moonlight_mile Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Not sure if this was mentioned but the flashback is now showing up on Dollar General's website. http://m.dollargeneral.com/products/43753786 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freewheel Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 (edited) Actually, I doubt the system uses any operating system at all. The Titan processor is designed, maintained, and produced by AtGames/DMC themselves; it isn't a multi-purpose package from a third-party vendor. It runs only one program, which is also maintained by AtGames, so there's no need for an extra layer between the program and the hardware. Of course, I have no way to know for sure, but I don't see any reason for it to have the added complexity and overhead of an OS. I'd be highly surprised if there isn't some OS on it, and most likely a stripped-down Linux variant. Almost NOTHING these days has software write directly to hardware. There simply isn't very much overhead anymore, not with the horsepower we're talking about in even the simplest consumer gear. Your TV has an OS, your car has an OS, hell your microwave likely has an OS. It's much easier for a manufacturer to use someone else's work as a hardware abstraction layer. AND to not have to constantly write this layer for each new product. Especially given the corners cut on these projects, I'd be rather shocked if this isn't Linux with some 20 year old emulation core that they never got all the bugs out of. They probably have stripped 90% of Linux out, so that it boots near-instantly, but it's been a long time since anyone has done anything other than this. Unless you're talking the embedded/realtime world, where every cycle counts and you're aiming for perfection. And given the emulation.. imperfections we're all seeing/hearing... Edited October 8, 2014 by freeweed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+intvsteve Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 (edited) I'd be shocked if the answer wasn't that Shark Shark and Astrosmash didn't sell well enough to fund/make viable Realtime's dev work for NSG2. That and combined with figuring out a new way to get it published/released before they get in to said development. The initial launch on PSHome was interesting but doesn't seem to have been fruitful gavv ^^^^^ This. Dave Warhol mentioned at CGE that they haven't had enough sales of the existing Gen2 games to warrant finishing Night Stalker Gen2. I don't own the platforms directly that these have been delivered to. I have an out-of-service Android 2.3 'candycorn sugarplum frozen yogurt whatever' crap-o-phone, and a Windows Phone... I suppose I could ask the wife to buy these on her iPad. After the eye-rolling, muttering and general antagonism, not sure it's worth the effort on my end. Edited October 8, 2014 by intvsteve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavvv Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 ^^^^^ This. Dave Warhol mentioned at CGE that they haven't had enough sales of the existing Gen2 games to warrant finishing Night Stalker Gen2. I don't own the platforms directly that these have been delivered to. I have an out-of-service Android 2.3 'candycorn sugarplum frozen yogurt whatever' crap-o-phone, and a Windows Phone... I suppose I could ask the wife to buy these on her iPad. After the eye-rolling, muttering and general antagonism, not sure it's worth the effort on my end. I brought up PS Home for the first time while investigating G2, only to find it too frustrating to deal with much less to buy something in. However, I did end up buying them because as it turned out you could just buy them directly for PS Vita, and actually Shark Shark G2 plays pretty damn well on the handheld. Had they been given a true 'indie' style release (aka in the regular console stores rather than 'backwater' Home, or on Steam/steam greenlight on pc) they probably would have fared much better. I wonder if a repackaged compilation of the two G2's could be successful enough on Steam to get Gen2 over the hump. gavv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I brought up PS Home for the first time while investigating G2, only to find it too frustrating to deal with much less to buy something in. However, I did end up buying them because as it turned out you could just buy them directly for PS Vita, and actually Shark Shark G2 plays pretty damn well on the handheld. Had they been given a true 'indie' style release (aka in the regular console stores rather than 'backwater' Home, or on Steam/steam greenlight on pc) they probably would have fared much better. I wonder if a repackaged compilation of the two G2's could be successful enough on Steam to get Gen2 over the hump. gavv I agree that the only way such games would arguably be competitive is if they were released in a compilation of three or more games. Indie competition is fierce, and, while those games have somewhat reasonable name recognition (which could be improved by hammering home the Intellivision connection) and good implementations, there are plenty of similar games available for little or no cost. Being featured on unsuccessful sub-platforms did them no favors either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavvv Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I agree that the only way such games would arguably be competitive is if they were released in a compilation of three or more games. Indie competition is fierce, and, while those games have somewhat reasonable name recognition (which could be improved by hammering home the Intellivision connection) and good implementations, there are plenty of similar games available for little or no cost. Being featured on unsuccessful sub-platforms did them no favors either. I wonder how well that Q*Bert 'update' that was published on steam in the last couple months fared. something like that would seem to be the most comparable paid example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FifthPlayer Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Personally, I'd love to see the Gen2 games released for the Nintendo 3DS. Along with a 3DS version of Intellivision Lives. To keep this thread on topic, I got my Flashback over the weekend and overall I'm happy with it. I'm surprised that the sound emulation issues have affected Poker & Blackjack so heavily; the game still plays just fine, but the inaccurate buzzer and card shuffling effects take some of the charm out of the game for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I wonder how well that Q*Bert 'update' that was published on steam in the last couple months fared. something like that would seem to be the most comparable paid example. I never heard of it until you mentioned it (part of the problem with many of these things). It actually looks like a nice update as it also includes the original (though some comments seem to indicate it's a simulation rather than emulation), and seems to have quite a bit of TLC put into the total package. What's interesting about the Q*Bert update is that they tried to really enhance the new version of the game with all kinds of levels and things. Contrast that to the Gen2 games (at least the ones I've tried), which are mostly 1:1 recreations with minor enhancements, and perhaps that's part of the problem, i.e., they didn't try to do something a bit more with it. It likely wouldn't have made a huge difference though in sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Personally, I'd love to see the Gen2 games released for the Nintendo 3DS. Along with a 3DS version of Intellivision Lives. Other than fixing a few of the issues, I don't know what a 3DS version would achieve over the DS version. I guess they could add a TV border to give it a 3D effect. I'm not sure how well the DS version sold to justify a new version of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 STILL no luck at Sam's Club. I'm wondering if these damn things will ever show up. Check again on Friday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FifthPlayer Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 (edited) Other than fixing a few of the issues, I don't know what a 3DS version would achieve over the DS version. I guess they could add a TV border to give it a 3D effect. I'm not sure how well the DS version sold to justify a new version of it. The DS version did have some significant emulation issues with a few of the games that really mar the gameplay. Crown of Kings/Cloudy Mountain lacks the arrow pip count sound, Space Spartans lack some of the status voices, Minotaur is missing an entire line of status displays. Other than the issue with Tower of Doom, I don't think any of the Flashback emulation issues seriously affect gameplay the way they do on the DS. A 3DS version could also properly target the display resolution of the hardware. The DS version pixel-zooms the INTV display to fit the DS screen, and the 3DS in DS mode pixel-zooms the same display again. The result is a pretty ragged display rather then the pristine blocky square pixels we all love. I'm sure the DS version didn't sell well, but it was also distributed via cartridge. I'd much prefer an eShop digital download for the 3DS, where the economics are presumably more favorable. Edited October 9, 2014 by FifthPlayer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Yeah, all that. And most importantly, a 3DS version could be sold digitally in the eShop, so I could have it on my system without needing the cartridge. I'm pretty sure Nintendo doesn't want it on their storefront because it looks old. They want to save the old-game market for their own stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akito01 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 (edited) Sorry I haven't been keeping up, so forgive me if some variation of this question has been answered already. I picked up an Intellivision Flashback from TRU this past week, and its pretty great. My brother up in Toronto would like to get his hands on one too. Does anyone know if there are any online retailers or such who will ship one to Canada, or is our best option for me to physcially get one from my local TRU and ship it up to him (and any ballparks on shipping costs for that size of a box)? Edited October 11, 2014 by Akito01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+intvsteve Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Sorry I haven't been keeping up, so forgive me if some variation of this question has been answered already. I picked up an Intellivision Flashback from TRU this past week, and its pretty great. My brother up in Toronto would like to get his hands on one too. Does anyone know if there are any online retailers or such who will ship one to Canada, or is our best option for me to physcially get one from my local TRU and ship it up to him (and any ballparks on shipping costs for that size of a box)? AFAIK people in Canada have been having them shipped via a friend, or when feasible, just buying in the US and bringing home. I recently shipped 3 Flashbacks in one box to Canada and the cost from the U.S. was a bit over $50 for 9lb 9.8oz. There was minimal extra padding / packaging. Sorry I don't have numbers for what one package would be... When investigating, the USPS site seemed to suggest you could ship w/o using Priority Mail for considerably less (around $30 for my package), but when I took the package in, I was told that option was no longer available. Also, apparently FedEx / UPS may do some weird customs surcharge stuff to the recipient (so has been said around here), so USPS seems to be the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freewheel Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 As a Canadian, I can tell you flat out that it's better for you to buy one and ship to him. Hardly anyone will ship to Canada, and any retailer who WILL ship to Canada will overcharge for shipping. And as mentioned, just use USPS. The private couriers are ripoffs when it comes to cross-border deliveries. I've been fortunate to be in the US recently, so I got me both and brought them back in luggage. I'm not sure when these things will disappear from retail but I can't see them sitting around for months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 (edited) Mayday looping most of the time in B-17 Bomber would be reason enough to buy a 3DS update, if fixed. But if Intellivision Productions ever revisits it, I would hope to at least see a change in game lineup with licensed games. Even just Mattel's own Data East ports would be a much welcomed addition, if Activision/Imagic games and such would break the bank to secure. The Intellivision Flashback also will need something of the sort. Improvements are nice, but unless they manage to add a few interesting new games with each revision, it will be a tough sell when someone that loved this year's product picks up next year's Intellivision Flashback and notices little to no difference with the game lineup. Edited October 11, 2014 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartsfam Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Sorry I haven't been keeping up, so forgive me if some variation of this question has been answered already. I picked up an Intellivision Flashback from TRU this past week, and its pretty great. My brother up in Toronto would like to get his hands on one too. Does anyone know if there are any online retailers or such who will ship one to Canada, or is our best option for me to physcially get one from my local TRU and ship it up to him (and any ballparks on shipping costs for that size of a box)? I've mailed quite a few of these to Canada. What you need to do to get the cheapest shipping thru the USPS is keep the package under 4 lbs, (mine have been 3.6 with a decent box and packaging materials like bubble wrap.) The most important thing is to keep the dimension total of the box UNDER 36 inches. The best box I have used is 13X12X10. The post office does not sell this size, but Walmart does. The post office only sells a larger box to get you to pay for the expensive shipping. Anyway, keep it under 4lbs, 13X12X10 dimension for the box, and you should get $25 shipping, anywhere in Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+intvsteve Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I've mailed quite a few of these to Canada. What you need to do to get the cheapest shipping thru the USPS is keep the package under 4 lbs, (mine have been 3.6 with a decent box and packaging materials like bubble wrap.) The most important thing is to keep the dimension total of the box UNDER 36 inches. The best box I have used is 13X12X10. The post office does not sell this size, but Walmart does. The post office only sells a larger box to get you to pay for the expensive shipping. Anyway, keep it under 4lbs, 13X12X10 dimension for the box, and you should get $25 shipping, anywhere in Canada. Excellent info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazerati Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 went to Toys R Us yesterday and asked the clerk where the Intellivision Flashbacks are and he said "oh that's a very popular item" then told me where they were...got one of the 3 left 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight_mile Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Well I gave up waiting for the sams version. I went to my local tru they were still outta stock. My wife drive 20 miles to the next closest. Luckily they still had a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartsfam Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Yesterday, I went to my local TRU, and the INTV Flashback was also sold out. Plenty of CV, Atari, and Genesis Flashbacks available. The clerk said the INTV is outselling the others by 3-1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthompson Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I gave up on Sam's Club too and picked up one at TRU this week. No big deal, since complete sets of overlays are supposed to be on sale soon. The console is a fun approximation of the original, but the the controllers (pinout compatibility aside) are super and probably worth $40 all by themselves. One thing no one has mentioned is how short the AV cable is. Needs to be twice as long IMO. Overall, though, nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight_mile Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I gave up on Sam's Club too and picked up one at TRU this week. No big deal, since complete sets of overlays are supposed to be on sale soon. The console is a fun approximation of the original, but the the controllers (pinout compatibility aside) are super and probably worth $40 all by themselves. One thing no one has mentioned is how short the AV cable is. Needs to be twice as long IMO. Overall, though, nice. I was gonna mention that but forgot. Luckily I had a few extender connectors so I could extend the cable to my coffee table. One thing I noticed. I have a DVD recorder I originally plugged my flashback into it and it caused some artifacts. Once I plugged it directly into the TV it was fine. My DVDr does go through Hdmi so I figured that had something to do with the artifacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I gave up on Sam's Club too and picked up one at TRU this week. No big deal, since complete sets of overlays are supposed to be on sale soon. The console is a fun approximation of the original, but the the controllers (pinout compatibility aside) are super and probably worth $40 all by themselves. One thing no one has mentioned is how short the AV cable is. Needs to be twice as long IMO. Overall, though, nice. I still want to wait for the Sam's Club version, mostly cause I want the bonus overlays 'free' and not pay for extra ones that may or may not be out anytime soon. Indications are they may be out around Halloween time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OscarGungan Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I have had mine for a few days. I bought it at Toys R US. Has anyone noticed that the Baseball overlay is for the original Baseball game only included with the Dollar General version and not for World Championship Baseball. I looked it up and they are fairly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.