Atari System Speculation 2024

[+Cheez26]

On 12/7/2023 at 7:00 PM, joeatari1 said:

Wow.  The Steam Deck is bigger than the Lynx 1.  Yeah I would want it a bit smaller too.

 

I honestly forgot about the Lynx's early years, but yeah, I definitely want a smaller handheld PC game thingy.

[GraffitiTavern]

I'd honestly just want a simple pocketable handheld with cartridges, I don't care if it docks. But almost certainly Atari wouldn't want to launch another hardware ecosystem, if they teamed up with another company making it(like Sega or Evercade or something) that'd be fun. A pocketable version of Asteroids Recharged, Kombinera or some Jeff Minter shooter, I could dig that. There is a danger to Atari just chasing products that bigger companies are already making, like trying to launch a Steam Deck rival. There isn't another company making a simple pocket handheld right now that isn't just a retro device like Analogue or Evercade.

[Video]

Well to have a giant beautiful screen kind of limits how small a system can be made. I love the evercade and the new one has a suitably large screen with a decent resolution. Its still quite large, but still pocket able unlike the switch (even the lite is a bit big to put in a pocket)

 

I see no need for a dock, just have an HDMI out like the evercade. That would be perfect imo, as many people who buy a handheld will likely never use it on a tv, but its a nice option.

 

Atari has two consoles currently, and the 2600+, so I doubt we'd see another console soon, but a handheld would be cool.

[+jeremiahjt]

On 12/4/2023 at 6:48 AM, rocketfan said:

Reading about it seems a little complicated - you add the box for the disc drive ($150), then add the module for Atari ($80) and plug that into your VCS to play physical media with original controllers.

The Atari module will connect directly into the VCS 800 so you will not need to buy the $150 base unit. They are going to make an app to take the place of the base unit on the VCS 800.

[+jeremiahjt]

On 12/4/2023 at 6:48 AM, rocketfan said:

 

Double post. Out of curiosity, is there a way to delete the quote box after posting?

[Metal Ghost]

I would absolutely LOVE it if Atari became the go-to hardware provider of retro controllers on modern platforms. So I’m thinking wireless paddles and wireless trakball for Xbox and PlayStation. And even a wireless CX-40 for Xbox/Playstation!

 

I have the new classic controller and, unfortunately, it doesn’t work, wired, on Xbox (I’m assuming it’d be the same on PlayStation). 
 

I think there would be a solid, lucrative, niche for Atari to seek these classic controllers for current-gen consoles. Wired would be fine, but try and partner up with 8BidDo to go wireless, and I think they could charge a premium and people would buy. I know I would. 
 

I just got the 8BitDo fight stick for Xbox, and it’s great. I didn’t realize when I purchased it that to go wireless required using a dongle in the USB port. I thought I’d really hate it, but in actuality it works great. If that’s the route they have to go, then so be it.
 

I realize that going wireless on the consoles is, from what I understand, quite the expensive and arduous affair. But again, 8BitDo has obviously figured it out.

 

As Atari continues to not only show pure-retro love for their old games, a la Atari 50 and the like, but also innovates on new games along the lines of the Recharged series, I think getting these types of controllers into the hands of more players on modern platforms would not only advance their goals, but can do so profitably. 

[rocketfan]

19 hours ago, jeremiahjt said:

The Atari module will connect directly into the VCS 800 so you will not need to buy the $150 base unit. They are going to make an app to take the place of the base unit on the VCS 800.

If that's true it could push me into getting one of these.  I was almost ready to pull the trigger on a VCS 800 (using your term for it) due to the good/aggressive black Friday pricing, but lukewarm reviews from @swlovinist like his recent "three years with VCS" youtube video and lack of physical media support have been holding me back.

[rocketfan]

17 hours ago, Metal Ghost said:

I would absolutely LOVE it if Atari became the go-to hardware provider of retro controllers on modern platforms. So I’m thinking wireless paddles and wireless trakball for Xbox and PlayStation. And even a wireless CX-40 for Xbox/Playstation!

Interesting idea.  I would buy those also.

[Dunit]

 

I really would like to see Atari move in a more modern direction. I've always liked Atari, but I don't need to keep playing the same old 2600 crap on a new system. I do enjoy the recharged series. Maybe do recharged of Jaguar games like Atari Carts. I modern racing game would be great instead of the trash sprint game they put out. A graphic upgrade of Alien vs. Predator from the Jaguar would be freaking awesome! 

 

Anyways, that my two cents. Get the hell out of the past and make something modern. 

[JPF997]

42 minutes ago, Dunit said:

 

I really would like to see Atari move in a more modern direction. I've always liked Atari, but I don't need to keep playing the same old 2600 crap on a new system. I do enjoy the recharged series. Maybe do recharged of Jaguar games like Atari Carts. I modern racing game would be great instead of the trash sprint game they put out. A graphic upgrade of Alien vs. Predator from the Jaguar would be freaking awesome! 

 

Anyways, that my two cents. Get the hell out of the past and make something modern. 

So you probably want what I want, the return of the ambitious Atari of the early 2000s, when they were a major force in the industry and competed with the big boy triple A publishers like EA and Ubisoft  developing and publishing many double A and triple A games of they're own, I just made a thread about this very subject, if you're interested in knowing more you should check it out , it's the "PS2, secretly one of Atari's best systems? " thread.

Edited March 17 by JPF997

[chronic]

I enjoyed Godzilla: Destroy all Monsters on the GameCube. Godzilla always sells 🙂

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, theboyfromanotherplanet said:

I enjoyed Godzilla: Destroy all Monsters on the GameCube. Godzilla always sells 🙂

A favorite of Jr Beefy's. We love this game.

[JPF997]

Just now, MrBeefy said:

A favorite of Jr Beefy's. We love this game.

Godzilla Unleashed is also a great time on the PS2, one of the best Kaiju game releases of that era.

[donjn]

erode your 2600+, NEVER mix old and new, but whatever),

On 12/3/2023 at 1:44 PM, famicommander said:

There is literally not a worse way out there right now to play Atari games than on the MyArcade devices. Real hardware, PC emulation, compilations on other platforms, Evercade, etc. Every other way you could pick to play Atari games in 2023 is going to be more accurate, have much better controls, and many of them are much less expensive. The MyArcade handheld literally only plays 2600 games and it can't even run those at full speed. 

 

And yes, they are like the Flashbacks.... trash.  Atari should care more about its brand and the legacy of its games than to allow them to be represented in the manner the MyArcade games present them. They are poor stewards of the Atari legacy.

I watch @famicommander make posts like this and consistently see responses such as "sad" or "confused". I appreciate that he says the things that are tough to say, the truth.

The truth is, all of this hardware they release through At Games, My Arcade even the 2600+ itself are in fact all just....emulators. This is a fact. This is objective, these are emulators, rom dumpers. Emulators can be downloaded for free and you can use an original Atari joystick for everything, saving yourself the money. Emulators on a Windows-based PC with a higher end processor and graphics card is in fact MORE accurate and less lag (Retroarch has run-ahead for CRT like response time!)

 

So you are paying $80 (Gamestation Pro for an emulator with bad joysticks) or $140 (Atari 2600+) to remove and plug in cartridges. Oh, and to use.....dip switches. which I never saw back then. Manufactured nostalgia, hook, line and sinker....for a lot of you..

 

Now, if some of you love having it sit there in your living room or gaming room and appreciate that it runs all the old loose cartridges (which could eventually erode your 2600+, NEVER mix old and new but whatever) then fine.

 

But I think it was a big miss to not go down the FPGA route with this or anything else. Or not at least offer an SD card slot. Or allow multi-carts.

Edited March 18 by donjn

[MrBeefy]

2 hours ago, donjn said:

erode your 2600+, NEVER mix old and new, but whatever),

I watch @famicommander make posts like this and consistently see responses such as "sad" or "confused". I appreciate that he says the things that are tough to say, the truth.

The truth is, all of this hardware they release through At Games, My Arcade even the 2600+ itself are in fact all just....emulators. This is a fact. This is objective, these are emulators, rom dumpers. Emulators can be downloaded for free and you can use an original Atari joystick for everything, saving yourself the money. Emulators on a Windows-based PC with a higher end processor and graphics card is in fact MORE accurate and less lag (Retroarch has run-ahead for CRT like response time!)

 

So you are paying $80 (Gamestation Pro for an emulator with bad joysticks) or $140 (Atari 2600+) to remove and plug in cartridges. Oh, and to use.....dip switches. which I never saw back then. Manufactured nostalgia, hook, line and sinker....for a lot of you..

 

Now, if some of you love having it sit there in your living room or gaming room and appreciate that it runs all the old loose cartridges (which could eventually erode your 2600+, NEVER mix old and new but whatever) then fine.

 

But I think it was a big miss to not go down the FPGA route with this or anything else. Or not at least offer an SD card slot. Or allow multi-carts.

Aren't there already FPGA consoles that can run Atari 2600? They just don't have a Fuji logo or cart adapter.

 

I feel much the same way about Evercade. It's all emulation forcing you the inconvenience of putting in or removing carts from the device.

 

It is fun to see how many times people will pay to play Pong. 😅

[CapitanClassic]

I am sure FPGAs exist. Here is one, A2601, supposedly for the XA Spartan 3E. XA3S100E is one of the cheaper ones, with 100k gates. It’s a little too expensive to put in a commercial product, since it (runs about $50), making MSRP prices likely to be in the $250 range.

 

[J344R3Y]

Atari VCS 2 (shaped like a Fuji pyramid with a hologram platform on top to make hologram calls like in Star Wars) to be released in October 2025 with a classic Cartridge slot and full sized SD card slot (not micro SD)… that uses SD Express with version 9 support or higher. 8K video capable output with PC Mode running concurrent with the game system. Peripherals like a budget friendly Atari phone that slips into a headset adapter for VR should be optional along side additional controllers.

Call it simply the ATARI FUJI.

[Dunit]

On 3/17/2024 at 5:46 PM, JPF997 said:

So you probably want what I want, the return of the ambitious Atari of the early 2000s, when they were a major force in the industry and competed with the big boy triple A publishers like EA and Ubisoft  developing and publishing many double A and triple A games of they're own, I just made a thread about this very subject, if you're interested in knowing more you should check it out , it's the "PS2, secretly one of Atari's best systems? " thread.

Yes. I do want an ambitious Atari. I don't want them to be a " retro gaming" company. I want them to be a relevant gaming company. I understand that takes money, but holy crap, they've ridden the 2600 into the ground.

 

I have always been an Atari fan, but I'm done buying Atari stuff just because it's Atari. They need to earn my money now. Repackaging the same old crap in a new isn't going to cut it for me. If they are going to rehash old stuff at least do a recharge series of Jaguar games. Atari Karts would be a good start. I would love a good racing game. That NeoSprint game is crap.

 

[Video]

I kind of agree, atari is never going to be relevant again if they only release classics compilations each console generation. While I (and I'm sure a lot of others, especially on atariage) love these things, atari has to big a hole in their history to gather much attention that way, even with excellent products like atari 50th and 2600+. They need more modern games, but I'm kind of hit and miss on the recharged stuff. Like haunted house was "meh" for me, I actually liked the stylized version on Atari 50th better, and was a fan of the original from way back.

 

They need more modern stuff, like the early 2k area, now most of that is owned third party, so no rereleasing of dragging balls or Godzilla, but how about primal rage on Godzilla engine? Atari has lots of fighters that could update wit dbz engine, and I do truly believe Atari karts and club drive could have excellent modern daw sequels that could attract modern day customers as well as old school fans. I'd love some light gun action too, like carnevil and area 51 sequels.

 

Come on atari, its not a diss, we really are rooting for you.

[J344R3Y]

On 3/28/2024 at 11:27 PM, J344R3Y said:

Atari VCS 2 (shaped like a Fuji pyramid with a hologram platform on top to make hologram calls like in Star Wars) to be released in October 2025 with a classic Cartridge slot and full sized SD card slot (not micro SD)… that uses SD Express with version 9 support or higher. 8K video capable output with PC Mode running concurrent with the game system. Peripherals like a budget friendly Atari phone that slips into a headset adapter for VR should be optional along side additional controllers.

Call it simply the ATARI FUJI.

Sketched out some ideas last week and came up with another name option (the Atari Omni) as well as more detailed tech specs. I hope Atari can make this by 2026. They can then have a viable next gen competitor that will be future proof to build a foundation on. Make an exclusive open world game based on the mini comic books ATARI FORCE.

[+jeremiahjt]

15 hours ago, Video said:

primal rage

 

16 hours ago, Video said:

carnevil

 

16 hours ago, Video said:

area 51

Atari does not own any of these games. Primal Rage and Area 51 were done by Atari Games, and Carnevil was Midway. Of course, now all of that is owned by Warner Brothers, who at times seems annoyed it even owns old arcade ips.

[Video]

Really? Well maybe I'm remembering wrong, could have sworn those were all steel games, but I'm probably just remembering wrong lol. Darn agism, or whatever it is 😛 thenthen again, like dragon ball and Godzilla, just ataris name isn't the same thing as owning.

 

Cool ill have to look it up on Google, do some actual research instead of relying on faulty memory.

[harmonyFM]

Given that the VCS is charitably treading water and the most success they’ve had lately has been with stuff like Atari 50 I would deduce that’s probably what we’re more likely to see in the future with maybe a mini console like the 400 here and there. Software is how Atari is gonna keep the lights on.