40 replies to this topic

[Dr Manhattan]

Official Press Release for Flashback 3

Via Blaze UK.

The Official UK Price = £50. So I guess this means the $60 price being quoted by US retailers is correct. There is also a final list for all the games included on the FB3.

SOURCE

Well, I guess this finally proves the device is real.

[garyd97]

For $60 it should come with paddles also and all the paddle games. Mainly Warlords.

Dr Manhattan, on Mon Sep 5, 2011 4:03 PM, said:

Official Press Release for Flashback 3

Via Blaze UK.

The Official UK Price = £50. So I guess this means the $60 price being quoted by US retailers is correct. There is also a final list for all the games included on the FB3.

SOURCE

Well, I guess this finally proves the device is real.

[svenski]

Atari User had the release date down for end of this month. The RRP is less than what we were told (originally £59.95), but even at £50 it seems pricey. Some retailers are already listing at between £35 to £40.

[DEBRO]

Hi there,

I'm curious to know if they took the difference in PAL and NTSC into account. I don't believe there was a PAL version of Adventure II produced. I'm also curious about the paddle games. Why would they include them if the unit doesn't come with paddles?

[Curt Vendel]

The console is running an emulator and maps the paddle games to the joysticks. However, if you plug paddles in, the paddle games will work with paddles as well.

NTSC games can work fine on PAL displays with scan conversion, its PAL games running on NTSC that don't always work out as planned....

DEBRO, on Mon Sep 5, 2011 7:32 PM, said:

Hi there,

I'm curious to know if they took the difference in PAL and NTSC into account. I don't believe there was a PAL version of Adventure II produced. I'm also curious about the paddle games. Why would they include them if the unit doesn't come with paddles?

[mimo]

wow, an official press release weeks after you could buy the product in store

http://www.argos.co....htext>ATARI.htm

about £30 too much for a rip off of Curts brilliant FB2.
I don't even think it should be called the FB3, it is nothing new over the FB2

[thevnaguy]

whats so special about this release? It looks like a rehash of the Flashback 2. Am I missing something? The game list looks very similar to the Flashback 2. I would be all over it if it had a SD slot or Space Invaders.

[Cafeman]

Curt Vendel, on Tue Sep 6, 2011 12:59 AM, said:

The console is running an emulator and maps the paddle games to the joysticks.

Since Atari is using an emulator, wonder why they don't do a 5200/A8 version , or 7800 version, of Flashback? It would have many of the same games but they'd be more enhanced than the 2600 versions. Just no interest in anything other than 2600?

[SpaceDice2010]

Anything from AtGames is usually a POS.

[Tempy]

Curt Vendel, on Tue Sep 6, 2011 12:59 AM, said:

The console is running an emulator and maps the paddle games to the joysticks. However, if you plug paddles in, the paddle games will work with paddles as well.

Zavvi lists an SD card slot, but I assume they're mistaken - http://www.zavvi.com...3/10376114.html

So is this Flashback 3 worth getting? Is it easy to mod a cart slot in?

It looks less nice than the FB2 because they moved the joystick ports to the front.

EDIT: Okay, what does the final product actually look like?

EDIT2: Nevermind, I've been away from AtariAge for way too long and didn't notice the other threads. Derp.

Edited by Tempy, Wed Sep 7, 2011 3:58 AM.

[player 0ne]

oh good, move the port and add 20 more games. i could have thought of that. as long as it has the solder points for the cart port at least it will be worth salvaging at the flea market in a year or so..

[GroovyBee]

From what I understand it contains an emulator so I doubt there are cart connector pins available on the PCB.

[Retro Rogue]

Just a notice -

Recently I've been asked by the company making the FB3 (ATG) to do a review of the console for publication (for those not familiar I'm also a writer in the video game industry), and a unit is on the way (currently in Shenzhen according to the tracking). I will be as neutral and honest as possible with the review, so please don't expect anything less than pure professionalism vs. the usual forum style banter when I post this.

Does anyone have any specific tests they'd like me to run for the review? What I plan on so far:

- side by side comparison between an actual 2600 and ATG's FB3 console for testing their emulator accuracy.

- physical comparisons between the FB2/2+ and ATG's FB3 (joystick feeling and design, console case layout and design, etc.)

- controller compatibility.


Lastly I'll be taking shots of the internals as well.

[DEBRO]

Hi Marty,

wgungfu, on Wed Sep 7, 2011 9:58 AM, said:

Does anyone have any specific tests they'd like me to run for the review? What I plan on so far:

I'm curious about the NTSC colors and frame rate timings. I read Curt's post above but I guess I don't totally understand. Unless they did a hack I would expect the colors would be different when plugging this to a PAL television. I assume the timing would be okay as long as the television could do a 60Hz display. I know some of the games didn't adjust for PAL timing originally but I would suspect Adventure II's colors and timing would be off.

I'd also be curious to know the performance of the joystick emulation with the paddles. Is it sluggish or too fast?

[gorfcadet]

Compatability with other "Atari" style sticks? Genesis, Master System, and C64 specifically. How does the picture fare on a flat panel tv? Does it run 7800 or just 2600? SD slot or no? wgungfu, who do you write for?

[Albert]

Review coming soon.

..Al

[orpheuswaking]

Albert, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:28 AM, said:

flashback_3_1.jpg flashback_3_2.jpg

Review coming soon.

..Al

Send me the Bonus poster

[Allan]

orpheuswaking, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:18 PM, said:

Albert, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:28 AM, said:

flashback_3_1.jpg flashback_3_2.jpg

Review coming soon.

..Al

Send me the Bonus poster

Wow, they didn't even bother making a new poster. They just stole one from the Internet. I've seen that poster on ebay for ages. It looks like somebody just throw it together with a bunch of jpgs stolen from places like Atariage. I'm not surprised.

Allan

[theking]

I got one the other day of these flashback 3's from ebay included images here:

Attached Thumbnails

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[svenski]

theking, on Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:53 AM, said:

I got one the other day of these flashback 3's from ebay included images here:

Thanks for posting the pics, looks like Blaze aren't exclusive PAL region distributors at all - as you can see from pics Argos have been importing these themselves and before the Blaze product is released.

[S1500]

Ugh, they still used the difficulty switches where you can't really tell if they are on or off? That's one quirk I had with the Flashback 2. You had to look on the game to see if it was on or off. Also, no b/w switch, but it looks like there's no potential for a cart port, so it won't need it.

Meh. Seems like a step down from the Flashback 2. The front joystick ports are nice, but not worth buying if you have a Flashback 2.

[ls650]

I am very curious to know how the game play compares with the real deal. I made the mistake of buying a Jaks 10-in-1 joystick, and found the copycat gameplay was, well, not very copycat. Some of the 'emulated' games just do not play even remotely the same as a real 2600.

[theking]

ls650, on Thu Sep 15, 2011 3:38 PM, said:

I am very curious to know how the game play compares with the real deal. I made the mistake of buying a Jaks 10-in-1 joystick, and found the copycat gameplay was, well, not very copycat. Some of the 'emulated' games just do not play even remotely the same as a real 2600.

not really tested game play that much yet, exactly got the paddle controller working now, so is working, might post a video sometime.

Edit: have tried about 10 the games seems to play them ok but i am no expert on atari games only ever played on a real one 1 time only in the 80's about 25 years or more ago now. So dont remmeber how should be like. I had a commodore 64 at the time and a friend that lived far away had an atari not sure if was 2600 or a 7800. Just wanted to post photos of it and maybe someone comes up with a hack but is unlikely i guess as its totally different. Maybe buy a real one and a multi-cart.

Edited by theking, Thu Sep 15, 2011 4:52 PM.

[GroovyBee]

Same "emulation" core as the MD3 here :-

http://www.vgbr.com/...post__p__579743

[DJT]

*yawn* I think Curt has our back working on something new so us fans don't have to keep messing with these cheesy plug and play TV games...

GIVE ME CARTS!!

Here's the link to the thread incase you haven't seen it...

New Project