25 replies to this topic

[Retro Rogue]

For anyone who watches the show, the 7800 made an appearance on Friday night's episode. The entire episode is a flashback to '85-'86, and Peter's mother takes him to a toy store where he watches a kid is playing Joust on the 7800.

Cool to see even if there was a few inconsistencies (if it's '85 it would be too early to have it in a toy store, likewise they had a boxed Secret Quest which didn't come out until 1989).

Edited by wgungfu, Sat Feb 26, 2011 5:27 PM.

[BrianC]

I don't remember if the part with Joust was in the alternate world or not. If so, that would explain some of the inconsistencies.

[DracIsBack]

wgungfu, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 5:24 PM, said:

Cool to see even if there was a few inconsistencies (if it's '85 it would be too early to have it in a toy store, likewise they had a boxed Secret Quest which didn't come out until 1989).

Sometimes you need to apply a HOLLYWOOD LICENSE to things. Sorta like that FREAKS AND GEEKS set in 1980 where there are 5200 games on the store shelf.

[Lynxpro]

wgungfu, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 5:24 PM, said:

For anyone who watches the show, the 7800 made an appearance on Friday night's episode. The entire episode is a flashback to '85-'86, and Peter's mother takes him to a toy store where he watches a kid is playing Joust on the 7800.

Cool to see even if there was a few inconsistencies (if it's '85 it would be too early to have it in a toy store, likewise they had a boxed Secret Quest which didn't come out until 1989).

I couldn't make out the Secret Quest box. The writers must really have been fans of Joust and Atari. The kid had a Pro Line joystick in his hand but it could've been one for the 2600. The graphics looked like they were from the arcade so I suspect the production team had the arcade game running via MAME on an unseen computer...

The other inconsistency was in the Walterverse, a Mac Plus was shown on Peter's desk...in 1985...

[cybercylon]

They were in our "universe", but I give them credit for featuring the 7800 instead of the NES.

Not sure if that original series Battle Star toy would have been on the shelves in 1985-1986, 7-8 years after the series original run.

[Retro Rogue]

BrianC, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 6:46 PM, said:

I don't remember if the part with Joust was in the alternate world or not. If so, that would explain some of the inconsistencies.

No, it was in our world. Peter was still doing the "you're not my mother" thing, so she had taken him to the toy store to try and bond.

Lynxpro, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:07 PM, said:

I couldn't make out the Secret Quest box. The writers must really have been fans of Joust and Atari. The kid had a Pro Line joystick in his hand but it could've been one for the 2600. The graphics looked like they were from the arcade so I suspect the production team had the arcade game running via MAME on an unseen computer...

The graphics looked a lot like the 7800 version of Joust (which is very close to the arcade), though the sounds were nothing like a TIA, so you may be right.

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The other inconsistency was in the Walterverse, a Mac Plus was shown on Peter's desk...in 1985...

Yah, but you can't really fault on that. It is an alternate universe so things could have unfolded differently there. The stuff that's supposed to be in our universe you can though.

cybercylon, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:09 PM, said:

Not sure if that original series Battle Star toy would have been on the shelves in 1985-1986, 7-8 years after the series original run.

The comic was going until '85, so it's possible. But the biggest things at that time were Transformers, GI Joe, etc. which I didn't see anything of.

Edited by wgungfu, Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:52 PM.

[Lynxpro]

wgungfu, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:45 PM, said:

The graphics looked a lot like the 7800 version of Joust (which is very close to the arcade), though the sounds were nothing like a TIA, so you may be right.

Wasn't there an arcade classics all-in-one joystick a couple of years back that had Joust on it? That could be another explanation. I don't remember if the NES version had better sound than the 7800 version...

wgungfu, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:45 PM, said:

Yah, but you can't really fault on that. It is an alternate universe so things could have unfolded differently there. The stuff that's supposed to be in our universe you can though.

Very true. I just remember clearly the Mac Plus debuting at the same time as the Atari 1040ST(f) in early 1986. I remember the computer press making a big deal about both featuring 1MB of RAM but at two different price points...and I got my 1040 shortly thereafter...

wgungfu, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:45 PM, said:

The comic was going until '85, so it's possible. But the biggest things at that time were Transformers, GI Joe, etc. which I didn't see anything of.

Is JJ's group working on the planned BSG theatrical film?

GI Joe toys were visible in that toy store. They were on the bottom shelf and they weren't as prominent as the Ghost Busters toys...

[kool kitty89]

wgungfu, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:45 PM, said:

Lynxpro, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:07 PM, said:

I couldn't make out the Secret Quest box. The writers must really have been fans of Joust and Atari. The kid had a Pro Line joystick in his hand but it could've been one for the 2600. The graphics looked like they were from the arcade so I suspect the production team had the arcade game running via MAME on an unseen computer...

The graphics looked a lot like the 7800 version of Joust (which is very close to the arcade), though the sounds were nothing like a TIA, so you may be right.

Yes, it sounded like the arcade version, but there wasn't a clear close-up to distinguish it from the arcade-like 7800 version. (it was probably the plain arcade game -or maybe one of the various other ports since it's come out in some form on pretty much every console since the Genesis that was active from 1996 onward -when williams/midway started releasing compilations)

I didn't realize that was a real proline controller in the show; it didn't look like it to me. (I assumed it was some generic 3rd party controller from the period -or a newer controller of similar styling) For that reason, I actually considered it being intended to be the 5200 version. (or maybe the 2600 version -though both obviously look much less like the arcade than the 7800, but given that it seemed like they were pushing the actual arcade game either way, that didn't seem like a stretch)

The funny thing is that I didn't get the chance to watch the whole episode and only caught a few minutes on Friday, but that happened to include the Joust clip.

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The other inconsistency was in the Walterverse, a Mac Plus was shown on Peter's desk...in 1985...

Yah, but you can't really fault on that. It is an alternate universe so things could have unfolded differently there. The stuff that's supposed to be in our universe you can though.

That and the other universe is supposed to be years ahead in technological development compared to "ours". (in that sense, the mac plus might not have gone far enough, though that's a case where you could easily give it up to inconsistent/divergent areas of the alternate timeline premise)

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cybercylon, on Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:09 PM, said:

Not sure if that original series Battle Star toy would have been on the shelves in 1985-1986, 7-8 years after the series original run.

The comic was going until '85, so it's possible. But the biggest things at that time were Transformers, GI Joe, etc. which I didn't see anything of.

It seems likely that they didn't push all those heavily copyrighted products due to licensing headaches.

[kool kitty89]

I checked the recording/download of the episode at home and I'm not really sure what to make of it. The sound definitely seems to be the arcade, the game on-screen looks like the 5200/A8 version color/graphics wise (brownish yellow bround/platforms with a greenish tinge -common to A8/5200 RF- plus the characteristic red enemies and yellow player sprites), and the box (and all game boxes visible) seem to be for the 2600. (Secret Quest, Missile Command, and Battlezone are visible next to the TV) It's definitely a proline controller too, so definitely an odd mix of themes there. (though technically you COULD play the A8 game with a proline stick)

I attached a screenshot.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by kool kitty89, Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:22 AM.

[malducci]

The Joust box in the shot is the 2600 one, right? The graphics in the game shown on the TV looks like the 5200 version (doesn't look like MAME or the 7800 version). And there's never a clean shot of the console.

Here's an HD snapshot: http://www.pcedev.ne...8h01m35s188.png

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GI Joe toys were visible in that toy store.

Yeah, there was some GI Joe stuff in one shot.

[S1500]

If it's videogames on TV, it will never be accurate. How many times have we heard Atari 2600 Pac Man or Donkey Kong representing videogames?

At least with My Name is Earl, they were a bit more accurate.

EDIT: How the heck did they get Secret Quest?

Edited by S1500, Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:19 AM.

[Retro Rogue]

malducci, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:22 AM, said:

The Joust box in the shot is the 2600 one, right? The graphics in the game shown on the TV looks like the 5200 version (doesn't look like MAME or the 7800 version). And there's never a clean shot of the console.

Here's an HD snapshot: http://www.pcedev.ne...8h01m35s188.png

It looks similar to the 5200, but it's a bit off for that - the patterns in the bottom rock/platform are shaped different (and I don't think it's a TV aspect ratio). For example on the far right of that rock the two dark rock shadow grooves angle inwards more on the 5200 and these go more straight up and are longer.

Thanks for the screenshot, it's definitely not the 7800 or NES.

[CincYnoTi]

Funny, I was just about to post this in the 2600 forum. All the boxes were the 2600 version. Notice the kid has a bandaid on his thumb? Either he hurt himself while 'acting' like he was playing with that pro-line joystick, or they were trying to be historically accurate...it can be painful using that joystick. If it was 1985, it could be an Atari Jr.

Peter may have been unimpressed, since he probably had a Sony Playstation in the alternate universe.

[kool kitty89]

wgungfu, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 12:19 PM, said:

malducci, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:22 AM, said:

The Joust box in the shot is the 2600 one, right? The graphics in the game shown on the TV looks like the 5200 version (doesn't look like MAME or the 7800 version). And there's never a clean shot of the console.

Here's an HD snapshot: http://www.pcedev.ne...8h01m35s188.png

It looks similar to the 5200, but it's a bit off for that - the patterns in the bottom rock/platform are shaped different (and I don't think it's a TV aspect ratio). For example on the far right of that rock the two dark rock shadow grooves angle inwards more on the 5200 and these go more straight up and are longer.

Thanks for the screenshot, it's definitely not the 7800 or NES.

It looks like the 5200 to me:
http://i.ytimg.com/v...HOUliGJhs/0.jpg (the perspective is obviously screwing with things, but it really looks like the 5200/A8 version)
It's definitely not the 2600 version either.

The console is never clearly on-screen completely, but given what is shown, it seems like it could only be a 2800 or 7800 (the edge of the console visible and angle of the cart sticking out -more so when there's no glare on the console) or maybe a 2600 Jr if it was mounted at an angle. (was the Jr even out in 1985?)

Do 7800 and 2600 carts both go in with the label backwards, or just 2600 carts? (I know A8 and 5200 carts go in with the label facing outward)

[Retro Rogue]

kool kitty89, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:37 PM, said:

It looks like the 5200 to me:
http://i.ytimg.com/v...HOUliGJhs/0.jpg (the perspective is obviously screwing with things, but it really looks like the 5200/A8 version)

That shot makes it look even less like it to me. The rock patterns/shadows (for lack of a better term) on the bottom rock angle even more inwards than the one on the screen in Fringe, and perspective just wouldn't do that. Perspective would change how close shadows look to one another. The only way I could see it being the 5200 one in Fringe would be if the TV had been stretching the image a lot.

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The console is never clearly on-screen completely, but given what is shown, it seems like it could only be a 2800 or 7800 (the edge of the console visible and angle of the cart sticking out -more so when there's no glare on the console) or maybe a 2600 Jr if it was mounted at an angle. (was the Jr even out in 1985?)

The Jr. was released for Christmas '85 according to Katz.

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Do 7800 and 2600 carts both go in with the label backwards, or just 2600 carts? (I know A8 and 5200 carts go in with the label facing outward)

Labels face towards the back of the console in both.

[malducci]

I took the 5200 screen capture and messed with the tint, contrast, and saturation. Not much. And then I skewed and gaussan blurred the image:
http://www.pcedev.ne...01m35s188_2.png

Looks pretty close. The one showing on the TV in the show/video itself, could very well have been post production work (maybe it didn't look right so they replaced it or was never there to begin with). It's pretty common when I did indie work a number of years back.

[Retro Rogue]

malducci, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:04 PM, said:

I took the 5200 screen capture and messed with the tint, contrast, and saturation. Not much. And then I skewed and gaussan blurred the image:
http://www.pcedev.ne...01m35s188_2.png

Looks pretty close. The one showing on the TV in the show/video itself, could very well have been post production work (maybe it didn't look right so they replaced it or was never there to begin with). It's pretty common when I did indie work a number of years back.

Seems a bit more plausible if it's post production work that they screwed with the aspect ratio then. Would also make sense as to why it was so clear from such a wide viewing angle. In fact when I look at the tv screen edges in your vidcap, something looks a bit off like it's overlaid.

So if it's the 5200 version laid over, it begs the question as to if it's most likely running in an emulator and then why the 5200 version?

[Cafeman]

I saw this last Friday on Fringe as well and geeked out for a moment. I spotted the 7800 stick and the 2600 boxes and thought it was the usual "don't know the facts Hollywood fudge-factor, as mentioned above. But looking at the stills - that is definitely the 5200 version. I've played it many many hours!

[Lynxpro]

kool kitty89, on Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:13 PM, said:

That and the other universe is supposed to be years ahead in technological development compared to "ours". (in that sense, the mac plus might not have gone far enough, though that's a case where you could easily give it up to inconsistent/divergent areas of the alternate timeline premise)

Yeah, maybe they had the color Mac that appeared in the Short Circuit universe...

I can't remember what thread [AICN?] it was a year or so ago that I complained about the Walterverse not being different enough. For example, I mentioned they had Windows computers in the Walterverse and I complained that perhaps they should show "modern" versions of the Amiga or the Atari ST as having won the personal computer wars...

Of course, I can't understand their logic of the United States still existing if Andrew Jackson* had never existed. The British would've won the War of 1812 and we would've been reunified into British North America...



*In one of the episodes last season, the Waltervese Fringe team recovered a $20 bill from our universe and they didn't know who Andrew Jackson was; in the Walterverse, MLJ Jr. is on the $20. It appears Nixon won the 1960 election and was apparently assassinated instead of JFK.

[Cafeman]

I love Fringe and its characters. I feel bad that it will likely be canceled this season.

[kool kitty89]

Lynxpro, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 8:10 PM, said:

kool kitty89, on Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:13 PM, said:

That and the other universe is supposed to be years ahead in technological development compared to "ours". (in that sense, the mac plus might not have gone far enough, though that's a case where you could easily give it up to inconsistent/divergent areas of the alternate timeline premise)

Yeah, maybe they had the color Mac that appeared in the Short Circuit universe...

I can't remember what thread [AICN?] it was a year or so ago that I complained about the Walterverse not being different enough. For example, I mentioned they had Windows computers in the Walterverse and I complained that perhaps they should show "modern" versions of the Amiga or the Atari ST as having won the personal computer wars...

Or IBM not using off the shelf parts for PC and partnering with DRI, or the Apple II or TRS-80 being managed/marketed/distributed differently and becoming mass market standards. (or the Atari 8-bit . . . but that didn't have the potential for simple cloning a la PC that the Apple and TRS-80 did -or ST)

That reminds me: I watched Watchmen the other day and noticed the window based OS depicted in that looked rather like GEM though maybe it was more of a UNIX inspiration.

Cafeman, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:18 PM, said:

I love Fringe and its characters. I feel bad that it will likely be canceled this season.

If that does happen with fair warning, at least they might be able to wrap it up with a reasonable series finale. (the main story arc does seem to be getting relatively close to completion)
There's nothing worse than a neat TV series that gets canceled with a cliffhanger ending. (except maybe one that gets a good, satisfying finale but then gets revived with a later follow-on series that is disappointing and contradictory to the original series)

Edited by kool kitty89, Tue Mar 1, 2011 1:24 AM.

[spiffyone]

wgungfu, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:05 PM, said:

kool kitty89, on Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:37 PM, said:

Do 7800 and 2600 carts both go in with the label backwards, or just 2600 carts? (I know A8 and 5200 carts go in with the label facing outward)

Labels face towards the back of the console in both.

This is actually my biggest pet peeve with the 7800. I can understand the 2600, as no one knew any better back then, but with 5200 Atari got the whole cover label thing right, but then Atari reverted back to silliness of not being able to see the damned labels with 7800.

Why in the hell is the cover label not only facing away from me, but upside down at that? Who thought that was a good design?

BTW, I hope that if manufactured 7800 cartridge cases become a reality for 7800 homebrew, the design is changed so the damned cover labels are actually facing us and not upside down. Heck, I even propose a solution for the current ones: two cover labels. One on the side facing us, rightside up, showing the cover artwork and the title, and the other on the original placing (with the indentation) showing not the cover artwork, etc., but rather the game instructions. It'd actually be less expensive, I would think, than full fledged instruction booklets, which are nice but pretty non-sensical without game boxes.

Anyway, about Fringe:

You know things are bad for a show's prospects when the only clear time the show is consistently on in NYC (THE major media market) is late night on Saturday. During the normal prime time schedule, Fringe is pre-empted left and right. And that's when there aren't any local sports on Fox 5 here in the city. If there are games on during prime time hours, the show will either do an episode after the news (not usually likely), a double billing on Saturday late night, or not get shown at all (which has, in fact, happened).

It's too bad, too. It's really gotten interesting, IMHO, more so than the first season.

Oh, and I don't care if they got it accurate. They had Atari on the show rather than NES. That gives them points in my book. Not that I have anything against the NES, but I gotta dig the Atari love.

[kool kitty89]

spiffyone, on Tue Mar 1, 2011 2:27 PM, said:

You know things are bad for a show's prospects when the only clear time the show is consistently on in NYC (THE major media market) is late night on Saturday. During the normal prime time schedule, Fringe is pre-empted left and right. And that's when there aren't any local sports on Fox 5 here in the city. If there are games on during prime time hours, the show will either do an episode after the news (not usually likely), a double billing on Saturday late night, or not get shown at all (which has, in fact, happened).

It's too bad, too. It's really gotten interesting, IMHO, more so than the first season.

Huh, on the west coast (at least the SF bay area), it's Friday nights at prime time (used to be Thursday prime time). They also stopped pushing the limited 60/90 second commercials this season that had been a staple of the series previously. (not just shorter breaks, but longer than average duration -as far as modern TV shows go)

It's also no longer back to back with another major/popular Fox series (used to be with Bones -now after Kitchen Nightmares). That's one issue that I think heavily contributed to The Good Guys getting canceled. (not only moving it from the Monday Night time slot it had been in the Summer, but not pairing it with a popular/established series to piggyback on viewership, and putting it in direct competition with hugely popular shows on other networks -I think it was in the same slot as CSI) If they wanted it to have a real chance of getting established, they probably should have kept the Monday Night slot and put it back to back (before or after) HOUSE or something. (like in the slot Lie To Me got instead)
A shame, I really liked that one too. (one of the few comedies that really made me laugh out loud consistently, a good, original, fun show)

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Oh, and I don't care if they got it accurate. They had Atari on the show rather than NES. That gives them points in my book. Not that I have anything against the NES, but I gotta dig the Atari love.

Having an NES in '85 would have been pretty inaccurate too though. (especially if it was supposed to be in Boston -the NYC test market was the only place you could find NESs at retail in 1985 -and only late that year)

Edited by kool kitty89, Tue Mar 1, 2011 4:28 PM.

[Lynxpro]

kool kitty89, on Tue Mar 1, 2011 1:20 AM, said:

That reminds me: I watched Watchmen the other day and noticed the window based OS depicted in that looked rather like GEM though maybe it was more of a UNIX inspiration.

I thought it might be GEM [hoping it was an Atari ST] but it looked more like a Mac the last time I watched the show and paused the scene.



If the writers of Fringe were really up on their Atari trivia, they would've shown Peter reading the Atari Force comics, especially since they dealt with traveling through the multiverse...

[Lynxpro]

kool kitty89, on Tue Mar 1, 2011 1:20 AM, said:

Or IBM not using off the shelf parts for PC and partnering with DRI, or

Or IBM taking a 50% stake in Atari Inc. as Steve Ross was pressing them for...