w-darekm@microsoft.UUCP (Darek Mihocka) (09/17/89)
What are kids going to be getting this Christamas? Certainly not a video game with an Atari label on it. I've seen a lot of local stores already carrying the Nintendo Gameboy. The machine itself is a piece of garbage, with a pathetic grey LCD display that looks like a cheap watch display. Although I haven't seen the Lynx (and probably won't for a long time) if its color backlit LCD display is as good as those used in the Sony Video Watchman and similar pocket TV's, it'll blow away the Gameboy's display. But, with only about 100 days left till Christams, what's Atari waiting for? The 1990 Christmas season? All the stores I've been to in the last few weeks are carrying 3 machines: the Gameboy, the regular Nintendo machine, and the Sega Gemini. All three look and feel like garbage. But the Gameboy comes with Tetris which is the hottest thing around these days. I have yet to see anyone carrying the XE game machine or even carrying any sort of promotional items about the Lynx. I'm not a video game fan by any means. I shudder to think of the consequences of having a generation of kids growing up illeterate and cross eyed because they spend 24 hours a day glued to these NFG handheld game machines, which I also feel are an incredible step _backwards_ in technology. In 10 years we've gone from some pretty decent hi res color stereo arcade video games to handheld low resolution monochrome 2 inch screens. Although I'm not in favor of the things, since they do exists and are a source of money for Atari, why don't they just get of their butts and sell the things. This will probably be one of the hottest items of the season, and while Atari has been splashing big posters and ads about the Lynx in magazines, Nintendo has quietly stolen the market. We already know from past experience that the majority of consumers couldn't give two hoots about the technical quality of the machines. Otherwise Atari 8-bit machines would have ruled the market. What consumers want is something they can buy an give to their kids to shut them up until next Christmas. All the technical marvels of a vaporware Lynx aren't going to generate any income for Atari, and I'm sure this will be yet another convenient excuse for them to delay the release of the vaporware Stacy, vaporware Portfolio, and vaporware TT machines. I still want to know why Sam Tramiel can't type for himself at GEnie conferences and what he'll have to say to us next month when he can't keep the promises he made at last month's conference. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Darek Mihocka ST Xformer II CIS: 73657,2714 Box 2624, Station B Quick Utilities GEnie: DAREKM Kitchener, Ontario MegaBlit SSG SPX DELPHI: DAREKM N2H 6N2 Shareware, not Vaporware BIX: darekm Canada CheapNet: ...!uw-beaver!microsoft!w-darekm (519)-747-0386 A mind is a terrible thing to waste, so just say no to TOS. Opinions expressed are my own and not those of anyone not named Darek Mihocka. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xorg@cup.portal.com (Peter Ted Szymonik) (09/18/89)
I think Atari has their hands more than full with the emminent releases of TOS 1.4, Portfolio, Lynx, STacy, and the TT! Perhaps their strategy with the Lynx is to let Nintendo corner the market again and then sue them for having a monopoly. <grin> Peter Szymonik Xorg@cup.portal.com
david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer) (09/19/89)
In article <7722@microsoft.UUCP> w-darekm@microsoft.UUCP (Darek Mihocka) writes: >I still want to know why Sam Tramiel can't type for himself at GEnie >conferences and what he'll have to say to us next month when he can't keep >the promises he made at last month's conference. I know exactly what he'll have to say to you. He will have the same thing Atari always has... More Promises! And probably another batch of suckers to eat it up! -- David Beckemeyer (david@bdt.UUCP) | "Lester Moore - Four slugs from a .44 Beckemeyer Development Tools | no Les, no more." 478 Santa Clara Ave. Oakland, CA 94610 | - Headstone at Boot Hill UUCP: {uunet,ucbvax}!unisoft!bdt!david | Tombstone, AZ
NETOPRHM@NCSUVM.BITNET (Hal Meeks) (09/19/89)
I'm surprised, and disturbed, that Lynx isn't out either. The price is right, and it actually looks like it is going to be supported. Atari is preparing to learn another hard lesson, that technical superiority combined with a competitive price isn't always enough. The nintendo gameboy is very likely to capture the market, simply because it is out first, and name association (Nintendo=quality games) is there. No flames on the last point; just walk into any video rental store, go to Toys'R'Us and see who has the most wall space, etc. We'll see. If it isn't out by the end of October (in quantity), then the war is over even before it began. --hal
mitchell@janus.Berkeley.EDU (Evan Mitchell) (09/21/89)
In article <951NETOPRHM@NCSUVM> NETOPRHM@NCSUVM.BITNET (Hal Meeks) writes: >I'm surprised, and disturbed, that Lynx isn't out either. The price is >right, and it actually looks like it is going to be supported. > >Atari is preparing to learn another hard lesson, that technical superiority >combined with a competitive price isn't always enough. The nintendo gameboy >is very likely to capture the market, simply because it is out first, and >name association (Nintendo=quality games) is there. No flames on the last >point; just walk into any video rental store, go to Toys'R'Us and see who >has the most wall space, etc. > >We'll see. If it isn't out by the end of October (in quantity), then the war >is over even before it began. > >--hal What is the "unofficial" release date for the LYNX? What's holding up it's release. From what I've seen, comparing the Lynx to the Gameboy is like comparing an Amiga to a Mac+. If they can keep game prices down, perhaps under $25.00, they will have quite a sucessful product. I know I want to buy one. BTW, will it be possible to use a regular TV as an optional display? Please, oh please, don't make this a vaporware product. Stop wasting time on the TT and ATW, get the Lynx out within a month!! :-). -Evan _______________________________________________________________________________ | Evan Jay Mitchell EECS/ERL Industrial Liaison Program | | mitchell@janus.berkeley.edu University of California at Berkeley | | Phone: (415) 643-6687 | | "Think, it ain't illegal...yet!" - George Clinton | |_____________________________________________________________________________|
mike@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mike Smithwick) (09/21/89)
In article <951NETOPRHM@NCSUVM> NETOPRHM@NCSUVM.BITNET (Hal Meeks) writes: >I'm surprised, and disturbed, that Lynx isn't out either. The price is >right, and it actually looks like it is going to be supported. > Perhaps the reason for the delays has to do with trying to get Sam Tramiel to put out the bucks for the Lynx development stations their software people need, >>> Amiga 2000s <<<. The Lynx is a helluva box. The boys at Epyx really earned their pay. I have a non-game application I would love to do on it if they can boost the contrast just a bit. *** mike smithwick *** "Los Angeles : Where neon goes to die" [disclaimer : nope, I don't work for NASA, I take full blame for my ideas]
ajy2208%ritcv@cs.rit.edu (09/21/89)
In article <31421@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> mitchell@janus.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Evan Mitchell) writes: >What is the "unofficial" release date for the LYNX? What's holding up it's >release. From what I've seen, comparing the Lynx to the Gameboy is like >comparing an Amiga to a Mac+. If they can keep game prices down, perhaps under >$25.00, they will have quite a sucessful product. I know I want to buy one. > >BTW, will it be possible to use a regular TV as an optional display? > >Please, oh please, don't make this a vaporware product. Stop wasting time on >the TT and ATW, get the Lynx out within a month!! :-). A friend of mine bought the Gameboy, and for those who don't know about the Lynx (everyone but avid Atari enthusiasts), it looks pretty impressive. The sound is good, graphics good (for what you can do with a LCD screen--it does get blurry at times), is solidly built, etc.. The Lynx promises to be that and MUCH more (well, I don't know about the 'solidly built' part.. :-) One thing I don't like about the Gameboy (besides the b/w screen) is that only two people can play a game at the same time (via a cable and two Gameboys), as opposed to the Lynx's ability to network up to 16 (!) people.. And you don't need to buy 16 cartridges.. I know I'll buy one, unless Atari really louses up and doesn't get it out until NEXT Christmas season. And this certainly won't do anything to rid Atari of its game image.. As for other Atari products, I know a lot of people who are going to get out of the Atari world if things like the TT and STacey aren't delivered before 1990. I won't be buying a new computer until I graduate from here in 3 years, so I'll just sit back and watch the show. __________________________________________________________________________ Albert Yarusso | ajy2208@ritvax.bitnet Rochester Institute of Tech. | {rutgers, ames}!rochester!ritcv!ajy2208 Computer Science | ajy2208@ritcv.cs.rit.edu
dclemans@mentor.com (Dave Clemans @ APD x1292) (09/23/89)
From article <1309@cs.rit.edu>, by ajy2208%ritcv@cs.rit.edu: > In article <31421@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> mitchell@janus.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Evan Mitchell) writes: >>What is the "unofficial" release date for the LYNX? What's holding up it's >>release. From what I've seen, comparing the Lynx to the Gameboy is like >>comparing an Amiga to a Mac+. If they can keep game prices down, perhaps under >>$25.00, they will have quite a sucessful product. I know I want to buy one. The current speculation on Compuserve, Genie, etc. seems to be that the Lynx ill be delivered in volume to "large" markets (such as Los Angeles, New York, etc.) by the end of October, but it will not be generally available across the US until 1990. dgc
covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) (09/25/89)
In article <32263@ames.arc.nasa.gov>, mike@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mike Smithwick) writes: > In article <951NETOPRHM@NCSUVM> NETOPRHM@NCSUVM.BITNET (Hal Meeks) writes: > >I'm surprised, and disturbed, that Lynx isn't out either. The price is > >right, and it actually looks like it is going to be supported. There was an article in the newspaper last week that Epyx laid off about 100 employees and is down to a staff of about 16. Rumor has it that Atari didn't pay Epyx for the development of the Lynx, and now Epyx has gone back to just making XE/XL games. So, if this rumor is true, then don't expect to see the Lynx. Looks like another Atari CD-ROM, BliTTered 1040ST vaporware to me!! Richard (What's Wrong with Atari Anyway??) Covert