Jaguarandine

I would definitely buy one. With the original console, not only do you have to deal with bad caps, but also audio and video inconsistencies, all which require mods. In an ideal world, a combination Genesis/Sega CD/32X unit would be amazing. However, the cost of such a unit would be prohibitive. While I would gladly pay $400+ for such a console, would other people do the same?

Everyone should know just how ridiculous their statements are in that interview. It can take YEARS to create just ONE fairly accurate emulator from scratch. Not accounting for the bugs in emulation which pop up and have to be patched (will there be a beta test of their "proprietary" emulators before launching to paying customers?). If they actually accomplished this feat however, it would be the crowning achievement of the project. You'd think they'd be shouting it from the rooftops: talking to people in the scene or doing interviews discussing the technical details. Instead they crap on free and open source software software, without which this project would be dead in the water. I find it hard to believe that they didn't take advantage of all the already existing code and documentation on emulation to do what they're doing. Shameful. I actually like the UI. A bit rough around the edges navigation-wise, but pretty slick and some interesting ideas. You can tell that this is where they've spent a lot of their time (that and the packaging). When the Polymega goes belly up due to an unsustainable business model or violations of the GPL, I hope that they'll open the source to the UI.

Do we need more proof that these guys are disingenuous? That's it for me.

I'm sure they feel emboldened after the crowd-funding success of the AtariBox.

This seems like a logical assumption, but I remember seeing months ago in their forums that they were using the RK3288 SoC. They could use both, but that seems expensive. Also, if each module is $50-$60, I wonder if that's still cost-effective? Edit: I searched the thread looking for mentions of the SoC and it seems like it's a well known detail here. If the Polymega can somehow include the RK3288 in dock/break-out-board and the Altera FPGA in the module, then that would be amazing. Using just the FPGA would make more sense cost-wise (and signal recognition of successful systems like the Super Nt) and it would still be very cool. I just don't see how this going to be cheap though, unless they are mass producing it. Fingers crossed that they know what they're doing.

If this is the case, then we're looking at a console less powerful than the Switch. To me, that doesn't seem worth the price. I agree with mostly you on power. At the end of the day, it's alway about the games. However, a console manufacturer has to put themselves in a position to succeed, so specs do still matter. There are certain expectations, especially if you're placing your product in a specific price bracket. Assuming the above specs are correct, then the Ataribox should cost around $50-$100 less. Otherwise given what we know, there doesn't seem to be enough value here to justify a purchase. The indie focus sounds very interesting. I don't think the Nintendo Switch comparison works though. The Switch is a proprietary standard, backed by the single most prolific game developer in the world, with good indie and third-party support starting to appear. The Ataribox is open, and hopes to tap into the existing market for Steam. With Atari's large catalog of classic IPs, they are almost certainly going after the retro crowd as well, and probably the homebrew and emulator communities.

Keep in mind that I don't have high hopes for this console, but what are your expectations? I'm expecting it to be more powerful than the Nintendo Switch; for a crowd-funded console this price seems fairly reasonable. Obviously if it's under-powered then the price doesn't make sense.

Looking at Steam, there are thousands of titles compatible with Linux, which is a dramatic shift from just a few years ago. Linux support is much better than it has ever been. Much of the credit for that goes to Valve, who for their own reasons, has been hedging their bets against Microsoft and Windows (so not purely for the love of Linux, but that's ok). This can only get better in the future. Speaking on Mac specifically, Mac's larger marketshare has caused it to get more games than Linux (and rightly so). That was with Open GL though. It remains to be seen if developers will embrace the Metal API. OTOH, Vulkan adoption has been slow, but there are several noteworthy titles using it right now (Linux support notwithstanding).

I thought I'd chime in and discuss my thought process regarding the Ataribox. When I heard the news about it, I really didn't give it a second thought. What finally turned my head were a few things. 1) AMD-powered. To me, this gives the console a bit of credibility, confirming that it's probably going to happen. The AMD CEO has even spoken about it on Twitter. It's probably between a Switch and Xbox One in power, and that would be enough to play most contemporary games. All the current home consoles are powered by AMD as well (Switch aside, which is in its own lane), so porting to the platform would be much easier. This separates it from the Ouya, the Chameleon, and most other competitors. 2) Linux-based. I love Linux, and run it on everything I can, while telling as many people that I can. I'm all for anything that furthers the cause for Linux, and a viable Linux-based console would do just that. Finally there's 3) The Atari name. While not what it once was, it could be the difference between someone paying attention to this, and it being lost in a sea of other similar devices. It brought me to AA years ago (for the Jaguar). If Atari can appeal to us, then it might have a chance. Being in the new Blade Runner movie is a nice touch. --- In my opinion, console gaming is slowly drifting toward PC gaming. Even the CPU architecture is the same now. I think that it's only a matter of time before they merge, and companies like Sony and Microsoft's game offerings will probably be based on services and software, rather than hardware. I think this would be the best thing to happen to gaming. Why should we buy an Xbox, and not any similarly powered piece of hardware? Why not let game developers focus on making software, rather than having to understand a number of closed systems that are getting increasingly more complex? Valve's original Steamboxes were the first attempt, and they failed for a multitude of reasons (half-baked software, price, etc). Since then, Linux gaming has improved leaps and bounds. Why shouldn't the Ataribox be the turning point (keep reading)? ...and then I read the entire thread here on AA. Making this work would require an enormous amount of foresight, some luck, good marketing, and a bit of pragmatism. I'm not at all confident based on what I've read here that the current Atari could pull this off.

tl;dr version?

My first experience with Cybermorph was the GameFan and GamePro articles on the game. Those were some high-resolution screenshots back then! I knew then that I had to own a Jaguar. When I got the console, graphics weren't as sharp as the magazines; they must've been using some RGB out to capture equipment or something. Also the draw-in was terrible. But still I was impressed. It looked way better than Starfox. Gameplay-wise, it was hard. While I was open to new things, my 12 year old self from 1994 did not have much patience. I got about 60% done, but never finished it. Still have fond memories though, and I think it was good for its time. ‎

I'm guessing the seller is testing the market? Listing on eBay is free for sellers with a store. There's no way this is selling though.

Hi, I arrived at $230 because that was how much the controller on eBay sold for. Minus eBay fees, I'm asking for around $200. Bigferret is very generous! Also mine is mint, has the box, and everything that came in the box (the box does have a dent in it from shipping though). If anyone wants pictures let me know and I'll post them up here. Just thought I'd add that I'm willing to listen to all reasonable offers, based on sold item price on eBay.

I was talking to my brother about retro gaming and the Jaguar a few days ago. We casually looked at eBay for game prices, and to my surprise, I saw the crazy prices for these controllers! I bought mine back around 2003, after pining over one for years. After taking it out of the box, I was immediately disappointed. The D-pad is better, the buttons feel nice, and I like the way it's built, but it just seemed to lose all appeal; go figure. In last few years, I've been selling off my videogame collection (Panzer Dragoon Saga and Hagane are some highlights), but I've resisted selling my Jaguar stuff. I think I'll make an exception for this one. I thought I would give everyone here a shot at it first before I put it on eBay (I wouldn't have found a lot of my Jaguar stuff without Atari Age people!). ‎If anyone is interested, I have used it literally one time, and have brought it out occasionally only to show friends my collection. I have the box, the original plastic, and everything else that came with it. I'm willing to give a discount from the eBay fees I would pay as a seller. Market rate seems to be $230 so minus 8-12% fees from that (can't remember offhand). PM me for details. Thanks everyone!‎

Instead of create a new thread, I decided to post my questions under this one. Can the cartridge supplement the CD and vice versa? For example: -Does the cartridge port have the throughput to act as RAM expansion like the Saturn's? -Using special chips in games like cheap NES MMC chips or SNES Super-FX (maybe the 68020 or MIPS Gorf mentioned) -Could you make a game on cartridge and then stream the soundtrack from a CD? FMV? I was just thinking that this allows the Jag some versatility that other consoles of the time didn't have. Most arcade ports could fit onto cartridge pretty easily with some compression (and/or bank switching, but I'm not sure how cost-effective this might have been). This would've also allowed for quick loading times and accesibility to all Jag owners. Jag CD owners could get an enhanced soundtrack and some FMV if they wished. Other games like some RPGs and adventure games would be exclusive to CD. Also, it would've been pretty easy I think for Jaguar to have a universal RAM cart option much like the N64's RAM expansion pack due to the mass production of Jaguar carts already. Maybe this would've closed the gap graphically between the Saturn, Jaguar, and N64 a little bit more. Would've, could've, should've.. It makes me sad to speculate in this way, but nostalgia is one of the reasons I've been on the board lately

I was going to add something to this argument then I remembered.... Btw, you should come back Spiffy. Marvel is dying and 3rd Strike is now king; although its reputation was tarnished a little bit at last year's Evo. Smash Bros is in, and Evo's finally got real corporate sponsorship.

Having played both, just thought I'd comment that the Saturn version of Alpha 3 (or Zero 3 in Japan) is a MUCH better port. Much more animation, juggles intact, and better gameplay. Actually, most fighting game fans prefer the Saturn version over even the Dreamcast one. Gamefan never reviewed Zero 3 on Saturn, seeing as it came out later than the PSX version, but we all know the Saturn fanboys that they were. Not saying that the PSX version is bad, because it isn't at all; it's just not on the same level as the Saturn version. Btw, the CPS-3 arcade system that ran Street Fighter III had SH-2 as it's main CPU Hey Spiffy, you on SRK?

Games that I want are: Battlemorph (CD) Iron Soldier 2 (CD) Battlesphere Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands (CD) Skyhammer Hover Strike Protector SE I'd really like to try out Skyhammer and see if it's in the elite group of Jaguar games.

Wow, my Jag CD has been broken for over 10 ten years (since 1995 ). This exactly what I need to fix it! It's a great price too! Sold! How would you like me to pay?

I've been a lurker for a long time now, but I had to comment on this. The Jaguar has the better technology, this is no question. The only thing that the Neo has over it is the large cart sizes that enabled it's games to have more detail and many more frames of animation. Even the Jag CD couldn't do animation the way the Neo could, because reading a CD is much slower. The Jaguar would've needed a RAM upgrade ala N64 or Saturn to compete in this way (or like Gorf said, cartridges like the Neo). In every other way though, the Jaguar is better. However, you certainly couldn't tell that comparing most Jag games to the Neo. Sure, many Jaguar games throw a lot of colors onto the screen, but to say anything on the Jag (even Rayman) can compare to the art in games like Garou: Mark of the Wolves, for example, just isn't serious. Of course, this is the Jaguar board, so there should be some bias toward the Jaguar

It's funny you guys are talking about this because I'm doing the exact opposite; I'm using my Jag ac adaptor to power my NES. That won't harm the NES or adaptor will it?

I remember how used to salivate over pictures of the VR helmet in magazines and was so excited about it's release... Now I guess it's too risky to release with really only one game that fully supports it in today's limited Jaguar market (although I would buy one for novelty's sake and if the picture was good for Jag games other than MC3D)... I recall hearing a while ago that other than price, safety was also an issue; some kind of side effects after prolonged use of the helmet... It is a good question though why this technology was never further explored in the videogame industry...a lot games would really benefit from it's use. It would have gotten a lot cheaper too.

The Jaguar's specs may look better on paper, but we still have yet to see a 2D Jag game that looks as good as one on the Neo or that can manipulate as many sprites on screen simultaneously, with little slowdown. If I recall correctly, even Saturn and PSX had a little difficulty porting Neo games at least animation-wise.

I live in Vallejo, around 30 miles north of SF. I bought my Jag CD while I lived in NC though. My original problem about 5 yrs. ago was that the boot-up screen would come up, but it wouldn't play any games. After much frustration (5 yrs ago, that is), I opened up the Jag CD and made things worse. I broke a few wires, unconnectioned a few connections, and then threw it in a box, telling myself I'd get it fixed eventually. Basically, I had no idea what I was doing (still don't), and wanted to look for any physical problems I could actually see. Another problem with the cd drive is that it also spun faster than normal making a funny sound, but I can't remember if this started happening after I went inside it. Maybe I could fix it (I could learn stuff I guess), but I'm not sure how much I damaged it the 2nd time around.

My Jag CD has been broken for a few years now and I've finally decided to get it fixed (mainly for BattleMorph and Iron Soldier 2) due to my renewed interest in my Jag. My options seemed have pretty much dried up though. Telegames is the only place I know thas does it, but the shipping from California would be pretty expensive (even if I sent them my broken Lynx as well). Prices I've seen for a new one look pretty high...does anyone have suggestions? Thanks.