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(C) 1994 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May
be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on
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Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie
Live from Las Vegas
Winter Consumer Electronics Show
Friday, Jan. 7th, 1994
Host - Lou Rocha
<[HoST] ST.LOU> We have a lot of newcomers here tonight that I would
like to welcome. When you use the /RAI command to call me it will take
me a few minutes to acknowledge you. Please don't /RAI more than once.
It pollutes my screen <grin>
Also please use the /nam command so I know who you are. For example /nam
HoST gives me the HoST that you see. Please use a short nickname
tonight. Please :-)
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Welcome to our first Dateline Atari of 1994! Tonight is
the last evening of the Winter Consumer Electronics Show and Atari has
been in Las Vegas showcasing the Jaguar. We expect to hear a report on
the week's events from Bob Brodie, Director of Communications.
Bob has been real busy this week so we really appreciate the extra
effort in joining us tonight. Having done Comdex this year myself, I
know what an exhausting week Bob must have had. Thanks for joining us
on GEnie, Bob!
The last few weeks have seen the posting of various Jaguar developer
lists in the Bulletin Board. Elsewhere ATC stock is starting to inch up
again. Some of our recently enriched observers are speculating on a new
high of 30.00! Time will tell.
There has also been some recent chatter about new production runs for
the TT - Atari's workhorse workstation. Rumours also abound about a
68040 computer being developed by a third party European company. Are
these "visions of sugarplums" or post-holiday bonuses? Why don't you
join us and we'll ask Bob. Bob, the floor is all yours. Please GA
<BOB-BRODIE> Happy New Year, to all of our friends on GEnie! I trust
that you have all enjoyed the holiday season very much. Activity at
Atari is at an all time high as we continue with the our release of the
Jaguar.
For the third month in a row, this session of Dateline: Atari is coming
to you from the road! In November, you may recall that we came to you
live from the New York City Launch event, in December I was back in New
York visiting with retailers. This month, I come to you live from the
Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas.
Today's session concluded about an hour ago, and I've rushed back from
the show floor to my hotel room to join you online tonight. We have
lots of exciting news to share with you, so let's get started right
away!!!
The Jaguar can truly be called an award winning product!! Atari was
presented with a number of awards so far here at CES.
Die Hard Game Fan Magazine has presented Atari with two awards, one for
Cybermorph as "December Game of the Month", and another for Jaguar as
the Best New Product of 1993. Video Game Magazine presented Atari with
an award for Best New Product of 1993, and Best Print Ad of 1993 for
the Jaguar.
Game Informer Magazine announced at their 2nd Annual Game Informer
Magazine Awards that they have awarded the Atari Jaguar the Best New
Product of the Year award!! Today, Electronic Games told us that they
were naming Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar the award as Best Game of
CES! We're very excited and pleased with all of the accolades that the
Jaguar has earned to date!!
Atari has returned to the main floor of CES. Our booth is located in
Pavilion A, rather than using a suite as we have in the past few years.
The amount of activity in the booth has been just incredible. We have
visited by retailers from all over the world, and many prominent
members of the media as well.
Today we hosted CNN for coverage of the exciting Jaguar title "Alien
vs. Predator". We're displaying Jaguars in our booth in the interactive
display kiosks that will be available for retailers to utilized. These
kiosks feature the striking Jaguar "cat eye" logo, and use an RGB
monitor, and a set of stereo speakers to showcase the Jaguar's
capabilities.
We also have a large screen TV that we're using to highlight some of
the newest titles, like Alien vs. Predator, and Tempest 2000. We have a
series of Lynx kiosks set up as well, showing off the new titles that
are available for the Lynx.
We're pleased to have some exciting products on display in our booth at
CES for both the Jaguar and the Lynx! For the Lynx, Telegames is
showing Super Off Road, and Krazy Ace Miniature Golf. They have
recently released Desert Strike for the Lynx as well. Atari is showing
Lynx Raiden, Eye of the Beholder, and Ninja Gaiden III. Beyond Games is
showing new titles as well, including Ultra Vortex. I'll make sure that
complete descriptions of the Lynx titles are made available online here
within one week of today. I had expected to have the completed text
files outlining the story lines of all the games by today, but it
didn't reach me in time for the CO tonight. (Sorry!)
On the Jaguar side of things, Alien vs. Predator is coming along very
nicely, and is a huge hit here at the show. This game is a 3D rendered
tunnel/maze game with texture mapped walls, and striking digitized
renderings of the Alien and the Predator creatures. As you play the
game, you have the option of being the Alien, the Predator, or the
Colonial Marine. Each character has their own set of unique skills, and
weapons!!
Telegames is showing a preliminary version of Brutal Sports Football.
Anything goes in this football game, THERE ARE NO RULES! Just pick up
the ball and run for your life!! Players compete on the gridiron
against 16 of the most unforgiving mutant teams ever to separate a
cyborg from his generator pack! Telegames announced that they would be
producing European Soccer Challenge for the Jaguar. This title will be
a significantly enhanced version of the same title currently available
on the Lynx.
In addition to true color graphics, the product will have an expanded
season and playoff format for the 170 teams. A specific personality and
performance ability will be established for each players, and you can
earn the ability to trade payers under certain circumstances. Ultimate
Brain Games is an expanded version of the Ultimate Chess Challenge
title for the Lynx as well. In addition to a chess game, there will be
a backgammon and checkers game. This product will features specific
game set up for computer solution, and digitized graphics.
Atari is showing an early version of Checkered Flag II for the Jaguar,
featuring real time 3D generated action. The player is allowed to
customize racing cars to his wishes. The cars, buildings, and roads are
rendered in real time 3D. Racing speed is intensified by 100 percent
true sound effects, crashes feature realistic sounds and imagery with
parts flying, and tires screeching.
Tempest 2000 is one of the most popular games in arcade history, back
in it's original form as well as in three new versions. On one
cartridge, you get four games! Tempest (original version), Tempest
Plus, Tempest 2000, and Tempest Dual! The games feature two player
cooperative play, the use of an android, cycle shaded webs, and many
new weapons and challenging bonus levels.
All told, there are over 15 new titles that have been announced at the
show for the Jaguar!! Among those are: Battlewheels, Car Wards,
Commando, Doom, Dungeon Depths, Evidence, Hosenose and Booger, Return
to Zork, and Ultra Vortex.
Atari is continuing it's roll out of the Jaguar on a national basis,
effective immediately. All of the partners that we have been working
with in New York and San Francisco that are national accounts, like
Toys R Us, Babbages, and Electronic Boutique, will go national
immediately. We will then roll out to the top ten markets in the US
throughout the first quarter. Beginning in the second quarter, we will
go to the top twenty markets. Our retail partners are pleased with our
promotional efforts to date, and we have agressive marketing plans
scheduled up through June of this year that we have committed to.
I'm sure I could go on for quite awhile longer, but seeing as how we're
getting started a bit late tonight, I think this probably is a good
point to open the floor to any questions, Lou.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> OK, Bob. Lots of people are waiting and we have lots of
newcomers. Folks, remember, only /RAI once. First we have M.BALDEON
<[SWiTCHB0ARD] M.BALDEON> Any new developers (CAPCON, or ACCLAIM?)? Any
new CD ROM info... I don't think lack of software supports is a good
reason to delay it.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> BTW, I can only allow one question in the first round.
<BOB-BRODIE> Yes, there are a number of new developers that are coming
on board. We are having meetings with Capcom here at the show. Re the
CD Rom, the hardware is quite close, and will be available in June.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Any ideas on the price for CD, Bob?
<BOB-BRODIE> BTW, one of the other titles that we're showing in the
booth is Kasumi Ninja, a fighting game with graphic violence. The CD
will go for approx $200, Lou.
<[Dave] D.SHORR> Atari has stated that the rendering speed of the
Jaguar is over 850 Megapixels per second compared to 3DO's 64
Megapixels per second; is this a fair comparison given that Atari's
pixel is represented by a single bit?
<BOB-BRODIE> Of course it is.
<[NewSTar] C.S.SMETON> Bob, I have a question from a friend (Paul
Plants) who does not have a GEnie node in his town. He wants to know
how/if his Atari Explorer subscription will be filled out. Or is the
magazine gone forever?
<BOB-BRODIE> Charles at this point we don't plan to bring Explorer
back. Paul should contact our Customer Service Department and request a
refund. We'll be happy to refund his money.
<[Chris] C.KROWCHUK1> Bob, congrats on success in 93. I am a retailer
in Edmonton offering Atari peripherals & software. I would like to
offer Jags & Falcs but am concerned about warranty. I have left
messages and mail, no response. So, how about it, any plans?
<BOB-BRODIE> On the Falcon side, there are no problems with the
warranty at all. Our policy is quite clear on it, it has a one year
warranty. Dealers are allowed to replace 6 components in the field;
those are as follows: the keyboard, power supply, hard disk, floppy
disk, ram board, and something else that I can't recall at the moment
(sheepish grin) On the Jaguar side, we're not ready to sell to Canada
yet. That will probably happen around June.
<[Ken] K.STEVENS1> Hi Bob, Got Raiden in yesterday and haven't been
able to stop playing. Great implementation of the arcade game.
Question, Sega and a couple other console developers have released some
of the specs of their game systems. Most are due sometime around
Christmas. From what they have release on the specs they are going to
compete with and beyond the Jaguar. The question, is Atari working on
the Jag II or a accesssory that will move the Jag to or beyond the
specs of the new game consoles coming out?
<BOB-BRODIE> Ken, I haven't personally seen those specs, but discussed
them with our VP of Technology today. He agrees that the machines sound
neat, but feels that they are going to be priced very high compared to
the Jaguar. Do you recall the price they announced?
<[Ken] K.STEVENS1> Bob, to answer your question about price. About 500
dollars for the Sega Saturn (US dollars). This includes the CD (Quad
Speed)) I personally think that they are biting off more than they can
chew with the specs they have release at that price.
<[Mike Lipson] M.LIPSON> Hi Bob! Do you know if Atari plans on issuing
more stock in 1994?
<BOB-BRODIE> No I don't know the answer to that, Mike. Sorry.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Lots of hands tonight, Bob. Next we have D.VANTREASE
<[SHADOW] D.VANTREASE> Will you post us a list of the national rollout
city schedule? And what's the latest AvP or SVideo release dates?
<BOB-BRODIE> I apologize for not having the national roll out press
release at my side. I will see to it that the information gets put out
ASAP. Look for the S Video cable the end of this month, and AvP around
April.
<[ED] E.BAIZ> Is Atari going to make a case for the Jag similar to the
one for the Lynx?
<BOB-BRODIE> We're in discussion with a number of companies for
accessories like that, Ed. I'm not sure if we will do it, or allow
other companies to do them for us.
<[Ed & Mac] ERIDDLE> What was 3DO's reaction to the Jaguar being @ CES
in FULL FORCE, What did they have to "combat" the Jags presence?
Waiting for Aliens vs. Predator...
<BOB-BRODIE> Trip Hawkins gave a presentation at CES. He addressed
virtually every competitior EXCEPT Atari in his discussion of the
market. When he opened up for questions, he was asked specifically
about the Jaguar.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Don't leave us hangin' Bob :-)
<BOB-BRODIE> His response was that he didn't feel that the Jaguar
competed against 3DO because 3DO isn't a Toy.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Hahaha!
<BOB-BRODIE> When it was pointed out to him that the Jaguar is
outselling the 3DO by a factor of 10:1 according to some retailers, he
said "...Go to the Atari booth and see it for yourself!" And hundreds
of people did just that. :) We're grateful. On a slightly more serious
note, I'm told that there are some impressive titles in the 3DO booth.
However, the retailers claim that it simply isn't selling.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Travis Guy from Atari Explorer Online is next!
<[Nat'l Champs] AEO.MAG> Hi Bob, it sounds like everything's going
well.... Can you take a minute and give those of us who can't be there
an anecdote or two that would help convey the reaction the Jaguar is
receiving? (Aside from Trip's reaction! :) I'm interested in what
Jaguar title seems to be generating the most intense interest.
<BOB-BRODIE> We've been showing Alien vs Predator on the big screen, so
it's getting the most interest. There have been a large number of
people that have asked to purchase one on the show floor. We had a
number of employees from Sega and Nintendo visiting the booth, and
playing our games. They seem to be very impressed. Among the more
interesting stories from my role in dealing with the media has been the
many members of the Japanese press who have visited our booth,
DEMANDING review units. :) Many of them were wearing Sega hats, too. :)
<[Sam] SAM-RAPP> I was gonna ask about the cheats for crescent Galaxy,
but I thought I would ask if you have any new developers you can name
specifically? Of course, You could always answer both! ;-)
<BOB-BRODIE> Why don't I talk a little about the cheats, and we'll deal
with the devs AFTER the show. We have some key appointments at the end
of the week. Re the cheats for Cresecent Galaxy....When the Crescent
Galaxy title comes up, press 1193. This will activate the cheat mode
for Crescent Galaxy. The codes are entered in from the second
controller. For example, pressing the joypad to the right will make you
scroll really quickly across the screen.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Still 15 in the queue. If you are waiting, please have
your question ready and wait for Talk-Mode before pressing [RETURN].
Next is B.DUNCAN.
<[BaltimoreBoy] B.DUNCAN12> Will There be a Virtual Reality Device for
the Jag anytime soon?
<BOB-BRODIE> There is one in the works, but I'm not sure how soon it
will be available. We want to be sure it isn't a hokey device like some
of the virual reality stuff.
<[Sir Fransis] K.DRAKE> All of the games until now are 16 meg and
retail at $49.99. As the more visually impressive games will use larger
meg sizes, will the prices get too close to becoming unbearable? (like
the $99.99 price for Sega's VR racing).
<BOB-BRODIE> I don't think so, Kenneth. We do have some developers
talking about $89 games, but I haven't seen any real firm plans for
them yet. Crescent Galaxy is really impressive graphically, and it
isn't that expensive.
<[Graham] G.NORTON> Bob, I have a few questions for you. 1) We have
been trying for while to get hold of either Shirley Taylor or yourself
for a while and haven't been able to. Can you suggest a good time to
call when we might be able to speak to someone...or is there such a
thing? :) 2) Is Atari going to be addressing the dealer warranty
program that had been canceled any time soon? It is very hard,
especially in Canada, to be sending products down to Atari (or even
Pacific Software) any time we have warranty work, and needless to say
time consuming. 3) What is Atari planning for Canada with regard to
dealers (getting more online), and with regard to both the Jaguar and
Falcon? 4) Lastly, while I realize the Jaguar is Atari's central
product right now, I hope the Falcon hasn't been forgotten. Atari needs
to reduce pricing on the current Falcon and introduces faster machines
just to stay current. As we all know in the computer industry, if you
are not moving forward you are falling behind.
<BOB-BRODIE> Graham, in fairness to everyone here I can only take one
question tonight. Sorry. We have restored voice mail at Atari, and I
had not received any messages from you in the last few weeks. Please
call and leave your number for either Shirley or I and we'll call you
back to discuss your concerns. Atari was closed between Christmas and
New Years, but I was in the office during that time, and checked my
voice mail daily. I don't recall any messages from you, although I am
about 3 weeks behind in my GEnie mail at this point.
<MIKE-ALLEN> Hi Bob. Glad to see you here. Many Atari computer users,
while glad that Atari is doing so well with the Jag, are feeling a
little nervous. The "real" dealer network seems to be dwindling and
there are fewer and fewer 3rd party offerings. I guess the question is:
is there a future for Atari computers other than just as a Music
machine? Are we Atari computer enthusiasts going to be more orphaned
than we are now?
<BOB-BRODIE> We are still very much interested in the computer market,
Mike. However, the reality is that at this point it time if we are to
be profitable we must pursue the Jaguar. The fundamentals of the
computer side of our business have changed, the most compelly products
for the Falcon are largely music related products. It is our believe
that the capabilities of the Jaguar are well suited for computers as
well, and we are considering how to go about doing that in the best
possible fashion. In any event, we will continue to service the needs
of our computing customers to the best of our ability.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Bob, can you shed any light on the production of TT's
that was mentioned a few months ago? And what is 'compelly'? <grin>
<BOB-BRODIE> <Grin> a typo from lack of sleep, sorry.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> compelly=compelling?
<BOB-BRODIE> The production of TTs _has_ resumed. What I have not been
clear on