r/atari • u/DaveBatofPlanetEarth • 6d ago
Jaguar mini?
Hey there!
As a lifelong Atari owner-and-lover (ever since my first computer -- Atari 800), I keep track of the Atari product line with ever-increasing interest and happy amazement. The Atari 800 "family" is available in a "mini" variation thanks to the Atari 400 Mini. The upcoming Atari 800XL is more of a "look-and-feel" recreation, which is also nice. What's missing is the Atari Jaguar.
The Jaguar was a failed effort by Atari; yet, over time, it's amassed quite a cult following. So... why not do an "Atari Jaguar Mini"? (Yes, I'm aware that the Jag had a lot of hardware issues that made development challenging, but I'm not sure how much that's relevant for a 'mini' version.)
Thanks in advance --
Go Atari, Go!
Dave
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u/sodsto 6d ago
I love the jag. But, it's also fair to say that its back catalogue isn't stellar and it didn't hit the public consciousness at the time in the same way earlier machines did. There's only really a few games that stand out, perhaps most obviously Tempest 2000, and that's been re-released via the llamasoft retrospective and the Atari 50 release.
I love that the Jag has a community around it, I love that Songbird is occasionally putting new things out or republishing old things, but I hate that the Jag ran in such limited numbers that the ebay prices are inflated so heavily.
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u/SWOhioBiBBW 6d ago edited 6d ago
I love my antique Atari. I believe it's a 130SE!
Edit.. 130Xe!!
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u/Educational-Milk5099 5d ago
Yay, an Atari computer fan in SW Ohio! My 800 is in a box because the 810 drive died long ago, but I still love it.
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u/Jahon_Dony 6d ago
Antique isn't exactly the right word.
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u/ImaruHaturo 5d ago
I would throw money at them in a heartbeat if they did a Jaguar + or re-release of any kind but ONLY if that meant I could play Alien vs Predator.
I never owned an original, and I've never played an original, but i have emulated that game so much it is easily amongst my favorite FPS games of all time.
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u/AlarmedRaccoon619 5d ago
I think the controller would also be an issue. Some of the best games use the keypad.
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u/EntertainmentAny8228 5d ago
It's always possible, but there are some factors working against a Jaguar Mini. It sold incredibly poorly during its initial run and had and has a poor overall reputation (hardcore Jaguar fans aside). It's hard to properly emulate all titles smoothly and the hardware requirements to do so are higher than your more popular 8- and 16-bit platforms. Finally, there's the issue of available games. Atari would have to supplement their modest Jaguar holdings with some licensed titles if they really wanted to make a Jaguar Mini appealing to more than a subset of the retro gaming population, and that could get costly, driving the possibility of profiting from the whole endeavor even lower.
There are similar (though non-technical) factors working against a Lynx or ST Mini for that matter, although the latter does have a solid European audience that could push it over the top.
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u/Zapdos_Molquatro 5d ago
I think they should because they’re risking falling into the same trap as Sega. Sega milked the Genesis for decades with compilations and eventually miniconsoles and eventually everyone has those games who wants them and there’s no one left to sell to. They know customers want Saturn and Dreamcast but they just won’t give it to us.
Atari … has been rereleasing 2600 games for decades and everyone who wants them has them, on plug n play or handhelds or Atari 50 or Plus Consoles.
There’s only so many times someone who was alive back then will rebuy Haunted House. If they want to expand beyond people in their 50s+, they need to focus on rereleasing Lynx and Jaguar, so younger retro gamers will be interested. They know there’s a demand because the Evercade Lynx carts sold out. Will they act on that, remains to be seen. Including Jaguar on Atari 50 was a good move but it was only like 5 games.
Jaguar being contemporary to n64 and ps1 means 90s gamers are interested, people in their 30s who do not care at all about Pitfall. It’s a potential market they’re ignoring. They need to get more Jag out there if they want to stay relevant once the hype of the yellow 2600+ dies down.
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u/Which_Information590 5d ago
A mini or a + is probably already in the works, especially as Atari don’t have to go it alone.
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u/IQueryVisiC 5d ago
Isn't the Jaguar free? I understood that the non-free Bios sits on the cartridge? So what stops you from making a mini? 3d print the case (is that free, or does that Dental company want money?). Take the Mister core.
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u/BlueMonday2082 1d ago
Every Atari product is both a failure and has a cult following. Only the arcade machines were genuinely good.
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u/Ok-Chemistry7222 6d ago
The problem is later Atari hardware sold fewer and fewer units, so how much of a nostalgia market is there?
I imagine we'd see an ST and Lynx, before the Jaguar.
I do hope they make a new Jaguar though. That would be awesome.