AtariNerd Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 (edited) Looks great Curt! Was curious to see a mock-up and now that I have, I'm more stoked than ever. Edited March 26, 2011 by AtariNerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theredlineboss Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Wow! That is looking great- Looking forward to receiving mine . Sorry to hear that you received a message like that. Even with the delays you've been experiencing, I'm surprised what you were able to accomplish in this timeframe. -Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 This post personally goes to the a-hole who emailed me a few minutes ago calling me a liar and a crook, that I'm taking people's money and I'm not planning on producing anything and his main argument was "all you've shown are a few photo's of a piece of plastic, you don't even have any metal work or anything else done, you are a liar and have stolen people's money" The petulance and impatience of some people is still astonishing to me. Whoever it was that complained and called Curt a liar has probably never undertaken a creative project of this magnitude, or indeed of any kind at all. He's probably never even thought about everything that goes into the making of a simple pencil, let alone a complex electronic device like the 7800XM. All of the people complaining that "we haven't seen any games!!!" probably haven't stopped to think about all the time and effort it takes to finish both the 7800XM and a library of complete and polished games to support it, not to mention the added challenges of coordinating the network of volunteers who are working so hard to have all of these projects ready at the same time. These are some of the reasons why, in my own opinion, the "homebrew scene" was much more fun in its infancy, around the mid-1990s. Those of us who were in the classic gaming hobby back then can remember a time when developing new product for old and dead systems was such a novelty that fans of those systems were delighted to see anything new. They didn't go around sending rude e-mails and demanding rigid timetables and unrealistic price points, because it was generally understood that such projects were undertaken as labors of love and in the spare time of those who were creating them. Now, after so many of these projects have been completed, people have come to expect them, and have come to think of them as more of a business than a hobby. For these people, seeing someone create something and share it with their fellow hobbyists isn't good enough anymore: now it has to come with retail-quality packaging, top-tier technical support, and at a price comparable to that of a cheap mass-produced toy that one might find on a shelf at Wal-Mart. Even with all that, the attitude toward these projects is no longer one of gratitude and appreciation, but one of entitlement: "I deserve to have it, and you deserve to give it to me, in exactly the way and at exactly the price I demand." I don't know exactly when this started, but perhaps the fact that Atari systems in particular have become popular and "retro-cool" even among the general population has had something to do with it. It's made the hobby larger, but it's also attracted an undesirable element, one without the level of appreciation of more serious enthusiasts. I apologize if I'm doing anyone an injustice, and I don't intend to paint with too broad a brush. What I've said does not apply to everybody in the hobby: those fans of the Mattel Aquarius who have followed my Aquaricart project for nearly a year now, for example, have been absolutely wonderful, even though that project has also dragged on much longer than originally anticipated. It's rare to see that kind of positive energy around the Atari systems, or any of the other more "popular" classic platforms, anymore. The audience for the Aquaricart is surely much smaller than that of the 7800XM, but the enthusiasm and encouragement of that audience has inspired me to make the final product better than any of us could have imagined possible when I started. Attitudes like that of Curt's accusing correspondent, however, will only serve to discourage future projects of this kind. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Those plastics and plates look AWESOME! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoyx Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Missed a spot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammR25 Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I like this box: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8th lutz Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I hope that email doesn't make Curt change his mind on doing future projects for this community. Curt had done a lot for this community for his projects and information on Atari. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MattelAquarius Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 (edited) I was using the pisser in a bar one Friday night when I saw this scratched on the wall of the restroom, in front of me: "I f*cked your mother." Written beneath it, someone else wrote: "Go home Dad, you're drunk." Yeah, it looks like Dad got a snootful again tonight, and started sending drunken emails. I'll take care of it on my end. Sorry for the offense he caused. Much excitement and enthusiasm for the XM, over here. Keep up the great work. Edited March 26, 2011 by Jay Silverheels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonner242 Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I was using the pisser in a bar one Friday night when I saw this scratched on the wall of the restroom, in front of me: "I f*cked your mother." Written beneath it, someone else wrote: "Go home Dad, you're drunk." Yeah, it looks like Dad got a snootful again tonight, and started sending drunken emails. I'll take care of it on my end. Sorry for the offense he caused. Much excitement and enthusiasm for the XM, over here. Keep up the great work. And yes the XM looks AWESOME Curt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 That looks fantastic. Let idiots be idiots and ignore the a-hole who sent you the email. Keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 (edited) This post personally goes to the a-hole who emailed me a few minutes ago calling me a liar and a crook, that I'm taking people's money and I'm not planning on producing anything and his main argument was "all you've shown are a few photo's of a piece of plastic, you don't even have any metal work or anything else done, you are a liar and have stolen people's money" Wow - that's really unfortunate. I wish people like that would realize that this is a labour of love not profit. :-S <sigh> This sounds suspiciously like a certain jerk that was posting here a while ago ... They look fantastic Curt! Thanks for sharing! I've eaten all of the extra expenses on everything, this was supposed to be a break even project, but has turned into a costing me project Very sorry to hear that. if it helps, a lot of us really appreciate your efforts. Edited March 26, 2011 by DracIsBack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyman Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I will add my plaudits to Curt and all who have helped him with this. I appreciate and commend anyone who takes on any project for the betterment of the classic gaming community. Add me to the list of folks chomping at the bit to get this lovely in the mail. Take care all and keep playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAC-MAN PRIME Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Looks OUTSTANDING, Curt! You know I'm looking forward to it! Keep up the great work and don't let any negativity get to ya. We know this thing's gonna be worth the wait! Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purenergy Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Thank you for everything you have put into the XM, Curt! Your hard work always shows, in everything you have made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metal Ghost Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 This post personally goes to the a-hole who emailed me a few minutes ago calling me a liar and a crook, that I'm taking people's money and I'm not planning on producing anything and his main argument was "all you've shown are a few photo's of a piece of plastic, you don't even have any metal work or anything else done, you are a liar and have stolen people's money" The petulance and impatience of some people is still astonishing to me. Whoever it was that complained and called Curt a liar has probably never undertaken a creative project of this magnitude, or indeed of any kind at all. He's probably never even thought about everything that goes into the making of a simple pencil, let alone a complex electronic device like the 7800XM. All of the people complaining that "we haven't seen any games!!!" probably haven't stopped to think about all the time and effort it takes to finish both the 7800XM and a library of complete and polished games to support it, not to mention the added challenges of coordinating the network of volunteers who are working so hard to have all of these projects ready at the same time. These are some of the reasons why, in my own opinion, the "homebrew scene" was much more fun in its infancy, around the mid-1990s. Those of us who were in the classic gaming hobby back then can remember a time when developing new product for old and dead systems was such a novelty that fans of those systems were delighted to see anything new. They didn't go around sending rude e-mails and demanding rigid timetables and unrealistic price points, because it was generally understood that such projects were undertaken as labors of love and in the spare time of those who were creating them. Now, after so many of these projects have been completed, people have come to expect them, and have come to think of them as more of a business than a hobby. For these people, seeing someone create something and share it with their fellow hobbyists isn't good enough anymore: now it has to come with retail-quality packaging, top-tier technical support, and at a price comparable to that of a cheap mass-produced toy that one might find on a shelf at Wal-Mart. Even with all that, the attitude toward these projects is no longer one of gratitude and appreciation, but one of entitlement: "I deserve to have it, and you deserve to give it to me, in exactly the way and at exactly the price I demand." I don't know exactly when this started, but perhaps the fact that Atari systems in particular have become popular and "retro-cool" even among the general population has had something to do with it. It's made the hobby larger, but it's also attracted an undesirable element, one without the level of appreciation of more serious enthusiasts. I apologize if I'm doing anyone an injustice, and I don't intend to paint with too broad a brush. What I've said does not apply to everybody in the hobby: those fans of the Mattel Aquarius who have followed my Aquaricart project for nearly a year now, for example, have been absolutely wonderful, even though that project has also dragged on much longer than originally anticipated. It's rare to see that kind of positive energy around the Atari systems, or any of the other more "popular" classic platforms, anymore. The audience for the Aquaricart is surely much smaller than that of the 7800XM, but the enthusiasm and encouragement of that audience has inspired me to make the final product better than any of us could have imagined possible when I started. Attitudes like that of Curt's accusing correspondent, however, will only serve to discourage future projects of this kind. I +1'd you on this, but I, personally would disagree with this part of the statement. I think that 90-95% of the forum goers here for the 7800 and specifically the XM have been patient, encouraging, and all around positive about this. I think that when you do indeed have a larger audience, then even 1% of dissentment becomes fairly noticable. But I think that we would be doing a diservice to make this out to be more than the exception that (I believ) it is. Anyway, looking good Curt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipj Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 As much as I would like to have an actual XM system right now, I would rather Curt take his time and release a quality system than to rush any old thing out the door. I'll be waiting so make it fast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 Just received notification that AX received the 25 plastics for his special silver edition project, also here is another nice shot if anyone wants to see a more detailed look.... 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corby Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Thats Cool!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipj Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+evg2000 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Complaining about this being a wait? Any one else pay for a Pandora back in fall of 2008 and still waiting to receive it? That's a wait, and I'm sure it will be cool when I get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) Just received notification that AX received the 25 plastics for his special silver edition project, also here is another nice shot if anyone wants to see a more detailed look.... Do you think you'll get any gaming press coverage? Are you going to even bother with trying to contact G4 about a spot on X-Play or AOTS? p.s. And what about "Atari" itself? Have "they" said anything about the project? Edited March 29, 2011 by Lynxpro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Wow, Curt. First-class. Love the pics. Absolutely smashing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAC-MAN PRIME Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 That close up shot of the metal name plate is just flippin' AWESOME. Remarkable job on replicating the authentic look. Thanks again, Curt, for all your efforts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNerd Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) Thinking about it, especially in terms of a mass-market product, it's probably actually had more care taken in its' design polish and is of better fabrication quality than many corporate entities themselves would have typically push for at the time (Big 80's)) , including Atari. Don't mean that as a dig at designers, but oftentimes corporate decisions occur in favor of shaving pennies off of designs, often at the expense of the fine details. Edited March 29, 2011 by AtariNerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dino Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I've eaten all of the extra expenses on everything, this was supposed to be a break even project, but has turned into a costing me project, Amazing stuff Curt For future, you should always factor in 40% cost overruns on these "never done before" type projects, because that's typically what the overruns end up being Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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