Justin

I appreciate Atari making a sincere effort here. I've dreamed of them doing this since the '90s and now it's here. Missile Command, Yar's Revenge, Adventure I understand. The rest are a bonus, but games like Combat, Dodge 'Em and Surround could be left off entirely in favor of a single gorgeous 2600 game that comes close to delivering "arcade-like gameplay", such as Millipede, etc. If you're buying a system capable of playing Atari 7800 quality games, there should be at least one game included that's at the level of a Millipede. It's possible they are saving games like Millipede for future Multicart paks that they will release, or potentially another "Enhanced" release such as what they're doing with Berzerk. There's also huge potential for brilliant new games to be developed for the 2600+ that take advantage of 7800 graphics, build on existing Atari IPs and help redeem Atari's story arc. Imagine Atari supporting the 2600+ with a new 7800 cartridge like "Swordquest: Timeworld" as a new adventure game that could give Legend of Zelda a run for its Rupees.

I got that, but they put out Berzerk anyway. My larger point is there are some very nice looking Atari 2600 games (Millipede being one) that are more fun to play and show the system off better than things like Surround. I'm not trying to bludgeon the point home but I think a few small tweaks will go a long way, especially if they're talking about making this available in retail stores.

Welcome to the world of Game Boy modding. And photography! @MaximumRD I've had a lot of fun exploring what can be done. There's so much available now in terms of modding and making it your own, and hacking it to do really cool and fun things.

That would've been a good way to repurpose the COLOR / BW switch

I totally get all of that. I still think it's not a good look for a retail product. Build a better cartridge or a better emulator or figure it out. Also, no excuse for Surround as a pack-in.

Who knows, you might get your wish! At the end of this interview (shared in Atari I/O thanks to @TrekMD) Wade mentions the Jaguar and its vibrant community. Maybe they will find a way to do something cool. If they can make the numbers work, why not?

It's just the right size I question the "design choice" to use the "retro" dip switches on the back of the multicart. I think someone innovative enough could've developed a menu. And it would be nice had they not included games like Surround, and instead included something like Millipede or Stargate on the multicart. It would also be nice if the cartridge shells were accurate.

Every time I see a "Tengen" ad or cartridge I flinch and think that every one of those games should have been released exclusively on the Atari 7800 and Lynx. All of the "Atari Games" titles too such as Paperboy, Roadblasters and Marble Madness.

I was surprised Atari didn't try to develop the Atari Cosmos more in the direction of a smaller Vectrex with added Holoptic displays. Vector graphics would've made the Atari Cosmos something incredible. I can understand why it was canceled before release. When you see it and realize other than the "Holoptic" display, it's really just a few LED lights, it seems more primitive than a Nintendo Game & Watch game.

Absolute top shelf advice for any form of online gaming

Makes you think of all the possibilities of other games that could've come out for the 7800

🤔

That's an incredible story! Yes, Atari dropped the 5200 to replace it with the 7800 in 1984, however they continued shipping 5200 games through at least 1986. Atari, Inc. (Warner Communications) had intended to continue support for the 5200 for a while longer while not producing new systems. The Tramiels were still selling off Atari 5200 inventory in 1995 though most of it had gone. I would have thought stores would've hung onto demonstration kiosks a little longer than 1984 until inventory had sold through. Maybe at Montgomery Wards it already had and they had chosen not to take any more inventory for the 5200. Montgomery Wards "Electric Avenue" is where I bought some of my Lynx games when they were new. Here is a Gremlins for Atari 5200 with a 1986 copyright date as they were still being manufactured and shipped even in the Tramiel 2600 / 7800 / XE era:

Do you have a story to share about how you came into possession of the kiosks? Did you have to persuade an assistant manager at Montgomery Ward’s to slip these to you out the back? How did you make that happen?

That's incredible that they were getting rid of kiosks that early.

That makes a lot more sense.

That's a very good point. Those controls were so good they were almost misrepresenting the product to the customer. They should've made an "arcade stick" using those controls housed in something similar to the 5200 Trak-Ball. What were you doing with a 5200 kiosk so long ago?

I enjoyed your video 🙂 @RetroGameBoyz have done wonders.

Did the Heritage Auctions 5100 end up selling?

Used ones can be found for a good deal. I highly recommend the OLED model, it's very nice. Keep in mind there will be a new "Switch" announced before too long. Also, @Jinroh has a used Nintendo Switch listed For Sale in the Forums, not sure if it has sold or not:

My thoughts exactly. Clearly this is an impressive product and I hope it’s successful 👍

This just looks amazing and insane

Great coverage and terrific game

Thank you for sharing this with us here! Best wishes on the podcast

AMAZING to see you doing this. Looking forward to listening to this tonight!