Atari Flashback 2.0

List Price: $29.95 Discount Price: $29.99

Features:

• Atari Flashback 2 Game System
• ATARI

Customer Reviews:

Could have been better. [Posted on 2007-07-13]
I was planning on buying an old original 2600 off eBay till I learned of this little gem. It's half the size of the original console with 40 games built right in, and it's cheap. But there are enough drawbacks to make me wish I'd gone my original route.

1. Although this console includes many of my childhood favorites (Adventure, Combat, Yar's Revenge, Pitfall and River Raid) it left out some very obvious choices that were hugely popular in the day (Pac Man, Defender, Space Invaders, Frogger and Pole Position to name a few) and replaced them with some rather lame games that I've never heard of before and got bored with very quickly. One of them, Frog Pond, is an unreleased prototype. Your going for nostalga here, now's not the time to be breaking new ground with your customer base.

2. It lacks a cartridge slot. I've never counted them all, but I'm sure there have been over 1,000 games made for this system. Everyone has an obscure favorite, and it would have been great if we had the option of using this system to play them.

3. Several games wouldn't work or were full of bugs. I've counted 3 so far, and I haven't cycled thru them all yet.

4. Some of the games are watered down departures from the originals. The version of Asteroids on this system had terrible graphics (even by Atari 2600 standards) and I was not once assaulted by a UFO.

So overall I applaud the concept, but I believe it could have been a whole lot better with relatively minimal effort. It smacks of a rush job.

DO NOT PAY $199.99 [Posted on 2007-12-20]
This is the perfect gem for any gamer... but it should not cost more than $30!!!! This is the biggest rip off I've ever witnessed. They sell on store shelves for $20-$30 bucks at wal-mart and Target.

DO NOT BUY IT FOR $199.99. YOU CAN FIND BRAND NEW ONES ON EBAY FOR THE REAL PRICE!

Brings back the 'good old days ,,, [Posted on 2007-12-30]
.. when Atari games were easier to operate and play yet still be challenging for the entire family.

DO MOT WASTE YOUR MONEY,PLEASE [Posted on 2008-01-02]
NOT WORTH THE MONEY ,,IF YOU WILLING TO PAY MORE THAN 25 DOLLARS OR UP ,FREEZES UP SOMETIMES, YOU CAN'T BROWSE BACKWARD THROUGH THE GAME LIST,,EVERYTIME YOU CHOOSE A GAME AND DECIDE TO SWITCH TO OTHER ONE YOU HAVE TO TURN THE WHOLE THING OFF AND ON AGAIN TO GET TO ANOTHER GAME
,,180 DOLLARS FOR SUCH A THING ,,MAKE YOU FEEL ASHAMED OF YPURSELF WHEN YOU PLUGG INTO TV ?????

Incredible little device [Posted on 2008-02-25]
Ah, the things they do with technology these days. The Flashback 2.0 isn't just an emulator - these aren't half-hearted recreations of the games you remember. Inside this device is an actual miniaturized Atari 2600 - the entire hunk of circuitry from 1977, squeezed onto a single chip. So when you plug in the Flashback 2.0, you're playing the actual games on actual hardware. Incredible, no?

I love this thing. For half the cost of a modern console game you get an entire game system, 42 games, and two controllers for some serious head-to-head action. Never mind that the graphics and sounds are 30 years old. This system delivers pure, unadultered, score-driven 1980s nostalgia.

Unfortunately, I don't remember most of these games. That's because the library is about half classics, and half unreleased/homebrew/prototype games. Too bad, because I'm really missing out on my favorite Atari games here: where's my Pole Position? I would have much preferred to see more classics and less novelties. (The included secret Paddle Games are a nice touch, though.) On this basis I'll give 4 stars for Fun.

The real reason I love the Flashback 2.0, though, and why I give it 5 stars: Crack it open, and you'll notice a silkscreened table showing pin connections to solder pads. These are handy instructions on how to add a cartridge slot to your game system! Now, the circuitry isn't perfect, so there are some 2600 games that won't run, but compatibility lists are available online. It's a great way to play all your games again without fiddling with crusty old technology and RF hookups.

In short: Buy one! The old classics never die, and what better way to experience them again than by playing them on real hardware? For under $30, 40+ games is a steal. And if you're handy with a soldering iron (or know someone who is), it's a great and inexpensive way to add a new game system to your collection.

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