(Usually called a FAQ, but we aim to
be different.)
We at The Atari Times
receive a ton of questions that have been answered a ton of times! Think
of this CAQ (errr, FAQ) as your way of getting your answer back
instantaneously! If you're looking for more entertaining Q&A, please
visit
Fruitman's letter section.
Please DO NOT ask where to get "something" for
your Atari. Be it repairs, manuals, games, controllers or anything else.
The best answer I have for you is to check the Links
Page. You will not get a response from me should you ask where to
find something. Sorry.
I have a question about an Atari system. What should I do?
Check the FAQs.
Where do I get the Quake 3 Adventure map?
The information
page is
here and you can download the
map directly from here.
I have a craving for a game. How can I play it?
You can
probably curb that craving by playing it through an emulator. Go to the
Emulation section on the
Links page.
Where can I get ROMs and/or emulators?
Check the
Links Page. You'll have to figure out how to use
the emulators yourself.
Where can I buy, sell, or find Atari items?
Check the
Links Page for lots of Atari retailers.
TAT also has a few items for sale.
I have some old Atari stuff I'd like to get rid of. What do I do?
I'd suggest selling it on Ebay,
or post it to the TAT Forum, the
Atari Age Forum, or the
Digital Press Forum.
How much is my Atari stuff worth?
Probably not as much as
you think. The more popular it was in it's heyday, the less valuable it
will be now. For a working 2600, probably $10-15 depending on condition.
Working controllers $5, and working games $1-3 (unless they're extremely
rare, which is rare in and of itself.)
Where can I get my Atari 2600/ 5200/ 7800/ Lynx/ Jaguar/ JagCD/
computer/ Arcade or other Atari system fixed?
I have no idea!
I've never had to get one of my Atari's fixed! Guess I'm just lucky. Try
doing a web search, or check the Links Page
for lots of Atari retailers that probably do Atari repair on the side.
What's a good price for an Atari video game or computer system?
Do a little research by checking the Links Page
for Atari retailers. Check
ebay
too.
How many (insert game title or system here)'s did Atari
sell?
I'm not exactly sure. Check that system's FAQ (above.)
Was (game X) ever made for (system Y)?
Again,
your best bet to finding the answers to these specific questions would
be to check that game system's FAQ.
What year did (system X) or (game Y) come out?
www.icwhen.com is a great
resource for finding out the answers to these type of questions.
Atari (aka Infogrames) won't help me with a problem regarding one
of their games. Can you help?
The Atari Times is mainly concerned
with the OLDER CLASSIC Atari video games, like the 2600, Jaguar, Lynx,
etc. You might try posing the question on
The Atari Times Forum or the
Atari Age forum.
I have a question, but I can't be bothered to check the
Links Page. What should I do?
Check the
Links Page!
Questions about The Atari Times
What is The Atari Times?
The Atari Times is
the Atari-only newsletter I started back in May of 1996. It began as a
7-page paper-based newsletter which I designed on my Atari 1040STe. It's
purpose was to give Atarians something to read as there were no other
magazines covering Atari. We cover the entire range of Atari products
including the 2600, Lynx, 8-bit and 16-bit Atari Computers, and of
course, the Jaguar.
Why did you start The Atari Times?
I was getting
tired of flipping through the newsstand magazines and not finding enough
Atari info. I was also sick of what they did write about concerning
Atari. So, The Atari Times was created to fill a huge gap the
others didn't want to fill anymore. Believe it or not, there's literally
hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people wanting Atari info.
Then there's the real reason I started it. Boredom! I had just
bought PageStream 2.2 (the world's most excellent DTP!) and I wanted to
use it on something. So I stared fiddling around with it and >POOF!<
The Atari Times
was born! I later got to thinking how it was great experience and would
probably look good on a resume someday!
What Atari systems does The Atari Times cover?
Any
machine that has the Atari logo emblazoned on it. Systems such as the
2600/5200/7800, 8-bit XL/XE computers, the ST/TT/Falcon, and of course,
the Lynx and Jaguar. I never really liked how some other Atari
publications would only cover, say, the Falcon. I feel something like
that is really limiting and would not interest the largest number of
users. In addition, many of us own more than just one type of Atari
system. The Atari Times allows them get all the info they want
with just one publication.
Do you have news of JTS, Hasbro, Infogrames, or Nuon in The
Atari Times?
JTS is history, so there won't be anything about
them. There might be some info regarding Infogrames, but I wouldn't
expect it. TAT is mainly about REAL Atari games. Not games that
simply have the Atari logo slapped on them as an afterthought. As for
Nuon... It's not an Atari system, so, I'm afraid not.
Can I get back issues of The Atari Times?
Yes! Go to
www.cafepress.com/ataritimes !
Does The Atari Times sell games?
Just a few items we
have laying around. Check
TAT's Online Garage Sale for a list.
How do I submit an article to The Atari Times?
Please visit the
Writer website. Thanks! All submissions are
greatly appreciated!
I don't like the way The Atari Times is laid out or the
color scheme.
Hmm... Sorry to hear that! I'm constantly changing
it, so check back in a few days!
About The Editor
Who are you?
Read my
Profile Atarian,
About the Editor, and my
Brushes with Fame
to find out!
Is your first name Greg or George?
Ok, look at my name as a
whole: Greg George. Which is the first name and which is the last name?
My first name is Greg and my last name is George. Why is
that so difficult to understand?? Why do people who see my name put
together think my first name is George?? Didn't these people take
English in Elementary school? Would people call me "Greg" if I signed
off "George Greg"? Anyway, if you must call me George, please put a
"Mr." in front of it! Anyone who can't follow that simple rule of
English, will be shot.
How do you feel about the other game companies?
I don't
want to offend anyone, but I feel that Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are
just a bunch of greedy SOBs. They don't really care about the games. At
least, that's the impression I've got from them.
Remember Nintendo's "chip shortage" story from the late 80's? They
used that bogus lie to drive cartridge prices up. Remember the vaunted
SNES CD player? Just a ploy to keep people from buying a Sega CD.
Remember how early the Ultra 64 was announced? That early (two year)
announcement was used to build hype for them and keep consumers from
buying Jaguars or Saturns. What about the wonderful Virtual Boy
experiment? Yuck. And Nintendo's latest ploy is putting the same Pokemon
game on different colored Game Boy cartridges and selling them as new
games! What a sleezy racket!
Microsoft simply sees dollar signs, so that's their reasoning for
jumping into the game.
As for Sony, well, it's obvious they want to take over every
electronics market on the planet. They've wanted a piece of the video
game pie for years. I don't want to offend any former Atari-employees
working for Sony, but they are reprehensible.
Sega is the only one I respect and it's because they were able to
fight off Nintendo with inferior technology. They were able to dominate
the 16-bit market up until the end, and that bought them a ticket to the
32-bit market as well. I never bought a Saturn (neither did a lot of
others) but I did get a Dreamcast. I think it's hilarious that the
Bleem! emulator for the Dreamcast makes PSX games look better than on
the PS2!
What video game systems do you consider "dead"?
In the
grave:
Jaguar, Lynx, Genesis, NES, SMS, TG-16, Neo*Geo, Game
Gear, 3DO, 32X, Saturn, Virtual Boy, Neo Geo Pocket, Dreamcast, Nintendo
64.
In their prime: Game Boy Advance, PC, PlayStation 2, XBox, GameCube.
Interest in classic systems remain strong with new homebrews and
hacks being released for the 2600, 5200, 7800, ColecoVision,
Intellivision, and Vectrex
Why are you so passionate about Atari?
I remember reading a
letter from the August 1987 issue of
Antic Magazine written by Ralph Sandell of Columbus, Ohio. This
letter really defined my feelings about Atari and reads:
"I'm severely disabled, having had surgery on my
back, hands and legs at age 55. About 5 years ago I started saving for
an Atari system, and in July, 1985, I bought a 130XE, a 1050 drive, a
Teknika monitor and Atari 1020 and 1027 printers.
"Last December my 130XE died. I sent a letter to
Atari and told them what had happened and that money was hard for me to
come by. In March I received a brand new 130XE. The invoice had all
zeros and said, 'Sorry it took so long. (Signed) Sam T.' It was a
miracle."
Upon reading this, I felt that Atari wasn't in it simply for money
like the others are. They were in the computer and video game business
because they enjoy creating innovative products. Remember hearing about
the Lynx kiosks Atari donated to the troops of Desert Storm? Or how they
took the Jaguar to children in hospitals to play with? Atari always did
things like these that set them above the rest. I know it sounds corny,
but the people of Atari just wanted to make others happy. It's a real
shame some people work so hard to destroy companies with that kind of
integrity and history.
As for what happened to Atari... I did not like JTS in the
least. They could have cared less what we Atarians do and I think they
only used Atari for a loss write-off. And that, in my opinion, is
despicable. I'm glad that Hasbro Interactive bought Atari, and that
Infogrames bought Hasbro Interactive. Many of the Atari updates are
superb. I'm sad that we will never see another Atari console, but our
job as Atarians is to never let anyone forget the company that started
it all.
If your question was not answered
by this CAQ, please post it to The Atari Times Forum.
Or send us an email!
