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Atari Flashback 5 New Features (Dream List)


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this is amusing, some dude cooks up a 2600 on a chip but its more authentic than some dude cooking up a 2600 in software, neither are real, and at this point in time a toaster could run 2600 games, but mention software and the enthusiast comes out with no real understanding other than feel

 

I have a real 2600 and a real 2600 emulator, other than the feel of the controller I hardly tell the difference on 99% of programs unless I nit pick over them

Wow.. you totally put me in my place. Excuse me for thinking a chip that is based on the original brains of the system is somehow better then a marginal emulated program that's running on non-native hardware. I'm totally nitpicking when the compatibility isn't nearly as good with emulation. My bad.

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I bet if I setup a experiment where it appeared that you were playing a heavy sixer, but actually running an emulator, that most "experts" would never know the difference while just playing a game

It would depend on that specific emulator's level of fidelity. The emulators that the FB3 and FB4 run reproduce the 2600 experience much better than the FB1's reprogrammed ports, but I've heard that there are some significant bugs in them. For example, when running Battlezone, the radar display sometimes doesn't show enemies, and enemies sometimes don't make sounds.

 

Excuse me for thinking a chip that is based on the original brains of the system is somehow better then a marginal emulated program that's running on non-native hardware.

Well, an emulator is also based on the original brains of the system. Whether via one-chip hardware consolidation or software emulation, it's an effort in abstracting the original system's components into a new format. Errors in fidelity can materialize in both paths. Consider that there are multiple revisions of the FB2's Michele 2600-on-a-chip; each successive one fixes bugs that were in its predecessors. Right now, the Michele has a higher degree of fidelity than the AtGames emulator, but if AtGames puts some effort into isolating and fixing its bugs, there's no reason their emulator can't someday match the Michele.

 

onmode-ky

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My idea of what the Flashback should be like? (From a few years ago...) Go back to the FB 2 with the 2600-on-a-chip but add a mini-cart slot; then they can have licensed games from Namco, Midway or Taito and put 2600 versions on them. Like say Activision Anthology with Activision game or Taito Legends with Space Invaders! That way they don't have to take the FB's off the shelves once the license agreement runs out...

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Make it a handheld. I want atari on the go.

 

Atari's Greatest Hits 1 and 2 for Nintendo DS/3DS has some 2600 games on it. Almost the same as having a portable 2600... (with limited game selection). If the Antic Anthology had been done for the DS that would almost solve the subject of a portable 2600.

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The Flashback 5 really won't differ greatly from the previous Flashbacks. It will have more games than ever and an outside shot at an SD card slot, but I have a feeling that will be nixed by the licensors, sadly. Really, the only progressive company in that regard is Sega.

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I've been doing emulation for since like the early 1990's and I've seen it all. I believe that once you tweak all the display settings just right, the emulated game is good enough that you can forget it's emulation. Today's emulation gets 100% of us 95% of the way there. And "there" is meant to be defined as a perfectionist/purist set-up, and that means nib CRT and nib console with un-used controllers and new everything else.

 

You gotta admit that proper emulation is damned good!

 

Another thing, with cabinet arcade games (off topic for a moment) I would need to drive 25 or more miles to get to a place that has any. And then they don't have all my favorites, and not every game is 100% perfectly maintained anyways. And I'm fickle enough I'd go through the selection (no matter how big) instantly.

 

 

My dream would be a console with slots for 2600/7800, 5200, 400/800, Jaguar, and Lynx cartridges. Add ports to hook up a disk drive and keyboard to give the full XL/ST experience. If someone could ever make that happen I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

 

Build a pico-ATX or micro-ATX or ITX PC into a small box and load it up with the right emulators. Cartridge slot can be some form of SD or SSD. I know that's not what you meant. But a buddy of mine is doing something very similar.

 

By the way, didn't some company make a console (or at least advertised one) that looked like a TRS-80 Model III, and claimed to run stuff from like 5 or 6 systems? Dimension? Or UltraVision? Or MultiVision something?

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The Flashback 5 really won't differ greatly from the previous Flashbacks. It will have more games than ever and an outside shot at an SD card slot, but I have a feeling that will be nixed by the licensors, sadly. Really, the only progressive company in that regard is Sega.

If there is a SD card slot, could it be used to save high scores?

 

I hope the extra games include arcade versions, i would love to have the arcade version of warlords like they did on the Atari Paddle Plug n Play.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001GBRO6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&tag=atariage&creativeASIN=B0001GBRO6&linkCode=as2

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The Flashback 5 really won't differ greatly from the previous Flashbacks. It will have more games than ever and an outside shot at an SD card slot, but I have a feeling that will be nixed by the licensors, sadly. Really, the only progressive company in that regard is Sega.

SD slot? So you're telling me there's a chance? haha. I will buy it day one if there is, but I am done buying these units until then.

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Hopefully they stick to wired controllers.

 

The Intellivision and ColecoVision Flashbacks will be wired, but I'm not sure yet about the Atari one. It really doesn't matter if they do or don't, though, because it's easy enough to plug in whatever controller you want with the Atari Flashback anyway.

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The Intellivision and ColecoVision Flashbacks will be wired, but I'm not sure yet about the Atari one. It really doesn't matter if they do or don't, though, because it's easy enough to plug in whatever controller you want with the Atari Flashback anyway.

I understand where you are coming from, but it matters to me. I would like two new controllers that I can use instead of that wireless junk that goes in the trash.

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my version of the FB5 would include ports for every cartridge type in the Atari line including the handheld Lynx. plus an SD slot to house the entire legacy of ROMs. controllers would be bluetooth recreations of each system's controller and USB ports for charging said controllers and also hooking up a keyboard. output types would include VGA, composite, and HDMI. why not throw in WiFi and a web browser while we're at it, with a default bookmark to AtariAge.

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I'd like to see an Atari Flashback Jaguar. That's one system I never got.

As far as PORTABLE:

Atari Flashback LYNX! That would be GREAT!

I can tell you that neither of those will ever happen, at least from a company like AtGames. A system needs the proper mix of nostalgia and a reasonably large collection of games that are both recognizable and licenseable. While the Atari name is strong, it's mostly strong from the standpoint of the VCS and certain arcade games. All of the other Atari systems have poor recognition in the mainstream. That's why you see the Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive constantly getting re-releases. The Game Gear/Master System have had releases and will likely continue to get some releases mostly due to similar "high profile" games being available for them as well (often tied around Sonic, which is still an ongoing IP), as well as Sega being so forthcoming with its IPs and the user thereof.

 

With all of that said, it's something of a victory that we're getting Intellivision and ColecoVision Flashbacks now, but those do have reasonably strong nostalgic value (it helps they haven't been over licensed to this point), plus a relatively easy-to-license, reasonably-sized library. What might come after would almost certainly be something in the C-64 or Amiga families, but those do present their own set of issues. I think the Atari 5200 would actually be on the table, but the controller might be difficult to duplicate and/or grasp for today's audiences. Certainly an XEGS-like alternative would solve that problem, but then it still comes down to how you market the thing and how much of the IP is both available and desirable from a name recognition standpoint. In the end, that's how you have to think about mass market products like the AtGames stuff - how you can get the thing to sell - at minimum - in the hundreds of thousands of units across the country. Certainly *we'd* want all of the systems from our youth to be given the Flashback treatment, but we don't represent the larger buying public.

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I shall continue to dream, especially since they did the GAME GEAR...makes since to me to make the LYNX.

That's fine, I'm just saying that's all it's going to be, at least with AtGames. The Lynx only sold a fraction of what the Game Gear sold and has far fewer "recognizable" titles, plus Sega's brand was quite a bit stronger in Europe, which gives them another sales outlet. Again, we're getting all the Sega stuff because they're easily the most liberal with their licensing. They actually want to make money any way they can. Go figure.

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Um, hello, this is "(Dream List)" not the "negatively doubtful of @games to ever do anything unexpected" list

Then maybe this topic should be changed to the "Atari Flashback 6 New Features (Dream List)," because that's not happening in the actual Atari Flashback 5 that's coming out this year. ;-)

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