AUSRETROGAMER

The Pop-Culture E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for Atari

Atari

Do The Math – Atari XP: 50th Anniversary Box Set

By

Do The Math! Atari doing what they do best, squeezing every cent out of their IP

Goddammit Atari, just when we thought you had redeemed yourself with the amazing Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration collection, you go ahead and become the exploitative shell of a company yet again 🙁

Don’t get us wrong, the concept for the Atari XP: 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Box Set is super cool, but the price is way too much for the majority of Atari fans, especially in the current global financial climate.

Anyway, if you have a cool USD$999.99 / AUD$1440.00 / £830.00 burning a hole in your pocket, then this collection may be right up your alley, but you better hurry, as these are limited to 100 worldwide!

Just like Pokemon, will you get them all?

PS: We always wonder what Nolan and Ted (RIP) would have thought about this ‘new’ Atari…….

We just want this Missile Command light up cart!

Will you get them all?image source: Atari Interactive, Inc



Atari 50: Celebrating Atari’s 50th Anniversary

By

Celebrating Atari’s 50th anniversary!

The brand Atari has been around since 1972, making 2022 it’s 50th year in existence. Atari’s history is long and rich (some may say, sordid) with plenty of owners taking the helm, some for the good of Atari, some not.

The current Atari is a far cry from the Atari from the 70s and early 80s, but we’ll spare you the details on how we feel about the contemporary Atari, after all, this post is to celebrate their 50th anniversary! If however you do want to delve deep into the history of Atari, check out Marty Goldberg & Curt Vendel’s book, Atari Inc. Business Is Fun (read our review here).

For now, let’s all raise a glass to Atari in celebration of its 50th anniversary!



Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration – Steelbook Edition

By

We are late to Atari’s 50th Anniversary party, but we are glad that we are!

We waited to see what everyone thought of the compilation before pulling the trigger, and it has been overwhelmingly positive – which was great to see! With 100 games, surely you’d find several absolute gems.

Since we wanted the Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration in physical format, we inadvertently stumbled upon the JB Hi-Fi exclusive Steelbook Edition pre-order, which will be available on November 25th. Well, without hesitation, we put in our pre-order and can’t wait for this Friday to roll around!

Anyone else grabbing the Steelbook Edition for the Nintendo Switch?

image source: Five Star Games



PAX AUS is THIS WEEK!

By

After 3 years, PAX Aus is coming back home – in person

It’s that time of year where we all gather at PAX Aus for some amazing times. Naturally, we are biased by saying that you should all definitely come and check out the Classic Gaming Area for a hit of nostalgia (or if you are so inclined, to participate in the many tournaments to earn bragging rights!).

For now, to get you all hyped for PAX Aus 2022, check out our posts from the last in person PAX Aus in 2019. We hope to see many of you at this year’s event!



You Can Now Play OutRun on Atari 8-Bit Computers!

By

Say what?! Yep, OutRun can be played on your Atari 8-bit (A8) XE/XL computers!

This is a Work In Progress (WIP), so there is more content/improvements coming, but for now, it is still looking and sounding pretty darn good!

Read up on the development/progress of OutRun on the AtariAge forum and download the WIP file direct from here. Brush the dust off your A8 computers (grab your Atari MAX cart) and get some OutRun into ya!


source: Atari 8-Bits Forever



A Rare 1990 ATARI STe Computer Promo Film

By

If you were in the market for an Atari STE and were stumped on how to use, then this 28 minute promo film from 1990 may help!

The cheese factor is off the scale in this video, but we couldn’t look away, as there were some things we actually learned or were reminded of that we had forgotten about our 16-bit Atari!

Watch it, as you may learn something new too (or at least rejog your memory) 😉


source: Computer History Archives Project



Intoxicating Nostalgia: The LEGO Icons Atari VCS (10306) Set

By

Here we were thinking it doesn’t get any better than Lego’s Nintendo Entertainment System set, but looks like we were terribly mistaken! Lego have now gone up another level with their amazing Atari VCS/2600 (10306) set! Just look at the intricate detail, it oozes an intoxicating aroma of nostalgia. The set contains 2,532 pieces that create the iconic woodgrain console, three game carts, a CX40 joystick, three-shelf cabinet and three 3D vignettes of classic 2D games!

Just like when the Lego NES set was released, this won’t be cheap. Slated at a retail price of AU$369.99, you can grab one from 1st August – not long to wait now!

image source: Brickfinder – Facebook



Timeline Arcade Adventures With The Nintendork!

By

When we stumbled upon our good friend’s, The Nintedork, thread about his super fun time with his family at Timeline Arcade, we knew we had to share their awesome experience, which was loaded with a ton of nostalgia!

The Nintendork was happy for us to share some select photos (see below) from their fun times, but if you would like to see all the photos, full of arcade and pinball nostalgia, from this amazing place, then please check out the Twitter thread below, we promise you’ll be amazed!

Thanks again to The Nintendork for allowing us to share his fun experience at Timeline Arcade!



The Internet Archive Console Living Room

By

If you don’t want to stuff around with finding, downloading, configuring and tearing your hair out in making video gaming emulators work on your computer, then check out the Internet Archive’s Console Living Room.

The Internet Archive Console Living Room harkens back to the revolution of the change in the hearth of the home, when the fireplace and later, the television, were transformed by gaming consoles into a centre of videogaming entertainment. Connected via strange adapters and relying on the television’s speaker to put out pew pew pew sounds, these games were resplendent with simple graphics and simpler rules.

Via the use of the JSMESS emulator system, this allows direct access to different emulator programs in your browser with no additional plugins or settings, meaning that these games can be enjoyed again without mucking around in looking for emulators or games. Simply click on the screenshot or “Emulate This” button for each individual cartridge, and on modern browsers the games will just start to run. As nostalgia, a teaching tool, or just plain fun, you’ll find hundreds of the games that started a billion-dollar industry.

NOTE: These games are best enjoyed in an up to date version of a modern browser. Currently, there is no sound in the games, although that feature will be added soon.

image source: Internet Archive – Console Living Room



An Atari ST That Has Been Running A Campsite Since 1986

By

Imagine still using an old school computer to run your business? Well imagine no more, as Dutchman Frans Bos is still using the Atari ST 1040 he purchased in 1986 to help run his campsite business, Camping Bohmerwald.

During the mid ’80s, the ST had impressive specifications, with 1MB RAM and a 70Hz monitor. Most PCs of that era only had 512KB RAM and were notoriously expensive. Even though the Amiga 500 was the dominant 16-bit computer at the time, the ST enjoyed popularity in Europe, where the machine was seen as a serious professional computer (as well as a decent music/MIDI and games machine).

Frans purchased his ST computer to manage bookings on the site and register guests. Not entirely happy with the software, Frans then proceeded to write his own program to manage his business better. The ST is a workhorse, which is heavily used during six months of the year when the camping site is open. If you pay attention to the below video, you’ll hear that Frans notes that he likes using the ST because it starts up quickly! Now imagine running a business on a computer that is almost 40 years old – totally mind-blowing!


source: Victor Bart