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Atari XG-1 Light Gun
The Atari XG-1 light gun is a video game controller which was released in 1987. As Atari's only light gun, it is unique to the 8-bit family. It is compatible with the Atari XEGS, and with the 7800 and 2600 home video game consoles. It was bundled with the XEGS Deluxe home computer and video game console combination system, and with the light gun game ''Bug Hunt'' for the 7800 as model XES2001 for . Atari eventually released five light gun games on the 7800 ('' Alien Brigade'', ''Barnyard Blaster'', ''Crossbow'', ''Meltdown'', and ''Sentinel'') and one on the 2600 (''Sentinel''). Hardware The XG-1 is a specialized light pen. Generic light pen support was built into the Atari 8-bit home computer family since its 1979 launch. The ''Atari 400/800 Hardware Technical Reference'' recommends a calibration procedure each time a light pen is used, so that the software can compensate for this offset for maximal accuracy. ''Bug Hunt'' and ''Barnyard Blaster'' for the XEGS each have unique h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atari Corporation
Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when Warner Communications sold the home computing and game console assets of Atari, Inc. to Tramiel. Its chief products were the Atari ST, Atari XE, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx and Atari Jaguar. The company reverse merged with JTS Inc. in 1996, becoming a small division which itself closed after JTS sold all Atari assets to Hasbro Interactive in 1998. History The company was founded by Commodore International's founder Jack Tramiel soon after his resignation from Commodore in January 1984. Initially named Tramel Technology, Ltd., the company's goal was to design and sell a next-generation home computer. On July 1, 1984, TTL bought the Consumer Division assets of Atari, Inc. from Warner, and TTL was renamed Atari Corporation. Warner sold the division for $24 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alien Brigade
''Alien Brigade'' is a horizontally-scrolling rail shooter released by Atari Corporation in 1990 for the Atari 7800. Similar in style to ''Operation Wolf'', ''Alien Brigade'' tells the story of a soldier battling with alien invaders that take over the bodies of fallen soldiers. Despite being released late in the Atari 7800's life cycle, Atari Corporation made more efforts to market the game than it had with other Atari 7800 titles. The game had its own print advertisement and was referenced in Atari's 1990 shooter, ''Planet Smashers'' (''Alien Brigade'' would return the favor by advertising ''Planet Smashers''). ''Alien Brigade'' is 144K in size, making it one of the largest commercially released Atari 7800 games. Gameplay The game is played from a first-person point of view and scrolls horizontally in two directions as various enemy creatures, possessed soldiers, human vehicles and alien vehicles attack the player character. ''Alien Brigade'' can either be played with the A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Master System
The is an 8-bit History of video game consoles (third generation), third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and featured enhanced graphical capabilities over its predecessors. The Master System launched in North America in 1986, followed by Europe in 1987, and then in Brazil and Korea in 1989. A Japanese version of the Master System was also launched in 1987, which features a few enhancements over the export models (and by proxy the original Mark III): a built-in Yamaha YM2413, FM audio chip, a rapid-fire switch, and a dedicated port for the 3D glasses. The Master System II, a cheaper model, was released in 1990 in North America, Australasia and Europe. The original Master System models use both Game cartridge, cartridges and a credit card-sized format known as Sega Cards. Accessories for the console ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NES Zapper
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American test markets on October 18, 1985, before becoming widely available in North America and other countries. After developing a series of successful arcade games in the early 1980s, Nintendo planned to create a home video game console. Rejecting more complex proposals, the Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi called for a simple, cheap console that ran games stored on cartridges. The controller design was reused from Nintendo's portable Game & Watch games. Nintendo released several add-ons, such as a light gun for shooting games. The NES was one of the best-selling consoles of its time and helped revitalize the US game industry following the video game crash of 1983. It introduced a now-standard business model of licensing third-party dev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antic (magazine)
''Antic'' () was a print magazine devoted to the Atari 8-bit family of home computers and later the Atari ST. It was named after the ANTIC chip in the 8-bit line which, in concert with CTIA or GTIA, generates the display. The magazine was published from April 1982 until June/July 1990. ''Antic'' printed type-in programs (usually in BASIC), reviews, and tutorials, among other articles. Each issue contained one type-in game as "Game of the Month." In 1986, ''STart'' magazine was spun off to exclusively cover the Atari ST line. Its main rival in the United States was ''ANALOG Computing'', another long-lived magazine devoted to the Atari 8-bit line. Multi-system magazines ''COMPUTE!'' and '' Family Computing'' also served Atari 8-bit owners with type-in programs. Starting in 1984, the catalog for Antic Software was bound into issues of ''Antic''. History NASA programmer Jim Capparell was an early Atari 8-bit owner. He quit his job on 15 January 1982 to found a magazine for th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meltdown (Atari 7800)
''Meltdown'' is a light gun shooter video game developed by Atari Corporation and published in 1990 for the Atari 7800. It is one of the few games compatible with the Atari XG-1 light gun The Atari XG-1 light gun is a video game controller which was released in 1987. As Atari's only light gun, it is unique to the 8-bit family. It is compatible with the Atari XEGS, and with the 7800 and 2600 home video game consoles. It was bundle ... accessory. Plot This game is set in a world where international terrorists have threatened to destroy the world. To accomplish this, the terrorists unleashed a weapon known as "sparkx" to attack 20 nuclear reactors. This weapon attacks the control rods of each reactor until forcing a nuclear meltdown. The player takes on the role of an unnamed hero tasked with destroying the sparkx within each reactor to save the world. Gameplay The object of the game is to protect the 20 nuclear reactor cores from sparkx. At the title screen, the player ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barnyard Blaster
''Barnyard Blaster'' is a light gun shooting video game written by James Zalewski and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari 7800 and Atari 8-bit family in 1988. It is one of the few games compatible with the Atari XG-1 light gun The Atari XG-1 light gun is a video game controller which was released in 1987. As Atari's only light gun, it is unique to the 8-bit family. It is compatible with the Atari XEGS, and with the 7800 and 2600 home video game consoles. It was bundle .... Plot The player takes on the role of a farm hand. The player and their grandpa decide to invest their life savings into a farm. However, once settled in, both notice that several rodents, birds, and other critters are threatening the farm. It is up to the unnamed player to take out the critters. Gameplay The goal of this game is to rid the farm of vermin by successfully hitting targets using the light gun in each of the game's three areas. These areas include, the barn, cornfield, and barnyard. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Light Pen
A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. It allows the user to point to displayed objects or draw on the screen in a similar way to a touchscreen but with greater positional accuracy. A light pen can work with any CRT-based display, but its ability to be used with LCDs was unclear (though Toshiba and Hitachi displayed a similar idea at the "Display 2006" show in Japan). A light pen detects changes in brightness of nearby screen pixels when scanned by cathode-ray tube electron beam and communicates the timing of this event to the computer. Since a CRT scans the entire screen one pixel at a time, the computer can keep track of the expected time of scanning various locations on screen by the beam and infer the pen's position from the latest time stamps. History The first light pen, at this time still called " light gun", was created around 1945–1955 as part of the Wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sentinel (1990 Video Game)
''Sentinel'' is a 1990 video game developed by Imagineering and published by Atari for the Atari 2600. It is the only light gun game ever released for the Atari 2600 platform. It was re-released with improved graphics for the Atari 7800 in 1991. Development The game was created by David Lubar of Imagineering. It uses the XE light gun, an accessory for the 2600 and 7800 platforms. The game is one of two light gun games for the Atari 2600, however the other, called simply ''Shooting Arcade'', was never released. The game was launched in Europe in the PAL format, and in the NTSC format in the US and Canada by ResQsoft. A version of the game for the Atari 7800 platform with improved graphics was developed and released in Europe only in 1991. As such, ''Sentinel'' is the final official European release for the Atari 7800 platform. Story The player takes control of a scientist piloting a glowing orb they invented named the Sentinel, which can absorb and store energy. When aliens in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crossbow (video Game)
''Crossbow'' is a light gun shooter video game released in arcades by Exidy in 1983. It was later published by Absolute Entertainment for the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS, and by Atari Corporation for the Atari 2600, Atari 7800, and Atari 8-bit family starting in 1987. The game is controlled via a positional gun that resembles a full-sized crossbow. Exidy promoted ''Crossbow'' to arcade operators as being convertible to new themes released in the future. Five themed conversion kits were created, each commencing with the letter 'c': ''Cheyenne'', ''Combat'', ''Crackshot'', ''Clay Pigeon'', and the controversial ''Chiller''. Several more games were also released for the system: Hit 'n Miss, Showdown, Top Secret, and Who Dunnit. Gameplay The player protects a band of adventurers from afar by shooting objects that threaten them. The adventurers enter from the left-hand side of the screen and attempt to cross the screen unharmed. If the player helps them reach the opposite side of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Home Video Game Console
A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. Home consoles are generally less powerful and customizable than personal computers, designed to have advanced graphics abilities but limited memory and storage space to keep the units affordable. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few games fixed into the electronic circuits of the system, most consoles since support the use of swappable game media, either through game cartridges, optical discs, or through digital distribution to internal storage. There have been numerous home video game consoles since the first commercial unit, the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. Historically these consoles have been grouped into generations lasting each about six years based on common technical specifications. As of 2021, there have been nine console generations, with the current leading manufactu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atari 8-bit Family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, and Atari XEGS, the last discontinued in 1992. They differ primarily in packaging, each based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, and ... at and the same custom coprocessor chips. As the first home computer architecture with coprocessors, it has graphics and sound more advanced than most contemporary machines. Video games were a major draw, and first-person space combat simulator ''Star Raiders'' is considered the platform's killer app. The plug-and-play peripherals use the Atari SIO serial bus, wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
