Author: Mike Freeman (66-53-66-21.phnx.ev1.net)
Date: 06-22-2004 22:06
It depends on who you talk to...
If you're talking to someone who owns a PC and once had an Atari 2600 and loved the specific video game software that the original Atari company made, or who loved the Arcade games Atari made, the Infogrammes Atari will really be Atari to them.
If you're talking to someone who didn't necessarily care whether the games they played were made by Atari or not, but loved the video game hardware innovations they designed, then no, Infogrammes will not be seen as the real Atari.
If you're talking to someone for whom the real essence of "Atari" was their computer division, then Infogrammes is absolutely not Atari.
For me, personally, Atari was defined by its innovative hardware, both in the computing and video game realms. Its games and software were ok, but it's the hardware that I was impressed by. So for my part, I see the Atari company as dead and gone, no matter who uses the name now, simply because there is no connection with what truly defined the original Atari, in my view. If by some miraculous event they come up with a way to successfully market a new, very innovative piece of video game or computer hardware, on par with Atari's original ventures, then yes, I'll say they've earned the right to really be a part of the Atari legacy. If they come up with a new true continuation of their TOS-compatible computer line, then they are absolutely Atari, in my book (and realistically, that's never going to happen). Otherwise, their yet another PC-only software company exploiting the nostalgic retro scene in society who only knew the Atari of the late 70's and early 80's and have jumped wholeheartedly on the PC/Microsoft bandwagon.
Just my opinion...
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