New Atari console?

[Punisher5.0]

if teh size will be big. Why not make it more comfortable to hold? I know it sounds weird. But its better then playing on a "block".

 

And what are we talking about? the atari jaguar WITH jag cd or a portable Atari jaguar with no jagcd support

 

I twould be nice if you could make the jagcd portable. and the luser have to use th gamecube sized discs (the games had to be done on a new cdr tough) it would atleast be smaller just my 2cents

 

If I had access to a Router I would. But I don’t so I have to make all the panels by hand.

 

I'm just talking about the Jaguar. It is definitely possible to make a portable JagCD but battery life will probably be cut in half and the system will be much bigger and expensive.

[TheGrandPubaa]

Well, it could be done, but a portable JagCD portable wouldn't be very...portable, ya know?

[downix]

I wonder if I should mention that the company I used to work for has a partnership with the new Atari, and that they make a PowerPC based motherboard, and have been discussing a possibility of a game console sometime in the future, using a "licensed name and game property" not yet specified.

[LU8]

That would be great if it came to pass. It would be cool to see a new console bearing the Atari logo in the shops, and when it comes to gaming cred Atari has the most well known name/logo in console land. Nintendo still haven't learn't how to make a joystick.

After what Pocket said about the new Atari trying to bring the GP32 to the US I had a look at the GP32 unit on an Asian site. I could imagine the Atari logo on that, it could have been a Lynx successor marketing wise. That said why don't they just revive the Lynx in updated form?

[TheGrandPubaa]

A "Lynx 3"? Hmm...

 

Well, if they used a similar hardware architecture in order to maintain backwards compatibility, it would sacrifice overall power that the system could pull. Besides, we're talking about 14-15 year old hardware, so it just wouldn't be feesible. And, it would probably not even compare with the "next-gen" handhelds coming to market.

 

On the other hand, it would probably be quite possible to write an emulator on completely new hardware, but then they would either have to add a new cartridge slot or use cartridges, which, sadly, seems to be going out of vogue. Again, there are major feesibility issues.

 

Not that it couldn't happen, I just don't think it would.

 

On the main subject, a revamped Jaguar would be great, even if it were just a portable version of the Jaguar hardware architecture. Bringing it back to market, however, would be committing many of the same mistakes Atari made when they first released the cat. It's supposed to be one of the most difficult beasts to write games for. If it was hard then, it would still be hard now, logically. And the cartridges would make the system rather bulky compared to the GBA, N-Gage, GP32, or Zodiac.

 

Another possibility would be using more powerful hardware to emulate the Jaguar, but that raises many other problems, such as getting a powerful enough processor that can run the Jaguar games without having the system cost $400+ dollars. Just now are computers becoming able to properly emulate the thing. I'm doubting emulation of the Jaguar would be possible even on the Zodiac, and it's $300.

 

Again, not saying it couldn't happen, but I am doubting it will ever come to pass. Would be great to see a new Atari console w/mascot, though!

[LU8]

They could have badged the GP32 as the Lynx 3, that would have looked good.

BTW I have noticed Telegames US and UK websites offering new Lynx units for sale (new in box). I mentioned the Lynx to a friend in Canada, he had never heard of it. He was quite impressed to hear it was the first color hand held.

[Songbird]

Yeah, years back I thought they should do a Lynx 3... do 8-bit color instead of 4-bit color (which in turn requires 128KB or 256KB RAM instead of 64KB), a faster but compatible CPU, and shrink the overall size, and you'd have quite a tasty little handheld!

[Alex Czarnowski]

It would be great to seen new Atari console but... I think the main problem would be to convince and provide support to game developers - otherwise it does not really matters what hardware capabilities it will has.

Cheers,

[DracIsBack]

It would be great to seen new Atari console but... I think the main problem would be to convince and provide support to game developers - otherwise it does not really matters what hardware capabilities it will has.

Cheers' date='[/quote']

 

Hammer, nail, head ...

 

That was always the argument with the later Atari consoles: the 7800, Lynx and Jaguar all had some cool capabilities at the time but they didn't exactly get pushed the max on a regular basis by a range of innovative developers.

 

On the Jaguar, more games looked like Cannon Fodder than they did like ALIEN VS. PREDATOR.

[Tyrant]

That was always the argument with the later Atari consoles: the 7800' date=' Lynx and Jaguar all had some cool capabilities at the time but they didn't exactly get pushed the max on a regular basis by a range of innovative developers.[/quote']

If you ask me, thats because the games industry has grown so much recently, and even in the 16 bit days to an extent (with console games especially)... people write games now mostly because they can see its a way to make money, not because they really love making games. So, there is very little innovation, and platforms that are hard to push the limits of, find their limits barely aproached, let alone pushed.

 

To use the Jag to its full potential requires some very creative design, not least since the bugs in the hardware make some things a lot more dificult than others, you have to play to the systems strengths, and design your games so it's weaknesses are not an issue as they're things you wont be needing.

 

Thats a chalenge most companies I suspect just couldn't be bothered with and so they made ports of 68k games, using just as much of the Jaguar's hardware as was required to get sound and graphics out of the system, and left the rest on the slow old 68k.

[Alex Czarnowski]

To use the Jag to its full potential requires some very creative design' date=' not least since the bugs in the hardware make some things a lot more dificult than others, you have to play to the systems strengths, and design your games so it's weaknesses are not an issue as they're things you wont be needing.[/quote']

 

I am not an expert here but I would suspect that other non-Atari brand consoles had some hardware bugs that made some coding more difficult. Probably due to aggressive marketing and shorter deadlines newer consoles are more bug prone then older ones. However Atari could have straighten out few things before releasing Jaguar. It's a pity Jag II didn't make it - reading it's technical documentation I've got impression they identified some problems with previous design and wanted to make a new one definitively better than the last one.

Cheers

[Schnaasfan]

On 4/17/2004 at 1:22 PM, LU8 said:

I was wondering about the chance of a new Atari home video game console being released in the future? Does anyone think that down the road Inforgrammes (which has renamed itself Atari) would put out a new console with the Atari logo?

A longshot perhaps but it seems strange that a company would buy up the name and interests formerly held by Hasbro, and then change their name to Atari with the new slogan "the legacy continues".

I am probably grasping at straws but it would be something if a new Atari console could make an appearance in retail stores. Hard to believe the Jaguar is going to hold the title of last Atari console forever.

So now that we are getting a new Atari console, what do you guys think? Are you enthusiastic about the new VCS?

[pacman000]

There are at least two hundred-page threads stating how unenthusiastic most here are for the Ataribox, with reasons why. 

[tripled79]

On 10/21/2020 at 3:33 PM, III said:

So now that we are getting a new Atari console, what do you guys think? Are you enthusiastic about the new VCS?

I pre-ordered mine...

[doctorclu]

17 minutes ago, tripled79 said:

I pre-ordered mine...

I thought they finally released the Atari VCS a month or so back.

[Pete5125]

On 4/18/2004 at 5:34 PM, Paolo said:

 

I don't know, Nick. These days to have a 500 professionally printed CD batch (with booklet and jewel case) doesn't cost that much. And I think that Jag community is fairly reachable thanks to the Internet. So if somebody would come out with a 'solid' product, I believe he'll get his money back, AND make some bucks. I understand he won't buy himself a new airplane, but his efforts will be paid back. A main role could be played by the advertisment, of course, to reach the fans that don't stay regularly 'in touch'.

Battlesphere had -as far as we know- good figures (OK, they worked years on it, I know), but it looks that also other recent releases (painter, as example) did well, and Eerievale and Star Alliance (and whatever Songbird is working on) are yet to come.

Let's do not forget that we had lots of protos/demos published last year, but we can't consider their sales figures, since not everybody who owns a jag can be interested in them; whilst everybody who owns a Jag can be interested in a fullblown-complete game.

 

As usual when I write long messages, excuse me for my English (but I won't review my message to check it )

 

Ciao!

Again saying that you release a cd game for 59 bucks, somehow you get the cost down to 19 bucks a game, you release 100 games, you sell all 100 in a short window of a few months, and you are an expert programmer, cd maker, and boxer.

 

Then you make 100x 40 is $4000 for this magic game.  With a programmer that spent 1 yr of his life to make it happen with unheard of 100% sell thru,and that's giving him an amazing 60 percent sell thru, having no bad disk, boxes etc.

 

Not worth it, thank goodness some try.

On 4/18/2004 at 5:34 PM, Paolo said:

 

I don't know, Nick. These days to have a 500 professionally printed CD batch (with booklet and jewel case) doesn't cost that much. And I think that Jag community is fairly reachable thanks to the Internet. So if somebody would come out with a 'solid' product, I believe he'll get his money back, AND make some bucks. I understand he won't buy himself a new airplane, but his efforts will be paid back. A main role could be played by the advertisment, of course, to reach the fans that don't stay regularly 'in touch'.

Battlesphere had -as far as we know- good figures (OK, they worked years on it, I know), but it looks that also other recent releases (painter, as example) did well, and Eerievale and Star Alliance (and whatever Songbird is working on) are yet to come.

Let's do not forget that we had lots of protos/demos published last year, but we can't consider their sales figures, since not everybody who owns a jag can be interested in them; whilst everybody who owns a Jag can be interested in a fullblown-complete game.

 

As usual when I write long messages, excuse me for my English (but I won't review my message to check it )

 

Ciao!

 

[Zerosquare]

Ahem... you're replying to a post that was made more than 16 years ago.

[+HatNJ]

And the OP hasn't  signed on in over 2 1/2 years

[Arcadia]

Just reading the name of the thread, I thought this was about the new Pong console they're releasing soon. 

[AlecRob]

One must admit that atari being under new ownership and releasing a new system in the year 2020 is rather surreal.  We were all praying for a new SEGA console and this what we get? God needs to get his hearing checked 

[Machine]

6 hours ago, AlecRob said:

One must admit that atari being under new ownership and releasing a new system in the year 2020 is rather surreal.  We were all praying for a new SEGA console and this what we get? God needs to get his hearing checked 

 

I wouldn't say "Atari" is under new ownership....I would say the name "Atari" has been sold to a new company. Our beloved "Atari" is loooonnnng gone.

[LordKraken]

1 hour ago, Machine said:

 

I wouldn't say "Atari" is under new ownership....I would say the name "Atari" has been sold to a new company. Our beloved "Atari" is loooonnnng gone.

That's the life and death and "rebirth" of most companies and brand. Look at Compaq, once the biggest PC seller in the world, then sold to HP then use as a brand, then discontinued... 

 

But yeah feels rather weird to think that Atari has been french for... 20 years now!

[LianneJaguar64]

On 4/17/2004 at 6:43 PM, LU8 said:

Exactly, I had never heard of Infogrammes until that slick bit of renaming. By the look of their website (Atari.com) they have gone to some lengths and made full use of the Atari logo. If marketing is all it is then it's a sad end and they shouldn't be allowed to use the Atari image like that.

Makes me wonder why Microsoft didn't buy Atari's intellectual property and use the Atari image on the X box to give that system a better start. Well maybe one day a real company will buy the Atari rights and do something constructive like a new Jaguar II console. You would think that with the number of people worldwide that know Atari someone could make use of that fame. That's what was done with the relaunch of Triumph motorcycles.

In fairness, I'd heard of infogrames before, they published quite a few PSX games here in Europe 

[AlecRob]

most of the original atari employees are probably either retired or dead.   Like it or not, Atari, SA. owns the intellectual property we all know and love.   We should at least hope the best for it and have an open mind to the VCS actually being a cool product to own and use.   I think it looks like a fun toy.  One developer on facebook who actually has a VCS in his hands said said the hardware is easy to develop for and more powerful than most people think... nintendo has proven many times that you dont need to be the most powerful system to sell a lot of units.   VCS is easier to develop for than any other system, maybe more powerful than a switch, upgradable ram, and atari charges lower fees to developers to release games than the competitors.   Remember, the PS1 sold millions and had almost exclusively third party games. It was the easiest to develop console in its generation.  Technically N64 and even Saturn was more powerful in many ways. 

 

I think the Atari VCS’s price will come down as it gets mass produced and hopefully its CPU and other components will get cheaper. 
 

Which name do more people know? SONY or ATARI?  Its debatable.  I want to see developers flock to the VCS and crank out great playing games. You dont need the fancy PS5 bells and whistles to have good gameplay.

 

also the PS5 and next gen XBOX aren’t looking so hot, with hardware and software issues abound.  This may discourage some buyers from investing in those machines for awhile..   i certainly don’t want either of them.  Also Atari, SA has the appeal of just simply not being either Sony or Microsoft or Nintendo.  A lot of people crave ANYTHING different.   Atari has that retro “OG video game” brand appeal that the others lack. Nintendo has that going for it but they have a totally different vibe compared to Atari.  
 

i cant wait to get my VCS and mess around with sandbox and try emulators and testing performance on various things.. i will fully upgrade the ram too.  Whatever ends up in the VCS store will be an added bonus.  If by some misfortune the store dies out the console will be still usable in sandbox

 

 

 

[Clint Thompson]

10 hours ago, AlecRob said:

Which name do more people know? SONY or ATARI?

Sony for sure. Even then, knowing a brand and being relevant are two very different things but Sony has both, being a powerhouse that extends into all categories of electronics even to this day worldwide while Atari is nothing but a porta potty incubator, licensing their name (mostly) for subpar products. There are few exceptions but it's like a 1-to-10 ratio of quality vs cash grab. Having standards and with proper management, that quality ratio could have been much higher.

 

10 hours ago, AlecRob said:

also the PS5 and next gen XBOX aren’t looking so hot

Both PS5 and the new Xbox (technologically) are literally generations ahead of whatever this new overpriced game media box Atari is releasing. For sake of realistic perspective, Atari raised just over $3 Million to develop this low-end system for some 11,000 backers (less since being a backer doesn't mean you purchased a system, many probably just wanted the joystick like I did) while Sony spent $3 Billion U.S. dollars on advertising their PS5 alone. You can't compare apples to apples if one is a Red Delicious and the other is a Beach Apple or Manchineel. (a beach apple can kill you, the little apple of death) and I think it goes without saying who is who.

 

10 hours ago, AlecRob said:

I think the Atari VCS’s price will come down as it gets mass produced and hopefully its CPU and other components will get cheaper.

This will be a short lived fairy tale. The VCS will tank harder than any other console and if prices plummet as you suggest, it's because they've been clearanced. That would assume they make enough for such a clearance to happen, which I'm guessing isn't going to be the case either since they still haven't even shipped their first batch to end-consumers yet. Mass producing will never happen to that extent. Best case scenario, less than 50k units will ever be made and it'll be an unusual rare collectors item in 20 years.

 

And for topic/forum relevancy, maybe the Jaguar being the last Atari console wasn't such a bad thing after all.