Atari SA releasing limited run 2600 cartridges.

[Albert]

3 minutes ago, ianoid said:

I wonder what the highest print run has been of any Atari Age release?

Not that high, that's for sure.  However, I have sold nearly 1,500 Synthcarts. 

 

 ..Al

[CapitanClassic]

Well, in 1972 inflation adjusted dollars, these games are only $22.69. So they are 25% off MSRP ($29.99). ?

 

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com

Edited November 16, 2021 by CapitanClassic

[Agent X]

2 hours ago, Albert said:

Yes, those boxes are a bit of a mess. 

I'd say that's an understatement!

 

2 hours ago, Nall3k said:

@Albert If Atari is going to continue to do these (which they've stated they will), they should seriously consider bringing people from here on as consultants to address these very issues.

 

I agree. So many of the AtariAge releases have done an excellent job of reproducing the various box and label styles that Atari used during the 2600's production run. If you consider that Aquaventure and Saboteur were supposed to be 1983 or 1984 releases, then it would be appropriate to use the style of box/label from that period. I've got a Saboteur similar to the one that @sramirez2008 posted earlier (also autographed by Howard Scott Warshaw), and I think it looks great. That's the kind of care and attention to detail that fans want. It would give buyers the confidence that they'd receive a high-quality product that they'd be proud to have in their collections.

[+Allan]

 

3 hours ago, Albert said:

Looks like they created new cover artwork directly based on the artwork David Exton created.  The title artwork appears to be used unchanged.  The story was also lifted right out of the Saboteur manual we created.  As far as I know, nobody was contacted in advance for permission to use these for this physical release.

 

 ..Al

Oh, so surprising. ?

[+jgkspsx]

44 minutes ago, Nathan Strum said:

Yes, but they did say "made"... not "sold".  

I for one am going to be watching Big Lots carefully. They’re really bringing 80s nostalgia back!

[bradhig1]

New Atari 2600 games from Atari?   whoo

[+Muddyfunster]

1 hour ago, Nathan Strum said:

Yes, but they did say "made"... not "sold".  

Maybe they have some space reserved in Alamogordo to "store" unsold units  

[TrekMD]

I got an email about this today.  I'm going to check it out but those LE ones are rather pricey! 

[vhzc]

All the thing looks so amateurish, the box designs and renders looks like somtehing an squirrel can do (and not even a smart squirrel). And the price for limited edition is so randomly high compared with games for current gen. Maybe there is some gas leak in atari hq or something.

 

[Albert]

6 minutes ago, TrekMD said:

I got an email about this today.  I'm going to check it out but those LE ones are rather pricey! 

Can you share the email?  Was it from Atari?  I'd like to see that.

 

Thanks,

 

 ..Al

[hizzy]

The email I got was this with a few images that are in this thread:

 

INTRODUCING ATARI®XP COLLECTIBLE GAME CARTRIDGES

Our first series of collectible Atari 2600 cartridges is available starting today! Yars’ Return™, Saboteur® and Aquaventure™ … three unreleased gems now available for the first time. Atari XP premium cartridges are manufactured in the United States to exacting standards, with all new components, beveled edges to prevent pin damage, strong gold-plated connectors, and identical power draw to the originals. All cartridges will include a digital copy of the game playable on the Atari VCS.

[TrekMD]

3 minutes ago, Albert said:

Can you share the email?  Was it from Atari?  I'd like to see that.

 

Thanks,

 

 ..Al

Sure thing.  I changed it into a PDF file so it looks right.  I'm attaching it here.  It did come from Atari:  Atari (atarinewsletter@atari.com)

Introducing Atari XP Game Cartridges.pdf

[jstrotha0975]

I'm late to the party, only heard about this 30 minutes ago. I preordered 1 of each standard edition. I don't care that the roms are easily available. 

[Albert]

I have a copy of the email (click for a larger view, and click a second time for the full-size image):

 

 

 ..Al

[Albert]

9 minutes ago, TrekMD said:

Sure thing.  I changed it into a PDF file so it looks right.  I'm attaching it here.  It did come from Atari:  Atari (atarinewsletter@atari.com)

Thanks, someone forwarded me the email and I pasted it above.  There are a few differences, which is interesting.

 

 ..Al

[Nall3k]

16 minutes ago, Albert said:

Thanks, someone forwarded me the email and I pasted it above.  There are a few differences, which is interesting.

 

 ..Al

I know I sound like a broken record, but they really need to get a designer to work on their sites and marketing materials. 

[+Nathan Strum]

1 hour ago, vhzc said:

Maybe there is some gas leak in atari hq or something.

That's just silly. Atari can't afford to pay their gas bill.

[Tempest]

6 hours ago, Albert said:

Looks like they created new cover artwork directly based on the artwork David Exton created.  The title artwork appears to be used unchanged.  The story was also lifted right out of the Saboteur manual we created.  As far as I know, nobody was contacted in advance for permission to use these for this physical release.

 

 ..Al

So they stole my manual for a SECOND time?  Seriously?  Not like there's much I can do about it.

[Clint Thompson]

$50 2600 carts from the current 'modern' Atari is nothing more than a shady cash grab and a terrible attempt at that judging by the quality of renders provided via some press kit. $149 for a limited edition anything is absurd and proves that it's merely just that, a cash grab. Typical modern day Atari as expected which does nothing but deepen my disgust. Using my birth year to limit the number of overpriced limited edition copies does not gain any brownie points either mind you.

 

My entire opinion would have been different had they actually developed something NEW - titles previously unreleased in any iteration, but this is clearly not that nor will it ever be... because it's Atari.

[+neogeo1982]

So does this mean they're gonna flood us with Repros too? And expensive ones at that?

[+neogeo1982]

27 minutes ago, Clint Thompson said:

merely just that, a cash grab.

Well they need to grab something as this crypto keeps dropping ?

[6502wrangler]

50 minutes ago, Tempest said:

So they stole my manual for a SECOND time?  Seriously?  Not like there's much I can do about it.

That sucks. Do you have a copyright on it?

[Master Phruby]

7 hours ago, jgkspsx said:

@Albert the AA release of Saboteur isn’t going away, is it? I need to know if I should jump on one right away

If it goes away or not, jump on it! It is a great game and a fantastic box and manual.

[+sixersfan105]

3 hours ago, Albert said:

Thanks, someone forwarded me the email and I pasted it above.  There are a few differences, which is interesting.

 

 ..Al

They issued at least two different emails with slightly different branding. For example, I got one email from Atari and another from Atari VCS and while the content is similar, it is slightly different. 

[MattPilz]

The least they could've done is source a physical 2600, controller and produce some genuine runs of these three titles to create a much more appealing and authentic media kit. Their render of the 2600 isn't even accurate, the font above the cart slot is really off and doesn't even have the TM (I've seen similar renders like this on Turbo Squid / iStock).