Hasta La Gadget!

Atari has decided that it’s time to give some of its classic games a fresh coat paint, launching the new Atari Arcade. Eight of Atari’s classic games have been updated using HTML5 and are playable in your browser for free. That’s not the end of it though, as Atari has also teamed up with Microsoft to bring these games to Windows 8 tablets.

Though these games can be played in your browser, it seems that Atari is attempting to make the Windows 8 version of Atari Arcade really stick out. The arcade was built with Internet Explorer 10′s touch-based interface in mind, and the legendary Nolan Bushnell says that Microsoft was a “natural partner” for a project like this. While the announcement of these remakes is cool enough, there’s even more: developers can make games for Atari Arcade, and can earn money by displaying ads in their games or by offering in-game purchases.

It’s definitely nice to see classic Atari games Combat, Pong, and Asteroids get updated visuals, but the idea of another developer-friendly platform is even more exciting. Naturally, since Atari Arcade just launched, there aren’t any indie dev-made games available yet, but hopefully those are coming soon. The brains behind this project have come together to give users a behind-the-scenes look at Atari Arcade, which you can check out below.

In all, there are 8 games that can be played in the Atari Arcade right this very minute: Pong, Asteroids, Yar’s Revenge, Combat, Missle Command, Lunar Lander, Centipede, and Super Breakout. With Windows 8 just around the corner and a slew of new Windows 8 tablets announced at IFA 2012 this week, expect to hear more about Atari Arcade soon. In the meantime, you can always head over to the Arcade and play these games in your browser. Stay tuned.

Atari remakes gaming classics in HTML5 for browsers and Windows 8 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week it appears that one developer fan of Nintendo’s hero series Mario has taken his love for the original to a whole new level – backwards. Atari Age forum member Sprybug has taken data from the original Super Mario Bros. from the original Nintendo Entertainment System and has begun transferring it backward into a game that very well could have been played on the Atari 2600. This gaming system pre-dates most young gamers entire lives by several years at least, and boasts graphics with pixels so large you’ll be in danger of cutting your finger on them – and now you can play Mario here, too!

With the 8-bit graphic universe shown in the original Mario Bros. game now transferred down, down, and down some more into a much more basic environment, one thing shines through the brightest: Mario was a breakthrough game. Not just because it was fun, but because the gameplay and the environments in the game were so advanced that they look good even when you strip the whole thing down to its most basic components.

In the video above you’ll see a gleefully old-school looking demonstration of the game with what should be some rather recognizable elements all around. The game has right around 16 levels re-created right this minute, and more are on the way. This game also currently exists entirely in a 32k file – amazing!

If you want to try the game out for yourself, you’ll need first to get yourself a Harmony Cartridge. This bit of hardware will plug in to your original Atari 2600 and allow you to play hundreds of pre-made games and classics without the hassle of actually going out and finding the games (which of course, are no longer produced today) themselves. And new games are being made here in 2012 as well – as evidenced by Mario!

The game is being shared right now by Sprybug so that you can tell him how awesome it is. Music and sound effects are included – and yes, you will be able to fire fireballs if you do become FireMario.

[via DVice]

Super Mario Clone World beats New titles with Atari graphics is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple IIGS? Of course. Commodore 64C? You betcha. NeXTstation Turbo Color? Booyah! These three classics are just part of Blake Patterson’s tricked-out technology den that’s known as the Byte Cellar — and yes, we’re seething with jealousy. Take notes, folks, because this is how it’s done. In all, the Byte Cellar currently plays home to 69 computers, video game consoles, PDA’s and other noteworthy gadgets. Need to switch between the Atari and the Amiga? Not a problem, as each system is thoughtfully laid out on a workbench that allows one to easily scoot between rigs. Even the walls bleed vintage cred with a Space Invaders motif, rare posters and hardware components from bygone eras.

Be sure to take it all in with a panorama photo that’s been linked up below, along with a complete list of the equipment currently in Blake’s collection. Regardless of whether you agree with his taste in hardware, one thing is for certain: the man must go through a lot of compressed air.

Filed under: Desktops, Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds

Blake Patterson’s Byte Cellar: the ultimate man cave for aspiring geeks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friends, Atari has just turned 40. On July 27, 1972, Atari was officially incorporated and what followed were decades of gaming and computing excellence. And it seems that the legendary game maker has just offered its Greatest Hits in iOS for free. Yes, you heard that right. All 100 classic Atari 2600 and arcade games are now available for free, but for a limited time only. ”We’ve extended the Atari’s Greatest Hits promo for iOS! 100 classic titles in your pocket for FREE, now until 11:59pm EST, 6/28!” Atari said via its Facebook page. So, what are you waiting for? Get the game now via iTunes. Note that the offer is available for a limited time only. That means that after today, any apps you haven’t downloaded will go back as in-app purchases. Also note that if you’ll remove or reinstall the app, you’ll probably have to spend for it next time. And oh, remember to click on each of the games within the Greatest Hits collection to get all of them.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Atari Breakout: Boost arriving on iOS, Google Chrome for iOS is now the most downloaded free app in the App Store,

It was 40 years ago yesterday that Atari’s Nolan Bushnell taught the world to play. Bushnell, an engineer and game programmer, built and sold Atari in the late 1970s, ushering in the era of the video game and changing the way kids spent nice summer days. Atari is 40 years old this month and there have been a number of interviews and encomiums with Bushnell.

Bushnell installed his first game, Pong, at Andy Capp’s bar in Silicon Valley where drinkers lined up to drop quarters into the first bit of video entertainment. The company roared through the 1970s and then petered out in the early 80s as competitors created more interesting and visually complex systems and games.

The coolest thing? As Harry McCracken writes, Atari almost invented Internet gaming:

Atari is little more than a nostalgic note played by some games makers these days but Bushnell’s company essentially defined an era between high-powered home computing and low-end home entertainment. We owe Bushnell a debt of gratitude and, more important, you can play Adventure in browsers now so you can finally find the secret room.

There’s a bit more on Bushnell on Salon.