Math You Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Would anybody like Atari to make an ST Flashback computer? I remember Curt mentioning the idea on Atari Age years ago and thought it was a great idea. Maybe it could be the same size as a Nintendo DS or like a small Stacy portable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christos Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 http://experiment-s.de/en Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prab Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 i dont think it would sell as well to a mass market as much as say an Amiga portable/plug and play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 To be honest, no. When you mention Atari to anyone, 99% of the potential customers think only of the 2600 VCS. Most folks don't even realize that Atari produced fairly successful 8 and 16-bit computers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 To be honest, no. When you mention Atari to anyone, 99% of the potential customers think only of the 2600 VCS. Most folks don't even realize that Atari produced fairly successful 8 and 16-bit computers. True, unfortunately. Even the 400/800 computers would be too obscure for ordinary consumers to recognize, never mind a 16-bit computer which was—at best—a third-place contender in the marketplace behind the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh. The retro-chic 2600 is about the only Atari system popular enough to generate the kind of mass appeal that the Flashback 2 enjoyed (although, with the proper marketing, I still think a 400/800-based Flashback could do it, too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 (edited) The world will NEVER be "ready" for an Atari ST flashback. They wouldn't know (and never will) what the fu*k it was, to begin with. Nobody does. Well-stated, above. Atari means 2600 to those in the mass market, who are old enough (and still living!) to remember it. Only middle-aged, greasy-haired geeks (who were in the extreme minority even at the zenith of the machine) know what one is. Those are the facts. I have several ST machines and I love 'em. Most people in the mass market don't really don't know what an Amiga is, either, although probably a few more than the ST. They're going to see the reference to ST or Amiga, Wikipedia it, shit on it, and go back to playing Call of Duty 10. Edited February 2, 2012 by wood_jl 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1500 Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I don't think the world is even ready for a Partridge Family reunion world tour. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenjennings Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Here's another guy working on Atari ST /Amiga on FPGA. http://www.fpgaarcade.com/atari_amiga.htm He seemed to be farther along on the on the ST due to the much more simple hardware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 What's an Atari ST? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 If the Raspberry Pi gets RiscOS why not a layer for EMUTOS to sit upon? For that matter, I saw AMOS BASIC for Windows that uses the AROS Kickstart and underpinnings. I don't see buying a multi hundred dollar FPGA board for classic computing anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyHW Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 No, the world just isn't ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) As a parent of a beautiful 1 year old daughter, I have to say I'd love to see an ST Flashback, an XL/XE Flashback, a C64 Flashback, and an Amiga Flashback. Look how much companies like VTech charge for their child "computers", it would be pretty awesome to have something like the above available for the children to learn on without being connected to the internet for simple things. The computers could be loaded with the best game ROMs and educational software from yesteryear. Heck, I'm surprised VTech hasn't thought something like this over since back-in-the-day they made the Apple // compatible Laser128 line of computers. Think about all of the educational software that was created for the Apple // line, not to mention games [although any Apple/Laser Flashback would need to support the MockingBoard (or was it mockingbird?) in emulation since the native Apple // sound was terrible]. Edited May 2, 2012 by Lynxpro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 As a parent of a beautiful 1 year old daughter, I have to say I'd love to see an ST Flashback, an XL/XE Flashback, a C64 Flashback, and an Amiga Flashback. Look how much companies like VTech charge for their child "computers", it would be pretty awesome to have something like the above available for the children to learn on without being connected to the internet for simple things. The computers could be loaded with the best game ROMs and educational software from yesteryear. Yes! This was one of the points I made in my little "sales pitch to Atari" for Legacy Engineering's 800-based Flashback 3. The 400/800 computers got lots of great educational titles, and it would have been easy to put together a collection of the best of them for an educationally-oriented Flashback 3, if only it had become a real product. I'm trying to get my six-year-old nephew started on computers with an Atari XEGS. I've got a good starting collection of software and a pretty nice menu system, all loading from a MyIDE CompactFlash card. At this point, it's probably the closest I'll get to a professionally-packaged Atari "kid computer". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+pboland Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 As a parent of a beautiful 1 year old daughter, I have to say I'd love to see an ST Flashback, an XL/XE Flashback, a C64 Flashback, and an Amiga Flashback. Look how much companies like VTech charge for their child "computers", it would be pretty awesome to have something like the above available for the children to learn on without being connected to the internet for simple things. The computers could be loaded with the best game ROMs and educational software from yesteryear. Yes! This was one of the points I made in my little "sales pitch to Atari" for Legacy Engineering's 800-based Flashback 3. The 400/800 computers got lots of great educational titles, and it would have been easy to put together a collection of the best of them for an educationally-oriented Flashback 3, if only it had become a real product. I'm trying to get my six-year-old nephew started on computers with an Atari XEGS. I've got a good starting collection of software and a pretty nice menu system, all loading from a MyIDE CompactFlash card. At this point, it's probably the closest I'll get to a professionally-packaged Atari "kid computer". Or just call the kids computer "My Atari". I was with you then and I'm with you now. Just think, a kids computer system that states on the product "power by ATARI" or "ATARI powered". You could even take a cue from intel and state "ATARI Inside" I still think it can work. Remember also, that you don't have to call and Atari ST powered plug in play device an "Atari ST". Heck, you could make it look like an Atari 2600 if you want. Its all about the marketing. You could call it the Atari 2600st (or X or something). I'm just saying. It's all in the marketing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickled_Pink Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 As a parent of a beautiful 1 year old daughter, I have to say I'd love to see an ST Flashback, an XL/XE Flashback, a C64 Flashback, and an Amiga Flashback. Look how much companies like VTech charge for their child "computers", it would be pretty awesome to have something like the above available for the children to learn on without being connected to the internet for simple things. The computers could be loaded with the best game ROMs and educational software from yesteryear. Heck, I'm surprised VTech hasn't thought something like this over since back-in-the-day they made the Apple // compatible Laser128 line of computers. Think about all of the educational software that was created for the Apple // line, not to mention games [although any Apple/Laser Flashback would need to support the MockingBoard (or was it mockingbird?) in emulation since the native Apple // sound was terrible]. I would direct you to past threads on AA where I've voiced the exact same sentiments and arguments ... but I can't be arsed. I've also been pondering the use of Raspberry Pi as the basis for an emulated system. It's intended as an educational tool to get kids programming, but there was no better programming tool than those that existed in the 8-bit era. I'm sure a R-Pi would fit in an original Sinclair Spectrum case. How expensive would it be to remake that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+pboland Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 As a parent of a beautiful 1 year old daughter, I have to say I'd love to see an ST Flashback, an XL/XE Flashback, a C64 Flashback, and an Amiga Flashback. Look how much companies like VTech charge for their child "computers", it would be pretty awesome to have something like the above available for the children to learn on without being connected to the internet for simple things. The computers could be loaded with the best game ROMs and educational software from yesteryear. Yes! This was one of the points I made in my little "sales pitch to Atari" for Legacy Engineering's 800-based Flashback 3. The 400/800 computers got lots of great educational titles, and it would have been easy to put together a collection of the best of them for an educationally-oriented Flashback 3, if only it had become a real product. I'm trying to get my six-year-old nephew started on computers with an Atari XEGS. I've got a good starting collection of software and a pretty nice menu system, all loading from a MyIDE CompactFlash card. At this point, it's probably the closest I'll get to a professionally-packaged Atari "kid computer". And what would make this even more feasible is an 8-bit GUI seen here: New GUI for the Atari 8-bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodLightning Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Has technology progressed enough to produce one cheaply as in under $50 usd at point of sale ? I'm picturing a 68000 and dma, TOS ROM of some sort, Yahama sound and probably 1 megabyte of RAM on one small board. Additional improvements might be an integrated blitter chip and external storage I think the key to marketing would be presenting it as something like ATARI ST Flashback: Atari's Best Games of the 1990's. The box should push the games and not the fact that it's based on a computer that most shoppers won't remember. In today's fickle economy, buyers will want bang for the buck...something entertaining for their children and cheap enough to undercut buying a full game system. Questions still resting upon my mind are: What games should be licensed and how many? There's such a huge library.. Would a usb mouse port be in the budget? Would it be cost effective to use usb as the controller interface? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Consumers aren't going to perceive "bang for the buck" with a bunch of games they've never heard of, on a system they didn't know existed. Perhaps this would work in Germany, or some place where the ST was "big." I love the ST, but (1) This will never be produced. (2) If it was, the games would suck because of prohibitive licensing fees for the good ones, (3) Retailers and consumers aren't nearly as excited over Plug and Plays as they were. Between Angry Birds and Call of Duty, there's hardly time for them to look at PnP games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) error Edited June 1, 2012 by wood_jl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodLightning Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Consumers aren't going to perceive "bang for the buck" with a bunch of games they've never heard of, on a system they didn't know existed. Perhaps this would work in Germany, or some place where the ST was "big." I love the ST, but (1) This will never be produced. (2) If it was, the games would suck because of prohibitive licensing fees for the good ones, (3) Retailers and consumers aren't nearly as excited over Plug and Plays as they were. Between Angry Birds and Call of Duty, there's hardly time for them to look at PnP games. Sad but true. The general public won't appreciate what we as Atari fans see as a great idea. I was thinking of an ST on a chip as has no doubt been discussed before. Cheap production costs would make or break such a project. As you mentioned, licensing would probably make those costs too high in the end. Never the less, I would love to see someone try. The world may not be ready for an ST Flashback, but I was ready years ago! Not to venture too far off topic, but does anyone remember how many mainstream game titles made their way onto Atari ST? I remember Road Blasters, Battle Zone and Asteroids Deluxe off the top of my head. Answering my own question, wikipedia has a nice list of all ST games. Some of these are games non Atari fans would recognize. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Atari_ST_games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobsie Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 -----> but there was no better programming tool than those that existed in the 8-bit era. <----- Don`t say this if you not know the Basic inside the RiscOS. A lot people use this now on the Raspberry Pi with RiscOS, is more powerfull than any other solution you can find on linux etc. RiscOS but up to desktop in 15 sec, then you or the kids are ready to write software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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