June 2024
•June 2024 Edition•
Atari acquires Intellivision! I guess it’s not that exciting in today’s world, who even remembers Intellivision? Well, I do! Most of my childhood friends had 2600s, but I certainly remember which friend’s houses had one of those weird Intellivision systems instead. Never could have guessed that some 40 years later Atari would essentially buy out Intellivision. I thought it was a cool headline anyway. I’ve written about double-sided double density 360K formats on the 8-bit Atari here before, haven’t I? I found myself revisiting details of the various implementations by DOS versions based on Atari DOS 2, after I found some additional details about the German Turbo-DOS XL/XE and Bibo-DOS 360K formats. They are not the same! But Turbo-DOS XL/XE came with utilities for accessing 360K Bibo-DOS disks. The Bibo-DOS DSDD format is reportedly compatible with the way MYDOS makes a DSDD 360K disk (which requires using the custom formatting option, it’s not a standard MYDOS format). TOP-DOS and (the Australian) SuperDOS each have their own DSDD 360K formats that I believe are not compatible with each other, nor any of the others. That leaves MachDOS. MachDOS can also make and use DSDD 360K floppy disks, but are they exchangeable with DSDD 360K disks of any of the other DOS versions mentioned? I still do not know. MachDOS documentation that I could find doesn’t say enough to tell. And I’m not good enough with the emulators to test, at least not without spending a lot more time to figure out a way to do it. Can any readers of this article do the experiment of documenting the differences and compatibility of the DSDD 360K formats of all these DOS versions, especially MachDOS? Get in touch! Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting: Friday, June 14, 2024.
We had five members present at the April SPACE meeting. We started off with the monthly DOM, and because of a game on the disk I now have to learn how to figure out binary numbers. I never had much interest in programming so all I remember about binary is that it’s all about zeros and ones. My programming skills were copying lines of a program from a magazine and comparing the resulting line code with the line number code in the magazine. My most favorable memory was I believe from a program in a Compute magazine. It was a word processing program called Speedscript and it was huge. It took me days to type in, and many excruciating hours to test and make sure all the lines of code matched the magazine’s two-digit correct code. I was very excited when everything matched and it actually ran perfectly! Anyway, the highlight of the meeting was the Atari 400 Mini that Roger brought in. I wished my two grandkids could have seen this in action. I was super impressed and now I am thinking with their birthdays coming up and within a month of each other this Atari 400 Mini would be a great birthday gift for both of them. Thank you Roger for the best idea ever! Now for the SPACE treasury. We started the month of April with a bank balance of $1,829.45. We added one membership renewal for $15.00 and sold four DOMs for $12.00 for a total of $27.00 for the month. So, we now have a SPACE bank balance of $1,866.45. Our next SPACE meeting is May 10th, and like every other year it lands on fishing opener weekend. That’s okay with me because the only fish I care to catch is on my Atari, so I will be there next month and I hope you will join me!
–TABLE OF CONTENTS– PAGE ONE: The President’s Corner Treasurer’s Report Secretary’s Report PAGE TWO:
MEMBERSHIP COUNT: There were ten paid-up members at the time of the May SPACE Meeting, with no membership dues needing to be paid as of yet. DOM REPORT: As always, Glen K. had another great DOM with cool files. One of them was a game called “Greedy Bat,” which showed the played controlling a bat trying to get treasures throughout the game. More will be revealed in the July 2024 Atari 8-bit DOM Review, since I couldn’t get the May DOM in time for the next Review. WEBSITE REPORT: There was no Website Report to tell. It is assumed, however, that the SPACE Website is functioning within normal parameters. OLD BUSINESS: There was an Atari 800XL computer for sale on Craigslist in Andover, MN, but it was sold and it made for great conversation. Other than that, there was no other Old Business to report. NEW BUSINESS: There is a new revision (Ver. 4, to be exact) of the POKEYMax chip, which is an enhanced recreation of the original POKEY sound chip from Atari, and can be worked on by anyone because it is now open-source. Also, for curiosity’s sake, an Atari TT030 computer was being sold at Free Geek in Minneapolis for originally $2,000.00, reduced by $100.00 in price every week it hadn’t sold. Let’s hope it sells, and it should soon! We also had a discussion on FPGAs and if they were emulation, and it is understood that it is and also isn’t that. Although it is more hardware than software, it isn’t 100% perfect. But, it can be made better for some applications. Also, it was discussed that it can be any known chip or an entirely new chipset. It is also cheaper to use FPGAs than creating a new chip from scratch.
PAGE FIVE:
The May 2024 SPACE Meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM.
SPACE Comics Section
Well, folks, this concludes the SPACE Secretary’s Report for May 2024. I will be back for yet another Secretary’s Report for next month. I bid you all adieu. In the words of the late, great Stan Lee…
“If you don’t play Atari, don’t feel sorry! Play it later instead and feed your head!”
PAGE THREE:
In Nintendo’s 1981 arcade hit “Donkey Kong,” Mario was not depicted as a plumber. He was originally a brave carpenter in the storyline.
The SPACE Meeting last month commenced at 7:48 PM, on Friday, May 10, 2024. Thanks to Tom L. for the Zoom links and the soldering lessons at the Meeting. I couldn’t physically get to the Meeting, but I was able to go online that night. It was a lifesaver.
Recent Atari News
Atari Multi-Platform Game Review
TRIVIA TIME!
Well, here we are with another Secretary’s Report! Let’s get started. Here is a synopsis of what happened at the May 2024 SPACE Meeting.
Although not pursued for a while, there was more talk about using Discord over Zoom in SPACE Meetings. It seemed to gain more favour with people because it’s free and no extra links to keep the Meeting going online are needed. We needed four Zoom links before in the last Meeting. But, only one link is needed for Discord, and we have a SPACE Discord channel already anyway.
Message from Captain Irata:
HOO-RAH!
HELLO WORLD!
EXCELSIOR!
ATARI MULTI-PLATFORM GAME REVIEW By Steven Peck Welcome! In this Atari Multi-Platform Game Review, we will review Coleco’s “Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel’s Castle,” for the Atari 2600. In this game, you play a Smurf who has to rescue Smurfette from Gargamel, and the journey can be treacherous. But, it’s a fun game. NOTE: Because I did not have the May 2024 DOM due to the fact I was no present in May’s meeting, there will be no Atari 8-bit DOM Review until July. Again, we will have a double-DOM Review in the July 2024 Newsletter, just in time for the SPACE Birthday Party.
In the game, you have to avoid birds, bats, spiders and rivers. Most of the time, you have to jump and avoid obstacles, like fences and chairs in Gargamel’s castle. This is mainly a children’s game, but it is interesting for adults as well, and it is a great collector’s item.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thanks for your understanding!
For an A2600 game, it has simple but discernible graphics. It’s cute and it is easy to play. But, you have to time your moves in special ways, or your jumps can get you killed. If you time your moves correctly, you can avoid obstacles every time.
BUY DOMs TO SUPPORT SPACE & GET COOL FILES!
As for the overall game play, it could be more challenging. But, it’s understood that it is just a kid’s game. It’s supposed to be easy so kids of all ages can play it. Interesting, cute and simple premise make a great game for a child. The graphics are simple, yet colorful. Actually, it is valuable because it is somewhat rare. If you have this game, you may want to keep it as long as you can for your Atari collection. I am sure it will expand exponentially in value because of its rarity. Plus, it is a classic. With that, I will score this game now. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Music/Sound FX: TOTAL SCORE:
NOTICE! 7 7 9 8 31/40 (78%)
This concludes the Atari Multi-Platform Game Review. I will be back with other articles next month. Until then, Carpe Diem, fellow Atarians, and thanks for reading. I will part with some screenshots of “Smurf: Rescue from Gargamel’s Castle,” so be entertained! Thanks again.
SPACE is on Discord! If you cannot physically make it to the SPACE Meeting, we will stream it online live for you! First, click onto or copy this invite link: https://discord.gg/r9Q4AxuNmQ This permanent invite link will also provided by email. Once you are in Discord, click Accept to join the group. To join a Meeting online at the time of the physical Meeting, click the audio channel “Meeting Stream” in the menu and you will be live!
Recent Atari News Purchase of Intellivision Trademarks and Games Unites Competing Brands from the '70s and ‘80s Atari® — one of the world's most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — announced today it has purchased the Intellivision brand and certain games from Intellivision Entertainment LLC. Intellivision Entertainment LLC will rebrand and continue its business of developing and distributing the Amico brand game console with a license from Atari to continue to distribute new versions of the Intellivision games on the Amico console. Atari will seek to expand digital and physical distribution of legacy Intellivision games, potentially create new games, and explore brand and licensing opportunities as part of a long-term plan to create value from the Intellivision properties. “Uniting Atari and Intellivision after 45 years ends the longest running console war in history,” said Mike Mika, Studio Head at Digital Eclipse, an Atari-owned game studio. The first Intellivision home video game console was released by Mattel Electronics in 1979 and the console platform sold an estimated 5 million units through 1990. Atari and Intellivision arguably fought the first console war of consequence in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Mattel went as far as enlisting the actor George Plimpton to appear in a series of ads comparing the two systems, as well as an eight-minute long video shown at the Gamescom trade show. “This was a very rare opportunity to unite former competitors and bring together fans of Atari, Intellivision and the golden age of gaming,” said Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari.
We need your articles! If you wish to channel your inner F. Scott Fitzgerald and want to send in an article, please feel free to send them to the SPACE Newsletter Editor!
The purchase includes the rights to more than 200 titles from the Intellivision portfolio and the Intellivision trademarks.
Please try to send your articles within two weeks of the Club’s occurrence every month. They then will be posted.
“Atari has been a valuable partner and we have every confidence they will be a responsible steward of the storied Intellivision brand,” said Phil Adam, CEO of Intellivision Entertainment. “We look forward to our expanded collaboration and the prospect of bringing a broad array of new titles to the Amico family gaming platform.”
The SPACE Newsletter Editor’s contact information is, of course, on the back of every SPACE Newsletter!
To mark the occasion new Intellivision t-shirts are available starting today on Atari.com, with more Intellivision apparel and collectibles to come.
Thanks for posting and for supporting your SPACE Club! We hope to see more articles soon!
WANTED! Ideas (from SPACE Members) Suggested for Future Comics! Please feel free to email The Newsletter Editor! The Email Address is on the Last Page of the Newsletter! Thanks!
SPACE COMICS SECTION! TOP PANEL: The Misadventures of A-Man and C.D. BOTTOM PANEL: Ferret Fracas!
06/10/2024
Vice President: Brian Little E-Mail: demomantna@gmail.com The next SPACE meeting will commence on Friday, June 14, 2024, at 7:30 PM, local time! We hope to see you there! Thanks for coming!
Another Message from Captain Irata: “That’s all she wrote, SPACE Cadets!” HOO-RAH!