Rather than merely reminisce about video games, I thought I’d travel back in time, one step further back than my currently published titles. (Steve)
My first console game for Atari was Kung Food for the Lynx, but my first gaming console was the Atari Video Computer System (later known as the Atari 2600) and I’d so wanted to write my own game for one when I was a kid. It is fair to say it was systems like the Atari VCS that inspired me to become a video games programmer, whilst I was still at school.
Thanks to the great tools available at today at 8bitworkshop.com I was able to program and test the game just using a web browser. But wanting to go further and test on real hardware I was able to find invaluable help from reading the Pixels Past (creative commons) PCB project that people had been using to make their own physical VCS cartridge releases since the early 2000s. This meant I was able to flash programmable logic chip and program EPROMs to make actual console cartridges.
I discovered that wider scale homebrew and re-releases were originally being done by recycling old games, but instead of destroying classic games I spent my annual bonus that year and had a injection tool made (in the UK) so I could create my own cases “old school” without 3D printing or breaking up original hardware.
Steve Mitchell images to be used in Highlander on Jaguar CD (early to mid 1990s).
Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’
When I was a computer science student, back in the 1980s, I wrote a computer moderated strategy game called Lore Lords of Britain, up to 40 people played per game, by using post and laser printed return forms.
This was Atari ST based, but I had the option to write an 8 bit version for legacy consoles, so went with what I thought an arcade game about ancient armies battling, might be like had I written that for my first console.
The game is an auto-battler inspired one to two player game for the Atari 2600 compatible console. 
Mock-up of box and screen shot from gameplay.
Making the new PCB
Using recycled EPROMs and logic chips from the 1980s is no longer deemed good practice by retailers as they are technically ‘used parts’ and do not meet modern standards.
This address this I spent the last year writing the high speed ARM type code for a 32 bit microcontroller to emulate the EPROM and logic chip required to do banking.
I then added a DIP switch option so I could boot as up to 16 different ROM files with sizes varying from 2K to 32K (using 2K/4K/F8/F6 & F4 banking emulation).
The new PCB works on legacy hardware and Retron77, 2600+ and 7800+ consoles with up to 60kb of free FLASH memory for games. I am making 1,000 of these right now, some with be used to make a PAL, NTSC & mod of my new 2600 compatible game, Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’ others could be sold to self publishers for their own releases.
Testing F6 banking using the microcontroller and an early version of my game.
Move from ZIF sockets to a modified Pixels Past PCB (as more stable in testing). You can see the Game Over mode in my game.
“Getting closer!”
Prototype board running from internal FLASH memory and able to draw just from console power.
Final PCB design, with optional DIP switches, that was submitted for FCC testing. It is capable of containing up to 16 different ROM selectable images using 2K, 4K, F8, F6 & F4 banking (combined to around 60 Kbytes).
Faran, also a Retro Game Guru, is working with me on Love8Bit.
- Showing and making available a range of the 2600 compatible shells to enthusiasts and also retro publishers.
- Designing and making the labels and boxes for the Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’ game to be released in the US.
- Showing retro game publishers the newly made, FCC approved and DIP switch enabled PCB.
Faran’s setup on 7800+
Contact Faran to find out more about the 100 limited edition CGF Beta run of Lore Lords ‘Gladiators’.
Posters to promote the shells, new DIP switch PCB and the game in the Classic Game Fest (Austin 2025).
