AtariAge + Atari Q&A

[Mikebloke]

25 minutes ago, carlsson said:

Has there even been a single homebrew compatible with the Soundic SD050 and similar systems? I know I have been tossing out the idea a few times, but not having the skill or time to go ahead to develop something, I'm surprised if there even would exist such content for Atari to even worry about. After all, those games pretty much are SoC so in theory Atari could put an Atari 2600 core onto a board with some games suitable for the controllers and become one of the first to make PC-50X homebrews, again nearly 45 years after the console was current.

Not a homebrew for the PC-50X but I'm thinking of other discussions that may relate to systems. There is one (is it the arcadia?) about the manufacturing of boards in Taiwan and franchising the system for sale in different countries from one of the original staff members. Yes a lot of this stuff is possibly elsewhere too but some of it is probably only here. I'm not talking about preserving things like the fact that I had to use my foot to bend a PC-50X cartridge board so I could capture game footage no one else had ever uploaded before, or the taco thread, but things that might be important enough for people interested in 50-100 years time who might be curious. 

[+jeremiahjt]

I bet Alex is regretting walking away now.

[+Kaboomer]

1 hour ago, TrogdarRobusto said:

Part of the XP program's mission is to release carts for prototypes and rare games. Granted, we also release some more common favorites but expect a mix.

Curious then why Outlaw (with no perceived or stated game changes/enhancements)? 

[Mikebloke]

27 minutes ago, TrogdarRobusto said:

I wouldn't be so hasty, I think the idea of archiving the forums is an interesting one. Maybe one of the game museum's would want a copy for their collections? It isn't an official answer, but if having a third-party archive of the forums to date is important to the community than we will take that idea seriously -- Al would need to weigh in of course. 

Thank you I appreciate your attempts to alleviate fears and attempting to understand. At 35 I'm probably well below the average age of the users on this site, but I'm thinking when I do get to the age of many original atari enjoyers, will I be asking similar questions to them about the history of video game preservation but no longer having the first hand accounts that they had initially preserved here. There is a lot of non-atari related content, research, information and more here because we have congregated here out of habit. Other sites like reddit where you think this stuff might be instead is actually extremely dead and there is more active users talking about certain non atari systems here than anywhere else in the rest of the internet. 

 

I have a 2600, 7800 and a jaguar, but 99% of my posts here have nothing to do with atari at all and I only saw this because of a YouTube channel I am subscribed to. 

 

This isn't an acquisition specific issue, in fact it's possibly more preserved now than if it wasn't. But it did make me stop and think "is this information anywhere else other than this forum!" 

 

The more I think of it, it's probably a thing for concerned users like me to deal with than bothering Albert with an extensive archive save, try not to delete too much for the next decade or so 😛

[+jgkspsx]

14 minutes ago, Kaboomer said:

Curious then why Outlaw (with no perceived or stated game changes/enhancements)? 

It has cool original art, at least. Not sure the art matches the game per se, but that is tradition!

[lazzeri]

2 hours ago, Albert said:

Absolutely, we'll be working to streamline the production process, such as by having flash boards produced en masse that I can use for games.  That alone will save an enormous amount of time.  And I should be able to hire someone to help with physical production at some point as well (…)

 

 ..Al

   Hey @Albert. Congratulations on the arrangement, much deserved. Your long time passion for everything Atari & all the effort maintaining the site and store is actually a big part of what kept the Atari 2600 afloat until today. Really nice to see that recognized.

 

   Will those flash boards replace the old method as of now? I mean, will the PRGE releases and all recent sales (including “last chance”) already be shipped like that? Should we expect any impact on quality overall on hardware or printed materials?

 

  (I believe there will be no impact at all but I have to ask 🙂 )

 

   Finally, do you thing that this new method will make the “last chance” backlog move quickly?

 

  Again, congrats and best of luck to us all!

[r_chase]

So, me and a couple folks on Discord were joking around about a spiritual successor for the Jaguar (which'll inevitably be digital in terms of media and stuff), but I wonder if there'll eventually be a Lion prowling among us.

No, seriously, imagine an Atari Lion. Wouldn't that awesome? It could outdo the Neo-VCS in some way too, but still have previous Atari platforms be available on a store or something. OH! Since physical media is still underrated, why not have a some form cart/disc drive and stuff?

Anyway, one could only dream on what could be next I guess.

[Albert]

1 minute ago, lazzeri said:

Will those flash boards replace the old method as of now?

No, not yet, except for games that use the Aria and Melody boards for the 2600, both of which I've been using for years.

2 minutes ago, lazzeri said:

mean, will the PRGE releases and all recent sales (including “last chance”) already be shipped like that?

No, the PRGE games will be using the same DIP boards I've already had, except for Melody-based games on the 2600.

3 minutes ago, lazzeri said:

Should we expect any impact on quality overall on hardware or printed materials?

No, I am using the same printers for manuals, labels, boxes, and posters I've used in the past.

3 minutes ago, lazzeri said:

Finally, do you thing that this new method will make the “last chance” backlog move quickly?

Yes, actually, I will be using Aria boards for most of the 2600 games that don't use a Melody board.  So the vast majority of 2600 games will be using either the Aria or Melody board.  They are both flash-based boards, so that will definitely help get those games out faster.

4 minutes ago, lazzeri said:

Again, congrats and best of luck to us all!

Thank you!

 

 ..Al

[Albert]

10 minutes ago, jgkspsx said:

It has cool original art, at least. Not sure the art matches the game per se, but that is tradition!

That artwork is very cool. For anyone who hasn't seen it:

 

https://atari.com/products/outlaw-2600-silver-box-limited-edition

 

 ..Al

[BIGHMW]

Will I still be allowed to host The Atari Report with Ray Jackson (myself), as I DO plan on bringing back that series on The Atari Report YouTube channel in which I created back in mid 2020 (I own the namesake of the channel) and the various series on it and plan to add even more content to it when I return like a news program called “Atari Today”, as well as “The Atari 5200 SuperReport” and “Atari 2600 - Old School/Nu Skool”, in which I compare the 1980s ports of classic Atari games to their newer homebrew versions like “Burgertime/Chaotic Grill” and “Lock ‘n’ Chase/Lucky Chase” and so much more, or is all that now subject to approval from Atari themselves now???

[Jake67]

Some Atari love for the Mac and AppleTV wouldn’t go un-appreciated.

[TrogdarRobusto]

9 minutes ago, BIGHMW said:

Will I still be allowed to host The Atari Report with Ray Jackson (myself ...

I don't see why not. If your concern is using "Atari" in the title, as far as I know as long as you aren't monetizing the brand without permission you are good to go. 

There is a company we use to scan the interwebs for people who sell counterfeit Atari goods or otherwise monetize our brand in some way. You'd be amazed at the volume of knock-off merch and hardware. Fan/analyst/media content should not be caught in their net, but sometimes it is. And if that happens, we can set it free if we know about it. So if you get a notice, let us know and we will deal with it. 

If you decide to sell Atari logo t-shirts on your show or other knock-off merch we send Yorgle, Grundle and Rhindle after you. 

[PlutoniumPasta]

I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this. Atari does seem to be growing in the right areas as of recently, the Atari 2600+ is a good example of this. I'm sure Atari will provide good backing for Albert to continue AtariAge, knowing Albert is still in charge is reassuring too. I wish good luck to both Atari and this amazing community!

[ABD]

7 hours ago, Albert said:

I did see your order go through, and it looks fine on my end.  Thank you for the order, you'll have fun with those games once I get them shipped out to you. 

 

 ..Al

Thank you very much Albert! can’t wait to get them 😊!! 

 

once you get them shipped I will receive an email with the tracking number right 😬 ? 

[Albert]

3 minutes ago, ABD said:

Thank you very much Albert! can’t wait to get them 😊!! 

 

once you get them shipped I will receive an email with the tracking number right 😬 ? 

Yes, absolutely.

 

 ..Al

[AtariLeaf]

1 hour ago, insertclevernamehere said:

Yes!  2600 and/or 7800 versions of ALL the Recharged games please!

Basic math recharged would be a killer app for Atari, causing their stock to surge to epic proportions!

[BIGHMW]

6 minutes ago, TrogdarRobusto said:

I don't see why not. If your concern is using "Atari" in the title, as far as I know as long as you aren't monetizing the brand without permission you are good to go. 

There is a company we use to scan the interwebs for people who sell counterfeit Atari goods or otherwise monetize our brand in some way. You'd be amazed at the volume of knock-off merch and hardware. Fan/analyst/media content should not be caught in their net, but sometimes it is. And if that happens, we can set it free if we know about it. So if you get a notice, let us know and we will deal with it. 

If you decide to sell Atari logo t-shirts on your show or other knock-off merch we send Yorgle, Grundle and Rhindle after you. 

Oh I’m not in it for the money it’s about the fans that matter to me as I want to bring them plenty of content on not only it but also my other 2 YouTube channels, BIGHMW TV, and my Ray Jackson YouTube channel (YouTube.com/RayJacksonBIGHMW), I am a very talented individual who has been in the entertainment business for 28 years and has been an Atarian since getting his first 5200 in 1983 and love both the brand and this business I’m in of entertaining you, the fans!!!

[ForceInfinity]

I asked this once already but never saw an answer.   But is the 2600+ essentially a rom dumper like the Retron77 and that’s why it can’t do DPC or Harmony?   

[+MrZarniwoop]

I will just add this is just about a best-case-scenario of reconciling the "grey zone" problem of all the homebrew ports for the 2600/7800. Look at all the Atari IP games available on the AtariAge store legally now! I'm now looking forward to the next Atari retrogaming IP acquisition.

 

I for one am very happy for @Albert, the community, and that modern Atari has turned into something fun. Fingers crossed this is a nice, long run!

[+Neon Wraith]

3 minutes ago, AtariLeaf said:

Basic math recharged would be a killer app for Atari, causing their stock to surge to epic proportions!

I still want this as a game on the VCS 800!  My younger daughter is just the right age and could be an Atari fan for life!

[retroillucid]

1 hour ago, TrogdarRobusto said:

No chance. that content is super valuable to the community. And remember, Atari owns a ton of games that were released on various systems from the console, handheld and PC eras. 

I hope this will lead CollectorVision Games to be working with Atari 

[r_chase]

Just now, ForceInfinity said:

I asked this once already but never saw an answer.   But is the 2600+ essentially a rom dumper like the Retron77 and that’s why it can’t do DPC or Harmony?   

The answer has been no, but we have future iterations to look forward to at least. We'll probably eventually get a straight-up 7800 iteration if we're lucky. Only time will tell.

[+Stephen]

2 minutes ago, ForceInfinity said:

I asked this once already but never saw an answer.   But is the 2600+ essentially a rom dumper like the Retron77 and that’s why it can’t do DPC or Harmony?   

That is correct.

[peekb]

16 minutes ago, TrogdarRobusto said:

I don't see why not. If your concern is using "Atari" in the title, as far as I know as long as you aren't monetizing the brand without permission you are good to go. 

There is a company we use to scan the interwebs for people who sell counterfeit Atari goods or otherwise monetize our brand in some way. You'd be amazed at the volume of knock-off merch and hardware. Fan/analyst/media content should not be caught in their net, but sometimes it is. And if that happens, we can set it free if we know about it. So if you get a notice, let us know and we will deal with it. 

If you decide to sell Atari logo t-shirts on your show or other knock-off merch we send Yorgle, Grundle and Rhindle after you. 

For clarification, would "monetizing our brand" include selling a homebrew title with an Atari/Jaguar/Lynx/etc. logo on the box/manual/etc.?

[famicommander]

6 minutes ago, ForceInfinity said:

I asked this once already but never saw an answer.   But is the 2600+ essentially a rom dumper like the Retron77 and that’s why it can’t do DPC or Harmony?   

Yes, it's just a Retron for twice as much money that plays some 7800 carts. Except it isn't even as capable as a Retron because it lacks the SD slot. Big disappointment. 

Edited September 8, 2023 by famicommander