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Coming this Christmas - Atari Flashback 7 and....


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AT Games just started sending out their pre-order forms for this holiday season's Flashback systems. It includes:

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The Atari Flashback 7 (101 games and wireless joysticks) - no surprise there.

 

 

and.......

 

 

 

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FINALLY! After years of the SEGA portable, we will see the Atari Portable!!!!

List price $69.99 available starting in Oct 2016

Brian Matherne - owner/curator of "The MOST comprehensive list of Atari VCS/2600 homebrews ever compiled." http://tiny.cc/Atari2600Homebrew

author of "The Atari 2600 Homebrew Companion" book series available on Amazon! www.amazon.com/author/brianmatherne

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And a portable! Yes!

https://media.giphy.com/media/svcVqVsSvzm0g/giphy.gif

Edited by Arenafoot

Brian Matherne - owner/curator of "The MOST comprehensive list of Atari VCS/2600 homebrews ever compiled." http://tiny.cc/Atari2600Homebrew

author of "The Atari 2600 Homebrew Companion" book series available on Amazon! www.amazon.com/author/brianmatherne

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I guess they sell enough they can keep cranking out new revisions. I have the 2+ (the last one made based on the original chip that can have a slot added) all the ones after the 2/2+ were based on a different technology, besides slight differences in the line up I've not been interested enough to grab another, between my Harmony cartridge and several original 2600 models I'm good.

 

I am glad to see the portable but my eyes are not interested in screens less than 7 inch these days. Eyes started getting bad a couple years ago so even with glasses these small screens are a strain, shame as I still own several portable devices with smaller screens but I would not buy them today. Great to see it finally though, great option for others.

I am Rob aka MaximumRD aka OldSchoolRetroGamer and THIS is my world http://about.me/maximumrd

"For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday."

 - M. Bison

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I think maybe those are the "reset," "menu," "game type switch," "level select," buttons?

thats what I'm thinking they are - unless thats an SD slot on the top....................

Brian Matherne - owner/curator of "The MOST comprehensive list of Atari VCS/2600 homebrews ever compiled." http://tiny.cc/Atari2600Homebrew

author of "The Atari 2600 Homebrew Companion" book series available on Amazon! www.amazon.com/author/brianmatherne

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I think maybe those are the "reset," "menu," "game type switch," "level select," buttons?

 

Ah of course silly me. I was thinking fire buttons lol but that makes sense, almost like they are recycling the SEGA shells or something though, there is nothing of this design that says "Atari 2600" , hope it changes before release. 

I am Rob aka MaximumRD aka OldSchoolRetroGamer and THIS is my world http://about.me/maximumrd

"For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday."

 - M. Bison

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Ah of course silly me. I was thinking fire buttons lol but that makes sense, almost like they are recycling the SEGA shells or something though, there is nothing of this design that says "Atari 2600" , hope it changes before release.

 

It would be cool if they shaped it like a really tiny Heavy Sixer or something like that.
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No offense to anyone looking forward to the portable but what a shitty design. I guess something is better than nothing but it's definitely not in the Atari spirit at all, just a cheap re-purposed shell that looks like you could play Street Fighter Turbo on it, not Missile Command. I'm guessing it cost all of $8 to make and everything else is profits. Yay, Go Atari....

7800 - 130XE - XEGS - Lynx - Jaguar - ISO: Atari Falcon030 | STBook |STe

 

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Love the idea of the portable, hate the design and the price.  For a little bit more, one could pick up a handheld running Android (JXD 5110 for example), or Dingux (here's an A330 for $79), or something similar.  Sure, they can sometimes take some extra legwork to get everything running exactly the way you want, but their versatility more than makes up for the extra cost IMO.

 

I'm all for supporting ATGames and Atari, and I don't condone outright piracy (you do own all those games you have ROM images for, right?), but with the number of options one has to accomplish essentially the same thing -- i.e. running emulated games on a portable device that looks nothing like what it's emulating -- I can't see how this ends up being much more than a novelty item.  I hope to be wrong about this.

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I will own the portable if it is at the same 40ish price tag, they can keep it at 70 bucks.

I don't want a PSP to emulate with, and I dont own nor do I care to own an iOS or Andriod device.   This is just what I'd want, especially if it has an SD card slot.

I do own the AtGames sega, and I think its well worth the 30 I paid for it.   More if I actually bothered to use the SD card! ;)

Edited by Rowsdower70

"For you - Rowsdower from the 70 - have been appointed Omnivisioner of the Game Grid."  ~ Atari Adventure Square

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at $69.99 for the portable - its much cheaper than having a homemade portable made.......

 

Ben Heck's Atari portables $750-$1000

 

Charles Tweedy Atari portable $200+

Brian Matherne - owner/curator of "The MOST comprehensive list of Atari VCS/2600 homebrews ever compiled." http://tiny.cc/Atari2600Homebrew

author of "The Atari 2600 Homebrew Companion" book series available on Amazon! www.amazon.com/author/brianmatherne

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A few notes:

 

1) At Games (Atari licensed this, but isn't making it) reused the Sega design most likely due to cost. The extra buttons are for system switches and the like. 

2) It has been reported that while putting a cartridge slot for the Sega home system worked out, the cost is way to high for an Atari cartridge slot. Sorry  :(

3) You can pause!

4) Frogger is a redone version of the game which will be more arcade like than 2600 like. I believe they did this with Space Invaders on previous systems.

5) Don't read too much into to msrp. The other flashbacks have an msrp of 59.99, but retail for around $40. I expect these to be available at most retailers for $40-$50 with Holiday sales bringing them down to $25 -$35.

6) You can play 2600 games off the SD card, unless they used a special chip like Pitfall II (and you do own the ROMS, right? ;) )

7) It has a TV out, but you need to have your own cable to use it.

8) This will, for the most part, be very similar to the FB 6, except of course Frogger and they fact that there is a portable unit. 

 

Please note that while we all would love 1,000 games, cartridge slot, better emulation, knob dials for paddle games, etc, we are in a way lucky just to get this. Companies need to make money off their products and most plug n plays no longer make enough profit to warrant their existence (That's why you won't see followups to the INTV and CV versions). In order for these products to be profitable, the costs need to be kept low and they need to appeal to the general consumer, not the hard core retro gamer. They are banking more on spontaneous Christmas gift purchases than the retro gaming community. Sad to say, but that's just the reality of it.

 

On a side note, I am happy this is coming out. I think the button layout will be fine! I find the layout TERRIBLE for Street Fighter 2 on the Sega due to the angel, but since system switches are rarely used, it should be fine here.

 

However, I may not get it, since I'm guessing I already own most of the games on the great DS compilations.

The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg

Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube

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I decided to make a quick video covering this, since I think it's pretty cool!

I also made sure to give Arenafoot and the site shout-outs!

https://youtu.be/GE5NBonvUt4

The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg

Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube

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Portable AND SD card slot?  I'm in as long as it's less than $50. 

 

Like I said before, despite MSRP, I think that will be the going rate at most big chains and cheaper with sales.

The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg

Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube

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The SD card slot is what really intrigues me.  The fact that it will run real ROMS indicates it's running a plain old emulator with no changes to game code.  I've always wondered about things like the Nintendo Gameboy compilations -- if they do the same or if they make any changes to the games.

Besides a woodgrain case, the only other improvement I can think of would be a joystick port so a real joystick or paddles could be used.

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