Web Log

Retro Gaming

Here are some of my ramblings about retro video games and collecting. Some of this will be technical like getting the best video out of your old consoles with US consumer-grade hardware, and some of it will be purely subjective like what old game is getting the most dust knocked off of it this month.

I’m no expert, but I’m always looking to learn more about all this. Also, I must note that I grew up in the late-90s, and my console of preference at the time was the PlayStation 1 (and a bit of the GameBoy Color) which continued to be my only console for years to come. In fact, I don’t think I picked up another console until my 20s which was a Genesis, weirdly enough.

If you’re looking for a more in-depth overview of my retro gaming rig, check out the Retro page.

DIVER: Developing a Metroidvania Game for the PICO-8

Today is the day! …well, two days ago was the day. I’ve finally released my first full-length PICO-8 game which I’ve simply titled, DIVER. I could go on for hours about all of the nitty gritty details, but instead I’ll refrain from doing so and let y’all just give it a shot for yourselves. Enjoy!…

Spring Cleaning Sale!

It’s that time of the year again! Time to go through all your old retro collection pieces and figure out what should stay and what should go. In my case, I think it’s a good opportunity to make some use out of my store here (you may have noticed the “Items for Sale” button in…

Nano SwinSIDb Piggyback Now Available in the Store!

Here’s a small but fun little project I’ve been working on recently that you can now purchase for yourself if it would be a good fit for your C64 rig. I recently got a SX-64 which had a number of problems with it, one being the SID chip. After confirming that many secondary aspects of…

Another Gem from Laser Bear Industries for the OSSC!

A little over a year ago, I purchased a 3d-printed case for my RetroTink-2X from Greg Collins of Laser Bear Industries after hearing much praise from Bob of RetroRGB. My RT2X has been looking mighty fine since then, but the open-air OSSC sitting right next to it had definitely been getting jealous… Just a month…

New Additions to the Store

Recently picked up some new stock and have added these two new gems to my for sale section. They came out of a particularly interesting early-2000s Alienware rig, so they’ve got to have that alien-shine to them, right? Anywho, if you’ve got any questions about these or anything else for sale, hit me up.

Spider Web featured on ZeroPage Homebrew Stream

A beta build of my new upcoming game for the Atari 2600, Spider Web, just got featured on the ZeroPage Homebrew Twitch Stream last night, March 12th. It seems like they had a lot of fun trying it out and exploring the lore of Lydia, our spider protagonist, but also had a lot of constructive…

Atari 2600 Spider Web Game Playtest Open

Hi everyone! You may have seen me mention the Atari 2600/VCS game I’ve been working on for a few months now, Spider Web. After many nights of adding new features and pouring over scanline clocks, I have finally decided that most aspects of the game are 100% done. As easy as it would for me…

NES-inspired 8bitdo N30 Wireless Mouse

When this new mouse was first announced, I thought it might have been a late April Fool’s joke. But of course I was wrong. Only 8bitdo, makers of some killer wireless retro controllers, would actually take this concept from Industrial Designer, Daniel Jansson, back in 2009 and make it a real product. Since I’d be…

Hands on with the Limited Run / Retro-Bit / Game Pink Saturn Controller

Being a relatively recent owner of a Sega Saturn, I’ve been keeping my eye out for the right bits and pieces for my kit. The fact that I had only 1 Saturn controller at the time and Sam’s infinite love of the color pink made the announcement of the new Game Pink Sega Saturn controller…

Using the FSR Pathfinder PFD-12×8 RGBA for Retro Gaming

A Need Arises For some time now, I’ve been using a pretty decent consumer component switcher, the Psyclone PSC01. For a consumer-grade, powered switcher, it really isn’t bad at it’s job. The ability to have a single source for ethernet and optical signals is fantastic too, a powerhouse for sixth and seventh generation consoles. The…

Showing Off the Atari 2600 & Spider Web Game at the Pensacola Mini Maker Faire

In September, an old friend of mine and professor at UWF, Thomas Asmuth, invited me to present at the first Pensacola Mini Maker Faire on November 16th hosted by the university. It took me a little while to get my ducks in a row, but I finally decided to show off the game I had…

Brief History of the 6502 and its Early Home Video Game Consoles

This post is a copy of the background information that I provided for my recent exhibit at the Pensacola Mini Maker Faire to establish the historical relevance of my work with the Atari VCS and Nintendo NES consoles. If you have already know quite a lot about these systems, there will probably not be much…

I Programmed My First Cartridge!

After about 2 months of collecting supplies, programming, and putting it all together, I finally got my first cartridge running on an Atari 2600! The game I put on there is Spider Web which I have been working on off and on for a few months. It is written in 6502 assembly and tested using…

Making your RetroTINK-2X Stylish with Laser Bear

For nearly a year now, my RetroTINK-2X has been sitting on its stoup near the center of my media center gradually collecting dust on its exposed PCB. I applaud Mike Chi for putting together such a bombin’ device, but exterior looks were definitely not high on his to-do list. That’s where 3D modeling and printing…

Going beyond the Stars with the Sega Saturn

Local Pickup When I’m drinking my early morning (iced) coffee, I typically peruse the local Craigslist boards without much of notice for the majority of listings. I’m here looking for the big juicy deals that would really be worth my time, not any nonsense. Though I usually come up short, two ads caught my attention…

PCI/AGP Grab Bag

Time for a little humble brag. After a quick scan of Craigslist yesterday morning, I saw a fairly non-descript ad mentioning a few old video cards for sale without many details of the actual cards available. I was able to recognize two of the close-up photos of cards that were included: an ATI Radeon 9500…

Big Box PC Garage Sale Pickups

It was just a normal Saturday running errands up and down Garden St. Normally, I get out my thift-shopping cravings by hitting up my short list of trusty non-profits once a week to see what forgotten items land on their shelves. I hadn’t had any plans until I glanced upon the yard sale sign in…

Going Wireless on Old Gear (Cont.)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I mentioned that I was interested in ordering two M30 controllers to pair with my new 8BitDo Genesis Retro Receivers. Well, I gave in to the temptation and put my order in a week or two ago. The controllers finally arrived in their typical minimalist 8BitDo packaging that…

Removing the Clock Capacitor from your Xbox

The original Microsoft Xbox is one of my favorite consoles. Because of Microsoft’s history in computing, it had so many unique properties to it that differed from every other console on the market at the time. This is discounting the Dreamcast which heavily influenced and was influenced by Microsoft. One equally unique and unfortunate feature…

Going Wireless on Old Gear

If you haven’t heard of 8bitdo yet, then you’re really missing out. Having paired up with Analogue on the Nt mini, Super Nt, and upcoming Mega Sg, they’ve really entrenched themselves with hardcore game collectors as the best option for wireless controllers that are compatible with old consoles and nearly every new platform on top…

Where Games Go to Die

A few weekends ago on my way back from the 30A, Sam and I stopped by the Gulf Breeze Flea Market. They had your typical fare but a bit smaller and less crowded than the usual market. It wasn’t until we came to the end of the stalls that we hit the jackpot. It was…

CastleMania Games

Warning! Promo ahead! Lately, I’ve been using this company, CastleMania Games, to get my hands on some really cool stuff that’s been difficult to source elsewhere. From the few orders that I’ve made in the past few months, they have been wonderful to work with. Their customer service is fantastic and have a ton of…