A peek at the Atari Flashback Portable prototype

by Christopher Grant { Jun 27th 2007 at 11:58AM }

Curt Vendel, designer of the all-in-one Atari Flashback -- also known as the perfect holiday gift for that difficult person on your list -- let the readers of the AtariAge forums in on the design of the upcoming (and no longer rumored) Atari Flashback Portable.

Sure, it's not quite as ... large as BenHeck's portable Jaguar or as expandable as his VCSp Rev. 7, but what the AFP is lacking in street cred it makes up for in sheer functionality. Like the Atari Flashback units that came before it, this petite package (which isn't much larger than a 2600 cartridge) will undoubtedly house dozens of classic Atari games, with nary a cartridge in sight. And for those two-player games? The handheld has two controller ports so you can plug in some joysticks for that authentic Atari experience.

Update: more details gleaned from the AtariAge forums: the unit will run off 3 AAA batteries with a 15-hour runtime; the USB port will be a mini-port on the final release and games will be loaded via USB (from where? Will it play ROMs? Will we need to buy games individually?); screen resolution is 320X240 and the NTSC units will support AV out. Lastly, for those upset by the look of the unit, peep an even earlier spyshot of the Atari Flashback Portable after the break and bask in the glow of faux woodgrain.

[Thanks, Chad]

Tags: AFP, Atari, AtariFlashback, benheck, CurtVendel

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

JodyAnthony @ Jun 27th 2007 12:06PM

hell, I'll pick one up. I love crazy handhelds.

Aj Vaynerchuk @ Jun 27th 2007 12:08PM

Ok, that looks awesome! Atari is so underrated, and I am sure this thing will get some kids that never played atari to give it a whirl.

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Shagittarius @ Jun 27th 2007 12:14PM

no thanks...I'd rather have a barium enema.

zero @ Jun 27th 2007 12:15PM

It seems like companies have no reservations about milking nostalgia as much as possible for as long as possible.

Pablo the Fish @ Jun 27th 2007 12:19PM

"It seems like companies have no reservations about milking nostalgia as much as possible for as long as possible."

Companies exist to make money. If people will buy it, they will make it. Your arbitrary ideas of whether or not nostalgia should be a factor in one's purchase does not, and should not, ever be a consideration for a business.

samfish @ Jun 27th 2007 12:21PM

Can you plug it in to a TV set and use it like an Atari, though?
If you can, I'll buy this suckah one day one!

CowboyGA @ Jun 27th 2007 12:22PM

Not buying it. As much as we (those of us old enough to have played the originals) loved these games when we were kids, the magic doesn't really carry forward. Grab an emulator and a ROM and give it a shot. After five minutes, you'll get tired of it. While the nostalgia is wonderful, resurrecting the games leads to disappointment.

C. Grant @ Jun 27th 2007 12:29PM

I'm with you samfish, that would be a killer feature.

Hey Apples @ Jun 27th 2007 12:31PM

For the article title, it's "peek", not "peak". Unless Atari is a mountain somewhere I don't know about.

samfish @ Jun 27th 2007 12:32PM

"Can you plug it in to a TV set and use it like an Atari, though?
If you can, I'll buy this suckah one day one!"

Computer says 'Yes'!
http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=96356&view=findpost&p=1317543

I finally can get my dad something nice for his birthday or something. Groovy.

Benjamin Heckendorn @ Jun 27th 2007 12:45PM

Interesting but I find the design very uninspired. Not a hint of woodgrain? It looks like one of those wind-up battery-less games from the 80's.

Curt, I'd glady do a polish on this and lend some branding for a very reasonable fee.

Hirsbrunner @ Jun 27th 2007 12:45PM

@3 Bend over.

I'd pick this up. Looks pretty neat. Of course, the cost had better be fairly low. And by fairly I mean extremely.

Boss Tempo @ Jun 27th 2007 12:48PM

Outside of business decisions, etc...nostalgic gaming is for chumps, therefore only chumps would spend money on this junk. I'd rather play with a Tamagatchi for an hour than suffer through 1 single game on an atari 2600. After the novelty wears off and you've blown your "OMG this used to be soo fun" load (usually around the 3 minute mark), you're left with just another POS laying around your mom's house collecting dust (kinda like your PS3).

TheH2s @ Jun 27th 2007 12:50PM

Pssst...It's "peek", not "peak".

C. Grant @ Jun 27th 2007 12:55PM

Peak has been replaced, and the headline writer has been shot. Thanks, guys. :P

C. Grant @ Jun 27th 2007 12:59PM

samfish: sold.

Ben!: We never said it was a beauty, just functional. :P

Charles Garcia @ Jun 27th 2007 1:22PM

as much as I loved Atari as a kid, it is not a fun system to "re-live."

Chad @ Jun 27th 2007 1:50PM

The plan is to be able to upload games via USB, similar to the previously GamePort. Target price is $40. There is another picture in the Atari Age thread (Post 250) that shows a spy shot with wood grain. Christopher, you may want to add this pic to the post.

konajinx @ Jun 27th 2007 2:10PM

Ah, make some more money off of Atari's golden age for the millionth time. Let's see, we had the plug and play joy stick and paddles set for your TV gaming on the cheap, then we had the various Anniversary collections on PC and PS2 and whatever else...and now this. I loved the 2600 as much as anyone, but seriously, how many people really want to play Air-Sea Battle, Canyon Bomber, and Basic Programming these days? Those three were never action-packed and yet were included on that PS2 collection. Oh, and let's not forget the unstoppable Math Gran Prix!

a.j. @ Jun 27th 2007 2:45PM

@12..some of us had the "Vader" 2600 back in the day you know...ALL BLACK. i remember my older brother driving my parents mad searching the earth for it until we found it @ Sears of all places. ahh..good times.

C. Grant @ Jun 27th 2007 3:06PM

Updated the post with some new details (thanks, samfish) and the spyshot image (thanks, Chad).

JodyAnthony @ Jun 27th 2007 4:17PM

holy shitty that wood grain one looks awesome.

ThePete @ Jun 27th 2007 4:29PM

MINE!

Martyg @ Jun 28th 2007 1:20PM

Ben - before you start talking about "uninspired" you should take a page from one of your own recent comments when someone questioned your case design for the GamePort - it's just a prototype casing. No artwork, coloring etc., not even the final layout. Just a plain molding to run tests with. As is mentioned in the Joystiq blurb above, the production model (complete with color, labeling, etc.) will look more like the woodgrain "spy shot" drawing posted here.