754 replies to this topic

[Curt Vendel]

Have a question for everyone -

Would everyone be happy if there were a FB2 Portable handheld with 2.5" TFT and a USB connection to a PC to d/l games into it and perhaps push the FB3 back as a later release?



Curt

Edited by Curt Vendel, Mon Nov 6, 2006 6:16 PM.

[Albert]

Is that a rhetorical question?

Would there be Mac software to download games into it, or just a straight copy (gets mounted as a file device)? What would the target price point be? What about batteries? Rechargable lithium Ion or Li-Poly batteries would be ideal.

..Al

[Crazy Climber]

Curt Vendel, on Mon Nov 6, 2006 6:16 PM, said:

Have a question for everyone -

Would everyone be happy if there were a FB2 Portable handheld with 2.5" TFT and a USB connection to a PC to d/l games into it and perhaps push the FB3 back as a later release?



Curt

If this could be done affordable then I would go nuckin futz over this.
By affordable I mean less then the PSP.

[birdie3]

This would definitley be cool as long as the FB3 is not scrapped. Where would one download the games from?

[jpfalcon2003]

birdie3, on Mon Nov 6, 2006 6:47 PM, said:

This would definitley be cool as long as the FB3 is not scrapped. Where would one download the games from?

Agreed. Don't forget the FB3. I would actually get this if I wouldn't be getting the Nintendo Wii, and the Flashback 3 when it comes out finally as well.

[A_Username]

Curt Vendel, on Mon Nov 6, 2006 6:16 PM, said:

Have a question for everyone -

Would everyone be happy if there were a FB2 Portable handheld with 2.5" TFT and a USB connection to a PC to d/l games into it and perhaps push the FB3 back as a later release?



Curt

OMFG, that'd be so cool. The screen would be backlight right? I would pee my pants if this happened, in a public place too! This would be so cool for the long trips on planes and cars and stuff. Definitely do it man. I can wait for the FB3 if I can have a Portable 2600 that you can down load games onto. I asked this question in a forum on it once and they said,"Dude get a PSP and run StellaPSP" Now I can laugh in their faces.

-Derek

[Guitarman]

Being the Atari freak I am, I'd be down for 1 or 10 of them!!! LOL Seriously, I would definitely go for a portable FB2 with downloadable games, BUT... not at the expense of the FB3. I will second the question...where would the importable games come from?? Would it be 2600 cartridge rom dump compatable or 'Download for a small fee' type of thing from the Atari website?? Either way, it would be cool.

Edited by Guitarman, Mon Nov 6, 2006 7:24 PM.

[mstulir]

A_Username, on Mon Nov 6, 2006 8:16 PM, said:

I would pee my pants if this happened, in a public place too!

I would like to personally thank you for that response. I now have inspiration for my part of the project.

Curt, make sure we make a unit available for Derek and his public urination stunt. Think we could get the marketing people involved? There has to be a promotional angle here for the product launch.

[HatNJ]

If the FB 3 is only postponed Yeah Id definitlely Want one 100%!!!!!!

[Feralstorm]

I'd be all over something like that, especially if the means to add/dl extra games is not Windows-exclusive.

[jaybird3rd]

mstulir, on Mon Nov 6, 2006 7:29 PM, said:

A_Username, on Mon Nov 6, 2006 8:16 PM, said:

I would pee my pants if this happened, in a public place too!

I would like to personally thank you for that response. I now have inspiration for my part of the project.

Curt, make sure we make a unit available for Derek and his public urination stunt. Think we could get the marketing people involved? There has to be a promotional angle here for the product launch.

Hey ... maybe now we can make the 2600 urinalysis cartridge that the Imagic guys joked about back in the day. They didn't know then what they could possibly use for a controller, but now we have the technology!

Seriously, though ... what do I think of a portable FB2? I love the idea, IF it doesn't lead to the cancellation of the Flashback 3. If it's a one or the other scenario, I'd much prefer the FB3, but if Atari intends to do both, by all means bring on the portable!

[atwwong]

Of course!!!

Will we have all compatibility problems fixed?

[Curt Vendel]

Still spec'ing this out, but the general spec's (again - this is initial spec's, do NOT hold me to these)

2.5" TFT
USB connection (Mount of a storage drive - so PC, MAC, Linux could all access)
looking into power via batteries & include external AC socket - not going LiON or the like - too expensive.
Around $39.99 price range
1 player joypad & fire button
micro 20 pin connector for hackers to create their own FB2 portable to Atari joysticks/paddles/trackball dongle's - information on connector spec & part# would be provided so that dongles can be made - this will also allow 2 player capabilites and allow the system to be mod'd more easily.

Looking into bringing the cart pins up to an an edge connector so that micro-formfactor type cards could be done by the h/w hacking community, though it really may not be needed since games will be easily d/l'd into the onboard storage and menu selected.


Going this route vs. just making another FB2 with the added USB connector seems to be the better route since it would give players the ability to have a 2600 on the go and now the USB connectivity, just plug it in, load it up with your favorite games and take it with you.



Curt

Albert, on Mon Nov 6, 2006 7:22 PM, said:

Is that a rhetorical question?

Would there be Mac software to download games into it, or just a straight copy (gets mounted as a file device)? What would the target price point be? What about batteries? Rechargable lithium Ion or Li-Poly batteries would be ideal.

..Al

[Curt Vendel]

When the original FB2 was going to have a USB port we were going to do this encapsulated protection scheme through an interface and such which would be hardwired to downloads.atari.com

With Atari's 180 deg turn to supporting homebrewers, what they would actually like to consider is including a CD-ROM of dev tools officially endorsed by Atari from the homebrewer community and show the unit to be developer friendly.

So to answer your question it would be open to straight BIN files, so you could buy new ones from Atari.com for new game releases, but also download homebrew author postings and so forth freely from the web.



Curt

Guitarman, on Mon Nov 6, 2006 8:22 PM, said:

Being the Atari freak I am, I'd be down for 1 or 10 of them!!! LOL Seriously, I would definitely go for a portable FB2 with downloadable games, BUT... not at the expense of the FB3. I will second the question...where would the importable games come from?? Would it be 2600 cartridge rom dump compatable or 'Download for a small fee' type of thing from the Atari website?? Either way, it would be cool.

[atwwong]

Holy Moley! So the proposed spec's have the FB2.5 (okay, FB2 Portable) as perhaps modable (is that a real word?) plus Atari is thinking of including software for budding homebrewers and hackers with this package?!!!

Along with the freedom to download any games you want to play on it, who can say no to the FB2.5 (I mean, FB2 Portable )?!

[Shawn Sr.]

I'll buy a portable FB2 as long as it has the onboard memory to DL games into it as a hold over\to help fund the FB3. A portable atari for $40 bucks sounds awesome just make sure Canada doesn't get screwed and get shipments 3 months after the USA this time. I'm talking to you ATARI, I've bought all your new products and I even buy your new gen stuff for the gamecube (although terminator 3 is the only cube game you have made that doesn't suck) but I dont' want to be left reading about stuff for months while my American friends are playing with it. Hell I'll buy the portable FB2 and the fb3 and the portable fb3 when you make that too

EDIT: Actually I'll buy 2x portable FB2 as I need one for my kids to play with also

Edited by Shawn Sr., Tue Nov 7, 2006 12:56 AM.

[Lord Helmet]

It would be cool to have AV/out on this unit as well, so I could play it as a handheld, and yet hook it up to a tv if I wanted to.

Oh, and put me down for at least 2 of these units

Edited by Lord Helmet, Tue Nov 7, 2006 8:53 AM.

[Feralstorm]

Looks like a real winner of an idea to me, as long as it's not pared down too far for production.

Any particular limitations on bankswitching schemes for games downloaded onto the unit, or is it too early for that?

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

As someone who passed on the Flashback 2 as well as the original Flashback, I'd be very interested in this Portable Flashback, sounds absolutely great. I really hope it comes through.

I second the request for including the TV out as well. Most of the other handheld units that seem to be succeeding the plug'n'plays have had TV output as well, so I imagine you'd be including it in the Portable Flashback, too.


...word is bondage...

[Curt Vendel]

I actually didn't list that as I figured everyone knew that would be a given since the chipset natively puts TV out already, there would be a headphone type jack to connect a phono to RCA cable to for TVOut.



Curt

Lord Helmet, on Tue Nov 7, 2006 9:52 AM, said:

It would be cool to have AV/out on this unit as well, so I could play it as a handheld, and yet hook it up to a tv if I wanted to.

Oh, and put me down for at least 2 of these units

[atwwong]

Okay, I'll ask, since no one else has...

What games will be included with the FB2 Portable? The average consumer is not aware of AtariAge or where to get BIN files, so they'll have to start with something. Atari could notify consumers in the manual of where/how to download roms.

Edited by atwwong, Tue Nov 7, 2006 11:20 PM.

[Feralstorm]

Seems like it would be easy enough to include a link in the documentation to an Atari web page which offers downloadable games (ones cleared/licensed for proper use of course) to the general consumers who might not be interested in hunting down BIN files.

But yeah, be nice to know what games will be built in (presumably one-player stuff mostly) though I'm sure that would be decided later in the process. Hopefully the 'new, improved' versions of the FB2 homebrews will be there.

Edited by Feralstorm, Wed Nov 8, 2006 12:12 AM.

[jsoper]

How compatible?

[Uzumaki]

I would love to have a portable FB2 system. Forget trying to hack a PSOne LCD onto the FB2 console, it won't be pretty.

I would have liked it better if the FB2 worked with Pitfall2 and a few other games but I guess the design limitation prevents all 2600 games from working.

[Shawn Sr.]

Oh and have a jumper on the PCB to shut off the on board games. Or have them in the flash memory or whatever your using for the USB interface for DL roms so so they can be deleted if there is built in games that some users just dont want on there machine. The extra 2 or 4k can be better spent on a game I like