Trip Hawkins' Suggests an Atari POD

So I ran across Trip's blog the other day and naturally I both posted a question and posed a couple counterfactuals. His answer, of course, isn't perfect but he does bring up Warner doing a good job with the Atari pinball unit.

So, could Warner hang onto Atari proper with new management? Ideally junk the 7800 before release and just use the 8bit computers (OTL XE done better) as the base somewhere in 1985 just as the NES has managed to make it ok for consoles again?
 
So I ran across Trip's blog the other day and naturally I both posted a question and posed a couple counterfactuals. His answer, of course, isn't perfect but he does bring up Warner doing a good job with the Atari pinball unit.

So, could Warner hang onto Atari proper with new management? Ideally junk the 7800 before release and just use the 8bit computers (OTL XE done better) as the base somewhere in 1985 just as the NES has managed to make it ok for consoles again?

Well, there's nothing really wrong with the 7800 that more RAM, Better sound than TIA, and a faster or wider CPU (A ca. 3.57Mhz 65802 with SALLY instructions added in should do the trick) couldn't cure. I mean, is there ever such a thing as too many colors or too many hardware sprites? Though I do admit that MARIA might cause programming issues with developers and the emerging homebrew crowd since it isn't shared with the 8-bit computers.

And then there's the matter of the computer situation. Personally, I would have released a 16-bit followup to the 8-bit computers using AMY, maybe a Hitachi 6309 as a Sound CPU, a 65816, build in Action! to make it more easy and fun to program, and additional audio and video out options. and then taken the design of project GAZA, and seen if I could have gotten MIPS hitched to the Atari Semiconductor Group in exchange for a discount, and released a computer line using the R2000/R3000 as the CPU. (At the time, MIPS broke no new ground in gate, switch, or transistor design, except in how they were arrainged, and the only CPUs smaller or even remotely as small for their power were from ARM, and thus unavailable. If MIPS could have been able to compete for volume with Intel and/or Motorola, it would have changed far for the better).

Of course 1984/5 is rather late to try one's hand, and these plans are off something I'm working on over at Alien Space Bats.
 
Umm Kalvan your plan sound nice in paper you forget a little thing... In the Business world, Name means Anything.

For 1985 Atari was already a toxic brand, and pretty big one, some people still have some faith mostly because that was mostly their main business reason and somewhat the market was pretty thin...

And Raw Power means nothing for videogame depending the Context, NES was a pretty downgrade against what the famicom can offer in home but Extreme Marketing and good client-Costumer make him a Titan in USA. Something who Atari should have learn....

In general Atari make more good to videogames in long term with their rise and then astronomical fall....
 
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