Into The Vertical Blank

#161: Atari Now: Making Sense of Atari x Activision Packages

Atari has Licensed 39 games for physical release. We go through all of the confusing offerings and collections to make sense of what is on offer.  All music, audio / video production. writing and game play by @8bitrocket and or @fultonbot unless otherwise noted. (c)8bitrocket Studios #Atari #IntoTheVerticalBlank #GenerationAtari Website: https://intotheverticalblank.com/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/atarinow/ Itch.io: https://intotheverticalblank.itch.io/ Into The Vertical Theme by Brian Tra

#160: First Communion: The Gospel According To Atari

When my brother and I start our 2nd year of Catholic CCD class in 1978, we receive an introduction into a world we could have never imagined prior, and it changes our lives forever. Features the song "Touch My Pain" by Tony Longworth, See the video version here:https://intotheverticalblank.com/2026/07/15/the-first-communion-the-gospel-according-to-atari/ https://www.reddit.com/r/atarinow/ Thanks for support from: Jason Moore,Atari Legend,AtariBasement Atari Crypt BCB Coffee Boy, Daniel Beasley++

#159 : Atari Now + Fill In The Blanks Double Feature!

A double episode of Atari Now ! and Fill In The blanks. Links:  -BCB On Rumble : LAtari Newsline | BCB -Tunnel Panic on Itch.io: https://intotheverticalblank.itch.io/tunnel-panic-atari-st https://www.reddit.com/r/atarinow/ Thanks for support from: Jason Moore,Atari Legend,AtariBasement Atari Crypt BCB Coffee Boy, Daniel Beasley++,Barry BurkeyChris++Dave the VelociraptorED Possible,David L. Farquhar Jolt7800Tony LongworthDavid SchmidtDaniel StephensT1LTwesbrown18 VintNerd All music, audio / video

#158 : Atari-Washing - Did Atari And Evercade Erase Gaming History?

We discuss the Evercade carts, Atari Arcade 1 and Atari Arcade 2, both disappointing cartridges from, but for two every different reasons. Credits found for Stern game on Atari Arcade 2 Berzerk: copyright 1980 designed and developed by Alan McNeil Frenzy: copyright 1982 also designed and developed by Alan McNeil Rescue: copyright 1982, designed and developed by Chris Oberth Minefield: copyright 1983, designed and developed Chris Oberth Tazz-Mania: copyright 1982 , designed and developed by Chris

#157 : We Create Demakes / Remakes on the Atari 7800 and ST : Fill In The Blanks

"Fill In The Blanks" and "Into The Vertical Blank" are not anal retentive. We are not perfect. We are messy, and that's the way we like it. We have opted to not strive for perfection, but instead, show the process, warts and all of "living" with a love for retro games and retro platforms. There are lots of other channels where you can consume content that aims for absolute perfection. We, instead, aim for passion. Ballon Saw Itch.iohttps://intotheverticalblank.itch.io/balloon-saw-7800-alpha

#156: Challenge: Make a Chip Tune on an Atari Machine: AtariST vs Atari7800 : YM vs Pokey

#atari #atari7800 #atarist #pokey #YM2149 #STOS #RMTTracker This season we are doing retro coding and retro creation challenges for every episode. We are calling this "Fill in the Blanks" as these are things we have always wanted to do, but have not accomplished yet. This time we were each tasked to creating a chip or tracker tune for an Atari machine. Jeff chose to target the Atari ST YM2149 using the STOS music creator and Steve chose the Atari Pokey using RMTtracker to target the advanced sou

#155 : The Art Of Vintage Computing (at VCF So. Cal. 2026)

Steve takes a solo trip to VCF So. Cal 2026 and reports back to his twin brother. Music: Chromatic Light Distortion by Tony Longworth Links: VCF So Cal: https://www.vcfsocal.com/VintNerd Ms. Pac Man: https://www.youtube.com/TheVintNerdCommodore128: https://8bithe.artHector: Rémi Arnaud: https://sasfepu.comJeri EllsworthAtari 8bits And Ansi Art:Bucket O Pixels : John Manko (@bucketofpixels) • Instagram photos and videosMagic-1: magic-1.org, http://www.homebrewcpu.comSeries 7 TTL ICs: List of 7400

#154: Atari Now Feb 2026

A lethargic, uninspired episode where you can tell we are over this. Will this be the last one? What will we do next? https://www.reddit.com/r/atarinow/ Notes:-Secret Mall Apartment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Mall_Apartment -Atari ST Mini: https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/atari-st-enthusiast-announces-the-minist-with-fpga-misterynano-core-and-black-tkl-case-priced-at-around-usd400-each-but-the-initial-run-is-a-mere-five-units -Strong Museum Acquire Curt Vendel At

#153: ST Show #2: Atari ST History August 1989: ST Format 01 Cover Disk News and more

Atari ST History + New Home Brew Podcast 2.  Video Version: youtube.com/watch?v=zqyqyXYNh8Q&feature=youtu.be We begin our Tramiel era Atari history exploration in this episode by digging  into the World of Atari News and the  Cover Disk for August 1989, The Premier issue Number one or ST Format Magazine.  This  era of Atari History post Warner has not been covered in detail in too many places, so to right that wrong, we are going to the SOURCE, ST Format magazine. The most successful and compre

#152 - Atari Now! January 2026 - News, Views & Homebrews For All Atari Systems and More plus Christmas & Predictions

Atari Now! January 2026 - News, Views & Homebrews For All Atari Systems and More plus Christmas & Predictions Notes: Zero Page Homebrew: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrewArcade1up :https://arcade1up.com/Basic Fun: https://www.basicfun.com/arcade-classics/PXE Engine:https://forums.atariage.com/topic/381582-pxe-pronounced-pixie-new-elf-based-bb-kernel/Phantom Logic: https://phantomlogicstudios.com/Rebecca Heinemen Memorial: https://www.rosehills.com/obituaries/whittier-ca/rebecca-heineman-126

#151: Atari ST SHOW #1: Did Atari Knowingly Give Away Pirate Software? + ST News

In 1989 Atari Distributed a 4 disc game collection with new STs called “2- Great PD Games” that notoriously include some non-pd content. The Atari ST Show #1 we deep dive into the contents of these 4 disks and answer the question “Did Atari Knowingly do this?” We also look at the games and authors as a dive into the hobbyist history of the ST in the uSA. Plus, we take a brief look at a C library for developing STe games.  The Atari ST Show is brought to you by Into The Vertical Blank. Host Jeff

#150 : PC-Man And "The Spark" Of Childhood Wonder

Teenager Greg Kuperberg wrote three fast-action arcade games for the IBM-PC in 1982 and 1983 (an almost impossible of feat at the time) and then took another path. In this rare examination of his work, we look at the legacy and inspiration of this "would-be" game programming auteur, who "moved-on" while at the top of his game. Links: -Tony Longworth: https://tonylongworth.bandcamp.com/music--Interview and Text Version: https://intotheverticalblank.com/2024/12/01/interview-greg-kuperberg/--Retro3

#149: Atari Now! November 2025

Atari now!Notes hereAtari Now! November 2025 https://www.reddit.com/r/atarinow/Atari Now, News and Homebrews.See full notes here: Thanks for support from: Atari Legend,AtariBasement Atari Crypt BCB Coffee Boy, Daniel Beasley++,Barry BurkeyChris++Dave the VelociraptorED Possible,David L. Farquhar Jolt7800Tony LongworthDavid SchmidtDaniel StephensT1LTwesbrown18 VintNerd All music, audio / video production. writing and game play by @8bitrocket and or @fultonbot unless otherwise noted. (c)8bitrocket

#148 Atari Now! October 2025 News and Home brew for all Atari systems

#atari #atari8bit #atari2600 #atarist #atari5200 #atari7800 #atarijaguar #atarilynx #atarivcs #atarirecharged Atari Now! October 2025 News and Home brew for all Atari systems https://www.reddit.com/r/atarinow/   Notes: https://intotheverticalblank.com/2025/10/05/148-atari-now-october-2025-news-and-home-brew-for-all-atari-systems/ 0:00 Opening  0:50 Atari News 24:48 Atari Home Brew  36:45  Closing  Mentioned in this episode: Adventure of samsara Akalabeth AWA Anthology Drone Patrol Polybius Bub

• Chapters

#147: People Not Things: The Enigma Of Chris Crawford

  Game Developer Chris Crawford recently declared his lifelong work a "failure". In this Video, we deep dive into Crawford, his legacy, and why we think h is wrong. End Of An Erahttps://www.erasmatazz.com/personal/self/end-of-an-era.html Chris Crawford's web site:https://www.erasmatazz.com/ Dragon Speech:https://youtu.be/VwZi58u1FjI Gossip Documentation:https://www.atariarchives.org/APX/showdocs.php?cat=unknown_gos Play Siboot Here:https://archive.org/details/msdos_Trust_and_Betrayal_-_The_Legac

#146: Atari Now! September 2025

Monthly update about the world of Atari.Atari Now! News and Homebrews, September 2025 https://www.reddit.com/r/atarinow/ Games Featured:Super 3D Maze 16https://store.steampowered.com/app/2751700/Super_3D_Maze_16/ Dash (2600) https://forums.atariage.com/topic/382967-dasher-a-new-64k-platformer/ Axercise (2600)https://forums.atariage.com/topic/381609-are-you-ready-to-axercise/ Intruders 2 (2600) https://www.facebook.com/groups/atariage/posts/10162880774035255/ Champ Games; Spiders Arcade, Tomahawk

#145: What The Heck Is The Vertical Blank Anyway?

In this piece we play the long versions of our two songs, mixed with a segment from our movie "The Best *#@! Christmas Ever: An Atari 8-bit Journey Into The Vertical Blank" To lay out just what The Vertical blank means to us and why we use it as the metaphor for the retro gaming hobby. Video version here:https://youtu.be/qudbVpMUCWI     Late night fuel support appreciated but not demanded : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/intotheverticalblank   Thanks for support from:BCB, Atari Legend, Atari Crypt

#144: Atari 800, Blue Max, and the Zen of Vintage Computing

Atari 800, Blue Max, and the Zen of Vintage ComputingA crack the seal, an essay, a something, whatever this is. Late night fuel support appreciated but not demanded: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/intotheverticalblank Thanks for support from:BCB, Atari Legend, Atari Crypt -https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/ED Possible,Tony LongworthDaniel Beasley++,Barry BurkeyDavid Schmidt, Dave theVelociraptorJolt7800wesbrown18 Daniel StephensChris++ All music, audio / video production. writing and game play by @8

#143: Finding Electronic Games Magazine In 1981 (Remaster)

The story from Season 2, Episode 5, remastered. Video version here: Thanks for support from:BCB, Atari Legend, Atari Crypt -https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/ED Possible,Tony LongworthDaniel Beasley,Barry BurkeyDavid Schmidt, Dave theVelociraptorJolt7800wesbrown18 Daniel Stephens All music, audio / video production. writing and game play by @8bitrocket and or @fultonbot unless otherwise noted. (c)8bitrocket Studios #Atari #IntoTheVerticalBlank #GenerationAtari Into The Vertical Theme by Brian Trav

#142: The Worst Game Visits The So. Cal Retro Gaming Expo

The Worst Game Visits The So Cal Retro Expo 2025.Additional music:Music: Heart Of Neon (Spectral Grid Mix) - Tony Longworth Late night fuel support appreciated but not demanded : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/intotheverticalblank Thanks for support from:BCB, Atari Legend, Atari Crypt -https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/ED Possible,Tony LongworthDaniel Beasley,Barry BurkeyDavid Schmidt, Dave theVelociraptorJolt7800wesbrown18 Daniel Stephens All music, audio / video production. writing and game play b