DoubleClutch
Banned
The logo is bigger than the screen.
Atari reveals new handheld called the Gamestation Go
- Thread starter HRK69
- Start date
ChoosableOne
ChoosableAll
This is beyond retro. It's archaic gaming.
panda-zebra
Member
That was because they were cheap and re-engineered the Atari Power Pad, made (and sold in tiny quantities - I have one) for the STe's enhanched 15-pin port (also included on the Falcon030). Slightly different buttons, shorter cable, not much else different afaicr.
The number pad has always been an Atari thing
That was because they were cheap and re-engineered the Atari Power Pad, made (and sold in tiny quantities - I have one) for the STe's enhanched 15-pin port (also included on the Falcon030). Slightly different buttons, shorter cable, not much else different afaicr.
I never had any of the cards that went with the numerical pads but I thought it was pretty cool that they was doing that back in the day before touch screens lol
Futaleufu
Member
They own Nightdive now so they have to stay in the market
Nelly_Nel_7.1.3
Member
What is it used for? I had an Atari gaming system as a kid and I do not remember seeing that on my Atari.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Who is this for?
They had some controllers with the number pad & even had a controller that was only the number pad lol some games had the overlay cards that went over the numbers to make it like a touchpad to quickly select stuff but I never had any of the games that used the overlay cards.
MrCunningham
Member
I always though Trameil was ruthless but efficient when it came to managing a computer company. But, he really had no idea what he was doing when it came to the home game market. I guess the story goes; his son convinced Jack to ditch home computers and get back to making game consoles.
Atari did develop some interesting hardware. But they could never manage a good enough ecosystem to cultivate third party developers or produce enough content to compete with Nintendo and Sega back in the day.
Atari Corp. folded, went out of business, and the brand name was purchased by Hasbro for a little while. Then Hasbro just released a few updated Atari classics i the late 90's and tried to go for that late 70's/ early 80's Atari Nostalgia.
I guess after that Infogrames (who were buying up companies left and right RIP: GT Interactive) purchased the Atari brand from Hasbro, and then opened up a subsidiary called Atari SA, then later became Atari. For a while, Atari was doing pretty good publishing games as a third party developer. They would release the Atari flashback line with ATgames in 2004, and basically did start the mini console fad, before anyone else. I guess this Atari went under new ownership.
From there, I have no idea... Atari just seemed to be a confusing mess of continually releasing nostalgic products, and most of the old Infogrames IP's seemed to have just died out. They got into that crypto coin thing. Continue to release nostalgia consoles... which is fine. The VCS console was actually cool in concept. But it didn't do much. Now they are here. Jumping onboard the current handheld trend that Nintendo started.
Why did I write this long ass write-up? I don't know. I'm just trying to make sense out of whatever Atari is now. They have been making some purchases with NightDive and they bought Bubsy,...
I guess when I think "Atari" in the modern sense, I just shrug my shoulders and go... "uuuuh?"
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MrCunningham
Member
The numeric keypad is something that goes all the way back to the 2600 with Star Raiders. There were also other variants as well for the 2600 too. My dad use to have the numeric keypad with his copy of Star Raiders for the 2600 back in the day. I remember playing it. But he sold the Atari and all his games at a garage sale.
MrCunningham
Member
That's what I keep asking myself. Neat that it has a roller ball and the analog stick can be swiveled like a rotary controller. It has tnat mandatory Atari numeric keypad. No idea what the specs are? Maybe a Ryzen APU like their last console?
Deerock71
Member
I had one. It was my first console, and that was by far the shittiest controller I ever had the displeasure of using. You know how M&Ms melt in your mouth, and not in your hands? They should've put those guys in charge of the controller; 98 degrees seemed to trigger the melting.
ReBurn
Gold Member
The 5200 controller was notorious for corrosion on the contacts of the ribbon under the keypad. I would regularly open the controller and clean the contacts with a pencil eraser to keep mine working.
My console disappeared in a move. I wish I still had it
Fess
Member
Lol
And now they're bringing it back, why? Would it be impossible to play the old games without that type of numeric keys?
coffinbirth
Member
Hell, there's not an analog stick at all!
The top left control is a spinner i.e. Tempest
Kvally
Member
Kvally
Member
I got a 5200 for Christmas when it came out. Controller is in my top 3 controllers of all time.
Kdad
Member
That one required an overlay to understand the functions...was there ever a numeric overlay?The numeric keypad is something that goes all the way back to the 2600 with Star Raiders. There were also other variants as well for the 2600 too. My dad use to have the numeric keypad with his copy of Star Raiders for the 2600 back in the day. I remember playing it. But he sold the Atari and all his games at a garage sale.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Cyberpunkd
Member
How many games used the number pad? Was it programmable for other games as well? Because if not many and no it wasn't why you just don't get rid of it and mention games that are not supported. Also knowing Atari this 100% will have a preloaded collection of X games curated by them and something you cannot side-load?
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
I don't think many Atari games made use of it.
But if this also functions as a PC handheld, then I think the possibilities open up a bit.
MrCunningham
Member
There was also a Seasame Street numeric keypad and keyboard Controllers; which was used by games like "Basic Programming". The thing about the Star Raiders keypad; Star Raiders was the only game to use it. There was also a Star Raiders 2 in the development that would have used it as well, but that was cancelled.
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MrCunningham
Member
edit: DAMN, people beating me to it with the gamecast jokes.
"We got GameCube, and We Got Dreamcast." I have never seen Malibu's Most Wanted.
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MrCunningham
Member
"second generation" console controllers were wild...
That sentence reads like a generic youtuber video title
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Methos#1975
Member
No Kasumi Ninja, no buy
I can always tell when somebody has seriously played the 5200 (as did I back in the day) when they know the big problem with the controller was the buttons corroded and stopped working and not the stick being non-self centering. (It affected all the buttons including the action buttons. BTW I'm always amazed when you-tubers use the example of Pac-Man as a game affected by non self centering sticks when it's one of the games that is definitely not affected. Pac-Man can't stop.) I think we tried little pieces of aluminum foil as a stop gap fix to keep them working.
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Deerock71
Member
ReBurn
Gold Member
For sure. The joystick was never a major issue for me. It was awkward at first as response time was a bit off, but once you got used to it the joystick was fine. The action buttons and keypad buttons not working because of the contacts was much more frustrating.
Havoc2049
Member
All the Atari 5200 and Atari Jaguar games use the number pad, to various degrees, some games more than others. Atari also recently acquired Intellivision and around 200 Intellivision games, and all those games use the number pad. So the list of games that could use the number pad could be quite extensive.
Days like these...
Have a Blessed Day
Never had a 2600 but my friend had one. I have fond memories of pitfall and E.T. my first console was a Colecovision
Kvally
Member
A buddy of mine had a Colecovision. I was totally envious, even though I had an Atari 5200. Another friend of mine back then had an Intellivsion.
Kataploom
Gold Member
Imagine if Xbox starts focusing on XCloud that Atari has a chance to "get back into the game" (hehe)... I mean, it's not impossible if this thing sells decently, considering SteamOS is being licensed and Xbox seems to be licensing Xbox to other system sellers
justiceiro
Marlboro: Other M
Btw, from what I understand, this is just licensed from Atari, not done by Atari itself.
The company making these are called my arcade.