AtariAge + Atari Q&A

[SIO2]

8 minutes ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Even more important: They have to overcome it for the next 10, 20 years.

Is that how they write 1020 years in Europe?

 

Or, is that 10.2 years American?

Edited September 8, 2023 by SIO2

[Thomas Jentzsch]

2 hours ago, famicommander said:

Surely you can see how we should be holding a company that calls itself "Atari" to higher standards than what Hyperkin was able to crap out 6 years ago?

I am optimistic that the 2600+ dumper will be better. Not perfect, because that's close to impossible, but definitely covering more bankswitching schemes.

 

But I am waiting for a statement e.g. from @TrogdarRobusto how capable the USB port is. E.g. can it be used via OTG to attach an SD card reader (definitely required some homebrews)? And how about e.g. TrakBalls? Will they be supported via the 2600+ ports and/or USB?

[SIO2]

So, I got a call from my mother the other day and to my utter shock she wanted to tell me about a new Atari console coming out - the 2600+.   If my mother heard about it, everyone heard about it.

 

Then I get another surprise that ATARI and Atari Age are combining.  So I am like the image posted earlier in this thread of the monkey eating popcorn - just waiting to see what happens next. 

 

These are truly unbelievable times.

[GraffitiTavern]

49 minutes ago, M-S said:

Well then, you are not going to believe that: https://atari.com/collections/reproduction-pcbs

 

I did see that when it was announced and was so excited for a few seconds until I realized it was basically just $250 wall art. Admittedly that was one of the more baffling products that's been released, and that's saying something.

54 minutes ago, M-S said:

But there's also Arcade 1UP, but I'm not really sure their cabinets can have a functional coin slot.

There is a whole cottage industry of Arcade 1UP mods and I know several examples being used in a commercial setting, which

1. isn't legal(idc really but this needs to be legit because I'm pitching it to the local chamber of commerce and downtown authority)

2. isn't a good idea because they aren't commercial grade and would break after heavy use

 

basically a commercial-licensed ROM for some games people will pay for is the chokepoint, I can set up a MAME cab or even FPGA myself

[m.o.terra kaesi]

Hey guys... you flood Al with endless questions: lets get him back to work! He still has to ship tons of packages, among others mine! 😋

[zylon]

In a way, I kinda figured this was inevitable, to some degree. Especially with the 2600+ coming out, and Atari still suffering the same shortage of material/developers, as in the late 80's. This could go both ways in time. Atari could actually get good materials, 3rd party developed controls, plenty of testing and QC, maybe gain back some of the past glory. It could also go the other way and drive most off, from creating anything for these systems. 

I also don't really play any of the systems they're recreating, so not much for me, might change. I've likely spent more time repairing 2600's, than playing one, in last decade or so.

[juansolo]

9 hours ago, CharlieChaplin said:

Maybe they will buy the Amiga brand, Amiga OS, etc. and finally release an Atari Amiga... ?!?

Much as I'd like to see the circle finally complete and the Amiga gets the badge is should have had, it'd be far too easy for them if they did to licence Amibian and stick it on a Raspberry Pi clone and put it all in an Amiga looking box, rather than doing it properly. So no, please don't.

[Mayhem]

It would be interesting to see Atarisoft come back. There's at least three C64 games mooted for the platform that never came out on the label (Crystal Castles, Mario Bros and Joust) that would make for nice retro style greem box releases on cart, although the licensing for one might be a tad tricky.

 

The market IS there for the C64 btw, Sarah Jane Avory sold 700+ copies of Zeta Wing II in a week when released, but most boxed products NEED a digital offering as a lot of users are SD2IEC or Ultimate2+ type users instead of physical media. Physical won't ever go away, but I think a lot of people are realising they don't have the space for it all any more.

 

6 hours ago, electronicsibley said:

I’m sure you’re aware, but The Ted Dabny Experience podcast is a great resource for experiential storytelling by key former Atari employees. Lots of nuggets and leads to follow up on from their library. 

Put together by two long-standing mates of mine, well worth it.

 

[northstarex]

When I read "no changes for now" then I'm afraid that later the whole board here will be in an uproar. So often private boards/forums were taken over by commercial people and afterwards there were so many restrictions that the whole community was destroyed. Just a thought from me

[KainXavier]

@Albert
I know you're busy.  I just wanted to congratulate you and thank you again for everything that you do!

@TrogdarRobusto

I hope you don't mind but I have a couple of questions for you.  I'm not sure how many of them you can answer.

Does Atari have any plans to release new hardware for other Atari devices?  (I would love to buy a new Pro Controller for my Jaguar, for example.)

Are there any plans to revisit Blood: Fresh Supply now that Atari has acquired Nightdive Studios?  (There are some lingering accuracy issues with the port, and Nightdive's hands were tied at the time because Atari owned the IP and didn't wish to pursue a title update.)

Similarly, Black Widow Recharged appears to be broken on one or more Xbox platforms.  Is there any plan to address this?  (I'm an Xbox One X user, and I would have purchased the game while it was on sale last week, but there was a review from 08/13/2023 stating they couldn't boot the game back up.)

Edit: And one other one, but it's an easy ask.  (And I'm sorry I'm being greedy!)

 

I absolutely love Gravitar Recharged.  Is there any way we can have a casual / cozy / endless mode added?  The game has such a chill vibe, and I'd love to be able to play it without being limited to set number of lives.

Edited September 8, 2023 by KainXavier

[Crazy Climber]

I've had several friends contact me about this merger/acquisition which is kinda funny since none of them are members here or even Atari collectors for that matter.

 

I guess this is a pretty big deal and it shows me Atariage is a larger part of my personal identity than I thought 😄 

 

I really want (need?) this to work so don't let me down guys!!!

 

So yeah, I like Trog/davpa so far so I guess I'm all in. I'll even pick up a 2600+ and enjoy the ride. Even if everything goes horribly wrong I'll ride the burning carcass to the ocean floor and...well, Ive made my point. 

 

Congrats everyone and good luck, we're counting on you! 

 

2600+ advice *

Make unique games, for instance I have zero interest in buying Outlaw again but enhanced berzerk,  run/jump are winners 🏆 

[Kirkland]

<at the next quarterly Atari meeting>
"...to capitalize on consumer and investor interest in Artificial Intelligence, we have purchased the AI that runs AtariAge.  This acquisition will herald in a new age of customer relations for our product."
<TrogdarRobusto raises hand>
"ummm.. don't you mean 'AL', short for 'Albert'.. not AI?"

<corporate finance guy looks at screen>
"Sonofa.. what font is this?"

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Kirkland
...

[+Lathe26]

One lame question / suggestion: should both this thread and the announcement be moved to the Sites -> Announcement group?

 

I tried navigating to find this thread and couldn't locate it.  I never would have looked in Atari Systems -> Atari General since I assumed that would be specific to Atari consoles, not major site announcements.  That said, maybe I'm the oddball who hangs out in only the Intellivision group too much.  😉

[doctorclu]

7 hours ago, Albert said:

I haven't looked, but there were quite a few new forum registrations today, well above average for a typical day.

 

 ..Al

 

You got the membership payment system worked out!   Glad to hear that! 

[doctorclu]

6 hours ago, SIO2 said:

Is that how they write 1020 years in Europe?

 

Or, is that 10.2 years American?

 

Naturally I saw it to mean 10 to 20 years.

 

But 10.2 years would be a good run of the current crew.

 

29 minutes ago, Crazy Climber said:

I've had several friends contact me about this merger/acquisition which is kinda funny since none of them are members here or even Atari collectors for that matter.

 

I guess this is a pretty big deal and it shows me Atariage is a larger part of my personal identity than I thought 😄 

 

I really want (need?) this to work so don't let me down guys!!!

 

So yeah, I like Trog/davpa so far so I guess I'm all in. I'll even pick up a 2600+ and enjoy the ride. Even if everything goes horribly wrong I'll ride the burning carcass to the ocean floor and...well, Ive made my point. 

 

Congrats everyone and good luck, we're counting on you! 

 

2600+ advice *

Make unique games, for instance I have zero interest in buying Outlaw again but enhanced berzerk,  run/jump are winners 🏆 

 

Atariage has been a part of our lives for years, some of us decades, so easy to see why.

 

Loved the advice for the 2600+.  

Speaking of run/jump games, would love to have Bubsy Fractured Furry Tales as a patch for the Atari 50th Anniversary... or made available somehow.

 

Would just love to play Bubsy for the Jaguar on the PS4.   

For a lot of Bubsy fans out there who couldn't afford a Jaguar this would be their first time to play that Jaguar version of Bubsy, so quite a few eager. 

[H.E.R.O.]

My dreams of an Atari Age rom store have been snuffed out like a square adventurer corned by three colorful dragon who look like ducks. 

 

Ah well. Congrats, Albert. 

[mikro]

19 hours ago, TrogdarRobusto said:

Buying popular independent web sites and driving them into the ground is not our core business. We are all about making games and working hard to leverage our IP. Along with that we want to support and preserve the online communities we think are the most valuable to our shared interests and our brand. 

I believe you and I'm sure @Albert has the best intentions as well. However as someone has already mentioned, the lifespan of an online community (like AtariAge) is in most cases much longer than any company's initiative. So I'm not concerned what happens in 1-2 years but in say 10 years: maybe you and Albert will have retired by then, maybe Atari SA will tell themselves "ah screw that, those casinos were a much better choice, let's do that again!"  and what they start killing as first? Right, expenses no longer related to their business.

 

Which is fine except that Albert (or anyone else) wont have any means to do something about it. I seriously doubt that they would let anyone taking the server (or at least its content) for free, so it will just slowly die. Feel free to prove me wrong but I can't remember one occasion when a company just gave away their forums to someone, let alone for free. But I can remember quite a few occasions of dead forums because of being abandoned by some company.

 

So yeah, maybe in 10 years there wont be anyone left being concerned about it but still, it's inevitable.

[Albert]

2 minutes ago, H.E.R.O. said:

My dreams of an Atari Age rom store have been snuffed out like a square adventurer corned by three colorful dragon who look like ducks. 

 

Ah well. Congrats, Albert. 

That's still going to happen, unless you mean something different than offering digital versions of homebrew games. 
 

  ..Al

[+swlovinist]

10 minutes ago, Albert said:

That's still going to happen, unless you mean something different than offering digital versions of homebrew games. 
 

  ..Al

That sounds awesome!   Is there going to be a process where publishers and offer their games via a digital market?   What about the homebrews that are offered on the VCS already?   Is there a timeline when this plans to roll out?

[+Karl G]

I'm not sure if my question got missed, or if there's no good answer for it yet. I was wondering if homebrews sold through AtariAge would still bear the AtariAge branding, or if they would be branded Atari instead.

[Albert]

3 minutes ago, Karl G said:

I'm not sure if my question got missed, or if there's no good answer for it yet. I was wondering if homebrews sold through AtariAge would still bear the AtariAge branding, or if they would be branded Atari instead.

They will still be AtariAge branded. 
 

  ..Al

[themrfreeze]

Congrats Al....you've lived and breathed Atari since well before AtariAge ever existed and I'm glad you're finally getting the recognition and opportunities you deserve! 

[Albert]

5 minutes ago, swlovinist said:

That sounds awesome!   Is there going to be a process where publishers and offer their games via a digital market?   What about the homebrews that are offered on the VCS already?   Is there a timeline when this plans to roll out?

I will start by talking with individual homebrew authors whose games I am already offering in physical form in the store, but I can also sell games that only exist in digital form. For games that are already in the store, the plan is to offer them alongside physical homebrews. 
 

The timeline is dependent on getting the store moved to new software. The current store has poor infrastructure for offering digital purchases and downloads, or I would have already been offering this. I plan on working on this early in the new year. 
 

  ..Al

[Lendorien]

I just saw this news. I'm of two minds about it.

 

The first is a congratulations to Albert on what I'm sure was a pretty difficult decision. I don't know how old Albert is, but I know that financial security is something that we all need as we approach retirement age. Running a site like this sustainably can't be easy. Having a payday while still being able to do the thing that you love as a full time paid job is the best of both worlds. So I don't begrudge him the decision and I hope this grants him the financial and job security that he needs for the future years.

 

My second take is not optimistic. I've been a member here for about 16 years. Not a subscriber nor terribly active, but I've used AtariAge as a resource for many years. AtariAge is an amazing resource. I don't think it can be overstated how important Atariage has been to the preservation and continuation of the legacy of the various Atari platforms.

 

I seriously doubt the Homebrew community would have developed so robustly if it weren't for this website and Al's stewardship of it. The amount of knowledge contained in the forums here is immense and Incredibly valuable.

 

I've been around long enough to have seen what has happened to numerous other fan forums and websites that were acquired by corporations. I can't think of a single one that ended well.

 

The problem here is that the current iteration of Atari might be trying to be consumer friendly, but that isn't long-term guaranteed. I think it was mentioned earlier in the thread that attitudes at Atari have changed since the new CEO took charge.

 

That's great for now, but what happens if you get a new CEO who wants to take the company a different direction? Will AtariAge go the direction that NintendoAge did? This website is not in the hands of a die hard fan any longer. It's now at the mercy of a mercurial corporation that at the end of the day only cares about the bottom line.

 

The future of AtariAge now depends on whether there are people in charge at Atari who think it's worth the money to maintain. If they get a new person in charge who decides it needs to be monetized or changed or shut down to save money, we could see all of this poofing away Into the Ether. A resource that has been incredibly valuable in maintaining the legacy of the Atari platforms will be gone forever. We saw this happen to NintendoAge and other sites. 

 

I'm trying to be optimistic but I've been around long enough to have seen how these things generally play out.

 

I would love a written commitment from Atari that they will make an effort to archive this website and its forums so that if at any point they choose to ditch it and pull it down, the information contained within will not be lost to posterity.

 

Again, congratulations to Albert. This must have been a difficult decision and I really truly hope this works out for the best for all involved.

Edited September 8, 2023 by Lendorien

[Cardboard76]

I don't really have anything much to say about this honestly.

 

Congrats and I hope everything goes well!

 

-Cardboard