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News Atari files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Gareth Halfacree, 21 Jan 2013.

  1. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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  2. barny2767

    barny2767 What's a Dremel?

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    well thats another one down.
     
  3. B1GBUD

    B1GBUD ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Accidentally Funny

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    You would have thought a company like Valve could throw some spare change their way?
     
  4. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    Why on earth would they? Not like they have made a Hit title in years.

    Not a big shock to see another publisher going bankrupt, Gaming has become about the next big hits in console games. Not the regular crap that atari seems happy to make or buy ( There purchase of cryptic games was wierd )

    Test drive is the biggest series they publish but they do not own the developing rights to it.
     
  5. B1GBUD

    B1GBUD ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Accidentally Funny

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    The Atari brand / IP is still popular, it would hardly dent Valve's pockets. Get some devs on the case and re-release/polish up a few old titles, hell.... chuck some out as free to play. It can't be a bad thing.
     
  6. mdshann

    mdshann What's a Dremel?

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    5.25 million? That's it? That just seems so low... like throw away money for someone like EA or Activision.
     
  7. XXAOSICXX

    XXAOSICXX Minimodder

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    Gareth - "the company would a more powerful video gaming systems - oops!
     
  8. Griffter

    Griffter What's a Dremel?

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    falling like flies. what the hell is going on with these managers... proven fact, managers know much less than us normal worker bees.
     
  9. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Let's play pin-the-missing-word-on-the-sentence! Fixing, ta!
     
  10. greigaitken

    greigaitken Minimodder

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    What a plethora of Atari facts. Gareth - how much did you already know, yet pretend to spend time researching it.
     
  11. Gradius

    Gradius IT Consultant

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    Asteroid FOREVER!
     
  12. BurningFeetMan

    BurningFeetMan What's a Dremel?

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    They could of had my money with one simple release; Roller Coaster Tycoon 4.

    Sucks to be them.
     
  13. st1x

    st1x Surviving on low specs since '86

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    OOOOooooooohhhhh.

    Right in the childhood.

    :'/
     
  14. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    I won't lie: I had Wikipedia open on the 'Atari' entry in another tab to ensure I didn't make any major boo-boos with regards precise dates - but the majority of that information was from memory. I've been an Atari fan for years - I still own an Atari 1040STe upgraded to 4MB and an Atari Jaguar - and, as with Commodore, have been following the fortunes of the brand.

    It doesn't hurt that I recently read a pretty comprehensive book on the early days of Atari, called Atari: Business is Fun. It's a pretty damn complete history of Atari, including some facts never before published - and a lot that bring the 'official' account from Bushnell, such as how he invented Asteroids in his daughter's bedroom, into question. Sadly, it's a print-on-demand self-pub, and the guys behind it apparently couldn't afford a decent proofreader - it's a bit distracting when 'restaurant' is written three different ways in a single paragraph...

    Still, if you've any interest in Atari it's worth picking up.
     
  15. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    Yeah, but did you have a high-res monitor and a standard monitor for it? Second floppy drive? Yeah, didn't think so! :p

    I've still got my 520STe hanging around my parents house somewhere (which also had an upgrade, to 1MB at first then to 4MB in later years). So many great games on that thing, I get so tempted to dig it out now and then. Sadly however I don't have any peripherals for it any more; I don't think any of my original joysticks & mice survived, and getting compatible ones now can be a lottery (especially mice). I really miss the QuickShot joysticks I had, they were fantastic... I have no idea where my original games are either, or if any of them even survived...

    I had to have the joystick/mouse ports repaired so many times on that thing; they weren't particularly well placed and the solder joints cracked and fractured so often... So many memories of that system...

    Damn you, I really miss my STe now!
     
  16. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Yes, no, and yes, in that order. I use my TV for low- and medium-res modes, and the official Atari high-res monitor for high-res mode. Would you like pictures? :p
     
  17. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    Fair enough; I'll take your word for it, pictures shouldn't be necessary ;)
     
  18. guvnar

    guvnar What's a Dremel?

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    Oh heck, put some pictures up anyway for the rest of us, Gareth!
     
  19. LordPyrinc

    LordPyrinc Legomaniac

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    I never had an Atari growing up, but played one at a friend's house. The only game that really sticks out in my memory was Pitfall. The first console I had was a Nintendo. It worked till the late 90s, but then it wouldn't read any catridges no matter how much I cleaned the contacts. I threw it away in 2004, but on hindsight, I should have kept the game cartridges. A friend of mine has one of the original NES systems that still works. The Zapper doesn't work on a flatpanel LCD or LED screen though.

    Considering how the Atari name has been sold and resold over the years, it's not the company it once was. It still sucks that they are filing Chapter 11 in light of what has been going on with THQ. I own more THQ titles than Atari titles, but I really don't want to see the industry to become any more consolidated than it is. EA (Eat All) is a prime example.
     
    Last edited: 23 Jan 2013
  20. spolsh

    spolsh Multimodder

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    One of my favourite gaming memories is playing a bi-plane 2 player dogfight game on an Atari console. Must have been about 10 years old at the time, and just thought everything about it was awesome.
     

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