MrBlackCat

Were you being sarcastic maybe? If so, I missed it. If not, it encourages the average person to replace the item more often. The more disposable something is, the more a manufacturer makes. In the disposable world, governments are able to collect money for something sold X times vs 1 time, and manufacturers are able to sell you some product more often. There is no benefit for manufactures to make things that last in our current society is my point. For a microcosm view of this, look at AtGames products... low end for sure, but it does't matter to the vast majority of persons who will buy them. The percentage of people it DOES matter to is so small, it is almost undetectable in the scope of sales. I am glad (amazed?) to see Bill L. is able to have some influence to add features or increase overall product experience like the interface. MrBlackCat

I did consider that, but disregarded it for exactly the reason you mention... on a low volume eBay scale, this would not likely be noticed. I don't know if their is a right or wrong, but in the 90's you couldn't sell shareware either, but many many commercial companies did under the pretense of selling it only for the cost of the media and packaging. Unless their was intentional deception, I would not have issue with this. Besides, if they kept the "royalty" simple, it could be done on a small commercial scale. We used to buy our Windows 98 licenses in bulk from Microsoft, maybe a similar arrangement could be made. I wouldn't see harm in this. MrBlackCat

I just ordered a Portable System video cable from AtGames for the absurdly high price of $7.99 +$4.00 shipping. When I receive it, I will spec it out and find far less expensive alternative. I have many different 1/8th to RCA video cables for everything from other handheld systems to camcorders and portable computers, and none of them were this expensive, and none of them work with the AtGames Products. edit: It let me order the cable, but on the actual product page, which you don't have to go to add it to your cart, it says they are BackOrdered. If I was making that much money on a 99 cent cable, I would NEVER let them run out! AtGames seems quite disorganized to me. edit: Has anyone got one of these they could provide pinouts on so I can try to find a compatible cable? I would appreciate it. Also, rather than taking repeated chances with flaky sellers on eBay, I would like to have a pre-production unit if anyone wishes to sell one. New or Like New preferred. Please PM me. MrBlackCat

With getting a Pi system set up being "easy" (I have almost no knowledge of these systems), why doesn't someone sell them to people who don't have the time or motivation to actually do it? (or do they already?) Nothing is easy without a "concept" in place... theory of operation etc. Running the Nintendo Classic or a Flashback is easy. No PC, no assembly, no web sites to go to etc. I think in this day and age, anything requiring 30 minutes or more of new learning is outside the scope of $50 for most people... maybe not for the majority on a Retro Forum however. This is entirely based on my opinion and observation. I started working/programming at the chip/processor level with hardware in the 80's with Commodore computers, so I am certain the Pi machines would be far more simple than that, as well as something I could handle in a reasonable amount of time, but based on ignorance of what they are and how they work, I seriously doubt "easy" relative to most people is likely or fair. MrBlackCat

LOL! I need to leave the house... and look for sales on spelling/grammar related games. MrBlackCat

As stated, it is pretty gender neutral in my opinion. It has an excellent selection of kitchen related items for example, watches, general home decor' like picture frames, decorative glass thingys, some counter top electronics. Stuff like that. I don't leave the house on Black Friday... Nothing I want is worth the savings vs hoards. MrBlackCat

Thank you guys for all the work on the list! I have been going through lots of them. I am using Kingston Micro SD HC Class4. (adapted to SD of course) It works fine. MrBlackCat

My Atari Flashback Portable arrived today. Mine is not the pre-production model. Got some playing to do. MrBlackCat

I had already seen this in my email also. Thank you for posting it, as I think it is odd/new that a Black Friday sale is extended to on-line sales. I don't leave the house on Black Friday. A Black Friday sale you can purchase from on the internet is especially valuable to rational people. (Ha!) MrBlackCat

Thanks for the information... Also, this particular device differs from the others in the AtGames handheld line in that it doesn't have rechargeable batteries or an SD card slot. It does come with AV out however. Build quality is the same as the others in the line, though it is the smallest for sure. Mine shows 07/2013 on the identification decal. MrBlackCat

The only ones that come to mind for me are FPS's... DooM, DooM II, and Duke Nukem Advance. MrBlackCat

I can believe it! I was primarily a PC gamer throughout the 90's, and later got into a few consoles of the time, and I can say there is great value in things that "just work". With that said, I also know a lot of people that are just so unmotivated, fear of anything beyond plug n play, is an easy out to preserve their lack of motivation. I have used emulators since the days of DOS, and that experience is the core of my appreciation for the actual Plug-N-Play systems. With all their flaws, at least these AtGames systems "work" for the most part. I welcome improvements to come. MrBlackCat

Is this the one? Far right. Mine says AtGames on it. MrBlackCat

I wonder if this was a glitch maybe? Maybe someone flagged it wrong and it just cancelled all the pre-orders? I was hoping they would actually look into what happened, but most customer service is just a "smooth things over" service, and not a "valid information" service in my experience. I would not be surprised if their customer support is third party, but I don't know that. MrBlackCat

Just ordered an Atari Flashback Portable from eBay with free shipping for ~$50. Maybe I can use the Toys R Us gift card I have for the NES Classic later. I did just get a response from Toys R Us as to the reason for the cancellation... ****begin paste**** Hello there, Thank you for contacting Us about your recent order, order. We regret to inform you that your order was cancelled, because we are entirely out of stock, and at this time it appears this item is discontinued. Again, we’re sorry your order didn’t work out — and appreciate your understanding! Thanks for getting in touch with Us. We look forward to serving you again soon! Norma/4159, Toys“R”Us & Babies“R”Us Customer Service www.ToysRUs.com (800) ToysRUs / (800) 869-7787 www.BabiesRUs.com (888) BabiesRUs / (888) 222-9787 ----- ****end paste**** Kind of uninformed, canned/generic response. I hope this is the early version... if so, I will get both as this type of variation is interesting to me. MrBlackCat

Seeing as just MONDAY I received the email notification from Toy-R-Us that my pre-order would auto-cancel on December 15th if it could not be fulfilled... I am guessing they received notification the Atari Portables would not be received by December 15... AtGames must have run into bigger production problems than expected. MrBlackCat

WTH?! I just go the same email... two days after saying my pre-order would be cancelled on 12-15-2016 if it hadn't shipped. Grr... I don't mind delays, but poor organization I try not to support. MrBlackCat

Actually that is what it is used for most of the time. I love my handhelds, but as my eyes age this is used more and more for just that. MrBlackCat

Beautiful... Hehehe. Is it possible for video games to waste space? I have some duplicates in there like the knockoff FB2, an extra new FB3, wired and wireless FB5's. The majority of the boxes are empty (I save some boxes for things like this) however as all the units are in a cabinet I made specifically for these systems. I will add an image below. The Arcade Master Genesis stick is equal any of the others... but I bought it for the SD Card slot and with the intention of making a small table top console from it. Not my idea though, I have seen it done on various internet sources before. I don't have the Flashback 2+... I have looked at them for the potential mod, but it isn't very high on my list of things to convince myself I need. I have several sets of paddles, but only one FB that came with them, but I bought that one used and it had no box. This is my design choice for a Flashback (and other mini-consoles) cabinet... got a couple of slots left, but I can always swap some out. I can't wait to be installing my Nintendo Classic in here. MrBlackCat

Thanks for the suggestion... I am patient though. It really doesn't bother me in a negative way. The kid in me just had to stop bouncing off the walls in anticipation for a few minutes. Besides, if I can't find something else to do until it gets here... I think I might qualify for being a wiener head... Still can't wait to add this one to the Tower of Retro Shame. MrBlackCat

I just got another email from Toys R Us... I wonder if this is anything to worry about. Something tells me these aren't going to be on eBay selling for $500+ however. MrBlackCat ****begin paste**** Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for placing your recent order with us. We wanted to inform you that there is a delay in fulfilling the item listed below in your order. Please accept our apologies for this delay. At this time we do not have a ship date for the item. Please note, your credit card will not be charged for the item until the order is shipped. Order Number: ******** Delayed Item: ******** Description: Atari Flashback Portable Handheld Player Quantity/Price: 1 @ $39.99 30-Day Policy If the item(s) is not shipped by 12/15/2016 the item will be automatically cancelled and your credit card will not be charged, and/or your money will be refunded. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this delay. Sincerely, The Guest Service Team Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com ****end paste****

I didn't mean the controllers... I meant does the console itself have wireless receivers inside, on the systems/versions that were offered with wired controllers... I can't imagine it being practical (relative to production) having two console board versions with only the absence of a few cents of receiver hardware. MrBlackCat

WalGreens has had the FlashBack 7 and Sega Portable out for a week or so... not pushing them with endcaps yet, but just on top shelf over the toy area. MrBlackCat

Well, I went to WalMart and Sams today and neither had Flashbacks out, so I just ordered the FlashBack 7 Deluxe from Sams Website for $39.99 and only like $3.50 to ship it. If WalMart turns up with a wired controller model, I will buy it anyway for the spare joysticks. I have plenty of FlashBacks, Atari 2600s, and Commodore stuff that can use the sticks anyway. It just occurred to me... I wonder if the wired joystick Flashbacks have wireless receiver hardware inside them anyway. Have to check that out. With the short life of these sticks, I am inclined to just build my own reliable/long life sticks. MrBlackCat

I am/was almost certain Bill L said that also... QVC shows the Deluxe Edition with the paddles. If only it had wired sticks also. Come to think of it, I would rather have another set of wired joysticks than another set of paddles I think. MrBlackCat