Atari Flashback 8 Classic Game Console

My only regret is not getting the portable one so I could bring it to work and play on my lunch. But, I wanted a more authentic experience with the classic controllers, and I'm glad I got it. The unit itself is pretty light and doesn't feel like super strong plastic, but I'm not too worried because it sits on a shelf. It hooks up to the TV with white and yellow RCA cables, so no stereo sound. The picture and sound are good, though, by 1980s standards. The controllers have a nice feel to them. I'm not sure how they compare to original controllers because it's been too long, but they feel good to me. The sticks are nice and responsive and the button is clicky, as you expect from 80s controllers. Both controllers and controller ports work on my unit. I do need to get ... MoreMy only regret is not getting the portable one so I could bring it to work and play on my lunch. But, I wanted a more authentic experience with the classic controllers, and I'm glad I got it. The unit itself is pretty light and doesn't feel like super strong plastic, but I'm not too worried because it sits on a shelf. It hooks up to the TV with white and yellow RCA cables, so no stereo sound. The picture and sound are good, though, by 1980s standards. The controllers have a nice feel to them. I'm not sure how they compare to original controllers because it's been too long, but they feel good to me. The sticks are nice and responsive and the button is clicky, as you expect from 80s controllers. Both controllers and controller ports work on my unit. I do need to get paddle controllers for games that need them. The game selection is what sold me on this. Playing games I grew up with like Frogger, Space Invaders, Asteroids and Centipede with classic controllers on a modern TV is fun. Of course there are games I won't play, but that happens with these collections. But, there are a lot good games. There are even some modern games for the 2600 on it. All told, this is a great console and I'm glad Walmart rolls these out for the Holidays. Being able to buy one locally instead of having to buy one online is always nice.

A real throwback for old scholl gamers

This console is sturdy, does all it promises in delivering a vast array of Atari 2600 games, and the wireles joysticks are a joy because you don't need to point them at the unit. My only real qualm is not so much with the product, but how I remembered these games. In my head the 2600 was a video arcade at home...The graphics ripped away my naivete in a heartbeat. I can't fault the unit for this, but be warned that your memories may be dashed abit when you see the reality of what you played. I DO recommend it.

Flashback

Talk about going back in time. Grew up with Atari as my first video game. Makes you realize how far technology has come. Saw this console in the Christmas catalog....had to get it. Good value for the price. Comes with over 100 games. Don't expect super graphics. Games are exactly as they used to be. (Except I think the sound on Space Invaders was different) Great way to show the grandkids how good they have it.....lol.

Fun, but could be better.

Young kids who haven't already become addicted to high-tech games will like it, and the old folks will like it for the memories. People in the middle...maybe not because they will turn their noses up at such low-tech stuff. I have only tried a few of the games that I remember, like Centipede and Frogger, which are really good. Many of the games i never knew about, but that's OK. By the way, where is Dig Dug...maybe my all time favorite? I'm very disappointed that it wasn't included. That takes away one star for quality. The other quality star I take away is because the graphics aren't as good as the original Atari 2600. You would think that, in this day of high tech, they could at least duplicate the quality of the graphics of something that is over 30 years old. ... MoreYoung kids who haven't already become addicted to high-tech games will like it, and the old folks will like it for the memories. People in the middle...maybe not because they will turn their noses up at such low-tech stuff. I have only tried a few of the games that I remember, like Centipede and Frogger, which are really good. Many of the games i never knew about, but that's OK. By the way, where is Dig Dug...maybe my all time favorite? I'm very disappointed that it wasn't included. That takes away one star for quality. The other quality star I take away is because the graphics aren't as good as the original Atari 2600. You would think that, in this day of high tech, they could at least duplicate the quality of the graphics of something that is over 30 years old. However, I would still recommend this for the price. It is a fun thing to have in your home.

Good for nostalgia

It was nice to play some of the games for reasons of nostalgia, but a lot of the games are not playable because the joystick responsiveness is fairly poor quality. I think maybe you need to buy paddles to connect to play certain games? Hard to tell what the problem is exactly. I put yes for recommendations to buy, but don't expect to be able to play all the games.

Low quality, poorly designed

Much like the negative reviews here, the picture looks terrible on a flat screen/hdtv. Hard to read the game titles. The joysticks are sporadic and don’t respond correctly to your motions. I thought I’d show off my old school skills to my 11 year old but failed miserably because of the lag. Also there is no home button to return to the main menu. If you want to play something different out of the 100+ games stored, you physically have to power down the console and turn it back on. I brought it back to BBB to exchange, but noticed all the other available units were opened, used and obviously returned.

Low-cost way to teach kids about video games

This is a good unit for small kids; they learn how to control the joystick. But this game is not even as good as the one I played in 80s with the cartridges; and then several years ago bought one very similar to this unit with games built-in internally. I am not very good at these games yet everything is really delayed. And the picture quality is not very good. We cannot play 2-players on this; just have to take turns. But, we are using it for a 3-YO and 6-YO to just have fun with. So for around $ 30.00 it should last them awhile.

Names of the games

I thought i would list the games because I had to search for them. Comes with dozens of your favorite back-in-the-day Atari games: - 3D Tic-Tac-Toe - Adventure - Adventure II - Air Raiders - Air/Sea Battle - Aquaventure - Armor Ambush - Asteroids - Astroblast - Atari Climber - Backgammon - Basketball - Beamrider - Black Jack - Bowling - Breakout - Canyon Bomber - Centipede - Championship Soccer - Chase It - Chopper Command - Circus Atari - Combat - Combat Two - Cosmic Commuter - Crackpots - Crystal Castles - Dark Cavern (Night Stalker) - Decathlon - Demons to Diamonds - Desert Falcon - Dodge ‘Em - Double Dunk - Dragster - Enduro - Escape It - Fatal Run - Fishing Derby - Flag Capture - Football - Frog Pond - Frogger - Frogs and Flies - Front Line - Frostbite - Fun ... MoreI thought i would list the games because I had to search for them. Comes with dozens of your favorite back-in-the-day Atari games: - 3D Tic-Tac-Toe - Adventure - Adventure II - Air Raiders - Air/Sea Battle - Aquaventure - Armor Ambush - Asteroids - Astroblast - Atari Climber - Backgammon - Basketball - Beamrider - Black Jack - Bowling - Breakout - Canyon Bomber - Centipede - Championship Soccer - Chase It - Chopper Command - Circus Atari - Combat - Combat Two - Cosmic Commuter - Crackpots - Crystal Castles - Dark Cavern (Night Stalker) - Decathlon - Demons to Diamonds - Desert Falcon - Dodge ‘Em - Double Dunk - Dragster - Enduro - Escape It - Fatal Run - Fishing Derby - Flag Capture - Football - Frog Pond - Frogger - Frogs and Flies - Front Line - Frostbite - Fun with Numbers - Golf - Gravitar - H.E.R.O. - Hangman - Haunted House - Home Run - Human Cannonball - Indy 500 - International Soccer - Jungle Hunt - Kaboom! - Keystone Kapers - Maze Craze - Megamania - Millipede - Miniature Golf - Miss It - Missile Command - MotoRodeo - Night Driver - Off-the-Wall - Oink! - Outlaw - Pitfall! - Polaris - Pong (Video Olympics) - Pressure Cooker - Radar Lock - Realsports Baseball - Realsports Basketball - Realsports Soccer - Realsports Volleyball - Return to Haunted House - River Raid - Saboteur - Save Mary - Sea Battle - Seaquest - Secret Quest - Shield Shifter - Sky Diver - Slot Machine - Slot Racers - Solaris - Space Attack - Space Invaders - Space War - Sprintmaster - Stampede - Star Ship - Star Strike - Starmaster - Steeplechase - Stellar Track - Street Racer - Submarine Commander - Super Baseball - Super Breakout - Super Challenge Baseball (Major League Baseball)/Super Challenge Football (NFL Football)/Super Football - Surround Sword Fight - Swordquest: Earthworld - Swordquest: Fireworld - Swordquest: Waterworld - Tempest - Video Checkers - Video Chess - Video Pinball - Warlords - Wizard - Yars' Return - Yars' Revenge

Not worth the money

Many of the 100+ games in this console do not work well on my HD TV. Space Invaders and Frogger were the main attractions on this console for me, and they do work well. So, I am content that my favourite games work, but I am not thrilled about the price I paid for this. I do not recommend this game console. I believe that you would be better off buying one of those less-expensive 10-in-1 joystick games that you connect to the TV. FYI: As many people have noted elsewhere, playing these 8-bit games again after many years has an initial thrill, but quickly wears off... especially after you've played the more recent games with better graphics and controls, and advanced levels of challenges, etc....

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY

If you are looking to play the games from your past, this is not the unit to buy. While the game objectives are similar, the graphics are no better than the original Pong game. It looks like the programming was written by high school students for a class project. They should not even be allowed to use the same game names since they are so different than the arcade games you remember. Don't waste your money! This was the cheapest of all the Flashback games. I really hope the expensive versions are not this bad also. I will not risk it.