RickR

Just tried my hand at "Double Dwibble". Lost by 6. Your review is spot on. It isn't terribly fun, but I do want to play again to see if I can beat the computer.

WOW! Three Easter eggs in one game!

I think we all know that the Atari 5200 is based on the same hardware as the Atari 8-bit computers. And in many cases, Atari just ported existing games from the 8-bit to the 5200 with only minor changes. But I can think of three games that Atari actually re-wrote -- started from scratch -- for the 5200. I thought it might be fun to do some comparisons of these games. The idea came to me while I was playing 5200 Space Invaders last night, so I'll start with that game. 8-bit Version The 8-bit version of Space Invaders is just ok. It plays well, with good speed and controls, but it just doesn't feel like Space Invaders. The aliens don't look like the arcade version at all, there are no shields, and the aliens emerge from a lame looking space-ship/rocket on the left side of the screen. For each wave cleared, the rocket lowers a notch and new aliens emerge. The ground under your ship isn't quite flat, although that has no impact on your movement. 5200 Version The 5200 version is very good. Good controls and speed. The shields are here and the aliens look better, making it feel more like the arcade version. Strangely, like in the 8-bit version, the aliens emerge from the left side of the screen, although there is no rocket. Best feature: the aliens change every 2nd wave! And there are some pretty wild designs. Spinning/rotating/shrinking aliens! I counted 4 different sets, but there may be more than that. Judging by your ship, the ground color, the information at the bottom of the screen, and the left-emerging aliens, it is obvious the programmer heavily referenced the 8-bit version in creating this version. Why they did it. I think the 8-bit version is pretty lackluster and gets boring pretty quickly. Atari spent some time and came up with a version that is much more fun and will hold your interest a little longer. I know I kept playing to see all the different types of aliens! Very nicely done and a great choice by Atari. Coming soon, the other two games that I know of....

I've kept my eye open for a Master System and also a TurboGrafx 16, but they are pretty hard to find in the wild.

Keep posting please. I certainly appreciate your videos very much!

I'm working on a package for you Lee.

<-- BINGO! <-- I agree <-- Bzzkptpl Zypfflpztl (translation: Tod Frye and my namesame Ray Kassar)

Once it's been modded, it's just a matter of FTP'ing into the box and adding stuff I think. I've never done it before and can't guarantee success, but I'd be willing to give it a try.

The Wii is good for emulation, and really easy to hack. But like MRD said, a Windows machine...even a cheap used laptop, would be a best bet.

Let's not forget the Sega SG-1000, which was also pretty darned awesome.

NSG makes a good point. Never underestimate the influence of Super Mario Bros. Biggest killer app of all time.

I personally never even knew it existed until after I started collecting for Genesis. Back in the day, NES was the only console I saw in stores. It is a good system, and the Master System attachment for Genesis makes it really easy to enjoy the great games.

I love this. Especially the hand written page. Thanks for posting it!

Here's what I got in trade from Rowsdower70. It's a long story. My PS2 died. So I contacted Rowsdower, who nicely arranged this trade. And then while the fat PS2 was on the way to me, I found the slim at a thrift store for $15! So now I have two. Father and son. Rowsdower is a lifesaver, and he brings good luck! And Magic cards.

I think it's for PS2.

Great question Lee and great insightful answer Yo-Yo. I've always been disappointed that Atari never released the Cosmos.

One piece of advice I can offer is to try at first using CD-RW disks if you have them. This will allow you to burn, and then try again if you screw something up.

I've got an extra Dreamcast. And a TI-99/4A.

In my defense, it took a LOOOOOOOONG time to collect all this. Atari 2600 4 switch woody 2600 4 switch Vader 2600 Sunnyvale light sixer 2600 Jr (two of them) 5200 7800 400 800 800XL (two of them) Lynx Mattel Intellivision (Sears Telegames version) Coleco Colecovision Magnavox Odyssey 2 Nintendo NES Gameboy Advance SP DS Virtual Boy Wii Sega Genesis Model 2 Game Gear Dreamcast Milton Bradley Vectrex Commodore VIC 20 C64 (C64C) Sony PS1 PS2 Microsoft XBOX Systems my kids have PS3 PS4 XBox 360 WiiU SNES Sega CD/32X Largest collection: 2600, 246 carts

It is interesting. I may take a video of Touch Me so you can see it in action. The problems I see that Simon seemed to fix: The name. "Simon" is a perfect name for this game. "Touch Me" is creepy, and not even descriptive of the game action. Buttons - they are tiny on Touch Me. Much larger on Simon. Color - The lights on Touch Me are all red. Simon used light up colored buttons instead. Sound - Not very pleasing on Touch Me. Almost musical on Simon. What Atari got right: Size. Touch Me is totally portable. It fits in a pocket easily. Simon is huge. Timing. Touch me came out years earlier than Simon. Engineering - Touch Me is really well made considering it was Atari's first handheld. Simple design, small size, reliable components.

I was thinking the same. My first one in post #1 is the same "orange". There are slight differences throughout...circuit board, label, plastic thickness all a little different. I'd guess the yellow is newer/cheaper.

A Tale of Two Touch Me's I received two broken Atari Touch Me's from Ebay, and they were both in really rough shape. I was able to cobble parts together from both to make one working unit. And it works great! Buttons all cleaned and restored. Electronics touched up. Replaced speaker. Replaced 9V battery connector. The other is forever broken, but makes a nice shelf display. The good, working, darker one is now up for trade if anyone is interested!

YES! And it is SPECTACULAR. You'll look at the Intellivision version with disdain once you try it. Take THAT George Pimple-ton.

Good job StormSurge!! I knew you could. And nice pictures. I don't know if you have "AstroBlast", but if you do, try that one with paddles.

The black gunk is conductive grease that dries up and becomes non conductive over time.