Mar
28
Magnavox Odyssey
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It’s actually nice, to write about a gaming console or computer, that I have no real childhood memories of. It means I’m not actually as old as my kids would have you believe that I am. Allegedly, the first gaming console came from Magnavox, and was called the Odyssey. Ralph Baer was the inventor, and while it wasn’t officially released until 1972, he had a working prototype available in 1968. While it was a true innovation at the time, like many good ideas, it fell victim to poor marketing. Paving the way of course for other good ideas that never succeeded like the Sony Betamax, and the DVD-HD formats.
Many Odyssey aficionados of the day actually referred to the Odyssey as a analog (as opposed to a digital) console unit. It contained analog circuitry, and discrete components. While maybe not considered an innovation at the time, the Odyssey was purely power by batteries. A bit of a precursor to the modern mobile computing and portable handheld cell phones and gaming consoles that literally live or die on the strength of their batteries.
The Odyssey games were of the cartridge style, and needed to be inserted into a slot on the main machine. Several Pong like games were available for the Odyssey including Table Tennis, Ski, Simon Says, Fun Zoo, Cat and Mouse, Football, Running, Shooting Gallery, Interplanetary Voyage, and Volleyball to name just a few. That’s a pretty impressive list for a console that no sound capability, and limited color and graphics capability.
Magnavox with the Odyssey, also retains the dubious distinction of being the first company to instigate a video game lawsuit. They started of by going after Atari for the obvious infringement of the Pong game which was originally offered on the Odyssey game. Atari eventually settled out of court, but Magnavox went on to successfully sue Mattel, Nintendo, Activision and several others for a grand total of close to 100 million dollars. In the process, Magnavox became a true innovator in the lawsuit as business model for high tech companies of the future.
Mar
28
Commodore 64
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At the risk of horribly dating myself, I must to confess to owning one of the original Commodore 64 computers. Actually I should clarify that a little bit. My family owned a Commodore 64, as I was a little to young at the time to command the financial resources necessary to buy a computer. But, none the less I did manage to log plenty of time behind the keyboard of the “family” Commodore.
It was there, that I was to make my first painfully primitive attempt at writing a computer game. Actually calling that bit of code a game would be somewhat of a strange. There wasn’t a lot of user interaction with the “game”, as it was mainly a fancy animation of a sprite falling through a screen full of obstacles. But it was better than typing in the code from the latest issues of Commodore 64 fan magazines with program code filling many pages. That was my first intro to Peeks and Pokes and the idea of what a sprite was.
I did spend a fair amount of time with commercially available games on the Commodore. The series of Zork adventure games was some of the first I played. Lode Runner was also a popular family favourite, with my brother and I in a long heated battle for high scores that would often run till way to late many nights.
The Commodore 64 was produced for over ten years, from 1982 till 1993. Considering the rapid pace of computing and gaming consoles today, 10 years would equate to several life times. Even to this day, the 64 is still popular, if only from a historical, and nostalgic perspective. A query on Google for the term “Commodore 64” reveals over 8 million web pages of information. For a machine that has been out of production for over 15 years, and sold slightly more than 30 million units, that’s a pretty solid legacy.
Mar
28
Dreamcast Games
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Living in an age of gadget geeks, where the newest and coolest toys rule the sales charts, it’s hard to fathom that a console that is over 10 years old, still being news worthy. But the Sega Dreamcast is just such a machine. While Sega stop producing the machine over eight years ago, there are still games being developed for the Dreamcast in 2009. Rush Rush Rally Racing, Dux, Little Ninja, and Age Of The Beast are only a handful games, but give the age of the machine, that’s still a pretty remarkable fact these days.
The Achilles heel of any new gaming consoles on their release is an absence of available games. Buying a gaming console with no games, is akin to buying an automobile with no engine. Fortunately,, for Sega the Dreamcasat never really fell ill to this affliction. Even though EA shied away from the Dreamcast due to bad experiences with the Saturn, Sega and other developers produced enough games to keep the rabid dream cast fans a happy bunch.
Sonic Adventure, Hydro Thunder, and Sould Calibur are a few titles from the early days of the dream cast that helped produce record sales. The Madden series of NFL 2K1, and NFL 2001 proved to be popular games, as they rolled on to sales of over a half million units. To this day, a few of those original games still top the top ten lists of games for the Dreamcast along with Marvel VS Capcom 2, Resident Evil Code: Vero, Shenmue, Street Fighter 3, Sonic Adventure 2, Skies of Acadia, Sonic Adventure, Resident Evil 2, Phantasy Star Online, and Marvel VS Capcom.
Contrary to popular belief, the Nintentdo Wii, wasn’t the first console to put the “fun” back into gaming, Sega did it over a decade ago.
Mar
28
Sega Dreamcast
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In the world of cutthroat gaming consoles, it has always seemed to be a game of nothing is as good as the latest and greatest new toys. Anything (hardware or software) more than six months old, is considered to be less than passé. The Nintento Wii has broken through somewhat in the modern era by pushing the fun factor over technical advances, but they are not the first to be successful with a somewhat more maverick approach. The Sega Dreamcast was just such a machine, and given the fact that the Dreamcast was released in late 1998 and still has new games being developed for it today, it’s story is even that much more remarkable.
“It’s Thinking”, was the motto, behind the Dreamcast, but in reality, it was the people who built and market the console that were “Really Thinking”. The Dreamcast was ahead of it’s time in many ways, and that surely has to be one of the reasons why, it still continues to be a contender for the attention of gamers worldwide. In a tech age, where everything from your phone to your blu-ray player has internet capabilities, it may seem strange to remember a time when most electronics had no wi-fi capability. The Dreamcast, was actually the first console to include a built in modem, and full customer internet support.
A quick search for the term Dreamcast on Google shows over 20 million possible websites for the console. This in 2009, when it would seem that the Nintentdo Wii, the Sony PS3, and the Microsoft Xbox rule the roost for gaming console machines. The Dreamcast sold a record breaking quarter million consoles within the first twenty four hours it was released.
Mar
27
Antique Games
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If your looking for antique games, you’ve come to the right place. It doesn’t matter if your looking to add to your collection, hoping to spruce up the decor of your games room, or are serious about playing the games you purchase. It’s easy to find old games online, as your able to reach a much broader area possible sellers. There are many websites like eBay, or other antique specific auction sites that are full of vintage and antique games to choose from.
One of the more popular antique games available are old chess games. Partially, because the game itself has been around for so long, and partially because of the wide variety of chess pieces available. The pieces themselves are often pieces of art, and many collectors treat them that way, often using the game for display purposes only, or only playing the game on special occasions. Another old game that is often much sought after by collectors is the Chinese originated game of Go. Not as well known by a lot of Westerners, but one that rivals Chess in terms of strategy and skill.
Although not as sophisticated a game, one that I always look out for in antique shops, is crokinole. It’s played on a hexagon shaped board, made of wood, and broken into different point scoring areas. The idea being to move your small circular wooden pieces as close to the center as possible by flicking it with your finger. Rumor has it that the game originated in Canada, and some of the boards can be quite beautiful shaped works of wooden art.
Mar
27
Antique Game Table
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When looking for antique game tables, or anything antique there are a few things to keep in mind. Before we get to those, do keep in mind what it is you plan on using your vintage table for. Is a decorative piece, a collectible piece, and investment, or a table you plan on using on a regular basis. Antiques furniture in general and tables specifically require careful observation before making your purchase.
When buying antiques, sings of age like crack, chips and general can be a good thing, if there’s not too much of it. The fact that it has such imperfections, is a good indicator of authenticity. It can also help in dating the furniture. You may also want to give some though to a particular era, style, or maker of the table your considering. This can be especially important, when you think about the room your table will ultimately reside in. Unless your going for a totally eclectic look, you may want t match your new piece with the existing decor and furniture of the room.
When buying antique furniture online, since it’s not always easy to inspect the item in person, it’s important to review as many pictures and videos as possible. This is pretty easy to do these days, as just about everyone owns a digital camera. If you find a piece that intrigues you, but the seller hasn’t provided a lot of pictures, don’t be afraid to ask for more. It can go a long way to making your purchase a happier one.
Mar
27
Watch in High Definition! Classic Game Room HD reviews the Nintendo Wii ZAPPER gun add-on for the Wiimote to use with shooting games like House of the Dead Overkill and Link’s Crossbow Training! Shoot zombies and happy, child-friendly creatures with this Japanese-produced white, molded piece of plastic that magically transforms your Wii controller into an AK-47 assault rifle, laser cannon or teen rated crossbow. No batteries required, the Wii Zapper gun controller simply works with your …