Ataribox

[Keatah]

Is it too late to point out that Atari in 2017 has nothing to do with Atari of the 70s & 80s? You might as well call it the InfogrammesBox... or the HasbroInteractiveBox. It's not the same company. As much as I love the legacy, I'm not pretending that Atari somehow hung on and survived to the present day. Of course, if they put out a great product I might be interested but that has little to do with the Atari name being slapped on there.

 

Never too late. The word should be spread for the noobs first getting wind of this.

 

I also think that some people are in denial more than they realize and are hoping for the best. But I have yet to see anything that excites me about this. Sorry.

[Keatah]

Crosspost from another Ataribox thread, since this one seems to be getting all the attention:

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelarzt

 

-Responsible for launch of new connected device, wearables and hardware division that will reinvigorate Ataris legacy as a creator and marketer of fun and innovative consumer products.

-Oversight of new product development, marketing, OEM & strategic partnerships and associated tasks.

-Building Atari Connect to be a premier game, consumer product and pop-culture lifestyle brand for gamers and everyone who loves fun and useful devices and apps.

-Actively hunting for, and open to, any new and innovative connected product ideas worthy of the great and beloved Atari name!

 

Looks like Sigfox is what's in the box after all.

 

This tells me plans are not well defined and they're looking to the community for ideas.

 

I recall many many ads from the mid-80's, for computers, consoles, software, and accessories using "will" and "to be". Most all of it turned out to be vaporware, or late and of limited production runs.

 

Fun and useful apps. I think tablets have the upper hand here by a wide margin, putting "apps" on a set top box isn't all that exciting.

 

So they're hanging around message forums, looking for ideas for products for pop-culture lifestyle? This isn't the place to do it. Too many old people here whom are attached to their 70's and 80's stuff.

 

I don't recall the precise shape of marketing in the 70's. But we read EGM and talked at school and wandered around department stores and computer stores. And watched Saturday Morning Cartoons. THAT is how we learned of new electronics and new videogames. Shortly thereafter BBS'es, warez sessions, and arcade trips got added into the mix. And from time to time the parents took interest. It was OUR culture. One we assembled from those sources. I don't see this sort of synergy happening here. Not with the scatterbrain behavior and short attention span of the smartphone generation. We weren't distracted too much. We had time to appreciate EVERY cartridge we got. They were carefully chosen and none disposable. The current "atari" aren't those things.

 

I don't believe this 5th incarnation of "atari" fully understands its market. Maybe they know a little "retro", but I don't see evidence of a thorough understanding of "classic" and "vintage". And it's the classic & vintage demographic that has clout. Has the $$$.

[Newsdee]

These days I'd give more credence to a project willing to show details and a clear idea.

 

There are full-fledged PC (x64 Windows 10) on an HDMI stick, PC portable mini laptop/console hybrids (GPD Win) and micro desktops (Asus VIVO Nano) that can run most emulators out there at full power (pre 2000 at least, often pre-Wii).

 

There are also inexpensive (but fiddly) boxes such as the RPi, more expensive FPGA clones, and many other ARM-based emulation boxes of various qualities.

 

So the market is pretty crowded. It would be important to know where this thing fits among all these choices, whether it is a low-cost Flashback toy (which is OK but then we'd like to see the caveats) or a premium device at a price point close to a more powerful choice (and then see why we'd pay the premium).

 

I don't think its cynical to point out the marketing fluff when the above isn't exactly addressed by the company. It's more like I'd like them to do their homework. If this was a car, would people accept just a concept drawing/render made by a designer before an engineer checked that it is viable?

Edited July 18, 2017 by Newsdee

[Keatah]

These days I give more respect to a project that shows details and bonafide progress.. That's what's nice about emulators, they can run on so many formfactors, styles, and types of hardware. Just this past weekend we got Atari VCS and Atari 400/800 emulators upgraded with nice significant features and improvements in accuracy. Some of these projects though intangible have done more for classic gaming than these glitzy kickstarters could ever hope. Unless YAEB! heh..

 

One thing we didn't have in the 70's and 80's were extensive WWW forums and threads. BBS'es yes. But those weren't too stable and some popped up and remained operational for only a few weeks or months. And oftentimes the sysop would re-do things and wipe the message base. Today's WWW forums are more stable and we can compare the first posts made today with what happens in 6 months or year later. Helps keep perspective. Helps track progress.

 

We shall see..

 

---

 

On another note, I like the Polycade. Entirely different class of product entirely. Looks like it could be highly customizable, which is where I see exciting developments happening. When one customizes their consoles, cabs, and rigs, they kind of become your creation, your special thing. Something that'll evoke various flavors of nostalgia in the years to come.

 

The retrogaming scene may not be entirely cognizant of that but it happens. Is happening now. More people are self-building their ideal classic gaming machine.

Edited July 18, 2017 by Keatah

[Classic Pac]

Look I understand how some of you can be excited over this. But really this reminds me so much of Ouya, a lot of hype but delivered nothing. I am taking a wait and see.

[panamajoe]

This thing is nothing more than a render atm.

"Atari" will start a crowdfunding campaign soonish.

Yes, crowdfunding...

[panamajoe]

you can read about the crowfunding here (if you didn't skip your french class)

http://www.atari-investisseurs.fr/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfd_category_id=21&wpfd_file_id=1813

[cybercylon]

you can read about the crowfunding here (if you didn't skip your french class)

http://www.atari-investisseurs.fr/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfd_category_id=21&wpfd_file_id=1813

Just 3D render and start off with crowd founding.. where have we seen this mess before.

[Flojomojo]

you can read about the crowfunding here (if you didn't skip your french class)

http://www.atari-investisseurs.fr/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfd_category_id=21&wpfd_file_id=1813

That's the same statement they made at E3. This has already been discussed several pages back.

 

You can stick the web version into a machine translator for the relevant bit:

• Connected objects: Development of a new hardware product

On May 30, 2017, at the publication of its annual turnover, the Atari group announced the "... Preparation of a public relations campaign and crowdfunding to test the viability of a new product Hardware for video games ".

The Group has since broadcast a video showing a first design of this new product, whose functionalities and technical characteristics will be announced as the work progresses. https://www.ataribox.com

The Group believes that it is able to develop an attractive product, using the brand awareness of the Atari brand in hardware .

To limit risk taking, this product will initially be launched as part of a crowdfunding campaign .

The Group also works on other connected objects, integrating innovative audio functions, or the Internet of objects (Sigfox).

 

[zzip]

There are also inexpensive (but fiddly) boxes such as the RPi, more expensive FPGA clones, and many other ARM-based emulation boxes of various qualities.

 

So the market is pretty crowded. It would be important to know where this thing fits among all these choices, whether it is a low-cost Flashback toy (which is OK but then we'd like to see the caveats) or a premium device at a price point close to a more powerful choice (and then see why we'd pay the premium).

 

I don't think its cynical to point out the marketing fluff when the above isn't exactly addressed by the company. It's more like I'd like them to do their homework. If this was a car, would people accept just a concept drawing/render made by a designer before an engineer checked that it is viable?

You guys all need to remember that they have to reach people who don't spend time on Atari forums discussing Ataribox day in and day out. Maybe their marketing approach is driving you crazy, but it is working. I see it getting mainstream coverage and excitement at game forums where they usually ignore Atari for the most part.

 

If they had just announced and delivered the Ataribox the way we'd like with "look at this cool gadget we built!", it would be a footnote in the MSM coverage and be DOA

 

And yes you could say the market is crowded for microdevices, but if you ask the average gamer about products in this space. Maybe they know Rpi from word of mouth. Maybe. I doubt they'd know anything about FPGA solutions or other similar devices. So if Atari was entering this market, they will be entering it with more buzz and name recognition than most of the products in the space have, and that matters.

 

But on the other hand, many of those devices are DIY, lots of people want a complete product they don't have to tinker with. I doubt Ataribox would be very DIY.

 

 

At any rate, I can't say if Ataribox hardware will ultimately be a success or failure, but I can say whoever is behind the marketing campaign is competent and getting results.

[godslabrat]

You guys all need to remember that they have to reach people who don't spend time on Atari forums discussing Ataribox day in and day out. Maybe their marketing approach is driving you crazy, but it is working. I see it getting mainstream coverage and excitement at game forums where they usually ignore Atari for the most part.

 

If they had just announced and delivered the Ataribox the way we'd like with "look at this cool gadget we built!", it would be a footnote in the MSM coverage and be DOA

 

And yes you could say the market is crowded for microdevices, but if you ask the average gamer about products in this space. Maybe they know Rpi from word of mouth. Maybe. I doubt they'd know anything about FPGA solutions or other similar devices. So if Atari was entering this market, they will be entering it with more buzz and name recognition than most of the products in the space have, and that matters.

 

But on the other hand, many of those devices are DIY, lots of people want a complete product they don't have to tinker with. I doubt Ataribox would be very DIY.

 

 

At any rate, I can't say if Ataribox hardware will ultimately be a success or failure, but I can say whoever is behind the marketing campaign is competent and getting results.

I don't disagree or object to any of that. My issue with the Ataribox is that it's the latest in a long line of vaporware. The "secret project" marketing strategy has concealed several poor efforts and a few outright scams, and as far as I can tell hasn't yet yielded one actual product of value. There's a point where you have to be extra cautious in the interest of protecting the very same consumers that don't follow this stuff as closely as we do. Edited July 18, 2017 by godslabrat

[Newsdee]

I don't have a problem at all with them simplifying the message for people who are not in the niche. What I criticise is that there is nothing else, not even a specs page for instance.

 

When the GPD Win launched their crowdfunding the specs were very clear and they had a real prototype on show. It ended up a bit different and some gripes were had here and there, but overall they delivered.

[godslabrat]

I don't have a problem at all with them simplifying the message for people who are not in the niche. What I criticise is that there is nothing else, not even a specs page for instance.

When the GPD Win launched their crowdfunding the specs were very clear and they had a real prototype on show. It ended up a bit different and some gripes were had here and there, but overall they delivered.

I truthfully dont even think there ARE specs, and that Atari is fishing for ideas that would be cheap and easy to throw into the box. In a very real sense, they've started off with a case design and are working their way inward.

[Eltigro]

Here's a suggestion. Don't put a mini SNES in it.

[zzip]

I don't have a problem at all with them simplifying the message for people who are not in the niche. What I criticise is that there is nothing else, not even a specs page for instance.

With the 'drip drip drip' approach they are using, it's information they have saved for later. They are trying get a wide variety of people excited right now. Specs are only exciting to us gearheads.

[cybercylon]

I truthfully dont even think there ARE specs, and that Atari is fishing for ideas that would be cheap and easy to throw into the box. In a very real sense, they've started off with a case design and are working their way inward.

 

All they then have is a 3D render and some ideas. Just some ideas don't even form a concept, let alone a plan. I am sure there are no specs.

 

If they are going to crowd fund, they better have more than that. Of course, it doesn't have to be perfect. Show some working hardware, preferably with a must have feature or two the competition doesn't have, and a plan.

[Dr Manhattan]

i wouldn't say the cynicism is unfounded, but i'd be happier if it doesn't turn out to be a total disaster

 

Well certainly no one here has a crystal ball and yet many here are certain that this product will fail. The best course of action for these folks would be to stick with buying yearly Atari Flashback updates, which arguably isn't a very good product, but at least it gives them the thrill of re-purchasing bits of their fading youth.

 

And yeah, this Atari isn't "your" Atari. I've heard that one before. As for me, I'm going to cheerleader the hell out of this thing and hope it annoys the hell out of all the old timers. (That's a joke just in case any of you are humor impaired.)

 

No grandpa, I won't get off your lawn. Call the cops.

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

All they then have is a 3D render and some ideas. Just some ideas don't even form a concept, let alone a plan. I am sure there are no specs.

 

If they are going to crowd fund, they better have more than that. Of course, it doesn't have to be perfect. Show some working hardware, preferably with a must have feature or two the competition doesn't have, and a plan.

It's honestly a lot less of an idea than Retroblox, Lythium, or others that fizzled out.

 

Literally all they have is the Atari logo and a few fancy renders. They try to throw us a bone with virtually no meat. As far as I can tell, this will be an Android box, an Ouya 2.0, with primarily Indie games and some licensed emulated retro games. It would have been a worthy concept had it launched four years ago, but the ship has sailed on wannabe game systems.

 

The biggest hurdle IMO with an "indie" games box running on Android, whether a dedicated game box or a media center with games included, isn't the fact that it is less powerful than the big three consoles. Ouya was more powerful than Wii and it still failed. The problem is these devices are a "race to the bottom" in terms of pricing as well as apps available, and most developers who even bother to port their games over aren't worth their salt. The games garner a reputation for shovel ware or greedy free-to-play models which is even worse, and the entire concept of gaming on the cheap on indie consoles gets a negative stigma. Whatever games are genuinely good get pushed aside by negative public perception. Quantity over quality.

 

That is why most "Android" set top boxes have failed, and why Ataribox will likely be no better than it's brethren which came before it. Even Ouya is looking more attractive by premise. Play thousands of games for free using emulator apps, or play a curated handful of licensed paid retro games which the developers were able to secure licenses for? Ataribox just can't compete. And certainly not with the likes of Atgames Flashbacks or NES/SNES Mini which have better experiences. Look at how the terrible Retrobit Generations completely bombed with it's rubbish emulation and seemingly random assortment of obscure games...

[Good_Times]

No grandpa, I won't get off your lawn. Call the cops.

 

 

[+thanatos]

Just buy one of these and it can be whatever you want.

 

[RainbowCemetery]

i feel like the ouyas downfall was competing directly with the play store. if it had been running something other than android maybe it could've established an identity of its own, who knows.

[Schizophretard]

It's honestly a lot less of an idea than Retroblox, Lythium, or others that fizzled out.

 

Literally all they have is the Atari logo and a few fancy renders. They try to throw us a bone with virtually no meat. As far as I can tell, this will be an Android box, an Ouya 2.0, with primarily Indie games and some licensed emulated retro games. It would have been a worthy concept had it launched four years ago, but the ship has sailed on wannabe game systems.

 

The biggest hurdle IMO with an "indie" games box running on Android, whether a dedicated game box or a media center with games included, isn't the fact that it is less powerful than the big three consoles. Ouya was more powerful than Wii and it still failed. The problem is these devices are a "race to the bottom" in terms of pricing as well as apps available, and most developers who even bother to port their games over aren't worth their salt. The games garner a reputation for shovel ware or greedy free-to-play models which is even worse, and the entire concept of gaming on the cheap on indie consoles gets a negative stigma. Whatever games are genuinely good get pushed aside by negative public perception. Quantity over quality.

 

That is why most "Android" set top boxes have failed, and why Ataribox will likely be no better than it's brethren which came before it. Even Ouya is looking more attractive by premise. Play thousands of games for free using emulator apps, or play a curated handful of licensed paid retro games which the developers were able to secure licenses for? Ataribox just can't compete. And certainly not with the likes of Atgames Flashbacks or NES/SNES Mini which have better experiences. Look at how the terrible Retrobit Generations completely bombed with it's rubbish emulation and seemingly random assortment of obscure games...

I think there is a hurdle bigger than that. It is that these Android boxes adopt the same business models of actual Android phones. The business models work for phones because almost everyone has one and, therefore, even if indie developers are only getting a small percentage of the install base of phones to buy games that is a lot of people because it is a small percentage out of billions of people. To put that another way, in order for something like the OUYA to have been successful to an extent to be appealing to most indie developers wouldn't just require that they sell as many OUYA's as traditional consoles like the PS4 but sell more than traditional consoles closer to the number of people who own a phone which is unrealistic.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Good point Schitzo. These devices will never achieve mass market success without a big name like Google, Apple, or Amazon behind it. Even the Amazon Fire TV Stick for instance failed to carve out a niche.

 

If Google Play TV and Amazon Fire TV are struggling, coming from multinational conglomerates worth billions, how is an upstart piggybacking on the largely defunct Atari brand going to do any better?

[zzip]

It's honestly a lot less of an idea than Retroblox, Lythium, or others that fizzled out.

 

Literally all they have is the Atari logo and a few fancy renders. They try to throw us a bone with virtually no meat. As far as I can tell, this will be an Android box, an Ouya 2.0, with primarily Indie games and some licensed emulated retro games. It would have been a worthy concept had it launched four years ago, but the ship has sailed on wannabe game systems.

No.. that's just all they released so far. They are clearly releasing bits of info slowly to drum up interest. I would be surprised if what they released so far is all they have.

Edited July 19, 2017 by zzip

[Bill Loguidice]

No.. that's just all they released so far. They are clearly releasing bits of info slowly to drum up interest. I would be surprised if what they released so far is all they have.

 

For various reasons, I'm confident they have the concept for the hardware in place. That is what it is and is, relatively speaking, the easy part. My question has always been and will continue to be what value-adds they'll wrap the commodity hardware in. it's not untoward to say that anyone can spin up the hardware they're utilizing (again, this is not PS4/Xbox One/Switch console-level stuff we're talking about here), so how they make use of the hardware is the real key here.