Old console = cheap funMar 14 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Classic Console Games
The Bottom Line Classic consoles are a world of fun and cheap to buy. If you buy one, however, just go in with the knowledge that collecting for classic consoles is addicting.
With all the chest-thumping and hollering about the Playstation 2, GameCube and Xbox these days, it's hard to remember that there was an equal amount of enthusiasm just a few short years ago over those "old" systems that were put out to pasture. Indeed, classic consoles are still as fun as they ever were and can usually be purchased for next to nothing. While I don't claim to be an authority on classic consoles, I have been collecting the things since the Atari 2600 was "the" system to get. Perhaps I've learned something over the years, and perhaps not. However, I do have a few observations about consoles that I'd like to share: 1. Atari 2600 -- Here's where console gaming really began. Sure, there were some companies making cartridge-based systems before Atari trotted out its 2600 (called the VCS when first released, by the way), but none of those early systems were nearly as successful as the old "Stella" console. Why? In 1980, Atari licensed Space Invaders, and the rest is history. The idea of playing arcade games at home excited people, and Space Invaders was the first "killer app" for the 2600. Space Invaders was followed with other great titles such as Missile Command, Asteroids and Ms. Pac-Man (avoid the 2600 port of Pac-Man as it's awful, by the way -- Ms. Pac-Man, however, is one of the best titles for the system). The Atari 2600 can be found in the wild for next to nothing. In short, if you can scrape up $25 or so, you can probably find a 2600 and some good, common carts on eBay. The 2600 has simple graphics and horrible sound (bleep! bleep! bloop!), but it also has a huge cartridge library with a lot of good things. The graphics on arcade ports might be a bit slight, but the system is still a lot of fun and games are cheap. 2. Magnavox Odyssey 2 -- This machine is pretty terrible, but I still like it. If you can imagine, the sound is even worse than what's on the Atari 2600, and the graphics are more simplistic. I'm sure it was hard for Magnavox to build a console that was less powerful than the 2600, but the company managed it. The Odyssey 2 features a keyboard, some of the best controllers ever made (a joystick with one button) and a library of games that are cheap, yet mostly awful. You can find one of these for next to nothing (I've seen consoles go on eBay for as little as $5) and the games don't cost much, either. If you get an Odyssey 2, make sure to pick up "The Voice" unit. Not a lot of games support it, but there's nothing like that early-80s, computer-generated speech on games like Attack of the Timelord! 3. ColecoVision -- This has one of the better ports of Donkey Kong and a lot of great, lesser known arcade ports (Pepper II, Mr. Do, Looping and Gorf spring to mind). The graphics and sound are far ahead of the 2600. The only real problem with the ColecoVision has to do with its horrible controllers. They stink and make precision control almost impossible. Super Action controllers are better, but those are rare and expensive. Still, this system is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the ColecoVision I've had since 1984 quit working about a month ago and I haven't gotten around to replacing it. Evidently, ColecoVision's weren't too reliable as they are a bit rare and expensive on eBay. Games, however, are pretty cheap. A popular expansion was a unit that allowed 2600 games to be played on the ColecoVision. I never got it as I own a 2600. 4. Atari 5200 -- Another system with awful controllers, this console was Atari's answer to the ColecoVision. It's, essentially, a scaled-down Atari 800 computer and featured great sound and graphics for the time (mid-1980s). You get some fantastic arcade ports on this one. Although the gaming public was getting a bit tired of "old" arcade ports when the 5200 was out there (although there are plenty of good titles for it that aren't arcade games) and those non-centering, analog sticks were often criticized because they were easily broken. The 5200 might cost a bit (over $50 for a good system on eBay, but you might get a deal). The carts, however, tend to be cheap. 5. Atari 7800 -- I love this system! It was released in 1986 and had no chance against the Nintendo Entertainment System. It got cut to pieces by Nintendo, in fact. However, I love mine. You get crisp graphics, the capability of great sound, and the ability to play 2600 carts. One of the things that killed the system, however, is that it was primarily a machine for arcade ports. Look at it this way. The cart that came with the 7800 was Pole Position II (which was old by 1986), while the NES came with Super Mario Brothers (one of the most successful platform games of all time). A 7800 will probably set you back around $50 on eBay. Once again, games tend to be dirt cheap and you get some truly amazing arcade ports with this system. 6. Nintendo Entertainment System -- Just when everyone thought console gaming was dead, Nintendo released this thing. I love this little system as it has some fantastic sports titles, RPGs, puzzle games, platformers and everything else available. When it comes to classic gaming, you can't miss with this one. The only problem with the system is that that connector in the cartridge port gets dirty easily, thus making it a chore to get games to work. However, those can be found for little money on the Internet. The system and games are cheap and common as sin. This is a fantastic little unit, boasting good graphics, nifty sound and a lot of fun. 7. Bally Astrocade -- Another machine that just couldn't touch the Atari 2600. Sure, it had better graphics and sound, but most of the games were either rip-off versions of arcade classics or uninspired things that looked like early games for the 2600. Still, it has some great controllers that are precise and comfortable. And, there are enough games available to keep most folks happy. Sadly, this is a rare and expensive unit (I got $150 on eBay for my Bally and about 15 common games). You're better off with an Atari or Intellivision. 8. Mattel Intellivision -- This competed well with the 2600 and features sharper graphics, a great voice unit (not included with the base console, of course) and better sound. A lot of titles are available and everything from sports titles to arcade shooters are available. The one problem with this machine is the awful controller. You get a "phone pad" layout and a flat disc to manipulate and control all the movement. However, you can get used to that controller easily enough, and there are great titles available. These, too, are fairly cheap on eBay (but not as cheap as a 2600). Sure, there are other systems available, but the ones I've listed are the only ones I know anything about. And I decided not to get into the whole Super NES/Sega Genesis thing. I figured stopping with eight-bit systems was appropriate (although the Intellivision is a weird, 10-bit console) as everything else seems to "modern" somehow. Extra Special Bonus!!! RF modulators are miserable. That little "TV/Game" switch that accepts the input from Atari systems and other machines just leak interference all over the place. The good news is, you don't have to use one as there's a cheap alternative available. For about $2, you can pick up a converter that has a female RCA plug on one end and a male "F" plug (standard cable connector) on the other. Run the output lead from the classic console into the RCA plug and hook the other end to the cable input on your television. And, you get crystal clear picture and sound. If you want to get really fancy, buy an "A/B" switch so that the cable can be run in one side and the video game lead into the other. That way, you can simply switch to watch television or play games whenever you want instead of swapping out cables. Have fun!  |
| Read all comments (2)|Write your own comment |
