JDTAY

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mitchwallace/2017/06/19/why-ataris-new-console-could-be-just-what-the-gaming-industry-needs/ Now this is an Ataribox opinion piece that I like. He says gamers could use more options. Hopefully when Ataribox outsells the iPhone, all the other old players will get back into the hardware game too. Just imagine a shiny new Intellivisionbox to go with your Game Developer Barbie. Awwww yeah.

I've been thinking, Bill, by service, do you mean a gaming related service, like Steam? I think you've denied Steam specifically already though. Some people have said a subscription game streaming box, but you denied streaming too. Maybe it's still a subscription based gaming service though? Like, access to download any of the console's entire library for a periodic cost? Noone's tried that business model in video games before, I think. The best thing about it would be killing the F2P model, I think.

Well, explorer's post confirms that the Ataribox guys have a standard response for developer inquiries, since it's word for word what I got. And here I thought I was special. Oh well.

This post still has me racking my brain. I've got nothing though. Hopefully this doesn't keep me up all night. >_< Does it even play games? Neither the Atari CEO nor my dev response email used the word 'game'. You said not to expect a games console in the traditional sense, but can we even expect one at all?

http://gizmodo.com/ataris-new-console-sounds-like-a-bad-idea-1796193721 Whoops, Gizmodo says Atari has a bad idea on its hands. Time to abandon ship. :-P Still wish we even knew what the idea is...

Man, this mystery is killing me. I have a condition that can cause me to obsess over certain things at times, and it looks like Ataribox is my flavor of the week. I need to find something to distract myself, or at least bug the Ataribox guys themselves for more info instead of Bill. >_>

It, eh? So we're talking about one singular value add or service that makes Ataribox unique then? Nah, I'm probably just splitting hairs now, I bet.

Value adds. Hmm... Sigfox said in their Atari partnership announcement that they would be targeting both the mass market and charities with their hardware. That's why I guessed "third world PC that's also marketed to first world" once earlier. I wonder, with Sigfox's boasting of affordable internet solutions, does this thing do internet without a connection, like, through satellites, for low cost? That'd be quite the value add, even in the US, where broadband penetration is low compared to the rest of the first world. Edit: Sorry to keep the guesses coming, I know I must be getting annoying by now.

I have one more guess. It's been said this a niche device, some guesses have been close, it's not a console in the traditional sense, but it's not necessarily innovative either. I've been wondering... ...will this thing run full Linux? Some people have said Steambox or Android box, which are similar. If so, that's the type of thing that gets me all hot and bothered. Most of the mass market would be like "wut?" though.

Ouch, hype killing from Bill himself. I just noticed you said this in another thread: "Unless things have changed, I would not consider this an innovative product per se. If the intended price/hardware/performance targets were somehow met, it could be a good relative value, which might ultimately be its most significant market differentiator." I guess it really is just a PC in a box then? Meh, if that's the case, my hype hinges entirely on whether development is open for it or not.

Ataribox gets its first clickbait op-ed from Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2017/06/17/prepare-to-be-disappointed-by-whatever-ataris-new-console-turns-out-to-be/ Truly, it has arrived. I think Forbes was warning people to be disappointed by the Switch too before that was revealed, and look how that turned out.

I still feel like we're missing something. So it's a PC-based console for your home entertainment center, but not meant to compete with the big three according to Bill, something more niche like a Nvidia Shield. He did say earlier though that there was an idea in play that he didn't want to reveal. I doubt he just meant the above. So is there something we don't know that makes Ataribox unique?

Man, between this forum, two others, Facebook, twitter, reddit, and the comments sections of a dozen Ataribox articles, I've yet to find anyone besides myself who seems genuinely enthused for this. I mean, I know debuting with no information is a bad move, but they responded to my email inquiry pretty quickly. I guess I'm just an unshakable optimist. The right combo of antidepressants will do that to you. :-)

For style. That guess was already shot down though.

Ouch, so much for my latest guess. At least the cat's out of the bag now though.

Just had a thought. What if I'm thinking too far outside the box about this? My new guess is simply a device for streaming from your PC to your TV. Doesn't that already exist, you say? Yes, but not in Atari form. It'd be cheaper than a real system, and they could just load an Atari app on your PC for proprietary games.

In one of the other Ataribox threads, someone asked if this is just PC architecture with a proprietary OS and games like PS4 or Xbone, and Bill said "Not quite that elaborate." Hmmm...

PC-based? Does that mean it'll be open to development? That's what I originally asked when I emailed them and didn't really get an answer. I'm all about devices I can mess around on. At this point, it kinda sounds like a cheap and user friendly gaming PC, which some of us have been guessing.

Yeah, my response also had a "you have already guessed..." line in it. Funny, why wouldn't they be more upfront about it being a new platform? Looking at Atari's Facebook and twitter posts about the Ataribox, half the responses are convinced this is another flashback system. They really should announce more details as soon as they can to clear up confusion.

I've been thinking about Atari and Sigfox, and it has me thinking the Ataribox could be a low cost computing and gaming solution for the third world that's also marketed to the first world. Kinda conflicts with some stuff Bill said though. Just my theory.

I gotta admit, if it is an Internet of Things box, I'm intrigued. Imagine playing a board game where a computer moves all the pieces around to where they need to be based on your inputs with a joypad or smartphone or tablet. Imagine controlling a physical game with digital input. None of that was in their response to me though. Trying not to hold my breath.

Well, it sounded in the response like they did have a developer strategy, they just couldn't reveal it yet. I dunno, I don't want to quote the email directly.

Registered here in order to provide what little info I have. I emailed ataribox at the Dev link using the words 'programming hobbyist' and asked how open developing for their platform would be. Response said that content strategy for their platform would be critical, and as soon as they roll out their developer strategy, I'd be among the first to know. Take from that what you will.