Armonigann Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 It'll sell alright! Your looking at quite a bit buyers right here on AA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaughan Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 IMO, no chance. It wouldn't sell in sufficient numbers to make it worthwhile. It's easy to look at it from a nostalgic perspective, or as collectors - but as for mass market, never. Things have moved on. Add in emulation, where basically every game is basically downloadable for free, and versions already released in console format and for cell phones, and you have a market that is already swamped. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonner242 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) I think it be neat to have a new Atari. Keep it small...wireless controllers, sd card slot, wifi or net link for mltiplayer on games and leaderboards. Have the whole 2600,5200,7800 libs online to play free like on demand. You can pay for homebrews or new titles like Xbox arcade .And maybe even be able to play 8bit,st,Jaguar games per pay download. I think it would help out the homebrewers alot.Just keep it cheap, no video cards/DVD drives...mega processors....simple and powerful like a dingoo or Wiz. Edited August 17, 2011 by nonner242 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 This is fantasy dreaming. There have been several reality breaks/wake-up calls earlier in the thread, which don't appear to be accepted by the O.P. Is there any point in furthering this discussion? The videogame industry has moved on, even if some of US have not. The ability to distinguish what you (or I) like from the tastes of the mainstream dollars - is very helpful in these matters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonner242 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I guess the XM is just a dream too... Without dreams you will die.... I want a Dreamcast II! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plyboult Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The new app for the Iphone was basically a relaunch of the Atari, if that has a lot of purchases I can see them releasing newer versions in the future with a different catalog of games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I guess the XM is just a dream too... Without dreams you will die.... The XM is a totally different project. It isn't trying to be a mainstream, profitable, commercial product, although it has some of the trappings of one (a polished and professional design, a fancy box, a printed manual, and so on). It's structured as a homebrew project, and I'm sure Legacy Engineering will be shipping it at a loss, at least in the beginning. I'm all for having big dreams, but they should have at least some conceivable chance of succeeding. It's important to identify and kill off bad ideas as quickly as possible, to avoid wasting time and resources that could go into more realistic project ideas. (Of course, I wouldn't call this a "project idea", because those who are arguing for it probably don't have any clue about how to bring it into reality. This is all just yearning and wishful thinking. Anyone who wants to is free to spend their time in the land of "wouldn't it be nice", but I don't think it's very productive.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 The problem is shelf space. Retailers need to make so much revenue per square foot. Selling Atari 2600's aren't going to cut it. This is where slightly off the beaten path ( as far as video games, or just hurting to build business) retailers come in. K Mart, Menards, Kohls, Tuesday Morning, Kroger, etc. Retailers who are willing to take a little "gamble". I actually work for one of the retailers that you mention (corporately, not in stores, heaven forbid), and I guarantee you it wouldn't happen. That's just the reality. The ad space alone, even a one-time run, done modestly, would cost more than the potential profit you could possibly hope for. Even the cost of getting it up on the website of a major retailer would cost more than the best case potential profit. Hey, the nerd in me would love to see it happen too, but you have to face the reality that times have changed. The only hope is digital distribution or similar. Or tiny-market projects done out of love like the XM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 LOL at Insane Clown Pussy. I would buy that game but I'm not sure how well the ...ahem... "phrasing" fits the game. It could be a game about a lame band or about vaginas wearing make-up in a mental home. Whoops, thanks for bringing that to my attention! Rest of the title got chopped off somehow. Supposed to have read: Insane Clown Pussycat Rescue. Was thinking something along the lines of Circus Atari meets Firefighter, but in an urban setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amstari Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Releasing a revamped version would be like what is being done with the new Commodore 64. It looks like the original but inside it is a entirely new computer. http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/commodore-64-being-relaunched-as-windows-7-pc Back to the original question though, I don't think a relaunched VCS would sell. At least not enough to make a profit. However I do think that wireless VCS/2600 style controllers (joysticks & paddles) for the next gen consoles would sell if packaged with a compilation of classic Atari games, with the option to download more games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 As much as we (AA people) would like to see something like that come out, I think it would be a 99.9% flop. New age gamers need to have the newest games, and won't want Space Invaders on their 60" LED TVs. I'm honestly not sure if I'd be interested, unless the new carts were compatible with original consoles. And I'd think that anything coming out now would be prone to low-quality manufacturing, ala today's throwaway standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 ...and I'd think that anything coming out now would be prone to low-quality manufacturing, ala today's throwaway standards. While we're all dreaming... imagine a 2600 with an SD card input and blister packed Atari 2600 games on read only SD cards being merchandised down every checkout aisle of your favorite stores Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 ...and I'd think that anything coming out now would be prone to low-quality manufacturing, ala today's throwaway standards. While we're all dreaming... imagine a 2600 with an SD card input and blister packed Atari 2600 games on read only SD cards being merchandised down every checkout aisle of your favorite stores Imagine trying to stack/shelf those for easy access! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Imagine trying to stack/shelf those for easy access! Nah.... talking about the games here. They'd be on hooks. Merchandised as action figures or memory sticks/cards are today. Could flip through 'em rather easily and wouldn't even need to organize 'em really. One hook could hold dozens of misc. titles. The systems themselves could be marketed on an endcap either by the checkouts, toy section or electronics. Maybe even bulkstacked in an aisle near the checkouts. I remember growing up, places like Osco (drug store) and some grocery stores like Eagle sold 2600 games this way. Osco had their 2600 games (all brands) in a glass case and behind the counter. Grocery stores had 'em either in a standup cardboard display in the middle of an aisle and/or on the endcap. Games by Apollo and Data Age had setups like this. Wasn't even a prerequisite that some retailers sell the systems obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtshark7 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I think the only way they would make a profit would be to make something look like FB 2 with FB 1 interface and allow for pause and access to the menu. Also add s-video and stereo. Include cart slot for original games and an SD slot for dumping ROM games. I think that would work out best. BTW I don't wanna sound too noob-ish since I joined around April...what is the XM? I'm assuming it's a team of engineers trying to redesign/recreate the chips on the Atari 2600? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydro Thunder Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Obviously the overwhelming opinion is that it'd have no chance, but I am going to remind everyone that (last I read), the Flashback 2 sold nearly a million units (feel free to correct me if that isn't right). And I never felt like it got any marketing whatsoever; I only recently heard about it, and I managed an EB for two years. I _may_ have seen one on Target's shelf and paused for a second, but I had no idea how awesome it was; the word just wasn't out. I think if you make one like I and Ms. Pac-Man and Nonner suggested (small, SD card slot, wifi or ethernet port, maybe (possibly) wireless controllers, downloadable pay games like XBLA), and get the hipster retro crowd informed of its existence... It could catch fire. I don't think things have changed so much since 2005 or so (even with the multi-recession crapbag that's going on) that retro and Atari aren't still going to appeal to hipsters and whatnot. And them hipsters are legion. The point made earlier about modern TVs and the 2600's lack of HD video is a concern, but I'm betting there'd be a work-around (which may not satisfy the truly hardcore, but that's going to have to be okay). Doesn't have to be original hardware; Game Room for Xbox 360 was a failed project but when it ran well it looked very, very nice in HD. But really, we're all just armchair coaching this out here. Somebody get Mark Cuban to read these forums; he seems to be one of the only katrillionaires that's willing to put good money into interesting, worthwhile projects.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I guess the XM is just a dream too... Well... do you expect it to be a big commercial success? Or have more than 20 games written for it that couldn't be done on a POKEY cart? It's a labor of love and you're not going to see it in K-Mart. I think if you make one like I and Ms. Pac-Man and Nonner suggested (small, SD card slot, wifi or ethernet port, maybe (possibly) wireless controllers, downloadable pay games like XBLA), and get the hipster retro crowd informed of its existence... It could catch fire. I don't think things have changed so much since 2005 or so (even with the multi-recession crapbag that's going on) that retro and Atari aren't still going to appeal to hipsters and whatnot. And them hipsters are legion. Game Room for Xbox 360 was a failed project but when it ran well it looked very, very nice in HD. I'm not sure about them hipsters. Most are college-age or just out of college. Probably don't have a lot of Atari memories for this product to tug on. I mean, I see the "cool hipster retro" appeal for sure, but if that's all you're offering, then you aren't offering much over the Flashback, which they already didn't buy OR did buy & don't need another. An XBLA-like network service is going to cost money, too. And if you keep that cheap & simple, well, it's going to be hacked to hell. 360's Game Room is a great example of how this could turn out. Looked nice, individually purchasable retro games, even had an arcade-like feel... flopped fantastically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syntaxerror999 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I dunno; did the Flashback 2 "work" in your definition? I can't see this doing half as good as selling an Atari with built-in games. FB2 failed because it billed itself as a retro blast from the past, and yet most of the games on it were crappy hacks. Only a small handfull of games on it would anyone from that era actualy remember. Seriously, you can't put in Astroids yet you're gonna load it with lame remakes? Least you could mod it with a cartrage port... but they should of made it built in so any older people that bought it could dig through their attic for their old carts and have a real blast from the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 FB2 failed because it billed itself as a retro blast from the past, and yet most of the games on it were crappy hacks. Only a small handfull of games on it would anyone from that era actualy remember. Seriously, you can't put in Astroids yet you're gonna load it with lame remakes? Least you could mod it with a cartridge port... but they should have made it built in so any older people that bought it could dig through their attic for their old carts and have a real blast from the past. It had two versions of Asteroids. I agree that it should have had a cart slot, but I think you're over-estimating the number of people who keep VCS carts around, want to play them, but don't for lack of a system. FB2 might've failed partly due to the game lineup, but you can't ignore the fact that it was an atari 2600 in the 2nd millennium AD. I know I'm being cynical, but hey, so is your average recession-afflicted customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 They have N64's. Trust me. They have N64 is? They have N64 is what? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I don't think a re-release of the VCS would sell. However, I have always wished the Flashback 2 had a "legacy" cart port. I just don't think I have the skill to cut, install, and solder in a port like others have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Obviously the overwhelming opinion is that it'd have no chance, Exactly, and on AtariAge, no less, by people who LOVE Atari stuff, who would definitely buy it, yet don't have their heads in the clouds (or somewhere else, for that matter). but I am going to remind everyone that (last I read), the Flashback 2 sold nearly a million units (feel free to correct me if that isn't right). And I never felt like it got any marketing whatsoever; I only recently heard about it, and I managed an EB for two years. I _may_ have seen one on Target's shelf and paused for a second, but I had no idea how awesome it was; the word just wasn't out. That's what several people said all along, in the thread. The Flashback has a bunch of games built-in. The Flashback market is probably saturated, or they'd be at retail, BIG TIME right now. It's only retro-enthusiasts (like us) that think this stuff is cool enough to even still be talking about it. Most have moved on. Good for them, more for me. But really, we're all just armchair coaching this out here. Somebody get Mark Cuban to read these forums; he seems to be one of the only katrillionaires that's willing to put good money into interesting, worthwhile projects.... I think the only armchair coaching is the preposterous notion that a "new 2600" would sell. Most others are merely in touch with reality, and keenly aware of their own eccentric retro-enthusiasm, as contrasted with the tastes of the general public in the year 2011. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 They have N64's. Trust me. They have N64 is? They have N64 is what? Hey, I was specifically taught that the apostrophe can be used to indicate plural initialisms for clarity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Hey, I was specifically taught that the apostrophe can be used to indicate plural initialisms for clarity. Well, you were taught.....sort of right....depending on where you sit on the fence on this debate! Apparently opinions are divided, which proves that even the stuffy world of grammarians has its own HEATED DISCOURSE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylark68 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I'd pay $100 - $150 for a Flashback 3 with paddle controllers and a cartridge slot that had a 100 games built in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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