Thanks guys

[Zor Prime]

This is probably exceptionally cheesy, if not lame.  But, thanks.

After stumbling across this site (bored at work, trying to occupy self) I couldn't resist temptation any longer.

I went out to my garage and dug and digged through many boxes of video game and computer equipment until I relocated my Turbo Duo that I begged and begged my mother to buy when it was going to be released.

My parents actually ordered it directly from NEC when the Turbo Duo was released in the states.

Before then I had a TG-16 (which I sold after getting the Turbo Duo).

Mind you back in those days (well, "sort of" now too) we were piss poor but they somehow managed to pinch pennies and bring a dream into a reality for me.  Something to this date I am eternally greatful for.

So fast forward and these days I'm married with 2 kids and have collected quite an assortment of game stuff ever since I started playing when I was 3 (Atari 2600 / Coleco).

Most recently the wife and I have a 360 (bought for wife for xMas) and a Wii (that wife stood outside over night for, for me for xMas) to add to the collection.

But I gotta tell ya, even after the new systems and such the Duo is still my all time favorite system for pure fun.

Even my kids are ignoring the 360 & Wii, PS2, etc.

Funny enough they didn't even know I had a Turbo Duo hidden away in the garage collecting a massive amount of dust!  Hell, I think I still have the original boxing at my parents in their shed.  Styrofoam and all.

I did drag it out once when they were super young (like 1/3) in an attempt to educate them on gaming.  But they were a bit too young to appreciate.

Man it was so fun to play Gates of Thunder again.  I picked it up and promptly blew through it and you would had thought I was God to my kids.  Then I played Bonks Revenge and promptly blew through it (gaming is like riding a bicycle) and managed to maintain my God status.

Then I reluctantly finally realized I should let the kids play, too.

So out comes all the Duo pads and tap and we start going at it in Bomberman '93 (which ironically was a Christmas present to my father back in 93/94).

I had some half.com gift certificates that my aunt gave me for Christmas but couldn't think of what to buy until just yesterday.  Trying to re-fill out my Grafx collection so I just re-bought Galaga '90 & Alien Crush that I sold long ago with the old TG-16.

So who needs a Wii/360/PS-whatever when you got a Duo?

It certainly makes me feel pretty damn warm and fuzzy every time I walk through the living room and the kids are ripping it up on the Duo.

The original reason why I did stash the Duo though was the laser mechanism was all the way to the right, so after reading advice I figured I might actually get it to work.  I pushed to the left with a decent bit of force and fired it up with a pen in the drive tray enclosure to monitor what it was doing and BAM the thing re-aligned itself to the left where apparently it is supposed to be.  OH MAN talk about HAPPY!  It was quite the emotional experience.

I went ahead and ordered a 4.5mm security gamebit though in anticipation I may need to buy a new HOP-M3 laser mechanism though.

Now maybe I can mod it up a bit.  =)

So a big thanks to you guys.  Even if cheesy, if not lame.

[FM-77]

Nice story, welcome to the site. Nothing lame about your post.

[Tatsujin]

welcome aboard

[runinruder]

Anyone who likes not only the Duo but Robotech as well is cool in my book. 

[Zor Prime]

Thanks for the welcome guys.

BTW on the Robotech part, I probably only watched like 3 episodes or so on TV.

But on the other hand, I've read 26 of the books.  That was the last count that was released when I quit keeping tabs on the series.  (mid 90's or so)

I was 13 and with my uncle and cousins at a book store and I saw this 3-in-1 book with ROBOTECH across the top with a picture of the SDF-1 or something on the front cover and I thought "Damn that looks neat, I'll check it out".

Afterwards complete obcession.

I never really read books, - ever, prior to that.  My mother was so curious what the hell I was doing actually reading and picked up the ROBOTECH books that I had read when I was done with them, then read them herself and enjoyed them.  Although she absolutely hated the hoe on the SDF-1, Lin Minmie(sp).

[ParanoiaDragon]

Welcome, that's a cool story!  Yeah, my Duo does the same thing.  Which is why I never use it, I use my other Turbo's instead, but I still have the Duo out. 

As for Robotech, I personally got into it semi recently, as I hated it as a kid.  I was a TF's guy, loved robots that had sentience.  But, that changed.  I have the whole series, remastered, etc.  And there's a new series that's either out, or maybe it's only a few of the episodes, that are out, not sure.  I'm sure they're expensive right now, so, I haven't been paying attention, not until I see a box set!

[runinruder]

As for Robotech, I personally got into it semi recently, as I hated it as a kid.  I was a TF's guy,

Yeah, I was much more into Transformers when I was a little kid.  But sometime when I was in high school, the Sci-Fi Channel started showing Robotech and I fell in love with it, especially the Masters saga. 

And there's a new series that's either out, or maybe it's only a few of the episodes, that are out, not sure.  I'm sure they're expensive right now, so, I haven't been paying attention, not until I see a box set!

That'd be Shadow Chronicles, a new movie written by a bunch of dopes.  I won't be wasting my money on that. 

Do you own the subtitled sets of SDF Macross, SDC Southern Cross, and GC Mospeada?  Those are worth buying. 

[esteban]

This is probably exceptionally cheesy, if not lame.  But, thanks.
...
Then I reluctantly finally realized I should let the kids play, too.

So out comes all the Duo pads and tap and we start going at it in Bomberman '93 (which ironically was a Christmas present to my father back in 93/94).

Welcome . Thanks for sharing the story. Yes, it was cheesy, but then again, all of us are cheesy when it comes to this stuff -- otherwise, we wouldn't be here .

[ccovell]

I never got into Robotech, really.  The only memory that I have was one issue of a Robotech comic that I got in my Christmas stocking one year as a kid.  The story was something very cool... like 4 astronauts/space mercenaries/??? landed on a deserted(?) planet, and one-by-one they each found some giant robot/mech suit that had been buried, covered in ivy, and just plain disused for dozens (hundreds?) of years.  They each manage to climb into the suit and start piloting them.

Does anyone remember this story?

[Necromancer]

Greetings and salutations!  It warms the cockles of my heart to hear of a Duo being rescued from banishment to the garage and being placed at the forefront of family gaming.  Oh shit, now I'm being a little cheesy too.   

[ParanoiaDragon]

As for Robotech, I personally got into it semi recently, as I hated it as a kid.  I was a TF's guy,

Yeah, I was much more into Transformers when I was a little kid.  But sometime when I was in high school, the Sci-Fi Channel started showing Robotech and I fell in love with it, especially the Masters saga. 

And there's a new series that's either out, or maybe it's only a few of the episodes, that are out, not sure.  I'm sure they're expensive right now, so, I haven't been paying attention, not until I see a box set!

That'd be Shadow Chronicles, a new movie written by a bunch of dopes.  I won't be wasting my money on that. 

Do you own the subtitled sets of SDF Macross, SDC Southern Cross, and GC Mospeada?  Those are worth buying. 

Shadow Chronicles ain't no good?  Hmm, that's a bummer.  I'll still check it out on Youtube or something someday.  And, no I own the Robotech complete remastered series.  I got into Robotech, before I got into anything Macross, etc.  So, I stick to Robotech, rather then getting into the different original series.  Although, I think they have dub versions of those coming, I could be wrong.