Atari Flashback
 | |
 Flashback X, released in 2019 | |
| Developer |
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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) |
| Mass | 1.07 lb (0.49 kg) (Flashback 12 Gold) |
| Website | https://www.atgames.us/ |
The Atari Flashback is a line of dedicated video game consoles produced since 2004, currently designed, produced, published and marketed by AtGames under license from Atari SA. The Flashback consoles are "plug-and-play" versions of the 1970s Atari 2600 console with built-in games rather than using ROM 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 an Atari 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 hardware SoC. 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 a handheld version, Atari Flashback Portable, in 2016. Several variations of the Flashback 8 were released in 2017, including the Gold edition, which introduces scan line filtering, a gameplay rewind feature, and HDMI output. Since the Flashback X in 2019, the exterior designs have been more faithful near-replicas of the original Atari 2600 in miniature forms.
Home consoles
[edit]Original console
[edit]
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 the Atari 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 15 Atari 2600 games and five 7800 games.[4] Some of the games originally required analog paddle controllers and were made to work with the included joysticks. The Atari Flashback runs on "NES-on-a-chip", rather than Atari hardware. As a result, its games do not match their original counterparts entirely.[4][8] The game library includes Saboteur, a game that went unreleased for 20 years.[1]
The Flashback sold approximately 500,000 units.[8] Craig Harris of IGN 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, poor collision 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]
Atari Flashback 2
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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-in Atari 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 to mod.[10][16] The Flashback 2's motherboard 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 of CNET praised the controllers and considered them the best aspect of the console.[15] The Flashback 2 sold 860,000 units in the United States. A PAL version was never released.[7] The console was discontinued in 2006.[20]
In 2011, Atari Interactive filed a $30 million lawsuit against Tommo, accusing the latter of knowingly selling pirated Flashback 2 consoles.[20]
Games
[edit]Aside from the 40 built-in games,[13] the Flashback 2 also contains two secret games (Super Breakout and Warlords), 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 by Activision: Pitfall! and River Raid.[21][22] A few of the included games are homebrews.[22]
Some games, such as Lunar Lander, exhibit some flicker. 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]
Atari Flashback 2+
[edit]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 as Pitfall!, River Raid, and Wizard did not appear and were replaced by sports games.
Atari Flashback 3
[edit]
The Atari Flashback 3 was manufactured by AtGames[25] and was released in September 2011.[26] The Flashback 3 included 60 built-in Atari 2600 games, 2 joysticks, and a case design that was similar to the Flashback 2.[27][28] Unlike its predecessors, the Flashback 3 used emulation.[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]
Atari Flashback 4
[edit]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 the Atari Flashback 4: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. This included a set of replica Atari 2600 paddles, five collectible posters, and a copy of the original Atari joystick patent signed by Nolan Bushnell. AtGames also developed the Atari Flashback 64, a Walmart exclusive version with wired controllers and only 64 games, including Space Invaders. Some versions of the Flashback 4 included a 76th "bonus" game, Millipede.
Atari Flashback 5
[edit]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]
Atari Flashback 6
[edit]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]
Atari Flashback 7
[edit]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]
Atari Flashback 8
[edit]
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 as scan line filtering.[41][43] It also allowed the player to rewind gameplay by several seconds. In addition, it introduced HDMI output for 720p.[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 by Activision, although the other versions also featured some Activision games.[40][41] All the games were emulated.[45]
Atari Flashback 9
[edit]The Atari Flashback 9 (Model No: AR3050) was released on November 15, 2018,[46] by AtGames. 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 an SD card slot and an output of 720p.[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 a Family Dollar exclusive. It included two wired controllers and 110 games, and it featured composite video output along with an SD slot.
Atari Flashback X
[edit]
The Atari Flashback X was released in 2019[50] and attempted to capitalize on the mini console trend, started by releases like the NES Classic Edition and Sega 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 by AtGames.
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.
Atari Flashback 50th Anniversary Edition
[edit]
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 by AtGames.
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.
Atari Flashback 12 Gold
[edit]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 by AtGames. 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.
