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Atari's Greatest Hits for iPhone, iPad, and iCade?
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Atari games will always rule the video gaming world.
If it wasn't for Atari there will be no
.25-30 years from now your post was never cool, even considered from a different edge, but compared to what is on the app store now: Atari's Greatest Hits, your post will always suck.
You shall not pass...Gandalf said.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmDuG_NkgaQ
Not even worth more than this reply.
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The arcade games are still quite playable. I find the 2600 games to be very hard to enjoy 30 years later as much as originally. They just don't hold up.
Tempest!
Tempest!
Ehh... The Atari Flashback 2 is probably a better solution, especially for those of us who still have standard definition TVs. It comes with about 20 games built in and uses real, miniaturized Atari hardware to the point where you can even modify it to accept old cartridges. The PCB even has a little space on it that shows where to put the reader.
That is a good question. I haven't thought this through as much as the other way around. If you don't have to circumvent any digital restrictions management to place you in violation of the D.M.C.A, I know people can legally create one personal archival copy from any copies of software programs they legally own. The outcome of several carious cases such as Sony vs. Connectix show that it is quite possible to juxtapose a legally entitled copy onto another platform. It is for these reasons that I believe emulation of Atari 2600 games on a modern P.C. would be legal, if there was only a cartridge reader to take advantage of First Sale Doctrine.
There are too many variables for me to be absolutely certain about the other way around though, since I'm not aware of many precedents going in that direction. There are questions to be raised as to whether you can legally unbundle the ROM files from the App in question though. Only the copyright holder has the right to create a derivative work out of their software so if they're merely considered portions of the Atari's Greatest Hits, you might be out of luck since I doubt your Atari can read iO.S. Apps.
However it could theoretically be considered the same if it's argued that the ROM files constitute computer programs in and of themselves, entitling you to archive them individually. Pendent on how the App works it may also be argued that a .app file on your computer is merely a directory as is any folder or mounted disc volume allowing you to unbundle them and drop the unnecessary bagage, say if you have raw access to a subdirectory of raw ROMfiles. As mentioned above though, if DRM effectively prevents this access or if the ROMfiles are a directly stored as part of the iOS App's executable I doubt much could be done. There might be other unexpected avenues of finding fair use in this case, like how the Betamax Case assumes there was an invitation to use the content in a certain way but I'm hesitant to weigh in on that without prior precedent just due to how hazily Fair Use is applied within the context of the law.
I'm not sure if I can get back to you in a timely manner if ever but now you've piqued my curiosity so it's possible I'll be looking into this in the future...
That is a good question. I haven't thought this through as much as the other way around. If you don't have to circumvent any digital restrictions management to place you in violation of the D.M.C.A, I know people can legally create one personal archival copy from any copies of software programs they legally own. The outcome of several carious cases such as Sony vs. Connectix show that it is quite possible to juxtapose a legally entitled copy onto another platform. It is for these reasons that I believe emulation of Atari 2600 games on a modern P.C. would be legal, if there was only a cartridge reader to take advantage of First Sale Doctrine.
There are too many variables for me to be absolutely certain about the other way around though, since I'm not aware of many precedents going in that direction. There are questions to be raised as to whether you can legally unbundle the ROM files from the App in question though. Only the copyright holder has the right to create a derivative work out of their software so if they're merely considered portions of the Atari's Greatest Hits, you might be out of luck since I doubt your Atari can read iO.S. Apps.
However it could theoretically be considered the same if it's argued that the ROM files constitute computer programs in and of themselves, entitling you to archive them individually. Pendent on how the App works it may also be argued that a .app file on your computer is merely a directory as is any folder or mounted disc volume allowing you to unbundle them and drop the unnecessary bagage, say if you have raw access to a subdirectory of raw ROMfiles. As mentioned above though, if DRM effectively prevents this access or if the ROMfiles are a directly stored as part of the iOS App's executable I doubt much could be done. There might be other unexpected avenues of finding fair use in this case, like how the Betamax Case assumes there was an invitation to use the content in a certain way but I'm hesitant to weigh in on that without prior precedent just due to how hazily Fair Use is applied within the context of the law.
I'm not sure if I can get back to you in a timely manner if ever but now you've piqued my curiosity so it's possible I'll be looking into this in the future...
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Great links Tonepoet.
The controller:
http://www.legacyengineer.com/store...oducts_id=85&zenid=a001qfbmo28n5pabfcgegkvo32
The controller:
http://www.legacyengineer.com/store...oducts_id=85&zenid=a001qfbmo28n5pabfcgegkvo32
Dislike.
No Solaris? Extreme dislike. One of the hardest games ever made, and addictive and fun.
No Solaris? Extreme dislike. One of the hardest games ever made, and addictive and fun.
Overpriced. These games are ancient and most of them don't offer much gameplay at all. Plus it cost atari essentially nothing to put this app out. If they made it $0.99 for the hundred pack then it'd be no-brainer, we'd buy it just for the nostalgia alone. I could conceivably see paying up to $4.99 for the hundred pack for the very small handful of games that are actually worth playing. But $14.99 for these junky games? No way.
p.s., I'm not saying all old games are bad, quite the contrary, there are a lot of fantastic old games that still hold up well, but the atari era of games were especially crappy.
p.s., I'm not saying all old games are bad, quite the contrary, there are a lot of fantastic old games that still hold up well, but the atari era of games were especially crappy.
No way are they junky!
But, the Nintendo DS version require Vol. 1 & 2 for all 100, which comes to $40.
The difference is physical media, no DRM, and using a portable with REAL BUTTONS (
) - but that's a whole other discussion... Hopefully, it'll be on sale for $9.99 (about 10 cents/game)
Trackball, jog-wheel, joystick, six face buttons and a button on each side for the pinball simulators. Hopefully all this and more for the iCade revisions and imitations to come.
There are two products:
1. The icade
2. The atari game
You do not need one for the other.
icade will be accessible by other game designers and is not limited to Atari games. Likewise, the atari games can be played without the icade.
The price for the Atari games is not too bad and the icade will allow you to play these games and more in the future using the physical joystick and buttons.
johnnyturbouk
macrumors 68000
Depends on if you look further than the displayed controls. By that I mean, with Tempest there is a slider on the left that lets you rotate around the play field and firing buttons on the right. However, what many miss is that you can control the entire movement around the screen by touch.
Same for centipede/millipede/etc. Apparently most have a simulated control on the screen but they also have touch capability for movement control on the game surface as well.
Loved battlezone and red baron as a small child....worth $.99 easily. May plug another buck for tempest. $15 for the package, a lot of which consists of atari 2600 titles which even had crappy graphics for the 70's, pass.
iCade looks interesting, though.
iCade looks interesting, though.
Fine for a hand-held nostalgic trip, but the controls are the biggest let-down.
Some iPad games have this spot on,like Llamasoft's Minotaur Rescue and Minotron... brilliant and well thought out controls, the Atari pack games are just whack a massive joystick on the screen and hope your finger's in the right place...
If you really want a decent bash at those old-school high scores, get MAME for Mac... the iCade may improve matters but I prefer Mac+Xbox controller...
Anyone for Rainbow Islands?
Some iPad games have this spot on,like Llamasoft's Minotaur Rescue and Minotron... brilliant and well thought out controls, the Atari pack games are just whack a massive joystick on the screen and hope your finger's in the right place...
If you really want a decent bash at those old-school high scores, get MAME for Mac... the iCade may improve matters but I prefer Mac+Xbox controller...
Anyone for Rainbow Islands?
I wonder if the games/API also work with the iControlPad?
Also, if the games detect a bluetooth controller, do they still display on-screen controls?
Also, if the games detect a bluetooth controller, do they still display on-screen controls?
I bought the whole suite. It's very polished on an iPad. Lovin' it so far. I've played most of the more popular ones as a kid on the Atari. I remember some of them from the coin op arcade in the grocery store where my mom worked. Burned through too many quarters for just a little play time, unless you were good at the game.
...Some games I would like to see now that we are seeing stuff like this pop up in the app store:
...Gauntlet
Pitfall
Defender
...Star Wars (wire frame version)
I also would LOVE these games!
Add 'Paper Boy', 'Crystal Castles', and '720' I would be a happy camper.
Crystal Castles is in there (but tough to play with the faux track-ball).
Paper Boy would be cool, especially if they used the iPad gyro's as the controller!
In fact Star Wars arcade (and any of the Atari arcaded games that used that flight-yoke looking controller) using the gyro's would be awesome too. Road Blasters, Star Wars ROTJ both used it I think.