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 Flashback X, released in 2019 | |
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| Manufacturer |
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| Type | Dedicated console |
| Lifespan | 2004–present |
| Units sold | 1 million+ |
| System on a chip | NES-on-a-chip (original Flashback) Atari 2600-on-a-chip (Flashback 2 and 2+) |
| Online services | Firmware updates(Flashback 9, 9 Gold, X, X Deluxe, 50th Gold and 12 Gold only) |
| Dimensions | 5.7 in × 3.8 in × 1.7 in (14.5 cm × 9.7 cm × 4.3 cm) (Flashback 12 Gold) |
| Weight | 1.07 lb (0.49 kg) (Flashback 12 Gold) |
| Website | www |
TheAtari Flashback is a line ofdedicated video game consoles produced since 2004, currently designed, produced, published and marketed byAtGames underlicense fromAtari SA. The Flashback consoles are "plug-and-play" versions of the 1970sAtari 2600 console with built-in games rather than usingROM cartridges. The latest home console model, Atari Flashback 12 Gold, was released in 2023 and has 130 games.
The first version, designed by Atari veteran Curt Vendel, was modeled after anAtari 7800 and contained 20 games, of which five were 7800 titles. Each subsequent home console in the series is modeled after the 2600 instead; the Atari Flashback 2 was released in 2005, included 40 built-in games, and was the only one with a 2600 hardwareSoC. In 2011,Atari, Inc. stopped producing the Flashback in-house and licensed it to AtGames, who continued from there on beginning with the Flashback 3, including ahandheld version, Atari Flashback Portable, in 2016. Several variations of the Flashback 8 were released in 2017, including the Gold edition, which introducesscan line filtering, a gameplay rewind feature, andHDMI output. Since the Flashback X in 2019, the exterior designs have been more faithful near-replicas of the original Atari 2600 in miniature forms.
The original Atari Flashback was released in November 2004,[1][2][3] with a retail price of $45.[1][4] The console resembles a smaller version of theAtari 7800,[5][6] and its controllers are also smaller versions of the 7800's joystick controllers, but with the addition of "pause" and "select" buttons. The controllers are not compatible with the original 7800 console.[4] It was designed by Atari veteran Curt Vendel and his company Legacy Engineering Group, which designs other home video game and video arcade products.[7]
The console lacks a cartridge slot, making it incompatible with 7800 games. Instead, the console features 20 built-in games, including 15Atari 2600 games and five 7800 games.[4] Some of the games originally required analogpaddle controllers and were made to work with the included joysticks. The Atari Flashback runs onfamiclone, rather than Atari hardware. As a result, its games do not match their original counterparts entirely.[4][8] The game library includesSaboteur, a game that went unreleased for 20 years.[1]
The Flashback sold approximately 500,000 units.[8] Craig Harris ofIGN was critical of the game conversions and opined that original copies of these games were superior, writing "it's just horrifying to see Atari, a company that outright owns these games and the original hardware, produce such shoddy renditions of the classic 2600 and 7800 games." Harris complained of problems such as flicker, poorcollision detection, and missing sound. He praised the controllers for their reduced size, finding them more comfortable to use, but he was disappointed that they are incompatible with the original 7800.[4]
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The Atari Flashback 2 was released in August 2005[9][10] as an improved version of its predecessor.[8] It retailed for $30 and included 40 built-inAtari 2600 games.[11][12][13] It is a small near-replica of the 2600, about two-thirds the size of the original. Its controllers are also replicas of the 2600 joysticks.[14][15] The 2600 and Flashback 2 controllers are compatible with both systems.[10][13]
Instead of switches, the Flashback 2 console has several buttons, some of which are used to adjust power and reset it. A "select" button is used to choose between single-player and multiplayer modes, for certain games that offer the latter. Two other buttons are used to adjust the joystick difficulty for the left and right controller respectively.[13][15] An AV cord is hardwired into the back of the console.[15] The back also has a switch to toggle games between color and black-and-white.[13]
Vendel and Legacy Engineering returned to develop the Flashback 2. In designing it, Vendel relied on materials from his Atari History Museum.[7] He recreated the original Atari hardware on a single chip, allowing games to run as they originally did.[10] The console's hardware makes it easy tomod.[10][16] The Flashback 2'smotherboard can be altered to accept 2600 cartridges,[17][18] a concept that the console was designed around.[7][19]
The Flashback 2 was better received compared to its predecessor.[7] John Falcone ofCNET praised the controllers and considered them the best aspect of the console.[15] The Flashback 2 sold 860,000 units in the United States. APAL version was never released.[7] The console was discontinued in 2006.[20]
In 2011,Atari Interactive filed a $30 million lawsuit againstTommo, accusing the latter of knowingly selling pirated Flashback 2 consoles.[20]
Aside from the 40 built-in games,[13] the Flashback 2 also contains two secret games (Super Breakout andWarlords), which are accessible through a combination of joystick moves on the console's main menu.[10] Five of the 40 games are prototypes that were previously unreleased.[15] While the original Flashback only includes games published by Atari, the Flashback 2 features two games byActivision:Pitfall! andRiver Raid.[21][22] A few of the included games arehomebrews.[22]
Some games, such asLunar Lander, exhibit someflicker. This is due to limitations in the original Atari 2600 hardware, which the Flashback 2 reproduces accurately. Vendel noted that the games exclusive to the Flashback 2 were programmed under a strict schedule. For a revision of the Flashback 2, Vendel commissioned developers to tweak these games in order to reduce flickering.[23]
In January 2010, Atari announced pre-orders for the Atari Flashback 2+, to be released on February 22, 2010. It included 20 classic Atari 2600 games and 20 new Atari games.[24] The game lineup was mostly the same as the original Flashback 2. However, games such asPitfall!,River Raid, andWizard did not appear and were replaced by sports games.
The Atari Flashback 3 was manufactured byAtGames[25] and was released in September 2011.[26] The Flashback 3 included 60 built-inAtari 2600 games, 2 joysticks, and a case design that was similar to the Flashback 2.[27][28] Unlike its predecessors, the Flashback 3 usedemulation.[29] It could not be modded to play 2600 cartridges.[28]
PCMag opined that some of the games were inferior to their original arcade counterparts.[28]
The Atari Flashback 4 was released by AtGames on November 13, 2012. The console looked similar to its predecessor but included wireless joystick controllers.[30] Like its predecessor, the Flashback 4 used emulation.[29] The console increased its library to 75 games,[30] 15 more than the Flashback 3.
AtGames also released several alternate versions, including theAtari Flashback 4: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. This included a set of replicaAtari 2600 paddles, five collectible posters, and a copy of the original Atari joystick patent signed byNolan Bushnell. AtGames also developed the Atari Flashback 64, aWalmart exclusive version with wired controllers and only 64 games, includingSpace Invaders. Some versions of the Flashback 4 included a 76th "bonus" game,Millipede.
The Atari Flashback 5 was released on October 1, 2014.[citation needed] Like the previous two releases, it was built by AtGames. It was the same as the Flashback 4, with infrared wireless joysticks, but it added 17 more games, increasing the total to 92 games.[31]
The Atari Flashback 6 was released on September 15, 2015. Like the previous three releases, it was built by AtGames. It was the same as the Flashback 5, with infrared wireless joysticks, but it added 8 more games, increasing the total to 100 games.[32][33]
The Atari Flashback 7 was released on October 1, 2016. Like the previous four releases, it was built by AtGames. It is the same as the Flashback 6 with the infrared wireless joysticks, but it adds one more game -Frogger - increasing the total to 101 games.[34][35][36]
The Atari Flashback 7 Deluxe includes two wired paddle controllers in addition to the wireless joysticks.[37]
The Atari Flashback 8 was released in September 2017[38] by AtGames.[39] Several variations were released.[40] A basic model, the Flashback 8 Classic, featured 105 games and two wired controllers.[40][41] The Flashback 8 Deluxe was identical, except that it included a set of paddle controllers in addition to the joysticks.[citation needed]
The Flashback 8 Gold had 120 games and wireless controllers as well as ports for 2600 controllers.[40][41][42] The Gold edition had "save" and "pause" features as well asscan line filtering.[41][43] It also allowed the player to rewind gameplay by several seconds. In addition, it introducedHDMI output for720p.[44][40]
The Atari Flashback 8 Gold Deluxe also had 120 games, but included two wired paddles in addition to two wireless joysticks.[citation needed] The Flashback 8 Gold Activision Edition had 130 games, including several byActivision, although the other versions also featured some Activision games.[40][41] All the games were emulated.[45]
The Atari Flashback 9 (Model No: AR3050) was released on November 15, 2018,[46] byAtGames. It included two wired controllers and 110 games.
The Atari Flashback 9 Gold (Model No: AR3650) included 120 games and wireless controllers. Both versions featured anSD card slot and an output of720p.[47][48][49] The SD slot on both basic and gold models was used for firmware updates, downloaded games, and saved game states.
The Atari Flashback 9 (Model No: AR3230) was aFamily Dollar exclusive. It included two wired controllers and 110 games, and it featuredcomposite video output along with an SD slot.
The Atari Flashback X was released in 2019[50] and attempted to capitalize on the mini console trend, started by releases like theNES Classic Edition andSega Genesis Mini, with a case redesign that more faithfully captured the aesthetic of being a near-perfect physical replica of an Atari 2600 in miniature form. Like the previous releases, it was built byAtGames.
The basic model (Model No: AR3060) included two wired controllers and 110 games. The deluxe model (Model No: AR3060S) included 10 additional games. A firmware update through the AtGames website allowed both models to download more games.
The Atari Flashback 50th Anniversary Edition saw a limited release in 2022. Physically it was a slight re-coloration of the Atari Flashback X. It featured brass switches instead of chrome, and it had the gold "Atari 50th" logo stamped onto its wood-veneer trim. Like the previous releases, it was built byAtGames.
The basic model (Model No: AR3070) included two wired standard controllers and 110 games. The gold model (Model No: AR3080) included two wired standard controllers, two wired paddle controllers, and 130 games. Only the gold model supported official firmware updates from the AtGames website to allow more games to be downloaded.
The Atari Flashback 12 Gold (Model No: AR3080B) was given a limited release in 2023. Although it features Gold in its title, like past Atari Flashback releases, there is no basic model of the Flashback 12. Physically it is a slight re-coloration of the Atari Flashback X and Atari Flashback 50th Anniversary Edition that amalgamates the two prior aesthetics. It features brass switches, as seen on the Atari Flashback 50th Anniversary Edition, but the standard silver Atari logo is stamped onto its wood-veneer trim as seen on the Atari Flashback X. Like the previous releases, it was built byAtGames. The model includes two wired standard controllers, two wired paddle controllers, and 130 games. The list of 130 games included is identical to the Atari Flashback 50th Anniversary Edition Gold model. The Atari Flashback 12 Gold features support for official firmware updates from the AtGames website to allow for the download of more games.
In 2007, Vendel was working on a handheld console known as the Atari Flashback Portable. It was being designed to run on three "AAA" batteries, at a screen resolution of 320x240, and it would feature AV output with two joystick controller ports for multiplayer.[51][52][53] Games are loaded into internal 2MB memory by use of a USB cable. The release date was projected as early 2008 with a retail price of approximately $40. However, Vendel announced in 2010 that the project was not going to be released by Atari and no further information was released.[54]
A new handheld console, also called the Atari Flashback Portable, was released in November 2016. It contains 60 games built in and an SD slot for downloaded games. It has a 3.2" LCD, AV output port and mini USB charge port.[55]
A second edition of Atari Flashback Portable was released in September 2017. Like the first Atari Flashback Portable, it was built by AtGames. It includes 70 games with the most notable additions to this edition being fourNamco games which areDig Dug,Galaxian,Pac-Man, andXevious. The version ofPac-Man included is a homebrew version that is more faithful to the original arcade game and not the originalAtari 2600 version ofPac-Man released in 1982.[56]
A third edition of the Atari Flashback Portable was released by AtGames in September 2018. The standard edition includes 80 games.[57]
A fourth edition of the Atari Flashback Portable was released by AtGames in September 2019. It features a woodgrain-like body design that mirrors thewoodgrain look on the original Atari 2600 console. The standard edition includes 80 games.[58]
The second (2017) edition of the Flashback Portable includes the following games:[citation needed]
The third (2018) edition includes the following games:[57]
The fourth (2019) edition includes the same games as the third (2018) edition but with Atari's unreleased prototype gameFrog Pond replacingFrogs and Flies.[citation needed]
Atari Flashback Classics is a compilation of various Atari video games. It is the console release ofAtari Vault and its DLC onMicrosoft Windows,MacOS andLinux. The compilation was first released in 2016, forPlayStation 4 andXbox One,[59][60] split into three volumes. Then, it was released forNintendo Switch andPlayStation Vita in 2018,[61][62][63] and finally onAtari VCS in 2020 as Atari VCS Vault, split into two volumes.[64]
In October 2018, AtGames released Atari Flashback Blast!, a trio of wireless controllers each with 20 built-in games.[65][66][67]
Project is dead unless someone wants to pony up the cash to help bring it to market. I may make a few custom ones for people later this year (alaBen Heck type low volume, custom built) but official production units just aren't going to happen, there just isn't the needed support from Atari to make this a reality, sorry guys.
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