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Atari To Release Old Games and New Console System
GrueMaster writes "Atari is announcing the re-release of their older games for the PS2 & Xbox. They are also talking about releasing a new console, which is a miniaturized version of the 7800 with built in games. Check out the story here. Being a collector of old Atari stuff, I'll be in line to get mine."
These have been released for the PC for a while and with all the emulators, etc. out there, I have to wonder if there is a demand for this?
On Sunday, at Futureshop (a friend wanted to go) we saw a PC cd of 80 classic Atari games, some of the ones that jump to mind are: asteroids, defender, combat, circus, joust. It was about $20 (CDN) The screenshots looked like the games I remember playing as a kid. I love some of those games, but I'm scared to play them again as I wonder if I'll ruin my memories where I actually enjoyed these games.
These games should be public domain already... Patents and copyright are supposed to increase innovation, but they are doing the exact opposite. When a company can simply repackage and sell the same ol' stuff over and over again, why should they invest their money in new (potentially risky) endeavors?
2600, 5200, Intellivision, Coleco nostalgia I can see... As well as NES, of course... But wasn't the 7800 a terrible flop?
Eh. Good luck, Atari. You'll need it. Nintendo can sell us Excitebike, Zelda and Super Mario again because they always were and will be great games. Anything that could be considered "great" on the 2600 was only because we didn't have anything better.
This summer I found the two CD set for Atari Arcade Hits (volume 1 and 2) for $5. :)
I've played a LOT of tempest this year.
I highly recommend searching eBay if you want this stuff, or simply searching garage sales for old CDs.
--
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OK this is strictly a nostalgia thing. I found my 2600 a few years ago. I played it a bunch for a few days. It sucked. It was a lot of fun to break out the old classics that I grew up on but after a while it still only has one button and honestly combat SUCKS. I'll take Unreal of Counter Strike out whatever over Combat any day. -Anyone remember Keystone Coppers that game rocked.
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For a community that is generally pro-emulation I cannot believe you guys are supporting Atari! You don't want them to rerelease games for newer architectures. Then they are no longer pieces of abandonware software, they can claim anyone spreading their older software under emulation is warezing, etc...
Yay, I can run antiquated games on expensive modern hardware for money. Personally I was more pleased when it was getting spread around in the emulation scene for free.
Abandonware sites work on logic somewhat like: "Well, you have this car, but since you've left it parked in the driveway for 6 months without using it, you shouldn't complain if we hotwire it and go joyriding in it... we'll return it so you don't lose anything!"
The logic is more something like, "Well, you have this classic car parked in the driveway, and since it isn't made anymore, I am going to duplicate the plans and build one for myself. Your car still works."
Big difference there.
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Not that I would encourage copyright violation, but the issues are more complex than that. These re-issues of old games (including the PS2 stuff, the TV plug-in boxes, yadda yadda) are, no doubt, inspired by the thriving emulation scene.
It's entirely possible that, if not for the swift kick in the pants to industry delivered by MAME and the like, these games would still be languishing in a corporate basement somewhere.
First of all, it really makes you feel like an old fart, especially if you have kids. And, trust me on this, these games are dorky and far from exciting to anyone who plays them for the game, and not for the memories and geek bragging rights. Plus, it just is not new, sexy technology any more. In the old days, we didn't mind typing up pages and pages of BASIC code - that was an integral part of the fun. Try doing that nowadays. Chances are you'll just feel it's pointless. Times do change.
There's some cool stuff going on in the do-it-yourself scene though. Over at the Xbox-Scene forums there's lots of discussion about creating custom controllers and even full-blown old-school arcades. And since the Xbox is pretty hackable, with MAME readily available (Sourceforge link), it's just a natural choice.
On the contrary! The reason why these games are still popular is because of the abandonware sites. These sites kept the market alive, and now the companies see that there is still a demand. If these sites had never existed, the games would truly be dead, and the companies would see no reason to bring them back.
So you see, the companies should be thanking the abandonware sites.
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> The logic is more something like, "Well, you have this classic car
> parked in the driveway, and since it isn't made anymore, I am
> going to duplicate the plans and build one for myself. Your car
> still works."
Or, more accurately still,
"Well, you have this classic car parked in the driveway, and since it isn't made anymore, I am going to duplicate the plans and build one for myself AND give one free to whoever wants one. Your car still works, and good luck trying to sell it."
Another big difference.
They or whoever owns Atari's corpse in 20 years will just keep re-releasing this stuff on new systems forever. And of course Congress will oblige with copyrights that never expire. Sorry but I already shelled out for the real catridges once I'm not doing it again. Emulation is the only way to go IMHO. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to buy this but let's not turn this thread into a emulation users are stealing from the artists thread. I doubt most of the original programmers are even getting a dime from this.
"But Bonnell downplayed the impact bootlegging could have on sales for "Atari Anthology" and the Atari Flashback console."
"You're right to say that a lot of them are bootlegged, and the code is not the right code, and the color is not the right color."
Uh sure buddy. Whatever you say.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
He's a subscriber, so he had ample to time compose a reply before it was posted to the main page.
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And, trust me on this, these games are dorky and far from exciting to anyone who plays them for the game,
What are you talking about? Centipede? Missile Command? I play these games in MAME on a regular basis because they're utterly challenging, exciting, and fun. These arcade hits were the very definition of twitch gaming--concentrate with everything you've got, because if you don't, you're dead. This is videogaming immersion at its very, very finest. Give me Missile Command on my Xbox/PS2 with my big TV and I will be enthralled.
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I wish someone with a heart (and a lot of cash) would buy the rights to all those Atari games and release them to the public domain where they belong, IMO. There are few cultural reference points for those of us in our 30s as powerful as the video games of the 1980s. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that they influenced many of us deeply, many of us who went on to pursue careers in computing precisely because we were so amazed by these cheesy little games. In a sense, many people posting here played a role (no matter how small or large) in the direction that computing and video games have gone and the continued cultural impact of them. After a while, you get the real sense that these games should rightly belong to everyone. I don't view them as products anymore, but rather a piece of history (history is defined partly in terms of how we got where we are now, right?) It seems morally wrong for Atari and a lot of companies from that time to continue milking these old games (and our nostalgia) for whatever few bucks they can get out of it.
--Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
Instead of an 7800 console, how about bringing the yesteryear's arcade experience at home? A good opportunity is for Atari to make a 'console' that looks exactly as an arcade box, complete with monitor, joysticks, coin slot, sound system etc. The arcade box could be marked as a piece of furniture that fits nicely in the living room or play room.
Of course underneath it would be a console that has the capability of providing a diverse arcade experience from the days of Space Invaders to Virtua Striker. The main selling point would be not the quality of graphics and all, but the quality of the arcade experience, something that it is solely missing from today.
Atari could also sell development systems for PCs that could allow the back bedroom programmers to make their own arcade games.
The above described box could be sold as max versions, midi and mini portable versions. The max version would have a 19" monitor, big arcade quality joysticks, the same size and outfit of an arcade box. The midi version could be the same, although scaled down, and the mini version would be a miniature coin-op box that could be carried over in a bag.
Another version could be the coctail one, sold also as a table for the living room.
Finally, a version without a TV and coin-slot should be available, for those that want a console in the traditional sense.