Bally Astrocade 1977 including prototype games

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Bally Astrocade 1977 including prototype games

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Күн бұрын

This is one of my favorite obscure consoles in my game collection. In this video I showcase my rare white Bally Astrocade, a few of my prototype games, and in general an overview of the system.

Пікірлер: 40

@johnhancockretro 9 жыл бұрын

New video uploaded. I showcase my white Bally Astrocade and few prototype games as well. Many items in this video have been showcased in previous Classic Gaming Expos of the past.

@just_a_saeu88 7 жыл бұрын

Wow!!! This is older than retro,....this is vintage stuff!! :D

@OriginalGrasshopper 3 жыл бұрын

The Bally Astrocade blew away Atari and Intellivision back in the late 70’s! It’s amazing that this unit was released just one month after the Atari 2600: it’s light years ahead of it. So odd that it never took off in popularity since it was really ahead of its time.

@jonniefast 3 жыл бұрын

it was insanely expensive

@AutisticJoker88 Жыл бұрын

What PokemonCrystal said. And it may have had amazing graphics (by 1970s Home Game Console Standards) but it still didn't change the fact that the sound effects were piercing loud and the console itself was buggy (hell, play it for a certain amount of time and The console overheats)

@nickyjurtz3139 8 жыл бұрын

Amazing graphics for sistem from 1977 Respect...some games looks preety fun,even 4 today standards....i think its awesome console

@JohnRiggs 9 жыл бұрын

The joystick with 'turn knob' paddle support is an awesome feature.

@petecorsi3914 4 жыл бұрын

So are the leather cases. Quite nice

@jonniefast 3 жыл бұрын

very fragile controllers tho esp @ the base where the wires meet

@SupraViperhead 4 жыл бұрын

I have a Bally Astrocade with an open box, but the console itself is sealed. I think I paid like $100 for it.

@JoeFpoc 9 жыл бұрын

my dad actually owned this growing up. i do remember vaguely playing this thing. its one of those things where we have no idea what ever happened to it.

@theviewisspew1295 7 жыл бұрын

Muncher is not a rip-off game- it was a Midway Bally Arcade game (Pacman) - they sold the rights for home game to ATARI. Muncher so much better than Atari's pacman.

@aljr357 8 жыл бұрын

That joystick controller looks like it would be better than the Atari joystick.

@theyamo7219 5 жыл бұрын

The Atari 2600 ONLY had 128 BYTES (not kilobytes, BYTES) of internal ram The Astrocade had 4 KB of internal RAM, and the RAM was actually expandable up to 64 KB with expansion modules CPU: Zilog Z80, 1.789 MHz (Atari's was only 1.19 MHz) RAM: 4 kB (up to 64 kB with external modules in the expansion port)ROM: 8 kB (Atari didn't have ANY internal ROM) Cart ROM: 8 kBExpansion: 64 kB total (2600 had NO memory expansion options) Ports: 4 controller, 1 expansion, 1 light pen Sound: 3 voices + noise/vibrato effects (played through the TV) (Atari only had a SINGLE sound channel)

@TheMonker2 2 жыл бұрын

A lot of this is misleading. The memory expansion was not available until very late in the console's cycle. Belly did not release it...and I am not sure if Astrovision did....maybe third party. None of the official cartridges use it. I do not believe a light pen was ever available either...no cartridges use it. The sound is the best of the generation...maybe even the next generation. The BASIC cartridge was essential. Some third party games were sold to be loaded via the cassette interface. I used the console all the w a y through the early 90s. Imo, the best console of its generation.

@unsummon__ 7 жыл бұрын

nice upload, have one of these CiB pretty interesting stuff

@aljr357 8 жыл бұрын

I'd love to have this system and the games to play I'd have it on display when not playing it.

@jfgme 9 жыл бұрын

Very nice system

@AutisticJoker88 Жыл бұрын

One thing you forgot to mention was The Astrocade made a cameo in the 1983 Comedy Classic National Lampoon's Vacation

@rego023 9 жыл бұрын

Never heard of this, so thanks for sharing! Love a new room tour if possible!

@berzerkerjoe684 2 жыл бұрын

I never even heard of systems like Bally Arcade , Magnavox Odyessy 2 or Fairchild Channel F back in the day. These got no publicity or TV commercials here. All I remember is the Atari 2600 or Intellivision.

@kidguzzi_chrisgalardi Жыл бұрын

These have really shot up in value nowadays 🤪

@DaveImagamegeek 9 жыл бұрын

Excellent video John

@OOOHBILLY 6 жыл бұрын

Gun grip toothpaste whatever... Wow. Very strange but cool

@MidnightBanshi 5 жыл бұрын

I remember seeing these at Montgomery Ward back in the day. I remember those super odd controllers the most though.

@aljr357 8 жыл бұрын

Do you need to have a 70s crt television to use this console. I might know where to get the console but I don't have a old crt tv.

@OriginalGrasshopper 3 жыл бұрын

Yes...Unless you get the console A/V modded.

@jonniefast 3 жыл бұрын

RF output so an RF to AV modulation device like a vcr then into an upscaler like the retrotink 2x pro cheers

@larryregal1172 2 жыл бұрын

Hey John .. I'd love too see a video updated & you playing some of these games.. I never heard of this thing until I read about it back in 2014 on The Gaming Critics website.. This would make an amazing new video maybe in a couple parts to cover all the games here in 2021 👍

@grueslayer 3 жыл бұрын

This was my first console and my dad would get so mad at me and my friends for ruining the joysticks. We all had a tendency to rest the joystick on our legs so eventually the wires inside the joystick would break and he would open them up to re-solder the connections. It was my first experience with programming in Basic... as tedious as it was to type with a number keypad I amaze myself that I was able to write big programs only to run them a few times before turning off the machine and wiping out all that work. I still have mine in the garage but sadly it doesn't work anymore.

@jonniefast 3 жыл бұрын

very cool system checkmate is pretty good multiplayer

@MrMegaManFan 5 жыл бұрын

In all my years of going to cons I've never seen a working Bally Astrocade. Every time somebody brought one, it stopped working before the con even started, and I didn't get a chance to play it. These things must be more fragile than chicken eggs.

@gjc82071 5 жыл бұрын

They are not fragile. The Astrocade is fairly rugged & has pretty good build quality. My cousin had one back in the early 1980s & we used to play it quite often. In the early 2000s I started feeling nostalgic for a Bally, so I got 1 off Ebay. ($200) They said it was "used" & came with some games (the original box was in terrible condition) but the game was brand new in mint condition! Everything was unused & even in it's original shrink wrapping. (as were the games & they were still wrapped & had price tags on them) I used it from time to time with my dad, but haven't touched it in over 10 years. They make a USB adapter ("Astro-dapter") for the Astrocade controller. (I have it) I also have a 75 game multi-cart by "Ohio Labs". M.E.S.S. also does a decent job of emulating the system. (though it doesn't support many games....less than 2 dozen) I wish I lived near toa place that had vintage game conventions. I'd bring mine to a convention. I am pretty sure it will work on a 720p flat screen TV, (pretty sure my dad & I play on my 720, 2008 model VIZIO) but not with 1080p or 4K. (my HP Pavilion from 2008 won't even work on 1080p. (I get an "incompatible" message on the screen) If you just want to tinker around, try the MESS emulator If you do & run into any trouble setting it up, just message me here. I Also have a Fairchild Channel F (with about a half dozen carts) which is also kinda rare. (the first cartridge based game console) MESS also emulates the Channel F