Retro Computers
Discussion
Anyone else into retro computers?
I keep finding myself browsing eBay looking for a C64 and/or a Spectrum to relive my youth, Emulators dont seem to cut it any more, too much messing with settings for controllers and the like.
What is the going rate for a working one ?
Any pitfalls in buying them (apart from being ancient and a bit rubbish)
Anyone tried the SD card add ons and plugged on into a modern monitor ?
I keep finding myself browsing eBay looking for a C64 and/or a Spectrum to relive my youth, Emulators dont seem to cut it any more, too much messing with settings for controllers and the like.
What is the going rate for a working one ?
Any pitfalls in buying them (apart from being ancient and a bit rubbish)
Anyone tried the SD card add ons and plugged on into a modern monitor ?
colin_p said:
I've got a Dragon 32 which has been gathering dust (in it's original battered box) in the loft since the mid 80's.
Whilst others got Spectrum's and BBC's etc, I ended up with a Dragon 32 and that is probably why I never turned into an IT geek.
Ahh, the cool kids had 64's and the Spectrum owners were similar but with less money, then there were the BBC ones, usually the rich kids and we forgave the education aspect, but the Dragon 32 kids, well there was only one, he was a bit of a lonely character.Whilst others got Spectrum's and BBC's etc, I ended up with a Dragon 32 and that is probably why I never turned into an IT geek.
I remember my mate Chris getting a ZX81 and thinking that it was, by and large a bit s
t until he loaded an adventure type game and I saw the point.
We had an Atari 2600 which was great but I got a 64 a bit later, with no tape deck just the unit and the manual, had to save up for the tape deck, ordered one that was slightly cheaper and it took weeks if not months to come, wasnt like Amazon then.
Anyway, had the 64 for ages, loads of games, my Auntie worked at the library and they rented games so when they came back missing inlays or boxes we got them so had loads. My cousin and mates had Spectrums so played on them quite a lot and loved them, but for different reasons, the Ultimate games were the main draw, so cool and as good as the C64 stuff despite being limited in terms of sound and graphics.
Few games I remember
TLL
Falcon Patrol
Nodes of Yesod
Month on the Run
Humphrey - Qbert knock off
Chiller - Mastertronic
Krystals of Zong
Monty Mole, played both versions and the C64 one was so different,
Suicide Express
Loco
Hovver Bovver
3D Death Race
Manic Miner and JSW
Super Huey
Kokotoni Wilf
Hunchback and Hunchback 2
Lazy Jones
Attack of the Mutant Camels
Raid over Moscow
GhostBusters
t until he loaded an adventure type game and I saw the point.We had an Atari 2600 which was great but I got a 64 a bit later, with no tape deck just the unit and the manual, had to save up for the tape deck, ordered one that was slightly cheaper and it took weeks if not months to come, wasnt like Amazon then.
Anyway, had the 64 for ages, loads of games, my Auntie worked at the library and they rented games so when they came back missing inlays or boxes we got them so had loads. My cousin and mates had Spectrums so played on them quite a lot and loved them, but for different reasons, the Ultimate games were the main draw, so cool and as good as the C64 stuff despite being limited in terms of sound and graphics.
Few games I remember
TLL
Falcon Patrol
Nodes of Yesod
Month on the Run
Humphrey - Qbert knock off
Chiller - Mastertronic
Krystals of Zong
Monty Mole, played both versions and the C64 one was so different,
Suicide Express
Loco
Hovver Bovver
3D Death Race
Manic Miner and JSW
Super Huey
Kokotoni Wilf
Hunchback and Hunchback 2
Lazy Jones
Attack of the Mutant Camels
Raid over Moscow
GhostBusters
shed driver said:
Typing in computer games from magazines, I learnt an awful lot that way and suspect many others are only in computing now due to this.
SD.
I got into it properly due to Chicken Pox, aged about 12/13 I had it and it was pretty bad, all calamine lotion, soluble Co Codamol and Smoky Bacon crisps I remember, the latter as I got a taste for them and everyone felt sorry for me so brought me some, I was a mass of scabs, even more than normal, some were probably crisps.SD.
Anyway, can remember sitting in bed feeling itchy and a bit s
t, apparently, Brian, my brothers mates dad had been having a clear out and had a massive stack of computer magazines, some PCW which was a bit businessy for me, but mainly they were "Popular Computing Weekly" which was a general/hobbyist magazine, printed on non glossy paper and always had an advert for a strange but intriguing software house called "Automata".Anyway, I was hooked, I digested every single one, skim read at first and then in more detail, dont know what happened to them but it was a fantastic time in computing, it was going from enthusiasts into the mainstream. I think that was a big part of me getting into computing. It looked like this,
So much more variety then, obviously the main stuff but all sorts of other Micros that were discussed but largely disappeared without trace, MSX's, Sam Coupe's and various things named after fruit.
I just had no money to lavish on computing so typed stuff in, messed about trying stuff, we turned a commercial adventure game to something much ruder as it was in basic.
Next doors dad was a copper and his mum had left, dad was out all the time either working or womanising so we had the plce to ourselves, was the time of the miners strikes and various riots so loads of Overtime and he spent loads on computers, they had a BBC B, with twin disk drives, a monitor and various other add ons so spent a lot of time round there, his uncle was well into it so he got loads of games like Frak ! and demos. He also had a cupboard full of grot
eharding said:
Found my old Acorn Atom a couple of years ago at my parent's place, and got the thing going - took off the dodgy internal voltage regulator and installed a regulated external supply.
The keycap from the 'Delete' key is broken, but apart from that it still works as perfectly badly as it did when I bought it, back in 1981 (I think). The keyboard was knackered from new, went back to the factory twice (in the days when you had to get your mum drive from Tiverton to Tavistock for the courier to accept it for return). Did get an AtomMMC card loaded with all the software I could never afford back in the day.
I remember writing a snottogram to Hermann Hauser on a manual typewriter the second time it went back, and did get a personal letter of apology in return, but that has long since disappeared. Ironically, in more recent times I discovered when getting very drunk in a restaurant in Belgrade - never touch the schnapps, they make it with petrol - with the founder of a company we were considering buying into based in Novi Sad that Hauser had been one of her angel investors. Small world.
I did indulge myself in nostalgia by buying a BBC micro from eBay. The power supply exploded in a cloud of foul smelling smoke inside of 10 minutes of plugging it in, and once that was fixed the video was shagged - spent a week of evenings with an oscilloscope probing every last trace by way of retro geek therapy only to find the eBay video cable had also broken, and the Beeb itself was fine, if honking of blown capacitor juice.
These chaps are great for all things Acorn / BBC retro: https://stardot.org.uk/forums/
I got given a BBC micro a couple of years back, was a Master Compact, turned it on and it lasted 20 seconds and then it expired with a disgusting smell.The keycap from the 'Delete' key is broken, but apart from that it still works as perfectly badly as it did when I bought it, back in 1981 (I think). The keyboard was knackered from new, went back to the factory twice (in the days when you had to get your mum drive from Tiverton to Tavistock for the courier to accept it for return). Did get an AtomMMC card loaded with all the software I could never afford back in the day.
I remember writing a snottogram to Hermann Hauser on a manual typewriter the second time it went back, and did get a personal letter of apology in return, but that has long since disappeared. Ironically, in more recent times I discovered when getting very drunk in a restaurant in Belgrade - never touch the schnapps, they make it with petrol - with the founder of a company we were considering buying into based in Novi Sad that Hauser had been one of her angel investors. Small world.
I did indulge myself in nostalgia by buying a BBC micro from eBay. The power supply exploded in a cloud of foul smelling smoke inside of 10 minutes of plugging it in, and once that was fixed the video was shagged - spent a week of evenings with an oscilloscope probing every last trace by way of retro geek therapy only to find the eBay video cable had also broken, and the Beeb itself was fine, if honking of blown capacitor juice.
These chaps are great for all things Acorn / BBC retro: https://stardot.org.uk/forums/
Edited by eharding on Monday 8th April 22:09
Put some new ones in and swapped it with a collector for a BBC B with loads of disks and stuff, then he had it back when I got bored of it.
I want a C64.
Off topic, but just remembered having a punch up in the quadrangle at school with the sole Dragon 32 owner, I cant remember what it was about but it was broken up by a teacher, who told me I was in deep, deep trouble.
It wasnt for minority computer discrimination but thought the actual punch up was reasonably well matched, I hit him a glancing blow and smacked my knuckles on the wall, and you dont punch 1970s brick walls with as much enthusiasm as a rule.
So, my knuckles got a full on skinning and bled profusely, but the fight continued and my adversary got coated in a liberal coating of AB RH-, but to an unwitting teacher, or any of the kids that walked past to witness it, the assumption was it was his blood and I was in the process of killing him
A rumour went round that the Police had come for me as I had battered him so badly, the actual fact, apart from a few bruises and a fat lip, he was in good shape, but looked like a slightly porky male Carrie such was the lavish quantity of my blood he was coated in, shirt and jumper ruined.
The rumour of my legendary hardness went round for a couple of days, he tried to say it was my blood but it was dismissed as him being a sore loser, missing completely that from deaths door he was back in school the following day.
Back on topic,
Acorn Electron owners were the saddest cases through, all the educational baggage of a BBC, but without the kudos of being £399 and a load of the games for the BBC wouldnt work.
Worked with a guy who had an Oric Atmos, chose it himself as well, must have been a strange child...
One kid had something called a "Zeta", anyone heard of them ?
It wasnt for minority computer discrimination but thought the actual punch up was reasonably well matched, I hit him a glancing blow and smacked my knuckles on the wall, and you dont punch 1970s brick walls with as much enthusiasm as a rule.
So, my knuckles got a full on skinning and bled profusely, but the fight continued and my adversary got coated in a liberal coating of AB RH-, but to an unwitting teacher, or any of the kids that walked past to witness it, the assumption was it was his blood and I was in the process of killing him
A rumour went round that the Police had come for me as I had battered him so badly, the actual fact, apart from a few bruises and a fat lip, he was in good shape, but looked like a slightly porky male Carrie such was the lavish quantity of my blood he was coated in, shirt and jumper ruined.
The rumour of my legendary hardness went round for a couple of days, he tried to say it was my blood but it was dismissed as him being a sore loser, missing completely that from deaths door he was back in school the following day.
Back on topic,
Acorn Electron owners were the saddest cases through, all the educational baggage of a BBC, but without the kudos of being £399 and a load of the games for the BBC wouldnt work.
Worked with a guy who had an Oric Atmos, chose it himself as well, must have been a strange child...
One kid had something called a "Zeta", anyone heard of them ?
littlebasher said:
snuffy said:
littlebasher said:
snuffy said:
That's exactly how I feel for my BBC Micro I had 35 odd years ago. What exactly would I do with it ?
Put it in the car, drive it over to Sheffield and give it me 
Will find a decent c64 on eBay and buy it, do the nostalgia thing and then possible either keep it or stick it back on and get most of my money back.
littlebasher said:
J4CKO said:
Will find a decent c64 on eBay and buy it, do the nostalgia thing and then possible either keep it or stick it back on and get most of my money back.
Try and get one with a sd2iec - waiting for games to load from cassette is infuriating !Turbo loaders changed that, not sure how they worked but it was more like 4 or 5 mins, still pretty slow with an sd2iec compared to what we are used to, download an app via Broadband and install it in seconds, then you realise its like 700 MB, would take 34 years on a C64.
otolith said:
boyse7en said:
, Quikshot 2 joystick
Now, I can’t remember whether it was the Quikshot 2 which had leaf springs which inevitably broke and ended up botched up with paper clips - I went through a few of that style before I got one with microswitches.Ultimate nostalgia for me I have realised it Atari 2600 stuff, they had the marketing and packaging spot on, the uniform boxes the games came in, all the same, really cool type face and format, different colours and the same sized frame for the magnificent box art to go in, the woman on the Defender box turning round looking all worried at the massive spaceship above her, every inch from a Spielberg movie. The scary fly thing on Yars revenge, Night driver with a focused looking driver and what looks like a Porsche 930 and some kind of touring car BMW, with the sun setting behind them.
All so evocative and compelling, I found it irresistible as a kid, on the same level as Technic Lego but cooler and more exotic, but 30 quid a pop even in the mid eighties, you had to be pretty sure about a purchase.
Then you got it home and realised it looked pretty much like every other Atari game, blocky ! but at least they generally played well.
Edited by J4CKO on Wednesday 10th April 20:15
otolith said:
I have seen adverts for a C64 re-creation.
Yeah, the C64 Mini, seen a couple of YT videos, looks ok to be fair and works on a modern telly/monitor.comes with 64 game and you can load more form a USB stick and though the built in KB is not functional, you can plug in a USB keyboard and load basic as normal, so its pretty much a C64.
otolith said:
I have seen adverts for a C64 re-creation.
Yeah, the C64 Mini, seen a couple of YT videos, looks ok to be fair and works on a modern telly/monitor.comes with 64 game and you can load more form a USB stick and though the built in KB is not functional, you can plug in a USB keyboard and load basic as normal, so its pretty much a C64.
kowalski655 said:
My first real game computer/console thingy was an Atari ST(after some basic ones that only played Pong etc) but I can't see myself ever wanting to go back to it.
Mainly played a battle simulator and the first Microsoft flight simulator (wasn't called the Microsoft name then IIRC)- I even hunted everywhere for the add on discs! But now with a decent PC, and X-Plane 11, Total War games,DCS,etc,why would anyone want to go back to wire frame s and sprites!
I know everyone says modern games don't have the gameplay, but "press up to jump" can't really compare with something like Witcher 3
I agree, and its not the gameplay that is the draw with the old micros as they can still do gameplay nowadays, Forza Horizon vs Pole Position or Pitstop, do me a favour, even if the old stuff played well they just couldn't really do the depth modern games have.Mainly played a battle simulator and the first Microsoft flight simulator (wasn't called the Microsoft name then IIRC)- I even hunted everywhere for the add on discs! But now with a decent PC, and X-Plane 11, Total War games,DCS,etc,why would anyone want to go back to wire frame s and sprites!
I know everyone says modern games don't have the gameplay, but "press up to jump" can't really compare with something like Witcher 3
They did amazing jobs given the limitations of the hardware though, some really clever stuff to eke out a bit more performance, stuff that even surprised the folk that built it.
Its plainly and simply nostalgia, if I hadn't had a C64 then I doubt I would want one, it was a massive purchase for me at 13, in terms of money and the implications and possibilities it brought, I am sat at my desk at home having a quick break from documenting the SQL Server HA/DR environment I have built this week so must have generated some interest in me.
Then there is the distinctive side of it, the tactile aspects of a big beige box with dark brown keys, how the keys feel, even down to how it smells. That is before turning it on, that blue glow, 38911 bytes free. then you load a game and the music starts blasting out, be it a rendition of Rydeen by the Yellow Magic Orchestra in Daley Thompsons Decathlon, Equinoxe 5 in Loco or the really funky prog rock ish original competition from Monty on the Run. You remember each screen, each sprite and the associated sprites and the timing required to get past, even if you cant quite manage the same level of coordination, focus and determination as back them.
Modern games are awesome experiences, I have an Xbox One and a PS4 (well, I did, never used it so kid 2 has nicked it) on a 65 inch Samsung telly, a massive Sony Surround amp, meaty subwoofer plus plenty of other speakers.
Are the graphics more detailed, of course, is the sound better, undoubtedly, is there way more depth, definitely.
Do I enjoy it more, difficult to say, I cant be a teenager again playing Elite whilst wondering whether Louise Williams was going to snog during that evenings screening of Gremlins.
Character is an overused word, but the micros back then were all different, mainly due to the limited capabilities and relative strengths and weaknesses but the sound and visuals were quite specific to each machine, for example
Wierd Expanded Sprites on the C64
Spectrums Sound coming from inside the unit itself rather than the tv speaker
Same for the BBC Micro, but much louder and the startup beep, the sound was so grating and jangly from the inbuilt speaker
Attribute clash on the spectrum
Different typefaces
Rubber keys vs traditional keyboard
Tape loader sounds
Warming your foot on the C64 power pack
Being astounded by scratchy digitised speech
Load times
Going and buying a game on tape
Typing listings in
Swapping games with your mates
I wont say it was better then, was just when I was a kid, kids now will be enjoying their consoles and PC's just as much and will have just as many fond memories. I hate it when people say how much better things were in the past, generally some things might have been, a lot werent, A Spectrum or C64 isnt better, its just what I identify with,something I was part of. Then you get some older folk saying how terrible games are ad how they had a ball and a stick and it did them, thats just the same thing, I am sure had there been a 1940s game console they wouldnt have avoided it back then !
I dont think the machines now are as unique but its about the magnificent games, the online play and all that good stuff, it just takes time for things to change and then you look back fondly, my kids look back on Halo and Unreal tournament, I took a photo of all three of them stood by my car having just bought Halo from Blockbusters when it came out.
I know a C64 is, objectively, crap but for £100 or so if I get a couple of happy hours messing about its cheap entertainment, it wont spoil the memories and in my head its still the Micro to have.
boxst said:
J4CKO said:
Have bid on a few C64's but they go for quite decent money, think will dig my Pi out and have a faff with that and see if it gets it out of my system, not paying £200 for one.
If you can't be bothered with your Pi (although it isn't that hard of course), have a play here: https://virtualconsoles.com/online-emulators/c64/ . I just downloaded the game with my favourite soundtrack: http://www.gamebase64.com/game.php?id=4967Had a fun session last night, I have the front half of the garage as a little man cave, back half is now sections off and is a posh utility and downstairs loo, I fitted it out with units and everything I need, so I added a second monitor onto the wall above the desk/worktop area (have a main pc in there) but didnt want to be swapping cables, gathered all the leads and stuff for the pi and resurrected it, came up fine after two years unused and got it working.
Think i will download one of the RetroPie Images with loads of roms installed (you can get 256 gb ones) but need to work out how to get them and get my other pc so it recognises Micros SD's, again, it bongs but it desent show up in explorer.
Also need a decent joystick, will try an Xbox 360 one as the MS Sidewinder one I had is horribly mushy.
Trying not to spend more money on tech and work with what I have, and the Pi takes up a lot less space.
Well, gave up on buying an original, decided to try some of the Retropie images pre loaded with roms from Arcade Punks.
Bought a 258 gb Micro SD card, is it just me that is amazed at the capacities you can get something the size of your little finger nail in, believe you can get a 1TB one. Put and extra monitor up.
Then realised my Pi is a 2 and it needs a 3B plus, so ordered that.
Then realised my old Power Supply isnt up to it, so ordered one of the more powerful ones.
Thought the new one wasnt working, tried a new NOOBS setup and that loads fine.
The Retro Pie one sort of loads on the 2, but not the 3B plus, getting the rainbow screen and then four slow and four fast flashes of the red led but no green activity.
Think will reformat the Micro SD and try again.
Will prob buy a nice joystick as my old sidewinder joypad is horrible, may try and Xbox one first.
Bought a 258 gb Micro SD card, is it just me that is amazed at the capacities you can get something the size of your little finger nail in, believe you can get a 1TB one. Put and extra monitor up.
Then realised my Pi is a 2 and it needs a 3B plus, so ordered that.
Then realised my old Power Supply isnt up to it, so ordered one of the more powerful ones.
Thought the new one wasnt working, tried a new NOOBS setup and that loads fine.
The Retro Pie one sort of loads on the 2, but not the 3B plus, getting the rainbow screen and then four slow and four fast flashes of the red led but no green activity.
Think will reformat the Micro SD and try again.
Will prob buy a nice joystick as my old sidewinder joypad is horrible, may try and Xbox one first.
Got my Raspberry Pi 64 up and running yesterday, still some issues to sort.
A lot of the games bomb back to the menu
Sound went off, suspect that the output to the headphone jack now being HDMI instead
Various issues with "trainers" on the start of games "infinite lives" etc
Mapping of keyboard and gamepad
Sure I can work them out, the retropie image also has Amiga games but none of those worked.
Will give it another go tonight.
A lot of the games bomb back to the menu
Sound went off, suspect that the output to the headphone jack now being HDMI instead
Various issues with "trainers" on the start of games "infinite lives" etc
Mapping of keyboard and gamepad
Sure I can work them out, the retropie image also has Amiga games but none of those worked.
Will give it another go tonight.
3.1416 said:
CaptainSlow said:
Your time lines are a little out. The MSX was out in 1983 so a few years before the Amiga and ST hit the market. They were competing with BBC B, C64 and Speccy 48 (and CPC)
And pretty much everything else - including Vic 20.Without a software base, MSX was in the wilderness.
But then, along came IBM's PC
The greatest pile of s
te ever released!And nobody has looked back and said 'what happened there?'
My adventures in Pi Retrogaming are annoying me, thought it would be a case of just setting it up, downloading and image, burning it and off we go, just keeps conking out and requires loads of fiddling,
But, saw this advertise on FB, anyone got any insights, looks like EmulationStation pre packaged with loads of roms and tested to some degree.
https://thepixelgamer.com/
Never did buy and original C64 but have ordered the full size remake version, looking forward to getting it.
https://www.retrorgb.com/c64-maxi-reviews-availabi...
https://www.retrorgb.com/c64-maxi-reviews-availabi...
Got it all set up and played a few games, its much more like playing on a real C64 than emulators feel like as you can see it and the joystick works ok but is a bit notchy/clicky, a 65 inch telly is overkill for it though. The "carousel" for the in built games is very slick and it all works very nicely, much better job than the Mini version and performance seems better.
Makes me remember how utterly frustrating Monty mole was, you can save your state and go back if you die but even with that I just get killed all the time.
Machine is apparently "The ugliest thing I have ever seen", according to the wife, plonked in my man cave next to my 2600 but I like it so nerr !
Will get a load of roms and try all the other games that arent built in.
Makes me remember how utterly frustrating Monty mole was, you can save your state and go back if you die but even with that I just get killed all the time.
Machine is apparently "The ugliest thing I have ever seen", according to the wife, plonked in my man cave next to my 2600 but I like it so nerr !
Will get a load of roms and try all the other games that arent built in.
Edited by J4CKO on Sunday 29th December 13:25
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