bennybingo

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? I did pre-order one, and couldn't agree with Brian's sentiment more. What did he say that was wrong? Regardless of if he pre-ordered one or not, he has a valid point. Think of it this way…perhaps, he was one of the people who had some foresight, and decided to wait and buy one after it actually was released? (which happens to be the case here, as I know Brian very well…he lives only 3 minutes from my house) So, if he has (or at least, had) interest in buying one of these, shouldn't he be able to voice his opinion in a public forum? Again, with no regular updates and no communication, people are going to get irritated…especially when yet another one of their projects is produced and released before the XM. IMHO, if you have enough time to write, edit and publish two lengthy books, and plan for a third (not to mention the upcoming release of a revised second edition for the first book), then you should have enough time to update people who already paid for one of your other projects. Those updates would also be beneficial to the people who did not pre-order the XM…they are waiting for them too.

Everyone is aware of that...I think the main sticking point is the fact that Curt posted a lengthy piece on AA a couple of weeks ago about the book. His post outlined, in lengthy detail, a synopsis of the book, bio's on the authors, publisher info, editor's info, contact info, cover art, etc… Considering he had the time and energy to do that, is it so difficult to drop the XM investors a line and tell us what is going on? Another sticking point is that the XM project seems to have taken a back seat to not one, but now two book projects…and there is a third on the horizon. It would be nice to know if the XM is even still being worked on at this point. I am not speculating that it is or isn't being worked on, but I have no information to tell me what the status is either way. As I have said before…over and over again…an update would be nice.

NEVER!!!!

From all of what I have heard through the grapevine, Curt is doing well and posting regularly on Facebook (though, I don't have an account and have no intentions of ever signing up for one). He is also plugging their new book, so I would have to guess that he is well enough to spend time at the computer typing. At this point, I think he has just made up his mind that he won't be posting updates here. Call it a matter of righteous indignation on Curt's part or call it whatever you want…all I know is that I am not holding my breath for an update any time soon.

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/7040806339203126404?q=sharpie+markers&sqi=2&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.71198958,d.cWc,pv.xjs.s.en_US.eeEyUCKQF_8.O&biw=1091&bih=664&tch=1&ech=1&psi=UbjKU9TzN7DksATW1YKADA.1405794394265.3&ei=WrjKU5CsK6bisAT_hoHoAg&ved=0CKUBEKYrMAE

OK Mr. Moderator….whatever you say. I have to disagree. This is his second thread on the same subject and, in both cases, he has been politely corrected as to the inaccuracies of what he is claiming. So far, it has just been met with no response... …that tells me, it's high time for the Shatner-ing to commence.

The title should be changed to: Make REAL fake Atari games on your PC…so easy, even a Shatner can do it!!! Synopsis: Feel just like you are Backin89 and create a REAL fake Atari game on your PC from scratch with almost no effort! Save all of your time and HARDWORK for the important things in life…like watching re-runs of Knight Rider while riding your Hello Kitty bike to your job at Kinkos. …how's that for a "fixed that for ya"!!!

Wow…you had two copies of that? That's pretty awesome! I recently bought a ton of home-brews from Scalpel. H's great with communication and fair with regards to prices. Everything shipped from France, to my door, safe and sound. Bump for a great seller!

Run-on sentences make my head hurt. I like turtles.

It took all night to download the game file and update file...then, it spent all night while I slept transferring the game content. Thankfully, it is done and I will be able to play tonight!

So, your only means of response is to continually insult me? Yeah…now I get it. It sure sounds like you have a clue what you are talking about! I am curious…what project(s) have you actually produced (partially or in full) for the Atari community? Anything? Hardware, software packaging, printed matter, soft goods, etc? Anything? Or are you just having some fun, at the expense of someone who actually has contributed to a project before with something more than lofty, pie-in-the sky advice? Keep up the good work though. You might just save the entire Jaguar universe with all of your amazing plans to partner up with Atari for FREE on this…that sounds reasonable. So, who is the person working at Kinkos again?? In before the Shatner.

Then I say go for it. You seem to have a handle on how things work…just let me know how that all works out. If you manage to do all of what you are saying, I would gladly buy a controller. But what do I know anyhow...licensed properties and their associated IP only make up about 90% of my daily customer base, whom I print/produce for at my job.

I would buy one of those in a heartbeat!

While I can see your point about the molds already having the Atari logo on them, I am positive that the Atari logo could be stripped out (filled) without to much trouble (certainly not thousands of dollars, as you suggested). Bottom line…I would go as far as to say that trying to court Atari on this project would likely kill it before you could even say the word "Kickstarter". Personally, I just can't see the current incarnation of Atari just giving permission to sell something with their name on it…not without charging a sizable licensing fee. In recent years, they have sent out C&D letters to just about everything they see using the Atari name, logo, etc. From what I understand, the current incarnation of Atari, is pretty much a licensing entity. They let other companies put their name and logo on pint glasses, belt buckles, keychains…anything that will sell…and for this, they get paid pretty well. Why would they think differently of a game controller for an Atari system? Better yet, why would they care enough to even try and contract for a licensing arrangement on something that will probably sell 500 units or less? I know that a few other people in this hobby of ours have successfully managed to get limited licensing rights to produce things in the past (i.e: Boulder Dash 2600 / First Star Software), but so many others have tried and ultimately not been able to secure the rights. Once you open that pandora's box, you can't close it. If Atari finds out that someone is looking to produce a complete replication of a Jaguar controller (which is proprietary hardware), then they might end up not being able to produce anything at all…regardless of the Atari logo. Someone owns the patents on that controller…who knows who that is currently? IMHO, by asking for permission to make an Atari controller, in very low volume, there would be absolutely no financial gain for Atari to even consider with regards to a license. At the same time, just letting the Atari name be used "free of charge" would be an unusual breach of protocol for a company that makes most (if not all) of its' living off of licensing products. It sets a bad precedence, and dilutes the value of their IP. To say that it "would be insane" to try and avoid legal hassles by producing these as "non-Atari" products…that to me is what sounds insane. I suggest you look into what exactly IP means to licensing companies, and how/why they defend those IP's to the ends of the earth. It is their main source of revenue…it is their business, and they protect it fiercely…just sayin.

I hope I can find my receipt…no one at the store told me anything about it being on there.

Where do I pick up my Beta code? I pre-ordered the game, and was part of the Alpha. Any help would be appreciated!

Please don't....I would like to see my XM sometime before I am dead! Just curious...who exactly are you referring to when you say "current Atari", and why would they need to be involved? IMHO, why would you want to bother trying to get the Atari license for a VERY limited run of controllers (very limited in the greater scheme of things)? It would increase the production cost, by way of licensing fees, and it really wouldn't add any real value to the people who want this product most. I know that I would personally rather pay less money for a non-Atari branded product.

To go with all of your HARDWORK, I made some box art for you! It is like stepping into a time machine…it makes you feel just like you were BACKIN89!!!!

You should hear the 1976 version of SMB!

$650 BIN…and it comes from San Dimas, CA... For that price, I wonder if it comes with one of these too: PS: SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOLL FOOTBALL RULES!!!!!

I have been in the printing / production industry now for a long time….that is where my very basic line of questions stems from. I agree…based on making new moulds, production PCB's and connectors, 500 is a fairly low estimated amount to expect to be able to recoup from…I would think the moulds will cost you a pretty penny. With regards to everyone on AA wanting one of these…not exactly. Unfortunately, the Jaguar scene is not excessively large, and not everyone in the scene wants one or could necessarily afford one. Not right away at least. That's why I said it may take years to recover your investment. Also, for this exact reason, I am not sure a Kickstarter campaign would make it to funding…at least not all the way. That said…if you feel like you are up to the challenge, and you think the potential benefits outweigh the risks, I would say that you should go for it! I doubt you will have many people tell you not to…at least not when it comes down to all of our own selfish desires to see these controllers made available. I would just continue to echo my original sentiment to you…think long and hard about this before even posting the Kickstarter. Once you get that going, it will be game on.

My only hang up (if I were considering financing a project like this myself), would be the minimum quantity for a production run. At the very least, you would have to consider the following: 1.) Are there actually enough "potential customers" for something like this? Based on your initial guess, 500 seems like a very lofty goal in the way of sales for something like this. 2.) How much would you need to plunk down, out of your own pocket, to get the production run started? Based on this number, are you comfortable with not recouping your money for quite some time (and I am talking about years). I say this because your break-even number might be somewhere above and beyond selling half the units…it could take years to produce and sell 250 pro controllers IMHO. 3.) Do you have room to warehouse/store 500 pro controllers? That would take up a ton of space. 4.) Are you willing to handle all of the invoicing, payment management, boxing, shipping and returns on defects? 5.) Are you up to such a challenge? As I have seen as a spectator (7800 XM comes to mind), and also as a supplier to some projects directly, the challenge of producing hardware is not only daunting, but comes with tons of criticism and backlash when things go south (even momentarily). You need to be fully prepared and enter into something like this with your eyes opened WIDE. I am not trying to discourage you from this project…lord knows, I would buy one if the final product was up to snuff. I just wanted to lay out a few of the many, MANY challenges you will face. Nothing is impossible…I guess the better question is, would it be worth it for you ultimately. It is a ton of risk and has the potential for both reward and failure. Spend some time mulling this one over. Also, you might want to add a poll to this thread, to gauge interest here at AtariAge…that would at least be a start. Best of luck!

Nothing beats a spoiler...