Tag Archives: atari 2600

Pixel Vision Retro Portable Game System: Game Boy Advance SR

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A few months ago we checked out Love Hultén’s PE358, a retro handheld inspired by the Game Boy Advance SP. It seems like that got a lot of people’s attention, because Love is now offering the Pixel Vision, a limited edition production version of the PE358.

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Unlike the PE358, the Pixel Vision hides the display cable and has a speaker grill. Inside the walnut case is a Raspberry Pi A+ running RetroArch, a custom made DAC chip, an 8GB flash drive for storage and a 3.5″ LCD display. Love used software to add barrel distortion and a soft shader to the video output, making it look like it’s coming from a CRT monitor.

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The Pixel Vision can play games from the Atari 800, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, NES, SNES, Sega Master System, Intellivision, Sega Genesis, SNES and Game Boy Advance. That said, it doesn’t have X,Y, L and R buttons.

Pledge at least ~$460 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive one of only 500 Pixel Vision units as a reward. You can also pledge ~$800 to get one of only 20 Pixel Vision Pearl units, which have a matte black panels, solid brass buttons and d-pad and an inlay on the lid made from Mother of pearl veneer.

They’re extremely expensive, but I think the video above shows how much work Love puts in to make just one of these systems.

Atari 2600 Joystick Candle: Coldbreaker

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Control the darkness with the Atari 2600 joystick candle. Etsy shop Kescha66 says the mold for the candle was made from an actual Atari joystick, which explains why the candles also have the Atari logo at the bottom.

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You can buy the candles from Kescha66 for $10 (USD) each. They come in black or white by default, but the shop is willing to make them in your color of choice.

[via it8bit]

Custom Atari 2600 Action Figures Actually Match the Cover Art

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A couple of years ago custom action figure maker Dan Polydoris made a handful of action figures based on characters from Activision’s Atari 2600 games. Now he’s back with four more characters from the console’s hit list.

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Dan says he repurposed figures from the beloved Kenner Star Wars line to create these toys. Hence this Rodian space invader.

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Check out Dan’s Flickr page for more of his custom-made toys.

[via it8bit]

LEGO Atari 2600 & TV Diorama: My Old Basement

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The latest custom LEGO set from professional builder Chris “Powerpig” McVeigh is for 80s kids. It has an Atari 2600, a TV, a few toys and trinkets and most of all a drab orange and brown rug. You can practically feel the fibers under your feet, eternally damp from sweat and spilled drinks.

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Man I forgot TV screens used to bulge like that. You can pre-order the My Old Basement set for $90 (USD). If you already have one of Chris’ My First TV ’80s sets, you can save by getting just the diorama’s base. Chris says the toys and household objects included in the set may vary depending on supply. As always Chris will also upload the set’s building guide on his website.

Pascali Raspberry Pi Portable Retro Console: Ghosts of Consoles Past

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We’ve featured several DIY classic console emulators based on the Raspberry Pi. If you’d rather buy than build one, keep an eye on Rose Colored Gaming’s Facebook page. The console modding shop will soon release a Raspberry Pi handheld system, with a case based on the original Game Boy.

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Speaking with commenters, Rose Colored Gaming says the Pascal will have a colored screen and will have optional customization options, including different case colors and laser etching.

Post by Rose Colored Gaming.

Rose Colored Gaming is shooting for a late February release, with the base price between $200 to $300 (USD). Keep an eye on its website or Facebook page for updates.

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[via GoNintendo]

Buried Atari E.T. Games Hit eBay

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Remember a few months back when they dug up all of those Atari 2600 games from the landfill? That was some exciting geek archaeology. Now, thanks to the Tularosa Basin Historical Society, these cartridges are for sale -on eBay.

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If you want to grab your own copy of E.T., Asteroids, Star Raiders, or Centipede cartridges that were rescued from a landfill in a desert, now is your chance. The highest price right now are some E.T. games in the box, going for $500 with eight days left. These games come with a certificate of authenticity from the city of Alamogordo. All of the boxes are understandably messed up and crushed – definitely not mint.

This is the first batch of cartridges and boxes rescued from the dump. They will put at least another 700 items up for sale if this batch sells well. Now you can own a piece of Atari history.

[via Hack-a-Day]

You Can Own an E.T. Landfill Cartridge

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Now you can own one of the worst video games ever made. A game so bad, they had to take it out back and bury it. I’m surprised they didn’t shoot it first. You might remember that the E.T. game was so bad that they had to bury millions in the New Mexico desert. Then years later, a documentary film crew finally excavated the landfill. Now you can own one of the cartridges retrieved from the trash heap.

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In the end, they dug up over a thousand copies of E.T. from a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Not millions. 100 games have already gone to Lightbox and Fuel Entertainment for their documentary about the dig. The Alamogordo City Commission has decided that the remaining games can be sold. You know, they love money. 700 games will be appraised and certified at the New Mexico Museum of Space History, and then prepared for sale. The rest will end up at local museums or maybe in that warehouse from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I already have one without all of the dirt, thank you. Its suckiness is much fresher.

[via Polygon via Geekosystem]

Custom Activision/Atari 2600 Action Figures: If Only River Raid Had a Person in It

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Looking back at the Atari 2600, it really wasn’t very good until Activision came along and raised the bar for graphics and sound for the early 8-bit console. To commemorate these classic games, Chicago Toy Collector Dan Polydoris created this nifty set of custom action figures.

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The set of five action figures got their start as various G.I. Joe characters, but they’re now sporting that perfect Activision 8-bit look. While Pitfall Harry is surely the most recognizable of the bunch, the other games were all pretty solid too – especially H.E.R.O. - though I never knew its protagonist’s name was Roderick.

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Awesome job, Dan. These are all quite special. I only wish you would make a little burglar dude for Kaboom!

[via it8bit]

Tiny Atari 2600 Has An Even Tinier Display: What Is This, a Console for Ants?

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The once great console maker Atari has been reduced to a mere pixel of itself these days. While Sony and Microsoft are gearing up for a new console war, Atari is left catering to old school gamers with keychain consoles. Adam of SheekGeek made a display that matches both the figurative and literal size of Atari’s game system. It’s so small that you can barely see what’s on screen.

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Yep, that’s the display, which is a module from an old Sony Handycam, next to a U.S. postage stamp. It’s so small that Adam has to use a macro lens on his camera so he can demonstrate it on video.

Now that’s what I call a counterintuitive Retina Display. Head to SheekGeek for the full details of his hack.

[via Hack A Day]

Mini Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 LEGO Kits: 8-Bit Bricks

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Now that he’s conquered the world of tiny LEGO Macintosh and iMac computers, LEGO builder Chris McVeigh (aka Powerpig) has headed further backwards in time to create LEGO kit versions of the Atari 2600 and C64 personal computer.

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These awesome little kits accurately capture the spirit of these seminal parts of consumer electronic history. The Atari 2600 kit sells for $42.50(USD). It’s assembled from 130 pieces, and includes two tiny joysticks and three little cartridges. When complete, the console measures about 3.75″ wide x 1″ tall x 2.5″ deep.

The Commodore 64 kit (also $42.50) is a bit less complex, and is made from 82 bricks. But that doesn’t make it any less perfect. I can imagine connecting my 1530 C2N Datasette player and loading up a copy of Attack of Mutant Camels. The C64 is also a bit bigger than the 2600, measuring 5″ wide x 1″ tall x 2.5″ deep when assembled.

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Great job, Chris! Keep ‘em coming. I’ll definitely bite when you make me an Atari 800 and an Apple ][.