ausretrogamer

Getting Cosy At The Commodore Club

July 21, 2014 By ausretrogamer

On a chilly winter’s day, things were getting quite heated at the Commodore Club meet; from Paul trashing yours truly in a ‘Brazil v Germany’ scoreline in Hat Trick, to Weird and Retro’s Aleks ‘Serby’ Svetislav smashing my time record on Micro Hexagon. I was definitely off my game (Ed: pun fully intended)!

Win or lose, it is always fun playing old school games with friends in the comfort of a nice and warm (Ed: non-hostile?) environment. When it’s cold out there, the Commodore Club is the place to be at. Bring on next month’s meet!

Line’em up baby!

Yours truly impressing the lads in Micro Hexagon!

Brazil (yours truly) v Germany (Paul) = FIFA World Cup 2014 scoreline!

After being brutalised in Hat Trick, I had to test out the equipment. It wasn’t faulty!

Paul (aka: ZenMareRetro) having a crack on Jeff Minter’s Lazer Zone

Get to the choppa! Do it now!

Free eBook: The History of Psygnosis

July 20, 2014 By ausretrogamer

Do you like free stuff? What a silly question to ask. Of course you do!

The Retro Asylum crew, together with Paul Driscoll, have created an excellent eBook on one of video gaming’s iconic developer, Psygnosis. Who could forget their awesome box-art (and brilliant games too)!

Do yourself a favour and grab the eBook here (it is free!). While you are at it, you may want to listen to the companion ‘The History of Psygnosis’ podcast too.

PAX Aus: Bigger, Badder, Better for 2014

July 18, 2014 By ausretrogamer

It was a year to the day when the first international PAX event left American shores bound for Melbourne, Australia! It was a privilege to exhibit with our fellow retrohilcs, Retrospekt and Retro Domination at PAX Aus 2013. We had lots of fun, and it seems, from the feedback, you did too. Our Classic Consoles (Retro Museum) popularity did not go unnoticed – the PAX crew immediately invited us to do it again for 2014.

Being at a new venue and new event dates (Oct 31 – Nov 2), this year’s PAX Aus will be bigger, badder and better! See you at PAX Aus 2014.

Nintendo Game & Watch: Octopus

July 16, 2014 By ausretrogamer

How old were you in 1981? I was still in single digits and blissfully unaware how addictive Gunpei Yokoi’s Nintendo Game & Watch creations would turn out to be.

On this day (July 16) in 1981, Nintendo released Octopus – their latest handheld classic in the G&W wide-screen series. Oh how I lusted after this one (like many other Game&Watch releases), but alas, I never got to have my own till recently.

If your name is ‘Jenifa Stuart’, I have your Octopus Game & Watch!

Nuts For Nintendo In 1988

July 14, 2014 By ausretrogamer

Even as far back as 1988, the age old economic model of ‘supply and demand’ generated hype and hysteria in video games. Who better to exploit this hysteria than Nintendo.

This VHS recording of a special report on ABC News‘ 20/20 (US) program features the Christmas hype and rush for Super Mario Bros. 2 and Zelda II: The Adventures of Link games. There are parents lining up for games, parents that think their kids play too much Nintendo, and then there are certain interest groups that deplore violence in video games. This Nuts For Nintendo special has it all. I guess some things never change.

source: Steven Hertz

Nintendo and Atari Mashup: The Atari Lynx II GameCube Portable

July 11, 2014 By ausretrogamer

Last week we posted an article on some great looking custom Nintendo consoles. Not all custom made consoles are equal. This week, we have this Nintendo and Atari portable mashup – is it blasphemy or pure genius? We’ll let you be the judge. If you ever wished for a portable Nintendo GameCube, then read on.

Crammed inside an Atari Lynx II shell lays the heart and brains of a Nintendo GameCube. The brainchild of this portable Frankenstein is Akira. The features of the GC-Lynx are impressive to say the least:

• Case made out of an Atari Lynx II console
• GameCube blue/purple paint job with glossy finish
• GameCube PAL motherboard
• Silent IBM fan, customised for optimal airflow
• All original Nintendo GCN controls and sticks
• Complete analogue trigger (L and R buttons)
• 4.3 Inch widescreen; VGA Screen with 480 x 272 resolution
• Original Nintendo component video chip wired to produce VGA out
• Shielded composite video wire to reduce interference.
• WiiKey Fusion modchip flashed with Swiss autoboot firmware
• 6400 mAH batteries – provides 3 hours of play time
• Battery indicator with 5 LEDs – lets you know how much power is left
• 128 MB memory card soldered directly onto the motherboard (GameCube slot-A)
• SD Gecko adapter to run homebrew and emulators through Swiss (GameCube slot-B)
• Stereo sound speakers, Used 2x iPhone 4 speakers for very clear sound
• Switching stereo headphone jack
• Analogue volume control
• Video controls to access display menu and switch between A/V (composite) and VGA display
• System can play from wall socket while being charged (comes with charger and power adapter)
• Weight is 700 grams
• Size of GC-Lynx: (w) 235mm x (h)114mm x (d)50mm or 9.25″(w) x 4.5″(h) x 2″(d)
• Comes with 1 x 64GB SD card for GameCube games (wasp fusion slot) and 1 x 32GB for homebrew, games and emulators (GameCube Slot-B)

There has been a fair bit of backlash on custom consoles on a number of forums. Even though we may not be a fan of this one (Ed: that’s because you are such an Atarian!), we are still in awe of the people that come up with these ideas and executing on them. To read Akira’s trial and tribulations on his GC-Lynx creation, go here.

What do you think?

source: soepschoen

Generosity Of An Atarian

July 10, 2014 By ausretrogamer

I may have said this before, but I will say it again, the best part of retro gaming is being part of a like-minded, considerate and passionate worldwide community.

I have met many great people and cemented many friendships due to a mutual love of retro gaming. Aleks ‘Serby’ Svetislav (Weird and Retro) is one person I am particularly grateful to have met. Apart from sharing my passion for all things retro, Aleks is a very cool guy.

During one of the retro gaming community events, Aleks showed off his immaculate Atari 8-bit XEGS. As a one-eyed C64 fan, I was intrigued by this part-computer, part-console 8-bit from Atari. I had never experienced the XEGS till this point. After a few hours of play, Aleks’ love of the Atari 8-bit rubbed off on me. The XEGS bug had bitten me hard! It wasn’t long before I hunted and obtained a XEGS of my own.

To welcome me to the XEGS gaming family, Aleks gifted me three still-in-shrinkwrap games – Blue Max, Desert Falcom and David’s Midnight Magic . Now I was truly ready to start playing on the XEGS!

The generosity shown to me by Aleks was (and still is) truly humbling. When life gets too tough, I always think of how lucky and thankful I am of having great friends in this big wide world of ours. Game on!

The new XEGS games stack. Should I open them?

Bustin’em open!

I love the smell of freshly opened XEGS games in the morning

Bazaar Retro Gaming and Toy Hunt

July 8, 2014 By ausretrogamer

The natural ‘high’ that the thrill of the chase provides can never be underestimated.

There is always excitement and giddy anticipation when hunting at a new locale. With Ms. ausretrogamer in tow, we hit the antiques and collectables bazaar. From vintage toys, kitsch furniture, obscure video games to the oh-my-gosh collectables, we weren’t disappointed.

After a few hours of meticulous hunting, we both walked out with big smiles and a bit lighter in the hip pocket. Nothing satisfies like a fruitful hunt.

images copyright: ausretrogamer

The R-Kaid-R: The Elegant Retro Arcade

July 7, 2014 By ausretrogamer

Imagine being able to fold-up and carry your arcade cabinet in a safe and secure manner. The Swedish design firm, Love Hultén have created exactly that, the R-Kaid-R – an elegant retro arcade machine that you can fold up and carry around.

The R-Kaid-R (Arcader) is truly a tribute to the arcade. It is handmade from solid wood, combining yesterday’s game physics with the digital spectrum of today. Love Hultén puts it perfectly – “The R-Kaid-R is a creative link between the present and the past. It’s a game jewel to possess”.

If you do want one of these beauties, you better hurry to their shop. The R-Kaid-R comes in a limited, numbered edition of 50 handmade units. You may want to speak to your financial adviser first.

The elegant arcade machine. The lock doubles up as the joystick!

Clever design throughout

Integrated connectivity

The walnut, white and brass looks boss!

Load ‘Em Up!

The one and only elegant emulator

image source: Love Hultén

Nintendo Delights: Customised Consoles

July 2, 2014 By ausretrogamer

There are some horrific customised paint jobs on Nintendo consoles, then there is Zoran’s creations, which are, simply put, stunning. From the Super Metroid themed SNES (Ed: oh that scorched orange!), Choplifter II camo original Game Boy, and to my favourite, the TRON: Legacy N64, complete with beautiful lighting – perfect for playing Perfect Dark or Goldeneye 007 in the dark!

Just take a look at some of Zoran’s creations and let us know your favourite via Twitter or Facebook.

Uber cool Star Fox N64