The Atari 2600+ is live for preorders!

[desiv]

7 minutes ago, donjn said:

But wouldn’t those people have seen the Retron 77 by now?

Not necessarily.  Or maybe they prefer the look and name of the Atari 2600+

Quote

Wouldn't they have seen the Atari collections or the Flashbacks by now? Remember, they are not hardcore Atari fans so the "clicking" and fun part of putting in cartridges does not mess with their endorphins the way it does...us..

Possibly, but if they like carts, maybe they just want something that takes carts.  And maybe they want both?  I don't think someone who likes carts is automatically a hardcore...

Quote

Okay so let's say that's true, they have 4 or 5 games laying around. So they purchase the system for $130. What happens when they want more games?

Are they really going to be happy spending $130 to play 5 Atari games they can easily emulate?

Will they be happy spending more?  Maybe.  That's up to them.

People buy a lot of things I wouldn't.  Doesn't mean there isn't a market for it...

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by desiv

[Dr Karnov]

What I find interesting is that this machine is coming out at roughly the same time as Atgames Gamestation thing, so people who see original cart and peripheral compatibility as a plus can buy the 2600+, and people who want built in games and wireless controllers have a machine for them

[Giles N]

22 hours ago, Albert said:

Yes.

 

 ..Al

How  soon… ?

 

  Giles

 

( 😉 )

 

 

- - -

 

Should I put my popcorn to the micro … my inner video-game-nerd-moth to the flame, or hold my breath a little longer…?

Edited September 20, 2023 by Giles N

[Albert]

14 minutes ago, Video said:

Hey Albert, what types of switches does the plus use?

It's a toggle switch like on the original 2600. 

15 minutes ago, Video said:

Also test if not already, marble craze (love that game) and skeleton please!

Ahh, I built a copy of Marble Craze yesterday and didn't think to test it.  Skeleton+ should work fine, as it's a 4K game.  Marble Craze is a 32K (F4) game, and I'd expect it to work as well, but I will confirm it at some point. 

 

 ..Al

[donjn]

2 minutes ago, Dr Karnov said:

What I find interesting is that this machine is coming out at roughly the same time as Atgames Gamestation thing, so people who see original cart and peripheral compatibility as a plus can buy the 2600+, and people who want built in games and wireless controllers have a machine for them

This is the best argument against me. If I am not happy, I can pick which system suits me best.
I do love the look of the 2600+ much better.

[donjn]

5 minutes ago, desiv said:

Not necessarily.  Or maybe they prefer the look and name of the Atari 2600+

Possibly, but if they like carts, maybe they just want something that takes carts.  And maybe they want both?

Will they be happy spending more?  Maybe.  That's up to them.

People buy a lot of things I wouldn't.  Doesn't mean there isn't a market for it...

 

Absolutely true. I hope it does sell well but I also hope there is a way to easily...modify...it.

Forgive me if I sound negative, it's just, that I've waited for decades for something like this and it is so close....

My passion is a good thing.

[English Invader]

I'll throw my two cents in on the 2600+.

 

I don't think it's doing enough to offer either a game-changing playing experience (as would be the case with an Analogue style FPGA implementation) or an easy entry into a user-hostile arena (as is the case with the Amiga 500 Mini) because Stella is not a difficult emulator to set-up and configure and there is definitely nothing like WHDLoad involved with running 2600/7800 games.

 

It appeals as a collectable but that is all.  It might offer some people the opportunity to buy and collect original games and pretend they're playing them on a real console but personally I would much rather have something that went all out to recreate an authentic console experience even if it cost a bit more money.

 

I own and use the Analogue Mega SG, Super NT and Pocket consoles and would welcome a similar product for the 2600/7800 but the 2600+ isn't it.

[JPF997]

30 minutes ago, Dr Karnov said:

What I find interesting is that this machine is coming out at roughly the same time as Atgames Gamestation thing, so people who see original cart and peripheral compatibility as a plus can buy the 2600+, and people who want built in games and wireless controllers have a machine for them

The my arcade gamestation pro looked like it was gonna be a great little machine to play your favorite Atari games on but it has one big problem, they lied about the amount of Atari games the system would have, it's actually around 130 Atari games and about 100 or so of those free games you'll find in any Chinese bootleg console, the 200 + Atari games they have plastered all over the box is sadly fake news , very sad because otherwise this could have been a great product.

[Dr Karnov]

Have they released any images or video of the 2600+ running any 7800 carts?

[MrBeefy]

@Albert

Do you have a running document with all the untested/homebrew games you have since tested and confirmed?

[+jgkspsx]

4 hours ago, donjn said:

I want some 7800 games, Let's make a modest list of their prices on Ebay for an old cartridge without a box and manual:

 

Now the missing 2600 games I want:

I can go to five game stores near me and pay $5 each for Atari 2600 carts buy two get one free. There are usually Pole Position carts too.

 

Normal people are going to play the games from the box in their garage, or stop at the pawn shop, or look for them at garage sales. They’re not going to be paying $50 for HERO. Hell, I’m not a normal person in this regard and I’m not paying $50 for HERO.

 

Spoiler

I already have the superior SG-1000 version 😜 

 

[+jgkspsx]

3 hours ago, JPF997 said:

The my arcade gamestation pro looked like it was gonna be a great little machine to play your favorite Atari games on but it has one big problem, they lied about the amount of Atari games the system would have, it's actually around 130 Atari games and about 100 or so of those free games you'll find in any Chinese bootleg console

Nope, there are 60 Piko Interactive games including lots of amazing games and some that Atari themselves published like The Humans (aka Evolution Dino Dudes on the Jag and Dinolympics on the Lynx), Viking Child, and World Rally which was published in the US by Atari Games. There are some cheap games but nothing remotely like the broken and insubstantial Sachen games that are on old MyArcade products.

 

Not to derail this thread. Here’s the list: https://armchairarcade.com/perspectives/2023/09/19/game-list-for-my-arcade-atari-gamestation-pro/

 

Tons of Atari arcade games, including several I’ve never played or even heard of before. It’s the biggest collection of Atari arcade games ever released.

[M-S]

44 minutes ago, jgkspsx said:

I can go to five game stores near me and pay $5 each for Atari 2600 carts buy two get one free. There are usually Pole Position carts too.

 

Normal people are going to play the games from the box in their garage, or stop at the pawn shop, or look for them at garage sales. They’re not going to be paying $50 for HERO. Hell, I’m not a normal person in this regard and I’m not paying $50 for HERO.

 

  Hide contents

I already have the superior SG-1000 version 😜 

With 50$ you could import the brand new HERO 2 plus shipping.

But seriously, picking the most expensive games on Ebay doesn't represent the whole picture, nobody shops exclusively on it, homebrews are in many cases better than the official games and there are the new Atari games too.

[Spriggy]

4 hours ago, JPF997 said:

The my arcade gamestation pro looked like it was gonna be a great little machine to play your favorite Atari games on but it has one big problem, they lied about the amount of Atari games the system would have, it's actually around 130 Atari games and about 100 or so of those free games you'll find in any Chinese bootleg console, the 200 + Atari games they have plastered all over the box is sadly fake news , very sad because otherwise this could have been a great product.

You're forgetting a draw card that it has an SD card slot you can throw roms at to your hearts content.

[MrBeefy]

21 minutes ago, Spriggy said:

You're forgetting a draw card that it has an SD card slot you can throw roms at to your hearts content.

Not to mention I'm not seeing where they specifically lied about the amount of Atari games on it.

The box just says 200+ video games, and their description also mentions bonus games. Seems pretty accurate to me.

 

Just looking at everything face value I'd say the MyArcade is a better value. It just doesn't give you the illusion you are playing the carts, and has more games that aren't just limited to 2600 and 7800.

 

[Giles N]

17 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

Not to mention I'm not seeing where they specifically lied about the amount of Atari games on it.

There are c. 140 Atari games and c.60 extra 8-bit, 16-bit and Arcade games installed.

 

A YouTube reviewer showed he could put lots of different roms (from a wide range of systems) on the SD card which ran successfully.

 

Some of the Atari-gsmes are really old Arcades from 1976 and onwards.

 

Atari 5200 and 7800 are poorly represented out-of-the-box.

 

But again, if you want to play your collection from this, using the SD card, it seems it runs quite a lot.

 

The controllers won’t play (naturally, 1:1) the analogue 5200 games.

 

The controllers have paddles on them, which has a tiny bit of lag, but can be set between low/medium/high as to sensitivity.

 

It connects to modern tvs and uses wireless controllers (with fancy-pancy light-effects on them), with A, B and C buttons + paddle.

 

It has no cartridge-slots, nor do I think it backwards compatible with any old joysticks, joypads, pads etc. Only modern plugs allover the place. And the SD card-reader. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Giles N

[+swlovinist]

I personally think that the 2600+ will have broad appeal to both collectors and newbs who just want to play some Atari on a HDMI screen.    I think there will be a mass appeal for it as an impulse purchase for the holidays.  There will also be hardcore group that will get their 2600 gaming done in different ways and the 2600+ will not be their preferred product.   There are plenty of ways to play Atari, and this will now be another option.   At the end of the day, more people playing and appreciating Atari is a good thing.   

[+jgkspsx]

2 hours ago, Spriggy said:

You're forgetting a draw card that it has an SD card slot you can throw roms at to your hearts content.

But the paddles don’t work on SD card games

[Spriggy]

1 hour ago, Giles N said:

 

It has no cartridge-slots, nor do I think it backwards compatible with any old joysticks, joypads, pads etc. Only modern plugs allover the place. And the SD card-reader. 

 

I was surprised to see GenXGrownUps' controller test vid showing the Xbox-One controller working completely fine wired.  And more so, the d-pad AND the Left Analog stick also worked.  Although as I have aforementioned I just use original modded hardware, still interesting to see other options out there.  Good or bad.  Still weird that it appears Atari seems to be battling against themselves with different hardware releases that cover the the same general systems.  eg 2600+ vs Gamestation Pro vs atari flashback gold 50th anniversary edition etc.  Why not just combine the best of both and sell the ultimate system (ie DB9 ports, SD slot, Cart slot, USB & USB-C ports, HDMI, Bluetooth, Firmware update-able .. and so forth).  The money obviously!

[+karri]

I just checked the updated compatibility list and found 49 working 7800 titles. Nice  
Atari-2600Plus-Compatibility.pdf (shopify.com)

 

It is going to be very interesting to try it with the games I am currently writing.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

15 minutes ago, karri said:

I just checked the updated compatibility list and found 49 working 7800 titles. Nice  
Atari-2600Plus-Compatibility.pdf (shopify.com)

How do you know it has been updated? Looks the same to me.

[BillDMatt]

16 hours ago, donjn said:

Exactly which is why I don't get this business model for the 2600+

I want some 7800 games, Let's make a modest list of their prices on Ebay for an old cartridge without a box and manual:

 

Asteroids    12
Dark Chambers    25
MS Pac Man    15
Galaga    15
Centipede    16
Pole Position II    6

This is $90 just like that.

 

Now the missing 2600 games I want:

 

HERO    50
Adventure    15
Missle Command    5
Pitfall    13
Super Breakout    5
Phoenix    6
Megamania    9
Dark Cavern    4

 

Another $107 for old and dirty games, some have torn labels etc. Some might not work very long or only work some of the time.
Add this to the $129 spent on the Atari 2600+
 

$350 total for this setup. If Im gonna spend $350 I am going to want an FPGA solution.

This system is not for casual fans at all; it is for hardcore.

 

But you would think if you’re gonna make something for the hardcore it would be FPGA based and not a rom dumper. A rom dumper without an SD card slot or can use something like Harmony Cart.
It's like they want the best of both worlds, but are hitting neither mark.

 

 

would you be willing to spend  $350 to $500 for the FPGA?   Which is about what it would cost,  but something tells me you would complain regardless.  "  Who's going spend that much on an atari with emulated hardware?"     For some people here it's a Damn if you do Damn if you don't for atari, you'll just have people bitching no matter what.    

Edited September 21, 2023 by BillDMatt

[+karri]

3 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

How do you know it has been updated? Looks the same to me.

Well, I only saw the 2600 list last time I looked. So my mistake - sorry.

[Giles N]

10 hours ago, swlovinist said:

 At the end of the day, more people playing and appreciating Atari is a good thing.   

I’m sure everyone here likes that bit…

 

10 hours ago, swlovinist said:

 

I personally think that the 2600+ will have broad appeal to both collectors and newbs who just want to play some Atari on a HDMI screen. 

 

Yes, that may be … at least for collectors.

 

As to newbs, I was a Atari-newbie back in 2019, and the more fameous 2600 didn’t appeal to me as much as looking both at 5200 games and 7800 games which seemed much more like NES, C64 and SMS-games.

 

When Atari is so focused on what was big sellers back in time, and mostly that (1976-1984-arcades and the 2600), they do that often at the expense of the better hardware of the later consoles.

 

And the issue about ‘authentic’ museum-like ‘feel’, is not what newbie-collectors bothers the most about, its not number 1.

 

We, - they - are more interested in getting, playing, collecting the best games, best titles made for these systems in ways that are easy-to-use and accessible.

This is why retro-gamers like it when new titles are released for NES, GBA/GB, SNES etc on the Switch: they get quality titles for old systems now without the poor handheld screens of the time, without any factor that lowered the gaming expetience, but with authentic, official release

 

Atari would get to do something like this, if or when they release something that do play the best games for their line-up of systems.

 

Yes, actually past the 2600, even past the 7800, like playing Lynx, Jaguar as much as 5200, 8-Bit and 7800 games.

 

For new collectors, newbies, its more about, or equally as much about collecting ‘all top & quality-titles for many old systems they look back into’

 

When I began collecting for Atari-systems, I started by watching best-games-for…-videos, not reading about what or what didn’t make Atari fameous.

 

The Atari Logo… couldn’t less about it as such.

 
Just want quality-titles for retro-systems.

 

And Atari did manage to produce and release some great systems from 2600 up to the Jaguar, - with the same major-problem done over and over:

 

not securing the actual access to quality games… 

 

 

I mean; whats wrong with learning from past mistakes…?

 

Secure the access to the best games for your systems (original, homebrew, aftermaket, indie) and make them playable as easily and comfortably as possible.

 

This is what will create interest among newbies or general retro-game collectors/gamers.

[JPF997]

9 hours ago, jgkspsx said:

But the paddles don’t work on SD card games

I think we can all agree that despite any flaws the 2600+ may or may not  have it's still overall  a better product than the My Arcade gamestation pro, that thing is just a flashback with a different name, there's nothing really that special about it.