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."

Demand

[MikeMacK]

The video game company told The Associated Press on Tuesday it plans to reissue scores of its classic titles from yesteryear on a single disc that can be played on the game consoles Xbox and PlayStation 2.

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?

Saw something at Futureshop

[Nos.]

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.

Patenets and Copyright

[ajuda]

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?

Nostalgia for the 7800?

[huchida]

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.

Arcade Hits CDs from a garage sale

[JUSTONEMORELATTE]

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.


--
GMail invites for iPod referrals [slashdot.org]

Re:Lots of issues

[funkdid]

I don't think anyone who didn't own these at one point would buy it. If some teenager ends up with this, it's cause his dad bought it for him. It'll end up next to the other crap that was "fun in my day". For us though, us conesoures of fine video games, us cultured folk who can gain amusement from really bad sound and worse graphics...

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.

This isn't good for us...

[garcia]

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.

Re:MAME

[El Cabri]

To me they did : I consider it ethically all right to violate the copyright of works that are made unavailable otherwise by the unwillingness of the rights owner to "copy" them anymore.

Re:Justifying Bootlegging

[geeber]

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.

Best way for nostalgia

[El Cabri]

All Atari systems were too primitive. Actually the most interesting period for nostalgy playing is the late 80s-early 90s 16/32 bit systems. Their games were seriously designed (often in Japan) for playability and are therefore still fun to play even today. Their 2D graphics were still abstract and cartoony enough so as not to shock someone used to contemporary 3D like for example a PS1 or a Dreamcast would, yet not as ridiculously blocky and ugly as on a 2600. And they are abundant, and hence dirt cheap, on eBay. A functionning system and tens of games for under $75, shipping included.

Re:Justifying Bootlegging

[Dr. Zowie]

Just because they aren't selling it today, doesn't mean that they never will.

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.

Cool but where's the fun in that?

[igrp]

I think it's cool that they're re-releasing the games I grew up with. But I agree that it's mostly a nostalgia thing. Back in the days, this stuff used to be cutting edge. These days, it still feels nice to play pick up a controller and play one of the old games for a few minutes but it's different.

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 [xbox-scene.com] 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 [x-arcade.com] (Sourceforge link [sourceforge.net]), it's just a natural choice.

Re:Justifying Bootlegging

[LordNimon]

This is one of those cases where justifying "abandonware" sites becomes much more difficult.

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.

Re:Justifying Bootlegging

[Fortress]

> 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.

Why should they be any different then the RIAA?

[bogie]

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.

Re:Lots of issues - First Post WPM

[scowling]

He's a subscriber, so he had ample to time compose a reply before it was posted to the main page.

Atari is just a name now....

[wobedraggled]

Atari offically died when the Tramiel family killed it with the Jaguar... Just like they killed Commodore. I wish we could find them anbd string them up... Anyway, cool and all but again the Gamecube get's the shaft all these 3rd party companies are releasing everything ps2/xbox. Frankly I dont want to see Nintendo go down the same road. If you have $99 go buy a gamecube NOW, yo'll thank me for it, it has some killer 1st party game and good 3rd party ones as well. Do you want MS in control of the Video Game market? I sure in hell dont! /rant ;)

Dude, not to be rude, but...

[Faust7]

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.

Re:Why should they be any different then the RIAA?

[dasmegabyte]

Who cares if the original programmers aren't getting a dime, man? Copyright isn't about that. Copyright is about ownership. The programmers sold their ownership rights in exchange for a paycheck. Some sold their ownership rights for a pittance. Some got a lot more than they probably should have. Point is, you can't base an argument against copyright on the fact that creators are "no longer" paid. If copyright law were intended only to pay creators on a per-work basis, copyright wouldn't be transferrable and artists (who are not by and large advertisers or salespeople) would be a lot worse off.

Yes, emulator users are only stealing from "corporations." But it's those corporations that pay for the games in the first damned place. Steal from them, remove the incentive for them to make money where they can, and they're less likely to finance the games you actually want to buy. Shit, we've already seen the death of Interplay and Acclaim this year...

Milk it, Atari

[inkswamp]

Sorry to sound like an old curmedgeon, but speaking as someone whose teenage years nearly revolved around Atari games...

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.

Re:Justifying Bootlegging

[Anonymous Coward]

"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."

Yet, even more accurately:

Well, you have this classic car parked in the driveway now worth about a nickel, 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 get more than four cents for it...that is, if you forget about collectors.

Yet another big difference.

No "third-party" titles.

[Anonymous Coward]

The biggest problem with the PC version of this set, and what will most likely be the biggest problem of the console versions, is that it only contains games that were owned by Atari and developed by Atari. That means there are none of the Atari 2600 classics released by Coleco or Parker Brothers or Mattel (Activision, however, has released their own anthology of 2600 titles, which is already available for the PC and the consoles). Similarly, there will be no games like Pac-Man or Galaxian or Moon Patrol that Atari had to license from some other company before releasing (which means, sorry to say, E.T. won't be in the collection either).

On the other hand, the PC release is very nice. The game ROMs are stored in separate files on the CD, meaning they can be used with other emulators, and (most) other ROMs can be used with Atari's emulator, which is pretty solid. The PC release also includes a few ROM images that have been hard to find even on the Internet, such as the infamous Atari 2600 prototype of Tempest.

Re:Lots of issues

[master_p]

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.