Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 24

Review: Kofoposo Suitcase Vinyl Record Player with Bluetooth and USB

Although I’m all-digital these days, I thought it might be fun to experiment with a more laid-back listening experience. With the resurgence of vinyl and inexpensive record players like this Kofoposo Audio Turntable (C210), it’s surprisingly easy to dabble in this very old school recording medium.

The Kofoposo is suitcase-style, which makes it relatively easy to move about, although you still need to carry around the separate plug-in AC adapter. It can handle playback at 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM speeds. Naturally, it requires an adapter for 45s.

What you get.

The unit itself is self-contained, with built-in stereo speakers, but it does have RCA outputs (cables included) if you want to output to your own amplified setup. There is also a handy 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as 3.5mm audio input. Besides 3.5 audio in, you can also play from any Bluetooth-capable source, and even a USB stick. While none of those are particularly compelling use cases for this type of device in my opinion, it’s great to have the options.

The controls are pretty intuitive, but I’m not a fan of black on black lettering.

Perhaps the most interesting modern convenience is being able to do vinyl-to-mp3 recording. Insert a FAT32-formatted USB stick into the USB port, play a record, then press the PREV/PAUSE/NEXT button until the status indicator blinks red. Pressing the PREV/PAUSE/NEXT button again stops recording. It’s not necessarily the most convenient process because of the timing of when the record plays and doing the button presses, but it does create a usable file without much effort. I don’t see much use for this feature with most albums, of course, but it’s definitely a boon for preserving rarer recordings.

The short power cord is the biggest annoyance.

Naturally, the biggest question is how is the sound quality when playing a new album using the built-in speakers? For my test, I used a brand new copy of Abbey Road Anniversary by The Beatles (you were expecting maybe…). Sound through the built-in stereo speakers was wonderfully clear, although there is a distinct lack of bass. Since I’m not a huge fan of too much bass, this is OK for me, but it’s something to keep in mind if you want that extra punch from your records.

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Despite the power cord being frustratingly short at only about 3 feet long and the lack of bass from the built-in speakers, there are no other real flaws I can point out. This is a great transportable record player with some nice modern benefits.

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Classic SHMUP Gaiares gets new Sega Genesis collector’s re-release – Pre-orders now open!

Retro-Bit has announced a special edition Gaiares re-release for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive. The classic SHMUP from 1990 is looking better than ever:

Over 30 years ago, Gaiares was released for the SEGA Genesis® and Mega Drive consoles and it pushed the limit of what a console shooter could do.  With over 10 minutes of anime-inspired cutscenes, a dynamic weapon system, massive bosses, and impressive graphics all crammed onto an 8 Mb cartridge.  In this re-release, we’ve paid homage to its original release while also having the opportunity to speak to former playtester at Renovation Products, James Bunker who was featured in various ads for the game!  Additionally, Retro-Bit will make a donation per purchase to the Video Game History Foundation in our mutual efforts for game preservation.

Gaiares is on physical cartridge for the Sega Genesis. This is an open preorder for a limited time.

Gaiares includes: 

Translucent Tektite Cartridge Full-colored Instruction Manual Reversible Cartridge SleeveCertificate of AuthenticityExclusive Interview with James BunkerEmbellished SlipcoverCommemorative T-ShirtEach sale will provide a donation to the Videogame History Foundation

PRE-ORDERS CLOSE ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2021 AT 11:59 PM EASTERN TIME.

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Animated character with synchronized speech on a 1979 home computer? Yes!

I’ve written my share of articles and books on both the Mattel Intellivision and its ill-fated Keyboard Component and had a hand in bringing the Intellivision Flashback to market. The Intellivision is still a popular retro gaming platform today, but it’s the Keyboard Component that’s perhaps the most interesting artifact from the era. Long story short, Mattel couldn’t reliably and cost-effectively manufacture the Keyboard Component, which turned the Intellivision console into a full-blown computer, so only around 4,000 were ever made, with many of those eventually recalled. Mattel did eventually produce a mass-market computer add-on for the Intellivision, the Entertainment Computer System, or ECS, but it was far less capable (but did have a cool piano add-on). In any case, because of the rarity and expense of the few semi-working Keyboard Components out there in the world, we’ve rarely gotten direct insight into just how impressive it actually was for its time.

A person who goes by the name “decle” has uploaded two fascinating videos that capture exactly what Mattel was going for in 1979 with the Keyboard Component. The first is “Conversational French,” with Mimi’s introduction, which has an impressive animated character with speech synchronized to the mouth movements. Truly stunning:

Most home computers used mono tape or cassette drives, meaning there could only be a single data track. Others, like the Atari 8-bit series, APF Imagination Machine (itself a computer expansion for a console, the M/MP-1000), and yes, the Keyboard Component, utilized stereo, so not only could it have a data track, but also an audio track. You’ll find the most such examples of early multimedia cassettes on the Atari 8-bit, but as you can see with the impressive example above, there was some truly forward-thinking engineering elsewhere as well.

Another interesting video “decle” posted was a segment from Jack LaLanne’s Physical Conditioning. There’s not the same type of synchronization here, but again, you’re treated to an early version of computer-directed multimedia:

“decle” has a YouTube playlist for his Keyboard Component videos that features other related content well worth checking out. Not everything is there, though, so you’ll want to go to his “all uploaded” section, here.

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Plus up your Python coding skills & Get a crash course on almost anything

Check out the bundle options here and name your own price!

Want to improve your Python programming knowledge? Just getting started learning? We’ve teamed up with O’Reilly for a new bundle that will help you on your way. This coders’ package comes with ebooks for people of all experience levels, including Introducing Python, 2nd Edition; High Performance Python, 2nd Edition; as well as ebooks containing specialized knowledge like Web Scraping with Python, 2nd Edition; Test-Driven Development with Python, 2nd Edition; and more. Your purchase also helps support Code for America, using the principles and practices of the digital age to improve how government serves the American public, and how the public improves government.

Python Programming by O’Reilly

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HTC Vive/VIVEPORT VR Review: Fall Fear Fly Redemption

This review was originally created in September 2018 for HTC, targeted to their Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT). It is reproduced here without alteration.

Fall Fear Fly Redemption is a game born out of a vision of social entrepreneurship, which is the use of start-up companies and other entrepreneurs to develop, fund, and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. In this case, developer Lobaki partnered with a non-profit to create a VR Academy in an impoverished part of the country, Clarksdale, Mississippi, where underprivileged and under-served high school and community college students could have opportunities to create professional virtual reality projects such as this one.

With such an interesting creation story, it’s no surprise that the game born out of this positive environment is equally fascinating. Although not entirely successful as a game, the overall end result still impresses in many ways.

The opening act.

You start out floating above a vast ocean. When you begin the actual game, you’re placed on the edge of a rocky cliff. Shortly thereafter, and with little warning, you jump. While I didn’t feel particularly connected to or immersed for the jumping part, once you’re in the air and free falling down through a surreal wormhole, or tunnel, of color, time, and space, the feeling of being there is palpable. At the end of this free-fall, you land on a moon, much like our own. It’s here that you can grab the “galaxy bow” and fire celestial arrows at the asteroids and other select objects that encircle you, trying to score the most points in a timed Asteroid Archery challenge. Asteroids that are further away score you more points, but are naturally harder to hit. Once time runs out, you can try again for a better score.

Fall Fear Fly Redemption is meant as a standing, room-scale experience, but can also be played seated if you’re able to maneuver enough and don’t mind missing out on some of the immersion, particularly during the free-fall segment. Otherwise, the most important motion is being able to quickly look around and rotate to hit all of the objects.

Visually, the game looks great, with realistic environments and well-rendered objects. Music and sound effects are similarly well-engineered.

Unfortunately, while the controls are intuitively mapped to the Vive controllers, I found picking up and manipulating the galaxy bow rather cumbersome. The game errs on the side of realism rather than accessibility, which makes working with the bow more frustrating than it should be. I had similar difficulty hitting many of the asteroids and other objects I was targeting, never quite getting the sense I fully understood how the physics engine worked and the path my celestial arrow would actually follow on a consistent basis. I suspect if I kept working with the game, my skills would improve, but it was difficult to keep motivated when each Asteroid Archery challenge was so frustrating.

I like a lot of what the developers of Fall Fear Fly Redemption were going for here. The surreal setting and sense of falling are well-imagined and impressively implemented. I also kind of like the idea of the Asteroid Archery challenge, even though it feels tacked on in a move that I suspect was made so this could be called a “game” rather than an “experience.” Unfortunately, it’s the somewhat poor playability of this game section that lets down the potential of the overall experience.

Ultimately, Fall Fear Fly Redemption never elevates itself beyond the type of experimental social project that it was born out of. It remains something of an unrealized vision. With that said, I would still consider what’s there at least a partial success, and definitely look forward to more releases from this team based on some of the lessons learned with this project.

Score: 2 out of 5 stars.

Fall Fear Fly Redemption is available on Viveport or with a Viveport Subscription.

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Three decades’ worth of Leisure Suit Larry adventures

Check out the bundle options here and name your own price!

Take a trip down leisure lane with luckless “lovable loser” Larry Laffer in this decades-spanning collection of games from the legendary adult-themed Leisure Suit Larry series, and relive an era when graphic adventures ruled PC gaming. This bundle includes original games in the series dating back to the ’80s, along with the latest entries that bring Larry’s escapades into the 21st century. Support the charity of your choice when you pick up this bundle!

The bundle includes all of wacky the Leisure Suit Larry hits!

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AtGames Winter Sale for home arcade products is November 12 – 15, plus other news on videos and events

AtGames is having a big winter sale. Here are the details straight from the company:

AtGames is holding its Winter Sale from November 12 – 15, 2021, on all of your favorite home arcade products and services! The sale features a great selection of our community’s favorite items, great deals on gifts for fun with friends and family this holiday season, and so much more!

You can preview the deals at the following link: Winter Sale – AtGames E-Store. Orders open Friday, November 12, 2021, 9AM PT/11AM CT/12PM ET.

You can also check out a preview video about the AtGames Winter Sale on the official AtGamesGaming YouTube channel: AtGames 2021 Winter Sale and Upcoming Events – November 12 – 15.

We also love when friends and family get involved in the fun, so we’ll continue to have weekly arcade and pinball leaderboards, as well as regularly scheduled happy hours on Fridays and Sundays. You can check out the ArcadeNet Season 3 event schedule here: https://www.atgames.net/arcades/arcadenet-events/. 

Besides dozens of great deals, we’re also making the Legends Ultimate Mini available once again for reservation, with delivery expected for new reservations made during and after the Winter Sale in early January 2022. (Please note the updated shipment date for the reservations of the Legends Ultimate Mini Tetris® Limited Edition and Standard Edition prior to or during NOD-A will still be in early- or mid-December, as detailed in the email notification sent on October 30th.) 

Of course, the community’s favorite items, like the Arcade Control Panel for Legends Pinball, BitPixel, TAITO Pinball Tables Volumes 1 and 2, and Video Input Backglass (VIBS) for Legends Pinball are also part of the amazing deals on offer.

You can find Legends Ultimate Mini product demos on the following YouTube channels:

CoolToy – AtGames Legends Ultimate Mini Review – What To Know Before You Buy!MadLittlePixel – This $400 Arcade Machine Can Play THOUSANDS Of Retro Games! AtGames Legends Ultimate Mini Review!MichaelBtheGameGenie – AtGames Legends Ultimate Mini Home Arcade ReviewPDubs Arcade Loft – AtGames Legends Ultimate Mini Tetris Edition Review!TampaTec – https://www.youtube.com/c/Tampatec Wagner’s TechTalk – AtGames Legends Ultimate Mini Arcade & Pinball: Setup + Review

Great new YouTube content is also on the way to help our community members continue to get the most out of the amazing feature-set available on the Legends Arcade Platform.

We are pleased to announce Season 2 of the popular Legendary Academy YouTube education series for all Legends Arcade Family products is now underway! Episode 1, Getting Started With Your New Legends Device, is now live. You can watch the video at the following links: 

CoolToy’s YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS96PJiZBnU. 

AtGamesGaming YouTube Channel – https://youtu.be/M0BXHo68K_8.

You can check out the full playlist of Legendary Academy videos, including all of the videos from season 1, here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT7fasiZVuJT7euNuwZDfV96fqc21VDmQ. 

More great episodes in season 2 of Legendary Academy will be posted on a regular basis. Be sure to subscribe to the AtGamesGaming YouTube channel and CoolToy’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss a video.

AtGames Gaming YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AtGamesGaming.

CoolToy’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFgSVtipSUXSt8LHfaN8j_Q.

The Legends Pinball (ALP) Modding Show, sponsored by AtGames and brought to you by Wagner’s TechTalk, will launch in 2022, with more than 10 Legends Pinball-themed episodes. The Wagner’s TechTalk website (http://wagnerstechtalk.com/) will also feature additional Product Knowledge Guides to add to the great Legends Arcade Family content already there.

We’ll share additional details on all of the deals, leaderboard and happy hour events, ArcadeNet Season 3, and upcoming YouTube content from AtGames and your favorite influencers soon. 

Thank you as always for your support.

Just one of many sale items.

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Video: Crue Ball (1992) for the Sega Genesis – Gameplay

The full intro and gameplay up to the loss of the first life for the Mötley Crüe-based Sega Genesis game from 1992, Crüe Ball. Fantasy video pinball games had a golden age in the 1990s and this title held its own. It’s a bit on the easy side, but then not every game needs to be a thumb-buster to be enjoyable.

Crue Ball (1992) for the Sega Genesis

The video was recorded directly from an Analogue Mega Sg running the original Electronic Arts-published cartridge.

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PR: AtGames Announces Commercial Edition Legends Pinball Cabinet at IAAPA Expo

AtGames® Announces Commercial Edition Legends Pinball Cabinet at IAAPA Expo. Here’s the press release:

Commercial Edition of The World’s First Connected Virtual Pinball to feature 149 Licensed Digital Tables for free-to-play and LegendsToken options

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) NOVEMBER 03, 2021

AtGames®, a leader in interactive entertainment products, today announced that it will release a new commercial edition of its popular 80%-scale Legends Pinball digital home machine (https://www.atgames.net/arcades) at the IAAPA Expo (https://www.iaapa.org/) on November 16 – 19, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. Multiple live demo units will be at the AtGames booth #626, along with raffles and other prize giveaways.

Known as the Legends Pinball OE, or Operator’s Edition, the commercial edition will have the same great features as the standard home use model. These features include a 32-inch glass-covered LCD playfield, 15.6-inch LCD backglass, stereo speakers, precision spring-loaded plunger, tactile feedback, accelerometers, global leaderboards, events and tournaments, weekly happy hours, online multiplayer Party Play, voice chat, downloadable digital content, and all of the other connected options found on the Legends Arcade Platform.

Legends Pinball OE brings to operators of clubs, malls, restaurants, and other commercial locations the option to choose between free play or make use of LegendsToken for a fee-based alternative. A total of 149 digital pinball tables are preloaded on the turnkey OE, which include popular selections from FarSight Studios (Gottlieb) and Magic Pixel (Zaccaria), as well as exclusive creations based on legendary TAITO arcade properties including SPACE INVADERS, OPERATION WOLF, and BUBBLE BOBBLE. AtGames will publish new tables as they are developed and released.

“We are excited to unveil the commercial version of our 80%-scale Legends Pinball home machine at this important industry event for the amusement and attractions industry,” said Dr. Ping-Kang Hsiung, CEO of AtGames. “After great success with retail partners like Walmart, Sam’s Club, and GameStop, we’re taking our Legends Pinball and Legends Arcade Platform to the next great frontier.”

Legends Pinball OE will feature full and comprehensive commercial usage rights, as well as new service contract options, to better cater to the needs of commercial operators. The same critically-acclaimed Legends Arcade Platform features for homes, like firmware updates, global leaderboards, match play, tournaments, and happy hours will all be accessible within each commercial operating environment. More details on this exciting new commercial version of Legends Pinball will be revealed at a later date.

AtGames is looking for additional distribution partners, venue owners, and operators to help make this unique entertainment experience available to their customers. In addition, AtGames is always looking for new content creators, as well as to partner with game producers and publishers to bring an even greater range of content to our players. Advance appointments for visits to our #626 booth at IAAPA Expo are welcome.

About AtGames:
AtGames® (http://www.atgames.net) was founded in 2001 and is a leader in innovative consumer-oriented interactive entertainment products. The company leverages the latest technology to develop and publish its best-selling arcade and classic gaming products for worldwide distribution. AtGames is based in Los Angeles, with international offices in Taipei and Shenzhen. https://www.atgames.net/arcades lists Legends Arcade Family products.
Legends Arcade Platform, Legends Arcade Family, Legends Pinball, The World’s First Connected Virtual Pinball, and LegendsToken are trademarks of AtGames. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Get an extra 10% off Pop Culture Horror eBook Bundle with this coupon code!

It’s the Pop Culture Horror eBook Bundle! Pick your tier to pay what you want (starts at $1!), enter the coupon code ARMCHAIRARCADE10 for an extra 10% off, then enjoy your eBooks in multiple formats to keep forever. It’s a fantastic deal on an amazing bundle!

Even tier 1 at $1 has some amazing horror-themed books.

This deal expires November 29, 2021, at 12:00 AM BST.

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