****¢ THE GAME MACHINE¢ ¢ By Mark Krynsky, August 1991.¢ (Ed. Note: I left the EDITORS NOTE by¢ OL' HACKER MEMBER from SCOTLAND, and¢ FUTURA EDITOR, S.J. MURRAY at the end¢ of the article just as he wrote it,¢ so you can get a viewpoint from a¢ different prospective.¢ ¢ Mention the word Atari to almost¢ anyone and ask them what is the first¢ thing that comes to mind, and you can¢ almost bet that the words "game¢ machine" will quickly be uttered.¢ This is understandable, since to this¢ day we can look back and see Atari's¢ 2600 incredible popularity as it¢ became the first full fledged game¢ system to be sold to the masses, and¢ to this day remains the mother of all¢ game machines.¢ ¢ Game machines have always tried¢ to get a portion of the computer¢ market by offering add-ons such as¢ keyboards and non-game software.¢ Atari has been the only company able¢ to flourish both in the game market¢ as well as the computer market.¢ Coleco bombed with their eventual¢ release of a computer called "Adam".¢ (Hmmm... come to think of it, Apple¢ bombed with their system called¢ "Lisa", maybe companies should stay¢ away from naming computers after¢ people.)¢ ¢ Well, not too long after the¢ release of the 2600, Atari set it's¢ sights higher and decided to design a¢ computer line. This brought about¢ the 8-bit line of computers as well¢ as a new generation of game machines¢ with better graphics and sound. It¢ has continually remained a trend for¢ Atari to sell computers and games¢ machines concurrently. The game¢ machines are sold in drastically¢ larger numbers and are always¢ launched by large advertising¢ campaigns. The advertising is almost¢ non-existent when it comes to the¢ computer line. This is one of the¢ main reasons Atari has been¢ associated almost entirely with games¢ over the years.¢ ¢ Although they are trying harder¢ than ever to make a clear distinction¢ between the game and computer¢ division, Atari still remains the¢ innovator in the game arena. With¢ the release of the Lynx, Atari became¢ the first company to have a hand-held¢ colour game system. This is a wise¢ pursuit since the home console market¢ has become so extremely competitive.¢ ¢ From the birth of the 520ST to¢ the current TT030 we can see that¢ Atari has evolved its computer line¢ to be as powerful as the machines¢ offered from Apple and IBM. This is¢ not to deny that great games have¢ been available for the Atari computer¢ line as well, but unfortunately the¢ company's image has affected the¢ ability for people to take an¢ open-minded look when interested in¢ purchasing a computer. It also seems¢ quite ironic that games for all other¢ computer lines sell in much larger¢ quantities in comparison to Atari.¢ Most of the new software being¢ released, especially for the TT line,¢ is on a professional level and even¢ the pursuit of big business. Games¢ are taking a back seat to this new¢ image Atari is trying to project in¢ the hopes of penetrating through to¢ the corporate level.¢ ¢ At our store (The Computer¢ Network, a full service Atari dealer)¢ I would say that games comprise only¢ 30% of our total software sales.¢ Ordering and stock balancing is very¢ difficult when it comes to games.¢ Most of them don't carry much more¢ than a thirty day shelf life, if¢ that, and it can become quite a¢ tedious task to second guess which¢ games are going to be hot sellers.¢ On the other hand, application titles¢ such as word processors or DTP¢ programs we carry have been steady¢ sellers for over three years. Of¢ course, there are exceptions to the¢ rule such as Dungeon Master, which¢ broke new boundaries in adventure¢ games and still outsells most new¢ releases.¢ ¢ At this time, I see the Atari¢ computer line becoming more focused¢ on specializing in certain areas.¢ Music seems to be a stronghold in the¢ market, and all levels of desktop¢ publishing are great forces for the¢ ST/TT line, but it can not be denied¢ that these computers are great for¢ playing games. Real computers add an¢ extra dimension of control and at¢ times the necessary horsepower that¢ some games demand to make them better¢ than those found on dedicated game¢ machines.¢ ¢ As time goes on, I think we will¢ see the evolution of games machines¢ and computers continuing. Although¢ there could eventually be a merging¢ of the two technologies, I don't¢ think we will see one machine that¢ will be able to excel equally in both¢ areas and become adopted as an all¢ purpose system.¢ ¢ With the continuing release of¢ new and innovative technology, I¢ would have to predict that Atari will¢ continue to be successful in their¢ pursuit of both the game and computer¢ markets.¢ ¢ -------------------------------------¢ ¢ Mark Krynsky is co-owner of The¢ Computer Network, a successful Atari¢ dealership in Glendale, California¢ (1605 W.Glenoaks, Glendale, CA 91201,¢ 818-500-3900). Mark has been selling¢ Atari computers for over six years.¢ He particularly loves customers who¢ bring in mail order ads with cut rate¢ prices or who come in and want help¢ using software for which they have no¢ manual.¢ ¢ -------------------------------------¢ ¢ ED'S NOTE :¢ ¢ I've included this article to¢ give you some idea of the U.S.¢ computer market and, more¢ importantly, Atari's place in it.¢ With games sales at 30% of total¢ sales, Atari's move away from the¢ 'game machine' tag appears to be¢ working in the U.S. Whether or not¢ this trend appeals to you depends¢ entirely on what you use your Atari¢ for. Of course, the European Atari¢ market is probably entirely opposite¢ to the U.S. market just now.¢ However, a quick look into Atari's¢ history will show that the market in¢ Europe has consistently followed that¢ of the U.S.¢ The decline of the U.S. 2600¢ market in 1984 was followed by a¢ similar decline in Europe during¢ 1985. The decline of the U.S. XL/XE¢ market in 1989 was followed by Europe¢ in 1990. Will the decline of the¢ U.S. ST market last year be followed¢ throughout Europe next year? Unless¢ Atari UK, and its European¢ counterparts, open their eyes and get¢ their act together the answer will¢ undoubtedly be yes. They have¢ abandoned all 2600 and 7800 owners.¢ Even more criminal, they have¢ abandoned the classic Atari 8-bit¢ (while sales of the Commodore 64¢ continue!). The ST will almost¢ certainly follow over the next two¢ years. Atari have a lot to answer¢ for - millions of orphan computer¢ systems!¢ ¢ However, I believe the Atari¢ 8-bit will continue to mature without¢ it's industrial mother. There are¢ too many users who love their¢ systems. Software and hardware will¢ continue to flow, although at a¢ reduced level, and user groups will¢ go from strength to strength. Atari¢ will move on and, more importantly to¢ us, its orphans will grow up and¢ develop their own lives!¢ ¢ S.J.Murray, Futura Editor, 15th¢ April, 1992.¢ * END *
