Why?

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 8:13 am

gklinger wrote:
Jeff-20 wrote:Something about it seems iconic for a period in gaming history.
That's precisely it. Miner 2049er is one a few games, mostly platformers like Pitfall, Jumpman, Lode Runner etc., that harken back to the golden era of computer gaming.

Yep, I'd have to agree. I feel the same way (desire for the game etched into my brain at 10 years old resulting in nostalgia now). There was an Electronic Games review on it in back around 1983 which positively raved about the game. It was promised on the VIC, but it never was available in my area (at least not in the major chains where a kid could bug his parents to buy it).

I am not certain, but I think it was so legendary because it was a platformer that came out BEFORE Donkey Kong was released on any home system, also possibly before Load Runner and Jumpman were released too.

Another big thing about it was that it included so many MULTIPLE levels (which was a big attraction at the time after games like Space Invaders which didn't change).

So, although Miner 2049'er doesn't seem like a great game in retrospect (when we have later VIC titles to compare it to), if you look at it in the context of when it was released and what other titles were available, it will reveal why it was so special.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:04 am

wiskow wrote:The VIC-1011A RS-232C Terminal Type [..] 3 days left, and it's already up to $76.00!

With 32 hours left, the highest bid is 86 USD.

Please, tell me that a 1011B can be converted to a 1011A by soldering a jumper on the inside or something like that?

wiskow · Post by **wiskow** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:24 am

carlsson wrote:With 32 hours left, the highest bid is 86 USD.

Wow! It sold for $285.00!!! I didn't see that coming...

-Andrew

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:01 am

The prices we've seen things selling for over the last month are quite remarkable. I wonder how long this will last? People will see the crazy selling prices and want to cash in so they'll put their stuff on eBay and suddenly there will be more sellers than buyers. At that point, the trick will be finding and taking advantage of auctions with low minimum bids and no reserves.

As for this specific auction, it's ridiculous. You could send a VIC-1011 to any one of a dozen companies in China and instruct them to reproduce it exactly. A month later you could have 1000 units that are indistinguishable from the original for a unit cost of about $10. The catch is that if you tried to sell 1000 of them you would initiate the market collapse I spoke of in the first paragraph. You gotta love it.

I really can't fathom why anyone would pay these exorbitant prices. These aren't Brueghels.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:22 am

$285 for a RS-232 interface is plain ridiculous. No, it is way beyond ridiculous.

wiskow · Post by **wiskow** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:51 am

carlsson wrote:$285 for a RS-232 interface is plain ridiculous. No, it is way beyond ridiculous.

Agreed! Especially considering that the auction that started this thread included this interface along with MANY cartridges. It sold for $224.72, and THAT was thought to be too much.

-Andrew

wiskow · Post by **wiskow** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:59 am

Oh wow... I just noticed that the "winner" of this auction is none other than the very same "msowen99"...

-Andrew

Post by **Jeff-20** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:03 pm

What is this guy up to? Any theories?

damnstraight · Post by **damnstraight** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:04 pm

What a guy, and only $30.00 shipping. I wonder if he is sending the 128 along with it. hahah