17 replies to this topic

[Jess Ragan]

I actually bought this thing, and as the dozens of negative reviews I've read predicted, I only got fifteen minutes of entertainment out of it. However, I decided to have a little more "fun" with the system and started taking it apart. I was surprised to discover that the main circuit board was about the size of a Triscuit... about a couple inches long by a couple inches wide. That's pretty impressive when you consider the TV Game has ten games, plus the interface, plus some fairly lengthy text introductions for each game. Also, I noticed that the components were glued together rather sloppily... there were strands of glue trailing from globs holding in some of the components.
I couldn't tell just what kind of processor they used in the TV Game, since the chips were held in place by globs of black plastic that made them impossible to see. However, the controller pinouts seemed pretty straightforward, leading me to believe that you could probably set the entire system in a wide variety of controllers (PSX, Saturn, Genesis, etc.) without much trouble. Any of those would be a big improvement over the joypad built into the unit.
In all, I guess I got my seven dollars' worth out of the system, but not from actually playing it.

JR

[Stella'sGhost]

It's a collectors item I suppose, or for very young children. Most kids today would probably prefer Nintendo.

Considering all those games together only took up 40K of code, and with todays micro sized chips it's no surprise to find such few components and few pieces.
I don't know what they did, but it's most likely based on a software emulator that plays files similar to how BINS run on STELLA.

What they should have done, and probably couldn't for legal reasons, was put ALL of the Activision library inside this unit, it would hardly add to the cost of the hardware inside the unit, then that would have been a real gem of a toy!

[Cassidy Nolen]

I am wanting to get into one and install a cartridge port. Do not know if it could be done, but it would be really cool to do.

Honestly, with the technology now, it is no suprise they can make it tiny.

Someone posted some pics a few weeks back of the inside.

Cassidy

[mojofltr]

...

Edited by mojofltr, Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:52 PM.

[monster angriff]

That Atari joystick idea would be amazing, I would definitly be on top of that. How hard could it be? You could jam a 256 in 1 cart o it as well and have a ton of games. This needs to be done!

[jahfish]

i bet nowadays you could fit all atarigames in just one tiny game&watch handheld ...

[Cassidy Nolen]

I think I have 600 binaries for 2600, and the entire folder is like 4 megs. The eprom that Sean uses for the vectrex multi cart is big enough to hold them all, sans the bankswitching issue.

The controller hack is a slick trick I had not considered. I wonder if you could add a screen and a port for a second controller, sort of VCSJr-ish. Cool idea. Can anyone get schematics for the Activision piece? Aw, now I have ANOTHER project.

Current projects:
-Copying Quadrun for a friend.

-Building a Multi-Star Wars upright (MAME Machine in a Star Wars cabinet that uses the real Star Wars controls-plays all the vector 2 button games)

-Selling all my Transformers G1 collection on ebay

-Now this

Geehz.

Cassidy

[BurgertimeBoy]

My unit does not work either. The color is all washed out and pale and there is no contrast, so you cannot tell one object from the other on the screen. I didn't even get 15 min. of entertainment out of it. It appears that I got a defective game. I sent an email to ToyMax customer service weeks ago and STILL have not heard back from them. Not only is their product crappy, so is their customer service.

[d8thstar]

ACK! cassidy? you are converting a star wars upright to a mame cab? oh man, restore that machine, throw in the empire strikes back roms and play those two games alone.

i'm converting an upright now for mame and it only cost me $100 for the jamma cabinet. please, for the love of all things holy, leave your star wars as is!

[Official Ninja]

@BurgertimeBoy:

Plug the Activision TV games into a VCR A/V input. (Line input) You can't use this device direct to a TV A/V input.

Charlie

[geogray]

Thought I'd throw my two cents worth in:
While this unit may not be a prize winner, it still plays a decent game of Pitfall. My four year old LOVES the Freeway game. Colorful, simple and easy for him to play. The unit is the right size for him as well. I suspect ToyMax had really young kids and old timers like us in mind when they released this thing. Far from state of the art, it is still a decent play...15 minutes at a time. And for ten bucks, you can't go wrong!
Cheers!

[Albert]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MoJoFLTR:
It would be neat to see someone do a hardware hack and put this in an authentic Atari 2600 joystick. Also if it is in fact emulating the 2600, perhaps someone could splice in their own board a nice varied collection of different games.

---

I think this is a cool idea, but I don't know if it would fit in a standard Atari joystick without making the base of the joystick taller. You'd have to fit in a circuit board that has the hardware to emulate a 2600, plus the EPROM for the games, plus the AV output, plus switches/buttons for difficulty, color/bw, reset, select, and probably some kind of power switch. Additionally, it would need to contain a battery of some sort. Still, if it could be done it would be a very cool project.

..Al

[zanza]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MoJoFLTR:
It would be neat to see someone do a hardware hack and put this in an authentic Atari 2600 joystick.

---

Sounds truly impossible.
If you have already opened an original 2600 controller you will definitely see the space that remains....you can't even put a power supply like a 9V cell, so imagine you got to put the tiny board with the games on it plus some extras buttons (original atari has only one !!)
Like Albert says you must probably create a new bottom, taller to accomodate the whole shebang in it.

I've ordered some Activision 10-in-1 from a guy at 4.00$ each and I will keep one boxed to have it.
But I'm gonna play with two or three others and dismantling to see the guts and maybe find a way to put it in an another controller.

In fact I've this Genesis infrared controller lurking around which is dead (his twin brother works perfectly by the way)
and there's already space for the four AA cells so I think I could cram the whole Activision guts into it , reroting the buttons and put a cable RCA easily which would be truly cool methink.

I will post if I succeed of course

[CosmicJoke]

@ z_a_n_z_a : Where did you find the Activision 10-in-1 for $4.00 each? If anyone else knows where you can get them that cheap please reply

[Cassidy Nolen]

Just to clarify....

I got an empty (and I mean completely empty) Star Wars cabinet for free. I already have a SW cockpit, and decided to run the emulator route because I can do it
a: for the same money
b: play all three SW games in one cab (Jedi is raster)
c: games like Vapor or Stun Runner use the same controls, and might be easy to convert.

I am, in no way, making any changes to the cabinet whatsoever, other than a super good scrubbing. The art is perfect, and I will spend the money for a new marquee. I honestly cannot tell the difference between playing in the cockpit (from a real board) and the emulated one. That is saying a lot (of course, I am running premium emulator stuff, not a dead old pc!).


One day she will be converted back, maybe not by me, but by someone. Atari never dies, it just resets.


Cassidy

[zanza]

I found them on eBay at 6.00$ each but I told the guy i will take some (he claims he had more than 50) if he made a discount so I have take ten of it at 4.00$ each

I got some friends normally interested who have "pre-order" it to me.
The rest I'll put on Yahoo or eBay one time maybe I dunno....in 3 years when evrybody wants to have one (who knows LOL, ahem I'm not sure if this thing can be so damn hunted in the future, but....)

[mos6507]

>>
Far from state of the art, it is still a decent play...
<<

The sad thing is with these emulations like this or Activision Classics for PSX is that to the younger crowd it gives them a really poor first impression of the 2600 (washed out colors, jerky framerates, inaccurate audio, etc...)

If a kid actually saw a real 2600 after playing these emulations he'd probably be somewhat impressed with the improvement.

[ 03-12-2002: Message edited by: Glenn Saunders ]

[geogray]

I must have a fantastic unit then. Colors are fine. Sound is ok, it is somewhat close to 2600 quality (I use that lightly) and the motion is as fluid as can be expected, considering the technology being emulated. I don't want to seem like I am trashing the 2600, I am not, but this little device, with some minor exceptions, does a decent job. As far as PC Emulators, Stellax is great. I don't think it would dissuade anyone. Makes me wish I still had the real thing! : )
I suspect the quality control (or lack thereof) of the TV Games thingy is poor and I got real lucky. Of course, if I plug it into the VIDEO IN and AUDIO IN of my set, the signal IS bad. Going through the video switch or the VCR seems to clean it up. Also, my little 5 inch LCD monitor does an ok job with it too.