Category: Uncategorized

  • Our Favorite Viral Videos About The Games And Web Business

    Code Monkey Jonathan Coulton’s classic song about the life of a software developer.  One of the all-time best songs ever written. [iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/5W_wd9Qf0IE” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen/]   Angry Video Game Nerd : Atari 5200 So this is not just a video, but a whole series.  The AVGN is now…

  • Video Games Are My Hobby: My Essay From English Class, March 1982

    My essay for Mr. Davis’ 6th grade English class, March 22, 1982, Foster A, Begg, Junior High, Manhattan Beach, CA. (text below) Steve Fulton 3-22-1982 Essay My favorite thing to do is play a video game. After school on Thursdays I run home, grab 10 dollars, and nag my mom…

  • Republic Of Fun Aims To Take Over The World With Ginormous HTML Game Engine

      Republic Of Fun have announced Ginormous, and HTML5, cloud-based game engine that aims to toi give developers a way to target all HTML5 compatible screens with a robust set of of game creation tools. The offering includes Facebook integration and analytics, but is not Canvas based.  Very interesting.

  • Adobe Purchases Phone Gap

    Adobe just bought Phone Gap.   We think it’s a good move.   We used-up an entire chapter of out HTML5 Canvas book showing how to package a Canvas for consumption on the iPhone with Phone Gap.  We thought it was pretty cool. It looks Adobe likes it too.

  • Truth In Advertising #1: Atari 2600 Launch Games

    We love the box-art for the original Atari 2600 games.  The amazing game paintings inspired by the “idea” of the game (but not the action) went a long way to fill-in our imaginations when we played the games, because their primitive graphics could not do the job. However, we were…

  • The Flash CS5.5 Air Package to iOS Kicks ass!

    I had avoided upgrading the Flash CS5.5 for a few months because the job I had  didn’t really need it and I had been exploring Corona and Cocos-2d for iOS development. Then, just last week, I was asked what it would take to translate a client’s existing kids web site…

  • Unity -> Flash Stage 3D Looks Impressive

    Yesterday at the free “Flash Day” at the Unity Unite conference, the Unity team showed off their new Unity -> Flash Stage 3D converter.  The product exactly what it sounds like it does: it converts 3D games built in Unity to “Molehill” compatible Stage 3D of the type supported by…

  • The Atari Sanction : Chapter 1 (fiction)

    Detective Jake Rolly rubbed the sheet green-bar printer between his thumb and forefinger.  He sat back in his rolling chair, and pushed his feet against the footing of his desk, rolling himself back towards his office window.  As he rolled back, he closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate.  However,…

  • Microsoft Hot On HTML5+Canvas For Windows 8, Freezes Out Flash

    Apparently, Microsoft has decided that their “Metro” Presentation layer (included in Windows 8 for PC and designed for tablets and smart phones) will not allow any kind of plug-ins to run (read: Flash).  Instead, “Metro” has been optimized for HTML5 and JavaScript.  This means that, for all intents and purposes,…

  • Twisted Pixel’s Beard Secret: An Atari 800

    Twisted Pixel, the guys who created Gunstringer, ‘Splosion Man and Ms. ‘Splosion Man for the XBox 360, have revealed their secret.  An Atari 800.  Check out this video below: [iframe width=”560″ height=”345″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Kd1M4TzhlgA” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen/]

  • 8bitrocket Interweb Mash-Up For September 3, 2011

    Iain Lobb On The Flash Community So we missed this a month ago, but Iain Lobb posted a really great piece named The Flash Community Needs a Complete Reboot about a month ago.  It’s still worth reading.   We really need to read our own industry feeds page more often……

  • Taito is going after unlicensed Space Invaders re-makes

    The news has been filled recently with game companies using legal means to go after trademark and copyright offenders who infringe on classic and retro intellectual property. The latest to come across our news feed is that Taito (now part of Square Enix) has been “all up in Mochi’s grill”, asking…

  • Amazing! Learn The Basics Of Programming With Codeacademy!

    I just saw this today. Codeacademy is fantastic!  It’s an interactive learning tool for non-developers, kids or anyone else to learn program using JavaScript. Using Codeacademy reminded me of using my Atari 800 back in 1984 and 1985.  Back then, people used to create all sorts of learning tools similar…

  • Atari Pulls Out The Lawyers And Threatens To Sue Hobbyists

    It can be argued (pretty heavily I might add) that Atari fandom is the only thing that has kept the Atari name from falling completely into obscurity.   Long before Infogrames changed their name to Atari back in 2003, it was sites like Atariage.com and AtariMuseum.com that kept the name afloat…

  • Video Fever: Classic News Report On Video Games

    This video on youtube.com is from the local ABC affilate where we grew-up, in Los Angeles California. I used to think that the local news was quite reactionary back then, but these reports are very even-handed, and really interesting. I have to say, the local news of 2011 could learn…

  • Do You Plan On Having Friends?

    [iframe width=”425″ height=”349″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/lGar7KC6Wiw” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen /]

  • Yoyo Games Game Maker will have HTML5 version in Q4

    I was just visiting theYoyo Games Game Maker site to look into using the software to teach my 6 year old son game development concepts without worrying about too much coding. Game Maker has a back-end language as well as front-end complex data structures build-in, so eventually I planned to…

  • HTML5 Canvas Progressive Breakout Style Game Tutorial coming…

    I just wanted to add a short update about the HTML5 progressive breakout game tutorial I promised a while back.  I was working on the game and had stable and ready to write about, when my dad passed away.  It pretty much halted my development on anything the was not…

  • Google Swiffy? Not Yet.

    Google Labs released Swiffy last week, their attempt to allow people to easily convert .swfs to HTML5.   However, instead of being a revolutionary technology, rather, it shows just how far HTML5 needs to go before it can match Flash. Swiffy attempts to open a .swf and convert the content…

  • Video Game History Museum: Help Make It Happen

    The guys behind Digital Press and the CGE have created Kickstarter.com project to help create permanent Video Game History museum in Silicon Valley.  We think this is an awesome idea.  Pledge something if you can: [iframe frameborder=”0″ height=”380px” src=”http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1760848975/the-videogame-history-museum/widget/card.html” width=”220px”]      

  • 8bitrocket’s Asynchronous News Round-Up : Mochi Achievements, Pepsi+Atari, Mindjolt News

    Welcome to our “Asynchronous” news round-up.  It’s the Daily Interweb Mash-Up, but not daily, and also not really a mash-up, and, well, who knows what it is, but welcome to it. Mochi Achievements API Launched Something we’ve been waiting for a long time, a  distributed “achievements” API.  Here are the…

  • HTML5 Canvas C64 Yourself App Is Awesome!

    Here is a really cool use of the HTML5 Canvas: C64 Yourself! The app converts a 6×4 image into a an awesome pixelated C64 image!   Here are a couple I just created:  

  • Quick Tip For Vizio Theater 3D TV Owners : Cheap 3D Glasses From The Movie Theater Work Just Fine

    Vizio has a new line of 3D TVs that are cheap and powerful.  They use a technology they have branded “Theater 3D”, which is really just the same polarized 3D that is used in movie theaters (i.e. Reel D 3D).   While Vizio will sell you glasses for about $20 each (an…

  • OSX Lion Will Include Hardware Acceleration for the HTML5 Canvas

    I was looking through the 250+ new features and improvements for Lion (available for $29.99 as an upgrade in July) and found this little gem in the Safari Improvements: Improved graphics performance Web pages that use the HTML5 Canvas element can tap into the graphics processing unit on your Mac…

  • AppMobi Cloud-Based HTML5 Game Development Looks Promising

    I have heard a little about AppMobi over the past few months and have wanted to take a look at their game platform but just have not had the chance until now. I plan to demo my Centipede game with the platform when it is complete, but for now, let’s…

  • Windows 8 Will Make Heavy Use of HTML5

    The All Things D web site has put up an exclusive look at Windows 8, an operating system that is at least a year away from being released. Essentially, aside from the normal Windows’ 7 style applications we see now, a second, full-screen IE 10 style of application will make…

  • Win Atari’s New Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale From 8bitrocket.com

    If you know us you know we love Atari.   Besides the classic Atari franchises and properties now owned by the new Atari (Asteroids, Star Raiders, Centipede, etc.), they also own some of our other favorites: Roller Coaster Tycoon and Dungeons And Dragons.   While we are still waiting for…

  • Our HTML 5 Canvas book is the O’Reilly E-Book Deal Of The Day – 1/2 off

    Today, you can purchase our latest book on game development, HTML5 Canvas, in digital form, for $15.99. This is 50% off the normal E-Book Price. The offer code is: DDM94 The link is:http://oreil.ly/kjeZ4P

  • Daily Interweb Mash-up: 5/24/2011: Canvas Game Tutorials, iPad Naval Gazers, Apple Heroics

    New HTML5 Canvas Game Tutorials Coming Jeff and I have each been working on an HTML5 Canvas game to talk about here.  Mine is called “Brickbasher Infinity” (a progressive Breakout game), and Jeff’s is “Bug Off!” (a Centipede style shooter).  The games are 8-bit styled with pixels, particles, etc.  We…

  • Daily Interweb Mash-up: 5/21/2011: Graphic Adventures, Flash CS5.5, & Hype

    Sorry, we missed a couple days there, but we had some special reports.  Let’s get back to the news, shall we? The Guide To Classic Graphic Adventures hardcorgaming101.com has a new book that covers nearly every graphic adventure game ever made.   Here is what they say about it: “The…

  • 8bitrocket.com Daily Interweb Mash-Up: Monday May 16, 2011

    Death Of Unicorn Death Is Pixelated Awesome Play the Mochi Game of the week, Death Of Unicorn Death.  It’s an awesome bit  of pixelated madness.  It also has some juicy 8-bit in all the right places! Angry Video Game Nerd Takes On The “Mattel” Power Glove Mattel has had a…

  • A Look at the Atari Facebook Retro-remakes

    Atari has been finally been diving into its extensive back catalog to create console, PC, and even Facebook versions of games that have been ignored by the various Atari branded entities over the years.  While we have not been overly impressed with the recent Star Raiders and Yars’ Revenge 3D…

  • The 8bitrocket Daily Inter-Web Mash-Up – May 12, 2011

    Atari releases  the first update to Star Raiders in almost 20 years. The original Star Raiders was one of the best 8-bit computers games of the golden-age and the main reason that over a Million Atari 400 and 800 systems were sold in 1979 and 1980.   This week, Atari released…

  • 8bitrocket.com Interweb Mash-Up: Tuesday May 10, 2011

    What is Obama’s favorite game system? Why did Jeff hate the Fringe Finale, where can you buy our new book, and much more. Our O’Reilly HTML5 Canvas Book Has Arrived Clocking in at at hefty 652 pages, our thinly disguised book on HTML5 Canvas game development has been released. This one…

  • 8bitrocket Daily Interweb Mash-up : Saturday May 7, 2011

    Atari 810 MicroSD Drive! This is amazing!! A MicroSD card reader in the shape of an Atari 810 disk drive that can be mounted and used by an Atari 8-bit computer (400,800,1200xl,600xl,800xl,65xe,130xe).  We want to buy this NOW!!! History Of Atari computers @ CIO Magazine Here is a nice slide-show…

  • 8bitrocket Daily Inter-Web Mash-Up – Friday, May 6, 2011

    Flash Games We Like – Wing Defender – Fun top-down shooter with cartoon-style graphics and a retro feel to the game-play. –Go Go Gummo – This Mochi FGF winner is a really cool puzzle game with elements of an action platformer…or is it the other way around. From the Flash…

  • 8bitrocket Daily Inter-Web Mash-Up for Thursday, May 5, 2011

    Attack Of The Mutant Sheep! Robert Podgorski, the winner of our 16K Game contest has released a new iPhone/Ipad game named “Attack Of The Mutant Sheep”.  It’s very 8-bit, and very awesome. You can download iPhone version (it’s free) at: http://itunes.apple.com/pl/app/mutant-sheep-2/id433857505?mt=8 The iPad version ($.99) at http://itunes.apple.com/pl/app/msheep-hd/id430579572?mt=8 Wanna learn Box2D…

  • 8bitrocket Daily Inter-Web Mash-Up – Star Wars Day – May the 4th, 2011

    First off, I had no idea that May the 4th was Stars Wars day because of a bad lisp pun, but hey I’m game. Geekologie has it covered though. The Mathematics of whether Han shot first (Wired.com) I hate dress up games, so let’s review some from the latest Flash…

  • 8bitrocket Daily Inter-Web Mash-Up – Tuesday, May 3, 2011

      Tech Interview Question Tip – AS3 – Compute Factorial Iterative and Recursive package  {  import flash.display.Sprite;  /**   * …   * @author Jeff Fulton   */  public class ComputeFactorial extends Sprite  {   /*In mathematics, the factorial of a positive integer n,[1]    * denoted by n!, is the product of…

  • 8bitrocket Daily Interweb Mash-Up – Monday, May 2, 2011

    Hulu + WTF? I eagerly subscribed to Hulu Plus on Saturday because I had missed Friday’s penultimate episode of Fringe while at the Zynga quarterly meeting in San Francisco. The FIOS DVR had only picked up static (happens way more than it should, Verizon) so I jumped on my Xbox…