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GEnie Dateline Atari with Bob Brodie 1993 07
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Special Friday Night Real Time Conference
Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie
July 9, 1993
Host - Lou Rocha
<[Host] ST.LOU> Good evening to all our loyal GEnie members and
welcome to the July session of Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie. I
hope you all had a great holiday last weekend and I am very happy
you all made it back safe and sound. Tonight Bob will bring us up
to date on the industry-setting news about the Jaguar - Atari's
64-bit game console - and the very promising arrangement with IBM.
I am sure we will also hear the latest on Falcon computers and
applications. Of course, Bob will also be ready to answer any
Atari-related questions, right Bob? So without further ado.....
ROUND 10 of Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie...........
<BOB-BRODIE> Welcome to the July installment of Dateline Atari! I
trust that you have all enjoyed last weekend's holiday time. My
family and I used it for a much needed "get away" time to step
back from things, and enjoy each other's company.
I had hoped tonight to be able to discuss the Atari Jaguar in more
depth than we've done in the past, but I've been unable to hook up
with our technical staff to get the kind of information for you
that I'd really like to have. So, while I'm prepared to field some
questions on the Jaguar, I'll ask you to be understanding if I
cannot be as forthcoming as I had hoped to be tonight.
We gave one of the first demos of the Atari Jaguar at our recent
shareholders' meeting, where we showed our stockholders that
"futuristic" style housing, as well as demonstrated some of the
software titles that we're working on. Be sure to check the last
issue of Atari Explorer Online Magazine for all the details on
that meeting...they had an excellent reporter hidden in the crowd!
Most of the details reported by AEO are right on target.
Especially of interest to some of the attendees at the meeting was
the fact that the Jaguar does in fact have a 64 bit data bus.
On the Computer side of our business, we're continuing to get
shipments of the Atari Falcon030 Computer in good quantity. We
have finally seen the first shipments of the 1 meg no hard disk
machines, and the four meg no hard disk units. We're still on
back-order for the RAM boards that we're manufacturing, but the
developers are supplying our customers with high quality 3rd party
boards. I stopped by B & C ComputerVisions earlier this week to
catch a first hand look at the RAM Gizmo Board from CHRO Magic.
This board accepts regular SIMM modules in it, and looks terrific!
The suggested retail price of the board is $99, without SIMMs. B
& C had already installed a 14 meg upgrade into one of the units
that they had for sale, and seemed quite pleased with the results!
For our part, we have been shipping MultiTOS and SpeedoGDOS. We
had been shipping Atari Works as part of the Falcon030 shipments,
but hadn't gotten the manuals in. There has been a significant
demand for Atari Works, and in our zeal to meet the demand, there
was a mistake made in the final process of preparing the product
to be shipped. It seems that rather than package the 720K
floppies that we had manufactured to go in the stand alone Atari
Works package, the units inadvertendly went out with the High
Density floppies that were supposed to go with the Falcon030. We
apologize for the problems...the stand alone version of Works
wasn't really quite ready to go out the door. We were waiting for
the boxes to be manufactured...and we're a little red-faced about
the mistake. Greg Labrec is hustling to make things right, and I'm
sure that we'll have this straightened out in short order.
Our current inventory situation on the Falcon030 is quite strong,
and our dealer base is still growing, albeit mostly in the music
side of the business. On the computer side domestically, we're
pleased that we were visited by our friends from Holland, Compo
Software last week. They are preparing to bring into the US their
high quality PC board, Falcon Speed, as well as the exciting
Overscan product called Screen Blaster. I expect that they will
also be importing in the product NVDI, a high quality screen re-
draw accelerator. They were kind enough to provide me with copies
of these products, and they look terrific! The Falcon Speed Board
is a very clean "plug and play" type of design, and the
Screenblaster plugs in to your monitor port, and then a cable to
one of the joystick ports. Very nice results, and fully
programmable. Be sure to check with COMPO here on GEnie for the
pricing and availability of these products.
I had a lot more to say in my opening remarks, but a hard disk
demon seems to have stricken them from my files....
<[sTTeve] S.MILLER58> So MultiTOS is available now for the TT?
<BOB-BRODIE> Yes Steve, it is shipping. Works great, I use it
everyday at work. I believe that the MSRP is $69
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> Thanks, one thing that many people are
fearing is that Atari will be concentrating more on the Jaguar and
neglect the Atari Computer's series for a while? I hope that this
fear is unjustified. Also, how long will Atari take to produce an
'040 Computer? it doesn't appear to be planned and this is part of
why some of those fears emerged...also, how supportive is Atari
about Atari Clones made in both Germany and U.S. (unofficial
yet).
<BOB-BRODIE> Yat, we've made it very clear that we intend to
support the Falcon for a long, long time. We've indicated to you
personally, repeatedly, that we will not discuss future products
that have not been announced, and that I am an employee of the US,
and not preparted to discuss European issues...three months
running now.
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> It's not about Europe...
<BOB-BRODIE> There is no question that the Jaguar is an important
product for our product line, and that the Falcon is as well. We
took pains at our recent shareholders meeting to showcase both
machines to ensure that our shareholders understood that we are
supporting both of the products to the fullest.
The only reason that I can think of that you are saying that an
040 appears to be unplanned is that we're unwilling to discuss
future products.
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> Ok..thanks, what is Atari's viewpoint about
Clone Computers about Atari?
<BOB-BRODIE> I assure you that as Sam has indicated in the past,
the Falcon is the first in a new family of computers. There will
be updates to the line, and we'll continue to make computers for
quite a while to come. As far as the clones go, we've worked
closely with most of the so-called clones, and they are in many
cases just a repacked Atari.
<[Die/!\Hard] PRESS-20> Can you tell us more about the IBM-Jaguar
deal. Seems to me to be one of the most significant developments
of the decade for Atari. An American made entertainment console is
going to make a wonderful Christmas present.
<BOB-BRODIE> The contract is for 30 months, IBM will be sourcing
the parts, doing the Q/A, building and distributing the product
from their warehouse in North Carolina. Can you be more specific
in your question?
<[Die/!\Hard] PRESS-20> So question one: any more details? Okay,
any chance that IBM would build Falcons and TTs?
<BOB-BRODIE> Not at this time, we have other contracts in place
for that. In the future, it's a possibility.
<[Die/!\Hard] PRESS-20> Any chance that STBooks may make it into
production?
<BOB-BRODIE> Right now we're focusing on the Falcon and the
Jaguar, Donovan. We are aware of the demand for the ST Book, but
think that it will need a lot more re-working before it will be
ready.
<[Sean@TWP] P-DIRECT> Hello, Bob. Fairly easy question - any news
on when the software for the upgrade cards with the Falcon030 will
be shipped?
<BOB-BRODIE> The software is shipping now, Sean. We sent out a
mailing today with the material in it for the dealers.
<[Sean@TWP] P-DIRECT> Great News, Bob. Thanks.
<[Jeff] J.WHITE99> Since there seems to be a lot of question
tonight concerning the TTs can you update us on the status of a
several week old rumor of TTs coming into Sunnyvale?
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Jeff, it's not a rumor at all. We're bringing the
TT back into production. We have been told by our corporate
officers to expect TT's sometime next month.
<[Jeff] J.WHITE99> OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!!!!
<[Sam030] SAM-RAPP> Hi Bob! I picked up Battle Wheels for the
Lynx yesterday! Great game! Any news on Daemonsgate or others?
What about the Joy stick/pad for Falcon? Same as Jaguar?
Available when? My dealer had no cards for missing Falcon
Software! Also, I have had a bad HD in my Falcon for a month! Why
can't Atari Get me a replacement?
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Sam....I agree, Battle wheels is a terrific game.
The next ones that you should expect to see on the shelf are Gordo
106, Lemmings, and then Jimmy Connors Tennis. Sorry, no comment
about Daemonsgate, still in beta. The joystick pad for the Jaguar
is the same unit as for the Falcon, only a different color. Your
dealer can get the cards he needs for the missing Falcon software
by contacting Greg Labrec at Atari for them, or myself.
Re the hard drive, we had a few problems with some hard drives,
and the manufacturers were here at Atari trying to figure out what
the problem was. It didn't make sense to send out more until we
determined what the problem was. There was a concern that it might
have been a software problem rather than a hardware one.
<[Sam030] SAM-RAPP> When on Falcon stick? My HD problem was
DEFINITELY hardware! (bump...grind... etc!)GA and thanks!
<BOB-BRODIE> You'll have the Falcon stick when the games that use
it are available, Sam. All of the game manufacturers have them,
we won't be the only ones shipping them...and I know that you
think it was a hardware problem...so did everyone else. :( But
there is more to it than meets the eye and that's why the drive
mfgs were called in.
<[James] J.VOGH> Can you describe some Jaguar games and How well
suited is the Jaguar for 2D games like SF2 and sonic? Also, What
FCC class is the new TT?
<BOB-BRODIE>Hi James, take a look at the last Atari Explorer
Online Magazine here in the libraries on GEnie. It has a piece in
it about the shareholders meeting where it talks about the games.
They are truly stunning.
The Jag is better than 2D, it is well suited for 3D games. I'm
not sure what class the TT will be in when we get it...good
question. I'll ask.
Sorry I don't have the file number handy...
<[James] J.VOGH> About, the 2D stuff, is the Jaguar good at that
type of stuff if that is what you want to do? Parallax scrolling
etc.)
<BOB-BRODIE> We certainly don't want to restrict the machine in
any way, James. That's why we've designed it to interact with
both phone systems via modem, and cable TV systems.
<[Robb @ PAC] R.ALBRIGHT7> Hi Bob. Do you know of any Falcon-aware
games , i.e., 256 colour, 16bit sound, etc., available now, and
upcoming? Also, will there be a change in the TT MSRP with the
new shipment, you could sell some serious units at around Falcon
price!. And finally, what is the best source for apps available
for the Falcon, esp. video, maybe an updated TOS catalog (ther e
was a date on it, suggesting revision :') )
<BOB-BRODIE> Hey Rob, yes we are indeed aware of some Falcon
specific games. Most of them are coming here from Europe. They
look terrific, and really, really SOUND incredible as well. The
DSP is well suited to the sounds used by many of the leading game
developers.]
Re the TT, we're going to hold off on any price discussions on
that until they get in hand. We will be updating our dealers via
mailings and faxes as the new products become available...that's
what we did with the Ram GIZMO and it seemed to work nicely. Our
users will continue to get the latest in news on the exciting new
games and other Falcon products from Atari Explorer Online
Magazine, available here on GEnie.
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> Concerning the Jaguar: How many game
producers plan/are developing for Jaguar? Any Famous Names (aside
from Atari <grin>)? Is there or will there be a CDROM and CDROm
games? (excuse my ignorance if this is already known) and will
Atari and IBM maybe team up on distributing the Jaguar i.e.
Advertisement?
<BOB-BRODIE> No comment re the developers. Sorry. We plan on doing
our own press on the Jaguar. If you're in the area of the roll
out (New York or San Francisco) I'm sure you'll be impressed with
the results of the TV (yes, television) advertising that we'll
have for the Jaguar. If you are not in those target areas....get
cable or read Atari Explorer Online. They'll probably have GIFs of
the ads in their issue.
<[DAVE] D.MUNSIE> Hi Bob, I'll make these quick...Will the letters
IBM appear anywhere on the packaging? Also how many active users
(ST/STe here in the states now andd oes Atari encourage ST/STe
development still? Thanks...
<BOB-BRODIE> ST development makes no sense at all, not enough
colors, not enough sound. We've said for about three years now that
our developers should be making STE or greater products. Via our
developer newsletter we've provided guidance on programming for
compatibility (authored by Leonard Tramiel no less)and it is an
obtainable goal. I think that the Falcon offers such exciting new
capabilities that it makes sense to program with those in mind. As
far as the number of users, sorry....no comment. ga
<[Jeff] J.WHITE99> Is there going to be an official attempt to
gain some exposure in popular trades(reviews, comments, honorable
mentions,) like New Media or other cross platform mags - or would
it be appreciated if an anonymous letter to the pubs. suggested
that they investigate the Falcon and or other Products? Has anyone
in Sunnyvale looked at what Cupertino is proposing with the
"Cyclone"?
<BOB-BRODIE> Jeff, we have gotten such press in the past, albeit
not in New Media. We have seen write ups in Computer Reseller
News, a very prestigous industry publication. And yes...they are
officially sanctioned actions. I helped. :) New Media is neat, but
it's new. It hasn't even published for a year yet, so let's not
annoint it to the level of the Info World et als just yet. ga
<[Rob C.] R.COOPER2> Bob, I've heard a lot of talk regarding
Falcons without HDs not having the s/w pkgs. Could you comment on
this? Is the software extra for those who don't require the HD
space? If so, why is that? [a soon-to-be Falcon owner :) ]
...BTW, thanks for taking the time out to do this. It's
appreciated!
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Rob, the Falcons without HDs will ship without
SpeedoGDOS, Works, or Falcon D2D. The reason is that's part of the
incentive to purchase the machine with the HD...that software will
be pre-installed at the Factory (eventually), so there will be no
need to include the floppies with the units. BTW, I enjoy this
time, too. :)
<S.MERRILL1> What speed does the Jaguar run at?(mhz)
<BOB-BRODIE> Sorry, that's part of the info that I'd hoped to have
on hand, but couldn't get together with our staff to have
available for you tonight. Hopefully, we'll have a full spec
sheet available soon. Look for it in the library, as well as in a
future edition of Atari Explorer Online Magazine.
<[Die/!\Hard] PRESS-20> One question: What's the status of Atari
Explorer, the magazine?
<BOB-BRODIE> Still up in the air. We had a proposal to have it
done by Lindsay and company on the outside that looked like it was
going to fly, but was rejected at the last moment. Not sure why.
<AEO.4> I was impressed by the article in "Electronic Engineering
Times" dated July 5, 1993. Have you seen it? They gave a very
positive view of the Jaguar, comparing it to mid-range 3-D
workstations in power! It's nice to hear some positive news. I
am new to the RT, having just come on to AEO. I write the
article, "The Unabashed Atariophile."
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> I read in STFormat issue 47 (june 1993) that
the 520STFm is being reintroduced? I hope that isn't true....?
Thanks
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Yat, I read that too. Garry Tramiel and I had a
good laugh about it. No, it's not.
<[Robb @ PAC] R.ALBRIGHT7> Bob, I realize it is still early in the
game, but have there been any discussions with developers from
IBM/Mac with established software about porting to the Falcon?
Also, do you have any _names_ of the Falcon games I asked about
before?
<BOB-BRODIE> Rob, most of the developers from the IBM/Mac world
are going to want to see better sales of Falcons before they will
be willing to port their stuff. We're continuing to work with our
excellent developers association, The IAAD, to get the highest
quality software produced for our customers, and our machines.
We're grateful that we have such a dedicated organization of
professionals to work with. re the game titles, hmmmmmm nah.
Better not. :)
<ARCHIVIST> Bob, just a little question about the IBM deal. Will
they be making only the basic Jaguar or will they also be
responsible for the add-on's like the CD-Rom, joypad, etc
<BOB-BRODIE> Good question, Charlie. To be honest, I'm not 100%
sure. But in the past, we've always handed off the entire product
line to a specific manufacturer. ga
<[David] D.FREELAND> Hi Bob. I just got my F030 about a week ago
and after looking at the machine, speedo GDOS and Atari works, I
am sure Atari is on its way to reclaiming a good portion of the
market and attracting some NEW users to the platform. I was
wondering what kind of incentive is Atari giving to make their
programs work on the F030.
Also,is there any truth to the ST Format article that states Atari
is projecting the sale of 100,000 F030's by Christmas?
<BOB-BRODIE> Basically, we're providing developers with an
environment to produce products that are not possible to do on
other machines right out of the box. Like Digital Sound, and other
DSP kind of things. By giving them hardware that they can be
creative in, we feel that we will continue to attract some of the
very best/innovative minds in the world. Re the ST Format article,
I'd rather not comment on that, since I haven't seen the article
in question yet. I enjoy a pretty good relationship with ST
Format, and don't know what their source was, or their
intention...ie UK, Europe, worldwide, etc.
<[Chris] C.CASSADAY> The recent upload of the Develper CD ROM info
gives some light to the possibility of new developers coming on
board to the Atari platform. At least it gives the appearance that
Atari recognizes the need to increase developer support in order
to attract those folks... I know personally that Mike Fulton
helped me out quite a bit a few weeks ago when I needed some help.
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Chris, this is a project that we've wanted to do
for a long time. You're right, we're certainly aware of the
increase in support that is needed.
<R.HOUSE4> Three questions Bob - Do you have any information on
'Falcon Speed 486'? Are you aware of any Falcon specific
accelerator boards? Lastly, is there any plan to standardize the
look and feel of Atari specific software packages similar to
Windows and Mac applications to their respective platforms?
<BOB-BRODIE> I personally own a Falcon Speed 286, I've been asked
not to comment on the 486 product at this time. Yes, there is an
accelerator board, I believe it is from Overscan, but not 100%
certain about that. I was told that it was a 48Mhz board. Re the
standardization...that is something that Bill Rehbock took up once
upon a time. It didn't meet with a lot of success. In Europe,
they have an extra key to contend with that tends to mess up some
of the common key combos that we'd like to see. Like using the ALT
key for instance. It's evil. :) But certainly common things, like
Control-O to open a file, that sort of stuff...should come in
time.
<C.S.SMETON> Bob, Sales via the Distribution system have almost
reached a standstill. Does Atari have a list of the 140+ Falcon
approved dealers that you can give to developers for direct
marketing?
<BOB-BRODIE> Charles, at this point I have been instructed not to
release that list. Sorry. We are discussing other methods with the
IAAD to aid in the sales, like putting them in contact with our
rep firms to ensure that the reps are aware of the third party
solutions that are available on the computer side of the business.
Most of them have a high level of expertise on the music side,
but couldn't un-lzh a file if their life depended on it. Or unzip
one, right Jeff? <ducking>:-)
<C.S.SMETON> Bob, I would not expect a music dealer to un-zip or
un-lzh a file. I just want to directly contact them about our
products. How many of the Falcon ADA dealers are music specific or
music intensive and how many are true computer stores? How does a
user know where they can buy aFalcon?
<BOB-BRODIE> Charles, understood. My point is that since I cannot
release the list directly, I want to do the next best thing...make
sure that our sales reps can inform dealers of your products in a
proper fashion. It's going to be an educational process for them,
they are largely musically inclined. The dealers are running about
3-1 Music. A user can know where to buy one by contacting Atari,
or by looking for a dealer's advertisment.
<[Splat!] DMJ> First, I heard a rumor that one dealer has 500
Falcons. If this is true, it's good news. I also read the
Developer's CD info; it looks good.
<BOB-BRODIE> Not true.
<[Splat!] DMJ> Not true about the 500 Falcons? Oh well.
<BOB-BRODIE> 50 maybe, not 500. Sorry. Actually, most of the
dealers report that their shipments come in, and go out pretty
quickly.
<[Splat!] DMJ> Okay... about how much will the Developer CD cost?
<BOB-BRODIE> Sorry for the delay, had to double check with the Dev
guys on that. No price has been announced at this time.
<[DAVE] D.MUNSIE> Bob, as a writer for a European magazine (ST
REVIEW) I have to clarify this. When you said you laughed about
the ST Format article about the re-release of the STFM's are you
going on record as saying there is no truth to that article what
so ever? A lot of people in the media in the UK seem to think it's
true. Thanks.
<BOB-BRODIE> Dave, when I was told about the rumor, I asked my
immediate superior, Garry Tramiel. He is well informed on our
companies plans world wide. He indicated that it was not true.
<[Host] ST.LOU> Well Bob it has been another wonderful evening and
I would like to thank you for staying well beyond our usual time.
Best wishes in the days ahead and I hope you get to spend some
summer time with your family!
<BOB-BRODIE> Thanks, Lou. It's always a pleasure to spend this
time on GEnie, our official online service with our users. I
really look forward to this event that we've come to share each
and every month exclusively here on our online network of choice,
GEnie!!! I'm off to a weekend with my family for some of the
summer fun, and hope that the rest of you have a wonderful weekend
as well. Good night!!!
