Atari 5200 Guy

I think I finally realize why Justin didn't like Mario 64. That game missed the mark completely. And now that I have a theory why I can back up what I'm about to say. Justin said Mario 64 was boring and I was remembering back what made it different than the Mario games before it. Simply put, previous Mario games were called "Athlete" games. Not adventure, platform, or action games...athlete. And if you look up the name of most in-game Mario music you will see that name used to name one or more scores. The Mario games on the NES were more athletic by running and jumping. That was the main aspect of those Mario games. You ran and jumped. And it didn't matter if you were climbing obstacles, bouncing on enemies, reaching the clouds, and even swimming...each stage was an obstacle course you had to carefully navigate. And you had to beat a clock except in Mario 2. Mario 64, trying to be the N64 for others to follow fell flat and broke away from Mario tradition. It was not the Athletic game play fans came to know and love from Mario...it was too laid back. I had it, I played it, but I would lose interest in it real quick. I never spent too much time on it and would play something in a few minutes. It looked good, sounded great, but it would have benefited the series more if it would have been more like Mario on the Wii and Wii U. That was hardcore Mario at his best in years. Its easy to understand why and how Mario 64 got the applause it received but if it based on a numbers game keep in mind that Mario 64 was pretty much the only N64 game available at the time the N64 hit stateside shores. I'm with Justin, it did get boring easy because it didn't feel like the Mario we came to know and love.

I don't have one but I'd recommend it. Jaguar games are either hard to find or worth a LOT of money now...and those that sell them know this. And it doesn't matter if the game is complete or not most of the time. Still, the Jaguar is an awesome console to have. I always did like how the console looked without the CD add-on. Personally, I think it is the sleekest looking system ever made. And even if the controllers are huge they are comfortable.

You know things are bad when someone uses a game console shell to house "expensive" dental gear. The cartridge shell is even the same! Oh...and don't forget...they took the GameCube's handle, too.

Are you sure you don't want the special edition model?

Welcome to the world of Jaguar! Jaguar stuff is almost up there with the NEO*GEO stuff. I'd recommend a few titles but they probably won't come cheap. Definitely keep an eye out for Tempest 2000. That's easily the Jag's top-dog. I've never played Pinball Fantasies. And I still play Cybermorph to this day. One of my favorites on the console.

I'm use to playing Asteroids without using any help...just turn and fire! I also try to remain in the center of the screen.

I would have said putting the sound chip in the cart would have made games more expensive but then again a lot of NES games had external sound chips and people bought those. There might be another way to provide additional sounds without putting those in a cartridge. Why couldn't you make an add on like the high score cart? Plug a POKEY cart in the 7800 and a game on top of that? Allow the game to determine the presence of that sound chip and use it if it is there. That way you'd only need one POKEY per machine, not per game.

I couldn't do that to my Lynx. I'd feel like I murdered the thing. To a Lynx that has a bad display, maybe. The only issue with making an adapter to play 2600 games on the Lynx would be the size (2600 games would feel bulky) and emulating TIA which I don't think the Lynx has.

There are a few games the 5200 got, or would have got, that others did not get. Space Dungeon was one of them, Sinistar should have been released! So should have Super Pac-Man. You couldn't tell the difference between it and the arcade. It was spot on. I don't play my 5200 as much as I use to. Mainly because the controllers, even after a rebuild, are just not wanting to hold up like they use to. The machine itself is fine and I still try to play it but I know from decades of experience when there is something not right with the controls. Buttons are fine, it's the analog controls. I'm not getting the travel I should be.

Yes they do. Unfortunately in my home there is soo much modern day interference from more modern technology (bluetooth, wifi, modern consoles/computers) that the two 2600 JRs I own can't block it all out of the RF signal. And I have not found a way to choke it out.

Here ya go. This is my 2600 JR arsenal. Bottom unit has issues with Power & TV Type switches. They don't "feel" right and TV Type switch half the time doesn't work. The top unit must have been babied. The texture of the plastic shell is still very much present. My only gripe with these Junior models...there is a huge difference in how the carts feel being inserted in these compared to the, how do I say it, "woody" models. These can sometimes be stubborn depending on the game. Never the less, I love the design and have thought about modding the bottom unit. I want one, however, to remain unmodified for integrity. Thanks, MD...now I'm going to have to play a 2600 game 😉

If my math is serving me correctly...Minnie had 3 channels, 2 64-bit waveforms stored in the processor, and 3 waveforms. 3 channels? I wonder if the other forms were separate channels or could be combined into the 3 main channels. So that combined with TIA...is that 5 channels or is that 8 channels? I don't count the 2 stored waveforms. Either way, from the specifications listed, it was a more powerful sound processor than what Konami used on the NES games. THIS chip sounds more interesting. GCC guys got to hear it. I wish there was an audio recording we could all hear. I mean 64-bit waveforms are nothing to sneeze at...that is impressive for 1980's technology. 64-bit waveforms, that I'm aware of, didn't come to the public eye until maybe mid 1990's ~ early 2000's on PC and Yamaha had a similar 64-bit sound processor in their PSR series electronic keyboards. It would be neat if the schematics and die layers could be located and the chip made. I'd love to hear it! Impressive sounds are what helped many of the popular NES games reach that status. They were not remembered for the game itself but also its soundtrack. When you hear the name Super Mario, what is the first thing you hear in your head? If you hum it then my point has been made. That sound chip could have been the edge the 7800 needed to push it above the NES. Well, THAT, and people willing to program for it whether in-house or third-party. It definitely would have needed the support for a lot longer than Jack would have wanted.

WOW!

I also like this but I can't find the full version. I'd really like to hear the rest of this one. https://youtu.be/YJt7KRmv2bQ You'll have to click the link as the author does not allow embedding on other sites.

Since someone else already posted the band "Band-Maid" I'll post a song they do that I like very much. And of course the outfits fit them. It is to portray their band name 😉 They are maids. I know it's the same song but I like watching them in the official video.

I guess I'm one of the weirdos. I grew up with the 5200 being my first console. I never had controller issues the whole time I owned it (from its initial release until 1987). I learned to love those controllers and found ways around imperfect controls to find happy spots in every 5200 game I owned at the time. 7800 controllers hurt my hands worse than 5200 controllers ever did. I guess I'm one of few people that have a passion for everything 5200. It is what it is, it's what Atari big wigs decided was enough to put it into production mode...even when it wasn't ready. I might be the only one who's passion for the 5200 is far greater than anyone else's. I have yet to meet anyone else who has has the passion I have for that console. I will defend it until my dying breath. I play mine a lot with just the standard controllers. I keep hoping to find a controller holder for it someday. That and a trackball controller.

You've got some great games for your 5200! I see Tempest, an instant winner. I'm digging those end labels.

I think the difference is in manufacturing. The carbon dots on the more modern consoles post 5200 I think were manufactured in the buttons whereas the 5200 must have been dipped or something. The 5200 was the first console I know of to use the carbon dot buttons on a game console. Knowing that I think the 5200 was more of a trial and error system: it either worked or it didn't. It was a rushed product. Beautiful machine with 1980's styling all over it...but it wasn't ready when it was released.

I've got a controller with the white flex circuit. I believe all the traces are black on it so I'm not sure what the traces are made with. Most likely aluminum since it can flex easier without damage or cracking. Yes...oxidation is a huge system killer when it comes to the 5200. Dust is its worst enemy.

If done correctly, the A8 can handle more colors than the 7800. You would, however, need to squeeze every ounce of the processors out of your code and make use of all the RAM available in the machine. GTIA and ANTIC were never fully pushed to their limits. I believe the only few games that pushed those two were 5200 games with Sinistar (never published) being one of them.

The 7800 8bitdev website just received some interesting documentation on the sound chip GCC had working before Atari fired the company. It's an interesting sound chip and almost sounds identical to the sound chip Konami made for the NES games. The Atari 7800 Minnie sound chip - 8BitDev.org - Atari 7800 Development Wiki

Reminds me of High Score's website. I didn't see Super Cycle by Epyx in the ST section, though 😞