March 2020
•March 2020 Edition•
This will be a rather brief President’s Corner, I just haven’t been focusing on Atari stuff lately. Working on the inherited coin collection! A one-time large project, but I am enjoying it. One small thing, I started working on revisiting and sorting out what cables and other accessories shipped with the various Atari computer peripherals. Complicated for some of the printers in particular. But I also realized that everything that Atari shipped with an SIO cable for connecting to the computer (or SIO bus) shipped with a 3-foot cable, while the SIO cable you could buy separately, the CX81 “Atari I/O Data Cord” is a 5-foot cable. Not very exciting I know, but news to me! Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting: Friday, March 13, 2020. TABLE OF CONTENTS: PAGE ONE: The President’s Corner Treasurer’s and Secretary’s Reports PAGE TWO: Recent Atari News
Well, it was one of those months where only Glen and myself were able to make the February SPACE meeting. Glen showed me the programs on his DOM and there were two games that we need help on. I hope Lance, Steve and Brian can make it to the March meeting to give us that help.
HELLO WORLD! Again, I wanted to apologize for not being at the last month SPACE meeting. I am planning to go to the meeting on March 13, 2020. I see it will be another Friday the 13th.
Since my DOM purchase was the only sale for February we decided to wait until the March meeting to add the $3.00 to our deposit. But I did pay for the room rental, and before I say anything more about it I would like to explain the changes we have to make going forward. I will update our treasury in the April newsletter.
Well, I am not so superstitious anyway. But, I will make this short and sweet.
I got the book Michael brought to the January meeting titled “Computers as Theatre,” but my daughter-in-law could only find the first edition. She could only get it from the U of M library. She tried to get the second edition but that one came from Mankato State Library and it was the first edition with a black hard cover. So I still am looking for the second edition.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. I will try to be on the ball for future months in 2020. This concludes the Secretary’s Report. In the words of the late, great Stan Lee.
Please come to the March meeting so I can fill you all in on the changes to our room rental agreement going forward. See you in March.
PAGE THREE: SPACE Comics Section
Message from Captain Irata: “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers! It is mine if I see it with my Stereotek 3D glasses over my own two peepers!” HOO-RAH! TRIVIA TIME! The clasic 1970s arcade game, “Death Race,” caused controversy because in the game the player must run over people and kill them to score points.
There will be no March Atari 8-bit DOM Review because I do not have the last sold DOM. But, of course, I will do a double-DOM Review from April, utilizing the February and March DOMs.
EXCELSIOR!
mand: Recharged when it launches on the App Store and Google Play this spring. Missile Command: Recharged will be free to download with ads, with an optional one-time purchase to play unobstructed and ad-free. NOTE: There will be no DOM Review for the A8 this month. We will have a double-DOM review in April of 2020. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks and keep reading! Recent Atari News Atari® Announces Missile Command: Recharged™, a New Fast-Paced, Arcade Action Game Coming Soon to Mobile Devices New Game is a Modern Twist in the Beloved Retro Series Missile Command® Announced in Celebration of Original Game’s 40th Anniversary NEW YORK, NY (March 3, 2020) – Atari® — One of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — and developer Nickervision Studios, announced today that Missile Command: RechargedTM, a modern take on one of Atari’s most beloved titles, is coming to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and Android devices this spring. Reinvented and built from the ground up for mobile devices, Missile Command: Recharged arrives just in time for the 40th anniversary of the original arcade hit. Devastating warheads are raining down on your bases, and it’s up to you to shoot them down before impact! How long can you hold off the aerial assault until your domain is decimated? It’s time to take command; launch the counter-missiles! “Missile Command: Recharged aims to reinvigorate the storied Missile Command IP by appealing to fans of the original arcade and classic console releases,” said Tony Chien, VP of Marketing for Atari. “Fans can expect the familiar and addictive missiledestroying gameplay but with modern mechanics optimized for touch-screen devices. Missile Command: Recharged is a perfect pickup-and-play title for short high-intensity gameplay sessions.” Missile Command: Recharged is a reimagining of the beloved classic with fast-paced, arcade action where players must defend their bases by blasting an endless barrage of missiles hailing from the sky. Launch counter-missiles to protect your base and target power-ups to gain an edge at critical moments. Missile Command: Recharged will appeal to those that fondly remember playing the original or its many iterations, and a whole new generation of mobile gamers that are looking for fast-paced, pickup-and-play, arcade goodness. Additional Key Features Include: Powered Up: Don’t just target missiles–take aim at all-new power-ups to survive longer with defensive measures, silo repair, or a screen-clearing special blast. Upgraded: New power-up system takes points earned and allows them to be used to upgrade all aspects of gameplay to get an edge and achieve the highest scores. Shoot for the Clouds: Compete in global online leaderboards and aim to claim bragging rights as the top missile commander. Achievements: Better yourself with each game played and work towards besting the toughest challenges! Get Augmented: Use the new augmented reality feature to project your gameplay to a virtual arcade cabinet and take your missile destruction to new heights! Players can dive into the fun of Missile Com-
A press kit with Missile Command: Recharged screenshots, trailers, and logos is available here: https://uberstrategist.link/PressKit-MissileCommandR. To stay up-to-date on all things Atari and retro-pop-culture, follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Google Play is a trademark of Google LLC. About Atari Atari is an interactive entertainment company. As an iconic brand that transcends generations and audiences, the company is globally recognized for its multi-platform, interactive entertainment and licensed products. Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including worldrenowned brands like Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Pong®, and RollerCoaster Tycoon®. Atari has offices in New York and Paris. Visit us online at www.Atari.com. ©2020 Atari Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. Atari wordmark and logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. About Nickervision Studios Nickervision Studios is a one-person development studio owned by Adam Nickerson and based in British Columbia, Canada. Nickervision Studios has created arcade hits like Bit Blaster, Ding Dong XL, and Orbt XL. Nickervision Studios’ games have been featured on Apple’s App Store ‘App of the Day’, Google Play’s ‘Indie Corner’, as well as the front page of Steam and top selling charts on Nintendo Switch. www.NickervisionStudios.com Atari® and Wonder Join Forces on Cross-Platform Gaming Atari will Leverage WonderOS Technology and Intellectual Property Assets to Bring Enhanced Cross-Platform Functionality to the Atari VCS™ and Other Devices
ing forward with,” said Kleinman. “I am confident that Atari is the right partner to bring Wonder’s promising technology to market.” “Atari has strong mobile gaming business and deep experience as a publisher,” said Atari CEO Frédéric Chesnais. “Incorporating Wonder’s exciting technology will accelerate mobile integration within the Atari VCS platform, while better positioning Atari to capitalize on the promise offered by 5G digital cellular networks.” A press kit with Atari VCS and video game assets, screenshots, and logos is available here: https:// uberstrategist.link/ATARI-VCS-PressKit. Fans can follow Atari VCS on Facebook, Twitter @TheAtari_VCS, and on Instagram. To stay up-to-date on all things Atari and retropop-culture, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Atari, and follow us on Twitter @Atari and Instagram. About ATARI Atari is an interactive entertainment company. As an iconic brand that transcends generations and audiences, the company is globally recognized for its multi-platform, interactive entertainment and licensed products. Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including world-renowned brands like Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Pong®, and RollerCoaster Tycoon®. Atari has offices in New York and Paris. Visit us online at www.Atari.com. © 2020 Atari VCS, LLC. All rights reserved. ©2020 Atari Interactive, Inc. Atari wordmark and logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. About WONDER Founded by game industry veteran Andy Kleinman in 2016, Wonder raised $14M USD in venture capital from high-profile investors including Grishin Robotics and TCL Communications, with additional contributions made by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, former Sega CEO Hayao Nakayama, former Disney Interactive president John Pleasants, Grammy-winning artist Shakira, late NBA Commissioner David Stern, and former Zynga, Facebook, and MySpace executive, Owen Van Natta.
NEW YORK (February 11, 2020) – Atari® — one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — today announced that it has acquired an exclusive license for all assets of Wonder, the innovative gaming company behind WonderOS, an Android-based hybrid mobile gaming and entertainment platform. Wonder was founded in 2016 by CEO Andy Kleinman, an entrepreneur and former executive of Disney and mobile game companies Scopely and Zynga. Wonder has a diverse roster of media and entertainment industry investors. The pioneering WonderOS technology was designed to unify mobile, console, and PC gaming experiences, offering an ecosystem that gives access to multi-platform games, entertainment apps, and streaming services — locally or through the cloud. Atari anticipates incorporating WonderOS into the development roadmap of the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS™) and making it available across mobile devices, which will further expand the capabilities and reach of the home gaming and entertainment system. As Atari continues to grow its mobile game business, and re-enter the home hardware market with the new Atari VCS, the WonderOS and mobile IP will make an important contribution in the coming years as the company drives to make mobile gaming and content streaming persistent and pervasive for consumers. “As a life-long gamer and fan of the brand, I can’t imagine a better company than Atari to be mov-
The next SPACE meeting will commence on Friday, March 13, 2020 at 7:30 PM. We hope to see you there. Thanks for coming!
SPACE COMICS SECTION! The Misadventures of A-Man and C.D. By Steven Peck
Angel, Bandit, and their Ferret Fracas By Steven Peck
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