RetroN 77

[+swlovinist]

I would assume that it is canceled at this point. It sounds like they won't be able to use the latest version of Stella and they would have too many compatability issues with their version

 

That would suck if that was the case. Only time will tell.

[+Nathan Strum]

Just waiting for the inevitable announcement that the RetroN 77 will end up being the Ataribox.

[Flojomojo]

Just waiting for the inevitable announcement that the RetroN 77 will end up being the Ataribox.

While unlikely, that would be a heck of a lot more interesting than anything Atari has shown so far.

[Shawn]

While unlikely, that would be a heck of a lot more interesting than anything Atari has shown so far.

 

Agreed.

[+GoldLeader]

Just waiting for the inevitable announcement that the RetroN 77 will end up being the Ataribox.

 

Haha...Deep in the back of my mind this thought circulated too...I didn't want to say it out loud, though...Some ghosts don't deserve corporeal form.

[Andromeda Stardust]

There was a possible legal issue (not related to the emulation), so I assume that explains the silence and/or possible cancellation. I can't go into any more detail, unfortunately, and it may turn out to be nothing and it gets released as planned, but the timing certainly seems to line up.

I hope it is the case that production goes forward. What were they running on the prototype? If Harmony did indeed work at some point as the developer hinted, then there is more going on under the hood than just a dumper/emulator. Perhaps the Retroblox / Polymega guys were not blowing smoke out their @$$holes when they mentioned "hybrid" emulation?

[AtariLeaf]

Well at least the Flashback 8's look promising. Sounds like two of the three Atari related products (Retron 77 and Ataribox) I had interest in may never materialize.

[djour]

There was a possible legal issue (not related to the emulation), so I assume that explains the silence and/or possible cancellation. I can't go into any more detail, unfortunately, and it may turn out to be nothing and it gets released as planned, but the timing certainly seems to line up.

Damn you and your actual facts. I can argue everyone is else spewing conjecture, but your post takes the wind out of my sails.

[Keatah]

I've said it before in other threads, but it bears mentioning here, at least in my humble opinion.

 

The essence of "Atari" is best captured by..

 

1- Original VCS and 8-bit hardware

2- Emulator Stella and Emulator Altirra

3- AtariAge, homebrew, and Harmony

4- And likely the Flashbacks - there's always something going on there.

 

This is where it's at!

[Great Hierophant]

I've said it before in other threads, but it bears mentioning here, at least in my humble opinion.

 

The essence of "Atari" is best captured by..

 

1- Original VCS and 8-bit hardware

2- Emulator Stella and Emulator Altirra

3- AtariAge, homebrew, and Harmony

4- And likely the Flashbacks - there's always something going on there.

 

This is where it's at!

 

I agree with most of this, although for number #2 I would include other important emulators like z26 and Atari800Win Plus which considerably advanced the state of Atari emulation. As far as number #4 goes, I only include the Atari Flashback 2, atgames' shovelware has not yet sufficiently excelled to stand proudly with the ranks of 1-3.

[Keatah]

Well yes. I haven't forgotten the oldies^* and their respective advancements. It's just that the latest and greatest have to be used or else..! People still have not fully accepted PC-based emulation as a viable choice and will criticize it at the first insignificant glitch. It seemingly and incomprehensibly gets better when they're kickstarted into shitty plastic cases and pre-configured and pre-loaded. But that isn't a first-class experience. Oddly enough, emulation has become very widespread and I bet there are far more virtual VCSes running than the real thing. I'm guessing because I have not painstakingly tallied the numbers. So.. yeh..

 

I'm not intimately familiar with all the differences between each flashback or the portable. But yes I do know about the cartridge slot hack.

 

In thinking about PCAE and Z26, it was indeed nice to see them begin to open up the VCS library, especially because it had been some 10 or so years inbetween shutting down real hardware and then playing them all over again. Then the next 20 years would see gradual refinement and polishing. I didn't think it would take that long, but, here we are! And I believe Emulator Stella only needs a few more point releases then it can go into long-term support phase. Just an opinion.

 

*The oldies!

Activision Action Packs

Z26

PCAE

Atari800WinPlus

XL-IT

XL-IT 95

XFormer

Atari++

AtariEmulator 3.1.0

[Schizophretard]

I've said it before in other threads, but it bears mentioning here, at least in my humble opinion.

 

The essence of "Atari" is best captured by..

 

1- Original VCS and 8-bit hardware

2- Emulator Stella and Emulator Altirra

3- AtariAge, homebrew, and Harmony

4- And likely the Flashbacks - there's always something going on there.

 

This is where it's at!

 

5- Rom Hunter

[Keatah]

Of course..

[tdp]

I've said it before in other threads, but it bears mentioning here, at least in my humble opinion.

 

The essence of "Atari" is best captured by..

 

1- Original VCS and 8-bit hardware

2- Emulator Stella and Emulator Altirra

3- AtariAge, homebrew, and Harmony

4- And likely the Flashbacks - there's always something going on there.

 

This is where it's at!

5- eBay

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

The essence of "Atari" is best captured by..

 

1- Original VCS and 8-bit hardware

You always say this? We've been trying to convince you of the merits of real hardware for years...

[Keatah]

Don't always say it. And I still prefer emulation due to many factors like reliability and convenience.

 

But in light of some of the bullshit coming to market and general confusion of what's available and what's what. Original hardware can be a real contender. The "Essence of Atari" is something and it can be captured in many ways. But not all ways. Naturally.

 

I also don't dislike original hardware. It is what it is. I dislike the maintenance and often flaky nature of 40+ year old hardware. The tediousness surrounding it bugs me. But that doesn't change the fact that the spirit and ineffable qualities and atmosphere (of real Atari) is captured in real hardware just the same as it captured in a well-architected emulator.

 

Vaporware products that get people excited are a no-go from the start.

Products that are using older, unpolished, and incomplete emulators are a no-go also.

Buggy Systems on Chips are lousy from the get go.

 

And in the end, one certainly doesn't want their first Atari experience to happen on substandard or ratty hardware in need of repair.

 

Hope that makes sense.

[Bixler]

Dang. I was looking forward to a way to play my Harmony Cart with HDMI.

[Flojomojo]

Seems like our little angry mob thinks this thing is dead.

 

What's up? If not the emulator, a copyright or patent issue with Atari, maybe because they don't want a vintage cartridge dingus stealing their AtariBox thunder?

 

As someone who is struggling with the idea of re-buying all the 80s and 90s stuff I already have, I've got mixed feelings.

 

July 28th -- AtGames preorders open up, New 2DS launches, probably some SNES Mini action soon too. Maybe one less thing is OK.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Seems like our little angry mob thinks this thing is dead.

 

What's up? If not the emulator, a copyright or patent issue with Atari, maybe because they don't want a vintage cartridge dingus stealing their AtariBox thunder?

 

As someone who is struggling with the idea of re-buying all the 80s and 90s stuff I already have, I've got mixed feelings.

 

July 28th -- AtGames preorders open up, New 2DS launches, probably some SNES Mini action soon too. Maybe one less thing is OK.

Modern Atari has no say if Hyperkin builds an Atari Retron clone any more than Nintendo has a say when Retrobit or Hyperkin or Yobo or anyone builds a cloned NES or SNES. Patents are dead so anybody is free to copy obsolete technologies. Even mp3s are patent free now.

 

I hope this cancellation rumor turns out to be a hoax. I plan on buying one even if it doesn't support Melody homebrews or Harmony carts, as long as the emulation on older games and simple bankswitch homebrews is solid.

[Flojomojo]

II don't disagree, but we don't know any facts.

 

If a small company is hit with legal threats from even a somewhat larger funded company, sometimes it's more prudent for the little guy to drop a weird niche product rather than getting involved in a battle that could cost more than the Retron 77 could gain.

[Flojomojo]

II don't disagree, but we don't know any facts.

 

If a small company is hit with legal threats from even a somewhat larger funded company, sometimes it's more prudent for the little guy to drop a weird niche product rather than getting involved in a battle that could cost more than the Retron 77 could gain.

[Andromeda Stardust]

II don't disagree, but we don't know any facts.

 

If a small company is hit with legal threats from even a somewhat larger funded company, sometimes it's more prudent for the little guy to drop a weird niche product rather than getting involved in a battle that could cost more than the Retron 77 could gain.

I doubt it. Nintendo sued Generation Nex in 2004, and lost. Despite Nex filing bankruptcy a short time later, this set legal precedent for other companies to do likewise. The main reason nobody has produced an Atari clone is all the R&D on the little crappy clones out of China, where nostalgia for Atari is non-existent.

 

I also believe Hyperkin got really bad press for the "stolen emulators" first time around, so they are taking a "clean room" approach this time with the Stella codebase. If they get Harmony running, that would be incredible!

[AtariLeaf]

I emailed Hyperkin a few days about about the suggestion that the project may be in jeopardy and if I could get any kind of update. Here is what they responded with:

 

 

Thank you for contacting us about the RetroN 77. We are working on finalizing all the details on the RetroN 77 and we will update our Facebook page as soon as we have a update.

 

 

Sounds like things are indeed still proceeding and the project is still a go, we just need to be patient and wait for an official update

[Flojomojo]

Maybe ... sounds like "we have nothing to announce at this time," to me. Obviously I'm a pessimist, because I could easily read "we shitcanned this idea because the nerds made a stink about emulator features" into this.

[Keatah]

Heh. Farting and making the place stink with emulator features is what makes the emulators so good today. You young'uns don't know how good you got it. If you were bitchslapped into using shit from 1996 you'd all be crying "mohhh - mmmeeeee!!!"