A little off topic I know, but i've recently purchased this cool gizmo and had many hours of fun with it.
For those 'not in the know' it's a replica of the classic Atari 2600 console joystick that plugs into your TV and lets you play 10 old Atari games including Asteroids, Adventure, Circus Atari, Breakout, POng, Yars Revenge, Centipede, Missile Command, Gravitar, Real SPorts Volleyball.
I just wondered if any of us 'older' gamers have taken a similar trip down memory lane.
Here's a link for anyone interested:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/cubegoodies/toys/5d39/
10 in 1 Atari joystick
I'm too spoiled nowadays to appreciate the 2600 like it deserves. I was halfway there by the time I got my '64, the sharper graphics, stunning sound, and more involved gameplay caused me to forget about my 2600. Once I got my NES I was gone from the 2600 for good. However I do occasionally fire up MAME for Asteroids, Pac-Man (the Atari version was CRAP!) etc. I do have a collection of 2600 ROMs but I found myself unable to enjoy them like I did in the past. :(
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tomsk
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There are a few quirks that i've found so far.
1...White noise sounds (such a explosions and thrust sounds) do not appear to work. Instead I get a short beep.
2...Picture quality is fairly decent - but not exceptional. I don't find this affects the games in any real way
3...According to some sources the games have been slightly altered to make them a bit harder. I couldn't find any proof of this whilst playing them. One thing I have noticed is that Asteroids doesn't have any enemy space craft that used to appear if you took to long to complete a level. Maybe I just haven't selected the right game (although I have tried most)
4...Some of the games are quite unplayable due to the fact that they are really Paddle based games (Breakout, Circus Atari, and Pong).
Maybe a Paddle version featuring Night Driver and other paddle controlled games could be a good idea for a follow up.
5...The dragons in Adventure used to scare the hell out of me
(especially on the dark/night levels). They don't anymore 
- in fact they look more like ducks !
Having said all of that, Gravitar, Asteroids, Missile command and Adventure remain pretty playable to the nostalgic who just wants a quick easy game before going out on the piss.
Also, using that lovely stiff joystick (oo-er!!) brings out the games better than playing an emulator using keys.
One thing that did strike me when playing was that the cartridges originally cost about £40 !!! About the same you'd now pay for top of the range Nintendo stuff !
Tomsk
1...White noise sounds (such a explosions and thrust sounds) do not appear to work. Instead I get a short beep.
2...Picture quality is fairly decent - but not exceptional. I don't find this affects the games in any real way
3...According to some sources the games have been slightly altered to make them a bit harder. I couldn't find any proof of this whilst playing them. One thing I have noticed is that Asteroids doesn't have any enemy space craft that used to appear if you took to long to complete a level. Maybe I just haven't selected the right game (although I have tried most)
4...Some of the games are quite unplayable due to the fact that they are really Paddle based games (Breakout, Circus Atari, and Pong).
Maybe a Paddle version featuring Night Driver and other paddle controlled games could be a good idea for a follow up.
5...The dragons in Adventure used to scare the hell out of me
(especially on the dark/night levels). They don't anymore - in fact they look more like ducks !Having said all of that, Gravitar, Asteroids, Missile command and Adventure remain pretty playable to the nostalgic who just wants a quick easy game before going out on the piss.
Also, using that lovely stiff joystick (oo-er!!) brings out the games better than playing an emulator using keys.
One thing that did strike me when playing was that the cartridges originally cost about £40 !!! About the same you'd now pay for top of the range Nintendo stuff !
Tomsk