New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[leech]

 

Quality is definitely subjective, but I don't think Diablo 3 is a good example. Besides loving it myself (I have it on PC and Xbox One), it's a massive, popular seller. There's no way around that being the type of game that a mass - not a niche - of players would be looking for.

 

Again, indie stuff is great, but indie stuff is also readily available on every other current platform. There's no current platform where indie games are lacking or can't relatively easily find a home. An Ataribox is not needed for that. I've maintained from the beginning that the question Atari will have to answer with the Ataribox is simply, why? Why get an Ataribox over countless other options. If they answer that, great. If not, they'll struggle beyond that small niche we've long talked about.

 

Difficultly is also subjective. I was never a gifted player, but I've definitely slowed in my advancing age. I don't play games where I get my ass kicked anymore and enjoy it. My limit is something like Cuphead, which is tough, but at least fair.

Yeah, I like a game that is somewhere in the middle. If it gets too difficult I tend to set down for a while and potentially forget about it for years. I was stuck on Neverwinter Nights forever, and I had a hard drive crash since. Since it was before the days of saving games to the cloud (which in my opinion is the best use of such a thing, useless data that can be synced via steam) I believe I lost all my progress. Playing the single player campaign as a pure Wizard is rather hard...

 

The small niche would be 'semi-decent power in a small compact / console sized box that is an open source platform.' We really don't have one of those. So many say 'raspberry pi' but in theory (we won't know until actual specs are announced, and even then can we trust those until the object is in the hands of people?) this should be PS4 +/- in capability. I say this based on $$ and that AMD had released announcements (yeah I did see it on more than the Forbes site).

 

People claim they can build something like this with off the shelf parts. Give us a parts list! Please! Every time I have tried to build a small system myself, either it over heats or is loud as hell, and not entirely as small as what they're teasing here. Even the PS4 gets loud as hell, to the point where I've considered getting a Pro or a Slim just so I'm not hearing a terrible howling noise when I play a more intense game.

 

While yeah, I could build any old box and slap it under my TV, would it look 'cool' there, or be just a PC tower on it's side like the majority of HTPC builds out there. They even got fancy and you can put a touch screen on it... though why on earth you'd do that for something you're more than likely going to be sitting 6 feet away from...

 

This is basically what the Steam Machine should have been. A standard piece of hardware that developers can create software for using an open platform. The downfall of the Steam Machine was that they were too many variants. Granted Sony and Microsoft are making the same mistake with adding the Pro and the S models. Now you'll have games that have features that only work on the newer models. They even are supporting "HDR TVs!" which... really? that's a thing?

[Bill Loguidice]

<snip>

 

People claim they can build something like this with off the shelf parts. Give us a parts list! Please! Every time I have tried to build a small system myself, either it over heats or is loud as hell, and not entirely as small as what they're teasing here. Even the PS4 gets loud as hell, to the point where I've considered getting a Pro or a Slim just so I'm not hearing a terrible howling noise when I play a more intense game.

 

While yeah, I could build any old box and slap it under my TV, would it look 'cool' there, or be just a PC tower on it's side like the majority of HTPC builds out there. They even got fancy and you can put a touch screen on it... though why on earth you'd do that for something you're more than likely going to be sitting 6 feet away from...

 

This is basically what the Steam Machine should have been. A standard piece of hardware that developers can create software for using an open platform. The downfall of the Steam Machine was that they were too many variants. Granted Sony and Microsoft are making the same mistake with adding the Pro and the S models. Now you'll have games that have features that only work on the newer models. They even are supporting "HDR TVs!" which... really? that's a thing?

 

While I absolutely agree that there's a market for an "open" box, I think I disagree that that's a sizeable market. There's definitely a market, but not one that's mainstream. As such, I see little reason to think that this will get notable developer support, or really any developer support beyond a handful of titles, and most likely mostly easy ports. It was hard enough for the Wii U to get support, and that was from Nintendo. The advantage here of course is that the hardware will be standard, so ports will be far easier, but it will still almost certainly require effort. The other big question is what revenue source Atari is counting on here. There's only so much margin you can make on even modest hardware. There's obviously some plan to create repeatable income here. Just what that the source is going to be remains to be seen.

 

As for games that support 4K HDR, yes, that's a very good thing. There are different levels of 4K support, from a straight up resolution bump to a greatly enhanced color gamut. The latter is what HDR and its variations (like Dolby Vision) is. It's a true sight to behold when a game (or video content) is built for that type of feature-set.

 

Also, thus far, and promised going forward, anything enhanced for PS4 Pro or Xbox One X works the same on the original consoles, much like you get on a PC. It's not really extra features, but visual enhancements like improved framerate, resolution, or color gamut. You can upgrade when you're ready and your entire library (sometimes with enhancements) comes with you. That's definitely better than the old model.

[Shawn]

 

No, it's a natural high from all the respect and good will that's shared here.

 

No I don't think it's that. Could it be all the kool-aid you drank shilling for these new "Atari" products? On a more positive note, good for you being so blindly optimistic, it's kinda cute.

[BiffsGamingVideos]

 

Quality is definitely subjective, but I don't think Diablo 3 is a good example. Besides loving it myself (I have it on PC and Xbox One), it's a massive, popular seller. There's no way around that being the type of game that a mass - not a niche - of players would be looking for.

 

Again, indie stuff is great, but indie stuff is also readily available on every other current platform. There's no current platform where indie games are lacking or can't relatively easily find a home. An Ataribox is not needed for that. I've maintained from the beginning that the question Atari will have to answer with the Ataribox is simply, why? Why get an Ataribox over countless other options. If they answer that, great. If not, they'll struggle beyond that small niche we've long talked about.

 

Difficultly is also subjective. I was never a gifted player, but I've definitely slowed in my advancing age. I don't play games where I get my ass kicked anymore and enjoy it. My limit is something like Cuphead, which is tough, but at least fair.

 

Then why get an anroid when there is iPhone? Why get Linux when there is windows? Why get a sony TV when there is samsung? Why get a tesla when there is ford? Why get a segate when there is western digital........................

[JBerel]

Again, indie stuff is great, but indie stuff is also readily available on every other current platform. There's no current platform where indie games are lacking or can't relatively easily find a home. An Ataribox is not needed for that. I've maintained from the beginning that the question Atari will have to answer with the Ataribox is simply, why? Why get an Ataribox over countless other options. If they answer that, great. If not, they'll struggle beyond that small niche we've long talked about.

 

The funny thing is that a fair number of others from my generation, including me, would have been happy to throw some decent money at the present Atari incarnation to have a vanilla entertainment center PC with an Atari brand and some gaming features built in. That only went so far though, and their insistence on treating key potential audiences like idiots and suckers through their insulting marketing and crowdfunding scheme sealed the deal. Add to that a situation where Atari appears to be trying to undercut a more feasible developer who was well underway with essentially the same plan, and who seemed more that willing to license games and branding.

 

Atari took it as an opportunity to string them along so they could try and unleash their own version in their well trodden approach of tease, exaggerate, lie, fail. It's funny how many similarities recent events have in common with their Indie Developer Challenge. It's true, you can't put lipstick on a pig. Well you can, but it's still lipstick on a pig. Anyway.....back to the "Make You Own Ataribox Contest!!!"

 

Contest rules: All submissions become the property of me and all future royalties, title, license and ownership remain mine. Neener neener. All contest entrants agree to indemnify and hold me harmless for any and all omissions, liabilities, acts of God, or anything else that might cost me money. All contest entries shall be judged on merit. To improve your chances of winning, a blank check made out to cash should be included with all entries. Nobody gets to question the reasoning behind these rules. Just go along with it, you'll be fine.

[Flojomojo]

People claim they can build something like this with off the shelf parts. Give us a parts list! Please! Every time I have tried to build a small system myself, either it over heats or is loud as hell, and not entirely as small as what they're teasing here. Even the PS4 gets loud as hell, to the point where I've considered getting a Pro or a Slim just so I'm not hearing a terrible howling noise when I play a more intense game.

 

Here ya go, a parts list. It comes with its own screen, but you can bring your own HDMI cable and controllers if you really want to use it on a television. It comes with Windows instead of Linux, which means it runs more games (the list of Linux games on Steam is a tiny subset of what runs in Windows), and the onboard intel graphics are more than sufficient for oldies and indies. It can even run AAA games from the PS3 era. Until anything from "Atari," the Dell company has an extensive support network, though at this price you could just buy another one if you dropped it off the roof or something. I have a cheapo machine with similar specs to this and it runs RetroArch like a champ, everything up to and including Sega CD without any issues.

 

1. Dell Inspiron 11 3000 laptop, $149.00, free shipping. http://deals.dell.com/productdetail/okw

 

[pacman000]

Yeah, I like a game that is somewhere in the middle. If it gets too difficult I tend to set down for a while and potentially forget about it for years. I was stuck on Neverwinter Nights forever, and I had a hard drive crash since. Since it was before the days of saving games to the cloud (which in my opinion is the best use of such a thing, useless data that can be synced via steam) I believe I lost all my progress. Playing the single player campaign as a pure Wizard is rather hard...

 

The small niche would be 'semi-decent power in a small compact / console sized box that is an open source platform.' We really don't have one of those. So many say 'raspberry pi' but in theory (we won't know until actual specs are announced, and even then can we trust those until the object is in the hands of people?) this should be PS4 +/- in capability. I say this based on $$ and that AMD had released announcements (yeah I did see it on more than the Forbes site).

 

People claim they can build something like this with off the shelf parts. Give us a parts list! Please! Every time I have tried to build a small system myself, either it over heats or is loud as hell, and not entirely as small as what they're teasing here. Even the PS4 gets loud as hell, to the point where I've considered getting a Pro or a Slim just so I'm not hearing a terrible howling noise when I play a more intense game.

 

While yeah, I could build any old box and slap it under my TV, would it look 'cool' there, or be just a PC tower on it's side like the majority of HTPC builds out there. They even got fancy and you can put a touch screen on it... though why on earth you'd do that for something you're more than likely going to be sitting 6 feet away from...

 

This is basically what the Steam Machine should have been. A standard piece of hardware that developers can create software for using an open platform. The downfall of the Steam Machine was that they were too many variants. Granted Sony and Microsoft are making the same mistake with adding the Pro and the S models. Now you'll have games that have features that only work on the newer models. They even are supporting "HDR TVs!" which... really? that's a thing?

This? https://www.pcworld.com/article/3120287/computers/how-to-build-a-cheap-but-powerful-gaming-pc-for-500.html

 

$500 is more than Atari's suggested price. Wondering if someone could get a discount for bulk buying.

[Bill Loguidice]

 

Then why get an anroid when there is iPhone? Why get Linux when there is windows? Why get a sony TV when there is samsung? Why get a tesla when there is ford? Why get a segate when there is western digital........................

Exactly. Why introduce a new phone OS when Android and iOS dominate? Why introduce a new computer operating system when there's already Windows, Mac, Linux, and others? Why introduce a new set top box when there's already a dozen different options? If you do, you better have a darn good reason to bother competing and a darn good reason for people to take notice in the face of so many other choices, along with a heck of a lot of luck/good timing.

[Flojomojo]

Anyway.....back to the "Make You Own Ataribox Contest!!!"

 

Contest rules: All submissions become the property of me and all future royalties, title, license and ownership remain mine. Neener neener. All contest entrants agree to indemnify and hold me harmless for any and all omissions, liabilities, acts of God, or anything else that might cost me money. All contest entries shall be judged on merit. To improve your chances of winning, a blank check made out to cash should be included with all entries. Nobody gets to question the reasoning behind these rules. Just go along with it, you'll be fine.

 

I know you're shooting for parody, but the $hitheels known as Atari have already done this!! Indie_Pong_Developer_Challenge_Rules.pdf

 

Without limitation of the foregoing, each Eligible Entrant shall and hereby does absolutely and irrevocably assign and transfer all of his or her right, title and interest in his or her Entry to Sponsor, and Sponsor shall have the right and may authorize others to use, copy, sublicense, transmit, modify, manipulate, publish, delete, reproduce, perform, distribute , display and otherwise exploit the Entry (and to create and exploit derivative works thereof) in any manner, including without limitation to embody the Entry, in whole or in part , in apps and other works of any kind or nature created, developed, published or distributed by Sponsor and to and register as a trademark in any country in Sponsor’s name any component of the Entry,without such Eligible Entrant reserving any rights or claims with respect thereto. Sponsor shall have the exclusive right, in perpetuity, throughout the Territory to change, adapt, modify, use, combine with other material and otherwise exploit the Entry in all media now known or hereafter devised and in any manner, in its sole and absolute discretion, without the need for any payment or credit to Entrant.

 

Honestly, they're beyond satirizing. If anyone plans on pledging any money to them, be sure to read the fine print.

[Hwlngmad]

Add to that a situation where Atari appears to be trying to undercut a more feasible developer who was well underway with essentially the same plan, and who seemed more that willing to license games and branding.

 

Atari took it as an opportunity to string them along so they could try and unleash their own version in their well trodden approach of tease, exaggerate, lie, fail.

 

Yeah, that is what sticks with me the most. (New) Atari could have tried to utilize what the Dreamcade Replay was trying to do, and made it even better with a good, solid licensing deal with the form factor the Ataribox is sporting. Instead, they are trying to sabotage them and ape, what looks like, a vapourware product. Shaddy, shaddy, shaddy! For me, they will really have to include a lot of games across the Atari product line (2600, Arcade, 8-bit line, Lynx, etc), tons of support for other emulation gaming, 4K HDR streaming, and web browsing (if possible). If not, then this product will be no-where near the $250-$300 asking price for me.

[Hwlngmad]

Exactly. Why introduce a new phone OS when Android and iOS dominate? Why introduce a new computer operating system when there's already Windows, Mac, Linux, and others? Why introduce a new set top box when there's already a dozen different options? If you do, you better have a darn good reason to bother competing and a darn good reason for people to take notice in the face of so many other choices, along with a heck of a lot of luck/good timing.

 

Correctomundo. While (new) Atari is coming into a prime opportunity with retro-gaming becoming more and more mainstream, they are really going to have to move beyond selling nostalgia in a box if they are going to make this product successful. There are simply too many companies and products out now that you better have something really noteworthy (i.e. AtGames Flashback line, Nintendo Classic line, or even the upcoming Super Retro-Cade by Retro-bit). As of right now, I don't see anything really significant that makes this a must buy purchase as a Nvidia Shield TV can easily beat this thing with its streaming capabilities, operating system flexibility, and retro-gaming prowess.

[The Historian]

On a more positive note, good for you being so blindly optimistic, it's kinda cute.

Being optimistic, and possibly blindly so, is certainly a fault I'll own.

 

I hope it's clear that I know there are challenges ahead for AtariBox to be successful. One of which will be defining what success really looks like.

[Flojomojo]

One of which will be defining what success really looks like.

 

Since Atari plans on spending nothing but Other People's Money, it's hard to see how the failure will be felt by anyone except for those foolish enough to back this train wreck.

[JBerel]

The small niche would be 'semi-decent power in a small compact / console sized box that is an open source platform.' We really don't have one of those. I say this based on $$ and that AMD had released announcements (yeah I did see it on more than the Forbes site).

 

People claim they can build something like this with off the shelf parts. Give us a parts list! Please! Every time I have tried to build a small system myself, either it over heats or is loud as hell, and not entirely as small as what they're teasing here. Even the PS4 gets loud as hell, to the point where I've considered getting a Pro or a Slim just so I'm not hearing a terrible howling noise when I play a more intense game.

 

While yeah, I could build any old box and slap it under my TV, would it look 'cool' there, or be just a PC tower on it's side like the majority of HTPC builds out there.

 

I'm really not getting what the disconnect is on these Pico form factor SBCs. It's been quite a few years since the development of the most recent PS4 or Xbox innards, and those were developed to spec at huge expense. The first Raspberry Pi boards were released in 2012 a year before the PS4 hit the market in 2013. Both were in development at the same time. Since then, X86 manufacturers have been moving to compete with the form factor, and X86 Pico SBCs (single board computers) have been on the market and in use since 2014. You can put a heat sink or a fan on them at your leisure just like a Pi. You can put it in almost any plastic box just like a Pi. You can run full blown Windows on them, unlike a Pi. And of course, you can run Linux on them, like a Pi or pretty much anything else. They're not a micro ATX system on it's side like you describe. Hasn't been for years. The current generation can be put together for $300-$350 retail. With a bulk order, or a cheap Chinese knock off, that price is probably much less.

 

 

https://buy.advantech.com/Embedded-Single-Board-Computers/2-5-Pico-ITX-Boards-By-Processor-AMD-G-Series-Processor/AUS_31808.products.htm

MIO-2270DV-S0A1E

AMD® G-Series GX-210JA Pico-ITX SBC with DDR3,LVDS, VGA, 1GbE, Half-size Mini PCIe, 4 USB, 2COM, SMBus,mSATA & MIOe expansion

1. Embedded AMD® G-Series SoC GX-210JA Quad-Core processor design
2. DDR3/ DDR3L 1600MHz support up to 8GB
3. Outstanding graphic performance with DirectX®11.1 support, dual independent display by 18-bit LVDS + VGA or 18-bit LVDS + HDMI
4. Flexible design using integrated multiple I/O approach for vertical applications & keep domain know how
5. Rich I/O interface with 2 COM, 1 SATA, USB3.0, PCIe Mini Card and mSATA
6. Supports SUSIAcccess and Embedded Software APIs

Environment

Non-Operational Temperature

-40° C ~ 85° C and 60° C @ 95% RH non-condensing

Operational Temperature

0 ~ 60° C (32 ~ 140° F) (Operational humidity: 40° C @ 95% RH Non-Condensing)

Physical

Dimension (mm) 100 x 72 mm (3.9" x 2.8")

Total Height 33.59mm

Weight 0.45 kg (0.99 lb), weight of total package

[pacman000]

 

Since Atari plans on spending nothing but Other People's Money, it's hard to see how the failure will be felt by anyone except for those foolish enough to back this train wreck.

If it fails it could destroy what little credibility Atari has with the public at large.

[Keatah]

Only thing missing from the Dell laptop example is a chromed "Atari" logo sticker. Maybe we could get a batch printed for like $1.00 each.

[Keatah]

Being optimistic, and possibly blindly so, is certainly a fault I'll own.

 

I hope it's clear that I know there are challenges ahead for AtariBox to be successful. One of which will be defining what success really looks like.

 

Problem is they don't even have a roadmap. Not one that makes sense in today's marketplace anyway.

[pacman000]

 

 

here's mine, cost 180$ in parts

 

 

oh noes how is ataribawx going to adapt a standard form factor to a nonstandard case, its impossible I tell yas ... oh wait like 6$ worth of cables from china and about an hour in cad

 

 

and yes the cart works its got a 130 gig SSD in it

I really hope that's either a reproduction case or the original unit died.

[Flojomojo]

Only thing missing from the Dell laptop example is a chromed "Atari" logo sticker. Maybe we could get a batch printed for like $1.00 each.

 

You like old logo, new logo, rainbow, chunky, woodgrain, something else?

 

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/sticker+atari

[Keatah]

People claim they can build something like this with off the shelf parts. Give us a parts list! Please! Every time I have tried to build a small system myself, either it over heats or is loud as hell, and not entirely as small as what they're teasing here. Even the PS4 gets loud as hell, to the point where I've considered getting a Pro or a Slim just so I'm not hearing a terrible howling noise when I play a more intense game.

 

X86 always has (and still does) run warm when going full speed. It's almost an art getting a hi-performance x86 rig to run cool. AND cool means a couple steps below maximum performance anyways.

 

My Old Betsy is a bad-ass bitch that actually cuts down the heating bill in the winter.

[Bill Loguidice]

 

X86 always has (and still does) run warm when going full speed. It's almost an art getting a hi-performance x86 rig to run cool. AND cool means a couple steps below maximum performance anyways.

 

My Old Betsy is a bad-ass bitch that actually cuts down the heating bill in the winter.

 

Supposedly the Xbox One X appears to run cool and quiet even under maximum load, so I suppose it's possible (won't see myself I think until Thursday). I know my gaming laptop whines like crazy when under a full load (and is thankfully quiet at other times).

[Keatah]

Supposedly the Xbox One X appears to run cool and quiet even under maximum load, so I suppose it's possible (won't see myself I think until Thursday). I know my gaming laptop whines like crazy when under a full load (and is thankfully quiet at other times).

 

I wonder if the traditional standard CPU + GPU on a bus causes a lot of inefficiencies and therefore heat. Consoles can work around that with custom chips and variations on mainstream PC parts. The XBOX Pentium III, IIRC, was slightly modified for the console.

 

Newer consoles and SoCs have much more efficient busses and integration.

[pacman000]

 

You like old logo, new logo, rainbow, chunky, woodgrain, something else?

 

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/sticker+atari

Nice stickers. For under the screen, I was thinking of the classic logo with the Fuji to the left, like this:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/pitikiyik/works/23239265-atari-lovers?grid_pos=168&p=sticker&rbs=c653c024-b541-40fd-8c10-4a8ee0077ed3&ref=shop_grid

Color's wrong, is should be black, but you get the idea. (Atari did use this from time to time, right?)

 

For the back of the monitor, or for on a corner of the system, I'd suggest the plain classic logo:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/nikhorne/works/15635988-atari?grid_pos=5&p=sticker&rbs=c653c024-b541-40fd-8c10-4a8ee0077ed3&ref=shop_grid

[Flojomojo]

I was thinking about you and your XboneX the other day, Bill. I bought and downloaded KOTOR thinking it would look prettier on my Xbone-not-X and was disappointed that it did not. I guess the improvements are only on the new box.

 

I wish I cared more about the next(half)-gen console hardware. I just got myself a silly gaming laptop with a 1050ti inside so that will do me for a few years, I think.

 

It's hard to lock oneself into the console ecosystem when so many of the good titles are available elsewhere. I'm finally starting to appreciate the charms of keyboard and mouse.

[Osgeld]

I really hope that's either a reproduction case or the original unit died.

 

its a real jag, the motherboard was blowed up, I did a diag of what needed to be fixed and gave it away here on the fourms so someone else could get it working