TrogdarRobusto

whoa ... I was not mocking anything. Just some light humor.

No, but Atari Teenage Riot are. https://www.atari-teenage-riot.com/

Plaion is the contract manufacturer of the Atari 2600+. They have a lot of experience with retro consoles, and they worked pretty hard with our team to do a good job on the 2600+ and the controllers. A lot of revisions to make sure the plastics felt right, the tension on the metal toggle switches felt right, etc. Build quality, for me, so far seems really solid. Could be little heavier, but otherwise feels and functions really well. Time will tell, of course. I mean, it sounds like you are writing them off because their HQ is in Austria? I don't know what to do with that especially as I my heritage is half Austrian and half Irish.

I had no idea it was Friday ... these days are blending together. Everyone have a good weekend.

I am listening and sharing your feedback within the organization ...

I stand by what I have said about our goals. I have zero interest in getting into an argument.

Been discussed. Let's see what happens.

famicommander as I said earlier, not everyone is going to agree with everything we do, but hopefully you like most of what we do.

You see the problem right? All these things are good ideas, we just need to do them bit by bit so we do them well. We talk about Lynx, Jaguar and ST all the time. It is just a question of what and when. Modern ports. Retro hardware. A really good mini. Maybe all of the above.

True, we can't publish what we don't own. But we have acquired a lot more ST titles recently, as you note. We've had three catalog acquisition announcements in the last year I think. I can't speak to what may or may be not on the horizon (illegal).

You are comparing a $40 device to a $130 device. I cannot speak to the performance, I haven't played it and I don't work directly on that part of the business. As I said I will check out the reviews.

I don't like hearing that. But, I will pass on the feedback. Just watched the GenXGrownUp review ... he calls if out for some flaws but recommends it. I will look for more. If you have links send them my way, but lets do that in another thread ... way off topic.

One could argue majestic failure is in our DNA ... Nolan talks about that all the time ... https://www.gamedeveloper.com/console/how-failure-copycats-and-flops-helped-atari-find-success

I mean, those aren't even out yet.

100% you will see Atari ST projects down the road. What they are specifically, I cannot say. But there is so much good content from that era it would be a crime not to share it more broadly. This is an area where I think we are all aligned.

I get it, some of the partnerships Atari got into Wade and team unwound really, really quick because we didn't like them either. But remove the speculative aspect of the equation and view it through that lens. You could argue that the crypto bros hijacked the technology ... I mean, that is just so how people are. If we get a whiff of a get rich quick scheme ... off to the races. But there is also a cohort of people who see beyond the hype and look at the underlying value of innovation. If an NFT had no monetary value beyond unlocking an asset or experience, or both ... then to me it becomes a really flexible, easy to create key.

Wholeheartedly yes, we will still discuss other topics (other systems) on Atari Age. Retro aeternum!

I can't speak to who is involved in Atari Hotels, or at what level, that information would need to come from Atari Hotels and/or GSD Group. I can say that Woz is a renowned aficionado of good hotels and that the Managing Partner of Atari Hotels is also the Chair of the Woz Innovation Foundation. That is all in the public record.

I will pass on that feedback. I actually do a lot of the writing here at Atari, and I tend to first research, then consult someone like Marty or Al, and then write. There is a lot of 'false history' out there, and copywriting and editing does seem to be a lost art (now I sound old). The PCB board copy was written by the licensee that makes the PCB boards. I will provide feedback. They are a good partner, they want to make things that the community will value, so they will want to hear the feedback about the copy.

Tim is actually helping us source artists now for new key art. We usually do two illustrations per game, so we have an alternate for special physical versions. Atari created key art, we need to return to that standard from the golden era. That is a big focus, and important to me personally. We may not always nail it, but we are trying.

Our new games are solid, and I am really excited about many of the titles we have announced that launch in the next few months. The Hotels are a licensing deal. I am still really curious to see how that plays out. It was signed by the previous admin, but it has potential. The concept is cool, but the pandemic blew a huge whole in their plans. I know a lot of people thought it was odd/silly/strange ... but remember it is a licensing deal, we didn't decide to suddenly become a hotel operator. It isn't going to distract in any way from our core business. But if those hotels are successful, wow what brand building. Even if you thought the Atari Token was a good idea, and many, many people did not, the execution was not up to the standards of the new team which is why we shut it down. That was started under the previous administration, but we inherited it and we owned it. Had the execution been better, had they picked better partners overall ... it was an innovative play and innovation is something Atari has always been known for (some innovation went great, some famously not so well.) But some of the licensed crypto partnerships were truly cringeworthy. It also happened during a period when Atari wasn't making games, so it probably seemed even more directionally bizarre. The Atari content in The Sandbox metaverse is really cool, by the way. I would think any Atari fan who got to romp around in the environment would think it was pretty fantastic. I should share some of that creative work in here ... it is really well done, great celebration of Atari games. Web3 technology holds long term promise ... and we are keeping a finger in that to see where it leads, but we think it is a good thing that all the crypto froth has dissipated and the get rich quick moment is over.

By the way, serious props to Al who is also answering questions non-stop in the AtariAge Facebook group. We need to let him get a little work done, he is still prepping for PRGE.

I am pretty sure you can change that setting in the bios. However, if there is one useful thing I ever do in the AA forums, here it is. I have my VCS sitting on an AC Infinity AIRCOM S6 cooling blower fan system, which is super, super quiet. As a result, I never, ever hear the VCS fan because it never turns on. $49.99 and it looks nice.

Culture is important. It is very much a topic of discussion within Atari. Al is on the team now, such a great and critical link. We speak with homebrew developers more, like Dennis and Mike. We can go further and will. Atari historians like Marty and Tim (and Al). Matt on prototypes. We just launched the Atari Club. It feels like we are getting the band back together ... but it will take time and I know you can't pre-judge the outcome. Culture is also not static, so it will shift very slowly over time as we fold younger audiences into the brand. And hold us to it. Let us know when we are sounding tone deaf or off culture. We can handle the constructive criticism. Off topic perhaps, but perhaps not ... no one inside Atari refers to this company as Atari SA ... that feels like a purposeful dig. Not saying that is how you are using it. But to me it is like when people refer to Atari as Infogrames or "the company that used to be Atari" or "French Atari." These alternatives names that are meant to say "you aren't the real Atari and you never will be." If Atari ceased to exist in 1979 when Nolan left the company then why are where are we all here? Just call us Atari.

The Arcade1Up is a bit taller, doesn't require that base, but I am 6'5" so I hear you. Can't speak to an arcade kit, plausible.