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GEnie Dateline Atari with Bob Brodie 1993 11
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SPECIAL EDITION: DATELINE ATARI with Bob Brodie!
The Jaguar Rollout!
Nov. 4, 1993
Guest - Bob Brodie
Host - Lou Rocha
<[HoST] ST.LOU> This is the night we've been eagerly anticipating ... the
official Jaguar rollout from New York City with a live report on the
news conference held just two hours ago. As usual for our Dateline Atari
RTC's, our special guest is the Director of Communications, Bob Brodie.
Despite a very hectic and exciting day, Bob has chosen to give GEnie
users the first accounts of this evening's news conference.
Elsewhere in the Atari ST RoundTable there is growing excitement about
the Jaguar, the host of new game developers and the unbelievable climb of
Atari stock which hit a high of 12 1/8 today! Before we begin, a special
welcome to all new participants in the Real Time Conference - and a
friendly 'welcome back' to our growing number of regulars. This evening's
conference may get quite busy at my end so please be patient and I will
queue you for your questions and comments as soon as I can. Now, without
further ado, heeeeeeeere's Bob!
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Thanks, Lou. We have a very brief account of
the evening that we'd like to upload at this time, then we'll be happy to
take any and all questions from the audience. I'd like to express how
very excited Ron and I are to be here tonight on Atari's official online
service: GEnie!!! The size of the group here tonight is just wonderful,
and really helps to show the high level of interest in the Jaguar. With
that, here comes our prepared remarks.
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Welcome one and all!! We have just returned from
the jungle!! Atari has just rolled out the 64-bit home entertainment
system to a standing room only audience on the 48th floor of the
Time-Life Building in New York City.
I am joined here tonight with my wife Jerri, Ron Kovacs and John Gagne of
the Z*Net News Service. We are coming to you live from the Paramount
Hotel on 46th St in Manhattan. We invited the cast from Les Miserables,
but they were too busy to attend. :) They're just across the street.
What we have witnessed tonight is a new era for Atari Corporation. The
introduction and announcement of release of the Jaguar, a 64-Bit home
entertainment machine. On hand at the press conference were Jack
Tramiel, sons Sam, Leonard and Garry, myself, Bill Rehbock, James Grunke,
Augie Ligouri, Terry Valeski, John Skruch, Susan McBride, Purple
Hampton, and many other staff members from Sunnyvale.
Major press agencies such as CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and local reporters from
the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, entertainment and Atari media
were in attendance at the event. Heard from nearly ALL of the attendees
were WOW and shouts of excitement from the presentation hosted by Sam
Tramiel.
Guests were greeted by three male and female jet black leather and vinyl
costumed jaguar cats. Tropical foliage, flowering bamboo, moist fog,
blue and green tinted pin spots and animal cries, deep from within the
heart of the jungle.
Inside the concept changed dramatically, encircling the entire event were
Atari Jaguar and Lynx kiosks accented with blue neon rods, ice blue pin
spots and more tropical foliage. Positioned in two corners of the room
were wire cages with the jaguar-costumed dancers.
Sam gave a presentation, accompanied by video displays of the Jaguar TV
commercial, and sales videos for the retail stores. There was no expense
spared to convey the messages to the attendees that Atari is serious
about marketing the Jaguar. No less than 12 screens positioned
throughout the room carried the video, as well as Jaguar game play. 10
Jaguar kiosks were stationed throughout the room, each showing a
different video game title. John Skruch and other employees were also
prowling the crowd with pre-production EPROM carts in hand, ready to show
the visitors the future of Jaguar gaming.
Atari announced the signing of a number of new developers for the Jaguar
tonight, including Virgin, Interplay, Microprose, UBI Soft, Gremlins
Graphics, Millenium, and Accolade. Accolade will bring Bobsy, Jack
Nicklaus Gold, Al Michaels Announces Hard Ball, Brett Hull Hockey, and
Charles Barkley Basketball to the Jaguar. Atari Games announced that
they will be using the Jaguar as a board for their arcade games. There
will be a few other developers that will be announced in a press release
a little later on, as well as more details regarding the specific titles
that they will be developing for the Jaguar.
Tonight, it was also brought to my attention that there are reports
circulating stating that we have stopped our computer business. I'm
happy to state that this rumor is 100% FALSE!
<[HoST] ST.LOU> YEA!!!!!
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Atari is not leaving the computer business, we
are still producing the Atari Falcon030. Just a few weeks ago, James
Grunke was here in New York for the Audio Engineering Society Show, where
Cubase Audio for Falcon by Steinberg was released. We feel that the
Falcon is just now starting to see applications tha take advantage of
it's unique capabilities.
With that, we're ready to take any questions about the event tonight,
Lou, or anything else that our users might like to ask either Ron or I
about.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Thanks Bob... They're lined up and ready. First we have
Dave...
<[Dave] D.SHORR> Congrats on the Jaguar, Bob! I did have a computer
question but as I'm the first person at the mike, I'll change it;): will
I be able to use my Atari SC1224 color monitor with the Jaguar? GA.
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Hi Dave, yes....you will be able to use youe
SC1224 or your SC1435 with the Jaguar. In fact, we'll be using the
SC1224 in the store interactive Kiosks that we're designing. It will
require you to have the optional RGB cable to use the SC1224 with the
Jaguar, though. It's a great picture. :) GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Next up we have Scott
<[ScottJ] S.CORLEY1> Bob, could you give us an idea as to when Jaguars
will be released nationwide? Also, is Atari going to put out a
promotional videotape like the one put out by Panasonic for 3DO? It was
really impressive. GA.
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> The Jaguar will be sold nationally next year.
If you live in an area where the Jaguar is not presently being sold, but
wish to purchase on, you can do so via our customer service department.
I'll pass all of the information on purchasing a Jaguar to Atari Explorer
Online so they can write it up for everyone. We showed the videos
tonight at the launch event, and they were very well received. One of
them is designed to be run as a commercial, "sandwiched" around another
commercial. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> OK... Grahan Norton is next. GA
<[Graham] G.NORTON> Bob can we expect the Jags in Canada Jan 1? Also do
you have any cheap Atari stock to sell! :) GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> I'm honestly not sure what timeframe we're
looking at for Canada, Graham :) Cheap stock? Not this week!! :) :) GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Thanks Bob.... on to Nevin Shalit.
<[NevMan] NEVIN-S> Thanks. I have two questions. First, is the Jaguar in
production, or were you showing a prototype? Second, on a more personal
note, how did it feel tonight after years of struggling in the computer
market to get the press to pay attention to you, to have them all there
in that room? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Yes, the Jaguar is in production...but we did
show units from the pilot production run that was done first. Re your
second question, it was very nice. Especially nice was to meet so many
of the international press members that I have read about or corresponded
with over the years. I met with Steve Young of CNN today and spoke with
him before and after his filmed interview with Sam. (Boy does he hate
Windows!) Paula Richards of ST Format was also on hand, and I really
enjoyed getting to talk with her.
All in all, a really exciting experience. I know that Ron enjoyed
getting to meet the Tramiels. All of them, including Jack were very
happy to meet one of thier longest, and best known supporters. When Sam
was introduced to Ron, he spent quite a bit of his time letting Ron know
how much he appreciated his many years of service to the Atari Community.
I like him, too. :) Hope that covered it, Nevin. :)
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Whew.... so many people in the queue... new experience
:-) Thanks everyone for being patient. On to Ed Lin
<[Ed] E.LIN1> How do the initial Jaguar games compare to the 3DO in terms
of graphics?
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Ed, I have only seen Crash 'n Burn. It's a
different sort of game than we have done so far. We've provided a number
of screen shots that are available for downloading from the ST RT library
via Atari Explorer Online Magazine. Rather than Ron and I giving you our
opinion, why don't you download the Jaguar pics yourself and take a look
at them? I'm sure that you'll be very impressed with them. Especially
Crescent Galaxy! :) GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Sean Dougherty from Processor Direct, the newest Atari
magazine, is next...
<[Sean@TWP] P-DIRECT> Bob -- To change the topic a little, Atari may
still be producing the Falcon030, but with perhaps only a few thousand
units sold it is obvious something more needs to be done than make them.
<grin> Does Atari have plans to sell the Falcon030 through less passive
means? For instance, with the help of some enthused writers, the
Falcon030 has gained the interest of several special interest magazines,
and it seems this would be the perfect way to "sneak" into a market, and
at very little expense... GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Sean, at this point we have no such plans.
We're always interested in listening to proposals, though. I'd
suggest that you contact Garry Tramiel if you have some suggestions about
selling the Falcon030 via a unique means. :) GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Thanks Sean. Rob Anisko is next
<[Zombie] R.ANISKO> OK (hope the buffer works here...) Bob, with the
Jaguar about to come out, and the Lynx available, is Atari planning on
releasing the same games on both systems - it makes nice cross-over sales
and advertising... (like Nint*ndo w/ the SNES and Gameboy)? GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> It worked! :-)
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Yes and no, Rob. :) There is no question that
there is some terrific opportunities to do EXACTLY what you've described.
However, on the other hand we know that the hand held market is nowhere
as big as the home console market. Plus, the Jaguar makes possible things
that cannot be done on ANY OTHER GAME MACHINE, including the Lynx. So
it's only natural, IMHO, that developers will look to do something new
and exciting to stretch the envelope with the Jaguar. We do envision
there being some titles that will be made available for the Lynx as well
though. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> We still have more than 20 in the queue... on to Dale
Ellis....
<[Dale] D.ELLIS16> Congrats Bob, Ron, John, Jerri. Jerri was Bob really
there or across the street at Les Miserables? ;-) Real Questions: Have you
thought about selling any of the products via TV Shopping? Any TV shows
about the Jag? Like Discovery or FutureWatch? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Jerri says he was really there...thanks for
checking up on him. Now, on to the "real" questions, we are open to all
of those opportunities, but first want to get back into the "regular"
retail environment. We feel that it is important that consumers be able
to go into a store and actually see, and try out a Jaguar to fully
appreciate it. So we're very excited to be in stores like Toys 'R Us,
The Wiz, Babbages, Electronic Boutique Kaybee Toys....and others. GA
<[Gary] G.STOLLMAN> Bob, I am interested in programming for Atari as a
developer. In your honest opinion, is this release the "do-it" thing
that will put Atari back in the forefront of computers,and why is it
taking so long for the Falcon to get software??? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Hi Gary. Yes, I think that the Jaguar is going
to be a very big product for Atari. If you hae aspirations about
developing for the Jaguar, I'm sure that Bill Rehbock would like to talk
to you. Re the Falcon...I think there are several reasons that it's
taking so long. #1 - Poor Sales. The economy in California where we do
much of our business, is MISERABLE. And it's true not only for Atari,
but other companies as well. One of the stock analysts that was at the
event tonight told me that Apple is now sitting on a HUGE inventory of
products. He said numbers that frankly, I had a hard time believing. So,
the computer hardware business is just really tough right now. One of the
other reasons it's taking so long is us: we've reduced our company in
size to such a small level that it is really tough to be able to do
everything that we would like to be able to do. For example, there was
some staff at the event tonight from ST Informer. But I never had a
chance to spend more than a few seconds with them at a time. I hate
that, frankly. And think that once we've added some additional staff
we'll be in a better position to do the things that we need to do to
properly support ALL of our products. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Thanks Bob. Please welcome Delroy Blake!
<[delroy Blake] D.BLAKE> I have 3 questions for you. 1) What are the
specs on the Jag? - overseas news travels slow 2) do you intend to market
to the Army-Air Force Excange Stores? - lots of people with money to spend
and 3) What ever happen to UNIX FOR THE TT, GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Good evening Delroy, thank you for attending our
RTC tonight!!! Regarding your questions....WOW! :) I'll give you a quick
run down on the specs, but I'd prefer that you check out the library here
on GEnie in the ST RT for file AEO_SE1.ZIP That file has full set of
press releases including block diagrams of the entire Jaguar system. The
Jaguar is a full 64 bit system that has 5 microprocessors on three chips,
including a 64 Bit RISC processor, a 32 Bit RISC processor, and a 68000.
The bus is a full 64 bit bus. It is capable of 32 bit color, with over
16.7 million colors, and 16 bit stereo CD sound. BTW, I've just been
informed by Travis Guy, Editor of AEO that the correct file name is
AEO_SE_J.ZIP :) Thanks, Travis. The file will also have some Jaguar
screen shots in it in GIF format. :) Re the Army/Air Force stuff....not
right away, but maybe next year. At first we're doing a New York/San
Francisco rollout of the Jaguar this year, then we'll finish our plans
for the rest of the US later. Certainly, we want to find a way to
provide the Jauguar to the Military. Lastly, re TT UNIX, we cancelled
the project because we didn't feel that our version of UNIX was cost
effective enough to be chosen by a broad base of people. We did feel
that Atari UNIX could have been run as a text based UNIX on the Falcon,
but we couldn't have close to being able to support it properly, so we
cancelled it. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Bob, there are over 20 in the queue and they are being
extremely patient with me as I try to keep up. :-) Our next speaker is
Chris Oates...
<[Chris] C.OATES2> Two questions: First, when might we see the first
Jaguar TV ads? Second, about how many Jaguars have been manufactued to
date? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Lou, in light of all the people in line, I think
we should restrict everyone after Chris to just one question til we get
through the queue.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> ... or you could just answer ONE question :-)
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Chris, in the areas that the Jaguar is going to
be sold (NY or San Francisco) you'll start to see teaser ads next week.
The "real ads" will start shortly after that. Re how many Jags have been
built, to be honest, I don't know. I'd need to check with our VP of
Manufacturing....he's not here. It's an incredibly small hotel room. :)
GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> OK... Sir Fransis is next
<[Sir Fransis] K.DRAKE> What do you forsee being the first network use
for the Jaguar (other than ComLynx) GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> I really don't know. :) I haven't had enough
time to think about that yet. For the most part, we've been looking at
the system as a game machine for the home to compete against Sega and
Nintendo, not so much as a network machine. I do know that Sam is very
keenly interested in interactive TV via cable. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Tony Wetmore is next Bob.
<[Tony] WETMORE> Bob and everyone: Bravo! You've all done an
incredible job! I have 2 questions, but they're related... (actually, I
have more) 3) Will I be able to mail-order a Jag from Atari this month?
4) If not, when will retail stores in NY begin receiving Jags? (oops)
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Yes, and the week before Thanksgiving is when
they are due in. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Chris Cassaday....
<[Chris] C.CASSADAY> Bob, can you comment about the possible Dallas
distribution point? Will the Jaguar be sold at the Incredible Universe
this fall? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> I've not been told officially that we're going
to be there, but I hear tell that we are, Chris. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Sam Rapp!
<[Sam030] SAM-RAPP> Hi Bob, Ron, (and others...) What are the
possibilities for a modem for the Jag? Is there an RS-232 on the
expansion port? Where is my T-shirt! ;-) GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Sam, Ron Kovacs is wearing your T-Shirt. He
looks great in it. So does John Gagne. We're also going to bring out
baseball caps. Black with a Jaguar logo, sort of like the T-Shirt. Yes,
there is an RS-232 on the expansion port, and we envision using the DSP
connection to be a modem. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Thanks. I am sorry to say that I will have to cut off any
more /raises. There are still 20 in the queue who will be allowed their
questions. Dave Shorr is next
<[Dave] D.SHORR> Has Atari considered offering a cooperative multitasking
environment to its ST customers? Couldn't the multitasking AES and
Desktop contained in the current version of MultiTOS be loaded without
MiNT? GA.
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Dave, I'm just not techincal enough to discuss
that with you. The best solution that I can see now is to use MultiTOS
with Geneva from Gribnif Software. Sorry, GA.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Ron Hall is next, Bob
<[GOT FALCON!] R.HALL49> More than 1 question but only requires small
answers! :) I just yesterday got my base unit Falcon(yea!) when can I get
an official hard drive upgrade kit? Will Atari be able to challenge CD-32
in Europe since they are producing 20,000 units a week now? Tantalize me
with visions of a Lynx II with the Jaguar chipset!!! Final
Question...Jaguar sales truly to be funneled to Falcon!!!
(hope,hope,hope) LOVE my Falcon BTW...thanx GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Don't know about the HD kit, get a SCSI-II cable
and go external for now. The drives are bigger and cheaper than the tiny
IDEs. We will not challenge CD-32 in Europe...we will defeat them. Yes.
GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Kevin Houser...
<[Kevin Houser] PG.MUSIC> Bob, any hope for a Falcon based dev system for
the Jag &/or Lynx? Also, could I get a 'factory' direct Jag when I go to
Charlotte this weekend. <g> I'm interested in doing music related Jag
titles. Does it have a Midi port? <g> Kevin in Atlanta, PG Music Atari
development... BTW, all PG Music stuff (new) is written on a
Falcon030/14/120 <g> Good European sales too. :) ... GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Hi Kevin. Yes, there is a TOS based dev system
for the Jaguar now. I think it is quite logical to assume that it will
be ported to the Falcon. Sorry, IBM is not selling the Jaguar Factory
Direct at all. They build it, warehouse it, and ship it. That's all.
No MIDI port, but wow! It can make terrific music!! GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Charles Smeton of NewSTar Tech....
<[NewSTar Tech] C.S.SMETON> Bob, where (what stores) and when can I tell
my buddy in NYC to buy a Jaguar for me? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> The Wiz, Babbages, Toys 'R Us, Electronic
Boutique, Kaybee Toys, that enough Charles? GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Here comes Travis Guy from Atari Explorer Online... the
best source of Atari news!
<[FSU #1!] AEO.MAG> Thanks Lou! <blush> Evening sirs! It sounds like
everyone had a great time tonight. Bob, I think I can speak for every
Atarian in saying it's good to finally have Atari back on track to the
forefront - where we feel Atari belongs. Can you give us some specific
reactions from some of the crowd at the event? Paul Harvey mentioned
Atari and the Jaguar today in his radio show, and it was very positive.
Go Atari! (And I want a Jaguar cap!) GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Evening, Travis! It's great to see you online
tonight!! Ron sez Hi!! We at Atari are very grateful for the fine job
that you and rest of the very fine staff at Atari Explorer Online do to
support the entire Atari Community. If only all publications would
follow your excellent example of how to do an online mag! (Well, I can
dream, can't I?!?!?!) Today, USA Today ran a very nice article about
Video Games, and featured a full color picture of the Jaguar on the LIFE
Section of the paper. The San Jose Mercury News also ran a terrific
article on the Jaguar. Many of the people that were at the event tonight
were financial writers, or business writers. They to a large degree, were
not exposed to the Jaguar games until tonight for the very first time.
They thought that the games looked and sounded great, as well as the
pricing on the Jaguar for real consumers, rather than the high prices
that 3DO is charging for their player. Overall, it was a very exciting
night. Many people came to see how serious Atari was about the Jaguar...
they came skeptics and left believers!
<[FSU #1!] AEO.MAG> Wonderful!
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Look for a Jaguar cover on an upcoming issue of
Die Hard Game Fan, as well as 8 full color pages of coverage from Die
Hard! GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> I missed John Battey about 5 back so I will let him into
line here. Thanks to Scott for waiting a bit longer (and to everyone else
still in the queue).
<[J.Battey] J.BATTEY1> Was Ziff-Davis there tonight? (What, no coffee
mugs!) GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> I'd have to look at the final attendance list to
be sure. There is a list of people that did RSVP, but not all of them
made it. Not sure about Ziff, sorry. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Scott Corley
<[ScottJ] S.CORLEY1> Bob, why did Atari raise the list price of the
Jaguar by $50? Also do you have any idea of the price that Jaguar games
will sell for? Thanks. GA.
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> To cover the cost of the included game, which
was a bit more than we had expected it to be. The price of the games
will be in the 49-89 range, depending on the title, and the developer. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> OK.... On to Andy Smith.
<[Andy] L.SMITH70> Bob... First, Congrats!! Second, I heard the
following on the Internet... I heard the Jaguar has a 'startup' sequence
consisting of the Atari Fuji, a digitized roar, and a rotating cube with
a jaguar on each side. True? false? More info? :) Also glad to hear
you got Virgin! GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Andy, TRUE! When the Jaguar is first turned on,
the Red Jaguar logo comes on the screen, there is a digitized roar, and
then a group of letters spelling out ATARI drop down from the top of the
screen. Then there is a cube with digitized pics of a jaguar that
rotates while a quick version of "Have you played Atari today?" is
played. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Let's go on to Rod Martin.... Rod... GA
<[Network 23] R.MARTIN22> Bob, is Atari still earmarking $3 million for
the NY/SF release, and what is the $$$ for 1994 nationwide release? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Yes. We are earmarking that much for this year's
release and we are finalizing next year's plans now. Part of the
planning is dependent on who our retail partners are. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Bob, we have a newsflash from Gene Windell.... <Gene is
typing like mad>
<[Gene] E.WINDELL> About 10 minutes ago, CNN Headline News described the
Jag's technical features as part of a larger story about new computer
graphics technology. Other than the Fuji logo, no pictures were shown.
I'm sure they will play it again.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Thanks Gene. Rob Anisko just picked up USA Today and
found the story on page 1D. Thanks Rob. On we go....... Mike Lipson
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Gene, who was the CNN correspondent? Was it
Steve Young?
<[Gene] E.WINDELL> Don't know.
<[HoST] ST.LOU> GA Mike
<[Mike Lipson] M.LIPSON> Hi Bob and Lou! Does the Atari/IBM contract
allow IBM to license Jaguar technology for Big Blue's computers and is
IBM interested in having Jaguar expansion boards? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> No, the contract does not allow IBM to use the
Jaguar chipset for any of their products. We are having some discussions
with them about other possible uses for the Jaguar chipset. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> OK... Frank Cuccia.
<F.CUCCI> Bob, did you let the cat out of the bag i.e. the BIG developer
that was to surprise all of us? and is the TT030 still alive ? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Which BIG developer??? Accolade, Virgin, or
Interplay? :-)
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Pick one!
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> And yes! (The TT is still alive) GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Tim at AEO is next.
<[Tim@AEO] AEO.8> On an earlier question about the Falcons, I happen to
know that Tecnation and High End will be selling Falcons as used in Discos
as lighting systems, with nifty video effects. anyway my question: When
is the Jaguar to be sold in Europe? (BTW, that product is called Cyber V)
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Yes they are Tim, thanks for pointing that out
for everyone. We will be selling some units in the holiday season this
year in Europe. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Thanks. Dave Freeland has been waiting a long time
<[David] D.FREELAND> Are there any plans to advertise the Falcon030 at
all? What can you tell us about new Falcon products such as DSP modem,
etc... It seems the Jaguar should allow Atari to push the Falcon more
than it has so far. Go Jaguar!!! GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Dave.... Plans to advertise the Falcon remain
unchanged. We will advertise cooperativly in the markets where we have
an advantage, such as music with partners like Steinberg, thank you! GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Lucky Seven left, Bob and Ron. Harj Nagra....
<[Harj] H.NAGRA1> What games will be available for the Jaguar this year?
(...just saw the Atari Fuji on CNN about 10 minutes ago!!!) You should
let Video Games magazine know that the Jag is truly 64-bit and not 32-bit
as they state in their latest issue. GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Bob is near death! :-) Ron typing
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Hehehehe...
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Hi Harj... Bob has already written a letter to
Video Games and will mail it when he returns to Sunnyvale. Your right,
they certainly made some mistakes! GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Jungle Jim!
<J.THORNHILL> Bob, can you tell us specifically what the Atari vs. Sega
suit is all about concerning the scrolling? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Jim Thornhill, other than the press release, I
have no other information to share with you at this time. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Were you going to list 4 games?
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> CyberMorph, Crescent Galaxy, Raiden and
Dynodudes. We expected Checkerd Flag to be ready but it's late! GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> OK.... James Vogh.
<[James] J.VOGH> How large are the areas (NY and SF) where the Jaguar
will be released. For example, will stores in Connecticut and possibly
Massachusetts also have the Jaguar? GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> James: I believe for the retail chains we are
talking metro NY and the San Fran bay area. Connecticut _MIGHT_ see a
few Jags but I really doubt Mass will except for our current Atari,
dealers. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Sandy from AEO Then Gregg from AEO
<[--Sandy] AEO.9> My 1st RTC. Can you tell us anything about how you
interact with Time Warner
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Sandy.. Welcome to your FIRST RTC here on GEnie.
<[--Sandy] AEO.9> If not Love you all anyway GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> We have an arrangement with Time-Life to have
access to their vast library of film and sound clips to be used with
Jaguar titles. Other than that, they own about 23% of Atari. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Gregg... from Computer STudio?
<[Gregg] AEO.7> Well, yes as a matter of fact <grin>. I'm impressed, I
wish I could have been up there in NY for the show.... However, while
we're all hoping to see the Jag become THE dominate factor in the game
industry, I'm more Atari computer oriented and have to ask if you've any
idea how long it will be before we can expect to see the Jag's fantastic
graphics and audio made available in a TOS-based Atari computer and/or on
a VME card for the TT/MegaSTe line? Thanks, and keep up the great work.
GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Thanks Gregg.
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Gregg, Nice to hear from you. At this point in
time, it's nearly impossible to project when that might happen. For one
thing... some of the developer tools for the Jaguar are still maturing.
Also, doing such an enterprise would require the addition of even more
staff to assure that it could be done properly. Let us get the Jaguar
properly launched, supported, and in the market place and we'll see that
we can do on the computer side. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> But we can sure hope for the future. Right, Gregg? :-)
Next we have Sir Fransis...
<[Sir Fransis] K.DRAKE> How many sounds can the Jag generate
simultaneously (3DO=8)? Where is the ComLynx port? Any CD titles in
development (7th Guest)? Thanks 4 coming! GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> The ComLynx port is incorporated in the
expansion port at the rear of the machine. GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> Final question comes from Tony Wetmore.
<WETMORE> A couple real quickies (I hope): Will the "accessory" cables
and such (S-Video, etc) be available at launch (ie. 2 weeks or so)? Also,
can we expect/hope for any Atari coin-op translations next year? Such
as: Hard/Race Drivin', Steel Talons, etc? And, again - thanks(!!) for
coming online and staying so long!
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Yes, there will be conversions of coin op games,
although not all of them will be Atari Games products. For instance,
Virtual Racing is one of the games that we are looking at as a model for
what will be done with at least one of the racing games that we're
working on. Re the cables, not 100% sure on that, although they should
be along quite soon. :) GA
<[HoST] ST.LOU> A record breaking night for Atari and Dateline Atari!
Record length, record number of questions, record number of attendees.
What can I say? Congratulations to Bob and his guest (and friend) Ron
Kovacs for their service above and beyond. GA
<[Bob & Ron] BOB-BRODIE> Lou, THANKS! It has been a really long day for
us here in New York. I'm very grateful to our official online service,
GEnie, and to our friends that staff the Atari RT's for allowing us to
share this very special evening for a Dateline Atari Conference. While
we normally do this on a Friday night, I will be up in the air, on my way
home to California when the conference will normally be running. Thanks
to GEnie for allowing us some slack in scheduling this time. :) I'm
also grateful that my very good friend Ron Kovacs could be here to share
his impressions of the Jaguar launch event, as well as help with the
typing tonight. A rare privilege for me to hand over the keyboard and
just give my answers without having to type all night long!! :) Thank you
all for coming. We had a very enjoyable evening. And we look forward to
our next session of Dateline Atari with you next month, here on the
official Atari online resource: GEnie. I hope that you all enjoy the
rest of the evening, and the beginning of the holiday season. Happy
Thanksgiving to you all! Good night!
<[HoST] ST.LOU> You are most welcome, Bob. The pleasure truly is ours.
Folks, look for this transcript in AEO or in library 13 on Saturday
morning. Thanks to everyone for coming and have a safe drive home :-)
<Bob, get to sleep!!>
*********************************************************************
Watch the Club Door Banner on Page 475 for the upcoming RTC with
Cybercube Research to celebrate their North American release of
InShape - a very power graphics/rendering program. You could win a
free copy of InShape - a 359.00 value!
