sku_u Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Several NEW, never before seen Atari arcade game ports To expand on my previous post, if this is true, you know we don't have the option of plugging in a cart into the original if we wanted trakball or paddle support from like in the original arcade versions unless all the new games were joystick only to begin with. You may want to revisit that sentence.. I (and I may be alone) can't make heads or tails of it... I cut something out and hit submit before rereading. Basically: If any of the new arcade ports are of games that used a trakball or paddle style controller in the arcade, I'd like to be able to use a trakball or paddle style controller when playing them. My biggest pet peeve with all these plug and plays and classic compilation is that little to no thought goes into adapting the games to the controller. The controller being used makes a big difference. This is especially true of games like Marble Madness on the PS2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Hierophant Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 The use of legacy Atari controllers or cartridges is not supported. Modifying the system in any way is not supported and will void your warranty. Two lines, placed in a conspicuous place, should eliminate those hassles. Besides, who outside of the community would think to or know how to attach a cartridge port to the device? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 It might have been a nice idea to have included an expansion port. That way, third parties (like the AA store, perhaps) could have supplied an add-on cart port. Thus, legacy support, and no tech-support headaches for InfoTari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Why'd they be so worried about tech support calls? People lovingly refer to most tech support and customer service lines tech-no support and customer no service for a reason. If they haven't already, they can just outsource to a third party customer service company and not deal with it at all like so many other companies have already. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bakasama Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Several NEW, never before seen Atari arcade game ports While that narrows down what the new games are, it still doesn't tell us more beyond that.[/code] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingray Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Besides, who outside of the community would think to or know how to attach a cartridge port to the device? Again, who cares about what the "average" person does with this unit. Let them eat cake. As it stands, it sounds like the FB2 will support adding a cart slot, uses the original style 2600 controllers and plugs in via a standard DB9 port. Sounds like the original sticks & paddles will work too. Man, I'm itchin' to get ahold of one. Sounds like Atari may have produced the classic system I've been waiting for. -S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariman Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Besides, who outside of the community would think to or know how to attach a cartridge port to the device? Again, who cares about what the "average" person does with this unit. Let them eat cake. As it stands, it sounds like the FB2 will support adding a cart slot, uses the original style 2600 controllers and plugs in via a standard DB9 port. Sounds like the original sticks & paddles will work too. Man, I'm itchin' to get ahold of one. Sounds like Atari may have produced the classic system I've been waiting for. -S Because it is the 'average' person who ultimately decides whether or not this product flops. If the 'average' person doesn't find the product attractive enough to buy, then Atari decides it isn't worth the trouble to design and produce any flashback hardware, and then WE are the ones that get boned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 ...then Atari decides it isn't worth the trouble to design and produce any flashback hardware, and then WE are the ones that get boned. How do we get boned if Infogrames loses interest in the Flashback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariman Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 ...then Atari decides it isn't worth the trouble to design and produce any flashback hardware, and then WE are the ones that get boned. How do we get boned if Infogrames loses interest in the Flashback Do you like the idea of the new flashback? Do you think Atari would have ventured to make a second version if their first one had absolutely no interest? I guess what I meant is that Atari wouldn't be interested in producing any classic hardware which, in my opinion, would be a bad thing. This way we have a large corporation (somewhat) supporting our hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 The use of legacy Atari controllers or cartridges is not supported. Modifying the system in any way is not supported and will void your warranty. Two lines, placed in a conspicuous place, should eliminate those hassles. Besides, who outside of the community would think to or know how to attach a cartridge port to the device? You win a cookie !!! :-) Now somebody is getting the picture... though remove the part about use of legacy controllers. Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariman Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 The use of legacy Atari controllers or cartridges is not supported. Modifying the system in any way is not supported and will void your warranty. Two lines, placed in a conspicuous place, should eliminate those hassles. Besides, who outside of the community would think to or know how to attach a cartridge port to the device? You win a cookie !!! :-) Now somebody is getting the picture... though remove the part about use of legacy controllers. Curt whew - I was afraid for a moment that I wouldn't be able to try out my Epyx 500XJ on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinball22 Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I hadn't thought about the customer service problems, though I would think a big fat disclaimer would help that. The implication of taking regular controllers makes me happy... my QuickShots will be pleased. And somehow I think that if Man Goes Down is on it, they'll have renamed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingray Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Because it is the 'average' person who ultimately decides whether or not this product flops. Somehow I doubt the addition of a cart slot would effect sales to the "average" consumer at all. The "average" consumer seems pretty happy with the junky jakks sticks. IMO, Atari has hit a winner, Joe Average will think it's spiffy just like he thinks all that other retro junk that Jakks keeps vomiting up is spiffy. He'll buy it anyway. The hobbiests in the know (read that as us) will know it's great because of the use of legacy controller ports and the fact that anyone with a little skill can add a cart port. It's a win/ win product. I agree with Curt, if it came out of the box with a cart slot it would just give Atari a lot more headaches than extra sales. -S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 99% of the people will look in the manual for the 800 support # before reading any disclaimer, so if could be in big flashy neon all over the manual, the tunnel vision of most consumers will only see 800-xxx-xxxx first, call, waste corporate money and resources to explain that blah blah blah voids the warantee. Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickHarrisMaine Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 If there's a 2600 cartridge port, I am all over this. If not, it will entirely depend on what it has for games. I may need something to put in the camper for rainy days for my.....two......boys.....yes, its for them of course...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariman Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Because it is the 'average' person who ultimately decides whether or not this product flops. Somehow I doubt the addition of a cart slot would effect sales to the "average" consumer at all. The "average" consumer seems pretty happy with the junky jakks sticks. IMO, Atari has hit a winner, Joe Average will think it's spiffy just like he thinks all that other retro junk that Jakks keeps vomiting up is spiffy. He'll buy it anyway. The hobbiests in the know (read that as us) will know it's great because of the use of legacy controller ports and the fact that anyone with a little skill can add a cart port. It's a win/ win product. I agree with Curt, if it came out of the box with a cart slot it would just give Atari a lot more headaches than extra sales. -S I'll go along with that - I'm just trying to make the point that it isn't what we think about the product that makes it a hit or not - it's the average consumer. Either way, I'm just glad that Atari is making the second flashback what the first one should have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 After reading all these posts, here's my guess: You will be able to run the real 2600 roms on it because you'll be able to connect it to your PC and download the games (probably for a fee) from the Atari website. This seems the obvious answer to all these question and hints we've been given- yes, you would use replica-type controllers, and yes, you would be playing the real games, not recreations of the original games and the homebrews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsoper Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I'm not getting my hopes up. It may have issues with some games (like the C64 DTV can't play some disc games) or it may be a large footprint (I've hand soldered the 3-chip 2600 into a fairly small space). But a small fully compatible chip with solder points for data, address, and paddle pots could be interesting. Especially if it works at 3v with no colorshift as VCC changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vdub_bobby Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 After reading all these posts, here's my guess: You will be able to run the real 2600 roms on it because you'll be able to connect it to your PC and download the games (probably for a fee) from the Atari website. This seems the obvious answer to all these question and hints we've been given- yes, you would use replica-type controllers, and yes, you would be playing the real games, not recreations of the original games and the homebrews This seems unlikely to me since they are still letting AtariAge give away the ROMs for free... From all the hints and whatnot it seems... -you can use legacy joysticks/controllers with it -it will have actual (redesigned?) 2600(/7800?) hardware inside; no emulation -it will NOT have a cartridge slot -it will have built-in games in the following categories: (1) previously released games from the 2600 catalog (2) homebrews (3) newly coded Atari arcade ports to the 2600(/7800?) hardware Even if I don't feel like soldering on a cart port, it still sounds pretty kick-ass. For homebrews...I'm guessing Man Goes Down, possibly Incoming!, possibly Leprechaun? Qb? Seawolf? I suppose I'm wishing more than guessing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 After reading all these posts, here's my guess: You will be able to run the real 2600 roms on it because you'll be able to connect it to your PC and download the games (probably for a fee) from the Atari website. This seems the obvious answer to all these question and hints we've been given- yes, you would use replica-type controllers, and yes, you would be playing the real games, not recreations of the original games and the homebrews Or connect it directly to the internet and download the games to a flashcard of some sort that can be used on the Flashback- this way the customer can pick and choose the games they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 After reading all these posts, here's my guess: You will be able to run the real 2600 roms on it because you'll be able to connect it to your PC and download the games (probably for a fee) from the Atari website. This seems the obvious answer to all these question and hints we've been given- yes, you would use replica-type controllers, and yes, you would be playing the real games, not recreations of the original games and the homebrews This seems unlikely to me since they are still letting AtariAge give away the ROMs for free... ...for now, at least... this could change before the launch of the Flashback, remember, they made AtariAge pull a bunch of games from the store, too when they sold the first Flashback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Curt - if you're paying attention - I have one question. Is this going to be a 2600 or 7800 based system? The reason I ask is that I'm toying with the idea of buying a 7800 again, but wondering if I should just save my money and buy a Flashback 2 when they hit the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 After reading all these posts, here's my guess: You will be able to run the real 2600 roms on it because you'll be able to connect it to your PC and download the games (probably for a fee) from the Atari website. This seems the obvious answer to all these question and hints we've been given- yes, you would use replica-type controllers, and yes, you would be playing the real games, not recreations of the original games and the homebrews This seems unlikely to me since they are still letting AtariAge give away the ROMs for free... ...for now, at least... this could change before the launch of the Flashback, remember, they made AtariAge pull a bunch of games from the store, too when they sold the first Flashback My guess would be a USB port, or USB cable that you would plug into your PC that would allow a limited amount of roms to be added when purchased from their website. This would be the CHEAPEST implementation of this feature and we know how COST is more important than QUALITY. Not that I'm complaining. Being able to use Roms is a great idea. But I guarantee you they will NOT be compatible with straight up Roms. It will most likely require roms PURCHASED from their website that have a special encryption or header on them to prevent users from being able to use generic roms. So who's going to get in line for the first Flashback 2.0 Mod-Chips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Do you like the idea of the new flashback? That depends. If this is a skin and bones 2600 and NOT another cheap emulator, maybe. As with the first one (which I will now vocally say was a piece of poorly emulated, cheaply manufactured garbage after having a chance to test one out for a few weeks), I'll reserve judgement until after I see what this new Flashback system has to offer and what kind of an impact it has on the people who have kept interest in older systems alive. I guess what I meant is that Atari wouldn't be interested in producing any classic hardware which, in my opinion, would be a bad thing. This way we have a large corporation (somewhat) supporting our hobby. My hobby is collecting and playing classic games. Seeing the release of a classic compilation or system to which I own most/all the originals does not excite me. With the exception of Namco Museum for the PS2 and the Activision Anthology, every one of these has been a big let down to me when it was released. If they dropped support and/or lost interest, which WILL happen once the current fad has run its course, it won't affect me. As I've pretty much expressed since the first hint of a Flashback 1, I'm NOT the target market all these plug and plays have been trying to cater to. Up to now, these have catered to people waxing nostalgic looking for a quick laugh and a quicker fix.[/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhindle The Red Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 The new arcade ports are obviously going to be Black Widow, I, Robot (to tie in with the movie), Cloud 9, and the original Quack! (Not that horrible second Quack.) Oh, and, of course, Puppy Pong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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