New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[Max Ivi]

Day-4

 

normaly Atari VCS is coming for real ...

[+frankodragon]

So what happens when we combine the old Atari with one of their marketing ploys in the 80s with one their marketing ploys today...you get this...

 

 

 

 

Um..yeah...that's pretty bad.

[racerx]

Day-4

 

normaly Atari VCS is coming for real ...

If you have an actual developmental disability then that's one thing but seriously...between your foolishness here and on FB you really seem to have a tenuous grip on reality.

[BiffsGamingVideos]

Yes, I think patents are good for about 20 years, give or take. As for the THEC64, it seems to have been done in cooperation with those nowadays holding the rights to the brand name. The product started off as THE64 without the C in the middle to avoid trademark infringement, but it was added along the way when they made an agreement of some sorts. Yet it might not be branded as an official Commodore product, I haven't thought about that.

 

Anyway, back in February 2018, I tried to do an estimate of Commodore's own IP. These are my preliminary numbers:

 

VIC-20: 49 cartridges (including utilities but not pure memory expansions), 145 tapes, likely 0 floppy disks = total 194 unique titles

C64: 43 cartridges (including some utilities, rare German releases and a few C64GS ones), 83 tapes and unknown number of floppy disks = total 126 unique titles

 

Add to that at least some 30-40 educational disk software for the C64. I don't have a figure for PET/CBM software, but let's say 50 unique software packages. Add 50 software packages/games for the Plus/4, perhaps 20 for the C128 and 20 for the Amiga - where Commodore released extremely few 1st party games - which should put us in the total ballpark of 500 software packages that Commodore can claim IP for. That may sound a lot, but that is over a period of 17 years. I don't have a similar figure on how many software packages that Atari could claim IP for, but counting all 2600, 5200, 7800, 8-bit/XEGS, ST, Lynx, Jaguar etc titles, surely they should easily reach 500?

 

Also out of those imagined 500 titles with rights possibly held by Commodore of today, most is irrelevant to customers of today. The games were early and bland, the productivity and utility software was decent at best. Out of the 64 games preloaded on THEC64, zero are Commodore's own IP whether they had access to it or not. I suppose BASIC ROM is their IP but that would be it.

 

I think it's 14 or 15 years for utility patents and 20 for design patents. and you can no longer get patents on software. and that is a really long story...I've been fighting for at least 7 years just to get 1 patent on a game I wrote/designed. That cost me $15,000 just to get that one. Ouch! Basically, the USPTO says that software are algorythims and are not patenable (bilski and alice cases). So no, none of those old video game patents would not be valid today.

Edited April 24, 2018 by BiffsGamingVideos

[BiffsGamingVideos]

 

Bullshit it's not copyright infringement.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/08/atari-sues-nestle-says-kitkat-video-game-ad-violates-breakout-copyright/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nestle-atari/nestle-atari-settle-lawsuit-over-kit-kat-campaign-idUSKBN1FE24R

 

Nestle and Google have deep pockets.

Individuals who copy thirty-year-old ROMs and box scans are unlikely to be prosecuted in any country.

 

and what part of those 2 news stories says that's copyright infringement? It just says they settled. It never went to trail. The defendants just figured the costs of lawyers way more than the cost of a settlement. Atari did that with Magnavox over Pong. Happens all of the time.

 

As far as your claim about copying 30 year old ROMs, you are wrong yet again. The Atari flashback still sells in stores and Atari is (cough) maybe releasing the VCSII. Atari loses money to pirates. If Atari does not take action against pirate sites, they risk losing their IP. To keep patents, trademarks and copyrights in the USA, a company must protect them. If not, they may fall into the public domain. And that is what the sites will claim as their defenses. Atari does know about Atariage so I'd bet that Atari would loses most of their IP any suit arises...but then again, whoever gets sued would have to pay lawyers as well.

Edited April 24, 2018 by BiffsGamingVideos

[Flojomojo]

and what part of those 2 news stories says that's copyright infringement? It just says they settled. It never went to trail. The defendants just figured the costs of lawyers way more than the cost of a settlement. Atari did that with Magnavox over Pong. Happens all of the time.

 

That's one way of looking at it, I suppose.

 

Obviously, I disagree.

 

Occam's Razor would suggest that Nestle (almost 2000x larger than "Atari") would have told them to piss off if there were no merit to the complaint.

 

Litigation like this is frequently used by copyright trolls like "Atari" as a way to raise funds.

[+Stephen]

Only 6 days left to make the announcement about the announcement for the pre-order of the non-existent product. I am so psyched, I really want this to happen.

[+frankodragon]

I'm pretty sure this is Atari's "new" way to make funds as well. Like hiring a bunch of goons lawyers and research all over for "Large Corporation X" that used "Atari" products without permission. Then "Large Corporation X" would give money to say to Atari, "Okay, here's an amount to get off our backs. Now leave us alone or we'll sic our 13 high-profile lawyers after you."

[carlsson]

Hm, apparently Atari Game Partners crowdfunding for the Roller Coaster Tycoon was closed down 5 days before the deadline. Now it leads to a 404 page.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6iajks

Supposedly they sent this email to participants:

I hope this email finds you well.

I am contacting you regarding your investment in Atari Games. Atari Games has decided not to close on their funds. We have voided all investments for the offering. No funds have been debited from your account for this investment, so no refund is owed. You should be all set.

As we previously communicated, this StartEngine process was a test for us to assess the appetite of the community to participate in game funding. Because there wasn't sufficient interest under the terms proposed, we are ending our StartEngine campaign effective today. **

I would almost believe the above is a hoax video, if it wasn't Atari we were talking about, then it perfectly makes sense.

Perhaps the 5 million Euro in re-issue partly will be used for porting Roller Coaster Tycoon to the Switch, or they have given up on the project due to lack of interest?

 

Edit: Also a company called EuroLand Corporate appears to have made a private placement of 7.5 million Euros today.

https://interactivtrading.com/actualites/56684-euroland-corporate-conseil-de-la-societe-atari-pour-la-realisation-du-placement-prive-d-un-montant-de-7-5-m-eur

In other news, yesterday the Mini Atari Punk Console Kit was launched on Tindie for $14. It produces lo-fi noises reminiscent of Atari games. I wonder the use of the brand name is licensed...
https://www.tindie.com/products/Rakit/mini-atari-punk-console-kit/

Edited April 24, 2018 by carlsson

[RainbowCemetery]

i've heard 'atari punk console' to refer to something generating noise with a pair of 555 timers as far back as ~2005, doubt anyone would even think for a moment they'd suddenly need to acquire official branding

[Dr Manhattan]

Every console rises and falls on its software library. This has got me thinking. What kind of software could Atari SA provide for this console? I thought that Warner Bros owns much of the classic Atari catalog. Is this true? Are there any games that would be compelling enough to make you purchase the Atari Box? I just can't believe that Atari SA thinks they're going to sell this thing with the same collection of games we have seen on the Flashback consoles and on various disc based compilations.

 

Personally, I must admit that I am going to back the box, mostly for the lulz. I think it's kind of humorous how much people hate this thing. I mean people REALLY hate it. I feel like a wrestling heel just by giving it my support, and that cracks me up. Yes, it's probably a big waste of money. Yes, I shouldn't be supporting this scam or the criminals behind it. I know full well that this is a complete and total scam. I can't help it though. I'm a hardware junkie. I'm going to use the $500 I recently won on a scratch off ticket to fund my purchase. I guarantee you that I won't be the only person on this forum who buys one, and this includes people currently mocking the device.

 

If this machine gives me a comfortable way to play the new Tempest 4000, then it will be worth it for me. Prepare the slings and arrows.

[Flojomojo]

Every console rises and falls on its software library. This has got me thinking. What kind of software could Atari SA provide for this console? I thought that Warner Bros owns much of the classic Atari catalog. Is this true? Are there any games that would be compelling enough to make you purchase the Atari Box? I just can't believe that Atari SA thinks they're going to sell this thing with the same collection of games we have seen on the Flashback consoles and on various disc based compilations.

 

Personally, I must admit that I am going to back the box, mostly for the lulz. I think it's kind of humorous how much people hate this thing. I mean people REALLY hate it. I feel like a wrestling heel just by giving it my support, and that cracks me up. Yes, it's probably a big waste of money. Yes, I shouldn't be supporting this scam or the criminals behind it. I know full well that this is a complete and total scam. I can't help it though. I'm a hardware junkie. I'm going to use the $500 I recently won on a scratch off ticket to fund my purchase. I guarantee you that I won't be the only person on this forum who buys one, and this includes people currently mocking the device.

 

If this machine gives me a comfortable way to play the new Tempest 4000, then it will be worth it for me. Prepare the slings and arrows.

 

 

Warner owns the "Atari Games" (arcade post 1984) lineup, the kind of thing that appears on Midway Arcade Classics compilations alongside Defender, Joust, and Mortal Kombat.

 

The properties the current "Atari" owns are the older ones, the things you've seen re-re-re-re-re-released elsewhere (except for Battlezone, which they sold off): Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest. Go read the Eurogamer profile to better understand their "plan." Note the six instances of the word "hopefully."

 

I hate that this company is trading on the old name and feelings of nostalgia. It's not a scam in the legal sense, but anyone who buys into this thinking it has ANYthing to do with old Atari other than the name is getting scammed, fooling themselves, head up arse, and so on.

 

If you want a "comfortable way to play the new Tempest 4000," you should be able to do that on just about any Windows PC (the specs don't even require a dedicated GPU) or on the Playstation 4, which starts at $250 with a bundled game as I write this. You could even play TxK for Vita (and Playstation TV) for ten bucks right now.

 

If you're the fool and his money that are soon parted, have fun with that, but you don't need "Atari" to indulge your hardware junkie habit. You'll probably be waiting a long time to spend that $500 scratch off winning ticket if this is the only thing you want.

[Dr Manhattan]

If you're the fool and his money that are soon parted, have fun with that, but you don't need "Atari" to indulge your hardware junkie habit. You'll probably be waiting a long time to spend that $500 scratch off winning ticket if this is the only thing you want.

 

Honestly I don't see this thing ever seeing the light of day. I'm waiting for the inevitable "we've delayed things again" announcement that's sure to come at the end of this month. If the VCS scam does one thing it gets people talking about Atari. Hopefully that will bring new people, and lapsed gamers, back into the fold where they can be introduced, or reintroduced to the classic Atari catalog which is incredibly enduring and playable even after all these years.

 

Edit: I had no idea Tempest 4000 was available on PS4. Will definitely check it out.

[Flojomojo]

Tempest 4000 is "coming soon" to both PC and PS4. It was accidentally released for PSN but withdrawn. No one knows what is going on at "Atari." Maybe they're waiting for their big demonstration or something.

[pacman000]

 

 

Warner owns the "Atari Games" (arcade post 1984) lineup, the kind of thing that appears on Midway Arcade Classics compilations alongside Defender, Joust, and Mortal Kombat.

 

The properties the current "Atari" owns are the older ones, the things you've seen re-re-re-re-re-released elsewhere (except for Battlezone, which they sold off): Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest. Go read the Eurogamer profile to better understand their "plan." Note the six instances of the word "hopefully."

 

I hate that this company is trading on the old name and feelings of nostalgia. It's not a scam in the legal sense, but anyone who buys into this thinking it has ANYthing to do with old Atari other than the name is getting scammed, fooling themselves, head up arse, and so on.

 

If you want a "comfortable way to play the new Tempest 4000," you should be able to do that on just about any Windows PC (the specs don't even require a dedicated GPU) or on the Playstation 4, which starts at $250 with a bundled game as I write this. You could even play TxK for Vita (and Playstation TV) for ten bucks right now.

 

If you're the fool and his money that are soon parted, have fun with that, but you don't need "Atari" to indulge your hardware junkie habit. You'll probably be waiting a long time to spend that $500 scratch off winning ticket if this is the only thing you want.

What if it's not just a hardware junkie habit, but an Atari-hardware-junkie habit?

[+x=usr(1536)]

What if it's not just a hardware junkie habit, but an Atari-hardware-junkie habit?

 

Tap the vein and cram a Jaguar in it?

[Pipercub]

 

I hate that this company is trading on the old name and feelings of nostalgia. It's not a scam in the legal sense, but anyone who buys into this thinking it has ANYthing to do with old Atari other than the name is getting scammed, fooling themselves, head up arse, and so on.

 

 

Companies can be brought back by new owners with great success after time passes and circumstances change. In 1901 Indian motorcycles were being produced, Harley Davidson came along shortly after and their rivalry was strong until Indian went under in 1953, they just didn't survive the post WWII slump before the boom hit. About a half dozen times the name was bought and the brand revived by people who had nothing to do with the original brand, each attempt ended in a failure.

 

In 2011 Polaris which makes a wide range of powersports vehicles bought the Indian name and released a line of bikes that were true to the original style and the design and build quality is a decade or more ahead of Harley. An Indian today answered the question, what would Indian bikes be like today if the brand had never gone away? They are selling well and so far it looks like the Indian brand is back, by people that had nothing to do with the 1901 brand. I have had an Indian Darkhorse now for about a year and 14,000 miles of trouble free riding. That was my original hope for the Ataribox, what if they did it right and created a console that answered the question what would a new Atari console be like today if Atari never went away.

 

Point being, Atari **COULD** be brought back and be awesome but it might take a major player to do so.

[JBerel]

Just won some money on the lottery eh?? Have I got a deal for you!

 

I've just decided to part with my Atari Land Ranch which has been in the family for over a generation. An exclusive bidding opportunity will become available very soon for registered bidders with a low opening bid of only $10,000. Pre-registration will only cost $500 and will include a great Atari Land T-shirt for all registered bidders. The Atari Land Ranch is an exclusive resort in Arizona which features a palatial ranch house, a spring fed well, lots of rustic charm, a questionable site survey, more than a few historic burial grounds and an ocean front view. Early registrations will also be selected for an exclusive opportunity to be entered into a special drawing for a vintage gaming system. Act now, this is a very limited time offer!

 

The Atari Land Ranch House:

 

Special Vintage Gaming System to be awarded to one lucky bidder:

Edited April 24, 2018 by JBerel

[racerx]

The new Indian is an actual manufacturer of motorcycles though.

 

I'd love to see an Atari revival from a group of talented engineers and programmers, but that's a tall order in 2018's crowded market, and the current group of shysters certainly doesn't fit the bill.

[Pipercub]

The new Indian is an actual manufacturer of motorcycles though.

 

I'd love to see an Atari revival from a group of talented engineers and programmers, but that's a tall order in 2018's crowded market, and the current group of shysters certainly doesn't fit the bill.

 

Somewhat exactly my point. Just like Sony and Microsoft decided to get into the console game in the 90's, what if Samsung, Sun, HP, etc. decided to buy Atari and deliver a quality competitive project on the shelf with no renders, crowdfunding, and other amateur hour stunts.

[Flojomojo]

Somewhat exactly my point. Just like Sony and Microsoft decided to get into the console game in the 90's, what if Samsung, Sun, HP, etc. decided to buy Atari and deliver a quality competitive project on the shelf with no renders, crowdfunding, and other amateur hour stunts.

 

I get your point, but I don't understand why an established "big dog" would use a crusty old name that has become kind of a joke. We don't see Edsel or Studebaker coming back. Maybe it will take 100 years like with the Indian name.

[godslabrat]

 

Somewhat exactly my point. Just like Sony and Microsoft decided to get into the console game in the 90's, what if Samsung, Sun, HP, etc. decided to buy Atari and deliver a quality competitive project on the shelf with no renders, crowdfunding, and other amateur hour stunts.

If nothing else, I think the "Lemonade Stand" antics of the past few years have really done some damage to the Atari brand... at least in the short term. The renders, the hotel room, crowdfunding ports and pushing speakerhats... not to mention the crypto currency joke. If I were a bigger company, or an investor, I would want nothing to do with today's Atari, because it's clear their strategy consists of nothing more than "Put off going broke until next week."

 

I don't know if the brand is permanently tarnished or merely temporarily insulted... but they haven't had good leadership on their side in a very, very long time.

[Shawn]

 

That's not copyright infringement. However, posting ROMs, cart scans, box scans and instructions on a website are. In the US the fine is 5 years in prison and 250k fine.

 

Then you better leave the AtariAge and it's forums ASAP cause you don't want to be considered an accomplice to such a heinous crime.

 

[Raticon]

I'd love to see the Atari trademark bought by a competent corporation with the talent and money to make shit happen. As what happened to aforementioned Indian Motorcycles.

 

But the old Atari is dead and I'm sure people would be equally pissed if, say, Samsung bought the Atari name and started some projects under that name, but anything would be better than the current Infogrames ownership really.

 

If French Peugeout bought the rights to the Oldsmobile brand it wouldn't be a "true" Oldsmobile either, but we would have "Olds" roaming the streets again, for what it's worth... but Oldsmobile enthusiasts would crap their pants in pure rage just like Atari fans are doing now.

[bojay1997]

Amazon has listed a physical version of Tempest 4000 for release on June 12th for Xbox One and PS4. Doesn't look like Atari is making any serious effort to hold back any exclusives for its vapor console.