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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: 44 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: 102 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: 509 comments in Atari 2600 Forum
The Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo 2017 (SFGE) will be open for business at 4:00pm on Friday, June 9, and continues through Sunday, June 11, at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel! The Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo features more than 250 arcade, pinball and console machines, the fourth annual Southern-Fried Pinball Tournament, tabletop gaming, a vendor expo, exciting programs and guest speakers, movie screenings, and so much more. SFGE is a family-friendly event that will be fun for all ages. Guest speakers include Billy Mitchell, Roger Sharpe, Ben Heck, Walter Day, and David Crane, the man who wrote Pitfall for the 2600 and co-founded Activision, the world's first third party software publisher. Learn more by visiting the official Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo website! 
Discuss online: 3 comments in Events Forum
Here's a nifty deal, originally posted on Twitter by the professional penny pinchers at CheapAssGamer. For the next week, Bundle Stars is selling the Atari Vault collection for just $3.99, a steep discount from its usual ten dollar price tag. The collection includes nearly twenty of Atari's biggest arcade hits, along with dozens of Atari 2600 titles. Many of these games have found their way to past Atari collections, but this is a convenient way for newcomers to acquaint themselves with the company's massive library, and an inexpensive reintroduction for seasoned joystick jockeys. Note that you'll need a Steam account to take advantage of this offer. Discuss online: 19 comments in Marketplace Forum
Break Free is a new game for the TI-99/4A computer written by David Vella. The basic concept is similar to Breakout, but one can move the bat up and down as well as left and right. Your goal is not to break all the bricks, but to break enough of them to find a key which will open the gate so you can "break free" to the next level. Break Free was developed over the course of a year and is written in 100% GPL. Break Free even features an AtariAge-themed level. Features of Break Free include:
Discuss online: 59 comments in TI-99/4A Computers Forum
 Our friend Michael Thomasson has published a new book, Downright Bizarre Games: Video Games that Crossed the Line, poking fun at the video game industry, an entertainment business that often takes itself much too seriously. This is a hilarious look at the odd side of the industry, from games outside of the norm to bad art and outlandish dialogue. Also featured are unfortunate headlines, marketing fiascos and publicity stunts gone awry. All these eccentric and strange events are documented within this book which gaming professionals wish had never seen print.
Several games from classic Atari consoles are featured in the book, including Chase the Chuckwagon, Communist Mutants from Space, Porky's, Tax Avoiders, Journey Escape, and Kool-Aid Man for the Atari 2600, Ninja Golf for the Atari 7800, Gordo 106 and Kung Food for the Atari Lynx, and Kasumi Ninja for the Atari Jaguar. You can view an interadctive preview of this full color, coffee-table book at Blurb.com. Books can be purchased through Blurb, or via the GoodDealGames.com website if interested parties want an autographed or personalized copy. Discuss online: 11 comments in Gaming Publications and Websites Forum
Rebooteroids is a new take on an arcade classic for the Atari Jaguar. In development for over six years, Rebooteroids is now available for purchase! Rebooteroids features 100 unique levels, plus 10 'kombateroids' levels for multiplayer head to head. You can choose from five gameplay modes, including a 'skirmish mode' whereby randomly generated levels of increasing difficulty challenge the player. Enjoy the original soundtrack by 505 and MSG/reservoir gods while you fight your way through each wave.  Use your controller to rotate the EWS left and right, thrust to avoid colliding with objects, and most importantly, fire to blast everything in sight! Collect bonus power-ups to increase your odds of survival. Every five waves (in Arcade mode) you'll enter a bonus round, where you have the opportunity to earn an extra life. Your high scores are saved to the cart, and you can also share them online. Rebooteroids is packed into a 4MB cartridge and includes a high-quality box and 20-page manual. Please visit the AtariAge Store to purchase a copy today! Discuss online: 305 comments in Atari Jaguar Forum
In the summer of 1997, AtariAge member Glenn Saunders gathered Atari veterans together to reminisce about the golden age of videogames and to celebrate the 20th birthday of the Atari 2600. Capturing the proceedings on video, he created the two-volume documentary: Stella at 20. Featuring interviews with Nolan Bushnell, Al Alcorn, Joe Decuir, David Crane, Al Miller, Tod Frye, Larry Kaplan, Carol Shaw and many others, the documentary was a treasure-trove of history, stories, anecdotes and insights into the golden age of Atari and the creation of the Atari 2600.  The Stella at 20 tapes are available to watch in their entirety at Archive.org. You can discuss the tapes with other AtariAge visitors in our Atari 2600 Forum. Discuss online: 72 comments in Atari 2600 Forum |
June 26, 2017Did you know?In 1976, Nolan Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications for $28 million. ContestsMailing List |
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