Raticon

I don't think it is/was a scam either as Mac & co and Atari really want to be credible and deliver something. Then there is difference between want to deliver and actually delivering, but that isn't scamming. I think they took a bigger bite than they could eat. Talking up hype, making software, smartwatches and USB-bracelets is a long way from making a whole game and media console system. That part about an important bit missing and they had to cancel the launch could be anything from the HDMI-input needing redesign (like the USB on gameband) to AMD pulling out completely or something else as far as we know.

I totally respect Historians choice of letting go of this project and focus on another at this time. I commend you for daring to believe and hope in a project you like, and my take on it is that the Box hasn't got much of a future at this point. I myself am a far too cynical asshole burned too many times by shitty developers to dare believe in cool stuff anymore. It's a bit sad really. As for the project itself I hope the delay really is about them sobering up and realizing that folks won't shell out 300 bucks this close to the holidays, rather than they abandoning it and letting it and all memories of it slowly fade away.

From the same article: "Le groupe français pionnier des jeux vidéo Atari a annoncé jeudi qu'il "décalait", à une date non déterminée, le lancement initialement prévu dans la journée des pré-commandes de sa nouvelle console de jeux via le site Indiegogo." In English by cortesy of Google translate aa my own French is mostly dirty worda and curses: "The pioneering French video game group Atari announced on Thursday that it "shifted", on an indefinite date, the launch of its new gaming console that was initially scheduled for the pre-orders day via the Indiegogo website." That is a bummer indeed. Oh well, remember the last time everyone's dream console delayed to "make it even better!"? ? Hope this is false news anyway. I'd really like to see the proposed specs.

After having a good night's sleep on the subject and giving it some thought throughout the day I'm not so positive to calling a crowdfunding launch a "pre-order" as IGG and KS both state that it's not a store, and preorders are as far as I know a form of purchase, not a pledge. If they have a working proto and are set for manufacturing why not just sell it through their website and strike deals with select retailers like AtGames does? If they have no prototype and aren't ready for production why call it pre-order if there isn't a final, ready project to order yet? I can't understand the reasoning but then I'm no marketing/sales guy...

If someone bought the Oldsmobile brand from GM, resurrected it and staffed it with a bunch of sales and marketing people who then got a 3rd party designer to draw some cool sleek concept pictures of a modernized-but-with-70's-era vibes Custom Cruiser with wood panels and everything and pitched it to me, promising a modern V8 under the hood and "open" design so I could tune it and repair it all by myself I'd go "F××k yeah where so I sign!?" Then OldsmobileCar want me to pay for it now so they can actually design it, make it, test it, get all the proper certifications and paperwork in order and maybe perhaps I will get it in 6 months I'd be more lukewarm to say the least. Especially if they price it like a '17 Taurus or Malibu which are cars that actually exist right now. Of course this is a very silly comparison given that a car is a substantially larger investment compared to a games console and a lot more complicated to make, but the spirit and general feeling Ataribox and crowdfunding is giving me tells the same story. A resurrected Oldsmobile would have some tremendous PR to catch up to as it's latest models before shutdown was very lacklustre and dull, and sold poorly given the competition that was frankly just better. This is Ataris situation now. I'm all open to get an Ataribox when I see it before me and it does what I want a 300$ system to do and it won't catch fire. I'd be all over a new Oldsmobile if it does what a new car in whatever price range it is in should do, if it won't catch fire and most importantly, it existed.

Glad to see a date being made public. Perhaps things will start moving soon. Personally I will not pre-order this thing as I have lost much faith in preorders and crowdfunding in general due to so many pre ordered games being poo and so many crowdfunded projects failing to deliver. It's nothing special against Ataribox really. I don't want to pay for something I haven't seen or tried yet, or something that doesn't exist because I don't know what it will be. Trust me, I have tried and mostly I have been burned. I wouldnt buy a car before a test drive.

All these pictures are sneak peek of different tiers of Ataribox pledge rewards. Personally I'd set for the Woodgrain Shatner edition, but with weirdly recessed USB type C-ports because heritage, remembering where we came from, homages and a boatload more of such malarkey.

We just reached the zenith, The essence of Atacobox, such as it is. We may lay this thread to rest now.

Oh yeah and that interview was posted on October 18th. Not only are they stretching the definition of fall if you ask me, but also the concept of "very soon".

Very helpful. From what I can see it would only cost about 4 bucks to ship it across the pond. Will consider it, books are always nicer to go through than fiddling in a manual online on my phone.

I own the Atari Flashback 4 and also the Intellivision and Coleco units. The manuals that came with these units are a bit ass and doesn't cover the objectives of the games or the controls at all, which sucks. All or nearly all of these manuals can be found online, but it would take some considerable time to collect them all in one easy .zip file or the like, to be able to print them for easy access to controls and objectives. Have anyone done this and uploaded the file somewhere? I thought I'd ask before I embark upon this tedious work myself.

Sssschhh! Silence! We must not anger the Taco-gods with such blasphemy!

One does not necessarily exclude the other for me. A game like Skyrim or Far Cry 4 for example has a gazillion quests, places to go, people to talk to and stuff to explore. It's less a matter of finishing it and more a matter of having a world to return to for a long time when one wants it. But then there's days where I can't be arsed to go into those kind of worlds, when I'm too tired or not in the mood. There is the perfect moment to dig into my stack of 2600-games or hook up any one of the Flashbacks I have and enjoy 30 minutes or an hour of Inty or Colecovision to enjoy some arcade action. Having long and massive games is just another step forwards in gaming I believe. Even some games from the NES and SNES era has some staggering length to them. Chrono Trigger comes immediately to mind, and do not forget some of the early text adventures and RPGs that came for the 8-bit computers way back. If one could make a massive RPG for the 2600 back in the day I'm positive it would have been done by someone.

50/50 if you ask me. I'm positive that *something* will happen, but if it will be anything of substance I'm doubtful.

Of course I was. I guess I was tired and had a brainfart. Still 300km, so it's about 180-190 miles. Sorry about that.

Checked the Sigfox coverage maps for where I live. Nearest area with any kind of Sigfox connection is only a mere 300 kilometres (just below 500 miles) from me. This does absolutely nothing for me and is superfluous in every sense of the word. I'd rather see they put their efforts towards hardware that actually does something it should in a console, namely play games and stream media.

I have read about how the 2600 and some other systems were discontinued by 1992 but I have never stumbled over any adverts or catalogs listing the 2600 past the mid 80's, or seen any sales figures. I'd love to see how a late 80s or early 90s ad for the 2600 or 7800 would look like, and I'd love to see how sales fared in the early 90s. I remember seeing a spanking new Wii sitting alone on a shelf just some 2 years ago at the local electronics store in the small town I live in. The owner refused to lower the price even when I said they could be had for fractions of the price if used. I wonder where and when the last new original 2600 was sold.

This would legitimately make a great successor game if Atari actually succeed with the console and want to troll all of us to kingdom come.

Oh I've been to places online where people seems to be very positive. Mostly Linux-fans happy about a new device that runs their OS of choice. Many other forums for general gaming seems at least mildly positive overall. Most of the general negativity here on a Atari-based forum comes from the Atari branding on it, given what today's Atari is what it is, and the ppl behind it who hasn't exactly a great track record on crowdfunding behind them with the Stormfly and Gameband, and also why we can't see anything else than renders and a cool joystick. If this box had Amiga branding and a design mimicking the Amiga 500 or perhaps inspired by the Amiga CD32 I bet you a Speakerhat that it would generate but a fraction of the noise here it has, but Amiga/Commodore forums would explode in similar proportion, just as the debacle that is THE64 gained minor attention here but massive attention in their respective fanbases, and almost on the exact same grounds as our critique of this no less.

Of course it has to do with hardware. Underpowered hardware can never run any kind of VR that will be satisfactory. Compare PSVR capabilities of the basic PS4 and the PS4 pro then go to a gaming PC with a VR kit like Vive for example. Regardless, Atari isn't really in the financial position to start experimenting with VR since they apparently need to crowdfund the entire system to begin with...

I don't want to sound rude to you but those kind of discussions are truly pointless because we don't know squat about the capabilities or hardware they have in mind. This is noones fault but Mr. Mac and Atari who won't mention anything remotely of substance on the hardware side, except a joystick. What about a front cover not in woodgrain-pattern but in Dorito-pattern?

If I were employed by Atari I would be deeply concerned that discussions about our new premier flagship console has been completely overtaken by Taco silliness in a massive forum thread meant to be entirely dedicated to this product, on THE premier Atari-related website on the internet. I would probably resign to preserve some semblance of honour for myself. Of course all this could be remedied if we had anything of substance to actually discuss. With that out of the way, anyone wanna join me to crowdfund fuji-shaped taco shells on indiegogo? It'll be the next big thing in retro-eating.

Yeah, my light sixer has some different years written over it as well, but the big fat sticker on the metal cover beneath the cart slot says 1981 and I'll be going on that one. It is a PAL console mfd in Taiwan. Sorry for your loss. I have had friends pass away when they weren't even 20 and it is very hard to come over it. Hope you have fun with your 2600. Looks very nice in the pictures.

It is a very typical thing of the kind of late-stage capitalist consumerist market we live in now, compared to a few decades ago. It all evolved from selling shit that actually existed, while spinning it to be the best thing that exists, or at least spinning it that it's not-shit. "Try Dr. Falkenhausens world famous hedgehog-snake-yeti salve! cures EVERY AILMENT! Proven by 50 studies!", while the salve indeed was nothing but shit. But at least it was shit that existed. Turn the clock up to our day and age. You don't even have to make that shit before you tote it as being the best thing ever. A few renders, a few fake prototypes, some cool blueprints/concept art... Use actors and paid social media accounts to shill for your product, slap on a famous name and rake in the cash to be able to maybe perhaps make it. It's still snake oil in the end, most of it at least. But back in the day you actually had that snake oil made, whatever it was in that bottle. Today you are taking in money before you even make the oil. If that is the fault of the consumers or the "makers" i will let others decide on, but i personally blame people that are borderline gullible, and let the nostalgia goggles sit too tight. A lot of high-profile hardware failures recently. In gaming consoles we have of course the infamous Chameleon/RVGS, but also the Smach Z, the PGS and a myriad of emulator boxes failing in more or less spectacular ways, GameStick is in there somewhere too and to some extent the PolyMega. Oh and also a fantastic heap of 3D printers, earbuds and other assorted tech aiming too high, but falling short. Of course, it's a difference between actually manage to take the money and fail afterwards, failing to raise the money and even failing to get to crowdfunding in the first place.

I really like Fatal Run, and the first time i played it was on a Flashback 4. I do however have a hard time when the enemy cars gets up towards my rear bumper and smashes me to bits with the only way to evade is driving super fast, which of course leads to inevitable crashing at some point. The "menu"-system and the little snippets of music is kickass in my opinion, and something that adds to the game in many ways.