PROTOTYPES

 

Prototypes and alternate versions that need to be archived and shared by those currently hoarding them:
 

VCS/2600

Actionauts - Version released was "fixed". Original version still not released (Jose "wonder007" Artiles now owns original)
Ad. D&D: Tower of Mystery - Sean Kelly and Mattholomule Reichert (who reviewed it apparently based on screenshots alone, even though he's often claimed he can't review a game unless he has a copy of it.  Sounds like a sinister mystery to me).
Ad. D&D: Treasure of Tarmin - Sean Kelly, Kevin Horton, and Matty Reichert (who reviewed it apparently based on screenshots, even though he's often claimed he can't review a game unless he has a copy of it).
Amiga Boing demo 2.0 - has an Easter egg in it.
Anteater - Sean Kelly, Matty Reichert (who reviewed it and still has a copy of it), and Kevin Horton (who posted an actual screenshot of it in 2013).
Arcade Pong - fixed paddle bug
Astro Chase - Earliest known version.  Matty Reichert reviewed 3 different versions of it, but shared none of them.
Burgertime - Later version allows selectable difficulty levels using TV Type switch (B/W = easy, COLOR = hard) and fixed the height bug
Choplifter - As usual, Matty Reichert reviewed it, but didn't share it.
Color Bars - Jose Artiles LINK
CommaVid
sprite editor - John Hardie
CommaVid TRS-80 tapes (Underworld) - John Hardie
David Lubar materials - given to John Hardie (and as they say, if you give it to John, it's as good as gone)
Donald Duck's Speedboat (5-16-83) - Matty Reichert and Roman Scharnberg claim this is identical to the 4-12-83 version, but at least 2 different prototype carts have been found dated 5-16-83 - only one of which has been archived.
Dungeon - Bob Smith mentioned at the October 2015 PRGE show that created this, with plans to sell it at John Hardie's National Videogame Museum (this was prior to them opening).  With Smith's passing, the question is, where's the game?
In Search of the Golden Skull - Sean Kelly and Kevin Horton (who posted an actual screenshot of it in 2013), as well as Matty Reichert (who reviewed it apparently based on screenshots, even though he's often claimed he can't review a game unless he has a copy of it).
Intuition - There's a (very) short list of possible names as to who the unnamed California collector is who paid $10k for the only known prototype of this in September 2022.  If you won't share the code or sell carts of it, at least put out some video footage of it running.
James Bond 007 - version with slightly-different music.  Originally came from Arnie Katz and Bill Kunkel's collection.  This one ended up with Joseph Santulli and was at CGE once, and went missing after that!
Keystone Cannonball - Dan Kitchen developed this Keystone Kapers sequel back in the early 1980s, the idea for which was taken by David Crane and turned into Circus Convoy.
Laser Blast - original version had a bug, possibly related to avoiding the force field
Levee Game, The (AKA Dam Game, Hoover Dam) - Dan Kitchen gave John Hardie the source code listing and an EPROM prototype in February 2024 LINK
Loco-Motion - Sean Kelly, Roman "cpuwhiz" Sharnberg, and Matty Reichert (who of course reviewed it and offered to make a video of it, but never did, and don't bother asking him about sharing it LINK.)
Look Ahead - John Hardie (Mark Klein brought it to a past CGE)
Lord of the Rings - LINK
Mark of the Mole - Matty Reichert reviewed it.
Miner 2049'er Vol. II - Includes a level select.  Jose Artiles and Matty Reichert LINK
Moon Patrol - Matty Reichert reviewed the 6-26-83 version (LINK)  but claims he doesn't have permission to share it.
Nexar - original version has roll-over bug, the later version doesn't.
Pesco - Atari Age version (easier)
Phaser Patrol - PAL version - owned by "mayhem"
Power Lords: Quest for Volcan - earlier version VIDEO 1, VIDEO 2, VIDEO 3
Pursuit of the Pink Panther (Atari 400/800 version) - Matty Reichert mishandling another one LINK.
Ram It - 2 versions LINK
Sentinel PAL - Matty Reichert sold it to Jose Artiles
Skeet Shoot - original version had a bug which causes screen to roll
Soccer RS Football (1988) - no music at power-up, missing some sound f/x
Sprint 88 (Sprintmaster) versions - John Hardie has had this for years.
Star Wars: Jedi Arena - Earlier version.  Matty Reichert reviewed it.
Starpath protos - LINK
Video Life - need true dump of cart, which Yarusso refused to make available for over 20 years now LINK


Todd Rogers alternate carts (good luck getting these, as there's a good chance they only exist in Todd's mind, much like his high score records):

Adventures of Tron (one stops at 999,999, the other rolls)
Blackjack - stops at 999 (instead of 1,000)
Journey Escape (has border around screen, or no border)
Reactor (one stops at 999,999, the other rolls)
Sky Jinks
Stampede (rolls at 100,000 instead of 10,000)
Taz (
rare 1984 re-release)

 

400/800

Jungle River Cruise - John Hardie has had this for years LINK, as does Matty Reichert LINK
Pursuit of the Pink Panther - Matty Reichert was in contact with the owner and posted screenshots and a video of it LINK, but then lost the owner's email a few months later LINK.  Apparently having both screenshots and video of the game wasn't enough for him to review it.
Tumbleweeds - John Hardie has had this for years LINK, as does Matty Reichert LINK
Wing War - LINK

 

5200


smiley face 7800 diagnostic - John Hardie
 

 

7800

Toki - The person who found the prototype entrusted Roman Scharnburg with a copy of it.  5 year later and long after the person disappeared, Schamburg apparently lost the only copy of it and is glad to be absolved of any responsibility of having to do the right thing LINK (i.e. sharing it with anyone else, other than his 'inner circle' like Matty Reichert, that is LINK), or so he thinks.

 

MISC

Atari VAX equipment - Curt Vendel owned at least 2 different VAX systems and several data platters for both, for years.  It was Ken Van Mersbergen who archived of all of the 9-track backup tapes as well as the RM02 platters that Vendel had, but the RM05 platters mentioned in this thread were never archived as Vendel never had the proper equipment to do so (and in all the time he owned them, he never bothered to acquire them or work with someone who did).  Currently they are in the hands of Marty Goldberg.  The unarchived platters are believed to contain data from the last few years of Atari under Warner (1982-1984).  If there's any hope of recovering any of the known games that were under development (Ex: VCS Bagman, Ballblazer, Robotron: 2084, SwordQuest AirWorld, etc), those platters are likely the last chance of finding them.  This equipment should have been given to a real museum, like the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA, to be archived and preserved, so Goldberg, now is the time.


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