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You are here: Home / Archives for Star Trek

Star Trek

PAX Aus 2023 Cosplay Highlights

October 10, 2023 By ausretrogamer

It never ever ceases to amaze us how awesome the cosplay is at PAX Aus. After ten years of this marvelous event, you’d think we had seen it all, but no, each year delivers even more amazing cosplay, with 2023 being no exception!

Our amazing friend, Kelly Deluxe (also an avid retro gamer and pinball witch) has delighted us with her fantastic cosplay over the years, so of course we’ll lead into our cosplay highlights for 2023 with Kelly!

Sammie as Jester (Critical Role) & Kelly as Asuka Langley (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

If you thought the cosplay in 2023 were awesome, imagine how mind-blowing next year will be!

image sources: Ms. Ausretrogamer & Brant Raven




Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Artists, Cosplay, Cosplayers, Cosplaying, costumes, gamers, Halo, Kelly Deluxe, PAX Aus, PAX Aus 2023, PAX Aus 2023 Cosplay, PAX Cosplay, PAXAus, Star Trek, Star Wars

An Amazing Retro Gaming Donation

March 24, 2022 By ausretrogamer

When we first started ausretrogamer over a decade ago we never imagined that our little corner of nostalgia would capture the attention of people around Australia and around the world.

Over the years we have had readers contacting us to donate their wares, usually due to our genuine love of retro gaming and the preservation of classic games and consoles, plus no one wants to send stuff to landfill – it’s a win win!

A few weeks ago we were contacted by Mike, an avid reader of our site, who asked if we would be interested in his donation of classic consoles, computers and games. Mike sent us a photo of some of his goodies, and we must say, our eyes lit up at the vastness of the collection he was going to donate.

We finally met up with Mike late last week and the big surprise was that he had way more amazing stuff to donate than what was in the initial photos. We were pleasantly surprised and found it totally humbling that someone would generously give away their items to be preserved and enjoyed – which we will! The best part of this donation was meeting Mike and having a great conversation about games, systems and life in general – which is totally priceless.

We haven’t gone through all of the items Mike donated to ausretrogamer, but we thought we would share some photos of this amazing collection – scroll slowly to take in all the nostalgia!

Many thanks to Mike for his generosity, these will be cherished.

all images owned by & copyright of ausretrogamer




Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Amiga, Amstrad NC-100, Amstrad notepad, Apple Newton, Armatron, atari lynx, ausretrogamer, C64, Dick Smith, Donation, Game Boy, Game Gear, GBA, iMAC, Intellivision, Macintosh SE30, Microbee, nintendo, Omnibot, Retro Computers, Retro Games, Retro Gaming donation, retro toys, Retrocomputing, retrogaming, Star Trek, VZ

Pixel Artist Makes Game Scenes Based On Popular TV Series And Movies

September 23, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Pixel artist, Gustavo Viselner has created video game scenes based on iconic TV series and movies, like Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Married with Children, Doctor Who, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Star Wars and Seinfeld to name just a few. Oh no, we couldn’t find any based on The Mandalorian, but we’ll let it slip this time.

Check out our favourite 8-bit pixel art scenes and then hit up Gustavo’s Instagram to check out the rest of his creations!

image & story source: boredpanda.com




Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 8-bit, 8-bit pixel art, Breaking Bad, Doctor Who, Fargo, Friends, Game Of Thrones, Geek, Grease, Gustavo Viselner, Home Alone, Married With Children, Pixel Art, pixel artist, pixel artist makes video game scenes based on popular TV series and movies, Pixels, Rick and Morty, Seinfeld, Star Trek, Star Wars, Stranger Things, The Princes Bride, The Walking Dead

Leonard Nimoy Is Introduced to the Magnavision VH-8000 LaserDisc Player in 1981

June 8, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Ah, love seeing one of our fave Trekkies, Spock (the late Mr. Leonard Nimoy) getting in amongst it when it come to video games, even if it is quite cheesy!

A long time ago, in our own galaxy, Leonard Nimoy – the Magnavox spokesperson, is guided and introduced to the Magnavox Magnavision VH-8000 LaserDisc Player by a cheesy white rock that blinks and beeps as a means of communication in this 1981 demonstration.

The mustachioed Nimoy, his white clothing and the Star Trek inspired theme music just ooze that 1980s vibe! Say cheese!


source: Watcher3223



Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 1980s, 80s, commercial, Demo, LaserDisc, Leonard Nimoy, MagnaVision, Magnavox, Magnavox Magnavision LaserDisc Player, Magnavox Magnavision VH-8000 LaserDisc Player, oldschool, Retro, retrogaming, Spock, Star Trek, videogames

Talking Retro Gaming, Pinball and Toy Collecting with Cause and Effect Gamers

August 21, 2020 By ausretrogamer

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed during the Tech Games Fest event (TGF 2020) by our good friend Andrew Owen from Cause and Effect Gamers – Andrew is also the co-ordinator of TGF.

We talk all things retro gaming, our involvement with PAX Aus, the lure of pinball, toys – especially Masters Of The Universe, and of course, movies we love to watch!

Grab some popcorn and enjoy 🙂


source: Cause and Effect Gamers

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Alex Boz, Alex Boz interview, Andrew Owen, Attack From Mars, ausretrogamer, Cause and Effect Gamers, films, interview, Interview ausretrogamer, Master of The Universe, Pop culture, Retro Gaming, Star Trek, Star Wars, stay at home, Tech Games Fest, TGF, The Walking Dead, Toys

The Best Stern Pinball Machine Since 2010 – Winners

April 17, 2018 By ausretrogamer

First of all, thank you all that voted in our Best Stern Pinball Machine Since 2010 poll!

We won’t keep you waiting any longer in announcing the winner, so here we go – the Best Stern Pinball Machine Since 2010 is [drum roll please] The Walking Dead!

This comes as no surprise, as The Walking Dead (32% of the vote) is an absolute beauty to play – it has a great balance of being easy enough to play casually and challenging to the max with its great modes if you want to become grand champion and the last man standing. Star Trek (12% of the vote) took out second place, as it should, as this machine is Steve Ritchie at his best – fast and flowing! The biggest surprise for us was third – TRON Legacy, which garnered 11% of the vote. The two machines that we thought would feature in the top 3 ended up being tied for fourth, Metallica and Ghostbusters (both 9% of the vote).

The brand new Stern machine Iron Maiden got votes too (3%), which was surprising, as it’s just rolling off the production line as we speak, so we can only imagine that this machine will climb up the votes in the months and years ahead – so look out The Walking Dead! For now, we reckon John Borg should be commended for having two of his games in the top 3 Best Stern Pinball Machines Since 2010.

There you have it peeps. This was a public vote open to all, so the pinball gamers around the world have spoken. What do you think? Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook and join in the conversation.

image source: Stern Pinball Inc.

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Pinball, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Best Pinball Machine, Best Stern Pinball Machine, Best Stern Pinball Machine Since 2010, pinball, Pinball poll, Pinball Press, pinball vote, pinballpress, Poll, Star Trek, Star Trek Pinball, Stern, Stern Pinball, Stern Pinball Inc, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead pinball, Vote

Back To The Virtual Future

January 11, 2017 By ausretrogamer

image source: VR Source

We live in a brave new world of virtual reality and ‘real’ 3D experiences. The race for full-immersion is on, with big money invested in tech to transport you into a virtual world. It seems some people won’t rest until every home has access to a Star Trek style holodeck. In these heady days of VR pioneering, it’s easy to forget that the seeds were planted long ago. This post looks at early appearances of VR in popular culture that inspired the current gold rush.

Simulated reality is a very powerful idea. It strikes at the heart of the human experience and touches on existential questions about our nature. I’m not suggesting Oculus Rift is going to shed new philosophical light on the writings of Descartes, but it certainly highlights a longstanding human desire to shape our own reality.

Early science fiction novels played with the idea of virtual reality from as early as 1941. Robert A Heinlen’s book ‘They’ tells of a man confined to a mental institution because he believes he is one of the only real people alive and that the rest of the universe has been created by a few others to deceive him. This solipsistic work sets the tone for many early virtual realities. Most are generally dystopian in nature and play heavily on people’s fears of being unable to trust their own senses and the people around them. This theme reoccurs frequently in popular culture.

Phillip K. Dick, took a slightly different tack. In his 1953 novel “The Trouble with Bubbles” we first see the idea of humans creating virtual worlds for others to experience. It is an interesting concept with relevance to the creators of today’s VR experiences. The book fully explores the morality of having total control over the lives of others.

image source: DailyTech

It’s not just books that play with virtual reality. TV and films explore the trope in great detail. One of the first references to VR on TV was, of course, Star Trek. In 1974, long before Captain Picard was flouncing around the holodeck, the crew of the Enterprise has an encounter with an unusual cloud that affects their computer. The ship starts to play practical jokes; including turning the recreation room into a dangerous virtual reality area that almost kills the unfortunates who get stuck there. A far cry from the holodeck’s mainly benign incarnation in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

image source: Front Effects

Tron (1982) is one of the first examples of close human computer interaction in film and of course borrows heavily from computer games for its action scenes. Again, it is a very twisted form of reality with the main character trapped in a computerized world, fighting against the very system he programmed. The VR on display is highly advanced, with full body immersion and the very real possibility of death.

Other films like Lawnmower Man (1992) and Johnny Mnemonic (1995) come closer to the current day experience with headsets and body suits that relay information between user and applications. The Matrix (1999) has a connection straight to the brain that delivers an almost fool-proof illusion of reality. The first two have technology that is either within our grasp or very close, while the direct brain plug of the Matrix is not as far away as you might think. Advances in direct neuro controls for things like prosthetic limbs shows our understanding of the brain is expanding at a rapid rate.

You can bet that the brains behind the current crop of VR are aware of the fiction behind the science. Science fiction has always influenced technology, inviting scientists and engineers to turn the imagination of writers into reality. With the amount of money being invested in the new generation of VR, it’s only a matter of time before more outlandish ideas become reality. At the current pace, we will likely see highly convincing virtual reality with haptic feedback and all senses engaged within our lifetimes.
It is strange that something that is clearly a great fantasy for many people is inspired by popular culture that generally warns of the dangers of the technology. Let’s just hope that science fiction has only predicted the emergence of the tech and not its dystopian themes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Andy Trowers is a game design consultant, freelance ne’er-do-well and staff writer for www.australia.for-sale.com

 

Filed Under: History, Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Andy Trowers, Holodeck, Old school VR, Star Trek, Virtual Reality, VR, VR history

Insert Coin To Play: Geeky Coins And Tokens

May 15, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

coinslot2Image source: CSA

We all love having a pocket full of coins and tokens to feed our arcade addiction, but you may be reluctant to part with these treasures.

Club Nintendo Commemorative Coins:
The Year Of Luigi & Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary
luigi mario brosImage source: Nintendo Life & Nintendo Life Forums

Nintendo Power 100th Issue Commemorative Coins
NP100Image source: Ripten

1982 World’s Fair Arcade Tokens
1982 WF tokensImage source: Video Games Memorabilia Museum (Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Ms Pac-Man)

SegaWorld Sydney Token
SegaWorld tokenImage source: Video Games Memorabilia Museum

Time-Out Arcade Tokens
timeoutImage source: Dork Dimension

Chuck E. Cheese Arcade Tokens
chuckecheeseImage source: Dork Dimension

Assorted Arcade Tokens
tokensImage source: Classic Plastic

gametokensImage source: Boing Boing

Pikachu Coin For The Polynesian Nation Of Niue
pikachu coinImage source: Numista

Doctor Who Coins By The Perth Mint Australiathe doctors

monsters TARDIS

Batman & Superman Coins
batman and supermanImage source: Royal Canadian Mint & Royal Canadian Mint

Star Trek Coins For Island Of Tuvalu
star-trek-coinsImage source: The Perth Mint via Geekologie

Star Wars Coins For The Polynesian Nation Of Niue
star wars coinsImage source: New Zealand Mint via Geekologie

World Of Warcraft Coinswow coinsImage source: Amazon (Alliance & Horde)

Coin Paintings by Andre Levy
painted coins - combinedImage source: Tales You Lose via Toxel

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher 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

 

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Andre Levy, arcade tokens, commemorative coins, Doctor Who, Donkey Kong, nintendo, Nintendo Coins, Pac-Man, Segaworld, Star Trek, Star Wars, World of Warcraft

Pinball Antics at Timezone

March 20, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Metallica_titleI am a persistent type of gamer, especially when it comes to pinball and when there is a prize at stake. I just wish I was persistent like this when playing RPG or adventure games *sigh* (Ed: not this again!).

In a previous post I mentioned that I was frequenting Timezone to set a high-score on the designated tournament pinball machine (Star Trek Pro) to book my place for The Australian Timezone Supanova Pinball Championship. Well, I returned to Timezone Forest Hill only to find that the Star Trek Pro table was out of action! I didn’t dwell on my disappointment for too long, so I just hightailed it to another Timezone to flip some balls of steel.

Nooooooo! Time to leave Timezone Forest Hill…..
StarTrekPro_notworking

Next stop, Timezone Chadstone! Instead of Star Trek Pro, the tournament table here was Metallica. My first impressions of the machine were quite negative, but after a few plays, I was hooked – love the music! With some positive encouragement from Ms. ausretrogamer, I was able to get my name on the tournament qualification high-score table, albeit in 2nd place.

With only a few weeks to go till the qualification period ends (March 29), I will be back to feed the snake and build the voltage to give Sparky a good charge. Long live pinball!

Hello me pretties
Pinballs

She is a beauty
Metallica_table

Damn! That’s a massive high-score!
Metallica_highscore

Metallica! Let’s get this baby started!
Metallica_START

Getting into some flippin rhythm 
Metallica_Play

Fill up that fuel tank! You don’t wanna run out of gas!
Metallica_Fuel

Feed the snake, he’s very hungry!
Metallica_Snake

Ms Ausretrogamer getting some flipping action, while I rest my hands
Metallica_msausretrogamer

Studying the instructions – gotta get that big score!
Metallica_Rules

Sparky is gonna get some electric action
Metallica_Sparky

Finally, I am on the scoreboard. Gotta get that number 1 spot!
Metallica_2ndplace

Filed Under: Pinball, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: events, Metallica, pinball, Pinball Championship, Star Trek, Supanova, Timezone

Hot Wheels Battle: Star Trek VS Star Wars

January 21, 2015 By ausretrogamer

HotWheels_SWvsSTI may have been a Matchbox fan in my younger years, but it’s all about Hot Wheels right now! Starting with the Atari Nostalgics, Hot Wheels (well, Mattel) have definitely piqued my interest in their little cars.

It seems that Hot Wheels have jumped on the pop culture bandwagon and are hurtling down to your local toy store. Not only have Hot Wheels fused their cool toy cars with one sci-fi cult classic, Star Trek, but they have given us the equivalent of a boxing one-two sucker punch by also giving us the Star Wars collection(s).

Considering it is a new year, and in the spirit of giving (thank you Ms. ausretrogamer), I wasn’t going to deny myself either of these collections. Star Trek or Star Wars – let the battle for the sci-fi universe begin!

The Star Trek collection
HotWheels_StarTrek

Star Trek Collection explained
HotWheels_StarTrek_back

Oooooo, Spock!
HotWheels_StarTrek_Spock

The Star Wars Hot Wheels gang!
HotWheels_StarWars
Looking good Mr Skywalker
HotWheels_StarWars_back

Join the dark side of the Hot Wheels force!
HotWheels_Darth
The Battle Of The Hot Wheels Universe!
HotWheels_SWvsST_2

Vader is all over Bones!
HotWheel_Darth_over_Dr

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Hot Wheels, Star Trek, Star Wars, Toys

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