Got an Atari!

Sweet!

MLK day was 1/2 off day at the Unique Thrift stores. I took half a day vacation from work just to hit them all. Stood in line -10oF for 15 minutes before it opened at the first one. This was how I got my Original model 3DO for 5$ a couple years ago.

Over the last 6 months, I'd found Atari 2600s twice at Goodwills for around 6$. But both times, the systems had something wrong with them, so I took them back.

So,, I found another Atari 2600 at the thrift store. It's the model with 4 switches and the fake-wood front. It came with 2 joysticks, power adapter, and paddle-controllers! This exact same package costs 50$ at Toyriffic. Everything works great on this one! (except "up" doesn't work on one of the two joysticks, but it doesn't matter, because you can use 3-button Genesis gamepads with atari too).

To boot, I found 2 higher-quality quickshot joysticks at the thrift stores, both of which work with the atari. I also found 2 games (suprisingly the atari games were at a different store than the system). I picked up Combat (it's a staple, gotta have it, only cost 90c after half off) and Volleyball (another classic). I had already picked up Moon Patrol (yeah!) at the goodwill when I'd found one of the other ataris.

I'm definitely suprised tha the power adapter works. Usually that's the first thing to go. It doesn't have an RF switch, so I'll have to get a manual one at Radio Shack (the signal isn't powerful enough for auto-RF switches, but you can still see the picture and sound enough through my nintendo one to see that it works).

::sigh:: I used to have around 160 games for atari! I found nearly all of them at garage sales in the late 80's. I used to have the Vader one (atari Jr). I got it for my birthday around the same time some of my friends were getting NESes. Eventually the power connector went bad, and I ended up selling everything. What a dummy! I used to have tons of controllers too, including trackballs. I think it's been about 12 years now since I owned an atari.

Now I just gotta collect the staples. Midnight Majic, Mario Bros, Frogger, and all the paddle-controller ones. I love paddle-controller games. My friend got one of those plug-into-the-TV 10-in-1 games. And it has several paddle controller games on it. But it makes you use the joystick for them. It's seriously impossible to play them with a joystick when they were designed for paddle controllers. Kaboom used to be my favorite.

I now this is a Sega board, but hey 🙂 people talk about dumber things in the General forum. And I've already got the master system, genesis, CD, 32x, saturn, dreamcast, and game gear. I am however look to eventually pick up a MegaLD. I think that's the last Sega System to get. A system who's only games are FMV shooters, and I'm like the only person alive who actually enjoys them.
 
one of my sisters has our family owned atari still works and we had tons of games it was great being a kid in the 80s
 
Originally posted by Jedi Master Thrash@Thu, 2005-01-20 @ 10:38 PM

But both times, the systems had something wrong with them, so I took them back.
[post=128141]Quoted post[/post]​


We don't do refunds, returns or exchanges, so whoever accepted it back is fired.

But congratulations on the good finds, I don't usually see too many good things in the realm of videogames.
 
Originally posted by Resident_Lurker@Fri, 2005-01-21 @ 01:21 PM

We don't do refunds, returns or exchanges, so whoever accepted it back is fired.

[post=128175]Quoted post[/post]​


Really? It's store policy at our Goodwills, and plastered on the wall, that they accept returns within 7 days with receipt and original price tag, except on copyrighted and "as-is" material. Though I have been able to convince the manager to let me return even copyrighted material once when I accidentally bought a movie I already owned.

The Unique Thrift Store and the Salvation Army don't do any returns or exchanges however. I don't remember what Savers policy is.
 
Actually, all branches of Goodwill are essentially autonomous, so each branch can have its own policies. We have a blanket no-retrun policy and all items are sold as-is. Go figure!
 
Speaking of goodwill, I've found quite a bit at one of their local stores in the last few years. I've gotten probably 30 NES systems, NES games, a few ataris, 2-3 SNES systems, 2 saturn systems, 2-3 playstation systems, GB and GG games, 50+ PC games, lots of computers (and pieces and parts), as well as a lot of accessories for various game systems. The last thing I bought was a 21" PC monitor for $2. Of course, I didn't think it was going to work at all, but for the price, I was going to give it a shot. And, poof, now I'm upgrading my video card, because that monitor became my main computer's monitor!!!!!!

I have bought several other items, like vcrs, cd players, and surround sound receivers, and other monitors. Sometimes, they work. Other times, they don't... Overall, to me, the gamble has been worth it.
 
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