Every time I complain that the Sonoran desert (Phoenix, AZ and surrounding areas) is constantly trying to kill its inhabitants, I have to remind myself that AU exists.
@@a-surfin-bird8182 ackshually its a huntsman but there are no lethal (excluding special sensitivities) spiders in north america other than the panama area
Atari originally wanted to create a new 2600 variant called the 2700 that utilized these. However they made the controllers unbelievably powerful. As they would mess with neighbours’ TVs, radios, and garage doors and the FCC told them they couldn’t sell it.
I've seen this story shared everywhere over the years, but it's never accompanied by a source. I'm a bit skeptical of that last tidbit. Surely they could've just used an unused frequency range like every other remote control device?
@@kimgkomg Nowadays we've got literally millions of devices on a single frequency range (the 2.4 GHz one for example), but with current modulations you can actually do it feasibly, devices know when to hop sub-channels automatically, reject signals from other devices they don't need to listen and so on, but back in the 70s and 80s that wasn't the case. You had pretty much the 3 options I posted above, more than that and you might need custom hardware that nobody makes and it will cost a LOT to develop, and the modulation is just OOK or so - On Off Keying. Basically you pulse the radio on and off, that's it. If anything else accepts a similar burst, it will react. That's why it took until the Wavebird for those things to cooperate freely, you kinda need a smarter encoding to not wreck every other device around and not have your own controller moving with garage door openers or your brother's RC car either. Basically it didn't even need to be THAT powerful for issues to happen, there were enough devices around on the allowed/usable frequencies to screw it up as well. The issue with just changing frequencies is that there's only so many unused frequencies that you're allowed to use and sell products at, regulated by the FCC in the USA, Anatel if I recall in Brazil, and dunno the European and Asian equivalents. Otherwise what happens is that wild west of interfering devices overpowering each other and in one moment there will be a dangerous interference that you just cannot allow (like aircraft AM radios).
I watched a professionally made and broadcast repair programme here in the UK this week that was billed as fixing an Atari console. This 8 minute video was waaaay better than that hour long program (They only covered the Atari for about the same length of time!). You actually explained interesting stuff about how it works and how to fix it. Loved it mate. Great stuff
My brother and I had a pair of these back in the 1970s. We didn't use them often because they did burn through batteries and you had to be close to the 13" TVs of the time to see what was going on anyway, so the cords weren't THAT much of a problem but we did occasionally use them in our bedroom because it meant we could sit on our beds and play without the controller cables blocking the path through the room (which the rest of the family frequently used to get to the bathroom ... our house layout was weird).
@@mathewdeeringLOL! I just moved to a new apartment here in the U.S. and have seen so many spiders. However, they're more like the daddy longlegs kind, very spindly, but not chonky and hairy. I think yesterday (it's nearly 1AM right now) is the first day in the two weeks I've been here where I've not killed one or two of them. I make jokes by calling them Charlotte and her family members. I really am getting tired of unwittingly being dragged into her family reunion, though 😅.
Could you make anything that produces a radio frequency into a controller? It would be kinda fun seeing if a wallow talkie or something like that playing a game. Love the videos!
These old wireless receivers were really dumb. They locked onto certain frequencies and did nothing to make sure the signal was the right signal or even made sense. Clearly that stopped being adequate when radio frequency remotes became more common.
@@Bubu567the original product before this they were working on at Atari was basically just that ran on a lesser wavelength and could go like 2000feet. But it triggered garage door’s in the whole area and so they stopped trying to dev it.
@@RiskiVRThe OUYA was literally just an Android phone shoved into a vaguely console-shaped box. Still can't believe that they thought they could get away with doing that and no one would notice.
Nice work James!! I actually have a slightly older version of this complete in the box. The controllers on mine use a pull out aerial antenna as opposed to the flexible rubber ones on your set. I was pleasantly surprised how well these worked! Also loved the more in depth view. Much appreciated :)
@@Games_for_JamesThe build date on my set say September 1982. Made in Korea. Serial 113130, interestingly the 2nd controller has the same serial. I suppose they swapped over to the flex antenna so kids wouldn’t bend/break the aerial style antenna. My boxed set came with no instructions just the styrofoam and the setup. Weird. Let me know if you want any more info or photos.
@@silverperzon the serial number would be for the set so that makes sense. Yeah telescopic antennas are really bad for breakage. I’ll have to check what my serial number is
I remember being at friends' houses growing up where they had one of those IR NES controllers. They were always terrible, not just having to aim them all the time, but stiff or mushy buttons. I was reminded that Nintendo themselves released a wireless controller accessory for the NES that used IR: the Satellite. Granted it was something stationary that you plugged regular controllers into, so it stood a much higher chance of staying aimed properly. And not too be confused with the Satellaview for the Super Famicom.
@michaelturner2806 Nintendo originally planned to release the famicom in North America as the Nintendo Advanced Entertainment System with crappy infared wireless controllers & a keyboard. Apparently they showed it off at CES 1985 before changing it to the NES.
When the PS4 got released I thought the controller was kinda weird and wondered why they didn't keep the old design. Now I can't go back to the older playstation controllers without wondering how tf I used them for hours on end lol Basically all I have to say about wireless controllers But next time less spiders and more cats please ;)
The DualShock 4 is fantastic! You can buy adapters to use them natively with the Switch, SNES, MegaDrive, and PC so it’s basically my universal controller.
@@jb-br8bf oh that's cool, I didn't know about that. I just use mine on my PC with a USB cable. You can connect them to your PC with bluetooth as well but sometimes that doesn't seem to work for whatever reason so a cable is easier
@@jb-br8bf I’ve had some “bad” experiences with ps4 controllers (stickdrift slightly earlier than the Xbox counterpart, the rubber on the sticks falling apart… pretty minor stuff), and I have an Xbox series S rn because it’s the cheapest next gen console, but I completely agree the DualShock 4 is good. Like every modern controller. Except that it uses potentiometers. Like every modern controller. (Why does there have to be a patent on hall-effect sticks)
Wavebird using radio blew my mind as a kid, it was definitely The Future™. I had absolutely no idea there were hidden giants upon whose shoulders Nintendo stood.
I love so much how kindly you care for spiders, it's really refreshing to see on the internet. Far too many people are quick with the old "kill it with fire" line, it's nice to see someone treating them like the little buds that they are
@@ahreuwu I owe it all to Webber from Don't Starve, hehe But seriously, if you wanna be more chill with spiders, look up jumping spider pet videos! Even the silly ones with the annotations of what the spider's thinking. At the very least, it'll help you get a little more comfortable escorting spiders away from your bedroom.
My girlfriend is a spider saver and I am a spider squasher. She’s been trying to get me to start putting them out the window but when I see one I always instinctively grab something to kill it right away. We’re both vegetarian so I feel slightly hypocritical that I care for some animal life more than others, and I’m trying my best to improve on that! 😅
@@caranook thats totally fair!! Ideally it'd be sick if you were able to grow accustomed to them or comfortably evacuate them, but they're also critters in your space where they don't quite belong. Props to you if that's a path you want to improve upon, but also no shade if you're quick with a sandal.
@@spidergirlspinnerets You are a good, wholesome spider bean. I myself had a journey from being scared of most bugs to rather confidently handling spiders, and it started with a buddy's pet scorpion. His lizard helped too, mostly with moral support, but I slowly became more and more comfortable until I was handling his spiders along with him.
Great video, James. I think you would love the Master System Super Compact from Tectoy, it was a console that could use an RF antenna to send video to the TV, it had all the controller inputs and cartridge slot on it so it was basically a wireless controller AND console.
These videos on your channel are awesome! You do a great job of explaining this stuff and the in depth circuitry without getting too bogged in the weeds of details but also sharing your enthusiasm and passion! Super cool! keep it up!
I love huntsman spiders, I’m American so I’ve never seen one in person, but something about them is real cute to me, which is weird because most spiders creep me out. Hope she’s ok.
It's the front-facing eyes. Creatures that appear to be looking at you are more personable to us because we're a social species and it seems like we're making eye contact and having a connection with them. We're not, they think we're a weird moving tree at best, but it makes them seem more funny. The leg will come back after 2 or 3 molts. The goo that makes up their muscles is readily available, but the exoskeleton to put it in needs to be rebuilt. Thankfully, they can do that.
I have no idea what the heck you're ever talking about I become just entranced at learning how these electronics work. One of the best gaming channels out there honestly.
Awwww, poor huntsman with a missing leg. Just waddling around slowly. Good on ya James. And also, my dad had a set of these for our atari 2600, but they had the Atari labeling on them. I remember being in awe of them as we frantically wiggled our way through Maze Kraze. The rubber was very stiff though, so we could only play for 15-20 minutes at a time before our little hands cramped up lol.
This is one of my favorite videos you've done, I love you just tearing down and fixing old video game stuff. The only comment would be if you got a high quality camera to see the PCB close up when you do those zoom ins, that'd be even better!
I had the Atari-branded version back in the day. I loved them and even used them on my 7800 for games that did not need the second button, (and some that did: Planet Smashers, anyone? I never used the bombs anyway) until it stopped working... probably had the same issue. I wish I had known how easy that was to fix back then. As you noted, I never noticed any difference between them and the wired controllers, except the FREEDOM from the tyranny of WIRES! I certainly noticed no appreciable lag.
Ahh Christmas 2003, i got the incredible hulk, the zelda anniversary disk, and the wave bird controllers. Those things hated having a blanket over them lol
@@Lukey-Dwhy would he be an exact copy of wade? Tbf that would make things worse, and i like this more than wade just because of how beautiful james is
I have one of these and it’s been dead since I bought it and I had no idea what I was looking at when I opened it. This video is now my inspiration to try and fix it again. I guess I’ll start with the 8v regulator. Cheers!
These have been on my list for some time on my hunt to have a wireless controller for all my systems and this solidified my want for them just to have a cleaner setup with less wires.
I ADORE seeing you crack open stuff and showing how to figure out how to repair it. So interesting watching the steps you take to get it working again.
Great video - you have a new subscriber! I think the main downside of these would be getting up and down to press the "Game Reset" switch on the console constantly as the 2600 didn't have a start button on the controller itself 😁
We had a set of these when I was a kid. They definitely did brake. I'm happy to know that it was probably a voltage issue that caused it. Our old house used to have power outages regularly.
7:30 Looks like Asynchronous Serial Communication. Essentially there is a start bit and a stop bit along with bits that represent binary code. When the line goes down, that usually represents a 0. When the line goes up, that usually represents a 1.
Pretty normal size for huntsman or garden spider, we got ones that size in NZ too. The ones we _don't_ have are the teeny tiny ones Aussie has that'll kill you aha
God I love seeing the Ouya controller in the collection at the start, I love the design of the Ouya controller and how it’s design has been aped by modern 3rd party wireless controllers and such
Crazy to think while we genuinely had the tech for this in the early 80s, companies insisted on the cheaper and completely useless downgrade for the next 20 years.
These type of RF controllers probably weren't made anymore past the Atari because of FCC regulations - the fact that you can pick up the controller signal as a TV channel signal is a big no no in their books and I'm sure that with more and more video games coming out with the NES they were much more strict on laws and certification
Yeah I think you’re spot on. That still falls into “too expensive” though. The cost of making a device adhere to strict regulations would be much higher
Legal unlicensed RF devices have been around for a long time, for example RF garage door openers continued being made after the Atari. The fact that it needed to be very close to the TV means it wasn't operating on a TV broadcast frequency. James was probably picking it up on a harmonic, or if it didn't change with the TV's tuning position, it was probably being picked up by the IF.
@@eDoc2020 yeah it was visible on tonnes of harmonics across the tv spectrum. I forgot to check the carrier frequency when I had the scope on it but the crystals are about 48MHz
I'm sure someone else has already let you know, but don't worry about the hunty missing her leg, that happens when they get damaged, they'll chew it off so it isn't a burden and they'll regrow it within a moult or two =)
I was about to comment about the Atari 2700 being prototyped with wireless controllers 1 year before these controllers came out, then my train of thought was immediately destroyed by being casually shown a large spider
Ohhh, as a video? I don’t think it would work properly, video signals have a specific set of parts to their waveform which you can’t get rid of.. they would likely confuse it. It would need to be broadcast on the exact frequency too. Something might happen though? I like your thinking.
Spiders are bros *they're generally quiet and stay out of your way (looking at you, flies) *they don't eat any of your food, just the fuckers that want to eat your food (and shit and lay their eggs in it)
@@mattBLACKpunk I know having spiders around is practically free pest-control and try my best to just let them vibe in peace. But I have mild arachnophobia so I can't help but kind of freak out when I see one
in the controller, it is most likely a TX2C transmitter chip, commonly found in RC cars from the 80's to the early 00's. Unfortunately as they age as well as tech advancing and higher frequency rates, they start to become virtually unusable due to interference.
Nintendo originally planned to release the famicom in North America as the Nintendo Advanced Entertainment System with crappy infared wireless controllers & a keyboard. Apparently they showed it off at CES 1985 before changing it to the NES. Imagine the NES coming with crappy infared controllers by default:/
I wouldn't be surprised if that blew up because the adapter has a headphone style plug for *power* and someone plugged it into the wall first and shorted out the base unit while plugging the DC plug in
When these were available, Atari also had a Wireless set the Atari 2800 (I Believe) that had RF Controllers. There were Massive Complaints that the '70s Garage Door Openers were being Triggered in people's Homes while their Kiddos were on the Atari. Feedback of the Issues caused the idea to fade away until Infrared came out to piss us off LOL
Back in the day I had an NES Satellite. It was a wireless 4-playet tap, and you would plug your controllers into it to use it. This solved the problem of having to always aim the controller toward a receiver, as once you got the transmitter placed properly, you didn't have to worry about it.
I vaguely recall seeing ads for ultrasonic wireless joystick controllers that preceded IR controllers; but have never seen a physical unit. The only wireless devices that (I didn't build myself for some school assignment,) I've handled _and know_ used ultrasound to communicate were RCA (4-button) TV remotes, various (4-button) 1980's projector remotes, and the (some number of buttons) NES power-glove.
Urban legend is that Atari was planning to release their own RF wireless controllers for the 2600, but they had to cancel the project at the last minute after discovering that the radio signals from the controllers were so strong they could interfere with other wireless-equipped 2600s SEVERAL HUNDRED METERS away.
Love it! your videos are a very enjoyable part of the playlist I have going while working in my home lab and your videos are always chill, relaxed and knowledgable. Now, the real important question- What are your opinions on leaded solder? if it's smd, very delicate to heat/current and needs a really low temp I love using leaded solder. But SO many people treat it with the same kind of danger as if I was using a Soviet RTG to heat the lab 😂🤣 Stay awesome bud, all the best from the UK 🙂🤙
I always use leaded solder. For everything. Lead free is painful to use. I bought lead free for the first time when my kids wanted to do soldering.. I guess that’s where I start caring about lead exposure. I actually had my blood lead level checked this year out of interest and it was below the minimum detectable level.
Things to note: Wireless controllers are cool, infrared ones are not cool, James has an Australian moment, voltage regulators can be weird, and cat goes “A”. Today is a good day. Hope you continue to have one as well, James!
This video was super informative about a console I never owned, but regard as the genesis of gaming’s popularity spike. Also I would have thought there would be MORE wireless controllers seeing how relatively simple these Atari ones are compared to modern controllers.
I believe part of the reason more manufacturers didn't use this method was that Atari ended up getting in some trouble regarding the strength of the radio signal, apparently it would interfere with TVs and Radios in neighbouring houses. Not sure exactly how true that is, might honestly just come down to infrared being cheaper to manufacture.
Ive had a massive 7 legged huntsman around my house for over a year, that little lady is gonna be fine. Or eaten immediately there's no way to know either way the missing leg is unlikely to effect her. Oh also the wireless controllers are interesting.
I remember years ago a story about a kid that had a step father who was an employee at Atari and was given a revision of a wireless controller before these came out.
Had no idea the Atari controllers existed, that's really cool. Crazy how much tech we take for granted and think it's recent when companies were doing it way before, even if it was in a more janky manner. The Wavebird was also my first wireless controller, and as such I always got the number dials confused as they were so hard to see haha. Remember my dad being relieved too as that meant no controller wires to get chewed up by the dog.
My family owned a Micro Genius IQ 1000 (A Taiwanese import Famiclone) that used the kind of infrared receiver for its wireless controller like the one you showed at 0:52, It was really cool to have a wireless controller in the late 80s and i always used to dream of having a device like that controller but with a screen on it, And then it actually happened lol.
The most Aussie moment of all time "I found this *LITTLE* lady on the floor." But fr tho as terrifying as that would be to see all of the sudden she is beautiful and adorable ❤
I wonder if these were made by the same Dynex that is currently owned by Best Buy. The logo looks very similiar, and Best Buy's corporate website states that their first in-house product that they put to retail was a Dynex RF Modulator, but they claim to have done that in 2003... 21 years after these were made. The logos look very similar, too.
She was moving slow, probably too cold from the concrete. She wasn’t a threat. I still didn’t want to pick her up with my hands even though huntsmans aren’t dangerous.
@@Games_for_James oh she was moving like that the whole time, its probably because im Irish, and the biggest spiders are the size of a cent, but id burn the house tbh, its great that you saved her though!
If I had a nickel for every James I follow that collects old video games and talks about the CD-i, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
We actually have a few of these! I don't use our old Atari 2600 much, but these are a fun little novelty to have and certainly an interesting historical piece!
James momentarily stopping the video to calmly deal with a massive fucking spider is the most Australian thing I've ever seen.
its only a little huntsman, theyre just lil frens
That was really cute. I hope she's okay :(
@@s_ludgeme too :( huntsmans can be quite resilient from what ive found so i hope she continued to slay another day
Foath
James is not here to f'k spiders!
You know the dude is Australian when he casually shows you a spider
the fact that he found that horrific thing on his floor is proof that australia should be left to the trained professionals only
@@a-surfin-bird8182 she is not horrific, don't insult her :c
Every time I complain that the Sonoran desert (Phoenix, AZ and surrounding areas) is constantly trying to kill its inhabitants, I have to remind myself that AU exists.
@@matthewdyer1568 thankfully i've never seen a tarantula like that here in phoenix. the most likely thing to kill you here nowadays is the heat
@@a-surfin-bird8182 ackshually its a huntsman but there are no lethal (excluding special sensitivities) spiders in north america other than the panama area
4:50 "It's not quite the same, but I'll make it work" This is James summarised in 10 words or less
Atari originally wanted to create a new 2600 variant called the 2700 that utilized these. However they made the controllers unbelievably powerful. As they would mess with neighbours’ TVs, radios, and garage doors and the FCC told them they couldn’t sell it.
Oh lord LOL
Good old days of unencrypted 27, 49 and 433 MHz crap flying all over the place and doing whatever
I've seen this story shared everywhere over the years, but it's never accompanied by a source. I'm a bit skeptical of that last tidbit. Surely they could've just used an unused frequency range like every other remote control device?
@@kimgkomg Nowadays we've got literally millions of devices on a single frequency range (the 2.4 GHz one for example), but with current modulations you can actually do it feasibly, devices know when to hop sub-channels automatically, reject signals from other devices they don't need to listen and so on, but back in the 70s and 80s that wasn't the case. You had pretty much the 3 options I posted above, more than that and you might need custom hardware that nobody makes and it will cost a LOT to develop, and the modulation is just OOK or so - On Off Keying. Basically you pulse the radio on and off, that's it. If anything else accepts a similar burst, it will react.
That's why it took until the Wavebird for those things to cooperate freely, you kinda need a smarter encoding to not wreck every other device around and not have your own controller moving with garage door openers or your brother's RC car either. Basically it didn't even need to be THAT powerful for issues to happen, there were enough devices around on the allowed/usable frequencies to screw it up as well.
The issue with just changing frequencies is that there's only so many unused frequencies that you're allowed to use and sell products at, regulated by the FCC in the USA, Anatel if I recall in Brazil, and dunno the European and Asian equivalents. Otherwise what happens is that wild west of interfering devices overpowering each other and in one moment there will be a dangerous interference that you just cannot allow (like aircraft AM radios).
I watched a professionally made and broadcast repair programme here in the UK this week that was billed as fixing an Atari console. This 8 minute video was waaaay better than that hour long program (They only covered the Atari for about the same length of time!). You actually explained interesting stuff about how it works and how to fix it. Loved it mate. Great stuff
Haha thanks!
And James makes it look sooooo easy!
@josejacobuk what's that show called?
different word lol@notanetcher
@notanetcher aight bet
My brother and I had a pair of these back in the 1970s. We didn't use them often because they did burn through batteries and you had to be close to the 13" TVs of the time to see what was going on anyway, so the cords weren't THAT much of a problem but we did occasionally use them in our bedroom because it meant we could sit on our beds and play without the controller cables blocking the path through the room (which the rest of the family frequently used to get to the bathroom ... our house layout was weird).
As someone who is also Australian, that spider was huge. Either that was a lucky event, or Adelaide is wild 😂
I live semi-rural, that one was about average 😂
@@Games_for_JamesAmerican here, nearly dropped my phone
My family is mad at me for screaming
I've got a huntsman twice that size living in my garage. Her name is Charlotte.
@@mathewdeeringLOL! I just moved to a new apartment here in the U.S. and have seen so many spiders. However, they're more like the daddy longlegs kind, very spindly, but not chonky and hairy. I think yesterday (it's nearly 1AM right now) is the first day in the two weeks I've been here where I've not killed one or two of them. I make jokes by calling them Charlotte and her family members.
I really am getting tired of unwittingly being dragged into her family reunion, though 😅.
@@mathewdeeringI absolutely adore that you named her Charlotte. 1000/10 I wish her the world.
Could you make anything that produces a radio frequency into a controller? It would be kinda fun seeing if a wallow talkie or something like that playing a game.
Love the videos!
Apparently an RC car radio on the right frequency can trigger some buttons on these.
Yeah basically you could.
These old wireless receivers were really dumb. They locked onto certain frequencies and did nothing to make sure the signal was the right signal or even made sense. Clearly that stopped being adequate when radio frequency remotes became more common.
@@Bubu567the original product before this they were working on at Atari was basically just that ran on a lesser wavelength and could go like 2000feet. But it triggered garage door’s in the whole area and so they stopped trying to dev it.
@@Roninkinx That's hilarious
I haven’t been this unsurprised by someone owning both a Wii U and an Ouya since I discovered Scott the Woz.
Although Scott's Ouya is sadly dead.
@@daemonspudguy Sadly? The Ouya was garbage lmao
I have a Wii U, and I can sync a bluetooth controller to my phone and tape it to the TV. Close enough.
Is that the guy that owns Sonic Jam?
@@RiskiVRThe OUYA was literally just an Android phone shoved into a vaguely console-shaped box. Still can't believe that they thought they could get away with doing that and no one would notice.
This is by far my favourite hot glue channel
James presumably returned the spider to behind the sun visor of his daily driver -- that's these guy's natural habitat for some stupid reason.
James just revived an ancient lookin wireless controller receiver and god damn, good on ya, James.
I always used to love taking controllers apart and trying to figure out how they worked.
Nice work James!! I actually have a slightly older version of this complete in the box. The controllers on mine use a pull out aerial antenna as opposed to the flexible rubber ones on your set. I was pleasantly surprised how well these worked!
Also loved the more in depth view. Much appreciated :)
I saw a couple of photos of those but no info, what’s the build date on the bottom? Mine are november 1982 from memory
@@Games_for_JamesThe build date on my set say September 1982. Made in Korea. Serial 113130, interestingly the 2nd controller has the same serial. I suppose they swapped over to the flex antenna so kids wouldn’t bend/break the aerial style antenna.
My boxed set came with no instructions just the styrofoam and the setup. Weird. Let me know if you want any more info or photos.
@@silverperzon the serial number would be for the set so that makes sense. Yeah telescopic antennas are really bad for breakage. I’ll have to check what my serial number is
I remember being at friends' houses growing up where they had one of those IR NES controllers. They were always terrible, not just having to aim them all the time, but stiff or mushy buttons. I was reminded that Nintendo themselves released a wireless controller accessory for the NES that used IR: the Satellite. Granted it was something stationary that you plugged regular controllers into, so it stood a much higher chance of staying aimed properly. And not too be confused with the Satellaview for the Super Famicom.
An Acclaim product being trash is very much unsurprising to me lol
@michaelturner2806 Nintendo originally planned to release the famicom in North America as the Nintendo Advanced Entertainment System with crappy infared wireless controllers & a keyboard. Apparently they showed it off at CES 1985 before changing it to the NES.
When the PS4 got released I thought the controller was kinda weird and wondered why they didn't keep the old design.
Now I can't go back to the older playstation controllers without wondering how tf I used them for hours on end lol
Basically all I have to say about wireless controllers
But next time less spiders and more cats please ;)
@@andriyyuriyovuch3891 tomorrow 8pm. You. Me. Playground. We're fighting about this, but no kicking
The DualShock 4 is fantastic! You can buy adapters to use them natively with the Switch, SNES, MegaDrive, and PC so it’s basically my universal controller.
@@jb-br8bf oh that's cool, I didn't know about that. I just use mine on my PC with a USB cable. You can connect them to your PC with bluetooth as well but sometimes that doesn't seem to work for whatever reason so a cable is easier
@@jb-br8bf I’ve had some “bad” experiences with ps4 controllers (stickdrift slightly earlier than the Xbox counterpart, the rubber on the sticks falling apart… pretty minor stuff), and I have an Xbox series S rn because it’s the cheapest next gen console, but I completely agree the DualShock 4 is good. Like every modern controller. Except that it uses potentiometers. Like every modern controller. (Why does there have to be a patent on hall-effect sticks)
@@Friendly_Neighborhood_Dozer8bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth controller has Hall Effect joysticks, in case you are looking for a controller with them.
Mate, I am so glad that Dank encouraged you to start your own youtube channel! Love your videos! Keep it up, lad!
Wavebird using radio blew my mind as a kid, it was definitely The Future™. I had absolutely no idea there were hidden giants upon whose shoulders Nintendo stood.
I love so much how kindly you care for spiders, it's really refreshing to see on the internet. Far too many people are quick with the old "kill it with fire" line, it's nice to see someone treating them like the little buds that they are
nice username, you clearly seem dedicated to spiders lol I wish I could be chill with them
@@ahreuwu I owe it all to Webber from Don't Starve, hehe
But seriously, if you wanna be more chill with spiders, look up jumping spider pet videos! Even the silly ones with the annotations of what the spider's thinking. At the very least, it'll help you get a little more comfortable escorting spiders away from your bedroom.
My girlfriend is a spider saver and I am a spider squasher. She’s been trying to get me to start putting them out the window but when I see one I always instinctively grab something to kill it right away. We’re both vegetarian so I feel slightly hypocritical that I care for some animal life more than others, and I’m trying my best to improve on that! 😅
@@caranook thats totally fair!! Ideally it'd be sick if you were able to grow accustomed to them or comfortably evacuate them, but they're also critters in your space where they don't quite belong. Props to you if that's a path you want to improve upon, but also no shade if you're quick with a sandal.
@@spidergirlspinnerets You are a good, wholesome spider bean. I myself had a journey from being scared of most bugs to rather confidently handling spiders, and it started with a buddy's pet scorpion. His lizard helped too, mostly with moral support, but I slowly became more and more comfortable until I was handling his spiders along with him.
Great video, James.
I think you would love the Master System Super Compact from Tectoy, it was a console that could use an RF antenna to send video to the TV, it had all the controller inputs and cartridge slot on it so it was basically a wireless controller AND console.
Thanks!
I sure would! I haven’t gone down the tectoy rabbit hole yet. There are a lot of interesting systems in Brazil.
These videos on your channel are awesome! You do a great job of explaining this stuff and the in depth circuitry without getting too bogged in the weeds of details but also sharing your enthusiasm and passion! Super cool! keep it up!
Just so you know, with casually goofing around with the tv and oscilloscope you actually teached me a lot about rf signal technology. How cool!
I love huntsman spiders, I’m American so I’ve never seen one in person, but something about them is real cute to me, which is weird because most spiders creep me out. Hope she’s ok.
It's the front-facing eyes. Creatures that appear to be looking at you are more personable to us because we're a social species and it seems like we're making eye contact and having a connection with them. We're not, they think we're a weird moving tree at best, but it makes them seem more funny.
The leg will come back after 2 or 3 molts. The goo that makes up their muscles is readily available, but the exoskeleton to put it in needs to be rebuilt. Thankfully, they can do that.
@@yukikofujiwara2144 oh man, I wish I'd known that all the times I've "mercy killed" a legless spider. Thought I was doing a kindness :/
I have no idea what the heck you're ever talking about I become just entranced at learning how these electronics work.
One of the best gaming channels out there honestly.
Awwww, poor huntsman with a missing leg. Just waddling around slowly. Good on ya James.
And also, my dad had a set of these for our atari 2600, but they had the Atari labeling on them. I remember being in awe of them as we frantically wiggled our way through Maze Kraze. The rubber was very stiff though, so we could only play for 15-20 minutes at a time before our little hands cramped up lol.
This is one of my favorite videos you've done, I love you just tearing down and fixing old video game stuff. The only comment would be if you got a high quality camera to see the PCB close up when you do those zoom ins, that'd be even better!
A secondary camera for macro shots of the -spider- PCB would be neat.
I had the Atari-branded version back in the day. I loved them and even used them on my 7800 for games that did not need the second button, (and some that did: Planet Smashers, anyone? I never used the bombs anyway) until it stopped working... probably had the same issue. I wish I had known how easy that was to fix back then.
As you noted, I never noticed any difference between them and the wired controllers, except the FREEDOM from the tyranny of WIRES! I certainly noticed no appreciable lag.
Ahh Christmas 2003, i got the incredible hulk, the zelda anniversary disk, and the wave bird controllers. Those things hated having a blanket over them lol
I’m so happy that you upload while wade is on vacation.
I mean he isn’t wade though.
Glad he uploads at all. James is a treasure, regardless of Wade.
@@Lukey-Dwhy would he be an exact copy of wade? Tbf that would make things worse, and i like this more than wade just because of how beautiful james is
@@Lukey-D but he’s still his friend. I thought he might tag along.
There is a controller that is a motion controlled for the 2600, it's super rare and uses actual mercury for the motion control switch.
I think the guys at Rerez did a video on that. Its not wireless, though it is a pretty cool piece of gaming history.
I have one of these and it’s been dead since I bought it and I had no idea what I was looking at when I opened it. This video is now my inspiration to try and fix it again. I guess I’ll start with the 8v regulator. Cheers!
These have been on my list for some time on my hunt to have a wireless controller for all my systems and this solidified my want for them just to have a cleaner setup with less wires.
I ADORE seeing you crack open stuff and showing how to figure out how to repair it. So interesting watching the steps you take to get it working again.
Great video - you have a new subscriber! I think the main downside of these would be getting up and down to press the "Game Reset" switch on the console constantly as the 2600 didn't have a start button on the controller itself 😁
James voice is a very relaxing and soothing one…I almost got put into deep sleep…very cool vintage controllers!!
The tv getting the controller signal visually is amazing
The OUYA's about to take off, any day now
"Red Dankpods isnt real he can't hurt you"
red dankpods:
We had a set of these when I was a kid. They definitely did brake. I'm happy to know that it was probably a voltage issue that caused it. Our old house used to have power outages regularly.
7:30 Looks like Asynchronous Serial Communication. Essentially there is a start bit and a stop bit along with bits that represent binary code. When the line goes down, that usually represents a 0. When the line goes up, that usually represents a 1.
1:57 Australia moment
Pretty normal size for huntsman or garden spider, we got ones that size in NZ too. The ones we _don't_ have are the teeny tiny ones Aussie has that'll kill you aha
God I love seeing the Ouya controller in the collection at the start, I love the design of the Ouya controller and how it’s design has been aped by modern 3rd party wireless controllers and such
Crazy to think while we genuinely had the tech for this in the early 80s, companies insisted on the cheaper and completely useless downgrade for the next 20 years.
In all fainess to the cdi spoon it was called the presentation controller for a reason it wasn't really for games apparently
These type of RF controllers probably weren't made anymore past the Atari because of FCC regulations - the fact that you can pick up the controller signal as a TV channel signal is a big no no in their books and I'm sure that with more and more video games coming out with the NES they were much more strict on laws and certification
Yeah I think you’re spot on. That still falls into “too expensive” though. The cost of making a device adhere to strict regulations would be much higher
Legal unlicensed RF devices have been around for a long time, for example RF garage door openers continued being made after the Atari. The fact that it needed to be very close to the TV means it wasn't operating on a TV broadcast frequency. James was probably picking it up on a harmonic, or if it didn't change with the TV's tuning position, it was probably being picked up by the IF.
@@eDoc2020 yeah it was visible on tonnes of harmonics across the tv spectrum. I forgot to check the carrier frequency when I had the scope on it but the crystals are about 48MHz
You can tell he's from Australia because of how casually he picks up a giant as fuck spider
I'm sure someone else has already let you know, but don't worry about the hunty missing her leg, that happens when they get damaged, they'll chew it off so it isn't a burden and they'll regrow it within a moult or two =)
THEY CAN CHEW? Most horrid creatures on earth
James is the kind of guy who would own an Ouya and somehow make it good
I was about to comment about the Atari 2700 being prototyped with wireless controllers 1 year before these controllers came out, then my train of thought was immediately destroyed by being casually shown a large spider
If you can tune these in to show on a tv, could you broadcast images to get the receiver to play without the controller?
Ohhh, as a video? I don’t think it would work properly, video signals have a specific set of parts to their waveform which you can’t get rid of.. they would likely confuse it. It would need to be broadcast on the exact frequency too. Something might happen though? I like your thinking.
Low key jealous you can deal with spiders that calmly 😂
Spiders are bros
*they're generally quiet and stay out of your way (looking at you, flies)
*they don't eat any of your food, just the fuckers that want to eat your food (and shit and lay their eggs in it)
In straya you have to befriend the nature or it will kill you.
@@mattBLACKpunk I know having spiders around is practically free pest-control and try my best to just let them vibe in peace. But I have mild arachnophobia so I can't help but kind of freak out when I see one
@@PsycheTrance65 understandable, have a nice day
@@PsycheTrance65 It might help you to know that the spider in the video (a huntsman) eats other spiders, while also mostly ignoring humans.
Would be cool to see these get modded with a lithium battery and a type c port for charging, although that might be a bit too sacrilegious.
It could easily be done without cutting any holes if the charge port was behind the battery cover
If you're going to go that far you might as well just buy some modern Atari-standard wireless controllers. There's a few well made ones out there.
in the controller, it is most likely a TX2C transmitter chip, commonly found in RC cars from the 80's to the early 00's. Unfortunately as they age as well as tech advancing and higher frequency rates, they start to become virtually unusable due to interference.
This was a throwback to old Ashens videos I’d watch and I love it.
Every time I watch a video of yours I'm treated to a wonderful new thing to learn and each time I'm surprised by the beautiful cat at the end haha
Always a good day when I wake up and find a new tech video from James. Excellent stuff as always
Nintendo originally planned to release the famicom in North America as the Nintendo Advanced Entertainment System with crappy infared wireless controllers & a keyboard. Apparently they showed it off at CES 1985 before changing it to the NES.
Imagine the NES coming with crappy infared controllers by default:/
I’ve watched so many Australian channels that I zoned out and completely forgot I was watching a man who knows the dank boi
I wouldn't be surprised if that blew up because the adapter has a headphone style plug for *power* and someone plugged it into the wall first and shorted out the base unit while plugging the DC plug in
When these were available, Atari also had a Wireless set the Atari 2800 (I Believe) that had RF Controllers.
There were Massive Complaints that the '70s Garage Door Openers were being Triggered in people's Homes while their Kiddos were on the Atari.
Feedback of the Issues caused the idea to fade away until Infrared came out to piss us off LOL
I was kind of expecting James to scream AA
Back in the day I had an NES Satellite. It was a wireless 4-playet tap, and you would plug your controllers into it to use it. This solved the problem of having to always aim the controller toward a receiver, as once you got the transmitter placed properly, you didn't have to worry about it.
5:24 Now that's my kind of electronics repair! Who needs ordering a pack of five weird little transistors when you can just throw something together?
Oh sweet, another video of James rescuing animals!
I vaguely recall seeing ads for ultrasonic wireless joystick controllers that preceded IR controllers; but have never seen a physical unit.
The only wireless devices that (I didn't build myself for some school assignment,) I've handled _and know_ used ultrasound to communicate were RCA (4-button) TV remotes, various (4-button) 1980's projector remotes, and the (some number of buttons) NES power-glove.
Make the spider a robot leg, she deserves it ❤
James saving a spider in the middle of the video is the most Aussie thing I’ve ever seen
Urban legend is that Atari was planning to release their own RF wireless controllers for the 2600, but they had to cancel the project at the last minute after discovering that the radio signals from the controllers were so strong they could interfere with other wireless-equipped 2600s SEVERAL HUNDRED METERS away.
They did release their own controllers actually. That test was for a console that was to come with wireless controllers
1:57 a beautiful lady she is! glad you took her outside
Apparently, there was a model of Atari that came with wireless controllers but was never put to market because of signal interference.
Love it! your videos are a very enjoyable part of the playlist I have going while working in my home lab and your videos are always chill, relaxed and knowledgable.
Now, the real important question- What are your opinions on leaded solder? if it's smd, very delicate to heat/current and needs a really low temp I love using leaded solder.
But SO many people treat it with the same kind of danger as if I was using a Soviet RTG to heat the lab 😂🤣 Stay awesome bud, all the best from the UK 🙂🤙
I always use leaded solder. For everything. Lead free is painful to use. I bought lead free for the first time when my kids wanted to do soldering.. I guess that’s where I start caring about lead exposure.
I actually had my blood lead level checked this year out of interest and it was below the minimum detectable level.
It seems like they got so much right with this controller, which is amazing considering it's a first gen product.
Things to note:
Wireless controllers are cool, infrared ones are not cool, James has an Australian moment, voltage regulators can be weird, and cat goes “A”. Today is a good day. Hope you continue to have one as well, James!
If I saw that spider I would find a new place to live
This video was super informative about a console I never owned, but regard as the genesis of gaming’s popularity spike. Also I would have thought there would be MORE wireless controllers seeing how relatively simple these Atari ones are compared to modern controllers.
I believe part of the reason more manufacturers didn't use this method was that Atari ended up getting in some trouble regarding the strength of the radio signal, apparently it would interfere with TVs and Radios in neighbouring houses. Not sure exactly how true that is, might honestly just come down to infrared being cheaper to manufacture.
Thanks for saving the spider. She was very beautiful.
Fucken spoiler warning on that spider. Holy shit had a heart attack.
Yeah this needs to be pinned…arachnophobes beware
you deserved it
1:00 - Oh hey, my aunt had one of those controllers in the top drawer in her bedroom when I was a kid. Had rumble function too.
Ive had a massive 7 legged huntsman around my house for over a year, that little lady is gonna be fine.
Or eaten immediately there's no way to know either way the missing leg is unlikely to effect her.
Oh also the wireless controllers are interesting.
I remember years ago a story about a kid that had a step father who was an employee at Atari and was given a revision of a wireless controller before these came out.
This is all so good man, you're doing great; awesome video concept, well presented.
Glad you think so!
I love your videos man. Got so many consoles myself, so I can vibe with a lot of the stuff you cover here.
3:05 you can actually see some smoke coming out after he plugged it in
seeing that spider actually spooked me holy hell
How to show that you're in Australia, just casually mention the massive f*****g spider on your desk
a little tip for identifying sanded off components i've found putting a piece of scotch magic tape on it usually reveals the goods
Had no idea the Atari controllers existed, that's really cool. Crazy how much tech we take for granted and think it's recent when companies were doing it way before, even if it was in a more janky manner.
The Wavebird was also my first wireless controller, and as such I always got the number dials confused as they were so hard to see haha. Remember my dad being relieved too as that meant no controller wires to get chewed up by the dog.
Hey truly made the “ol mate James” fix
I genuinely appreciate the arachnophobia warning in the description, I have mild arachnophobia so it was really useful to know it was coming.
I can’t take credit for thinking of it, a few people were not as lucky as you and told me so, the warning was added after that.
As someone with SEVERE arachnophobia, I wish I had seen that warning, but I rarely read video descriptions.....
My family owned a Micro Genius IQ 1000 (A Taiwanese import Famiclone) that used the kind of infrared receiver for its wireless controller like the one you showed at 0:52, It was really cool to have a wireless controller in the late 80s and i always used to dream of having a device like that controller but with a screen on it, And then it actually happened lol.
The most Aussie moment of all time "I found this *LITTLE* lady on the floor."
But fr tho as terrifying as that would be to see all of the sudden she is beautiful and adorable ❤
It would be funny if you were playing a game and suddenly some one outside with a rc car happens to be on the same frequency and messed with it.
Yeah apparently that can actually happen with these!
Spider that size would kill me
I wonder if these were made by the same Dynex that is currently owned by Best Buy. The logo looks very similiar, and Best Buy's corporate website states that their first in-house product that they put to retail was a Dynex RF Modulator, but they claim to have done that in 2003... 21 years after these were made. The logos look very similar, too.
Ooooh, that acclaim controller is nice to have. I remember seeing them in NMS and wanting them
I'm just going to ignore the controllers for a second, how the hell did you pick up that spider and just be chill
She was moving slow, probably too cold from the concrete. She wasn’t a threat. I still didn’t want to pick her up with my hands even though huntsmans aren’t dangerous.
@@Games_for_James oh she was moving like that the whole time, its probably because im Irish, and the biggest spiders are the size of a cent, but id burn the house tbh, its great that you saved her though!
@@Games_for_JamesAustralian superpower
@@Swaginatorr44 apparently they are very timid and only bite as a last resort
@@0008loser this is true, they threaten you by rearing up first too so you know to keep clear.
Man, we don't get spiders like that here
If I had a nickel for every James I follow that collects old video games and talks about the CD-i, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
We actually have a few of these! I don't use our old Atari 2600 much, but these are a fun little novelty to have and certainly an interesting historical piece!
This channel is so good, looking forward to the next upload
Happy to hear that!