Gaming Nostalgia

Machine When CPU Memory Storage Game Hardware Hack Anecdote
UNKNOWN Late 1970's Probably didn't have a CPU, just a solid state box Probably only a few registers to keep a running score None Pong
Not really a hardware hack but I remember it took a long time to connect the video out to the tele and find the correct channel My First Game

Amused all the adults for a few hours as us kids twiddled two pots to control the tennis bats on a black & white screen
Tandy TRS80 1980? 6809E, 0.89 MHz 16k Cassette Tape There was a music demo program written in this strange 'assembler' stuff that made the 'Trash80' really sing I had missed my first computer lesson in my Maths class so the teacher gave me a brief personal introduction after school. Did I become addicted at this stage?

First usage of computer at school.

I wrote a personality analyser program in BASIC program at lunchtime
Apple IIe 1980? 6502, 1MHz 64k 5 1/4" Floppy Some kid had 'Stellar 7' that had 3D wireframes - that was simply the hottest game at school I recall sneaking open the case once to install the paddle controllers for some silly game... This was reserved for the big kids at school
Atari 2600 1980's A 6507 CPU running at 1.19 Mhz (capable of processing a few thousand instructions per second) 128 bytes of RAM Carts
  1. Defender
  2. Decathlon
  3. H.E.R.O.
  4. Space Invaders
  5. Space Shuttle
Seem to remember breaking a joystick when twiddling the joystick too fast in Decathlon Multiplayer decathlon was the cool, also Defender
Commodore 64 1980's 6510 0.985 MHz 64k Cassette. Some big (64k) games nearly took 20+ minutes to load!

170k 5 1/4 floppy. A disk notcher was used to double storage capacity by using the other side of the media
  1. Mission Impossible
  2. The way of the exploding fist
  3. Lode Runner
  4. Frankie Goes to hollywood
  5. Choplifter

Some old gems

 I think I recall having someones ROMS hacked with the COCKROACH TURBO upgrade to allow fast loading from floppy. Also a hardware reset switch on the expansion port Wrote a few articles for user group magazine once run by Greg

I wrote an assembler program to generate a television test pattern for some guy who ran a pirate TV broadcast in my apartment block. I disabled all interrupts and then changed the background color every few clock ticks so it appeared like there were the vertical bars used in the test generator.
Commodore 128 1980's 8502 (0.985 MHz) & Zilog Z80 128k 5 1/4 double sided floppy per C64 I once wrote an assember program for the 6502 that required a mass memory block copy. The 6502 didn't have this as a single instruction but the Z80 did, so I simply had the 6502 toggle processors to the Z80, run the Z80 instruction to block memory copy then return. My first computer to have a 80column text mode!
Commodore Amiga 1000 1985? Motorola 68000 7.15909 MHz 768k My first 800k 3.5" floppy F-18 Flight Simulator Glen hacked my machine by placing the software boot roms (kickstart) into EPROMs, to free up 256k of RAM for use by applications. Good value for $150 for a poor uni student! When AmigaDOS crashed, the familiar 
GURU MEDITATION
would appear.

Used this to type my final UNI assignment
IBM PC Compatible per Amiga Intel 8086 512k? 40MB HDD - Hacked in a 40MB harddrive, peddled of Mark for $500 This was actually the 'sidecar' attached to the Amiga
Nintendo 64 1996 MIPS 64-bit RISC CPU (customized R4000 series) 2-4MB? Carts & Ram packs

Super Mario 64

Pilot Wings 64

more...

 I thought I was looking at an SGI workstation when I first saw this in a shopfront in Hong Kong September 1996.
UNKNOWN 2010 Total-Encapsulator-Sim-2000

First, Strap-in: You first strip off, then you cover-up in a fine chain-mail like mesh made of fine strands of conductive stainless steel. There is a positive and negative electical terminal that is connect to the sim-computer. Next, a tight-hugging wet-suit is put on that has a series of fine water pipes running through it. There are a series of valves and an in and out connector that is connected to a small bar fridge size water chiller and heater, much like the system used in the space suits used by the Apollo astronaughts. Then you strap on a full body harness and clip into a small scaffolding by a complex web of elastic bands and pulleys tensioned by force feedback mini-winches. A small tube is fastened to your nose that winds its way to a back wall to a rack of flasks. A small air pump and a set of valves allow different smells to be squirted into your nostrils. A moderatly heavy metal collar is placed around the base of your neck. This is actually a powerful electro-magnet that is used to stimulate parts of your brain by inductance, much like the way your brain is being fried by the cellular phone you are probably using. You don a set of stereo headphones and finally a full-vision 3d virtual reality headset.

IMAGINE

You are a warrior re-enacting ancient Roman battles, you swing your heavy sword that feels really heavy thanks to the force-feedback pulleys that are resisting your movements. As you slice down on the torso of your sworn enemy, you can feel the changing density of the fo, first tough as you hit its amour, then like butter you dice though his soon-to-be corpse, all assisted by the force-feedback system. Just as you finish off your last enemy and rest your heavy sword, you see a fierce war-lord in the corner or your eye, wielding a flaming spear. Too Late! The rampaging tyrant runs you through, you feel each cut as tiny electrical currents are passed over your chest by the metallic electrodes covering your body. You look down and see a river of warm blood spurting down and feel the warmth thanks to the thermo suit running hot water over your torso. After a few seconds icy cold water is pumped all over your body to slow down your reactions as you feel your life force draining away. You can smell a salty pungent smell of your own searing flesh as the flaming spear buries deep inside you. A small wif from the salt and smoke flask is puffed to your nose by a tiny fan. The electromagnet around your neck targets a small part of your brain to increase your fear response as you realise you are going to die...

RECORD

Each muscular response you have and brain wave is recorded. The back-end processor can learn your responses and reaction times so that you can 'fight' against your virtual self. This will allow you to train and build up resistance against your own weaknesses. Of course you can play your friends on the internet and wage your own virtual sieges online! Web sites offer human downloadable enemies, copied from actual sim-battles.

EXTRAS

Gaming options include: The extended Sniff-O-Vision incorporating Taste-O-Rama: Bottles of sweet and foul liquid can be pumped into your mouth to accentuate an experience. The ultrasonic Water Immersive option floods the entire scaffolding area with water, It is recommended you also consider the purchase of scuba apparatus to allow you to breath underwater. Ultrasonic shock wave generators allow more natural 'blows' to be inflicted on your body, that is suspended underwater. Coupled with the electric full body mesh, you can feel the full force of angry virtual bashings from the hydrodynamic shock waves and feel the painful tingle of the electric voltage passing through you. Another option to consider is a powerful dam pump that can force large amount of water through the underwater area. This can simulate the powerful force of you colliding with cars in car chase games, that the tiny mini-winches can't simulate. A popular option is the MEDIC module. Heart and lung sensors around your chest detect when you have actually died during a particularly violent and stressful total immersion experience. By applying the correct voltage to your chest area and rapidly pumping water in and out of your sim-suit, a virtual E.C.C. is performed, restoring you to life. Of course back in virtual land, your 'lives' count is decremented.

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