New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[JBerel]

 

Lol. xD

 

Basically, he wasn't really trying to scam anyone, but he had everyone throw monies at him so he could maybe make something awesome, but he didn't know what to do to make a console, so it inadvertently turned into a scam because of that uncertainty of the project being doable for him. o

 

Did you already have the appraisal about Mr. Kennedy before you backed the AtariBox? I think an inadvertent scam is the most generous appraisal of Atari SA's project based on everything they've shown to date. It's leaning more and more toward the first scenario of deliberate scam just based on their unwillingness to communicate with backers as required, and as they profusely pledged they would. (As all crowd funding scammers do) Whether they actually put anything tangible into backer's hands may not change that at this point, but I'll be happy to be proven wrong. Shocked beyond measure, but happy.

[Clint Thompson]

 

Did you already have the appraisal about Mr. Kennedy before you backed the AtariBox? I think an inadvertent scam is the most generous appraisal of Atari SA's project based on everything they've shown to date. It's leaning more and more toward the first scenario of deliberate scam just based on their unwillingness to communicate with backers as required, and as they profusely pledged they would. (As all crowd funding scammers do) Whether they actually put anything tangible into backer's hands may not change that at this point, but I'll be happy to be proven wrong. Shocked beyond measure, but happy.

 

Maybe if they implemented a "One strike and you're out for good!" kind of guideline in regards to name usage across other products and even other funding platforms, this wouldn't have been allowed. Such as: Sorry Atari, judging by the fact that you've allowed your name to be used for the game watch that never materialized but was funded, you are not allowed to peddle your broken dreams here either until that project has been completed and delivered or a full refund has been accounted for to all the backers who got ripped off.

 

It's really time for all parties involved that allow these sort of things to happen to be held accountable. How an investigation isn't required on behalf of Indiegogo on such massive multi-million dollar backed projects is kind of mind blowing when no actual updates are being made and it's being used to peddle even more 3rd party licensed products instead of actually delivering their own.

 

Could be as simple as:

 

"If your project fails to be delivered on time as specified, a full investigation will be launched by IG/KS team and failure to comply will result in a lawsuit seeking but not limited to criminal charges and/or the full amount pledged refunded including lawyer, investigation and court costs; furthermore, permanently placing a brand name ban preventing future campaigns with any involvement related to said company or persons involved" or similar and revised as such

[JBerel]

Why would IG or KS investigate the practices of fund raisers using their service only to threaten their own revenue streams? Sure, they may talk up their stance on insuring legitimate practices and protecting members, but the reality is both those outfits just want their cut and insulation from liability. I'm sure their responsibilities to investors is as rock solid as Stratton Oakmont. As with most things in life, true accountability is self-regulated and self-serving. The one with the most horse-sense serves his interests best. If a scammer can fool some suckers, he gets the loot. If you're a sucker, you lose the loot. Like any quasi-criminal enterprise or ponzi scheme, they simply collect a fee for facilitating the transaction. Not their problem who wins or loses.

 

The only issue at play with this crap is fraud, and that illegal practice is carefully reclassified as risk, support, communication, uncertainty or some other euphemism by these companies to skirt the law on the scams they facilitate and divert their liability away from. If they were really concerned about consumer/backer protections, they would have fiduciary policies in place that any crowdfunding group must agree to. Then funds beyond the IG/KS fees would go into escrow and only be distributed upon proof of deliverables at each phase. They won't do that though because they just want a percentage for routing funds collected from hapless suckers, or doe-eyed optimists through the web. It's the best deal since the invention of loan sharks. Eventually the consumer protection division may regulate this crap, but for now, there's way too many enthusiastic suckers ready to champion their right to piss their money away, and you give the people what they want, even if they're too dumb to see what they're asking for.

Edited February 14, 2019 by JBerel

[PlaysWithWolves]

 

Did you already have the appraisal about Mr. Kennedy before you backed the AtariBox? I think an inadvertent scam is the most generous appraisal of Atari SA's project based on everything they've shown to date. It's leaning more and more toward the first scenario of deliberate scam just based on their unwillingness to communicate with backers as required, and as they profusely pledged they would. (As all crowd funding scammers do) Whether they actually put anything tangible into backer's hands may not change that at this point, but I'll be happy to be proven wrong. Shocked beyond measure, but happy.

 

The people involved with Atari know the proper way to do things. They wanted the zero-financial-risk way.

[Flojomojo]

Basically, he wasn't really trying to scam anyone, but he had everyone throw monies at him so he could maybe make something awesome, but he didn't know what to do to make a console, so it inadvertently turned into a scam because of that uncertainty of the project being doable for him. o uo

 

I guess it depends on what you mean by "scam." He was trying to get two million dollars of other people's money so he, Woita, and Carlsen could quit their jobs and do Retro Chameleon full time. They all said strange things, loudly and constantly. Woita wanted the cartridges to last forever. Carlsen wanted to patent stuff. Kennedy thought he was the Willy Wonka of retro games just because podcasts listened to him and let him talk ... and he talked a LOT. He contradicted himself constantly. Anyone following the story with half a brain could see where it was headed. He did not disappoint, the flameouts were spectacular. I'd been registered on this site for years prior, but this story hooked me like a soap opera.

 

Small businesses with big dreams start up every day, and most of them fail. I think Mike's biggest issue was that he didn't realize how incompetent he was. It seemed as if he thought he could buy or talk his way out of the core problems with his concept (no developers, audience, distribution, or reason to exist). After the fact, he tried to say, "don't blame me, I gave all my money to a con man" as if that excused or explained anything.

 

"Atari" has many of the same issues -- the "AtariBox" is a weak concept, poorly communicated. It operates at arm's length from Atari SA, probably for reasons of plausible deniability. It's had obvious problems that we can see from the outside, like slow development, infighting as evidenced by Feargal's legal complaint, no evidence that they've actually made anything, and their main dude breaking his leg. We can't see the inside, so for all we know the plywood castle has burned to the ground and Moak's Lucky Beard has fallen out. Don't like my logic? See also: "it hasn't proven to be a scam." It's pretty clear this project isn't for the benefit of the fans, it's just to tell someone that "Atari is back" and that they're working in hardware again. Who is the real audience supposed to be? The board of directors, the shareholders, potential acquiring firms? We can tell they're not interested in even the appearance of trying to make good games themselves, because the new catch phrase on their website is, "Atari, so much more than video games."

 

Even if this thing delivers, which to me seems increasingly unlikely with every passing week, it's not going to do much. Maybe "Atari" doesn't care, just so long as they get some press and pretend they're relevant and not a joke.

 

Speaking of Feargal, the lawsuit docket has a minor update -- a final extension of time to complete discovery.

ORDER granting Motion for Extension of Time to Complete Discovery. Discovery shall close on April 9, 2019. No further extensions will be granted. By April 1, 2019, the parties shall file a joint status letter discussing any anticipated summary judgment motions and a proposed briefing schedule, and indicating whether the parties request a settlement conference with another magistrate judge or referral to the Court's Mediation Program. (HEREBY ORDERED by Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn)(Text Only Order) (Netburn, Sarah)

It's hard to imagine there's too much to learn by going through Feargal's correspondence and contracts with "Atari." Maybe someone is stalling the legal proceedings to give Rob "Tin Giant Sandwich" Wyatt one last chance to move the project further along, just so they can claim it's substantially different from what Feargal did?

 

Shall we help them with their concession speech?

 

This is a difficult email to write. Atari VCS was conceived as a love letter to the fans. We chose the IndieGogo platform so we could engage with classic gamers and make them a part of the process. Unfortunately, this historic undertaking has been sabotaged by former associates, acting in bad faith and claiming credit for work that has not been performed. As a result, Atari Game Box LLC's financial resources have been exhausted and the organization has been disbanded. We are truly sorry but we want to thank each and every one of you for your enthusiasm and support. Some of you have asked about our refund policy. The truth is that our refund policy is more of a fact, like gravity, than a policy. We are unable to grant cash refunds, but we have something almost as good for you: each and every Atari VCS backer will receive (1) a digital voucher to download Atari Vault from the Steam store, (2) an in-game credit for RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch for mobile devices in the amount of five dollars, and best of all, (3) one more opportunity to purchase limited edition AtariLife® SpeakerHats for the low price of $99 with free shipping. Thanks so much for being on this RollerCoaster Tycoon of a ride, and stay tuned for future products and services from Atari!

 

and to the shareholders (in French)

 

Fiscal 2019 was another banner year for Atari SA. The lawsuit with Target Corporation over their use of "foot Pong" was settled out of court, as was the lawsuit with Feargal Mac Conuladh. The software side continues to sell moderately well. Tempest 4000 was the #55 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018 on Metacritic, while Atari Flashback Classics received a review score of 68. The Casino unit has made great strides exploiting the lax enforcement environment of the African continent, and the Cryptocurrency unit has been right-sized to reflect changing market realities.

[racerx]

Maybe if they implemented a "One strike and you're out for good!" kind of guideline in regards to name usage across other products and even other funding platforms, this wouldn't have been allowed. Such as: Sorry Atari, judging by the fact that you've allowed your name to be used for the game watch that never materialized but was funded, you are not allowed to peddle your broken dreams here either until that project has been completed and delivered or a full refund has been accounted for to all the backers who got ripped off.

 

It's really time for all parties involved that allow these sort of things to happen to be held accountable.

Screw that. Let them scam these idiots, over and over again.

 

As a species, we've managed to eliminate virtually every means of natural selection. But damn it, there needs to be SOME sort of penalty for this kind of willful stupidity.

[tschak909]

It's just utterly ridiculous, really. For me, this whole venture rings of my own experiences, of being introduced to "business types" who had big dreams, but little understanding of how to run a business...who, when they saw me, saw someone who could lay golden eggs...

 

I went through more than one cycle of this early on in my career, and unfortunately, these people are EVERYWHERE. It's a reflection of our society (and believe me, I am an ardent and outright Marxist critic of our society, but I will leave those things for other threads), I have seen, and can tell with almost perfect accuracy, all of the signs of a speculation scam; everywhere there is a market of active interest, there will always be SOME FORM of speculation. The current Atari Box (Fuck you, I will NOT call it the VCS, this is a deliberate confusion and dilution of brand, scammer 101), and guess what guys? THIS IS A SPECULATION SCAM.

 

I realize, ironically, that all I can do is speculate, but given that I've been inside more than one venture of this type, I can tell you what has happened:

 

* Atari's own fortunes have flattened out in the intervening years since the most recent bankruptcy.

* Since the Infogrames purchase, Atari has had _ZERO_ engineering staff. They own the name, and various chunks of intellectual property, with some semblence of the ATARI label attached.

* Because they are a tiny office of business suits, they've spent all their time and energy making licensing deals. Very lop-sided licensing deals where Atari does NONE of the work, and gets a SIGNIFICANT chunk of the profit, via an outright Trump-like licensing scheme (You want our name? Half a mill up front.)

* The aforementioned licensing deal is a scheme of decaying, almost asymptotic (meaning, it approaches 0, but never really gets to 0) return.

* There have been no growth streams of revenue for multiple quarters (which is a death knell for capitalist businesses, even moreso with consumer businesses)

* Knowing this, and knowing that they are sitting on a decaying brand, Fred Chesnais (or probably one of his lackeys, Fred doesn't strike me as being very creative, business-wise), decides that something needs to be done to quickly pump up the value of their shit penny stock, to be acquired by another company.

* He shops the idea around to other companies, companies listen politely, Fred leaves, companies go on like nothing ever happened.

* The idea becomes, "How can we show interest? OH I KNOW, CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN!" See? Look at all these people who want it. Now buy us!

 

Except, the buying part isn't happening.

 

And I'm not even going into all of the gross mis-management, and general fucking-over that has happened in the intervening almost two years.

 

As I've said, I've seen this movie, multiple times, it does not end well.

 

-Thom

[JBerel]

Your assessments are probably very close to reality, but let me put the context more simply.

 

1. They deliberately started this "project" with the extent of their "management competency" being Feargal Mac.

 

2. They fired him and went to plan B.

 

For any other evidence required, please see the links in my signature below.

[Flojomojo]

The current Atari Box (Fuck you, I will NOT call it the VCS, this is a deliberate confusion and dilution of brand, scammer 101), and guess what guys? THIS IS A SPECULATION SCAM.

I agree with everything you said, my foul-mouthed friend, especially this part.

 

I'm pretty sure I've posted this before, either here or in one of the Retro Chameleon threads, but it bears repeating. I hate Dilbert except when he's so right.

 

 

In the case of AtariBox, the brand name is literally their only unique asset. They wouldn't have gotten anywhere with crowdfunding if it was called anything else. The suck-ups in the IGG comments make it clear they're living in some alternate reality where they just want their childhood back. I understand that -- here's yours truly, rhapsodizing about Coleco and Sega in Target in 2006.

 

John Phelan asks, "Am I the last Atari fan?" It would be nice for this shitty company to recognize what they're doing to people like him.

 

 

 

johnphelan1979

6 hours ago

The atari vcs is going to be an evolution of video game consoles. Not only for atari but all video games in general. The atari vcs is going to offer more flexibility and less restrictions than other platforms. When it comes to playing video games the atari vcs is going to awesome and I can’t wait to get it.

[Flojomojo]

As I've said, I've seen this movie, multiple times, it does not end well.

Forgot to say -- this movie is going on way too long! I agree that it won't end well, but WHEN WILL IT END?

 

Your assessments are probably very close to reality, but let me put the context more simply.

 

1. They deliberately started this "project" with the extent of their "management competency" being Feargal Mac.

 

2. They fired him and went to plan B.

 

For any other evidence required, please see the links in my signature below.

 

The Godzilla vs Mothra question: who are you rooting for in the lawsuit? Feargal or Atari? Or some kind of giant meteor that selectively destroys them both?

[tschak909]

urgh, sometimes I get into parenthetical digressions, and I don't realize that sometimes my return to the original thoughts isn't 100% smooth..looking at that sentence out of context makes me realize I should have proof-read that, once more.

 

...and more to the point, no, Atari SA does not care. This must be stated. All they see, is money and "Marks" from which to take money.

 

-Thom

[tschak909]

They're both pieces of shit, it's like watching two buzzards fight.

 

-Thom

[racerx]

John isn't the last Atari fan, just one of the very few of this incarnation.

 

He's also the very definition of a useful idiot .

[JBerel]

 

The Godzilla vs Mothra question: who are you rooting for in the lawsuit? Feargal or Atari? Or some kind of giant meteor that selectively destroys them both?

 

 

This puts me in a very unusual situation, but for the first time, I'm definitely rooting for the lawyers. May they suck these ass clowns dry.

 

 

John Phelan asks, "Am I the last Atari fan?" It would be nice for this shitty company to recognize what they're doing to people like him.

 

 

I don't have to sit through his video to answer his question.

 

No, but you are the biggest AtariSA fan.

[PlaysWithWolves]

I'll take Sweet Meteor o' Death every time.

[ColecoJoe]

I'll take Sweet Meteor o' Death every time.

That's kind of what I was hoping for in 2016

[+frankodragon]

Well no wonder John's previous IG posts are so "positive." He's hyped up on chocolate.

 

[+Nathan Strum]

Forgot to say -- this movie is going on way too long! I agree that it won't end well, but WHEN WILL IT END?

 

I'm just sticking around for the post-credits scene.

[pacman000]

Why would IG or KS investigate the practices of fund raisers using their service only to threaten their own revenue streams? Sure, they may talk up their stance on insuring legitimate practices and protecting members, but the reality is both those outfits just want their cut and insulation from liability. I'm sure their responsibilities to investors is as rock solid as Stratton Oakmont. As with most things in life, true accountability is self-regulated and self-serving. The one with the most horse-sense serves his interests best. If a scammer can fool some suckers, he gets the loot. If you're a sucker, you lose the loot. Like any quasi-criminal enterprise or ponzi scheme, they simply collect a fee for facilitating the transaction. Not their problem who wins or loses.

 

The only issue at play with this crap is fraud, and that illegal practice is carefully reclassified as risk, support, communication, uncertainty or some other euphemism by these companies to skirt the law on the scams they facilitate and divert their liability away from. If they were really concerned about consumer/backer protections, they would have fiduciary policies in place that any crowdfunding group must agree to. Then funds beyond the IG/KS fees would go into escrow and only be distributed upon proof of deliverables at each phase. They won't do that though because they just want a percentage for routing funds collected from hapless suckers, or doe-eyed optimists through the web. It's the best deal since the invention of loan sharks. Eventually the consumer protection division may regulate this crap, but for now, there's way too many enthusiastic suckers ready to champion their right to piss their money away, and you give the people what they want, even if they're too dumb to see what they're asking for.

Their revenue streams depend on both the inventors & the buyers; if enough buyers get taken the buyers will stop coming. That's a threat to their revenue stream, & an incentive for a smart company to come up with some sort of protection for the buyers.

 

 

Forgot to say -- this movie is going on way too long! I agree that it won't end well, but WHEN WILL IT END?

 

A few minutes after Bonnie Blue dies, just after they cross the Red Sea, or when Ben Hur gets his revenge & rejects Roman rule.

[Flojomojo]

I'm Spartacus.

[CPUWIZ]

I'm Spartacos.

 

Fixed.

[almightytodd]

I agree with everything you said, my foul-mouthed friend, especially this part.

 

I'm pretty sure I've posted this before, either here or in one of the Retro Chameleon threads, but it bears repeating. I hate Dilbert except when he's so right.

 

dt150911.gif

 

In the case of AtariBox, the brand name is literally their only unique asset. They wouldn't have gotten anywhere with crowdfunding if it was called anything else. The suck-ups in the IGG comments make it clear they're living in some alternate reality where they just want their childhood back. I understand that -- here's yours truly, rhapsodizing about Coleco and Sega in Target in 2006.

 

John Phelan asks, "Am I the last Atari fan?" It would be nice for this shitty company to recognize what they're doing to people like him.

 

 

I just can't get past this...

[AtariLeaf]

Well no wonder John's previous IG posts are so "positive." He's hyped up on chocolate.

 

john_chocoholic.jpg

He's barely understandable as it is then he starts shoving shit in his face too. He'd make a Star Trek universal translator explode in confusion.

[CPUWIZ]

He's barely understandable as it is then he starts shoving shit in his face too. He'd make a Star Trek universal translator explode in confusion.

 

You guys actually give this guy clicks? I don't click on random rants, from mouth breathers.

[+x=usr(1536)]

 

You guys actually give this guy clicks? I don't click on random rants, from mouth breathers.

 

I do because it's an accent from home and it's good to hear once in a while

 

Granted, his opinions are still a load of blindered crap.