All Your Protos Are Belong To Us!



7/15/25


Just when you think you've seen it all!  Recently six new prototypes were sold on Ebay that appear to be made for a previously unknown Atari 5200 Touch Tablet device similar to the CX77 for the Atari 8-Bit computers.  Three of these prototypes are versions of a concept game called Touch Pad Game while the other three called Slide Show appear to be ideas for different Touch Tablet games presented as a slide show.  While only one of prototypes has been archived and shared (Touch Pad Game 2-2-84), the seller was kind enough to describe the other prototypes and provide some pictures of them in action.  Check out the Touch Pad Game and Slide Show pages for more details.


7/16/25
Summer Atari 2600 Prototype Updates 


Thanks to the generosity of John Hardie, several new 2600 protos have been archived and made available for review.  First up we have a mid/late WIP version of Midnight Magic.  This version has all the gameplay implemented but is missing most of the music and sounds.  Next we have we have a mid-level WIP version of Pengo.  This version (dated 2/28/84) is the missing link between the earliest version (1/4/84) and the final version (4/24/84) and still contains many of the changes found in the earlier version with some missing features now added in.  Third, we have a near final version of Saboteur which still sports a 1983 copyright date.  Finally we have a prototype for Stargate which appears to be the same as the released version.

As special bonus, archivist Ken Van Mersbergen has complied the code for Basketball.  Although the code is the same as the final release, it's still and important piece of gaming history.


3/13/25


Thanks to the efforts of Ken Van Mersbergen we now have a new WIP version of Blueprint for the Atari 2600.  This particular version was found the a former Roklan programmers disks.  While fully playable, this prototype is missing many features and graphics found in the released version.  Also of note is that this prototype is only 4K whereas the released version was 8K.


1/10/25
Fishy Business


What a way to start the new year!  Thanks to some serious detective work by Ken Van Mersbergen, we have a brand new 2600 game to look at.  Fish (or at least we *think* that was the name) is a simple little action game where you control a fish who must eat everything in sight.  While simple, the game seems very polished and is a lot of fun.  Check out the review here and download the rom from AtariAge.

Also from Ken we have a new earlier version of Animated Puzzle and an odd beta of Pole Position for the Atari 8-Bits.  Check out these new discoveries and start your new year off right!


11/8/24


AD&D Tower of Mystery for the Atari 2600 is a prototype with an interesting history.  Although it was known to exist and was even shown at CGE 99,  it was considered a lost prototype as the rom never found its way onto the internet unlike many of the other M-Network prototypes.  It has long suspected that the rom for ToM (along with several other M-Network prototypes with problematic copyright issues) was being safeguarded but could not be released.  This has all changed now that Atari has bought the rights to the M-Network games and is making them available to the public for the first time via their Atari 50: The First Console War collection.  Was it worth the wait?  Go check out the newly updated Tower of Mystery and see.


10/7/24


Some of you long time readers might remember when the Atari 5200 Muppet-Go-Round prototype surfaced back in 2010.  While pictures were taken, the prototype was not dumped at that time and was then was sold and disappeared.  As luck would have it the buyer decided to put the proto up for sale last month on ebay where it was bought and properly archived.  The rom was then shared with AtariProtos and we can now do a proper review.  Go check out the newly updated Muppet-Go-Round page for more details.


6/15/24
Of Banks and Worms


Today we have two new prototype reviews for the 2600.  First up is Bank Heist which is a relatively unknown 20th Century Fox game that's actually a lot of fun and went through a variety of names before it was released.  Next we have Worm War I which was one of the earliest efforts by David Lubar who had a fairly prolific career on the 2600.


6/12/24


While everyone knows that RealSports Soccer was released on the 5200, did you know that it was also ported to the Atari 8-Bit computers?  Atari even made a few upgrades to the game before deciding not to release it.  Check out the new Atari 8-Bit RealSports Soccer page for more details.


6/4/24


Thanks to the tireless efforts of Ken Van Mersbergen, we now have two WIP versions of Gremlins for the Atari 5200.  These new versions were recovered from programmer John Seghers own development disks and provide an interesting peek at the development process for this amazing game.  Check out the updated Gremlins page for more details.


6/3/24
Tarzan


Today we have not one, but TWO versions of Tarzan.  Best known from its release on the Colecovision, Tarzan was also planned for the Atari 2600 and Atari 8-Bit computers.  Although the Atari 8-Bit prototype has been floating around the internet for a long time, the Atari 2600 version was still missing (although rumors said that it did indeed exist).  Now it appears that two different copies of the 2600 version have been found!  The first copy was auctioned off on ebay back in February of 2023 and the second one turned up in January of 2024 (this one complete with a production style label).  So are either of these long lost prototypes worth playing?  Read the reviews to find out!



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