Sabertooth

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.

I got a Jaguar in '94. Because I worked at a video game store in high school, I had access to used games and demos for the Jaguar, 32x and 3DO. Of the three, I never owned a 32x but I was able to sample the library. Given that I could play a lot of titles in store, I was never really surprised or let down by the games I bought. The pre-PSX games like Tempest 2000, Doom, Wolfenstein, AVP, Raiden, Iron Soldier and Theme Park all compared well to what was on offer on the other two platforms. I knew enough to stay away from dogs like Trevor McFur, Club Drive and Checkered Flag at the time.
 
The store closed all of the locations in my area in the summer of '95 so I was flying blind that Fall. I relied mostly on Next Generation for info during this period. For the most part, later releases, like Missile Command 3D, Battlemorph, Rayman and Primal Rage all held up reasonably well to the early Saturn and PlayStation games. I also thoroughly enjoyed Blue Lightning and Highlander, even though they get pretty bad ratings in most Jaguar discussion threads. For me, the biggest let downs during the Jaguar's commercial life were Supercross 3D and Fight for Life. Both had semi-favorable previews and screen shots leading up to release. Both were terrible disappointments.
 
Some happy surprises happened when the Jaguar went on clearance. I found that I really enjoyed the quirky, colorful titles Flip Out! and Attack of the Mutant Penguins. I also picked up the stellar Super Burnout at this time. Other happy surprises came with the Telegames releases. Iron Soldier 2 exceeded every expectation and Zero 5 became a lifelong favorite. In fact, I think the six Telegames releases are among the Jaguar's strongest titles. Later, when I got into Songbird's games, I couldn't put down Skyhammer. Other's, like Hyperforce or Soccer Kid, just aren't my cup of tea but I'm glad that Carl was able to save the work from the dust bin.
 
I was on a break from gaming when Battlesphere and BSG came out. I finally got BSG at a bit of a premium a few years ago from another Jaguar collector. After all of the buildup, there was no way it could meet my expectations. It is a solid game and has a tremendous amount of polish but I just don't find it as engaging as, say, Wing Commander 3.

I'd be all over the portable if it had an SD slot and a decent directional pad.  I agree with MaximumRD that nothing in the design really ties back to the classic console.  The could have throne some faux woodgrain on there. 

Of the arcade titles, I have always been fond of the 2600 versions of Ms. Pac-Man, Moon Patrol, Joust, Dig Dug, Q-bert and Frogger.  I also really like Mousetrap even though it is a far cry from its arcade inspiration.  Battlezone is a favorite too, but as others have said its much more a remake than a conversion.  I actually prefer it to the vector original.

I'd be all over the portable if it had an SD slot and a decent directional pad.  I agree with MaximumRD that nothing in the design really ties back to the classic console.  The could have throne some faux woodgrain on there. 

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. 

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

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

FINALLY! After years of the SEGA portable, we will see the Atari Portable!!!!
List price $69.99 available starting in Oct 2016

If you were an early adopter of the Jaguar like I was, what were some of your expectations and how did you feel it compared to reality once you managed to get the console/games? I think the one game I want to focus or emphasize on is Club Drive. I spent a lot of time looking at the back of the Jaguar box only to imagine which game I could get next and Club Drive always seemed to stick out in a positive light. I'm not really sure what I was expecting but the picture on the back of that Jaguar box sure made it seem like something far more grand.
 
Thankfully I didn't pay full price for Club Drive. Actually, I think I ended up doing a trade for some other games I had at the time, by that time probably sometime in 95. What a goofy game. Completely destroyed my hopes/expectations of what that game was supposed to be. While strange, it was fast and I do remember even attempting to do a 2 player very briefly, though I'm unsure who it was with. It didn't last very long, it just wasn't very fun plus you couldn't really make out anything.
 
Revisiting some screenshots, I don't remember the Atari building in the game and may have to check it out again just for that reason alone lol

While Atari didn't make tv out available to consumers we're fortunate that McWill did. His improved LCD and VGA out is a great upgrade if you're really into the Lynx.

While Atari didn't make tv out available to consumers we're fortunate that McWill did. His improved LCD and VGA out is a great upgrade if you're really into the Lynx.

Next up is Rygar, which I got via a trade with Justin.  Much appreciated. 
 
Rygar Review
 
One word summary:  Perfect
 
I love this game.  It's fast, it's smooth, and the difficulty ramps up nicely.  No cheap deaths.  Great graphics (especially the backgrounds -- wow).  This game is a platformer, and your warrior has a chain mace.  Similar to Castlevania.  Really well done game.  I think this may be my favorite so far.  Tons of fun. 

Great reviews, Rick. Roadblasters is a fantastic port on the Lynx and one of my favorite titles. Hydra has a similar vibe so I recommend that if you can get it cheaply.
 
I also really enjoy Kung Food despite its flaws. If someone were to fix the collision detection I would snap up an improved version in a heartbeat.
 
Many of the Atari Games arcade games do really well on the Lynx (Roadblasters, Hydra, XYBOTS, Gauntlet, Stun Runner, Paperboy, etc.). It's fortunate that Atari, Inc. and Atari Games were able to work out licensing deals despite being different companies. If things had worked out differently, I think that a unified Atari could have given SEGA a run for its money with exclusive quality arcade to home conversions. Alas, many Atari Games titles of the period were available across platforms. Good for gamers but bad for Atari, Inc.

Great reviews, Rick. Roadblasters is a fantastic port on the Lynx and one of my favorite titles. Hydra has a similar vibe so I recommend that if you can get it cheaply.
 
I also really enjoy Kung Food despite its flaws. If someone were to fix the collision detection I would snap up an improved version in a heartbeat.
 
Many of the Atari Games arcade games do really well on the Lynx (Roadblasters, Hydra, XYBOTS, Gauntlet, Stun Runner, Paperboy, etc.). It's fortunate that Atari, Inc. and Atari Games were able to work out licensing deals despite being different companies. If things had worked out differently, I think that a unified Atari could have given SEGA a run for its money with exclusive quality arcade to home conversions. Alas, many Atari Games titles of the period were available across platforms. Good for gamers but bad for Atari, Inc.

Kung Food Review
 
One word summary:  Tums
 
What can I say here?  I really liked this one, but it has a few flaws.  I love the little muscular green giant character.  He's an angry little Hulk in a fridge!  And fighting against food, ice creeps, and rats!  COOL!  This should have been a follow up to "Food Fight" somehow.  Or maybe it should have had power-ups like "Altered Beast".  The concept is really fun.  But there are issues....I dislike how hard it is to line up with enemies.  And it's kind of hard to tell if your punches/kicks have landed.  Oh, and those ice spikes that pop out of the ground are really cheap. 
 
The graphics are great.  Everything is easy to see and moves smoothly. 
 
This game could have been something special.  I wonder if they play tested with real gamers and got some honest feedback -- if that would have helped a game like this. 
 
This game is a fun concept, but a little flawed. 
 
Atari had an arcade platform at the time...the one that played Paperboy and APB to name a few examples.  The Lynx really reminds me of that platform...the graphics and text have that same look and feel. 

Roadblasters Review:
 
One word summary:  Wow!
 
This game is really good on the Lynx.  Impressive graphics, easy controls.  Very responsive. Love the helicopter that drops weapons upgrades. 
 
On the con side:  It's really hard to see the green/red fuel blobs, but maybe that's just my old eyes.  Also, it's super cool that they included some voice effects at the end of each round, but it was kind of hard to understand.  Maybe I should try headphones. 
 
The game is really fun, and looks great. A+. 
 
What do you all think of this game?

I've gotten the Lynx out and wanted to share my collection.  I haven't even tried a few of these games yet (Rygar, Kung Food, Roadblasters).  Reviews coming soon.
 
 

Done & done. I'm going to hold you to that drink.

AtariAge user SainT recently launched his LynxSD cart. I signed up on the interest thread when the project was announced and finally got mine about two weeks ago. I have to say, it's one awesome accessory for your favorite Atari handheld. I now have the vast majority of games on a single game card. The cased version fits the Lynx II. If you have the Lynx I, you'll have to go with the uncased cart. Check it out on his website or visit the AtariAge thread:
 
http://www.retrohq.co.uk/the-first-review

I just downloaded an incomplete "complete rom set" in my haste to get playing and haven't bothered to fill in the gaps. I think there were initially some issues with a handful of roms but it looks like those have been resolved in software. He's on version 1.6 now, which is what I have, and everything I've tried has been aces.

I just downloaded an incomplete "complete rom set" in my haste to get playing and haven't bothered to fill in the gaps. I think there were initially some issues with a handful of roms but it looks like those have been resolved in software. He's on version 1.6 now, which is what I have, and everything I've tried has been aces.

Me too, Professor. The good news is that SainT announced that he's got a Jaguar SD cart design in the works too! Jaguar emulation is still a work in progress, so real hardware is really the way to go. This will make Jaguar ownership so much more affordable for those that want to play and not collect.

AtariAge user SainT recently launched his LynxSD cart. I signed up on the interest thread when the project was announced and finally got mine about two weeks ago. I have to say, it's one awesome accessory for your favorite Atari handheld. I now have the vast majority of games on a single game card. The cased version fits the Lynx II. If you have the Lynx I, you'll have to go with the uncased cart. Check it out on his website or visit the AtariAge thread:
 
http://www.retrohq.co.uk/the-first-review

AtariAge user SainT recently launched his LynxSD cart. I signed up on the interest thread when the project was announced and finally got mine about two weeks ago. I have to say, it's one awesome accessory for your favorite Atari handheld. I now have the vast majority of games on a single game card. The cased version fits the Lynx II. If you have the Lynx I, you'll have to go with the uncased cart. Check it out on his website or visit the AtariAge thread:
 
http://www.retrohq.co.uk/the-first-review

Me too, Professor. The good news is that SainT announced that he's got a Jaguar SD cart design in the works too! Jaguar emulation is still a work in progress, so real hardware is really the way to go. This will make Jaguar ownership so much more affordable for those that want to play and not collect.

What else needs to be said?