March 2018
March 2018 Edition
I’ve been learning more about some of the most obscure versions of the 8-bit Atari computers, specifically those sold in Argentina. There are both 800XL and 65XE machines, plus 2600 Junior units, unique to Argentina, produced by Atari’s distributor there, Skydata. Well, they were made by Atari, by Skydata modified each one for sale in Argentina. You probably know that 8-bit Atari computers mostly came in two versions, NTSC for North American television, and PAL for European television. And then eventually we all learned that some of the models also came in a third version, SECAM for French televisions, where the SECAM computers were based on the PAL versions. NTSC, PAL, and SECAM are analog composite video color encoding standards. There were also standards for how to broadcast these signals over the air, with sound. These are letters like M, N, I, B, G and L. Each color standard was paired with a broadcast standard. So the common TV broadcast standards were NTSC M (North America), PAL I (UK), PAL B/G (Germany), and SECAM L (France). The Atari interfaced with TVs through the TV antenna input, so Atari produced computers and game systems for each of these common TV broadcast standards.
Just as I expected after receiving a message from Steve Peck saying that Lance, Brian and he could not obtain a ride to the February SPACE meeting. That left Glen and myself waiting until about 7:45 before calling it a night. At least I was able to see all the files on the February 8-bit DOM. I was really hoping to buy the ST DOM also after reading the newsletter, but that will have to wait until next month. Since we only had one DOM sold for $3.00 our bank balance went from $387.54 to only $390.54. Still we have the funds for paying our 2018 room rental bill. Thank you Rich Mier for your renewal of your SPACE membership. I got the check on Monday after the February meeting so the amount won’t show up on our records until the March meeting when I give the check to Glen for updating his membership listing. Rich sent the check from Arizona, and he apologized for Minnesota’s lousy weather. Then he goes on to say that the weather there is 80 degrees, clear and sunny. Thanks for rubbing it in Rich! That is all I have for this month. I hope we can have a more normal in March. See you all then.
Back to Argentina. In Argentina they used an unusual combination of standards, PAL N. Atari didn’t make any PAL N computers, so in order to sell machines that people could use with their TVs, Atari importer Skydata modified every unit before selling it. The fascinating thing? Skydata PAL N machines are based on the NTSC versions, modified for PAL output. Why would this be? Well, bandwidth parameters of the N broadcast standard essentially match M, and they are both very different than I/B/G/L. And the internal timings in the Atari are even more fundamental to the machine than is the type of color output. So that’s why Atari computers and game systems modified for PAL N for Argentina by Skydata were modified NTSC machines instead of modified PAL machines. When it comes to the hardware timings needed to produce a TV signal, PAL N is more like NTSC M than it is like PAL I or PAL B/G. Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting, Friday, March 9, 2018.
Message from Captain Irata: “Get a life! Two even! Score those points! Beat the game Make me proud, Cadet!” HOO-RAH! TRIVIA TIME! Atari Corporation used to be the largest video game company in the world, before the the 1983 video game crash.
HELLO WORLD! Sorry for not being at the Club last month. I want to be there this month for sure. My fervent apologies. There will be no Secretary’s Report because of my absence, for obvious reasons. But, I will try to get there and present my next Report. Thanks. In the words of the grest Stan Lee… EXCELSIOR! TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1: The President’s Corner The Treasurer’s Report The Secretary’s Report Trivia Time PAGE 2: Atari 8-bit DOM Review Recent Atari News Atari ST DOM Review PAGE 3: SPACE Comics Section
Hey, guys! Because of the fact I was not able to get the DOM for February, there will be no DOM Review for February. I apologize for the inconveniience. I will have two DOM reviews for the next issue. Thank you for reading. Recent Atari News NEW YORK, Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ Tastemakers, LLC., a growing global powerhouse company with products available in more than 50 countries, is bringing the hottest arcade games of all time into your home with the affordable Arcade1Up line of consumer arcade cabinets. The Arcade1Up is a nostalgia-invoking product that will steal the attention of the industry, media and consumers in 2018. Standing at four feet tall, these consumer arcade-style machines have the same gameplay as the originals, with same sounds, joysticks and buttons. The Arcade1Up lineup has five cabinets to choose from, each including four classic arcade games, such as Capcom’s Street Fighter II, and Atari’s Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command and more. “Players will be able to relive the 80s and 90s and get the joy of playing these games in a form that they were meant to be experienced”, said Scott Bachrach, CEO/President, Tastemakers. “These arcade-inspired cabinets will be the perfect affordable addition to anyone’s home or office space.” Arcade1Up games can be easily assembled and are displayed on a 17-inch color L.E.D screen. With no coins needed, these arcade cabinets allow for hours of continuous play! Join the retro craze and study your patterns, master your combos and practice your speed runs with Arcade1Up. Tastemakers, LLC., will be giving the first sneak peek at the hottest toy of the year, Arcade1Up at New York Toy Fair 2018 (booth #6372). Arcade1Up will be available fall 2018 for $399. About Tastemakers, LLC Founded in 2011, Tastemakers, LLC (formerly Wish Factory) is a growing global powerhouse with products available in more than 50 countries worldwide. Specializing in global product development, manufacturing sales, marketing and distribution, Tastemakers continues to shine as an industry leader with its unique and on-trend products. Popular brands include Kawaii Cubes, Hatchimals novelty plush, Rock & Roll figures, accessories and more, along with an exciting lineup of new brand and category announcements coming throughout 2018. Tastemakers’ electrifying line of toys and products continues to generate wishes worldwide. To learn more visit www.tastemakersllc.com Tastemakers and the Tastemakers logo, and Arcade1Up and the Arcade1Up logo, are trademarks of Tastemakers, LLC in the U.S. and other countries. All rights reserved. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners. SOURCE Tastemakers, LLC
By Michael Allard (Image Credits: Bill Bertram/Wikipedia) This time of year I always remember back to the hype Atari created when they were announcing Pac-Man coming to the 2600 home console. The taunts about it being the only home version of the popular and much loved video game character created a lot of controversy when it finally hit store shelves. After Atari’s 2600 version of Pac-Man became a reality it was soon clear just how easy it was to mess up everything loved about a video game, and Atari learned that they were not as invincible as would like to believe. Gamers were no longer happy with just an OK home port of their loved arcade games... they wanted that “just like the arcade” experience. While I missed the excitement of the 2600’s PacMan because my first console was the 5200 I was not immune to the many PacMan clones that appeared on computer platforms. Surprise, surprise, I found one on the ST that is fun but not exactly like the arcade. And that is what this month’s ST DOM is about. Hac-Man 2 is a PD clone of Pac-Man but with a few twists. Each ghost has traits that were not in the original arcade. For example, one ghost can be seen roaming around the maze upside-down and another one tries to be invisible yet you can still see their eyes. The maze is the same as seen in Pac-Man but missing are the fruits. I have to be honest, though, I’ve not seen many clones ever get the movements of Pac-Man and his ghostly friends right. The arcade original has everything running smoothly. Even the 2600 and 5200 ports have the characters moving fluidly. Most clones manage to miss this and Hac-Man II, while it comes close, still misses a bit. However it is still a fun game. To play Hac-Man II you will need a joystick connected to the computer. Use the keyboard to start and select a starting level and then press Return on the keyboard. After that, grab the joystick for a bit of arcade fun. The first couple of levels will seem slow but give it a chance you might find it more enjoyable after that. Using the fire button on the controller will speed things up if you hold it down. Other features include high score saves and each ghosts’ performance ratings on the title screen. That’s it for this month’s ST DOM. I hope you enjoy it. Unfortunately this game took up a whole disk. I kept trying to place only required files on another disk to try to cram on more but even then there was not enough space for anything else. I will be back next month with another ST DOM disk and review.
The next SPACE meeting is on Friday, March 9, 2018, at 7:30 PM We hope to see you there! Thanks again!
SPACE COMICS SECTION! Yes! Comics are back in the SPACE Newsletter! It is again time to add a little fun to the Newsletter again. So, sit back, relax, and have a few laughs. I will try to make this comics section more permanent in the Newsletter. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for reading and have fun, folks.
The Adventures of A-Man and C.D. By Steven Peck
C.D., the Art Critic…