New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[PlaysWithWolves]

Someone from Atari put down their Caribbean Mai Tai long enough to post in the Indiegogo comments:

Atari
Campaigner
3 minutes ago
Hello backers and followers. We are appreciate that many of you are looking for a fresh Atari VCS update and are just as eager to share what we can. Lots of activity going on behind the scenes, so rest assured that there is a draft in the works and coming soon.

[racerx]

Atari, proactive as ever.

 

I almost wonder if it was my needling on their Facebook page this morning that prompted another pre-announcement of the announcing of an announcement.

[8Bitjunkie]

Hello backers and followers. We are appreciate that many of you are looking for a fresh Atari VCS update and are just as eager to share what we can. Lots of activity going on behind the scenes, so rest assured that there is a draft in the works and coming soon.

 

Hello supporters and followers, we want you to know where we are now:

 

As you know - and we said more than a year ago - the Ataribox VCS is "years in the making".

Now it's time to show you what we've achieved:

 

We have this beautiful empty plastic box with a few LEDs and a battery in it and uh, yes, two controllers that do not work.

Aaand, um, aaaand - oh yes - and your money of course! Thanks a lot for this.

 

We are all so excited to spend your money on tacos and beer ..

Edited August 15, 2018 by 8Bitjunkie

[Inky]

Hello supporters and followers, we want you to know where we are now:

 

As you know - and we said more than a year ago - the Ataribox VCS is "years in the making".

Now it's time to show you what we've achieved:

 

We have this beautiful empty plastic box with a few LEDs and a battery in it and uh, yes, two controllers that do not work.

Aaand, um, aaaand - oh yes - and your money of course! Thanks a lot for this.

 

We are all so excited to spend your money on tacos and beer ..

Be fair, he didn't say all those years in the making were in the past.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Inky

[Inky]

I've said it before.. If atari was really serious in getting back into gaming, focus on arcade gaming. That's a growing market with plenty of room for competition, and potential for big bucks. Hell, Eugene Jarvis started his own company, Raw Thrills, and is doing pretty well.

[Lodmot]

"We are appreciate"...... That's very good English. XD

[Flojomojo]

In Elmer Fudd Speak...

Atawi Campaignew

3 minutes ago

Hewwo backews and fowwowews. We awe appweciate dat many of you awe wooking fow a fwesh Atawi VCS update and awe just as eagew to shawe what we can, uh-hah-ha-ha. Wots of activity going on behind de scenes, so west assuwed dat dewe is a dwaft in de wowks and coming soon, uh-hah-ha-ha.

[Flojomojo]

In Star Wars Gungan Language...

Hidoe backers and followers. Wesa are appreciate dat many of yousa are look for a fresh Atari VCS update and are just as veesa to share what wesa can. Lots of activity goen on behind dha scenes, so rest assured dat dalee is a draft in dha works and com soon.

[Flojomojo]

In Chef Speak...

Hellu beckers und fulluoers. Ve-a ire-a ippreceete-a zeet muony ouff yuou ire-a luokeeng fur a fresh Iteri FCS updete-a und ire-a juost is ieger tu shere-a vhet ve-a cuon. Luts ouff ictifity guing oun beheend zee-a scenes, su rest issuored zeet zeere-a is a drefft in zee-a vurks und cumeeng suon. Bork Bork Bork!

[Inky]

I love playing the google translate game...

Hello. We are grateful that the other side is looking for a new Atari-VCS verification and she wants to share what we can do. There is a lot of work to do after the incident, so let us know about a project in the near future.

 

[S1500]

In Chef Speak...

Hellu beckers und fulluoers. Ve-a ire-a ippreceete-a zeet muony ouff yuou ire-a luokeeng fur a fresh Iteri FCS updete-a und ire-a juost is ieger tu shere-a vhet ve-a cuon. Luts ouff ictifity guing oun beheend zee-a scenes, su rest issuored zeet zeere-a is a drefft in zee-a vurks und cumeeng suon. Bork Bork Bork!

 

You know, you could have just combined that into zero posts.

[racerx]

You know, you could have just combined that into zero posts.

 

That strategy apparently works for Atari.

[JBerel]

[pacman000]

I've said it before.. If atari was really serious in getting back into gaming, focus on arcade gaming. That's a growing market with plenty of room for competition, and potential for big bucks. Hell, Eugene Jarvis started his own company, Raw Thrills, and is doing pretty well.

It's a good idea, but I'm fairly sure Atari SA doesn't own the rights to use the Atari name in arcades. That would be Time Warner.

[Flojomojo]

It's a good idea, but I'm fairly sure Atari SA doesn't own the rights to use the Atari name in arcades. That would be Time Warner.

 

Are you sure about that?

 

I know there was a split from the home console/computer division and the arcade division in 1984, but does that necessarily mean Atari SA isn't ALLOWED to release an arcade game?

 

All those mini arcades from 1UP including Asteroids, Missile Command, Centipede etc are in a weird neutral zone, being "arcade" machines to play at home.

[ColecoJoe]

 

 

All those mini arcades from 1UP including Asteroids, Missile Command, Centipede etc are in a weird neutral zone, being "arcade" machines to play at home.

 

 

I assumed a lot of those were using NES roms like those old plug n' plays from the early 2000's?

[Flojomojo]

I assumed a lot of those were using NES roms like those old plug n' plays from the early 2000's?

 

I assumed they were using arcade ROMs. I think they said as much on Twitter.

 

Their website FAQ is pretty dodgy though, doesn't say for sure.

[+Nathan Strum]

Atari Games (Warner) owns only the arcade games developed after the split, not before. Nothing* is preventing AtariSA from creating new arcade games or republishing their own. Even if there had been some sort of non-competitive clause at the time of the split, it would have long since expired.

 

I posted a list of their IP catalog way back here (PDF attached here: Atari-IP-Catalog-2017.pdf ). This shows all of their pre-split arcade games.

 

Except Battlezone.

Because they sold that off in a bankruptcy auction.

 

Anyway... I'm sure that, given Atari's litigious nature, all of those mini-arcade games that have any version of AtariSA's IPs would be licensed. Atari will let people slap their name on anything for a few bucks.

 

From Arcade1Up's FAQ:

We use authentic arcade joysticks, trackballs, buttons and sounds, which provides a true arcade tactile feel - plays exactly as you remember! All cabinet artwork and game play is licensor approved.

 

That doesn't say how the games are emulated, but that's irrelevant. It's the IP that matters, not the implementation of it.

 

*Nothing except a complete lack of ability to do so.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Nathan Strum

[+Nathan Strum]

Someone from Atari put down their Caribbean Mai Tai long enough to post in the Indiegogo comments:

 

Atari

Campaigner

3 minutes ago

Hello backers and followers. We are appreciate that many of you are looking for a fresh Atari VCS update and are just as eager to share what we can. Lots of activity going on behind the scenes, so rest assured that there is a draft in the works and coming soon.

 

I'm sure there is...

 

[Inky]

 

 

I posted a list of their IP catalog way back here (PDF attached here: Atari-IP-Catalog-2017.pdf ). This shows all of their pre-split arcade games.

 

I'm getting a chuckle at the description of the arcade game Black Widow, to wit:

A key innovation is the interaction between enemies. Certain enemies can only be destroyed by other enemies, some eat power ups, and others evolve over time

 

• 10 unique enemies and power ups populate the web as the player seeks to avoid attacks and destroy as many bugs as possible to push for a high score.

 

 

There are NO power ups in Black Widow!

[Flojomojo]

I'm getting a chuckle at the description of the arcade game Black Widow, to wit:

Thanks, now you have me looking through that stupid document.

 

What's the difference between Alpha-1 and Major Havoc?

 

Sky Raider: "A black and white image was reflected of a full color, static background Arcade cabinet reflected the animated gameplay onto a static background"

what with the what now?

 

I wonder why Dark Chambers hasn't shown up on a Flashback yet? Also, notice anything interesting about the screenshot they chose to use?

 

[jaybird3rd]

Is Dark Chambers really the "spiritual successor" of Gauntlet, or is it the "spiritual successor" of the "spiritual predecessor" of Gauntlet?

 

(Incidentally, how lazy does "Atari" have to be to poach somebody else's screenshot of a game that they supposedly own? If they already visited the ROM site to get the screenshot, how much harder would it have been to download the ROM and take their own damned screenshot?!)

[+thanatos]

I love playing the google translate game...

 

 

 

Aaand that made this pop in my head...

 

 

[Inky]

 

I wonder why Dark Chambers hasn't shown up on a Flashback yet? Also, notice anything interesting about the screenshot they chose to use?

 

 

I hear Windows has a snipping tool... At the very least they could have snipped it out.

 

But I'll fix it for them...

 

 

[+Nathan Strum]

What's the difference between Alpha-1 and Major Havoc?

Alpha-1 is the prototype of Major Havoc. But this gives them two IPs for the price of one!

 

Sky Raider: "A black and white image was reflected of a full color, static background Arcade cabinet reflected the animated gameplay onto a static background"

what with the what now?

 

This:

 

 

Was reflected using a mirror, into this: