June 8th, 2008 by
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming
Like something out of Bizzaro World, word on the street is that hunky dreamboat Leonardo DiCaprio will play Atari uber-nerd Nolan Bushnell in an upcoming biopic. According to reports, the film will detail Bushnell’s life from his early work at amusement parks, through founding Atari and eventually building the Chuck E. Cheese’s empire in a “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington meets Tucker” fashion. We understand there will be a thrilling montage where Bushnell soundly defeats every Atari staff member at Pong, then builds the first animatronic Jasper T. Jowls with spare parts from a 1976 Impala.
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Posted in film, atari, Leonardo DiCaprio, movie, nolan bushnell, NolanBushnell, biopic, LeonardoDicaprio | No Comments »
May 25th, 2008 by
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
So news is making its way around the internets that at the Wedbush Morgan Securities Management Access Conference, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell proclaimed the end of PC gaming piracy as we know it, thanks to a “stealth encryption chip.” The magic chip he’s referring to that “will, in fact, absolutely stop piracy of gameplay”? The TPM chip — what’s been on motherboards for years, that apparently Bushnell just found out about. While the tinfoil hats in the house will likely attribute TPM (Trusted Platform Module) and other onboard crypto-chips to the eventual downfall of privacy and personal computing, to date we’ve yet to see piracy stunted or civil liberties breached because of the little bugger. FUD you later, Nolan.
[Thanks, Carl]
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Posted in software, security, piracy, atari, encryption, fud, nolan bushnell, NolanBushnell, tpm | No Comments »
May 14th, 2008 by
Filed under: Gaming
It looks like Atari is taking a few cues from Nintendo’s past in order to take on the hot-selling Wii Fit, with the company’s new Family Trainer game employing a Power Pad-style (or DDR-style for you young ‘uns) mat controller to give you a workout. That’ll apparently let you run and jump your way through more than a dozen mini-games designed to get your heart rate going, including log jumping, rope skipping and water rafting, each of which also make use of the Wiimote for some upper-body action. No word on a price just yet, but it’ll apparently be landing in Europe first this September before it (presumably) makes its way over here.
[Via TG Daily]
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Posted in Wii, atari, excercise, family trainer, FamilyTrainer, wii game, WiiGame | No Comments »
May 2nd, 2008 by
Filed under: Handhelds
You never really know what you’re going to get when peering through entries in Microsoft’s Next-Gen PC Design Competition, and the above pictured device is definitely evidence of that. The AlphaGrip Handheld Computer (or AlphaGrip HC, for short), boasts full-size rocker keys on the front along with a flip-up display and a keypad made specifically for thumb-typing. There’s also a trackball for mousing about and a slew of buttons to handle “sophisticated PC games” while standing on a crowded subway. Still, we can’t help but notice just how much this thing reminds us of our days tinkering with the defunct-from-birth Atari Jaguar, and we also can’t imagine anyone with a shred of dignity ever pulling this abomination out in public. Kudos for imagination, though.
[Via OhGizmo]
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Posted in Microsoft, design, atari, concept, weird, AlphaGrip HC, AlphagripHc, Design Competition, DesignCompetition, ergonomic, handheld pc, HandheldPc, jaguar, next-gen pc, Next-Gen PC Design Competition, Next-genPc, Next-genPcDesignCompetition | No Comments »
January 3rd, 2008 by
Filed under: Gaming
It’s certainly not the first bit of super rare Atari gear to show up on eBay, but those looking to expand their collection may want to take stock of their bank account right about now, as the Super Breakout handheld prototype pictured above (apparently one of only two known to exist) is now up for auction with less than a day to go. As you might have guessed, it doesn’t actually work, or even have the finished branding, but it apparently is the real deal — purchased directly from the handheld’s designer, no less. If that’s got you all nostalgic for what could have been, you’ll only have to beat $385 (as of this writing) to be the top bidder, although you can be sure you’ll have to drop a good deal more than that if you actually want to get your hands on it.
[Via OhGizmo!]
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Posted in auction, prototype, atari, atari handheld, AtariHandheld, breakout, super breakout, SuperBreakout | No Comments »
December 24th, 2007 by
Filed under: Gaming, Laptops
Sure, we’ve got quite a few laptops kicking around the Engadget HQ, but we’d chuck them all in a heartbeat for a shot at this Atari 1500XL custom-built laptop from German modder Beetle. No expense was spared to give this thing an authentic look and feel, including the guts of three Ataris, a 1050 disk drive, 1027 printer, 1010 cassette player and a PC keyboard. Ben Heck might’ve done it first, but he’s got some catch up to do on the aesthetics. Once Beetle gets an EV-DO card modded in there, our liveblogging experience will never be the same. There’s video after the break.
[Via technabob]
Continue reading Atari 1500XL laptop mod: the best of 80’s tech in a convenient modern form factor
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Posted in atari, mod, atari 1500xl, Atari1500xl, beetle | No Comments »
November 12th, 2007 by
Filed under: Gaming
We know that the Atari 2600 doesn’t really need more accolades, but it’s always nice to see the system get propers from the man upstairs. In this particular case, the man upstairs happens to be the Strong National Museum of Play’s Toy Hall of Fame (that’s a mouthful). To date, the museum has only added 38 toys to its list, so Atari’s old pixel pusher joins the ranks of luminaries such as G.I. Joe, Barbie, the Slinky, Hula Hoops, and the Kite. In addition to being the newest entry, the console also has the distinction of being the most recently invented toy in the Hall of Fame, though we understand that claim was nearly edged out by Silly Putty. Congratulations, 2600, you’ve come a long way.
[Via Next Generation]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Posted in atari, atari 2600, Atari2600, console, 2600, game system, GameSystem, hall of fame, HallOfFame | No Comments »
October 12th, 2007 by
Filed under: Gaming, Transportation
Predating the carputer by easily two decades (not counting KITT, of course), this ‘79 Buick Riviera would have clearly elevated you to alpha status in your elementary school. Featuring what appears to be a Sears Atari 2600 clone and a 13-inch CRT with a custom fake-ice RIVIERA logo, there’s no wonder Kevin, the owner, says this whip is his “absolute pride and joy.” Check a couple more shots after the break.
[Via CarDomain Blog]
Continue reading 1979 Buick Riviera gets pimped, Atari-style
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Posted in cars, atari, atari car, AtariCar, carputer | No Comments »
September 30th, 2007 by
Filed under: Gaming
See that Wii or Xbox sitting under your TV? The PSP or DS tucked away in your messenger bag? That copy of Pac-man on your cellphone which cost five bucks and expires next month? Each of them owe a debt of gratitude to the granddaddy of all videogame consoles, the Atari 2600, which ushered in an era of unprecedented television usage, and which turns 30 years old this month. That’s right, the first 2600 units rolled off the assembly line in October of 1977, delighting both children and kids at heart with games like Pitfall and Pole Position, and helping distract the nation after the untimely death of the King, the tragic crash of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane, and Pele’s retirement. So here’s to you, dear 2600: Atari may only be a shadow of its former self today, but you’ve lived on in our fond memories, in retro Flashback products, and last but not least, in tricked-out mods from the great Ben Heckendorn.
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Posted in atari, atari 2600, Atari2600, birthday | No Comments »
