469 - The CoCo Nation Show - AI Slop
The Coco Nation Show Episode 469 dives deep into the retro computing world with a focus on the Copico Centipede, a groundbreaking hardware add-on for the Tandy Color Computer that replaces faulty RAM and ROM, acts as a virtual VDG, and serves as a powerful diagnostic tool. Henry Strickland demoed the device live, showing how it enables a 16KB Coco 2 to run with 64KB of RAM and emulate a floppy drive and disk ROM—proving it can even eliminate screen damage caused by memory conflicts. The episode also explores the educational history of the Coco, spotlighting a rare Radio Shack educational model with a composite video output, and celebrates the creative work of Japanese developer Inufuto, whose cross-platform games like Svelis push the limits of minimal code. The show wraps with a lively Game On Challenge featuring Svelis and Art of Maze, followed by a whirlwind of news—from new emulators and compiler optimizations to a stunning Coco 3 Montezuma’s Revenge port and a futuristic Cocoa Portal launcher. Amidst the nostalgia, the hosts reflect on the enduring passion of the community, proving that 50-year-old machines still generate fresh, exciting content every week.
The Copico Centipede board enables a 16KB Coco 2 to run with 64KB of RAM, replacing faulty memory and eliminating screen damage caused by memory conflicts.
The Centipede uses the S-L-E-N-B signal to take full control of the Coco’s address and data buses, making it a powerful diagnostic and replacement tool for failing hardware.
A rare 1980s Radio Shack educational Coco model was shown with a composite video output, proving schools once used monitors instead of TVs due to regulatory or policy reasons.
Japanese developer Inufuto creates over 100 games across 36 platforms using a custom engine called CATE, testing one game mechanic per title with reusable assets.
The Coco 3 port of Montezuma’s Revenge is a fully animated, motion-rich game built entirely in interpreted BASIC, defying expectations for the platform.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Henry Strickland Demos the Copico Centipede
“The only reason it has 64K is because the Centipede is providing it. And the same with the word disk in the top left corner. That would not say disk if we weren't providing the disk ROM.”
Brian Weasler Shares a Rare Educational Coco Model
“They took out the RF can and replaced it with a composite board that's in there and it runs horizontal and this board here is what Ed Snyder based his composite board off of.”
Game On Challenge: Svelis and Art of Maze
“Once you wrapped it, like he had nine screens and then they just start repeating. But on the repeating, the ghosts reacted completely differently.”
Inufuto: The Japanese Game Developer Behind 100+ Games
The hosts explore the work of Inufuto, a Japanese developer who creates games across 36 platforms using a custom engine called CATE. His games test single mechanics with unique twists, and he releases them all at once with minimal effort.
The Future of Coco: Cocoa Portal and Cross-Platform Tools
Grant Blado shows off the Cocoa Portal, a launcher that unifies emulation, development, and content access—offering syntax highlighting, debugging, PDF viewing, and metadata-driven navigation of the entire Coco ecosystem.
“And the only reason it has 64K is because the Centipede is providing it. And the same with the word disk in the top left corner. That would not say disk if we weren't providing the disk ROM.”
“One of the things I really liked about it is once you wrapped it, like he had nine screens and then they just start repeating. But on the repeating, the ghosts reacted completely differently.”
“Like their last line, if you can get it working, it produces the best code. It's worth a try first.”
Hosts
Guests
Ken Waters
person
Radio Shack
brand
Henry Strickland
person
Inufuto
person
Brian Weasler
person
GCC 6809
product
CMOC
product
Cocoa Portal
product
VBCC
product
Julian Brown
person
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