Bad Apple on 80 computers!!!!

Bad Apple!

Each of these videos of computer renders keeps getting better.  

Really surprised how bad the C64 version is.

Impressed with what could be done with the Atari 2600
Animation is smooth, although not surprising blocky.

Best of these old computers is the TI-99/4a

Atari 2600
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko9ZA50X71

C64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsDy-4L6-tQ

Atari 8-bit computer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjNm04oCdYc

zx spectrum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd5iEeIe7L0

TI-99/4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx__aAdm4wQ

Original video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtutLA63Cp8

List of supported the Atari Gamestation Pro consoles

People on Facebook and Forums keep asking for a compatibility list for the AGSP, so I made one.
Default Firmware 1.10 and updated 1.20

Game Platform	file extension
Atari 2600	.a26
Atari 5200	.a52
Atari 7800	.a72
--
Nintendo Gameboy	.gb
Nintendo Gameboy Advance	.gba
Nintendo Gameboy Color	.gbc
Nintendo NES	.nes
--
Sega genesis	.bin
Sega cd	.bin/cue
--
TurboGrafx-16	.pce
--
Mame/arcade	.zip

Updated Firmware 1.30 adds

Game Platform	file extension
Nintendo Super NES	.sfc
--
Sega Master System	.sms

Updated Firmware 1.30c adds

Game Platform	file extension
Atari 400/800	.atr or .com
Atari ST games	zip, .st, .stx, .m3u
Atari Lynx
Atari Jaguar
CBM
PET
C64
Intellivsion
Oddyssey 2
ColecoVision

I have tested Atari 2600, 7800, NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. I have tried over a hundred ROMs without a failure yet.

The Atari Gamestation pro

The Atari/MyArcade Gamestation pro has become my primary console. So much so, I'm thinking about shelving many of my other game consoles. I'm beginning to see this is an underrated console. The system plays Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Genesis, NES, SNES, Game Boy, MAME Arcade, as well as several other game systems. With Firmware "1.30c", there are ways of making Odyssey2 and Intellivision games run on the console. Really almost any 8-bit or 16-bit game console. Plus the amount of controllers that people have made run on the console is impressive too. If some could get PS1 and PS2 to run this would be my one console, but I'm not holding my breath as I really don't know the amount of horse power under the hood of this console.

As long as you put the games in the "Games" folder of the root of the micro SD card and use the correct extensions for the BIN/ROM file, the system plays thousands of different games across all these systems.

For example (not a complete list): .a26 for Atari 2600 .a52 for Atari 5200 .a78 for Atari 7800 .gb for Game Boy .gba for Game Boy Advanced .gbc for Game Boy Color .nes for NES .bin for Sega Genesis .gg for Sega Game Gear for updated firmware 1.30 [vendor] .sfc for Super Nintendo .sms for Sega Master System

Star Trek stuff...

Today's game pickup! 

 

This got me thinking, a Star Trek program from scratch would be a great coding project.

Huge surprise today.

 I had a huge surprise today.  I picked up a light-6er with 39 cartridges and a original CX joystick.  Nine games came with boxes and all with manuals!  Big thank you to Dan H!

My game room catalog has not been updated in a LONG time.  With this acquisition, it is really out of date.

My game pickup today:

1 Stampede	2 Cosmic Ark	3 Venture	4 Dragster
5 Outlaw	6 Enduro	7 Pele's Socker	8 Street Racer
9 Night Driver	10 Carnival	11 Pitfall!	12 Tennis (Activison)
13 Atlantis	14 Breakout	15 Defender	16 Vanguard
17 Space War	18 Yars' Revenge	19 Missle Command	20 Air Sea Battle
21 Adventure	22 Battlezone	23 PAC-MAN	24 Casino
25 Galaxian	26 Video Olympics	27 Jungle Hunt	28 Home Run
29 Combat	30 Laser Blast	31 Star Voyager	32 Grand Prix
33 Donkey Kong	34 Blackjack	35 Dragon Fire	36 Haunted House
37 Super Breakout	38 Berzerk	39 Riddle of the Spinx

Another Pickup and more about last weeks Illinois Game Conference 2024

 I finally picked up KC munchkin for the Odyssey 2 this weekend.  My find list is now complete. I never owned that game, but it is the first game I played on that system.  Picked it up for $8 .

I have my TI-99/4A hooked up.  Let's face it -  How cool is it that in 1981 the TI had made a  computer with a16 bit processor and S-Video out!  Unlike everything else of that era, I don't need an RF demodulation.  Here is a photo of it hooked to a 60 inch monitor via HDMI. Better than that CRT TV I had when I was a kid.  But hey I guess it did me fine back then.

Here are some photos of my last week pickups. Yes there are duplicates of stuff I already owned, BUT, some of these are for display and not playing. The TI I had been wanting for some time.  Someone sold it to my for $60 and I could not turn that down.  Tore the TI down and apart - and it was amazingly clean on the inside.

And here are some pics of the Illinois Game Conference in Bloomington IL.  This conference was the best one yet! It has grown every year, so I'm curious about next years.

Illinois Game Con in Bloomington IL

 Spent most of my day at the 2024 Illinois Game Con in Bloomington IL.  I was quite impressed with how much this conference has grown.  My biggest pickup was a TI-99/4A computer, but I did pickup Atari 7800 Centipede, PlayStation Sammy Sosa game, and a few 2600 cartridges. 

I picked up some Pokemon and Spider-Man gifts for family.  My son picked up a few games and a Dream Cast.   

The foot traffic was very high and the vendors were pretty good.  More standup arcade machines were there.  The tunnel between buildings was an awesome idea.

 

Ranking Atari Arcade ports - Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong for 2600 receives 3.5 out of 5 stars

Only two levels of the four were included as only a 4k cartridge was made by Coleco. 

The game has primitive graphics and the system was capable of better graphics.  Really, I can let most of the graphics slide, but the Donkey Kong ape is given no effort at all. 

Despite the horribly drawn ape, the game play does stay fairly true.  The game feels like Donkey Kong.

Several unofficial modern versions of 2600 Donkey Kong have show what this game could have been - and it is a whole lot more than this.  But expectations were much lower for the 2600 when this was released.

Donkey Kong was not made for the Atari 5200  

Donkey Kong for the Atari 8-bit systems receives 4 out of 5 stars

The 8 bit version of Donkey Kong is a huge improvement over the 2600.  The game looks very much more like the arcade version and this has all 4 level screens.  Many more details are added from the arcade version.  Noticeable is the fact that there is one less of the platform girder beams (6 instead of 7) and Donkey Kong is on the right side instead of the left - even the 2600 got those two details correct.

On the other hand, the sound is really good and there are the cut scenes.  This version tries to stay true in many ways.

Donkey Kong for the Atari 7800 receives 4 out of 5 stars

This version adds all the visual details the Atari 8-bit couldn't like the barrel detail as they roll down ladders and characters that most closely resemble the arcade.  Also has the same amount of girder beams as the arcade version.  So why does the 7800 only get 4 out of 5 stars also?  There are only 3 level screens instead of 4 and the sound is sub par to other versions.   

Conclusion.  All three games are great and a lot of fun, but I would rather play the Atari 8-bit or 7800 over the 2600.

In 2018, Playsoft re-released Donkey Kong for the 8-bit Atari computers.  This version improved the graphics greatly - I think making this the one to get for the 8-bit and helping edge out the 7800 version.

[Image credit indieretronews.com]

 

At the geek store

Finally picked myself up a keypad for Atari Systems.  I have been wanting one of these for some time. $10 felt like a fair price for one in good condition.  I was also looking at an Atari 800.  Didn't get it as I could not get a view of the mother board and was not sure what year and batch it was made.  Likely the $200 asking price was fair, but hard to justify.

I did manage to get this phot from the board from underneath 

 

Atari post in threes

I'm making an Atari resouce and Fanboy page: http://mrgibson.com/atari/
The page will likely have history, technical, and programming information for the Atari MOS computers and gamimg systems.

Illinois Game Con 2023

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2023 AT 9 AM – 5 PM
Illinois Game Con 2023
1106 Interstate Dr, Bloomington, IL 61705

Notable arcade ports to the Atari 2600 - part I

There were many arcade ports for the Atari 2600. Although an extremely primitive game system like the Atari 2600 VCS has a difficult time looking and playing as good as the more advanced arcade machines, some ports caputured the feel of the game very well. I'm going to try to do a simple review of three 2600 arcade game ports a week. So here are the first three:

Asteroids     -- average port, fun to play, most of the same concept, but look, 
                 feel, and action does not mirror arcade.  If you are looking 
                 for something really close to the arcade, this is not it.
                 If you are looking for something in the ballpark and same concept,
                 this will do.
Rating:          




Battlezone    -- great port, most of the same feel as arcade.  Really, graphics 
                 are pretty good for the 2600, but not vector style like orginal.
Rating           




Berzerk       -- great port, not exact... but fun and same feel as arcade.
                 If you like Berzerk, a must have. Even without the voice.
Rating           

Notes about Pitfall II

Unlike Pitfall, Pitfall II has no time limit.

Checkpoints (red crosses) - Cross these and when you die you will start back at the last one you touched.

You win the game when you rescue:

- a woman named Rhonda
- the Raj diamond ring 
- a monkey name Quickclaw 

Perfect score is 199,000.  To achieve this score, you must find 28 gold bars, Rhonda, Quickclaw, the diamond, and the primitive cave rat.

Scoring:

- 5,000 points for every gold bar.
-15,000 for primitive cave rat.
- 20,000 for the Raj diamond ring
- 10,000 for the rescue of Rhonda
- 10,000 for the rescue of the monkey

Tip:

Use the ladder in the part ahead to get past the frog by ducking into it as it leaps over your head

Map of the game:

https://www.vgmaps.com/Atlas/Atari2600/PitfallII-LostCaverns-LostCaverns.png

Game Controller Pinouts

I'm make this post as much for my own reference. All three uses DB9-pin connectors

Pinouts for the Odyssey2 controller
1 - Ground
2 - Fire
3 - Left
4 - Down
5 - Right
6 - Up
7,8,9 - not connected

Pinouts for the Atari 2600 controller
1 - Up
2 - Down
3 - Left
4 - Right
6 - Fire
8 - Ground
5,7,9 - not used

Pinout for Sega Genesis controller
1 - Up
2 - Down
3 - Left
4 - Right
5 - Voltage
6 - Button A/Button B
7 - Select
8 - Ground
9 - Button Start/Button C