RickR

A newly released study by the Video Game History Foundation show that only 13 percent of classic games from 4 decades are available commercially due to a variety of issues. It's a fascinating read.

Full study:

https://zenodo.org/record/7996492

Synopsis:

https://gamehistory.org/87percent/

I've made poor retro gaming choices.  I have only have two classic platforms, an Atari 5200 and a Texas Instruments 99/4A.  Both topic areas are like ghost towns... sigh.

I've made poor retro gaming choices.  I have only have two classic platforms, an Atari 5200 and a Texas Instruments 99/4A.  Both topic areas are like ghost towns... sigh.

The MLB All-Star game returned to Seattle for only the second time (first time in 2001). I took the family to the fan fest, and while on our way to the stadium, we passed through Pioneer Square area which is adjacent to the stadium. In the middle of the square, there was an arcade set up, and it was free to play. We stopped and spent a bit of time playing the various games.

Check out my score on Missile Command. Is that a decent score? The shooting reticle (x) was slow to move so it got difficult in later stages. That Asteroids was hard! I couldn't even crack 10k. The joystick on Burger Time was horrible. My wife and kids had fun with Galaga.

The MLB All-Star game returned to Seattle for only the second time (first time in 2001). I took the family to the fan fest, and while on our way to the stadium, we passed through Pioneer Square area which is adjacent to the stadium. In the middle of the square, there was an arcade set up, and it was free to play. We stopped and spent a bit of time playing the various games.

Check out my score on Missile Command. Is that a decent score? The shooting reticle (x) was slow to move so it got difficult in later stages. That Asteroids was hard! I couldn't even crack 10k. The joystick on Burger Time was horrible. My wife and kids had fun with Galaga.

Busy weekend, I haven't forgotten you guys 🙂

Atari50 is on sale now on Steam.  Highly recommended.

 

Downsizing sucks, moving sucks, packing sucks and unpacking sucks even more.  Thankfully Atari.io is here to help me unwind.  

Downsizing sucks, moving sucks, packing sucks and unpacking sucks even more.  Thankfully Atari.io is here to help me unwind.  

PSA: AtariAge "last chance" sale. Get 'em while you can.

PSA: AtariAge "last chance" sale. Get 'em while you can.

I'm still working on my retro setup. Today, I hooked up my 800XL to the 1702 and powered it up--such a beautiful blue screen 🙂 I also hooked up the Fujinet to it, and it's just amazing that this 40 year old hardware is now connected to the Internet. So much new to learn!

I also got my Genesis working. I tried using the RGB cable the other day and got a blank screen. Turns out I didn't properly seat the cable, so with the connection fixed, the Genesis put out a beautiful display--such clear and crispy colorful pixels.

I pulled out a random cartridge out of the drawer to test the Genesis. Wow! The music was amazing and I was tapping my toes and already hooked on the game before play even started. The game was Streets of Rage 2. This game may make me a Sega Genesis fan.

Happy Father’s Day 2023 to my fellow dads and men who are mentoring and bringing up the next generation.

A tale from the suburbs

My wife and I were driving to church yesterday for early morning prayer. We saw a group of crows on road which is not an uncommon scene. As we approached them, all flew away as expected except for one. I'm not sure if it was eating something on the road, but at the last minute after all its buddies had already fled, it raised its head and saw us.

Maybe I've watched too many Looney Tunes, but I swear it's expression was like, "What's going on? Where did everybody go? Oh!" BAM! I heard a loud thunk as we passed over the spot where the crow was. I looked back and saw the crow looking plastered on the road with one wing up twitching. Another crow came back and was like "Are you ok, bruh?"

When we returned to the scene three hours later, there was nothing on the road. The crow must have survived somehow and flew away. It was hit very hard if the sound of the impact was any indicator, so it was shocking to see that it must have survived.

My wife was a bit shaken as she was the driver, and it was the first time that she had run into an animal. Suffice to say, she also survived and is doing well.

I've heard that crows are very intelligent birds. But of course, there's always an exception to any rule. 

Apparently, John Hancock made some games that will be published to the VCS!

Time just flies by. I can't believe it's already been a week since my birthday. This year, I celebrated it with gifts, family dinner, and lunch with former coworkers. It was a fun one, so I wanted to share.

Family dinner at the restaurant of my choosing. Son 2's girlfriend joined us.

My wife forgot to bring the cake to the dinner, so we had it when we returned home 😂 My family isn't much into cakes, so that's why it's small.

My former co-workers from my Amazon days. Mathias' (guy on the far left) birthday is in a couple of weeks. We had this thing going for a few years where I bought him lunch on his birthday and he bought me lunch on my birthday. This year, we broke tradition. Although he wanted to pay, I beat him to the machine with my card. It's been a few years since we got together, so I wanted to buy. He's going to buy me lunch later this month. These guys were my engineers when I managed the Fire tablet localization.

Gift from my son and his girlfriend. My son was very surprised when I told him that I didn't have the NES. Well, I fixed that a few days later. I bought a NES top loader. It's been sent to get the RGB mod, so I'll show it off when I get it back in a few weeks.

Home-made candles were gifted to me from a church friend. I don't think my photo does it justice--it's very beautiful and very fragrant.

Warming up this week, hope we can resist turning on the A/C. 🤷🏼‍♂️😎I tend to worry more for the Desktop staying cool 🖥️

Warming up this week, hope we can resist turning on the A/C. 🤷🏼‍♂️😎I tend to worry more for the Desktop staying cool 🖥️

ICYMI: Folks, please check out the amazing overview of ClubVCS & Atari I/O that our friend@Ballistik put out today!

We appreciate the kind words & your participation in the club! Atari I/O is all about community & love of retro.

Thanks so much for helping to get the word out about our corner of Atari fandom &  ClubVCS!

My wife thinks it's funny when I nap at the computer.....

Happy Mother's Day

😎Classic 80's Vacuum florescent display tech - Loved VFD tech for displays in electronic games and stereo components and even clock radios etc. I know it was more expensive tech but it was so bright and colorful and sure maybe somewhat retina burning but nothing else looked like it, very much of it's time!

Interesting article on modern day Atari and its turnaround efforts. 

https://www.axios.com/2023/04/17/atari-wade-rosen-interview

Computer upgrade time!

My trusty main desktop computer is dying.  I believe it's the motherboard that failed.  The built-in network adapter failed about a year ago.  And now the CPU is overheating.  No amount of reseating the heatsink or re-applying thermal compound helps.  My guess is the capacitors are dying, causing too-high voltage. 

I searched high and low for a pre-built computer that wasn't too terribly expensive, but failed.  It isn't easy to find a desktop that has an optical drive (or space for one) AND the ability to add in a big video card (including power connectors).  Most of what I found was over $1000. 

Instead, I consulted one of my children, who helped me pick these parts.  Total spent is $200.  I'll re-use a lot of my existing setup.  Including the DDR4 memory, power supply, case, SSD, and Blu-ray drive. 

Hopefully, I can get my Windows license to transfer. 

Wish me luck! 

Computer upgrade time!

My trusty main desktop computer is dying.  I believe it's the motherboard that failed.  The built-in network adapter failed about a year ago.  And now the CPU is overheating.  No amount of reseating the heatsink or re-applying thermal compound helps.  My guess is the capacitors are dying, causing too-high voltage. 

I searched high and low for a pre-built computer that wasn't too terribly expensive, but failed.  It isn't easy to find a desktop that has an optical drive (or space for one) AND the ability to add in a big video card (including power connectors).  Most of what I found was over $1000. 

Instead, I consulted one of my children, who helped me pick these parts.  Total spent is $200.  I'll re-use a lot of my existing setup.  Including the DDR4 memory, power supply, case, SSD, and Blu-ray drive. 

Hopefully, I can get my Windows license to transfer. 

Wish me luck!