Atari 5200 Guy

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 😞

My new channel has been started. Thus...I'm starting a new thread to go with the name change. I'm going to be posting new videos I do in this thread from now on. There's nothing left of the old channel. First video: This was a first run with the new channel. I combined three things into one video.

I found a new formula and my channel has been redesigned and renamed. With @Justin's permission, I'd like to remove this post completely and start a new one since previous posts are linking to videos no longer available. Everything I had before is gone with no back ups. I do like the new design better and the name of the channel fits better. I'm no longer limited to just video games, although that is the main center of attention for the channel.

I think it's great to see some well known old school programmers come back and make more 2600 games again. It's nice to see some professionals doing that. I can understand the high prices. Finding companies to help make the required boards and shells is not as easy to find as it use to be, let alone cheap. Some places won't do a run of anything unless a certain quantity is purchased. And that can be costly. That's my 2 cents worth. I hope these guys stick around and bring many more games to the 2600 again. I really do. I hope others who have programmed the 2600 before follow suit.