(BBCMCCT) BBC Micro Computer Capturing Test
In this video I am just attempting to see how capturing footage from the BBC Microcomputer works and what type of setup will work for me reviewing some games on it.
Mind you it can be interesting yet boring at the same time! LOL

Thanks to Mark aka
http://www.youtube.com/user/ukretrogames

I ordered a Sony home computer system from the 80s from Bas and Ditta and had it refurbished and expanded a little to suit my needs.

Z80 CPU
256Kb RAM
128Kb Video RAM
2 Slots
2 Controller ports
RGB Out
720Kb Floppy drive

MSX2 goodness in Sony form. What other computer systems feature a green power button?

It looks like yet another incredible homebrew game is in development, this time an Atari 8-bit computer port of the classic 16-bit RPG, Dungeon Master, which made its way to many computers and consoles in the late 1980's through early 1990's.

Check out some of a mock-up and video of the conversion below, and be sure to visit the AtariAge forum post announcing the game's development:

Dungeon Monster (Atari 8-bit preview build)

Today's casual photos, taken with the Panasonic digital camera, are: WarGames (Coleco, 1984; Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64), D-Bug (Electronic Arts, 1983; Atari 8-bit), and International Sensible Soccer (Telegames, 1995; Atari Jaguar). Commentary and photos below:

WarGames (Coleco, 1984; Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64), is of course based on the classic 1983 MGM film (which itself was based on a book called War Games) starring Mathew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, which made the hacker lifestyle look oh-so-cool and appealing (and on an IMSAI no less, which was as hacker chic as you could get). For Coleco's short time as a prime-time console and computer player, 1982 - 1985, they made, featured or had several classics among the turkeys for theirs and other platforms. Certainly, WarGames (1983), is undeniably a ColecoVision classic, and Coleco fans were lucky enough for them to make it one of the few games they converted for use on computers (they obviously did quite a few Atari 2600 VCS and Mattel Intellivision conversions) before they expired in the world of videogames (Mattel followed a very similar course of action).

Gamasutra has released the last in the series of book excerpts from the future Hiive Books publication, this one on the Atari 8-bit computer series, from their "A History of Gaming Platforms" series from authors Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton. Check out the cover feature article here, and look below for images that Gamasutra chose not to use:

As luck would have it, I came across an amazing stash of Panasonic JR-200U (aka, Panasonic Personal Computer or PPC) stuff for about $40 shipped that puts my previous collection for this system to shame. In fact, the only major item not present in this new haul was Wordwatch. There will be no need for me to re-hash what was in the prior "A Long Visual Look at..." as you can just read it for yourself if you haven't already. Since all of the setup stuff is already taken care of, I can get right into this haul and PART 1, which will briefly lead into coverage of one of the interesting games now in my possession (subsequent parts will naturally follow suit in various degrees of detail).

First, here's a photo of the new stash, followed by a few cursory findings, then a preliminary look at the first game:

In lieu of doing this as a traditional Photo of the Week - Know your History! feature, I decided that this extremely obscure, but not particularly valuable vintage personal computer deserved a bit more attention.

I AM 8-BITSometimes I think I'm more intrigued by the video games culture bleeding into other forms of media and seeping deeper into popular culture, than I am in the games themselves. The "I AM 8-BIT" show at Gallery 1988 was referenced in a previous post as being featured in a vidcast elsewhere, but there was not a link in the AA post to the artwork featured. So, here it is:

micro-KIM: Prototype from Briel ComputersBriel Computers, the gentleman responsible for the popular "replica 1" Apple I clone and the in-progress "Altair PC" Altair 8800 modern re-imagining is at it again, this time with the "micro-KIM", a modern clone of MOS Technologies' KIM-1, which was originally created in 1975 by legendary engineer Chuck Peddle, and a pre-cursor of sorts to the rise of Commodore and the PET. Visit the Website for full information and to send Mr. Briel an e-mail expressing your interest in a pre-order (and at a projected $99, it seems like a good deal). I know I did!

The latest from Mr. Briel (typos edited):
"The final prototype is being tested before pre-orders begin. Before production can start on a new project like this, we need a minimum of 10 pre-orders. Soon an email will go out explaining this and the expected wait time. If you want to help get this project off the ground help by being one of the first 10 pre-orders. Once there are 10 pre-orders, the order will go into the board house to make the blank boards and that takes about 4 weeks. Once the boards arrive, kits will be made. The goal is to start taking pre-orders no later than June 30th.

If only 5 people pre-order, that probably won't be enough and if too much time goes by, refunds will be given. However, I don't expect that to be a problem."

One of the descriptions from the Website (typos edited):