E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill • Hacker News Board

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#11

Post by flomo » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 8:14 PM UTC

gregd wrote: post #5

TehCorwiz wrote: post #3

I'm both amazed and disappointed that this urban legend turned out to be true. The former because who the would do that in the first place? The latter because who the would do that in the first place?

Well this happened back when we really didn't give a shit about the environment AND just before conspicuous consumption more or less defined the 80s. What I'm dumbfounded by is why they didn't simply give them away? It reminds me of all the stupid YouTube videos of people who wait in line to buy the latest Apple product only to smash it in front of everyone else waiting in line...

Atari games were discounted to $1 or $2 and they were stacked to the celling at major retailers. They sat around discount stores for a decade afterward. There's still warehouses full of them.[1] The company produced millions more games than the number of systems they sold, so who would they have given them too?

[1] http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/02/gamesetinterview_ataricl...

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#12

Post by jimminy » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 8:16 PM UTC

bluedino wrote: post #8

jimminy wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having "played"` the game when I was much younger, they were probably trying to save some face and pretend the mess never existed. ` It's not really playable because of horrible collision detection and no mentions of your objective, AFAIR.

Some guy fixed most of that stuff - http://www.neocomputer.org/projects/et/

Yeah I've read that article before.

Of course it doesn't change the fact that what was shipped on the cartridges 30 years ago was crap, or the fact it took 30 years for someone to decide to fix it. Atari's decision remains the same, in my opinion.

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#13

Post by raldi » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 8:17 PM UTC

gregd wrote: post #5

TehCorwiz wrote: post #3

I'm both amazed and disappointed that this urban legend turned out to be true. The former because who the would do that in the first place? The latter because who the would do that in the first place?

Well this happened back when we really didn't give a shit about the environment AND just before conspicuous consumption more or less defined the 80s. What I'm dumbfounded by is why they didn't simply give them away? It reminds me of all the stupid YouTube videos of people who wait in line to buy the latest Apple product only to smash it in front of everyone else waiting in line...

If I remember correctly, the cartridges had to be destroyed for tax reasons.

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#14

Post by callesgg » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 8:21 PM UTC

gregd wrote: post #10

callesgg wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It Is a shity game. Allowing people to play it would have been bad for the brand. Where I work, we(someone) burns the stuff that we can't sell not cause the stuff is bad, it is done to make shore the brand does not get associated with Cheap stuff. Brand status is important. (I know it is somewhat insane but it is the way capitalism works)

And yet look where Atari is today..

Classical http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_caus...

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#15

Post by smacktoward » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 8:39 PM UTC

gregd wrote: post #5

TehCorwiz wrote: post #3

I'm both amazed and disappointed that this urban legend turned out to be true. The former because who the would do that in the first place? The latter because who the would do that in the first place?

Well this happened back when we really didn't give a shit about the environment AND just before conspicuous consumption more or less defined the 80s. What I'm dumbfounded by is why they didn't simply give them away? It reminds me of all the stupid YouTube videos of people who wait in line to buy the latest Apple product only to smash it in front of everyone else waiting in line...

> this happened back when we really didn't give a shit about the environment

The first Earth Day was in 1970: http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement

Which is not to say it was impossible in the early '80s to not give a shit about the environment, just that by that point ignorance really wasn't a good excuse anymore.

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#16

Post by sown » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 8:59 PM UTC

gregd wrote: post #5

TehCorwiz wrote: post #3

I'm both amazed and disappointed that this urban legend turned out to be true. The former because who the would do that in the first place? The latter because who the would do that in the first place?

Well this happened back when we really didn't give a shit about the environment AND just before conspicuous consumption more or less defined the 80s. What I'm dumbfounded by is why they didn't simply give them away? It reminds me of all the stupid YouTube videos of people who wait in line to buy the latest Apple product only to smash it in front of everyone else waiting in line...

> What I'm dumbfounded by is why they didn't simply give them away?

ET for Atari was that horrible. You cannot give it away.

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#17

Post by kabdib » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 9:07 PM UTC

TehCorwiz wrote: post #3

I'm both amazed and disappointed that this urban legend turned out to be true. The former because who the would do that in the first place? The latter because who the would do that in the first place?

I'm not amazed, but I was at Atari when these were being landfilled.

Atari was falling apart amazingly fast, and losing about a million dollars a day toward the end (whereupon, massive layoffs, and some of us got to work for Jack Tramiel, while others got to stay in Atari Coin-op).

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#18

Post by kabdib » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 9:10 PM UTC

TehCorwiz wrote: post #3

I'm both amazed and disappointed that this urban legend turned out to be true. The former because who the would do that in the first place? The latter because who the would do that in the first place?

Also, there were about 14 million Atari 2600 consoles in existence, and this number includes the ones in closets.

Atari manufactured many millions more than that, apparently on the theory that the game would drive 2600 sales as well.

I'll tell you, Atari marketing was terrible. They had no earthly clue what they were doing. Oh, I've got stories...

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#19

Post by nostromo » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 9:22 PM UTC

I saw a funny, but also sad, bit by a comedian once. I wish I could remember his name.

"Everything you've ever owned is still out there," he said. "Remember those rollerblades you used once in 1994? Those still exist. Except maybe in little pieces. Maybe in the ocean."

Maybe in 20 years someone will dig up a few of those millions of plastic Guitar Hero guitars that are now wasting away in landfills for a documentary.

Re: E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill

#20

Post by kstenerud » Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 9:28 PM UTC

I actually liked the E.T. game. It was probably one of the games I played the most as a child (next to Pitfall). Pac Man, on the other hand, was terrible on the Atari.