Atari7800
05-15-2003, 10:00 AM
I know that the UK uses a different television standard than we do and that the TV has more "lines", but what does that mean? Why is it easier to play NTSC games on a PAL TV? Why do we have so many problems with PAL games? Damn 32x DarXide!!! >:(
Eternal Champion
05-15-2003, 11:18 AM
Try this, and click on the links to PAL, et. al:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTSC
digitalpress
05-15-2003, 11:18 AM
The non-technical side from the DP Guide 7th Edition, page 7:
"DP Headquarters, based in the U.S., chooses to look at "import" games as anything NOT developed in the U.S. We use NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) televisions and consoles, so everything developed here works just great on our home sets. However, most games manufactured and sold in the UK, Germany, Australia, etc. were developed in PAL (Phase Alternating Lines) format. This means that to compensate for the difference in resolution and frames-per-second (PAL televisions display more lines than our crummy North American sets), you will need a television with a vertical hold adjustment to see. Without this, the screen will roll, flash, or behave in otherwise nasty ways to prevent you from actually playing the game. Bastages!
You will find a TREMENDOUS number of these cartridges listed in the Atari 2600 "import" section. Most of these titles are ONLY available in PAL format by the listed manufacturer. That means we haven't listed EVERYTHING available in PAL in this section since many titles listed in the U.S. release listings can also be found in PAL format (and would double the size of this already hefty book)! Furthermore, the 2600 and other classic console's life was longer overseas, as developers were still creating new games well into the 1990's (notably, HES' My Golf and Atari's Klax). If you've discovered a foreign title not listed in this guide, let us know!
Other systems have PAL games as well, but most systems are immune to its effects. We've never had a problem with Intellivision, Videopac (Odyssey2 overseas), or ColecoVision PAL cartridges (like those distributed by CBS)."