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'Mr. Run and Jump' will be the first official cartridge for the Atari 2600 since 1990
Atari just announced a brand-new physical cartridge for the 2600 console. ‘Mr. Run and Jump’ is a 2D platformer that’s taken plenty of design cues from recent indie games like ‘Celeste’ and will also arrive as a modern version for new consoles like the PS5. The 2600 cartridge is available to preorder on July 31st for $60.
You can preorder Analogue’s TurboGrafx-inspired Duo console this Friday
Analogue’s universal TurboGrafx-16 retro console, the Duo, will finally be available for preorders later this week, on May 19th. The company noted that preorders begin sharply at 8AM PDT. The updated price for the console is $250.
Toyota’s prototype 'cartridge' is a way to make hydrogen portable
One of the myriad issues with hydrogen as a clean energy source is infrastructure, as it's very expensive to move around and store an extremely explosive gas.
Cooper FX Arcades review: Plumbing the depths of lo-fi guitar effects
Cooper FX Arcades takes what could be a mere gimmick -- game cartridge-like swappable sound cards -- and uses them to plumb the depths of lo-fi guitar effects.
Cooper FX's multi-effect guitar pedal uses tiny cartridges
Get 32 different effects from just four cartridges.
FDA bans production, sale of fruit- and mint-flavored vape pods
Today, the FDA officially banned most fruit- and mint-flavored, cartridge-based vaping products. The new rules are yet another attempt to curb teen vaping. Companies that manufacture, sell and distribute such products have 30 days to comply.
16-bit 'Aladdin' and 'Lion King' cartridges are returning in 2020
Are the modern ports of Aladdin and The Lion King not sufficiently nostalgic for you? You're about to get your retro fix, and then some. Nighthawk Interactive and iam8bit are planning physical releases of the classic Disney games, including limited "Legacy" cartridges for Aladdin on the Genesis/Mega Drive, and Lion King on SNES -- about as authentic as it gets short of finding an original copy on eBay. They'll cost $100 each, won't ship until early 2020 and will only have 4,500 available units each, but you don't get many opportunities like this. Pre-orders start October 24th at 1PM Eastern on iam8bit.
Capcom releases 'Mega Man' classics cartridges
As promised, Capcom's Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X playable game cartridges are available now from iam8bit's online store for $100 each. Meaning if you put in a pre-order for either -- or both -- back in May, they'll be making their way to you stat.
'Fork Parker's Crunch Out' is an SNES game made for charity
Do you still have an original SNES console hiding in the back of your closet? You might want to dig it out. Devolver Digital and Mega Cat Studios are releasing a brand new SNES game, Fork Parker's Crunch Out, with all profits going toward the Take This charity providing support and awareness for mental health issues. The title has you playing Devolver's fictional CFO as he "motivates" game developers to make it through crunch time and release on schedule, quality be damned.
Two 'Mega Man' classics will be re-released on cartridge
Fans of Mega Man are being spoilt rotten at the moment. The game's 30th anniversary has seen a slew of announcements, including the forthcoming arrival of Mega Man 11 and two new Mega Man Legacy Collection compilations. Now Capcom and iam8bit are upping the ante with the release of limited edition cartridges for Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X.
'Wolfenstein 3D' ported to Game Boy Color on turbocharged cart
Yes, that's a Game Boy Color cartridge sporting the Wolfenstein 3D logo. It's not just cosmetic, because a modder named Anders Granlund has built a playable version of the classic FPS for the ancient handheld console. To give you an idea of the degree of difficulty, Granlund designed and built a custom ARM-powered board to power the graphics, and built it into the cartridge. The final result is playable on any Game Boy Color.
Nintendo's NES retrospective book looks like a game cartridge
Nintendo's NES Classic Edition isn't the only nostalgia bomb the company is dropping this fall. Nope, Playing With Power: Nintendo NES Classics from strategy-guide publisher Prima Games is en route for this November as well. The hardcover boasts 320 pages of interviews from the NES era, bits of old-school advertising and "priceless excerpts from Nintendo Power magazine back issues." Oh hey, hand-drawn maps and character art are on tap as well. Here's to hoping some of those are from Howard and Nester artist Bill Mudron.
Old-school game cartridges are coming to your smartphone
There have been many attempts at bringing classic gaming to smartphones, but they all lack the most visceral part of the experience: the satisfying ka-chunk of plugging a cartridge into your console. You might get that vibe back if Japanese startup Beatrobo has its way. It's launching the Pico Cassette, a game cartridge that you plug into your phone's headphone jack. Unlike the vintage carts of yore, though, these don't actually hold games -- instead, they transmit an inaudible tone that unlocks content you've downloaded. No, it's not just a nostalgic approach to anti-piracy measures. The technology also enables saved games that sync across multiple devices, so the cartridge will feel more like your unique copy than a mere dongle.
Cue measures vitamin D and fertility, brings lab testing to your home
Wearables like FitBit and the Jawbone UP have encouraged our love of personal statistics, but they're currently limited to steps taken, distance walked and a handful of other relatively simple metrics. And while some gadgets can monitor your heart rate, what about things like inflammation and vitamin D levels? Enter Cue, a 3-inch device that specializes in measuring these and several other stats, including testosterone levels and influenza. It's available for a special pre-order price of $149 starting today, and it's expected to ship in spring 2015 under the FDA's investigational devices exemption. That's a long way away, but as someone who hates the doctor's office, I'm intrigued by the idea of bringing lab tests into the home. Jump past the break for a closer look.
E.T. unearthed: The dig for legendary Atari cartridges in pictures
Yesterday marked the climax of a decades-long story that surrounded one of the most poorly received video games in history. A Microsoft-backed documentary crew took to a landfill in the desert town of Alamogordo, New Mexico, in an attempt to prove that Atari had in fact buried thousands of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial cartridges there. It appears they succeeded.
New Super NES cartridge Nightmare Busters now shipping worldwide
Retro boutique publisher Super Fighter Team is now shipping copies of its Super Nintendo run-and-gun platformer Nightmare Busters to pre-order customers worldwide, marking the first time in several years that Nintendo's 16-bit console has seen a new cartridge production run. Originally created and scheduled to launch in 1994, the Nichibutsu-developed Nightmare Busters failed to materialize on store shelves, and never saw a release anywhere in the world. A completed version of Nightmare Busters was discovered years later, and Super Fighter Team began accepting cartridge pre-orders in 2012 after acquiring the rights to release the game officially. While Super NES reproduction releases for prototype and fan-translated games are common, Nightmare Busters is a more ambitious project, shipping with a replica cardboard box and manual in addition to a uniquely-shaped cartridge that is compatible with SNES and Super Famicom consoles from all regions. Super Fighter Team is currently accepting orders for future cartridge production runs, and a complete-in-box copy of Nightmare Busters is available for $70 plus shipping.
Win a golden DuckTales NES cartridge, rewrite history
Capcom distributed working, golden DuckTales NES cartridges to members of the press to promote the release of DuckTales: Remastered. They still have some leftover, however, and they'd like to give them to some aspiring singers and PhotoShop artists, Capcom Unity employee Chris Antista revealed last week. "At least one" lunchbox filled with shredded money and a DuckTales cartridge will be given away on every weekday from now until September 11, the game's digital release date for the 360. In order to win one, contestants must upload their striking renditions of the DuckTales theme song to the contest's website. If you'd rather spare yourself from that, Capcom is accepting alternative submissions in the form of artwork or edited images that incorporate DuckTales characters into existing Capcom franchises, or vice versa, at contest at capcom dot com. Antista's update also mentions future "surprises and flash giveaways" that will spring up at Capcom Unity or amongst its social media feeds. If you'd rather not toy with your emotions, the PS3-exclusive boxed version of a digital download token for DuckTales: Remastered recently launched at retail. Digital Wii U, PS3 and PC versions are also available on the eShop, PlayStation Store and Steam. We preferred the original game, however, so why not try to give your golden The Legend of Zelda cartridge some company?
Legend of Zelda prototype cartridge goes to auction: $150,000 proves your loyalty to Hyrule (video)
And you thought that Nintendo World Championships gold cartridge would make a nice start to the retirement fund. An eBay auction from tjcurtin1 is offering a prototype NES cartridge for the US release of The Legend of Zelda at a Buy It Now price of $150,000, or roughly ten times more than the typical final bid that Price Charting quotes for a typical NWC cart. While it looks like an unassuming yellow chunk of plastic, it's actually a Nintendo of America copy from February 23, 1987 -- half a year before the definitive action adventure reached the US market. The game still plays and can even save its game on the still functional, industry-first battery backup. Just remember that it's not necessarily going to reveal any design secrets from Shigeru Miyamoto or Takashi Tezuka: the seller warns that he can't see any practical differences between the early copy and the (also included) shipping version. Anyone well-heeled enough to buy the prototype is therefore going solely for the collector's value. But for those determined to be the coolest kid on any block about 25 years late, there's only one way to go.
Fort Atlantic releases new album on modded NES cartridge, no chiptunes in sight
It's getting tough for bands to out retro each other these days (what with even cassettes making something of a comeback), but Birmingham, Alabama's own Fort Atlantic has managed to come up with something that's likely to break through the nostalgia-filled haze. While you'll soon be able to buy the band's self-titled debut album in all the usual formats, you can now pre-order a limited edition version that ships a week before the proper release date and comes in the form of an NES cartridge modded to hold a USB drive ($25 and apparently limited to just 50). That includes the full album in both lossless and MP3 formats, along with an added EP, videos and other bonuses. Unlike past NES album releases, though, there's no chiptunes to be found here -- you can listen to one song from the album courtesy of the Paste Magazine link below, and see frontman Jon Black explain the cartridge decision in the video after the break.
Retrode 2 retro gaming adapter brings SNES / Genesis support to your PC for $85
We were already head over heels for the original Retrode, and we've gotta say -- version 2.0 looks mighty good in that attire. As the story goes, the product shown above is the result of some three years of toiling, with the second iteration handling cartridges for Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. In fact, there's a pair of ports on here, enabling one cart from each console to be loaded up and carried around. Users need only to find and install an emulator on their machine, plug a cartridge and / or an associated controller into the device and then connect the Retrode 2 to one's computer via USB. Once you've loaded a ROM into your emulator, configured your controller and canceled every appointment on your calendar for the next 48 hours... well, you're in for quite a weekend of retro gaming nirvana. It's up for pre-order now in the source link for $84.99, with shipments expected to begin on January 23rd.
