RickR

The boss that's in my picture above...how do you get by him?  Shoot his exposed face? 

60300
 

I have seen those! It doesn't get more generic than that. They look like the little white boxes that the CX40 Joysticks came packaged in with the 2600. Let's also not forget the Jack Tramiel era monochrome 2600 boxes. I bought this at Kay-Bee in 1994. Imagine the impression this made on people looking at video games at the time:

They sure did! I sold these at Toys R Us and the Sony rep briefed us on them at the time. This would've been about 2003 around the middle of the PS2's lifecycle, when Sony was developing the PS3 and realized how important a hard drive would be moving forward.
The bundle we sold was called the "HDD" (Hard Disk Drive) and included a 40GB hard drive and Final Fantasy XI Online. Here's what it looked like:

Have you ever seen those 2600 boxes that came in black & white?  I think they came in 3 packs of games.  Kind of crazy to see those. 

When I first got my VCS, the games came with text labels only, and even they were in color.  When they switched to picture labels (probably 1981 or so?), it was mind blowing.  I especially liked the colorful end labels on those. 

You are so right about these 7800 labels....cheap, cheap, cheap.  Cutting corners until you're selling an tetrahedron instead of a square. 
 
 

The steering wheel has no pedals, but it has two paddles for gas and brake.  Kind of like paddle shifters on a sports car. 

The PS2 works just fine.  Loads disks.  It was just dusty. 
You're right about Final Fantasy and the hard disk.  I'm pretty sure the system can be hacked to load any game you like on the HD.  Mayor Greenween has such a setup I think.  Emulators and such too.  Maybe I should make this a project for this PS2 -- install an HD and put some emulators on.  It did come with the Network adapter.  Might be kind of fun to fiddle with it as time permits.  But first, I want to get that steering wheel loaded up and tested.  I'm a huge fan of those Need for Speed games, and those will be perfect to try.  The steering wheel connects using a wireless USB dongle. I'm pretty sure it can be used on PS3 as well. 
 
 

I think Sony DID release a hard drive for the PS2.  You need the original "fat" model and a network adapter.  And I think it's hackable. 
I tested this PS2 and it works just fine.  Both controllers too.  Then I cleaned it up really nicely.  Good as new.  I have not yet tried the steering wheel, though. 

I stopped at a garage sale today after work, which is something I rarely do.  I'm glad I did, because I found a pretty nice PS2 setup.  I'm most excited about the Logitech steering wheel.  Everything needs cleaning.  No idea if it works.  Any guesses as to whether it will work or not?
 

Cool find. I used to have an original design PS2, but someone stole it. That is one reason why I stayed Atari in my collection. But, I had been collecting over 300 Atari games across all Atari platforms and computers since 1982 anyway. Say, did Sony ever market hard drives for the PS2? i had heard that they were thinking about it. It certainly could make games load faster. Would you not think? My brother has a PS2 Silm Black somewhere in his house. I liked it. Thanks for letting me share.

I stopped at a garage sale today after work, which is something I rarely do.  I'm glad I did, because I found a pretty nice PS2 setup.  I'm most excited about the Logitech steering wheel.  Everything needs cleaning.  No idea if it works.  Any guesses as to whether it will work or not?
 

Black & White cartridge label collection for Atari 7800.
Imagine thinking you can compete against Nintendo Entertainment System with this? Monochrome cartridge labels were one more thing that contributed to Atari’s perception of being a “bargain bin” discount brand by the end of the ‘80s. Incredibly, this is from a company still revered 40 years later for its fantastic box and cartridge artwork. Absolutely mind blowing 🤯💥

Thank you guys for the help!  I needed it.  That guy was really hard for me.  93300
 

You can also get an Edladdin Seagull 78. It lets you plug in any Sega Genesis controller to use with 2 button 7800 games. I constantly use it with a 6 button controller. It costs $25 plus shipping. You can order it at AtariAge and his main site. (If you use his main site, you might still be able to use coupon code NSG to save 10%. No, I get no kickbacks from it. He just did it for my viewers to be nice)

https://edladdin.com/Seagull-78-Controller-Adapter-ec-2-001.htm

Well, I'm not sure what exactly you guys are looking for.  The controller is awesome. NES gamepads, as you know, just feel a lot better than anything Atari did on the 7800.  It's a pleasure to use.  Very responsive.   
I know the procedure to make them.  The 7800 uses the same pin for both buttons, and there's a little circuitry you have to add in.  It's not hard.  The problem is getting the Atari cables to use.  You'd need to use the cables from existing joysticks.  You're probably looking at $25 dollars in parts (an old Atari stick, an NES pad, and some components).  I could make more, but would anyone be willing to pay to have them?  I figure with shipping, it would end up being right around $40 or more.  I'd guess the first one would probably take an hour, and it would go quicker once you do a few. 
 
 

I'd rate the clean-up of Atari paddles as "easy".  It takes about 30 minutes.  There should be youtube videos that show how.  The hardest part is the disassembly of the potentiometer, but it's not bad.  I can do it for you if you want...just pay shipping both ways.  One other tip -- skip any q-tips and cotton balls, they just get stuck on the little metal fingers.  I use soapy water and a soft toothbrush. 
 
 

I'd rate the clean-up of Atari paddles as "easy".  It takes about 30 minutes.  There should be youtube videos that show how.  The hardest part is the disassembly of the potentiometer, but it's not bad.  I can do it for you if you want...just pay shipping both ways.  One other tip -- skip any q-tips and cotton balls, they just get stuck on the little metal fingers.  I use soapy water and a soft toothbrush. 
 
 

I'm looking forward to the "Astrosmash vs. Astroblast" video, as I think the paddle controls will give the Atari version a big win.
I really agree with you on Astrosmash.  It's a go-to action game on the Intv, but it sure gets boring fast.  I don't like how easy it is to rack up extra ships.  They should have made it harder, or at least offered a "difficult" game variation that ramped up faster and offered no bonus ships. 
 

Oh man, this is an OLD post   I still have this controller but I rarely use it.  I have an NES gamepad that was modified to be used on a 7800, and that's what I use exclusively. 

I think that may do it for me...I don't want to face (pun intended) that @sshole again.  

Don’t want to discourage you guys but I just managed to beat my previous highscore.. it’s now 291800 😅
Haven’t been able to beat this boss though, this is like the third time I’ve reached him since I was twelve. Never did beat the game haha
This time I’m playing the game on my GBA with my Sega Master System Classics cart.
 

I think that may do it for me...I don't want to face (pun intended) that @sshole again.  

Thank you guys for the help!  I needed it.  That guy was really hard for me.  93300
 

Go to the left and jump over and over until the fireballs get to ya, you should he able to walk under them. Then jump and about half way down shoot the dude in the face. 

Also, make sure you jump so he shoots the fireballs upwards. Then walk underneath them and just jump and shoot.
I’ve been caught by too many low fireballs haha

Yeah... there's a very small weak point on his face...