Why aren't there Atari 2600 clone consoles?

[Sega Dude]

Why aren't there Atari 2600 clone consoles like their are clone NES, SNES, etc clone consoles? I know there are the Atari Flashback consoles but they don't really count because they don't have cartridge slots. I believe with the expectation of the Atari Flashback 2, they all use emulation.

[rasch_C]

There were actually quite a few of them. The more well known systems that could play 2600 games were: Colecovision & Intellivision both had modules to play Atari carts, and then the Gemini. There were also others (Sears etc.). But then there were flat out pirated versions of the 2600 -usually over seas.

[+frankodragon]

Here's a few:

 

 

 

 

 

[iesposta]

I didn't know until recently that Intellivision had a system changer to play 2600 games, or that the 5200 had one also!

I also never knew that Bally/Astrocade had Wizard Of Wor, but called it Incredible Wizard!

Once I had an Atari 800XL, getting a 5200 (same system as Atari 800), or a 7800 (Had Colecovision with Atari adapter) seemed redundant.

Recently I bought a Coleco Gemini because the Paddle / loose short throw

Joysticks are best for maze games and paddle games.

 

You are asking about modern hardware that plays Atari 2600.

For hardware that sold for 13+ years, there are millions still out there that you can buy and that still work great.

I have about 10 different systems to play Atari 2600 carts on.

[iesposta]

LOL

SuperVision 26000

Twenty-six thousand?

 

And is that the Atari 2800 prototype?

I wonder if they ever got the wireless controllers correct?

[+frankodragon]

Here's a whole page of them. http://www.cyberroach.com/cyromag/six/cge993p.htm

 

And yeah, it's hard to tell with the descriptions being left or right of the pictures (I thought they were above or below) but that's supposedly a 2800 prototype.

[SiLic0ne t0aD]

SuperVision..

I have a Coleco Gemini, that counts.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

There is a 2600 clone called "Rambo" it was a cheaply made one from China and claims to have over 200 games built into it.

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

I think Retrobit and Hyperkin and the like won't touch Atari because they believe the demand for them isn't there. Atari isn't mainstream enough. Also Atari was practically non-existent in Asia, but Famicom was king, hence all the cheap xx-in-1 famiclones. Convince the Chinese clone factories to produce an Atari-on-a-chip and maybe Retrobit or Hyperkin will release a clone system. And it will probably barf on any homebrew that uses illegal opcodes.

[high voltage]

I think Retrobit and Hyperkin and the like won't touch Atari because they believe the demand for them isn't there. Atari isn't mainstream enough. Also Atari was practically non-existent in Asia, but Famicom was king, hence all the cheap xx-in-1 famiclones. Convince the Chinese clone factories to produce an Atari-on-a-chip and maybe Retrobit or Hyperkin will release a clone system. And it will probably barf on any homebrew that uses illegal opcodes.

Atari was huge in Asia, especially Taiwan, South Korea, China, just check out the VCS database, 1000s of Asian made Atari carts. Check out the V cases

Edited August 16, 2015 by high voltage

[Andromeda Stardust]

Atari was huge in Asia, especially Taiwan, South Korea, China, just check out the VCS database, 1000s of Asian made Atari carts. Check out the V cases

I thought it tanked hard. Or was that Japan?

[SoulBlazer]

I thought it tanked hard. Or was that Japan?

I'm not sure exactly how well the Atari 2600 did in Japan -- it was called the 2800 there, if I recall right -- but it probably didn't do that great due to timing. Once the Famicom came out in 83, it took the country by storm. The Intelivison didn't do that well either. In fact, no American gaming system has done well in Japan -- Microsoft tried to get the Xbox going there and that wasn't a big success either. They are closed minded when it comes to 'outside' systems.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I'm not sure exactly how well the Atari 2600 did in Japan -- it was called the 2800 there, if I recall right -- but it probably didn't do that great due to timing. Once the Famicom came out in 83, it took the country by storm. The Intelivison didn't do that well either. In fact, no American gaming system has done well in Japan -- Microsoft tried to get the Xbox going there and that wasn't a big success either. They are closed minded when it comes to 'outside' systems.

Yeah, I don't see why M$ even bothers to shovel their crap in Japan anymore. Their paltry sales can't possibly make up for marketing and distribution. Some guys were joking about it on a Nintendolife article a few months back where the Xbone shifted 100 consoles one month, barely cracking triple digits.

[+frankodragon]

Timing was one issue. Price was another. Nintendo really pushed to have a cheaper, yet more powerful system out on shelves. Even the Epoch Cassette Vision was the dominant system in '81-83.

[high voltage]

I'm not sure exactly how well the Atari 2600 did in Japan -- it was called the 2800 there, if I recall right -- but it probably didn't do that great due to timing. Once the Famicom came out in 83, it took the country by storm. The Intelivison didn't do that well either. In fact, no American gaming system has done well in Japan -- Microsoft tried to get the Xbox going there and that wasn't a big success either. They are closed minded when it comes to 'outside' systems.

3DO made a little impact in Japan, but only due to Japanese 3DO hardware manufactures. Otherwise, yes, Japan doesn't want to know about Western/US made consoles, never. Before 3DO they never made games for foreign consoles either. Konami and Sega made games for VCS, but that's it.

[Andromeda Stardust]

3DO made a little impact in Japan, but only due to Japanese 3DO hardware manufactures. Otherwise, yes, Japan doesn't want to know about Western/US made consoles, never. Before 3DO they never made games for foreign consoles either. Konami and Sega made games for VCS, but that's it.

I knew about Sega carts and own a few. Didn't know Konami made VCS games. Were they any good?

 

Edit: I looked them up and in fact they made three games. I own one of them: Pooyan.

Edited August 16, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Sega Dude]

Ok, so there were plenty of Atari 2600 clones back in the day, but why aren't there any "modern" clones being sold today? Is it really just because there is no demand for them, among other things, like stardust4ever said?

[high voltage]

So are there any (many) SNES, NES clones nowadays? There are these Retron multi clones where they forgot due to stupidity to include 7800/VCS SMS and PC Engine. No big deal, made by morons.

I see a few NES/SNES multi consoles (Retro Duos) on ebay US, but not many.

Do they sell? Is there a demand? Maybe by some collectors, but I don't think they're million sellers.

[ubersaurus]

I'm not sure exactly how well the Atari 2600 did in Japan -- it was called the 2800 there, if I recall right -- but it probably didn't do that great due to timing. Once the Famicom came out in 83, it took the country by storm. The Intelivison didn't do that well either. In fact, no American gaming system has done well in Japan -- Microsoft tried to get the Xbox going there and that wasn't a big success either. They are closed minded when it comes to 'outside' systems.

That's oversimplifying things. Those foreign systems like the Intellivision and Odyssey2 were all exceptionally expensive (like $500 or so at the time) in Japan, and the much cheaper Cassettevision was comparable in capabilities. The Atari 2800 also launched the same time as the Famicom did in 1983 and was also a few hundred dollars more expensive in comparison for a visibly more primitive system. Simply put, American companies didn't really care about the Japanese market that much and didn't price any of their hardware to move.

 

Microsoft has made attempts to get into the Japanese market, but the bulk of the games on those systems have always been Western ones, and that's really a niche audience in Japan. There are fans of European and American games there, don't get me wrong, but it's certainly not on the same scale. And nowadays pretty much every console in Japan is flailing (with the Wii U flailing the least) so the Xbone is extra screwed.

[Retro Rogue]

The third one down is not a clone, that's the Atari 2700.

 

 

Here's a few:

 

 

 

 

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

So are there any (many) SNES, NES clones nowadays? There are these Retron multi clones where they forgot due to stupidity to include 7800/VCS SMS and PC Engine. No big deal, made by morons.

I see a few NES/SNES multi consoles (Retro Duos) on ebay US, but not many.

Do they sell? Is there a demand? Maybe by some collectors, but I don't think they're million sellers.

My Super Retro Trio plays Famicom, SMS, GB, and GBA games with adapters...

 

Turbo/PCe is too obscure for casuals and 2600 is a relic that's hard for many retro gamers to digest.

Edited August 18, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Major_Tom_coming_home]

Err... actually there has been a modern clone in a manner of speaking. The Atari Flashback 2 plug and play console was a hardware clone of the 2600. It only came with built-in games, but it was designed in such a way that a cartridge port could be added and it would then become a fully functional 2600 with modern A/V inputs. I believe it was possible to do the mod so it would still be able to play the built in games but I'm not 100% sure about that. I don't think too many Flashback 2 consoles were ever modded however. By the time you bought the flashback and the parts to do the mod, it was cheaper to just get an original 2600. Fortunately for all of us there isn't a really a need for a modern clone. the 2600 has proven to be a very sturdy console and lots of them were made. Since they can be purchased inexpensively I suspect there is no money to be made by selling a clone. The random untested Atari 2600 bought at a flea market will stand a good chance of actually working. On the other hand, the random NES is almost guaranteed to not work without the cartridge adapter being repaired or replaced.

 

But hey, what about a 5-in-1 Atari clone that can play 2600, 5200, 7800, 8-bit, and lynx games? (I'm thinking a jaguar clone would be too expensive to clone with hardware and too difficult or even impossible to emulate on an inexpensive plug-and-play.)

Edited August 20, 2015 by Major_Tom_coming_home

[Vic George 2K3]

When I think about Atari 2600 clones, I usually think of the Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade and the Coleco Gemini. I actually owned the Coleco Gemini for a short while during the summer of 1985, and it was a pretty interesting system to have around with its joystick/paddle controller combo. I saw the Video Arcade II model in a Sears store in 1982 and mistakenly thought that it was an Atari 5200 clone system that Sears was marketing under license. I still like the look of that particular model, though.

[high voltage]

TV Boys are kinda neat

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

 

But hey, what about a 5-in-1 Atari clone that can play 2600, 5200, 7800, 8-bit, and lynx games? (I'm thinking a jaguar clone would be too expensive to clone with hardware and too difficult or even impossible to emulate on an inexpensive plug-and-play.)

They already have a Jaguar clone ... sort of ...