Atari back in business

[#1]

Seems Atari is back in the hardware business, interesting times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WNsmCpdhhY

[#2]

It'll be interesting to see!

Funny lot Atari.. their music abilities with the midi ports on the ST, STFM, STe, Falcons etc were unparalleled but they just didn't seem to be able to keep up with anything else and obviously everything else that was progressing eventually invaded Atari's only real security - music.

Then there was the incident with their games being so bad they sent them all to the landfill - several thousand if i remember correctly.. which some folks went hunting for years later and actually found!

We had an STFM when i was a kid.. looking back i wonder how we managed with it as it was back then a dinosaur but it did some basic jobs pretty well. It had a whopping 1/2 Mb of ram and was eventually upgraded to 4Mb. Credit where its due though they were solidly built, never went wrong and would probably still be running well today doing some basic tasks if i still had it. I often look back and realise what a waste it was to dispose of it but back then the PC was far more exciting and an old atari... well there was no point keeping it.

The main processor inside it is still in production today and still quite popular among hobbyist electronics people who are skilled at programming in assembly. I knew a guy years ago who said it was one of the best processors on the market for enthusiasts because it offered so much. That was 17 years ago though and now we have arduino etc so i guess the atari processor might slow down at some point sales wise.

I only ever got to play on an atari games console once, great fun but only lasted for half an hour or so. I wish them well with whatever they come up with - retro stuff seems to sell quite well these days.

[#3]

We got a bit more information now and even a couple pictures.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/07/17/atari-reveals-first-pictures-new-games-console/

[#4]

I just might add myself to the queue for one of them. When I did play games way back then on the Amiga, they were called things like Paper Boy and Chuckie Egg, heck, I'd play them now if I could get a console.

[#5]

Loved playing Chuckie Egg but on the BBC B+128

[#6]

Great taste in games you both have, they are classics. I liked Manic Miner, Chuck Rock,  Dizzy...list is endless but Space Invaders in the arcade at 10p a pop is where it all really started happening for me.

[#7]

Don't forget Frak.

The wife used to get some eye watering scores on that game.

http://www.bbcmicrogames.com/index.html

[#8]

We need the commodore 64 to comeback too.... this was my first pc back in 86  

[#9]

Not sure if there is already something out there regarding the commodore 64 @St3, they seem to have done everything else and now Atari. Apparently Atari only has 10 human investors and this machine will be crowdfunded. Atari must be skint and don't want to take any chances so looks like we will have to pay them to make it. I am fine with that as it means we get in a say on what goes into it etc.

[#10]

I think people will buy it... might buy one myself

[#11]

I managed to get a NES mini, before it got discontinued and have it hooked up to my TV. Best thing is you can unofficially *cough* add more games to it. I like the fact it has HDMI. The price shot up once it got discontinued.

I also got a another (real) C64 as I couldn't find the ones I had in the loft. Works fine with a flash card disk drive it thinks is a real one. Nice  Downloaded some D64 images, and of course I own the originals to not break copyright  Mind you I'd have a really tough job in trying to find them if I were asked. 

Nice thing is I also got a C64 monitor to Scart cable too. Had a bit of a problem finding the adaptor for my TV. I did and it looks nice, no I decided I am not using a RF cable as it would look [-Censored-].

Friend told me today the SNES mini is coming out. I checked and it is in September. Might see if I can pre-order one.

C64 was my main one of choice as it was the computer I grew up with.

[#12]

Good job on securing a Nes Mini @Alex I wanted one but was not paying scalpers on Ebay for one. Then I read how short the leads are and thought against it. Fancy a Snes Mini but will we be able to get one? side note: this comes out later this year but not connected with the title of this topic  

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/7115936

[#13]

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@Steve wrote:

Chuck Rock

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Oh that was a game with a great musical score on the Atari! Loved it to bits. Only problem was being 11 at the time and not knowing any better, when "disk 2" didn't do anything i formatted it and used it for other things.

Sounds stupid but nobody told me you had to actually play the first disk first. I thought Disk 2 was like a new release not an extension!

Personally though I think you're all as mad as a box of frogs as not one of you have mentioned missile command yet. That was flaming awesome. Atari did re-release it again in 2000ish and i wasn't so keen on it but still a legend in its original form.

[#14]

Quite a classic @7up I have added a video. Will save you forking out 80 quid, enjoy lol

[#15]

re your earlier post about funding..

I seem to recall apple went through a quiet phase before coming out with the ipod, then phones? Although the Mac was available they were a specialist choice and not a common machine.

With that in mind, it's not impossible for Atari to make a big return to the world of computing.