on the 1958 Edition of Sorry! Do any of you like to collect and play classic board games? I've always loved board games and have wanted to do more board game stuff in the forums. I received a retro edition of Mastermind two Christmases ago and that started my new collection of classic board games. I lost a lot of my original board games during a move about ten years ago that included board games that my parents and grandparents had growing up. I think it's cool that Hasbro has made this Retro Series available en masse at a good price for all.

 
Also this shelving the Sorry! game is sitting on was actually a Christmas present too. This rack fits in my soon-to-be arcade room and will allow storage for snacks and drinks below, games above, and the middle shelf will be tall enough to accommodate a classic system or two with Sony Trinitron PVM monitors to give it that retro game room feel. 
All in all it was a wonderful Christmas! Did any of you receive or give anything interesting this holiday season that you'd like to share? I hope 2019 is a stellar year for all! Wishing all of you a year of happiness, health, and the inspiration to follow your dreams.

I think it's just best to start a thread, don't see why not, but I'm not seeing the Jaguar forums over here very active at all sadly. Everyone else seems to be in either one of the Facebook groups, AA or just keeps their distance.
 
Most of their included demos have a lot of great info and the Rb+ tutorial is included but I feel like that Doger demo may be a little bit much for most and easier or more simple tutorials need to be made that help someone from scratch instead of a ton of graphic objects and lines of code but I think the community is definitely there to help anyone who asks, same goes for here.
 
I'm just about 2 years into Rb+ and have finally started making some really good progress especially after many feedback related issues with some minor buggies that would cause a hiccup here or there. For what it is, it's rather amazing. I could have never done what I'm doing otherwise so I'm truly grateful it exists.
 
I've got a mini game to release soon and a sort of fun tech demo to show as well that I'm almost done with (hopefully end of weekend if not sooner). With that said I think it would be fun to do some quick 5-minute video tutorials on how to program easy stuff for the Jaguar using Rb+, maybe time will permit such a thing after the holidays. =)

I will be receiving one of the first completed production samples sometime this week / week-end. Looks like they have turned out great and will share pictures here once it arrives. Really cool that it's finally nearing completion.

We're only 5 days in and about half way there interest-wise. So please, if you haven't already done so, send an e-mail declaring your interest and share the news to other forums, groups, etc. We still have about 50 days before the final tally comes up to see where we stand. Hopefully the interest turns out to be there and this will materialize.
 
Thanks!

I'll just copy and paste what I wrote on the other forums asking the same thing:
 
"I've been working with William of Mortoff Games for the past few months in making sure this is possible (plastic injected mold design and quotes, circuit design, assembly, testing on real hardware, etc. - the works) and could be a pathway to other things down the line should the interest actually be there. 
 
The controller will be 100% identical to the originals with the exception of the Atari logo on them for obvious reasons. From a quality stand point, you shouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two but am open to fielding concerns and quality questions so we make sure it gets pushed back and addressed. Tactile feedback was mentioned and I want to make sure it's going to have the same feel.
 
If the demand is actually there (I'm giving it until December 31st, that's almost a good 2-months) then we'll proceed with getting prototypes sent back to ensure the quality on the circuitry is as expected and update everyone accordingly along the way. If not, then I guess the $150+ on eBay option will remain."