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As 2017 is the 40th anniversary of the Atari 2600, the PRGE organizers have announced a great lineup of panels celebrating the Atari 2600's rich history. One of these panels is titled, "Old Consoles Never Die", discussing the creation of new games for the Atari 2600 and other classic systems. The panel will be moderated by "Art of the Atari" author Tim Lapetino, who will be joined by homebrew authors Darrell Spice, Jr. (Medieval Mayhem, Space Rocks, and Stay Frosty 2) and John W. Champeau of Champ Games (Lady Bug, Conquest of Mars, Scramble), Atari alumni Howard Scott Warshaw (Yars' Revenge, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial), and Albert Yarusso, owner of AtariAge. Please visit the official Portland Retro Gaming Expo website to learn more about the show. We've also created a Portland Retro Gaming Expo Forum to discuss the event. If you're attending the show, please stop by our booth, say hello, and play some new games! Discuss online: 10 comments in 2017 Portland Retro Gaming Expo Forum
It is with great sadness we report that Atari enthusiast and homebrew programmer Ken Sider has unexpectedly passed away at the young age of 49. Ken was best known in the Atari community for developing the games Beef Drop for the Atari 5200, 7800, and Atari 8-bit computers, and b*nq for the Atari 7800, ports of the popular arcade games Burgertime and Q*bert. Both of these games were initially revealed as April Fool's jokes on the AtariAge Forums over a decade ago. It always brings us great sorrow when such a talented and friendly individual is taken from us before his time. Ken provided friendly, technical advice to anyone who asked, and he will be a great loss to the classic gaming community. You can learn more about Ken's games and the utilities he programmed for these systems on his personal page, and you can discuss and honor his passing in our forums. Ken's games will continue to spread happiness to all they touch, and we offer our condolences to his friends and family. Ken, may you Rest In Peace and forever inspire and bring warmth to those whose lives you touch. Condolences may be left here. Videos of b*nQ and Beef Drop on the 7800: Discuss online: 85 comments in Atari 7800 Forum
We're happy to announce the arrival of a new slate of games for the Atari 2600, 5200, and 7800 consoles: 
Here's a list of all the games broken down by system: Atari 2600
Discuss online: 28 comments in Atari 2600 Forum
If you'll be in the Pittsburgh area at the end of the month, be sure to check out ReplayFX, taking place July 27-30, 2017 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center! We've heard great things about this event from others who have attended in previous years. Here's more information straight from ReplayFX.org: Gamers behind the Replay Foundation & PAPA are taking over the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and filling it with more than 750 arcade and pinball machines, over 2,000 retro console games, tabletop games, a showcase of new products by game developers, magicians, live musicians, balloon artists, face-painters, competitions offering over $110,000 in prize money, and more! The ReplayFX Arcade & Video Game Festival will feature the largest public collection of working pinball, arcade, tabletop, and console games anywhere in the solar system, and all games are free to play with the price of admission! Attendees are also invited to attend a series of seminars dedicated to gaming and its associated tech-culture, browse merchandise in the marketplace, watch the world’s greatest pinball wizards compete in the Pinburgh Match-Play Championship, or enjoy a series of fun and wacky daily challenges at no additional cost! ReplayFX will include multiple live music performances, a high-energy cosplay contest, inflatable obstacle courses, and more in a show floor packed with over 200,000 square feet of entertainment! Over $110,000 will be at stake for the competitive player. Thousands of games will be available for the casual fan. A family-friendly atmosphere will be available for the kids, and no one has to leave the galaxy to attend! You can learn more about the event by visiting ReplayFX.org. 
Discuss online: 16 comments in Events Forum
Golf Digest's Jeff Vrabel makes the argument that to this day, "Atari 2600 Golf remains the finest sport video game simulation". Through humor, the author describes the graphics, gameboard, gameplay, and difficulty of the original 1980 Atari 2600 Golf. Here's a video review of Atari 2600 Golf if you need a quick refresher in case you've forgotten how wonderful this game is. What games have made a similar impression to you after all these years? Join the discussion in our Atari 2600 Forum. 
Discuss online: 23 comments in Atari 2600 Forum
 It's that time again, the weather is hotter, the days are longer, and the Atari 2600 is begging for attention. AtariAge user toilettunes has organized the 3rd Annual AtariAge Activision Patches Summer Quest. Through Labor Day (Monday, September 4th) you can compete with other AtariAge members to see who can qualify for the most Activision patches by playing Activision's library of Atari 2600 games! Back in the day, Activision would send you a physical patches if you achieved high scores in their games. Contestants were instructed to photograph their TV displaying the high score, mail it in, and Activision would send back a patch. You can view our Activision Patch Gallery to see all the patches and the scores needed to win them. To join in the fun, please visit the 2017 Activision Summer Patch Quest thread in our forums. Good luck!Discuss online: 164 comments in Atari 2600 Forum
AtGames has announced their fall lineup of Flashback consoles and portables, further expanding on their offerings for fans of the Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis. These new products include several Atari Flashback consoles, an updated Atari Flashback Portable, a new Genesis Flashback styled after the classic Sega Genesis console, and an updated Genesis portable. Here's a brief description of the AtGames Fall 2017 lineup:
Discuss online: 266 comments in AtGames Flashback and Portable Consoles Forum
Microsoft researchers in Canada have built an Artificial Intelligence program capable of reaching (and eclipsing) the maximum score of 999,990 in the Atari 2600 version of Ms. Pac-Man. According to Wired Magazine, "Ms. Pac-Man has been targeted by artificial intelligence researchers for years, but no player, human or otherwise, has ever scored so big." This milestone was accomplished by breaking the game down into smaller pieces utilizing more than 150 "bots" working in tandem to decide where best to move Ms. Pac-Man, similar to how the human brain works. The research is expected to translate into other AI fields such as natural language processing. The video below gives you a glimpse into the AI as it chews through the mazes. Discuss online: 19 comments in Atari 2600 Forum
Keith Robinson, the leader of the game development team at Mattel Electronics who purchased the rights to the Intellivision and resurrected the game console in the late 1980s, died from kidney failure Wednesday. Keith remained dedicated to the Intellivison brand throughout the 1990s and beyond, keeping the flame alive by releasing Intellivision Lives! for contemporary consoles and the Intellivision Flashback, a plug and play console featuring many of the original system's best games. Keith was also a prolific artist... his weekly comic strip Making It debuted in 1985, and continued publication for over thirty years. The series was adapted into a video game for the Sega Genesis, Normy's Beach Babe-O-Rama. Fittingly, it was designed by Realtime Associates, a team originally hired to make Intellivision software in the 1980s! Keith Robinson was a fixture at classic game conventions, fondly remembered for his larger than life personality and tireless enthusiasm for the Intellivision. He'll be deeply missed, not only as a founding father of the video game industry, but for his continued contributions to gaming long after the Intellivision faded into history. For those interested, Keith's life and accomplishments were examined in greater detail in an obituary on The Retroist. 
Discuss online: 107 comments in Intellivision / Aquarius Forum
Engadget reports that Hyperkin, the designers of the Super NES-compatible Supaboy handheld and a variety of retro consoles, will soon be releasing its own clone of the Atari 2600. This system, fittingly titled the RetroN 77, uses actual 2600 cartridges and joysticks, but has the 21st century perk of an HDMI port, ensuring a sharp picture and full compatibility with modern television sets. And if you don't want to use original Atari joysticks, USB controllers are also an option. The RetroN 77 will retail for $80, and should be available by the end of 2017, just in time for the Atari 2600's 40th anniversary. Special thanks to Tiny Cartridge for the scoop. 
Discuss online: 803 comments in Atari 2600 Forum |
September 23, 2017Did you know?Jack Tramiel bought Atari's home computer and home videogame business in 1984. ContestsMailing List |
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