Atari CEO Says the Company is "Back in the Hardware Business"

[ffronw]

Atari CEO Says the Company is "Back in the Hardware Business"

//cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/1414/1414572.jpgThe so-called "Ataribox" teased last week is real, says the company's CEO.

Last week, Atari quietly released a our forums [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/170568-Atari-Teasing-Something-Called-Ataribox] has run the gamut from a plug-and-play box to the Atari Jaguar II.

We may not know what the box will be, but we can confirm that it's entirely real. Atari CEO Fred Chesnais has told GamesBeat [] that the company is "back in the hardware business." While he didn't offer many details about the unit, he did say that it would be based on PC technology. The company is still working on the design, which will be revealed at a later date.

Chesnais bought Atari back in 2013 after the company filed for bankruptcy protection, and has turned it around since then, It's now profitable, largely due to its success in the mobile game market. It's also made a number of licensing deals along the way.

If this turns out to be a full-fledged console and not just another retro box, it would be the company's first console release since the Jaguar launched in 1993.

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[Shadefyre]

RIP new Atari, I guess. There really isn't room for a new console to enter the ring.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I'll laugh if it turns out to be a pachinko machine.

 

[Jacked Assassin]

Chesnais bought Atari back in 2013 after the company filed for bankruptcy protection, and has turned it around since then, It's now profitable, largely due to its success in the mobile game market. It's also made a number of licensing deals along the way.

That makes it sound like a micro console.

We may not know what the box will be, but we can confirm that it's entirely real. Atari CEO Fred Chesnais has told GamesBeat [] that the company is "back in the hardware business." While he didn't offer many details about the unit, he did say that it would be based on PC technology. The company is still working on the design, which will be revealed at a later date.

That makes it sound like its more powerful than Nintendo Switch.

 

[Ukomba]

If I owned stocks in them, I'd be selling them right about now.

 

[Saelune]

If I owned stocks in them, I'd be selling them right about now.

If you owned stock in them now, you arent the type to sell Atari stocks.

 

[Ukomba]

If I owned stocks in them, I'd be selling them right about now.

If you owned stock in them now, you arent the type to sell Atari stocks.

Ya I guess you're right there.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Well, people keep saying we're due for another video game crash; why not get it started with the company that instigated the last one?

 

[Cowabungaa]

Well! Seems I was wrong with the copying-NES-Classic thing. That's...interesting. I'm almost betting it's going to be a Steambox. 'Member those?

 

[Jacked Assassin]

Well! Seems I was wrong with the copying-NES-Classic thing. That's...interesting. I'm almost betting it's going to be a Steambox. 'Member those?

I own one.... 2nd worst "console" I ever bought with the worst controller I ever used.

Atari hopefully can't do worse.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Well! Seems I was wrong with the copying-NES-Classic thing. That's...interesting. I'm almost betting it's going to be a Steambox. 'Member those?

I 'member, though the Smach Z, whenever it comes out, is the only one that seemed like a good idea.

 

[chiggerwood]

Please God let this have wood paneling.

 

[RobertEHouse]

I don't expect anything except a cheap emulated product. (I.E. Neo Geo Gold)

 

[FalloutJack]

RIP new Atari, I guess. There really isn't room for a new console to enter the ring.

Really? Because I could do without Nintendo right now.

Snipped for space

I'm confused. Is this a rant or are you propositioning for a job? Either way, it's too much shouting. At any rate, one should understand why consoles sell in the first place before formulating an opinion, because it's not 'People are gullible'. I mean, people DO get gullible about things, but that isn't the reason consoles sell. The truth is, the two sides that many people go on pointlessly fighting over actually complement each other. And as one who has both, I can definitely say so.

 

[munx13]

snip

I don't think you "get" consoles. It's never about the best hardware.

Power here means nothing. I do believe the PS4 is the very first console to actually be a ahead and have the most powerful hardware in its generation. Though it's more to the fact that it's the cheaper Fifa/Madden/whatever box when compared to Xbone.

What any console needs to sell is:

1. Be cheap
2. Have EA, Activation and all the other big houses publish their big yearly franchises like Fifa, CoD, Madden, occasional GTA, etc. on it
3. Have just enough (but not too much so not to raise the price) horsepower to call those yearly franchises "next gen"

And that's it. A lot of people just don't realize that these yearly franchises are what's driving console sales.


Unless ofc. you're Nintendo, then you can just enjoy small, but steady 15-20 mill. lifetime sales thanks to Mario, Zelda, etc.

 

[Breakdown]

You can already get retro Atari Flashback consoles. I'd be interested in a retro console that covers Atari's 8 bit and 16 bit games though.

 

[Laughing Man]

That's it.That's all i can help you with.

Expect loads of emails real soon bud, mostly of the eh what? Variety.

As for the Atari box, think Steam Machine, at best it will be a semi powerful PC running Windows hidden inside a Retro look console box, I dunno would people be stupid enough to buy something that looks 30 years old? Worse case it will do what Valve did and release a middling powered PC running a custom version of Linux.

Or they will go full derp and release something similar to the Nintendo classic packed with a whole bunch of classic titles that you could easily emulate on a PC or Smart Phone for free.

Whatever I suspect they are banking on a level of nostalgia for the company that isn't really there.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Well, people keep saying we're due for another video game crash; why not get it started with the company that instigated the last one?

To do that, they'd have to have a significant market share, which they don't anymore.

 

[Callate]

Because what the market is demanding right now is the third-most powerful console built around PC hardware.

 

[Gatlank]

I'll laugh if it turns out to be a pachinko machine.

Konami would probably sue Atari and fuck Kojima again while they were at it.