Unlike the bustling scene at Pokémon Center, the situation at Atari was much more dire.
Atari's collapse came faster than anyone had imagined.
The AtariLyn, the last remaining hope of Atari and Warner, failed to carve out a niche in the handheld console market that had been almost completely devoured by Gamenova, as they had expected.
It didn't even manage to break even, which should have been the most normal thing in the world.
As a long-established company deeply rooted in the video game industry, AtariLyn's emergence has indeed garnered the support of a group of loyal fans.
Tom was one of them.
As a believer who has been a staunch supporter since the rise of Atari 2600, Tom, like most ardent fans, has his own set of beliefs.
That means Atari wasn't wrong; the fault lay with the developers who refused to make good games, and with that despicable new generation.
As the saying goes, if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.
In Tom's view, failure was not terrible; Atari simply lacked an opportunity, a chance to get its course back on track.
They could have learned from this failure and properly disciplined those unmotivated developers.
If Atari can rebuild its game lineup, it will eventually return to its rightful place.
However, the emergence of Gamenova and Nintendo ruined everything.
Tom remembers it, on the eve of that third-generation console war.
Atari finally caught its breath and bravely faced the doubts of the crowd, pulling out the Atari 7800 that only cost $140.
We are determined to seize back everything in one fell swoop.
However, Atari, caught in the middle of the two warring factions, was like a Joker that no one cared about.
For his Chicago debut, only a handful of longtime fans like Tom and onlookers showed up.
Tom still remembers that day when he heard the undisguised sneers of the people around him, standing there like a lackey.
Inside the venue, almost everyone was watching the show, and whenever someone actually went up to pay for a ticket, they were ridiculed by those around them.
It's like saying that spending $140 to buy Atari 7800 is the biggest culprit.
That day, with tears in his eyes, Tom didn't hesitate to take out his money and buy one.
After that, Tom pretended not to hear anything, no matter how much people around him talked about the new games.
Nintendo's Super Mario Bros.. is so much fun, and Gamenova has created a world-shaking 3D shooting game----
None of that matters anymore.
Because he already owns Atari 7800.
A super gaming console with 4KB of memory, 256 colors with a maximum of 25 simultaneous color outputs, and a 7.16MHz graphics processor.
Not only is it backward compatible with the tens of thousands of games available on the Atari 2600, but it also boasts a large number of excellent launch titles.
Shooting game?
Sorry, but our Atari 7800 has Galaga, a top-tier side-scrolling shooter game that rivals the legendary Pac-Man.
Racing?
Our Atari 7800 also features Pole Position II, made possible by its powerful graphics chip. It 'Atari's most powerful racing game ever, with pseudo-3D effects that provide an arcade-level experience.
Action, sports, shooting, mazes, light guns----
Everything you'd expect from a video game is there!
Tom said that.
But all I got in return was even louder laughter.
"Ha! You call this 3D? You call this action?"
He wouldn't even pick up the controller to try it out, yelling that he needed to go back and play the new game, and then he just walked away.
Is the Gamenova game console really that fun?
Sometimes, Tom really did have those moments of doubt.
He had seen that amazing TV show on television more than once.
But every time Tom accidentally tunes to EV0, he always seems to see something terrifying and quickly switches to another channel as if he's been electrocuted.
It's as if those amazing things don't exist if you don't look at them yourself.
And so it went, day after day, until Tom's defenses were finally on the verge of collapse under the overwhelming force of the 16-digit number.
Atari reappeared before him like a savior.
[The world's most powerful 8-bit handheld console!]
This is clearly aimed at NovaPocket.
Tom, who had been somewhat tired of the video game world, suddenly perked up.
Second-generation veterans request to fight!
Pay, receive the goods—all in one smooth process.
If we can take this opportunity to defeat Gamenova, or even just Nintendo, that would be fantastic.
"Hmm... it's even more solid than I expected."
It's heavy; that was Tom's first impression upon handling it.
However, this is completely understandable.
Heavyness signifies solid materials and substantial quality.
This is definitely a good thing!
If it feels light and easy to handle, that would actually make him worry that he might have been switched by the water ring toss platform.
Powered by six AA batteries----
It's acceptable, considering its performance is so impressive.
AtariLyn features a custom Suzy 16-bit coprocessor.
It provides this handheld console with unimaginable image scaling and rotation capabilities.
With that huge 3.5-inch color screen, using six batteries is definitely worthwhile.
Good stuff just tends to have higher power consumption!
The more this was the case, the more reassured Tom became.
This at least proves that Atari did not cut corners on the hardware.
"So—it's time to install the cartridge."
Lvn was born at the wrong time; Atari has now essentially lost all its third-party lineup.
However, its vast library of games is still compatible with this new machine.
The initial bundle is a collection of sports games called " California Games ".
This is the work of Epy, a talented studio under Atari.
He is also the other biological father of the Lyn handheld console.
No new works?
Tom rummaged through the package, but there was nothing else inside.
He'd played this " California Games " game countless times already.
That's understandable, though.
It's a new phone, after all; isn't it normal for its game lineup to be somewhat lacking?
If we just wait a little longer, Atari will catch up.
Let's wait a little longer; there will always be an opportunity.
Even before achieving success, Lyn's gaming experience came to an abrupt end.
Just over two hours later, it suddenly shut down without any warning.
The power is out.
Six AA batteries lasted only two hours.
Not to mention that after playing for only a short while, his wrists were already starting to ache.
Heavy, poor battery life, and... no games yet.
What exactly did I buy?
Tom rummaged through the sewing box; there were no extra batteries left, and the nearest convenience store was two kilometers away.
After the initial shock, a surge of anger welled up inside me.
Outrageous anger.
I've waited so long, given you my time, my expectations, my trust, and even spent every penny of my money.
But in the end, is this what we get?
"Bang!"
Tom shoved it back into the box, hurriedly repackaged it, then opened the door and tossed the package onto his passenger seat.
He needs to go to the supermarket.
But this time he wasn't going to buy batteries.
"Return the goods!"
The cardboard box was slammed onto the counter, revealing Tom's head, which was already flushed red from the rush of blood to his head.
"Yes, sir."
The clerk at the front desk showed no surprise whatsoever; she simply nodded politely, took the box, and opened it to inspect it.
It seems this has happened many times today.
The other party was already used to this.
The entire inspection process was rather perfunctory; the teller simply took the item out, glanced at it, and then put it back.
Then, a form was pushed in front of Tom.
"The inspection was successful. If possible, we would appreciate it if you could fill out this Atari Customer Satisfaction Survey with your personal information and feedback on using the machine."
"No need! Just give me my money back."
Tom's voice was icy cold.
When the last veneer of appreciation for Atari shattered, the backlash was more severe than anyone else's.
At that moment, he was like a spring that had been suppressed for a long time, suddenly released.
Holding the money that had been returned to him intact, Tom walked to the door, intending to leave directly.
Then, his gaze fell on the poster on the wall.
That's a NovaPocket.
Compared to Atari's Lyn, it is more aesthetically pleasing, lighter, and cheaper.
NP is currently having a discount promotion.
The price was reduced by another $10, officially breaking into the double digits.
Tom looked at the hundred-plus dollars in his hand, then at the poster on the wall.
Suddenly, all the stubbornness and resentment I had displayed over the years seemed to have become a joke.
He stopped, turned back to the shelf, and randomly picked out a paint job he liked.
After thinking for a moment, I randomly picked up a Pokémon Red.
Then he returned to the front desk.
Pokémon is currently having a sale with discounts to promote their new game.
The money I just received as a refund was just enough to buy this set.
"Give it a try."
Atari headquarters.
Faced with the latest sales report, an indescribable sense of gloom hung over the entire company.
The failure came too suddenly and too violently.
AtariLyn, a machine that is clearly of excellent quality in every aspect.
Despite being the most powerful 8-bit handheld console in the true sense, it failed to make a ripple in the handheld console market.
For the NS, its performance is negligible and far too weak.
For NP, it is too bulky and not elegant enough.
Aside from its disastrous battery life and bulky weight, the most criticized aspect of the Lvn is still that Atari's inescapable weakness.
No games!
Although sales once climbed to nearly 800,000 units, the actual sales volume actually fell instead of rising as the first wave of angry users requested refunds.
The fact that a game console's sales are decreasing despite repeated sales is quite a record.
The following day, Lyn's two chief engineers, Dave Needle and RJ Mical, resigned, officially announcing their departure from Atari.
On the same day, the two, who had just finished handing over their work, received an invitation from California.
The sender's signature was a company name I'd never heard of before.
[ Trip Hawkins, 3D0 Company ]