NO EXCUSE for not buying a Flashback 2.0

[sidcrowe]

As I write this, 32% of you are sitting on the fence with a "no" and a "maybe." Please elaborate on your reasons as to WHY you're not committed to buying the Flashback 2.0.

 

As far as I can tell, there is NO EXCUSE

 

Price? You have a PC and a phone line and an internet account. You can't afford a FB2? Come on!

 

Emulation questions? It's a genuine Atari 2600 on a chip.

 

Games? It's running real Atari games.

 

Joysticks? Maybe the joysticks won't be as heavy (or maybe they WILL be) as an old 2600, but for crying out loud, they gave you an old port to plug any compatible stick into! No worries about having the sticks hardwired and yanking on the insides like a cheaper version.

 

Paddles? Grab some on Ebay. Use the ones you have. It's not an issue.

 

Atari: The thread of the games has been restored.

 

Grames: They just made something great. What, are you gonna turn your nose up at it? Why won't you reward them with a sale?

 

The COMMUNITY connection HERE with Curt: Don't the people we know here and who let us know what's going on deserve some payback for a job well done? Shouldn't you do more than type a few lines on a board saying "Oh, it's cool, BUT..." "But" nothing!

 

This is so good that even if you already have all the games in your collection you should buy it anyway and give it away as a gift to reward Curt and Atariage and the original programmers and the entire Atari community. I'm gonna buy it......

 

......SO WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE FOR NOT BUYING IT

Edited May 4, 2005 by sidcrowe

[danwinslow]

Me? I think 2600's kind of suck, frankly. I prefer the Atari eight-bit computers that came a bit later. Even if I loved 2600's I wouldn't put much stock in this. Give me the original. This thing may play the same but thats not the point...its not *the same*.

Edited May 4, 2005 by danwinslow

[blastermaster]

this may be a dumb question, but will it be ale to play old atari carts? just wondering, i am gonna buy one either way, cause its looks awesome.

[sidcrowe]

It is the same. Nobody has "enhanced" anything. When you play an emu on a PSX, it's something else going into something else. You have a disc of Atari games and you put it in a Sony PSX. It comes darn close, and some do a great job, but this FB2 is a 2600 on a chip playing the real 2600 games.

Edited May 4, 2005 by sidcrowe

[sidcrowe]

"this may be a dumb question, but will it be ale to play old atari carts? just wondering, i am gonna buy one either way, cause its looks awesome."

 

I'm not much of a gearhead, but I have enough sense to FOLLOW the ones who ARE.

 

Apparently, there are some "solder points" inside which will allow you to do that with a bit of mucking around. Buy it

[danwinslow]

I'm not following you. The original 2600 was a big hunk of machinery. It can't be 'a 2600 on a chip' because a 2600 is not a chip. I guess you mean that its some kind of exact emulation, but again you miss the point - It's not *actually* the same. Yes it plays the same (maybe) but thats not the point.

 

And anyways Grames has had like ZERO to do with the 2600, or *any* of the old atari lines we love. All they are doing is capitalizing on the genius of the Atari engineers of old by churning out some copies.

Edited May 4, 2005 by danwinslow

[Curt Vendel]

Oh sure... use the ugliest picture of me you could find! YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Curt

 

 

As I write this, 32% of you are sitting on the fence with a "no" and a "maybe." Please elaborate on your reasons as to WHY you're not committed to buying the Flashback 2.0.

 

As far as I can tell, there is NO EXCUSE

 

Price? You have a PC and a phone line and an internet account. You can't afford a FB2? Come on!

 

Emulation questions? It's a genuine Atari 2600 on a chip.

 

Games? It's running real Atari games.

 

Joysticks? Maybe the joysticks won't be as heavy (or maybe they WILL be) as an old 2600, but for crying out loud, they gave you an old port to plug any compatible stick into! No worries about having the sticks hardwired and yanking on the insides like a cheaper version.

 

Paddles? Grab some on Ebay. Use the ones you have. It's not an issue.

 

Atari: The thread of the games has been restored.

 

Grames: They just made something great. What, are you gonna turn your nose up at it? Why won't you reward them with a sale?

 

The COMMUNITY connection HERE with Curt: Don't the people we know here and who let us know what's going on deserve some payback for a job well done? Shouldn't you do more than type a few lines on a board saying "Oh, it's cool, BUT..." "But" nothing!

 

This is so good that even if you already have all the games in your collection you should buy it anyway and give it away as a gift to reward Curt and Atariage and the original programmers and the entire Atari community. I'm gonna buy it......

 

......SO WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE FOR NOT BUYING IT           

849478[/snapback]

[Curt Vendel]

Oh its very much the same, the 2600 SoC is based DIRECTLY from the the original TIA circuits, just had to update the gates from nmos into HDL structures/entities and move it to a low powered ASIC. Inside beats the heart and soul of the very TIA we've come to know and love.

 

 

Curt

 

I'm not following you. The original 2600 was a big hunk of machinery. It can't be 'a 2600 on a chip' because a 2600 is not a chip. I guess you mean that its some kind of exact emulation, but again you miss the point - It's not *actually* the same. Yes it plays the same (maybe) but thats not the point.

849494[/snapback]

[JB]

I'm not following you. The original 2600 was a big hunk of machinery. It can't be 'a 2600 on a chip' because a 2600 is not a chip. I guess you mean that its some kind of exact emulation, but again you miss the point - It's not *actually* the same. Yes it plays the same (maybe) but thats not the point.

 

The chip in the Flashback 2 is, as I understand things, a trasnistor-for-transistor replica of the component collection present in the original VCS/2600. Or one of them, anyways, since there were several revisions.

Translation: It IS the same, even if it isn't made with vintage components.

 

It bears mentioning that the VCS has an awful lot of empty space in it.

Also note: Several of the 2600Jrs WERE single-chip assemblies.

 

 

Or what Curt said, since he posted while I was typing.

Edited May 4, 2005 by JB

[danwinslow]

/shrug

 

Ok, thats fine. I don't get it but I sure don't want to discourage you guys Just because I personally don't see it means nothing. I suppose its better than them mangling it up with enhancements as has been done.

[sidcrowe]

"Oh its very much the same, the 2600 SoC is based DIRECTLY from the the original TIA circuits, just had to update the gates from nmos into HDL structures/entities and move it to a low powered ASIC. Inside beats the heart and soul of the very TIA we've come to know and love."

 

YEAH! What...he said

 

"Oh sure... use the ugliest picture of me you could find! YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

You looked like you were holding something the EXACT size of the box.

 

"beats the heart and soul"

 

THE HEART AND SOUL, BABY!!!!!!

[sidcrowe]

"/shrug"

 

Shrug?

 

Ummm...okay...

 

You DO realize this is a website where the 2600 is king, right?

[danwinslow]

I realize this is a website about atari game computers. Of which there are many more than your favorite. I also realize I am allowed to have an opinion. I already backed away from this anyways, I regret posting at this point.

[RxRated]

I think this flashback is great! I don't care if it has a card slot, I can use my old 2600 for those. I'll buy one for sure-just for the homebrews-as well as the convienience of having 40 games in one package. Atari..it's the great gameplay that has kept us interested all these years.

[sidcrowe]

"I realize this is a website about atari game computers. Of which there are many more than your favorite. I also realize I am allowed to have an opinion. I already backed away from this anyways, I regret posting at this point."

 

It's about all Atari stuff, but it's pretty plain we have the most love for the 2600. It was the first programmable computer most of us had, and we had it back in the day when it was a phenomenon. It continues to be a phenomenon. I am totally NOT the kind of person who tells people to shut up. If you think the 2600 sucks, that's fine (no it isn't! Ha ha!), but I don't understand why you wouldn't want to support the Atari community with the inexpensive purchase of this unit

 

It's the best way to reward Atari and the work of the community. Give Atari a sale

Edited May 4, 2005 by sidcrowe

[sidcrowe]

"I'll buy one for sure-just for the homebrews"

 

THE HOMEBREWS! You could do it for the homebrews alone!

[+Cobra Kai]

Meh. Not even interesting to me. When I'm already overloaded with consoles, and plenty of actual 2600 games, this thing is just a useless toy that I won't derive the same enjoyment from that I would get from actually playing my VCS.

[RxRated]

Not to mention that you'll still have 40 games to play in 1 little box when you're wife yells at you to clean all those fu#%ing cartridges up off that table.

[sidcrowe]

"this thing is just a useless toy that I won't derive the same enjoyment from that I would get from actually playing my VCS."

 

I reckon it's a genetic twin of the same "useless toy" you already have. I'll bet if we hid it in one of your old consoles, you wouldn't know the difference. Then would it become a "useful" toy?

 

What if one of your old ones got fried? Why not have a perfect new back-up? Can you really not afford it? Would you rather dig for a dusty used one on Ebay?

 

How the heck do you expect the Atari brand to get strong if you turn your back on its offering? There are homebrews in this thing. When was there ever homebrews offered back in the day? It's exciting just to be able to buy an Atari homebrew in 2005. Why not support it? We all waste money on stupidity like McDonald's...this is a culmination of a lot of hard work...doesn't it deserve purchase?

 

EDIT:

"Not to mention that you'll still have 40 games to play in 1 little box when you're wife yells at you to clean all those fu#%ing cartridges up off that table."

 

You could take it with you without having to worry about wrecking your old 2600s. Can you get a reliable 2600 on Ebay for so little money?

Edited May 4, 2005 by sidcrowe

[RxRated]

I'm gonna hook one up in my boat. If it gets wet and burns out, I'm only out $29!

[sidcrowe]

"I'm gonna hook one up in my boat. If it gets wet and burns out, I'm only out $29!"

 

It goes anywhere! Another plus

[+Cobra Kai]

How the heck do you expect the Atari brand to get strong if you turn your back on its offering? There are homebrews in this thing. When was there ever homebrews offered back in the day? It's exciting just to be able to buy an Atari homebrew in 2005. Why not support it? We all waste money on stupidity like McDonald's...this is a culmination of a lot of hard work...doesn't it deserve purchase?

 

I don't expect the Atari brand to get strong, and I have no stake, nor care if it does or not. I'm also not interested in homebrews.

Edited May 4, 2005 by Gunstarhero

[sidcrowe]

"I don't expect the Atari brand to get strong, and I have no stake, nor care if it does or not. I'm also not interested in homebrews."

 

Well, it won't get strong if we don't help it

 

I have no "stake," either. I also have no "stake" in a lot of things I like. It's a kinda cynical attitude to take.

 

Not interested in homebrews? The idea that people could cook up new games? I guess this FB2 purchase sorta defines one's feelings about the Atari community.

 

You're either passive or active. It takes money to keep this website up, and it took work to produce the FB2. This unit is inexpensive.

 

I haven't heard anything so far that can beat IMO that you could give it as a gift or donate it to somebody who would like it. I like the idea of Atari being solvent. What does it cost me? A few lousy bucks :/

 

Unless you're broke, the excuse isn't good enough for me. But that's just me.

[Bill Brasky]

eh, I already have a 2600 adapter for CV, not really a 2600 fan. I'd be much more interested in a new 7800. 7800's are much, much less common and cost more to buy on Ebay. I can easily find and buy cheap 2600's all the time.

[jetset]

 

As far as I can tell, there is NO EXCUSE

 

 

Grames: They just made something great. What, are you gonna turn your nose up at it? Why won't you reward them with a sale?

 

 

849478[/snapback]

 

We're talking the same Atari that forced some great games and hacks to no longer be available in the AA store, like Castle Crisis and others? The same Atari that's hampering the development of Adventure 2, or at least the name (oops..."The quest for the Golden Chalice")

 

That Atari right?

 

They made something great many years ago. I already own it.