Thoughts on Atari's new console, the Atari Box?

[VirtulJordan]

today Atari just revealed their new console which will be competing with the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One X, and PS4 Pro. With such fierce competition, it's no wonder Atari had gone out of the console race along with the Atari Jaguar, the same with Sega and the Sega Saturn.

As far as specs not much is known about how powerful the console really is, as well as any exclusives Atari has planned for the system. As far as the system design it looks amazing. As far as the name, it feels lazy. I wanted the console to be named something like the Atari Panther, or the Atari 9000.

So with that said, I am not sold on the console just yet, especially with its competition. But I will say Atari does have me interested in what will become of this new console. So what do you all think? Are you interested in Ataris return to the console market? Do you think they will succeed despite the odds being against them?

 

[Chronal]

Atari has a long road ahead of them to have a place in the console market. There are too many roadblock to list, but I can name a couple big ones.

If Atari decides to play the power game, it will most likely lose. PC will always win the power game, and Xbox and PlayStation have such huge backings behind them it's created a console war. Simply having power to get third parties would mean nothing, and Atari would quickly lose money on this console.

It needs to have a spectacular launch title list. I'm talking 5 or 6 high quality games available right when this thing releases, plus a couple indies in the first month. I'm not gonna buy into a console from a party who hasn't made a console in years if I am uncertain it will have any games. This thing better release with a variety of high profile 3rd parties (even older ones. As rehashed as it's been, Skyrim would fit this category.) and some first party exclusives. Old characters, new characters, it doesn't matter as long as their good.

Besides a strong launch, I would need to see a lineup similar to Nintendo's right now. A strong title a month for at least a year. A variety of different genres need to be present, and these can either be first or third party. I don't care as long as their there.

I don't know if everyone will need this, but I feel this is reasonable to expect as a consumer if Atari wants to sell to me. I consider myself a frugal person, and I know I won't buy into this unless it seems like a success, and for now, that isn't clear to me.

Edit: I do love the design though. Looks cool.

 

[Starry Windy]

I find it interesting that Atari's making a new console after quite a long while. This makes me wondering how will it go when Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are still competing nicely. As long as it have decent games, that'll be good.

 

[Dark Link]

I kinda like how the Atari Box looks.By just looking at it it can raise many questions on what it is and what it does.But given by the fact it's a console is bizarre for the way it looks.Just by looking at it it appears to have a futuristic look to it.If this gets buyers attention and they sell out on these then I'm sure there will be some competition between Atari and other companies like Nintendo.

 

[VirtulJordan]

I kinda like how the Atari Box looks.By just looking at it it can raise many questions on what it is and what it does.But given by the fact it's a console is bizarre for the way it looks.Just by looking at it it appears to have a futuristic look to it.If this gets buyers attention and they sell out on these then I'm sure there will be some competition between Atari and other companies like Nintendo.

No doubt it looks very advanced, and I love the wood like design to it like the older consoles were made out of before plastic. But I am just wondering how advanced the console really is. Like what are its online features, will it have customizable profiles and avatars, and most importantly what plans do they have that made them think producing another console would be a good idea? The competition will be fierce, so heres to hoping they have more to the inside of the Atari Box than whats shown on the outside.

 

[18]

Beautiful design, dumb name. I'm surprised they have the money to do it, not having turned a profit since 1999.

 

[Ace]

Unfortunately... No, this doesn't interest me.

 

[VirtulJordan]

Beautiful design, dumb name. I'm surprised they have the money to do it, not having turned a profit since 1999.

I felt the same way, with how things are in the console race I fear that the company may lose money on making this. Hell, they haven't even said anything beyond just showing the console itself. They haven't shown any features, any planned exclusives, no promised third party support. When Nintendo revealed the Switch they had everything down, trying to cover all of their bases. This so far has shown nothing but the console itself. So I just fear for what will happen to the system.

 

[18]

I felt the same way, with how things are in the console race I fear that the company may lose money on making this. Hell, they haven't even said anything beyond just showing the console itself. They haven't shown any features, any planned exclusives, no promised third party support. When Nintendo revealed the Switch they had everything down, trying to cover all of their bases. This so far has shown nothing but the console itself. So I just fear for what will happen to the system.

No games? When I saw the title I was certain it would just be a nostalgia console like the Neo Geo X or NES Mini.

 

[VirtulJordan]

No games? When I saw the title I was certain it would just be a nostalgia console like the Neo Geo X or NES Mini.

That's what I thought at first but I think this is supposed to be a current Gen console just by the looks of it. It even looks like its controllers will be completely wireless. Besides a nostalgic Atari console would not do as well as consoles like the NES and Super NES mini. Simply because alot of Ataris gaming adventures were back before the NES, and those games have not aged well.

 

[Ace]

They claim they're not intentionally teasing us. (Unless even they have no idea what they're doing with it, they're intentionally teasing us. I don't like being teased)

 

[Chronal]

They claim they're not intentionally teasing us. (Unless even they have no idea what they're doing with it, they're intentionally teasing us. I don't like being teased)

I doubt they're teasing us. I just don't think they truly know what they're doing. They probably had a plan, but underestimates the time and cost the current state of the industry requires. Things are being delayed internally, and they don't wish to announce that.

 

[Crowing]

Wow. I've never heard of this up until now. Looks like this is one more for development Hell, I guess.

Atari competing with the big three game companies? Nintendo, Xbox, and Sony? Not at all, not even in a thousand years, their old console is infamous for how hard it bombed - or at least, as far as I remember - and they could not jump back so easily into the games industry like this.

Google, who certainly have a lot more money and therefore potential than Atari, managed to screw up their console real bad, and there name also happens to be perhaps more well known than even some of the big three in this day and age. If Google screwed up, Atari doesn't have a chance.

If this console somehow manages to see the light of die... nope, not a chance. It'll be a miracle if it manages to last a month or two before ending up in some kind of bargain bin or, perhaps more poetically, buried somewhere like the ET games were.