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Post by VectorX on Jun 27, 2012 0:40:37 GMT -5
Of course, it was every Vectrex owner's dream back in the day to have Atari games on the machine. Nowadays we have clones of the Atari Star Wars vector game, Gravitar, Asteroids and such, but back then the closest we got to the latter was Mine Storm (although a bit of a different variant) and the closest we got to Tempest was Bedlam and Web Wars (sort of).
And also of course, Atari didn't just make games for their own consoles, as Atari Soft branched out to non-Atari computer and gaming rigs (ColecoVision Defender was pretty smashing, for instance).
One thing I wonder (and unfortunately we'll probably never know) is if Atari ever gave the Vectrex any consideration as to making games for it, if they ever thought "hmmmm, this COULD be done". If they did I imagine it was probably only brought up at a meeting once and then shot down, unlike other things that were actually worked on but ended up never being released (like 2600 and 5200 Tempest).
It'd just be nice to confirm if this were ever considered by them for at least 15 seconds, you know? Because I know some ex-employee of Atari worked at I think Western Technologies (which I'm being too lazy to look up who it was). So at least someone was there, although I don't think it was a programmer, it was an Atari ex-vice president or something.
Anyway, a depressing thought that could've been for the day...
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Post by TrekMD on Jun 27, 2012 6:58:34 GMT -5
That is an interesting question. Not having a clue about programming, I don't know how different it would be to write games for vector vs raster and if that would come into a company's decision for support of a console. Perhaps someone can ask this question at a retro game meeting if there is someone from Atari there that can be asked. CGE is coming up in August and I think they will have someone there. Is anyone attending? I wanted to but it is in Las Vegas and ticket prices are just too crazy right now for me to go. The meeting itself isn't that expensive to attend.
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Post by VectorX on Jun 27, 2012 8:30:18 GMT -5
Not having a clue about programming, I don't know how different it would be to write games for vector vs raster I don't know anything about programming/developing either, but I'm sure Atari or anyone else that would have considered making Vectrex games would've gotten development kits or whatever for it. and if that would come into a company's decision for support of a console. It can take millions to plan out and create a console; not so much as to just developing games for one (I don't think?), and as I mentioned in the first post, I don't think Atari gave the Vectrex much of a thought, but with them being so gigantic in the day and having tons of money that they blew through it seems they would have at least considered it at one point. Perhaps someone can ask this question at a retro game meeting if there is someone from Atari there that can be asked. CGE is coming up in August and I think they will have someone there. Wow, good idea! So at least there's a tiny chance of finding out (although still slim)  Because with how gigantic Atari was and people over the years still coming up with various odds and ends like with Atari prototypes and even old paperwork appearing (memos, orders and the like), it'd be cool if there were some minutes from a meeting where the Vectrex was actually mentioned. I wanted to but it is in Las Vegas and ticket prices are just too crazy right now for me to go. The meeting itself isn't that expensive to attend. That's nuts to even charge for meetings! At expos here (or at least the one I attend) the pinball and/or video clinics are free. How much are tickets and the blasted meetings? |
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Post by TrekMD on Jun 27, 2012 9:30:11 GMT -5
I think they charge at CGE because they do bring video game celebrities and probably give them an honorarium to be there plus other expenses. The cost is $35 for the entire weekend of the event.
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Post by VectorX on Jun 27, 2012 10:06:00 GMT -5
I think they charge at CGE because they do bring video game celebrities and probably give them an honorarium to be there plus other expenses. Yeah, that makes sense, since the people that do free clinics here are locals. The cost is $35 for the entire weekend of the event. That's not even $15 more here for a weekend pass at the shows here, but then I don't know yet how much the next one will cost (in November). |
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Post by TrekMD on Jun 27, 2012 10:28:41 GMT -5
I wish I could go but I refuse to pay $700 for a ticket to Las Vegas.
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Post by VectorX on Jun 27, 2012 11:48:41 GMT -5
Oh, ha ha. Yeah, that'd be a bit of a crimp in the ol' wallet  I just thought you meant you'd be around the area at the time or something, but that's obviously not the case! |
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Post by gamezone on Jun 27, 2012 12:08:53 GMT -5
Disclaimer - I like the Atari systems. I have the 2600/5200/7800, Atari 400 computer, Jaguar and Lynx. -
Now having said that the higher ups at Atari were idiots. The Atari Soft Label was only around from 1983 to 1985 and I believe that was only that late in France only. Similar to Nice Ideas for the Intellivison. Something about labor laws or such.
Back to Atari they would not release some arcade games on the Coleco or Intellivision because of a fear of competition. But computers seemed to be okay. Commodore seemed to get a lot of the arcade conversions.
I am a late comer to the Vectrex scene but I think if they had released games it would have been like Air Sea Battle, Blackjack and Poker, and maybe Hangman. Just nothing to make the Vectrex outshine the Atari systems.
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Post by TrekMD on Jun 27, 2012 12:29:28 GMT -5
Disclaimer - I like the Atari systems. I have the 2600/5200/7800, Atari 400 computer, Jaguar and Lynx. - Now having said that the higher ups at Atari were idiots. The Atari Soft Label was only around from 1983 to 1985 and I believe that was only that late in France only. Similar to Nice Ideas for the Intellivison. Something about labor laws or such. Back to Atari they would not release some arcade games on the Coleco or Intellivision because of a fear of competition. But computers seemed to be okay. Commodore seemed to get a lot of the arcade conversions. I am a late comer to the Vectrex scene but I think if they had released games it would have been like Air Sea Battle, Blackjack and Poker, and maybe Hangman. Just nothing to make the Vectrex outshine the Atari systems. I agree with you here. The folks at Atari made several poor decisions which is why they ended up where they did. |
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Post by gamezone on Jun 27, 2012 12:56:00 GMT -5
Thanks TrekMD! Just did not want to seem like I was bashing Atari. You know if you were not out buying Intellivision stuff you might have been able to afford the bus fare to Vegas. Just kidding! ;D For all the complaints Coleco did release hits to other systems and Mattel did a better job of releasing hits to the 2600 than Atari ever did for them. |
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Post by TrekMD on Jun 27, 2012 13:05:13 GMT -5
Thanks TrekMD! Just did not want to seem like I was bashing Atari. You're welcome. Like you, I'm primarily an Atari collector and player and late to the Vectrex. I can recognize, however, that Atari did mess up and it only got worse as time passed. The Lynx and the Jaguar were remarkable machines and they did not market them properly or get third-party developer support as they should have making them failures in the marketplace. You know if you were not out buying Intellivision stuff you might have been able to afford the bus fare to Vegas. Just kidding! ;D LOL Wish I could get a ticket for $35! |
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Post by VectorX on Jun 27, 2012 15:01:32 GMT -5
I can recognize, however, that Atari did mess up and it only got worse as time passed. Atari lost hundreds of millions of dollars though. Anyone who knows who Atari was (and their game systems and computers and all) probably knows of what gigantic mistakes they made. Like a post elsewhere in regards to a bunch of coin-op unfinished/unreleased prototypes that were never marketed, that alone cost them a fortune, not to mention all the other things they never released, for the arcade or home markets. No matter how big an Atari fan is, they pretty much have to acknowledge how they dug their own grave, as not all of it was to blame just because of the crash. |
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Post by desfeek on Jun 28, 2012 14:01:11 GMT -5
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Post by TrekMD on Jun 28, 2012 14:31:33 GMT -5
Wow, well should answer the question as a resounding "no."
How did Atari get away with doing what they did to distributors (and consumers) in regards to the Vectrex? That was as anti-competitive as it comes!
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Post by VectorX on Jun 28, 2012 15:08:43 GMT -5
Wow, that's amazingly terrible for Asari (pronounce that as "a sorry", NOT Atari!  ) to pull that. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em: like I said, with them making software for all kinds of consoles and computers, they could have done the same for the Vectrex, as they sued Activision when they first started making 2600 games (Atari lost that one), then years later Activision did a licensed update to Battlezone for the PC. They sued GCC or whatever their name is, later they did games and the 7800 for them. They threatened Starpath with a lawsuit over what would become Suicide Mission, then they later somehow were going to make their games on cartridge, rather than tapes, etc. They could have done the same with the Vectrex: just make games for them. I assume this was only some small vendors Atari pulled this b. s. on (I'll go re-read the link more fully later), since 100% of all Vectrex stuff I got back in the day in stores (if I remember correctly) I got at either Toys 'r Us or a music store (still had the price sticker on Solar Quest when I sold it to Game Over video games just a few months back, and it wasn't a Toys 'r Us sticker on it either). Those places also sold Atari games as well. I'm sure Toys 'r Us wouldn't sit with that demand from Atari. The home video game market was still in its infancy back then (and arguably still isn't that old nowadays either, at barely 40 years) so Atari was probably able to get away with it. Supposedly Jack Tramiel put many vendors out of business with Commodore by not paying them for making Commodore computer chips. He kept on coming up with excuses and they went out of business, then he bought them out and relieved himself of his own debt. He got fired and was investigated but as it turned out there were no laws on the books at that time for that kind of thing. This could have been something similar. Nice going, Asari |
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Because with how gigantic Atari was and people over the years still coming up with various odds and ends like with Atari prototypes and even old paperwork appearing (memos, orders and the like), it'd be cool if there were some minutes from a meeting where the Vectrex was actually mentioned.
I just thought you meant you'd be around the area at the time or something, but that's obviously not the case!
) to pull that. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em: like I said, with them making software for all kinds of consoles and computers, they could have done the same for the Vectrex, as they sued Activision when they first started making 2600 games (Atari lost that one), then years later Activision did a licensed update to Battlezone for the PC. They sued GCC or whatever their name is, later they did games and the 7800 for them. They threatened Starpath with a lawsuit over what would become Suicide Mission, then they later somehow were going to make their games on cartridge, rather than tapes, etc. They could have done the same with the Vectrex: just make games for them.