News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

videotopia

Re:Recreating Jamie Fenton's GORF 2 arcade source code on Saturday September 26, 2026 @07:05AM (#49855358)
A cool look at how an arcade enthusiast recreated a prototype arcade game from 1981 referencing an old YouTube video.
Re:How did Atari apply side art to Arcade Cabinets? on Sunday June 14, 2026 @02:32PM (#48530886)
Try watching from 50 seconds in. It shows the process in as much detail as one would need I think.
Re:Unseen Footage of Atari Battlezone Arcade Cabinet Production on Saturday February 07, 2026 @11:51AM (#46925282)
Indeed.
Re:Unseen Footage of Atari Battlezone Arcade Cabinet Production on Saturday February 07, 2026 @11:50AM (#46925270)
That's hilarious. God bless the old Atari who wanted to sue the world. The irony now of course is that Atari no longer own Battlezone's IP. Rebellion managed to grab it when Atari went bankrupt in 2013.
Re:Atari's Mike Jang on Saturday May 04, 2024 @10:50PM (#40261920)
You'll probably enjoy the Ted Dabney Experience Podcast:

https://www.teddabneyexperience.com/

Re:The Taito Taitan arcade cabinet on Saturday February 10, 2024 @04:33AM (#39324852)
I think that's an Irish thing (they tended to run these travelling fairs). Lots of superstitions around anything "green", being displayed in a negative light. Like a giant alien bug head maybe.

I recall similar superstitions in the world of car racing. A green NASCAR car is a big no-no.

Humans are weird.

Re:The Taito Taitan arcade cabinet on Friday February 09, 2024 @06:29PM (#39321799)
I love how the makers of these cabinets filled in the creative blanks that the graphics on screen couldn't possibly do. This is an extreme example of that concept, but Atari were masters at it.

Sadly, it's the other way around now. Videogames are delivered with minimal packaging, or digital download only.

Re:Finding “Discs of Tron” on the Roadside on Friday July 28, 2023 @10:19AM (#36907168)
Discs of Tron cabinet have changed hands for $10K+ in recent months. This one appears to be in fabulous condition too.
Re:The Last Ridge Racer on Tuesday November 22, 2022 @01:26PM (#33709081)
Not to state the bleedin' obvious, but I will - the point of the UX is that the site adapts to the device being used. And it adapts well. The large image on the left in desktop mode is certainly different, but I like the execution personally.
Re:The Last Ridge Racer on Tuesday November 22, 2022 @04:04AM (#33703644)
I would think because this whole thing occurred literally weeks ago.
Re:The Last Ridge Racer on Monday November 21, 2022 @07:25PM (#33700171)
Incorrect sir. The whole point of wanting to save this machine, and emulate the code is so that it will 100% be made public. As the article states, this will happen when the time is right.
Agreed. This would make the most sense surely.
Hard to argue with that assessment. Its certainly up there. Those early Williams games were amazing.
Restoration just requires logic for the most part. before switching on a game that's sat somewhere for 30 years, start with power. Is the machine getting 240v (or 120 depending where you are). Then check the transformer/power brick - is it doing its job converting 240v AC to DC voltages. Measure those. Is the monitor getting power and working. Then you can plug in your PCB (assuming it's not corroded to hell). Then go from there. There's so much info out on the web these days, someone has usually documented most problems you're likely to come across.
Many of the cabinets are now in use, either in classic arcades here in the UK or in the hands of collectors. Most have been restored and are now fully functional.
Re:Atari Centipede’s Hidden Code Trap on Saturday June 29, 2019 @02:37PM (#20314058)
Could you expand on this a little for the uninitiated amongst us?
Re:Atari Centipede’s Hidden Code Trap on Saturday June 29, 2019 @11:31AM (#20313122)
Well to be fair, all there is to go on at this point is that document. The blog is pitched at a wide audience and is meant to be a "light" entertaining read, rather than something in depth and technical. But agreed, it would be interesting to know the exact process of "extracting" the coded message. The point of the article is that it was there (or to your point, it was claimed in court that it was there!), rather than how it got there. Bottom line - it did the trick.

Older »