AtGames Fall 2017 Flashback and Portable Lineup

[Albert]

AtGames has announced their fall lineup of Flashback consoles and portables, further expanding on their offerings for fans of the Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis. These new products include several Atari Flashback consoles, an updated Atari Flashback Portable, a new Genesis Flashback styled after the classic Sega Genesis console, and an updated Genesis portable.

Here's a brief description of the AtGames Fall 2017 lineup:

• The all-new Atari Flashback® 8 Gold features 120 built-in all-time favorites. Games include legends like Activision’s Pitfall! and Taito’s Space Invaders, as well as many other all-time Atari 2600 classics like Kaboom!™, River Raid™, Centipede™, and Millipede™. Two all new, high performance 2.4ghz wireless controllers, styled after the Atari 2600 originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports for optional wired joysticks or paddles. Other all new features for the Atari Flashback® 8 Gold include 720p HDMI output, scan line filtering, and a save/pause/rewind feature for every game.


• The all-new Atari Flashback® 8 Gold Activision Edition features 130 built-in games, including 39 Activision classics. These games include legends like Activision’s Pitfall!, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, and Taito’s Space Invaders, as well as many other all-time Atari 2600 classics like Centipede™, Chopper Command™, Enduro™, and River Raid™. Two high performance 2.4ghz wireless controllers, styled after the Atari 2600 originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports for optional wired joysticks. As a special bonus, authentic paddle controllers are also included, perfect for precision play of fast-paced titles like Kaboom! and Pong. Other features for the Activision Edition include 720p HDMI output, scan line filtering, and a save/pause/rewind feature for every game.


• The Atari Flashback® 8 Classic Game Console returns in a new value-priced edition, complete with 105 all-time favorites. Amazing new additions to the game line-up include Activision legends like Pitfall!™, Kaboom!™, and River Raid™. Two wired controllers, styled after the Atari 2600 originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports to add your own optional wired joysticks or paddles.


• The Atari Flashback® Portable Game Player features an amazing selection of 70 built-in games, including the legendary BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment arcade hit, PAC-MAN™. Other blockbuster games include Dig Dug™, Pitfall!™, and Frogger™, and you can even add your own games with an optional SD card. A built-in, rechargeable battery, means the on-the-go fun never has to end. Games can be played on the portable’s built-in, high resolution 2.8” display, or on a TV via optional cable.


• The all-new Sega Genesis Flashback has a stunning new design, reminiscent of the original console, and features 85 built-in games as well as an integrated cartridge port that plays almost all of your favorite Sega Genesis and Mega Drive original cartridges. Built-in all-time favorites include the Sonic™ series, Mortal Kombat ™series, Phantasy Star™ series, and Shining Force™ series games. Two new high performance 2.4ghz wireless controllers, styled after the Sega Genesis originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports for optional wired gamepads. Other new features for the Sega Genesis Flashback include 720p HDMI output, scan line filtering, and a save/pause/rewind feature for every game.


• The Classic Game Console returns in a new value-priced edition, complete with 81 all-time favorites. Amazing new additions to the game line-up include role-playing and strategy legends, Shining Force™, Shining Force II™, and Shining in the Darkness™. Two wired controllers, styled after the Sega Genesis originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports to add your own optional wired controllers.


• The Ultimate Portable Game Player returns with an enhanced selection of 85 built-in 16-bit Sega Genesis and Mega Drive classic games. The selection of blockbuster games include new additions PAC-PANIC™ and Splatterhouse 2™, as well as many more surprises. You can even add your own games with an optional SD card! Returning for 2017 is save game support for the included Phantasy Star™ series role-playing games. A built-in, rechargeable battery, means the on-the-go fun never has to end. Games can be played on the portable’s built-in, high resolution 2.8” display, or on a TV via optional cable.

These products are expected to hit retail shelves in the fall of 2017.

Here are some photos of the consoles, portables and boxes!

[VectorGamer]

Any guesses as to why SD cards are supported on the portable but not the "consoles"? I would otherwise buy the Flashback Gold.

[Flojomojo]

Don't forget the Atari Flashback Gold Activision Edition! That's the one for me. Same price as the regular Gold edition, but in a special black box, with 10 additional Activision games and a set of vintage-style wired paddle controllers.

 

Here's the quote from their page, emphasis mine. I hope pre-orders open up soon. Even without an SD card slot, that's still a lot of good old games to play, in HDMI, with authentic style controllers.

 

The all-new Atari Flashback® 8 Gold Activision Edition features 130 built-in games, including 39 Activision classics. These games include legends like Activision’s Pitfall!, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, and Taito’s Space Invaders, as well as many other all-time Atari 2600 classics like Centipede™, Chopper Command™, Enduro™, and River Raid™. Two high performance 2.4ghz wireless controllers, styled after the Atari 2600 originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports for optional wired joysticks. As a special bonus, authentic paddle controllers are also included, perfect for precision play of fast-paced titles like Kaboom! and Pong. Other features for the Activision Edition include 720p HDMI output, scan line filtering, and a save/pause/rewind feature for every game.

 

Detail of the box shows Pitfall, River Raid, H.E.R.O, Activision Decathlon, Chopper Command, and Enduro.

 

[Albert]

Don't forget the Atari Flashback Gold Activision Edition! That's the one for me. Same price as the regular Gold edition, but in a special black box, with 10 additional Activision games and a set of vintage-style wired paddle controllers.

 

Thanks, that was missing from the text AtGames sent me for some reason. I've added that paragraph to the first post as well as the news on the front page of AtariAge.

 

..Al

[VectorGamer]

They keep calling it "Taito’s Space Invaders" - is this the arcade game or the Atari translation for the 2600?

[Albert]

They keep calling it "Taito’s Space Invaders" - is this the arcade game or the Atari translation for the 2600?

 

From the images they've provided, it looks like something closer to the arcade game. Definitely not the 2600 version!

 

 

 

..Al

[Albert]

Btw, this seems to be the case with Frogger as well:

 

 

[Ransom]

A mish-mash, eh? Hmm.

 

Still, I may buy the Activision version, if only to support Dintari's Pac-Man.

[NE146]

So is the mini-Genesis just another re-shell of their previous Genesis incarnations? The sound was so horrible on them.

[atarifan88]

A mish-mash, eh? Hmm.

 

Still, I may buy the Activision version, if only to support Dintari's Pac-Man.

 

I think you mean the portable. As far as I know, that's the only version with Dintari's Pac-Man...

[Greg2600]

I made a spreadsheet where I pulled the game lists from the press kit. For Atari the main games that are not across all models are Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Frogger, Jungle Hunt, etc.

 

Zipped and Attached (Thanks Al)

FB_2017_Games.zip

Edited June 22, 2017 by Greg2600

[Albert]

I made a spreadsheet where I pulled the game lists from the press kit. However it's in Excel, and I can't attach it here (or at least as far as I can tell).

 

Zip it first and then you can attach it.

[+GoldenWheels]

Hey At Games and HDMI together...I may finally have a new reason to buy another one of these things.

[Albert]

Here's a video showing the Atari Flashback 8 Gold:

 

 

..Al

[Albert]

I made a spreadsheet where I pulled the game lists from the press kit. For Atari the main games that are not across all models are Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Frogger, Jungle Hunt, etc.

 

Zipped and Attached (Thanks Al)

 

Here's a PDF for those who don't have Excel:

 

FB_2017_Games.pdf

 

..Al

[+Atari_Warlord]

I wonder if they have any compilations planned for the PS4 like last year? I thought they worked pretty well for the most part (except paddle games).

[Tanooki]

So is the mini-Genesis just another re-shell of their previous Genesis incarnations? The sound was so horrible on them.

From me poking enough questions around and Bill answering them, yes. The non-HD Genesis console and the handheld are mostly just a repack with the same sketchy poor emulation problems and lack of key fixes with just some games in the library tweaked.

 

I was going to buy the handheld, but once that made it clear I refuse to drop coin on that mess until they make it right. 2018 hopefully.

 

 

If I was more into the 2600 type stuff I'd be all over that Activision 130in1 HD device though as that's a nice line up.

[+Nathan Strum]

 

I don't know if this is the final product mockup or not, but someone at AtGames needs to learn how to properly composite screenshots of games that flicker...

 

It takes just a few minutes with Stella and Photoshop:

 

(using the debugger, step through a frame at a time, taking screenshots)

+

+

(remove extra Pac-Man)

+

(keep right-side power-pills/energizers only)

=

(final composite)

 

(As an aside, this was my one and only issue with Tim's outstanding Art of Atari book... the screenshots in there weren't composites either, so many of them are missing elements.)

[Flojomojo]

I don't know if this is the final product mockup or not, but someone at AtGames needs to learn how to properly composite screenshots of games that flicker...

 

It takes just a few minutes with Stella and Photoshop

 

 

You have to fix the score, too. It's impossible to have a score of 0 once you've eaten any number of dots.

[Velvis]

Any chance of hacking this and paddles to support wireless paddles?

[+save2600]

Nice to see the Genesis console looking like a real Sega Genesis for a change.

 

And all of the consoles have HDMI too... bet there will be some complaints of lag. If your TV doesn't have a game mode, be sure to disable as much of the signal processing as possible and hope for the best I guess!

[Ransom]

 

I think you mean the portable. As far as I know, that's the only version with Dintari's Pac-Man...

 

Oh! I didn't know that. It deserves to be on all of them!

 

I guess it's the portable for me, then. But...bleh.

[+GoldLeader]

Even as I'm trying hard not to spend too much money lately...

 

I really want an Activision Gold FB! And I kind of want the HD Genesis too...

[Keatah]

Any guesses as to why SD cards are supported on the portable but not the "consoles"? I would otherwise buy the Flashback Gold.

 

A guess would be the cost and the feature-set of the single board & system-on-chip.

[skip]

Thanks for the spreadsheet. That clarifies things regarding decisions over which one to get. An issue that I can't get my head around is that for the Activision edition, which looks like the one to get if you don't want / need portable, is missing some key games that are in the others - Dig Dug (only on the portable), Space Invaders, Frogger, Shield Shifter, Polaris, Jungle Hunt, Xevious (only on the portable), Galaxian (only on the portable) etc.

Essentially, if one wanted to 'legally' obtain all of the games that are possible in this release, one would have to buy the Gold, Activision, and Portable. It's a bit ridiculous given that a 'complete' set would only require not even ~50-100 kB more games. Whilst there's obviously been some care and consideration with these items (and licensing to consider), it bothers me that there's not an obvious 'ultimate' version this round. I'll probably get the Activision edition (if not for myself, for conventions and events where I help run retro gaming areas) this time around...of course, there'll end up being more versions and eventually a home version with an SD card slot that should solve most of the problems, though I'm sure stuff like the 'new' Donkey Kong homebrew might not run.

To be honest, if the sound and other 'minor' issues are fixed, the Genesis Flashback with cart port is probably the best value for money out of this lot.