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Archives for September 2016

Pac-Dog

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pac-dog featuredHello Denizen‘s latest video features the adorable ‘Pac-Dog’ running around a live-action maze. The video is titled ‘Pac-Dog (Animal Arcade Ep. 1)’ – which leads us to believe there will be more cute videos like this heading our way, and that’s OK with us. Now enjoy the cutest little arcade character: Pac-Dog.


Source: Hello Denizen on YouTube via Laughing Squid

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

 

 

Pioneer LaserActive: One Machine. Infinite Possibilities

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LaserActive_CLD-A100Pioneer’s CLD-A100 LaserActive player will go down in video games history as one of the most ill-conceived pieces of technology, the priciest and biggest (in size and weight) gaming device of all time. With dimensions that could fit 4 x Sega Mega Drives in the same footprint and weighing in at several kilos, this behemoth was huge to say the least. To match its hefty size, the LaserActive came in at a whopping pricetag of $1,000USD (and this was in 1993!)! Only someone with Trump’s bank balance would even contemplate splurging on this Pioneer bling.

Make sure the cart label is facing down! LaserActive_DoubleDragon

The LaserActive was an attempt to converge the latest and hottest electronic technologies (at the time) into the one set-top device! The unit was a Laserdisc player primarily, enabling its owner the luxury of watching movies – laserdiscs weren’t cheap either! The device could also play audio compact discs, karaoke and video games based on Sega’s Genesis/Mega Drive/MegaCD and NEC’s PC-Engine systems via add-on expansion modules called PACs. Once you invested in the CLD-A100, you had to seek a further bank overdraft to purchase the PACs to enable you to enjoy some karaoke and play your 16-bit (Sega and/or NEC) games. These PACs were $600USD each, so all up, the machine and it’s karaoke, Sega and NEC PACs would set you back $2,800USD! Mind you, there were also PACs to allow the LaserActive player to connect to a computer (MAC / MS-DOS or NEC PC98) and 3D Glasses too. Which ever way you looked at it, the Pioneer LaserActive made the Neo Geo AES and its games seem like pocket-change!

Get your vocal chords ready! Just slot the PAC-K1 in your LaserActive player!
LaserActive_Karaoke_front

Ready your HuCards!
LaserActive_PCEngine

We are assuming that Pioneer wanted to join the converged device market and get a jump on their competition like the 3DO, Philips’ CD-i , Memorex VIS and Commodore’s aging Amiga-in-a-box, the CDTV. Hindsight is always 20/20 when looking at failed technologies, and we bet Pioneer wishes that it never even entertained the idea of the LaserActive!

So why were we drawn to this albatross of the video games market? Just like anything that was deemed bad (remember the Power Glove?), we were intrigued to find out for ourselves how terrible this device was. Having the Pioneer CLD-A100 LaserActive in our collection, we have found that we use it mainly to play our Sega Genesis (NTSC-A) games and a few laser-disc movies we had lying around from the early 90s. Apart from that, can we recommend the machine that promised: One Machine. Infinite Possibilities? Absolutely not! Nice try Pioneer!

3D Glasses! You better have strong neck muscles!
LaserActive_3DGoggles_side

Turn it on!
LaserActive_TV

Pioneer LaserActive Is… Too much bling!
LaserActive_Is_advertimage source: mondocoolmedia

Blow The Cartridge 6: The Retrogaming Comic Book!

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BlowTheCartridge6_TitleOh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Now I am hyperventilating! So what has got this retro gamer so excited you ask? Even if you didn’t ask, I am still going to tell you. Are you ready for it? Our awesome and very talented friend, Cameron Davis has kicked off another Kickstarter to bring us Blow The Cartridge numéro six ! Yep, the bestest retrogaming comic book can only come to life if you head to Kickstarter now and pledge for any tier that tickles your fancy! If Cam’s previous Blow The Cartridge comics are anything to go by, this one is going to be a doozy!

Having a rare opportunity to ask Cam for a memorable quote, he was nice enough to give us this gem, “I like vanilla ice-cream”. So there you have it, make what you will out of that. Now go and check out Blow The Cartridge on Kickstarter!


source: Kickstarter