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Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!

@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social

Lover of old stuff, primarily ancient tech and old movies. Things like the Commodore 64, reel to reel tape players, and silent film. I talk about all that stuff on my podcast, the Memory Machine. He/him www.memorymachinepod.com

1191 Posts2284 Follower 465 Folgt

AtariSpot // rob @atarispot.bsky.social · 3d ago

If you missed it… hey, I’m alive! I’ve got a new site going so that I can put things somewhere that isn’t social media. The first truly new post is about a heretofore undocumented 2600 clone console manufactured in a state-owned factory in China. Much more to come! theatari.spot/blog/2026-07...

Shanghai's Dazzling 2600 Clone: Apollo-8 TV GAME

The 新建 (Xinjian) XJ 8811 -- a beautiful Atari clone console from a Chinese state-owned factory.

theatari.spot

AtariSpot // rob@atarispot.bsky.social · 4d ago

*blows 14 months of dust off Bluesky* Hi to friends old & new, and to so many followers amassed for no good reason! 😸 I’ve started a website with help from a good friend. Only a few things are there so far, but more will come now that I have a non-social-media place to put things! theAtari.spot

beetle moses @beetlemoses.bsky.social · last wk.

Three panel comic. Panel 1: two friends are playing cards. There is a birdcage hanging behind them, just peaking out of frame. Friend 1 asks, “does your bird talk?” To which friend 2 replies, “Please… don’t.” Panel 2: friend 2 continues, head in hand, “he’s on this alpha male influencer thing right now.” Behind him, the bird - posed and wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket - is leaning forward on a tiny easy chair in his enclosure. Panel 3: with his hands clasped, easing back into his chair, the bird says, “stops eating seeds. Focus on your net worth.”

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 4d ago

Don't want this to get lost under my initial post - follow all these talented, brilliant people I met at the Save the Games symposium this year!

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 5d ago

Gonna do my best to shout out all the amazing people I met who are here for you to check out on Bsky! @playhistory.bsky.social - did his presentation about field research for his Sega/Gremlin book entirely in rhyme. Wild. @ftb1979.bsky.social - all around great dude and jp computer software expert.

Kevin Bunch (ubersaurus)@atariarchive.org · 5d ago

Having recently purchased a tripod I've started a playlist on YouTube of video recordings of arcade machines, primarily those that are rare, quite old, and/or unemulated. Feel free to pull from these as you see fit! They're all creative commons. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Video recordings of arcade machines - YouTube

Video footage of various arcade machines of interest that I've come across, typically ones that are pretty uncommon, old, or unemulated. Since these are gene...

youtube.com

VideoGameDocs @ Save The Games!@gamedocs.bsky.social · 6d ago

PEAKachu

Phil Salvador’s final slide that has a high resolution image of a Pikachu TCG card that says “Thanks for coming” and “Hell yeah brother”

F_T_B @ftb1979.bsky.social · 6d ago

Had a nice time attending Save the Games. Nice to meet @crespiguillermo.bsky.social, @philsalv.bsky.social, @gamedocs.bsky.social, @borman.bsky.social, @lindseykurano.bsky.social & others, & see @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social , @playhistory.bsky.social, and @atariarchive.org IRL. Work&train tomm

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 5d ago

Had the privilege this week to present at the Save the Games symposium at the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY! I met so many wonderful people, reconnected with many others, and saw some brilliant presentations. (Photos courtesy of @playhistory.bsky.social and @ftb1979.bsky.social )

A photo of me beginning my presentation. I'm standing at a glass podium. To my left is the slide presentation (with wood paneling background!)

My demonstration setup. To the left are the circuit boards, the middle has the screen, and the left has a book and printed schematics. The screen displays a good guy square on the bottom, and a row of bad guy squares on top that descend slowly. The goal is to eliminate them all before they reach the bottom.

Play History @playhistory.bsky.social · 5d ago

@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social set up an excellent demonstration of 1970s TTL video games that fascinated the public.

Kevin Bunch (ubersaurus)@atariarchive.org · 7d ago

Played some absolute Bronze Age beauties at Arcade 80s today. Much obliged to @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social and @atarispot.bsky.social for getting in on these matches!

Winner IV, a Pong clone for up to 4 players.

Kee Games’ Tank, which admittedly was not working properly due to a fried edge connector.

Atari’s Anti Aircraft, gorgeously restored and running perfectly.

Bailey International’s Fun Four, a Pong clone for up to 4 people with multiple game modes. Most notably, it includes a fairly unique one where each side is defending a series of targets instead of a goal, making it a proto-Warlords style game.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · last wk.

Can't wait!

Andrew Borman@borman.bsky.social · last wk.

Save the Games 2.0 launches tomorrow! We're ready! Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · last wk.

Come see me! Maybe get garbage plates, drink some Genny, and play ancient video games!

Andrew Borman@borman.bsky.social · last mo.

Save the Games. July 29 and 30. Rochester, NY. Worried about our all-digital future? Want to know how researchers interact with game history? What the challenges that game studios are facing? All that and more, just weeks away. www.museumofplay.org/save-the-gam...

Andrew Borman @borman.bsky.social · last mo.

Save the Games: A Digital Preservation Symposium - The Strong National Museum of Play

museumofplay.org

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · last wk.

It's been a helluva week leading up to Save the Games 🫠 In the past two weeks, the following has happened: - bought a house in Buffalo - my car died - impromptu got an arcade machine - got a major check I was depending on from a client, only to have the bank hold it for a week

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 2w ago

With apologies to Action Retro, totally normal things are happening in the Lockhart Electronics workshop

A Sharp Twin Famicom connected to a boom box CRT. The screen is 5in in size, black and white, and is displaying the title screen for SMB2 (jp). The setup is on my somewhat messy workbench.

Play History @playhistory.bsky.social · 2w ago

One week until the Save the Games conference is on! Big moment in my year. www.museumofplay.org/save-the-gam... I'll be presenting as well as watching colleagues like @philsalv.bsky.social @sega-16.bsky.social @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social and @crespiguillermo.bsky.social !

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 3w ago

Anyone interested in some new controllers for old consoles/computers? Here's what I have in a final-ish design so far: TRS-80 Color Computer, Atari 7800, Atari 2600 (with built in paddle!), and ColecoVision.

My TRS-80 CoCo joystick. The case is 3D printed. A thumbstick is on the left, and two 3D printed buttons are on the right.

My Atari 7800 controller design. The layout is similar to an NES, with D-pad and two action buttons. A switch is located on the top to swap button 1 and 2.

My controller design for the Atari 2600. The layout is similar to an NES controller, with a d-pad and two action buttons. A knob is located to the upper left of the d-pad for paddle controller. A switch is on the right should of the controller to switch function between joystick and paddle.

A pile of my ColecoVision controllers. Again, these feature an NES controller layout, but a 12 button keypad sits in the middle, providing full Coleco keypad functionality. Two shoulder buttons act as the extra Super Action Controller buttons.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 3w ago

FINALLY getting back to my board revision of the diy 70s video game Stormtrooper Attack. It's been a while since I've worked on these projects, but it feels just like riding a bike. It's actually back to a playable state, which it hasn't been in since 2021!

My messy workbench, with a ring light illuminating the circuit boards that contain the game and the video generator. The larger board to the left is the game logic, and the smaller board to the right generates the video. The book containing the circuit is open on the bench, turned sideways to properly view the schematic.

My Commodore 1702 monitor displaying the game. It's very rudimentary. A row of eight squares at the top are the 'stormtroopers', and a small square on the bottom of the screen represents your player. The stormtroopers slowly move down the screen toward the player. The goal is to eliminate them all before they get to the bottom.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 3w ago

This lil travel CRT lives again!

A small travel CRT television with radio. A 5 in black and white screen is to the left, and dials are on the right. A handle protrudes from the bottom of the set.

SEGA-16 @sega-16.bsky.social · last mo.

I just got this baby back, and she is looking mighty fine! Recapped and screen modded! Thanks to @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social for the awesome mod job!

An image of my Game Gear alongside the box for Shinobi II.

A closeup of my Game Gear, playing Shinobi II on a new, modded screen.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Look at how beautiful it is...

Side view of the arcade cabinet of 1974's Ramtek DeLuxe Baseball. Cabinet has woodgrain veneer, an orange control panel, and large, chrome buttons.

Front view of the same cabinet. The bezel surrounding the screen depicts a baseball stadium. Looking closely at the monitor reveals the burned-in images of the player characters.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I've crossed the threshold - I cannot be saved from my fate of collecting arcade cabs

A 1974 video arcade game (Ramtek Deluxe Baseball) sitting on a pallet with straps. Game has a mustard yellow bezel, and wood veneer.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I just had to make a games disk for this Kaypro before I got it back to the client

A Kaypro 2x running a game of Star Trek. The display is a 5 in CRT with green phosphor. Two floppy disk drives are to the right of the screen, embedded in the case. The large, sheet metal-cased keyboard is folded down in front of it.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I found a Sam's Photofact schematic online for free! Today's gonna be a good day.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 2mo ago

After doing this repair, I feel like writing down some musings

The front of a Kaypro 2x - a "luggable" computer from the early 80s. The screen is green phosphor, and is blinking a cursor. At the top of the screen, it says "KAYPRO 63K CP/M Version 2.36". There are two 5.25 floppy disk drives next to the five inch picture tube.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Testing a Sony 3D Playstation television the only way I know how

A flat-screen Sony 3D TV sitting on top of a dual DVD/VHS machine. On the screen is a scene from Ghost of Frankenstein where Ygor the hunchback (played by Bela Lugosi) peers over the shoulder of Dr Frankenstein.

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I'll bet this will make for a fine soup

The main board of a Crown D150A amplifier (circa 1971). It's still connected to the beefy metal chassis, and is just *caked* in dust.

Nate Ehlers @supernatetendo.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Here's a better peak at what the BioCreeps controller will more or less look like! #biocreeps

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 3mo ago

It was really fun to design this controller with Nate Ehlers, and I'm very grateful to his kids for testing the ruggedness of the 3D printed parts 😅

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I'm so excited to finally share this! @supernatetendo.bsky.social commissioned me to design and build joysticks as a reward for his Kickstarter on his new NES game, BioCreeps!

BioCreeps

An Action Arcade-Style Game for the NES

kickstarter.com

diyelectromusic @diyelectromusic.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 8mo ago

Just finished reading this. The techniques described are nothing short of phenomenal. It does make me wonder what would be possible with such care these days. Totally impractical of course to write code like this for a modern application, but still, think […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Photo of the book cover for the book "Making Games for the Atari 2600" by Steven Hugg. Cover shows a happy cartoon child holding an Atari 2600 joystick with a range of fantasy creatures behind them and a rainbow coming from the joystick heading right over a TV and Atari 2600 VCS console they are looking at. The TV is showing a frame from a game. There is something I can't; identify sitting on top and to the rear of the VCS. If anyone reading this has an idea what it might be, do elaborate in the replies!

Nathaniel Lockhart @ Save the Games!@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 3mo ago

DEMAND MORE 70'S GAMES

Play History@playhistory.bsky.social · 3mo ago

For those that couldn't catch us at Midwest Gaming Classic, I made sure to get the panel up quickly! youtu.be/SDnNTQWcc68 Headed by @katewillaert.bsky.social, @theycreateworlds.bsky.social, @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social, and myself talk about the important early arcade games of the 1970s.