x=usr(1536)

Ray, stop hijacking the Q&A thread to ask about 5200 shit. You know it's not the right place for it.

Bear in mind that I may also be misremembering what it is that it uses. Like I said, it's been a long time and my recollections may be off. Having said that, yep, that would work.

Fair enough, and thanks for the reply. The background is definitely appreciated. It's not intended as a dig, but rather as a differentiator. I do see your point, though. FWIW, I don't believe in any one particular iteration of Atari as being the One True Atari. From 1972 to 1996, each one produced things that in some way, shape, or form caught my interest. From that point on... Not so much. I am willing to accept that that may change, however, but am very much in the wait-and-see camp on it. If I should appear skeptical or critical please bear in mind that it's borne out of both experience and wanting to see that improvement.

@TrogdarRobusto: when I wrote about culture clash, the reproduction PCBs @M-S is referring to above are an example of the sort of thing that I mean. There's nothing inherently wrong with the concept of selling or owning a PCB as a wall-hanger; I've certainly put a few on the wall in my time. However, the text on the back of the PCB for Major Havoc appears to have been taken from its Wikipedia entry and run through a lazy AI rewrite. Given the similarity of phrasing, structure, and the same errors appearing in both sources, it's reminiscent of a kid plagiarising a source then handing in homework based on that plagiarism. This is where the culture clash aspect comes in: it's clear that people who could have corrected these errors were never consulted; had they been, the product wouldn't have been released in this state. But from the external perspective, it looks as though Atari just doesn't care about the product (or the people who may be interested in buying it) as long as there's a revenue stream to be had. Note that none of this is being brought up to be antagonistic; I genuinely just want to provide an example to illustrate the point that this is the sort of thing that fuels a lot of the animosity, mistrust, and general skepticism surrounding Atari's ability to not only successfully execute, but also to successfully relate to the people who use and develop for its products.

Which is a fair point. More: Sure, but if it had been called something else not related to prior systems, would that have limited enjoyment of the machine, particularly the nostalgia aspect? I understand the analogy you're making, but if the GTO you're referring to had been badged as the Pontiac Monaro (as it was in its home market as a Holden), would that reduce your interest in and / or enjoyment of that vehicle?

Meh. Don't really care if they build them or not, though I do see them as emblematic of the schizophrenic approach to the marketplace that was a signature of the Chesnais era. If one were to go up in Vegas, I'd probably visit it for the novelty value. But then, I'm also in Vegas two to four times a year on average for business, so getting to it wouldn't be much of a stretch. Setting it as a vacation destination, though? It'd have to have some significant appeal or USP that can't be found at the other hotels in the area. Either way, it'd have to be built first, so there is that

This is something that the current incarnation of Atari really needs to stop doing: reusing the names and model numbers of past systems. Not only are these not the same as (or even really related to) the machines that originally carried these designations, it makes trying to dig up relevant info regarding the original ones that much more difficult. "VCS 800" was particularly egregious; it managed to screw up searches for not only the original VCS, but also the 800 and 800XL computers.

If I can stay in the Asteroids room and sleep in a Night Driver car bed under Marble Madness sheets while wearing Bentley Bear pyjamas, I'm in! I sure hope the next guest doesn't bring a blacklight.

@TrogdarRobusto: Would you mind taking a look at the following and responding with your thoughts? I really should have tagged you in the post, but completely neglected to. Thanks!

I used to own the upright, and it's one of only two arcade games I've ever sold that I actually regret letting go. Bob's port is excellent. He really knocked it out of the park on this one.

Anticipating their next argument: "yeah, well, that's only a demo! It doesn't count unless it's in a game!" Excellent work, @RevEng!

Nor do I. While I did find the two statements to be at odds with each other, I didn't see them as necessarily being mutually-exclusive. My guess: "you're fired!" "You can't fire me, I quit!" Now imagine the scenario played out with 'stop stalking me/her' nastygrams from Cindy or her lawyers instead of termination of employment, and that may be closer to where the truth is.

IIRC, it's a 9-volt battery eliminator and plugs directly into the same connector used by the battery. Haven't seen the one that I had as a kid in decades, but my recollection is that there was a cutout in or above the battery compartment lid to allow for the cable to exit the device.

Oh, I am totally ignoring this thread like a thread-ignoring champion.

The following is fundamentally the same as a reply that I was writing earlier to a different post but decided to let go. However, I believe that in this context it's worth mentioning; @Albert, this is not specifically directed at you. At the heart of a lot of the animosity shown towards modern Atari (which includes its other recent incarnations) is culture clash. The current iteration is headed by a CEO who wasn't born when the 7800 was first released, and I do not say that as any sort of personal attack towards him. I do mention it, however, because culture comes from the top down, and this is a company headed by a person who has no roots in its history. Nolan is there in an advisory capacity, and that's a good thing. Having Albert on board as historian has a lot of potential to shape things for the better. But neither of these people are the ones running the company, and as such can only effect so much change in their respective positions. In 1984, I got my first Atari 800 and 410 tape drive. I can point to that machine as having had a very definite impact on my life: it ultimately led to a 27-year career in a number of facets of IT, starting out in Tier I tech support and ending up in executive management. It was responsible for me being able to feed, clothe, and house myself. It was also responsible for leading me to people and experiences that I would have otherwise never met or had. This is where an aspect of the culture clash comes in: those memories and lived experiences are not things that can be repackaged and resold. Slapping a Fuji logo on the latest rehash of <insert hardware or software here> and expecting me to buy it because Atari is, quite frankly, insulting to experience that shaped my life in some incredibly significant ways. My suggestion would be for Atari, SA to make a concerted effort at actually understanding that culture. Be a part of the communities that exist, both here and elsewhere and not just for the sake of marketing. This would go a long way towards bridging certain gaps, and hopefully improving communication and understanding in the process.

Starting this thread so that @BIGHMW can receive replies to his posts in other threads without hijacking those threads in the process. Starting off: I'm confused by the following two statements. Perhaps @BIGHMW can clarify: In the first reply, you state that, "Cindy has dropped the bomb on yours truly here," suggesting that she decided to end communication or similar. However, in the second reply, you state that, "putting Cindy in the rear view mirror should be just as much a piece of cake," which sounds as though you've chosen to end things. Which is it?

For clarity: the 'our' above should read 'my', as @BIGHMW is the only person who actually refers to the console by that name. He did get ownership of the pet name for the 7800 correct, however.

One thing that I would add to this: if Atari, SA intends to have physical releases for legacy hardware, the same should apply. Targetting nostalgia is all well and good, but how many ways to play Centipede do we really need? New software is what keeps these systems alive.

Correct: it should not flash (or beep).

@TrogdarRobusto: I realise that this question doesn't have a concrete answer, but would like to hear what you have to say regarding it. The reputation that Atari, SA has built up with a large chunk of the community over the past few years can be charitably described as less than stellar. Does Atari, SA intend to repair that relationship, and, if so, how?

Funnily enough, I was looking at that exact thread last night while figuring out what might be going on with mine Out of curiosity, where in the manufacturing date range does yours fall? The PCB, etc. look to be identical.

There is also one additional point that I feel needs to be mentioned, and it's a sensitive one. None of this should be construed as antagonism; it's concern. Many of us have been AtariAge subscribers because we want to contribute financially towards the upkeep of the site. People (not necessarily subscribers) also purchase items from the store in part because it's a way to support further hardware and software development. On a purely personal (but related) note, I do not wish to give my money to Atari, SA at this time. Will there be a separation of revenue streams between Atari, SA and AtariAge? If Atari, SA will be contributing towards the financial upkeep of the site, how does this reshape the traditional subscriber benefits? Again, not asking this to be antagonistic, and I realise that the details of financial agreements may not be 100% open to inspection. That's clearly understood. But addressing how subscribers and customers may be affected would be appreciated.

This is an interesting development I had a feeling that things might be going this way, but that was really nothing more than a suspicion on my behalf. Regarding one of the above points: And, in relation to that, from the announcement thread: This is something that I truly hope is able to be maintained into the future. Keeping the status quo after a major shift such as this one can be difficult. One concern I do have is borne out from my experiences in attempting to communicate directly with Atari: none of it was what could be described as pleasant, or even neutral. If anything, Atari's replies to my points were dismissive and condescending, and failed to address questions which I had raised. Note that this took place after they had hired someone to act as a community liaison of sorts, and he had invited commentary regarding the frustrations many of us have had with the company. The impression that I received was that a great deal of lip service was being paid to being interested in what the community thought, but that in practice the expectation was that if you weren't 100% in lock step with the 'everything Atari is awesome' mentality, your invited opinion had no merit. The reason why I bring this up is concern for the longer term. I realise that in the short term nothing will change, but influence ends to creep in over time. What in the way of safeguards will be in place to ensure that Atari doesn't censor content (or members) who may be critical of them as a company? I'm all for people loving their VCS, 2600+, etc., but there's also legitimate criticism that needs to have a place to be aired without fear of reprisal or being sent down the memory hole.