Billy Mitchell Photos Emerge Showing Non-Original Donkey Kong Hardware Apparently Used For Disputed Scores
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New evidence has been uncovered that suggests Billy Mitchell indeed cheated to achieve his record Donkey Kong scores – the ones that Twin Galaxies removed from their record charts because they were allegedly achieved via emulation rather than hardware. original arcade, and for which Mitchell is suing the record keeping company.
As revealed by Karl Jobst on YouTube in the video at the top of the page, previously unseen photographic evidence shows what appears to be a non-original, potentially eight-way joystick, as opposed to the cabinet’s four-way joystick. origin. This difference makes it easier to perform certain moves and would give anyone using it an unfair advantage over someone using stock hardware.
The offending red stick, which differs significantly from the original arcade black stick with a chrome rod – Image: Karl Jobst
For those unfamiliar with this whole sordid saga, we’ve covered it in depth several times in the past, starting when rumors of foul play around the video documenting the scores submitted by the former King of Kong made surface for the first time. The gameplay shown in the video was shown to be from an emulator rather than an original Donkey Kong arcade cabinet. Mitchell claimed the videos must have been faked as part of “a conspiracy almost as broad (and untenable) as the Kennedy assassination”, as documented in his later trial documentation. He claimed the tape itself was irrelevant anyway as he performed the feat live with witnesses.
Twin Galaxies neutralized Mitchell’s scores in 2018 and banned him from competing while recognizing Steve Wiebe as the first million-point DK player. Mitchell’s scores were later reinstated by Guinness World Records and Mitchell took legal action against Twin Galaxies and claimed his 30-year-old doctor refused to see him for an annual checkup due to the cheating allegations.
You can read more about all of these events in the articles at the bottom of the page, but ultimately Mitchell’s current lawsuit claims he achieved his best score on completely unmodified original arcade hardware – a claim backed up by his witnesses, who Jobst says are of questionable reliability in the video above (seriously, it’s only 13 minutes, so watch it) — and these newly found photos provide compelling evidence to suggest otherwise.
It’s unclear at this time exactly what impact this new evidence will have on Mitchell’s case in the ongoing trial, but one would imagine it to be a hugely significant setback in his efforts to clear his name. The saga continues.
Honestly, it’s hard to follow the ins and outs of this endless story. Let us know what you think of this final round below.
[source youtube.com]
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Gavin enjoys a bit of couch co-op, especially when he can delegate roles, bark out instructions, and give much-appreciated performance feedback at the end. He lives in Spain (the plain where the rain mostly falls) and his love for Banjo-Kazooie borders on unhealthy.