Here comes additional details concerning Atari's big, ambitious comeback in the video game console market!

In an exclusive interview last week with GamesBeat, Ataribox creator and general manager Feargal Mac announced that Atari will begin a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo this fall and launch the Ataribox in the spring of 2018. The console will run Linux on an AMD custom processor with Radeon graphics, with a user interface customized for TVs and will cost between $250-$300.

The Ataribox will launch with a large back catalog of the publisher’s classic games. The idea being to be able to "create a box that makes people feel nostalgic about the past, but it’s also capable of running the independent games they want to play today, like Minecraft or Terraria". In addition to indie games, the console will run those that a mid-range PC can handle, but won't run AAA games that require higher-end specs. Mac added that it will also perform PC-worthy stuffs like streaming, running apps, browsing the web, and playing music.

“I was blown away when a 12-year-old knew every single game Atari had published. That’s brand magic. We’re coming in like a startup with a legacy,” Mac said in the interview. “We’ve attracted a lot of interest, and AMD showed a lot of interest in supporting us and working with us. With Indiegogo, we also have a strong partnership.”

“People are used to the flexibility of a PC, but most connected TV devices have closed systems and content stores,” he said. “We wanted to create a killer TV product where people can game, stream and browse with as much freedom as possible, including accessing pre-owned games from other content providers.”

​

“People are used to the flexibility of a PC, but most connected TV devices have closed systems and content stores,” Mac said. “Ataribox is an open system, and while our user interface will be easy to use, people will also be free to access and customize the underlying OS. We’ve chosen to launch Ataribox with Indiegogo given their focus on delivering technology products, and their strong international presence in over 200 countries, allowing us to reach and involve as many Atari fans around the world as possible.”

“It’s a very flexible product, and you won’t need to spend more money if you don’t want to,” he further added. “In some ways, you are buying some freedom.”

So what do you think of the Ataribox in the light of the new details? Are you considering backing it on Indiegogo? Or is it awfully reminiscent of the OUYA to you?

For more updates, you can signup on ataribox.com.

SOURCE

 

[revilococo]

"I was really shocked when a 12 year old knew all the Atari Games"
Pong. Pong II. Pong III. Pong IV......

 

[Yepi69]

So, basically an underpowered Steam machine.

BTW, Atari praising themselves forgot that they have left many software companies out of business for games they never actually paid the royalties for.

 

[PolloDiablo]

All they needed to do is put an emulation box with most the of 2600, 5200, 7800, Lynx, Jaguar, Jaguar CD catalog.

 

[Xzi]

To be fair, if they have their own overlay UI that wouldn't be a huge issue, especially if they enable a desktop mode in settings

Steam Big Picture covered that too, but it didn't make much difference.

All they needed to do is put an emulation box with most the of 2600, 5200, 7800, Lynx, Jaguar, Jaguar CD catalog.

Might've sold decently, but probably not anywhere near as well as NES/SNES Classic.

 

[SirNapkin1334]

An old, big, videogames company. FUNDED ON INDIEGOGO? Rip Atari.

 

[Jayro]

You just can't satisfy people... Give people an open platform to develop for, and not much gets created and the platform dies. (Ouya, Steam machines) Give them a closed platform that restricts everything it can to keep outside developers away (3DS) and look at all that homebrew just flourishing.

People are fucking weird.

 

[Pluupy]

To be fair, identifying graphic cards is quite cumbersome with the variance in how companies handle naming protocols. Nvidia at least has a scheme to their numbers, but then it was botched up when throwing in 3 and 4 digits. Ati can't decide which way their numbers want to increase or decrease in relevance to the power of the gpu. And then don't even start trying to understand third party companies having the name of a card, but modified in one way or another to either cheapen the price or take claim.

I have great experience with pc hardware, but graphic card comparisons are the bane of my existence in that realm.

Naming conventions of particular manufacturers has absolutely nothing to do with my post so i'm not sure what the relevance is. Learning about the industry goes beyond just learning to assemble a simple computer. That's hobbyist territory.

Learning how to drive a car has nothing to do with memorizing all Ford models and previous years.

 

[KingVamp]

Steam Big Picture covered that too, but it didn't make much difference.

I just want to clarify what I meant by them making Stream Machine too confusing. I meant that they had too many models. Didn't help that some of them even cost more than all the consoles, but that is besides the point. If they should have stuck to one or maybe two models they would have had a better chance. I don't think having and advertising it with a console Ui by default then having a message and mention that it has a desktop mode too, would be that confusing.

They may come out with different models, but I doubt they would be so many and different.

Might've sold decently, but probably not anywhere near as well as NES/SNES Classic.

All they needed to do is put an emulation box with most the of 2600, 5200, 7800, Lynx, Jaguar, Jaguar CD catalog.

They can still do this even with there other plans. I mean, this console can have a Atari VC along with other games.

 

[gothicall]

Super-motherfucking-dissapointing... FUCK! I didn't even know who was the mastermind behind that console, but then I saw it and remember this is not his first attempt to do something like that with the Atari brand.

Spoiler

 

[Pleng]

My point about "real wood" as a selling point, and not showing what games are included, is a pretty lame selling point. They could've at least listed what games will be included, what emulators can run, etc, no?

No... Your original argument was "this does nothing that a Pi can't do". You only shifted to the argument about"real wood" when challenged on that point because you didn't have any comeback and changing your argument completely is of course much easier than saying "fair point, I was wrong about that"

 

[Futurdreamz]

I think we're getting off topic. I - and I'm pretty sure most people - were expecting a $40-60 miniaturized "Atari Classic" that played the original Atari games it was came with, with any extra features (such as additional games) welcome ONLY if they add to that experience. This make the original Atari games an afterthought, something that would NEVER compete with a Raspberry Pi shoved into an old Atari shell.

 

[Pleng]

I don't think that *anybody* expected that after the original announcement!

 

[Polopop123]

Not getting if it doesn’t have ET remastered. That’ll be a system seller

 

[Catsinabucket]

I mean, I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this

 

[osaka35]

feels fairly generic. i was wanting some pizzazz.

 

[Amaljaa]

I don't know why people are bothered by this or say it's "generic". It's a full-fledged operating system with an overlay on top to make it easier to use on the television. What did you expect, a locked-down console where you can only play their games only?

I'm not sure if ya'll noticed but Atari isn't anywhere near big or strong enough to support a monolithic, closed down locked up piece of hardware that only they can develop for. This at least provides more options while coming in a small, good looking case that actually has some usefulness outside of playing some old Atari games.

 

[pedro702]

funny how mini emulator consoles with only a few games people go crazy about them
but a console that is basically a computer in a console case capable of doing everything a computer can, no one wants thoose :C

mini consoles dont cost 300$ they cost under 100 and they are consoles, what they are selling you is basicaly a linux pc with atari games bundled in lol

 

[Taleweaver]

You just can't satisfy people... Give people an open platform to develop for, and not much gets created and the platform dies. (Ouya, Steam machines) Give them a closed platform that restricts everything it can to keep outside developers away (3DS) and look at all that homebrew just flourishing.

People are fucking weird.

Erm...that's because you miss (or ignore) two important points:

1) games sell systems. High quality, preferably exclusive, games. The ouya had nothing in that department. steam machines (or rather: steamOS) have a larger library than xbone or PS4 (2497 if this list is accurate), but has barely any AAA-titles and probably not a single game without a windows counterpart.
2) a platform must be at least as attractive to developers as to gamers. Ouya required developers to allow everyone to try out their game for 24 hours (or something in that area), and had pretty crappy hardware. Steam machines were a lost cause from the start because (among other factors) there were MANY of them, meaning it was simply impossible for developers to optimize their games toward a given benchmark. For any but perhaps the most clueless of gamers, it was clear that these things were simply overpriced for the hardware you were getting. Couple that to the fact that you could just build your own steam machine with steamos because the OS was, well...open...meant that there was even less reason to even consider one.
And you can complain all you want about a platform being closed, but that does restrict piracy (at least initially), and that does impact the sales predictions. Meaning: developers will generally prefer a closed system over an open one when it comes to investing lots of money in a pricy game.

 

[Amaljaa]

Erm...that's because you miss (or ignore) two important points:

1) games sell systems. High quality, preferably exclusive, games. The ouya had nothing in that department. steam machines (or rather: steamOS) have a larger library than xbone or PS4 (2497 if this list is accurate), but has barely any AAA-titles and probably not a single game without a windows counterpart.
2) a platform must be at least as attractive to developers as to gamers. Ouya required developers to allow everyone to try out their game for 24 hours (or something in that area), and had pretty crappy hardware. Steam machines were a lost cause from the start because (among other factors) there were MANY of them, meaning it was simply impossible for developers to optimize their games toward a given benchmark. For any but perhaps the most clueless of gamers, it was clear that these things were simply overpriced for the hardware you were getting. Couple that to the fact that you could just build your own steam machine with steamos because the OS was, well...open...meant that there was even less reason to even consider one.
And you can complain all you want about a platform being closed, but that does restrict piracy (at least initially), and that does impact the sales predictions. Meaning: developers will generally prefer a closed system over an open one when it comes to investing lots of money in a pricy game.

The piracy argument is completely moot. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017...acy-doesnt-hurt-game-sales-may-actually-help/

 

[Kioku]

You just can't satisfy people... Give people an open platform to develop for, and not much gets created and the platform dies. (Ouya, Steam machines) Give them a closed platform that restricts everything it can to keep outside developers away (3DS) and look at all that homebrew just flourishing.

People are fucking weird.

Ouya was a jumbled mess that failed to live up the hype. For a plethora of reasons. Steam machines failed because of pricing. You can't appeal to console gamers while charging the full PC price.. Not to mention the lack of user upgradable parts in the longterm.

The Ataribox is nothing short of a combination of the two. I have very, very little hope for this. There are people (in this thread even) that firmly believe they can only play Atari games.. Because they either don't read or stop after their first assumption.

There's also an appeal to the "forbidden fruit" ideal. Give people a challenge, they're more enticed to participate rather than handing them a trophy just for playing.