AUSRETROGAMER

The Pop-Culture E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for Announcements

Announcements

Nintendo Quest: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Nintendo Documentary is now on SBS OnDemand!

By

PLEASE NOTE: As at February 11 2019, this documentary has expired and is no longer available to view!

Don’t you just love SBS Viceland! For the next 30 days (starting January 11 2019), you can watch the awesome Nintendo Quest: The Unofficial And Unauthorised Nintendo Documentary for free on SBS OnDemand. Oh yeah, it is geo-locked, so it is Australian residents only (sorry everyone else).

For those of you that don’t know about this documentary – it is a fun film that follows Jay Bartlett, a fanatic video game collector, who, on a dare, tries to collect all 678 original NES games – a long-time dream of his. The kicker is, Jay must achieve this tall order in 30 days without using the Internet in any way. While following Jay on his adventure, the film also examines Nintendo’s cultural history, their on-going legacy, and specifically, the endurance of the NES. If you have ever played on a Nintendo system, not just the NES, then we highly recommend you watch this most unofficial and unauthorised Nintendo documentary ever! Oh yeah, it is free (to watch) for the next 30 days, so hop to it!

image source: Rob McCallum Films

 

Sam’s Journey on THEC64 Mini

By


The greatest ever Commodore 64 platformer (yes, it is!), Sam’s Journey has now been tweaked to play natively on THEC64 Mini!

When C64 games publisher and our very good friends at Protovision gave us the news that they are working with Knights of Bytes to bring us a THEC64 Mini version of Sam’s Journey, we must admit, there were lots of high-fives around the office.

If you don’t know anything about Sam’s Journey, well, all you need to know is that it is an absolutely sublime platformer and one of the best games released for the C64 in the past decade.

So what’s different about this version you may ask? Well, this version permits the THEC64 Mini user to read and start the game from a USB stick, making the previous workarounds totally obsolete. THEC64 Mini version also allows the user to jump by means of the additional buttons where you previously had to use the “joystick up” move. Oh yeah, this version of Sam’s Journey also takes advantage of better loading routines (taking advantage of the latest THEC64 Mini firmware).

If you have THEC64 Mini, then this special version of Sam’s Journey is a must! The download package is available via Protovision as well as on itch.io. If you already own Sam’s Journey, then you are in luck, as this special version is available free of charge to you!

 

The Brixty Four: A Full-Size Working Lego Commodore 64

By

Back in the 80s we loved playing with Lego and on our Commodore 64. So what a better way than to mash these two into one and create the Brixty Four – a full-size working Lego Commodore 64, complete with a functioning sprung keyboard, power pack, working LED light and a replica LEGO mobo (Ed: motherboard!) with all of the famous MOS chips, including Bob Yannes’ brilliant SID chip!

If you want Christian Simpson’s (aka: Perifractic) awesome Lego C64 to become mass produced, then go to Lego Ideas and show your support by giving it a vote right now!

source: Perifractic

 

Retro Gaming Black Friday Deals

By

Whoa, it’s that time of year when everyone loses their mind by trying to find the best Black Friday deals!

Well, since we don’t want you guys to stress, we have curated a list of cool Black Friday gaming deals that suit any budget.

Get your wallets and purses ready, here we go!

My Arcade Data East Classics Mini Arcade $99 (save $50)

TheC64 Mini $134 (save $16)

Midway Gaming Box $19.99 (save $9.96)

MEGA DRIVE MICROSDHC CARD + SD ADAPTER SET $24.16 (save $8.53)

DREAMCAST MICROSDHC CARD + SD ADAPTER SET $24.16 (Save $8.53)

Art Of Atari $52.95 (save $27)

Sturmwind – Sega Dreamcast $27.01 (save $19.91)

NEOGEO Mini $170.63 (save $79.64)

Red Tent Nintendo Switch Stand $89.58 (save $24.18)

Action Replay 4M Auto Plus for the Sega Saturn $28.43 (save $8.53)

PONG – Where It All Started T-Shirt $42.88

Nintendo Classic Mini Double Pack $199.08 (save $14.22)

TOKI Collector’s Edition (Nintendo Switch) $70.99 (20% BACK IN PLAYER POINTS)

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Nintendo Switch Game $51.99 (20% BACK IN PLAYER POINTS)

MARVEL COMICS 1/4 SCALE ACTION FIGURE: DEADPOOL $139.35

PSIKYO COLLECTION VOL. 1 – Nintendo Switch $42.65 (save $7.11)

TERMINATOR 2 1/4 SCALE ACTION FIGURE: T-800 $140.77 (save $7.11)

8BITDO SN30 PRO BLUETOOTH GAMEPAD (SN EDITION) $46.91 (save $17.06)

 

Get Your Keyboard To Match Your Original Game Boy

By

In my mind’s eye, if I imagined a Game Boy type keyboard I could use on my computer, it would definitely not look as cool as this creation by The Key Company!

The iconic look of the original Game Boy, with its white, navy, maroon and black colour scheme oozes cool Nintendo late 80s aesthetics which would look pretty awesome on other devices, like keyboards! The Key Company is currently running a group buy for their GMK DMG key-set, which is based on, surprise surprise, Nintendo’s iconic handheld. The GMK DMG key-set was designed by Reddit user Futurecrime, with colour matching being professionally done by German industrial equipment maker GMK to directly match Nintendo’s Game Boy colour scheme.



The Base kit, which is USD$169, includes 150 keys designed to cover a majority of keyboards sporting Cherry MX-compatible stems. Pull off one of your normal keys, and if there is a plus (+) sign shaped plastic peg underneath, they’ll fit. The base kit includes some super cute novelty keys sporting Game Boy button graphics, along with a set of direction keys in black with grey stripes.

There are cheaper kits, like the Pocket kit, which costs USD$48 – it comes with keys to fill in some of the more popular smaller keyboard layouts. There is also a $22 Spacebars kit which contains various sizes of space bars in the Game Boy maroon colour.

So if you are into the original Game Boy and want to pair up its colour scheme with a device you use often, like your keyboard, then check out the GMK DMG group buy at The Key Company site for more details. If you prefer to wait for the key-sets to hit the streets (Reddit’s Mechmarket), then diarise April 2019 right now!

Image source: The Key Company

[source: Kotaku]



Official PlayStation Home Furniture

By

Let’s face it, some of us are better than others when it comes to furnishing and decorating our homes. So what would you say if things were made easier for us home furniture decorator noobs by PBTeen? Well, it is true – PBTeen have released an official range of Playstation inspired furniture – we know, we are spinning out too!

From bookshelves, coffee tables, TV wall units to comfy one seat beanbags, the PlayStation furniture has you covered when decking out your lounge area or games room. We gotta say it, this PBTeen PlayStation Collection is just so damn cool!

image source: PBTeen

[source: technabob]

 

We are at PAX Aus!

By

Yo peeps, the Ausretrogamer gang and their awesome friends (Weird and Retro, Press Play On Tape podcast, Bartronica, Bayside Pinball Club) are all at PAX Aus 2018 this coming weekend running the awesome and nostalgia inducing Classic Gaming area.

If you are attending PAX Aus, come over, say hi and most importantly, play and have fun!

We are here!
image source: PAX Aus

80s Baby: NKOTB Are Back Baby!

By


New Kids On The Block are back, baby! Well, so are Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson performing 80s Baby. Part of the ‘The Mixtape Tour 2019‘, this new single is a throwback to the awesomest decade of them all, the 1980s!

This song will have you bopping along with that familiar cool 80s tunes. Oh yeah, the video clip is a throwback to Sega’s cool OutRun arcade game – a nice touch indeed!

Huge thanks to Poop Face (aka: Freakin Frankie) for letting us know about this!


source: New Kids On The Block

 

Pinball Browser: Customise Your Pinball Machine

By


If you like to dabble in hacking and modding proprietary software, especially on pinball machines, you are in luck!

Pinball Browser, created by French Pinsider, Olivier (aka: OGA83), is your godsend tool to customise and personalise your Stern Whitestar, SAM and SPIKE firmware based pinball machines to your liking. Pinball Browser allows you to access, modify, add, remove sounds, images, videos, messages, adjustments and of course, high scores tables. So if you want to ensure you are the Grand Champion on your Stern The Walking Dead pinball machine, get this great software tool and get creative!

To learn more about its capabilities and download Pinball Browser (latest version is v6.50) go here now. Oh yeah, please consider donating 20 EURO (or more) to register this great piece of software. By registering Pinball Browser, your donated contribution unlocks unique features and will also support Olivier in including future improvements! It is definitely worth it.

We all owe our gratitude to Olivier, so from the entire pinball community, thank you for creating this most awesome and useful tool!

Pinball Browser is one POWERFUL modding tool!

Look who is now the GRAND CHAMPION on TWD 😉

Changing some DMD graphics – does orange look alright to you?

 

Cirque Electriq: The Cirque-Us Is Coming To Melbourne-Town

By

Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq gives arcades and tricky ticket games a new life!

Roll up, roll up to The District Docklands, cause from October 18, the amazing and incredible circus-themed leisure-tainment wonderland, Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq will be in Melbourne town.

Bring your smallfry, bring your largefry! They will have fun things for young and old from the dodgem cars (aka: bumper cars), carousels, interactive XD motion theatres, crazy shakes, bowling, arcade games and of course, pinball! Yes, PINBALL! Oh yeah and prizes, lots and lots of prizes! To say we are excited would be the biggest understatement of the year!

We can’t wait to hit Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, so we hope to see you guys there!

Let the FUN TIMES begin!

Important Deets:

  • Location: The District, 440 Docklands Drive, Docklands (Melbourne)
  • Opening Hours: Sunday to Thursday 12pm – 10pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm – late
  • Entry Conditions: Strictly Over 18’s from 8pm
  • Telephone: 1300 888 386

source: The District Docklands and Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq