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I think the Atari Jaguar could easily be a success
- Thread starter nkarafo
- Start date
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Lol, Atari's idea of 1st party titles...
Atari 2600 - Asteroids, Breakout, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Missile Command, Warlords, Bezerk, Centipede, Defender, Pac-Man, Galaxian, Pole Position, Ballblazer, Battlezone, Choplifter
Atari 5200 - Super Breakout, Space Invaders, Missile Command, Bezerk, Centipede, Defender, Pac-Man, Galaxian, Pole Position, Ballblazer, Choplifter
CRASH!!!!!
Atari 7800 - Asteroids, Centipede, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position II, Ballblazer, Choplifter
Atari Jaguar - Tempest 2000
Mmm, I think there might be a pattern here...
Fixed it a little
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
I wouldn't go that far; yes it has its flaws (like any game), but I think it'd be in the upper half list of "best ofs" for either system, though it would vary a good bit if just focusing on platformers.
Especially just for the visuals alone, let alone the music. And difficulty-wise it isn't too much more than Genesis and SNES platformers a bit on the more challenging side. It's not Ghouls n' Ghosts levels of difficult, for example.
...the fuck outta here LOL! No way....
LoveCake
Member
I wonder if it's mint condition, unopened?
"Enjoy a superior gaming performance, with the Atari Jaguar video game console that features a 64-bit RISC architecture processor. This Atari gaming system integrates a 32-bit RISC architecture GPU to ensure immersive visual output. Lose yourself in your game, as this stereo-capable video game console delivers excellent sound effects. The joystick control of this Atari gaming system gives you all the liberty to make precise movements. With the 64-bit internal registers, the Atari Jaguar video game console opens up more gaming possibilities.
SKU:ADIB002A96PI0
Added on March 01, 2016"
stan423321
Member
Fixed it a little
This doesn't change the big issue. All of these that I recognize are arcade-ish titles with basically little notion of meaningful progress. The sort of title that basically proceeded to die out for a while, until downloads brought it back.
This is a fairly bigger problem than it appears because it looks like it influenced the entire system design. If I remember correctly, Jag dev kit manuals are somewhere online, and at one point say that "cartridge may have a battery-backed memory for high score storage". This was their idea of what saves are for. There was something similar in Master System dev manual, but it was two generations before Jag, so it's sort of more understandable.
A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Digital-Hero
Member
I bought a Jaguar and it was the dumbest knee-jerk thing I ever did.
The system was too expensive and they did not have a solid third-party.
I even bought Checkered Flag! Man that was dumb.
The system was too expensive and they did not have a solid third-party.
I even bought Checkered Flag! Man that was dumb.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
3DO launched with junk, and it remained that way until Gex finally arrived. But too little too late, and Street Fighter was a bit further down the line.
There just wasn't enough games to garner interest, and consumers knew bigger, better consoles were on the way. With games that obliterated 3DO's.
mr stroke
Member
+1
this was the biggest problem. No SF no MK no Madden.
Had Atari launched this prototype first-
(Basically an all in one Jag CD) with those popular games, Atari could of had something
Aizu_Itsuko
Member
Let's put it this way: compared to the Jaguar, the 32x was a smash success.
The system was DOA.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
Why use Sears when you can use eBay and probably get even more xD?
It did chart.in the correct graph
Same difference pretty much x3.
Also: maybe the only sales graph that makes Saturn look good in comparison to PS1, so that satisfies me.
http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/jaguar/jag2specs.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Jaguar_II
In terms of tech and time frame, it would've gone head to head with 3DO / Matsushita's M2.
Mostly forgotten today, Jaguar also had a CD-ROM drive, which combined with a cartridge, rather unfortunately looked like a toilet seat
And if only Jaguar VR got to see the light of the day, we wouldn't have had to wait Palmer Luckey be born and grow up
Got a nice chuckle out of your last part.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/jaguar/jag2specs.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Jaguar_II
In terms of tech and time frame, it would've gone head to head with 3DO / Matsushita's M2.
This is what should have came out.
Seraph_Nicholas
Member
It actually could have been, if it wasn't for the DREADFUL hardware. It had the right brand, it was positioned at the right time, and they clearly had a talented marketing team. If Atari had been in slightly better health so as to stave off the panic-releases and corner-cutting in the system itself, it could have really changed the landscape.
Then again, maybe they just would have choked out Sega a generation early.
Then again, maybe they just would have choked out Sega a generation early.
3DO was way too expensive, but sold quite a lot better than the Jaguar. There was definitely a market there. Had the Jaguar been supported by a stream of 3D games people wanted to play, it would have sold.
As for the CD32, it wasn't widely available and the games didn't look better than what you got on the SNES.
Because the PSX and Saturn cost a good bit more, and the SuperFX chip wasn't used that much. The Voodoo came out towards the end of 1996, so it's not relevant until the tail end of the Jaguar's lifespan.
GamerMax73
Member
Had the Jag been CD based from launch and a little less complex in design I might have agreed. But still, were Atari relevant enough anymore by that point to attract the devs away from the Sega/Nintendo dominated sphere?
As for CD32, it was the right system design probably arriving a year too late, but it had other problems that I've already mentioned.
The 3DO was the best of the bunch system wise, but it was held back by a completely unrealistic business model - much the same as Steam Machines.
I still maintain between SNES, PC, and Saturn none of these systems realistically stood a chance which ever way you cut it.
Havoc2049
Member
With the ST and Lynx in decline and the TT and Falcon bombing hard, Atari didn't have much left in the tank to support the Jaguar. If Atari would have won the Sega lawsuit back in early '93 and if the Jaguar would have been a CD based system, it could have MAYBE been a mild success at best.
I'm a big Atari fan and have been a Jaguar owner since 1993. I've enjoyed the system and have a near complete collection, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you are a hardcore Atari fan or like to collect niche systems.
One cool thing about the Jaguar is that new games are still being released to this day and the community is very knowledgeable and quite active.
I'm a big Atari fan and have been a Jaguar owner since 1993. I've enjoyed the system and have a near complete collection, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you are a hardcore Atari fan or like to collect niche systems.
One cool thing about the Jaguar is that new games are still being released to this day and the community is very knowledgeable and quite active.
spazchicken
Member
Why does the OP read as if the Jag still has a shot in 2016?
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
That, and Atari launched a console with no money behind it.
ReyVGM
Member
I've unfortunately played Rayman 1 on the PS, Saturn, GBA, and Jaguar.
Too many times.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
Not with the software lineup Jaguar had. Rayman and a few other games notwithstanding, the software just wasn't there. Also I don't know if Atari could have courted Japanese devs like Sega, Nintendo and Sony were able to.
Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct were published by a japanese publisher (Nintendo).
Publishers are who decide what system get support for.
In 1994 (only considering games who sold more than 10K for NES, SNES, GEN, SCD, 32X) the japanese publishers accounted for about 13.3 million games sold in US.
The rest of the publishers for 17.4 million units.
In today landscape japanese publishers accounting 43.3% of the software units sold in US would be unthinkable.
Note: I attributed Aladdin for Genesis to Virgin although Sega would have been the correct choice.
Beer Monkey
Member
Lol, Atari's idea of 1st party titles...
Atari 2600 - Asteroids, Breakout, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Missile Command, Warlords, Bezerk, Centipede, Defender, Pac-Man, Galaxian, Pole Position, Ballblazer, Battlezone, Choplifter
Atari 5200 - Super Breakout, Space Invaders, Missile Command, Bezerk, Centipede, Defender, Pac-Man, Galaxian, Pole Position, Ballblazer, Choplifter
Atari XEGS - Ballblazer, Battlezone, Choplifter
Atari 7800 - Asteroids, Centipede, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position II, Ballblazer, Choplifter
Atari Jaguar - Tempest 2000
Mmm, I think there might be a pattern here...
The Atari that released the Jaguar no longer owned Asteroids, Missile Command, Centipede, Millipede, Pole Position et al, FYI. By then those were owned by Atari Games, not Atari Corporation. Also, by the time of the Jag, Atari Corporation no longer had the money to license titles like Pac-Man and the like.
And FYI Ballblazer was not first party nor was Choplifter.
stan423321
Member
Honestly I don't really see why would you play through it so many times when it was so unfortunate. One version, maybe if there was nothing else at home, but four of them?
Seraph_Nicholas
Member
Yeah, japanese development was a lot heavier back then, but Atari did have some existing relationships from the pre-NES days. I'm pretty sure Konami and Capcom both had games on Atari systems.
No idea how much they LIKED Atari, or if that ancient history would have counted for anything, but they were in a better position then, say, Microsoft.
hymanator
Member
I remember the Jaguar version of Doom being one of the very worst ports because the system link on it was pure garbage. PS1 did a better job and I never had any random disconnects. Whenever I tried to link a few Jaguar consoles together to play some co-op or deathmatch, we always got disconnected every few minutes. The crazier part was when I looked in the instruction manual, and the devs already knew about the random network errors and basically just said to "deal with it".
I'm pretty sure Konami and Capcom never published games on Atari systems.
Namco licensed some properties on Atari systems which were actually developed by Atari, for example Ms Pacman and Pole Position.
This isn't different than , say, Namco licensing their game IPs to Epoch for porting the games to the Super Cassette Vision.
Microsoft was in far much better position than Atari Corp. simply because Microsoft could spend billion of dollars to buy support and marketshare.
EDIT:
Mmmh actually Konami published 3 games on Atari 2600, the more one knows...
Capcom licensed Commando to Activision and that's it.
The general point stand.
Atari Corp. consoles (Atari 7800, Lynx and Jaguar) had very weak third-party support and first party software was cheaply made.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Correct. They weren't publishing at all back the 2600 era. Neither was Nintendo or Sega.
The Jaguar did have some great ports but really not much else. It wasn't even that much more powerful than a Super FX'd SNES.
The biggest problem with the Jaguar is that it came out too late. If it came out in say, 1992, where it was competing against the SNES/Genesis I think it could have done much better. But having to compete against the 3DO, then Saturn/PS1? R.I.P.
We DID do the math, and the math added up to a console being way outdated by 1994/1995.
"Put it this way -- nothing's going to come along to knock Jaguar off the top"
i never noticed that 'made in the usa' tag for atari there. i'm guessing they were a bit late on catching that early 90s fear of japan.
Well, I edited my answer because Konami actually did publish 3 games for Atari 2600:
https://atariage.com/company_page.php?SystemID=2600&CompanyID=43
it WOULD be fucking sears thats still selling these things lmao
maquiladora
Member
Jaguar will surely deliver.
bitbydeath
Member
If they can reboot the power pack ill be there.
This is what I grew up on
nkarafo
Member
You must mean your upgraded Amiga 1200. I don't think Doom can run smoothly on a stock 1200 without some kind of accelerator.
The CD32 didn't have this option.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
And I had Pooyan!
maquiladora
Member
deadscreensky
Member
I remember the Jaguar version of Doom being one of the very worst ports because the system link on it was pure garbage. PS1 did a better job and I never had any random disconnects. Whenever I tried to link a few Jaguar consoles together to play some co-op or deathmatch, we always got disconnected every few minutes. The crazier part was when I looked in the instruction manual, and the devs already knew about the random network errors and basically just said to "deal with it".
That's legitimately kind of amazing.
...Scatter...
Banned
I remember the Jaguar version of Doom being one of the very worst ports because the system link on it was pure garbage. PS1 did a better job and I never had any random disconnects. Whenever I tried to link a few Jaguar consoles together to play some co-op or deathmatch, we always got disconnected every few minutes. The crazier part was when I looked in the instruction manual, and the devs already knew about the random network errors and basically just said to "deal with it".
The interference caused by playing a game in hell LOL
Correctomundo
Member
Aw man, I love my Jag.
Havoc2049
Member
Atari Corp did own the rights Asteroids, Missile Command, Centipede, Tempest, Crystal Castles and many of the old Atari IPs. Atari Games owned every arcade game from about late 1984 (the Gauntlet/Paperboy era) going forward.
The Atari Jaguar had Tempest 2000, Missile Command 3D and Breakout 2000. There were also other retro remakes in the works but never released. Atari also licenced Defender from Williams for Defender 2000.
Atari also licenced Raiden for the Lynx, Falcon and Jaguar.
Atari Corp also had deals with Namco and Tecmo on the Atari Lynx and games like Ms. Pac-man, Pac-Land, Rygar, Ninja Gaiden arcade and Ninja Gaiden III were released on that system.
MrCunningham
Member
And if only Jaguar VR got to see the light of the day, we wouldn't have had to wait Palmer Luckey be born and grow up
E3 1995 behind the scenes video: https://youtu.be/fC9ZJWHFjhc?t=738
The headset was pretty ahead of its time for something from 1995. It has an IR tracking system, gyroscope and external CPU. But even though this would have been the cheapest commercial VR headset on the market in 1995, it was still too pricey for Atari to produce. Also the LCD technology and 52 degree FOV was a little bit problematic. But it is still really impressive for what it was, and it was a real VR headset unlike the Virtual Boy.