Flojomojo Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 I was going to make a long, detailed, most of all sarcastic post about the grand history of Atari Centipede since 1980, which has been ported to dozens of systems old and new. I would take us from the 8-bit system ports, past the many decent emulation compilations over the years, through the Feargal video with the "classic controller" adjacent to 2600 Centipede stretched on an HDTV, and culminating in a stupid photo of Rob Wyatt pretending to play it on the AMD dev board in the garage. Sprinkle some nasty quips about his life being a drinking game, stupid shit in his genes, putting his hands down his pants, when not breaking bones and stuff. Hardware can take a long time when you're doing it right, tingiant.com and its sandwich and coffee, wouldn't you rather have a taco, and so on. You'll have to use your imagination and maybe scroll back a few dozen pages instead. What else needs to be said? Posting substantive updates about this "AtariBox" doesn't seem like it would be so difficult, unless of course no progress is being made. It hardly seems worth mocking anymore. What an embarrassing failure for Wyatt, Atari Game Box LLC, and "Atari." This is mildly interesting. "Is Atari SA's High P/E Ratio a Problem for Investors?" as is their linked analysis (registration required, but it's easy to quit, and free if you want to do interactive comparisons). He's a printout of the static page if you just want to read.Atari (ENXTPA_ATA) - Share price, News & Analysis.pdf Interesting that 75% of the Atari joint is held by the general public, confirming my suspicions that they're playing with other people's money. The future doesn't look particularly bright, but this is a backwards-looking nostalgia brand, not a media or technology company. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVgaTv Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 This should be their new corporate song. Or this one. Oh Thompson Twins, one of the first bands to have their own game 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 What, exactly, can we expect indiegogo to do, providing they even care? (And I don't think they care). Can they get the money back from Atari, or compel Atari to issue refunds? From how I read it, even if IGG decides that Atari is in the wrong and has abused the service and is as desirable as a vegetarian at a barbecue... there's really no recourse for IGG. They got their cut and should be happy with it. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TACODON Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 I don't expect to get anything from these clowns. My hope though is that if I make enough noise they will give me my money back to shut up and leave them alone. I really think that is the only thing anyone who was stupid enough to give them money can do. Make noise until they are ready to shut us up. This thing is just the second coming of the gameband. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoJoe Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 I don't expect to get anything from these clowns. My hope though is that if I make enough noise they will give me my money back to shut up and leave them alone. I really think that is the only thing anyone who was stupid enough to give them money can do. Make noise until they are ready to shut us up. This thing is just the second coming of the gameband. Can't you contact your credit card company to help you out? I know my credit union card will go out of their way for me even for things that are very old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 I don't expect to get anything from these clowns. My hope though is that if I make enough noise they will give me my money back to shut up and leave them alone. I really think that is the only thing anyone who was stupid enough to give them money can do. Make noise until they are ready to shut us up. This thing is just the second coming of the gameband. They can refund your money, but I don't see why that would buy your silence. The only way anyone should shut up about this is for them to deliver what they said they could, or an explanation as to why they can't. I wouldn't even expect such an explanation to be honest, considering the bilge they've pumped out thus far. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TACODON Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Can't you contact your credit card company to help you out? I know my credit union card will go out of their way for me even for things that are very old. Honestly with it being so far out, I am not sure if I have anything to work with. I had not thought about trying them though. The thing is do they want eat that charge? Because I highly doubt they will get anywhere with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoJoe Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Honestly with it being so far out, I am not sure if I have anything to work with. I had not thought about trying them though. The thing is do they want eat that charge? Because I highly doubt they will get anywhere with it. From what I understand it's usually a write off for them. You should definitely give it a try though. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Oh, David. If only you'd listened to that old ass Dermody fellow. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TACODON Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 They can refund your money, but I don't see why that would buy your silence. The only way anyone should shut up about this is for them to deliver what they said they could, or an explanation as to why they can't. I wouldn't even expect such an explanation to be honest, considering the bilge they've pumped out thus far. Valid point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TACODON Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 From what I understand it's usually a write off for them. You should definitely give it a try though. I will see if I can contact my customer service and ask about this. Thank you for the idea. My only worry is that technically they still have some time before they are past the delivery date. Not sure how that might affect this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 What, exactly, can we expect indiegogo to do, providing they even care? (And I don't think they care). Can they get the money back from Atari, or compel Atari to issue refunds? From how I read it, even if IGG decides that Atari is in the wrong and has abused the service and is as desirable as a vegetarian at a barbecue... there's really no recourse for IGG. They got their cut and should be happy with it. My suspicion is that it would have to go the same way as it did with the ZX Vega+: individual cases brought in small claims court against Atari SA. The main difference is that Atari SA is (as far as we know) afloat financially, so the likelihood of court-appointed receivership is much lower at this time. Note that Indiegogo essentially ignored that entire fiasco until court cases started cropping up that resulted in IGG being ruled liable for backers' losses. Granted, that ruling was in the UK, but as IGG is a global platform I could see the logic behind that ruling possibly being relevant to cases in other jurisdictions. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crsdawg Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 I think, as far as credit card charge reversals go, Atari has already failed in their promises of timely updates and openness to backer input. These claims were a big part of the campaign and is what I'd be harping on if I were working with a bank to get my money back. Otherwise they still have time to stall since the thing isn't due out for a few months yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles/526876-Refunds-Can-I-get-my-money-back- Problem is- did Atari cash in the money or is it still in Indiegogo's territory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles/526876-Refunds-Can-I-get-my-money-back- Problem is- did Atari cash in the money or is it still in Indiegogo's territory? It's up to "Atari" to refund these, which means it's far less likely to happen than if the backers cancelled much earlier. IGG actually holds a bunch of money in reserve for exactly this purpose. https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles/216271418 How to Handle Refunds for Contributions that are Not Eligible for a Refund on Indiegogo Once your Reserved Funds are either depleted or disbursed to you, contributions cannot be refunded electronically via Indiegogo. Instead, you'll need to work with the backer to issue a refund off of the Indiegogo platform. We find that for many campaigners and backers, PayPal seems to be a great option for issuing refunds. But other online payment methods, or refunds via check/cheque may be a better option for some customers. In all cases, we recommend reaching out to your contributor when issuing refunds. You'll need to work with them on the best method for you to send and for them to receive their refund off our platform, as well as collect their payment information, such as: PayPal account email address, the name to whom the check/cheque should be made out to, the mailing address to send the check/cheque etc. In cases where you need to refund a group of backers, or all backers, you will need to ensure you clearly notify all affected backers (both through an update posted to your campaign and through a direct email to backers) of the refunds. Ensure you are transparent about the reason for the refund, the method and timeline that the backer can expect to receive the refund, and a point of contact where the backers can reach you with any questions. In the event that you have refunded a backer off of our platform, we recommend you mark that contribution as refunded on your dashboard. Now whether or not "Atari" has already spent the money on Ikea furniture, bass guitars, speaker hats, wooden tiles, Xbox controllers, plywood, and bubble wrap is another matter. Maybe they've plowed all the money into something truly awesome. There's not much evidence of anything. Maybe Feargal Mac knows for sure; his legal discovery deadline is in about 2 weeks. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Now they're all fans. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 (edited) What, exactly, can we expect indiegogo to do, providing they even care? (And I don't think they care). Can they get the money back from Atari, or compel Atari to issue refunds? From how I read it, even if IGG decides that Atari is in the wrong and has abused the service and is as desirable as a vegetarian at a barbecue... there's really no recourse for IGG. They got their cut and should be happy with it. Indiegogo's probably going to be looking at a couple thousand people (at least) knocking on their door for a refund. And if they don't give it to them, this incident is going to spread like wildfire through word-of-mouth and absolutely KILL their reputation. They might as well close shop at that point, because nobody will use that crowdfunding service again. I know I wouldn't. Edited March 13, 2019 by Lodmot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 You've overestimating the importance of "Atari" in general and this campaign in particular. Indiegogo has NINE MILLION users. Eleven thousand people is spit in the ocean by comparison. Why else would this stupid thread be THE place to discuss this stupid project? Because no one cares! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaysWithWolves Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Oh, to be young and idealistic again. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunksJumpUp Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 In the spirit of JP... Much like Billy Mitchell (allegedly), Since I was a young boy running the streets of me homeland, I yearned to play video games. Consumed, I was with arcades and game consoles. Atari holds a very special place in my heart. Might I interest you in a friendly game of Pong? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Indiegogo's probably going to be looking at a couple thousand people (at least) knocking on their door for a refund. And if they don't give it to them, this incident is going to spread like wildfire through word-of-mouth and absolutely KILL their reputation. They might as well close shop at that point, because nobody will use that crowdfunding service again. I know I wouldn't. Dude. None of the following commentary is directed at you specifically, and I'm pretty certain that most folks here (yourself included, possibly) will understand that this is not a passive-aggressive snipe since that's typicallaly not how I work. With that out of the way: Remember that Indiegogo sets the ToS for their service in their favour. What's important to them is neither the backers nor the projects; it's ensuring that the money coming in from those backers to the projects can enable them to retain their cut. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 He's saying no one will use Indigogo after a high-profile failed project, unless they pay the backers. He's not saying Indigogo's legally responsible for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Put another way... I doubt me telling people Never to buy a lawnmower from Sears, because they wouldn't make good on their warranty, is what killed them... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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