Tech Up! Atari Flashback X from Lost Universe (Review)

Upon opening this shiny new box, purchasers are greeted with the tiny replica of the 2600, alongside the multiplayer blessing of two Joystick controllers, and an integrated Power adaptor MicroUSB cable. Yup, right out the gate the Flashback X leapfrogs Nintendo's Classic NES Edition with a two player setup, and also with a convenient plug fitting. Sadly, the other important part of the connection process being the HDMI Cable isn't enclosed, which is admittedly a strange oversight. Like with missing plug adaptors in other mini machines, it can easily be argued that many households will have multiple HDMI cables to spare, but as a matter of accessibility the unit isn't fully playable out of the box. 

As seen in the first picture, sandwiched between two of the later Jr. editions of the 2600 original, the Flashback X is a well-constructed little design, featuring two controller ports, a MicroUSB Power port, an HDMI socket on its back, and five little flick switches on its front. The unit barely weighs anything, so one needs to be careful not to send it flying. A potential problem that is mitigated greatly by the very lengthy cords of the Joystick controllers seen loosely in the second pic: both even longer than the original models, though sorrowfully still not quite enough to fully cover that couch, and 65' TV distance.

Eagle-eyed readers will spot the additional buttons along the front of that new Joystick controller, and it is here that will save many seat-leaving trips to the unit's reset switch. Start and Select are on player 1's Joystick controller instead, and the Menu button provides quick instant access to the game list. The rewind button does what is expected, and gives a very generous amount of time to skip back into, say, a mistimed move in Millipede, or an unwelcome meeting of amphibian to car in Frogger. 

Speaking of which, the need to address the most important part of this device is nigh: the software! With that 110 game disclaimer on the box it's expected that a vast array of the classic Atari 2600 will be here, and that holds true quite well. Booting up the device will lead to a basic but clear and fully functional menu with a catchy little tune, which groups together the available games into categories like Favourites and Recently played, as well as software made specifically by Atari itself, and those supporting Paddle Control. As the controller ports are the same as the original models then, the classic Joysticks and optional Paddle Controllers can be used as well. The Settings option covers the background art that fills the screen during play (so no forced Widescreen here thankfully), as well as the choice to delete save states and turn off the background music. 

Just a tiny selection of the games represented above, the line-up is quite something. The Flashback X contains the following, each with a description page and control guidelines when highlighted on the selection menu: 

• 3D Tic-Tac-Toe 
• Adventure 
• Adventure II 
• Air·Sea Battle 
• Amidar 
• Aquaventure 
• Asteroids 
• Asteroids Deluxe 
• Atari Climber 
• Basketball 
• Beamride 
• Black Jack 
• Bowling 
• Breakout 
• Burger Time 
• Burnin' Rubber 
• Canyon Bomber 
• Centipede 
• Championship Soccer 
• Chopper Command 
• Circus Atari 
• Combat 
• Combat Two 
• Cosmic Commuter 
• Crackpots 
• Crystal Castles 
• Decathlon 
• Demons to Diamonds 
• Desert Falcon 
• Dodge 'Em 
• Double Dunk 
• Dragster 
• Enduro 
• Fatal Run 
• Fishing Derby 
• Flag Capture 
• Football 
• Frogger 
• Front Line 
• Frostbite 
• Golf 
• Gravitar 
• Gyruss 
• H.E.R.O. 
• Hangman. 
• Haunted House 
• Home Run 
• Human Cannonball 
• Indy 500 
• Jungle Hunt 
• Kaboom! 
• Keystone Kapers 
• Lock 'n' Chase 
• Maze Craze 
• Megamania 
• Millipede 
• Miniature Golf 
• Missile Command 
• MotoRodeo 
• Night Driver 
• Off-the-Wall 
• Oink! 
• Outlaw 
• Pitfall! 
• Polaris 
• Pong (Video Olympics) 
• Pooyan 
• Pressure Cooker 
• Radar Lock 
• Realsports Baseball 
• Realsports Basketball 
• Realsports Soccer 
• Realsports Volleyball 
• Return to Haunted House 
• River Raid 
• Saboteur  
• Save Mary 
• Seaquest  
• Secret Quest 
• Sky Diver 
• Slot Racers 
• Solaris 
• Space Invaders 
• Space Raid 
• Space War 
• Sprintmaster 
• Stampede 
• Star Ship 
• Starmaster 
• Steeplechase 
• Stellar Track 
• Street Racer 
• Submarine Commander 
• Super Baseball 
• Super Breakout 
• Super Cobra 
• Super Football 
• Surround 
• Swordquest:Earthworld 
• Swordquest:Fireworld 
• Swordquest: Waterworld 
• Tempest 
• Tutankham 
• Video Checkers 
• Video Chess 
• Video Pinball 
• Warlords 
• Wizard 
• Yars' Return 
• Yars' Revenge
  

How do these play overall compared to their original incarnations? In short, quite well! The ATGames logo on the box is quite the juxtaposition with the final product, as the company has been notorious for poor emulation in the past, but with the Flashback X, the company has done a great job. The games look pretty good even blown up on a big HDTV, and although basic and lacking any extra options, the CRT Filter toggle on the pause menu invokes a great feel of the original display style. The screen flickering of the original software is also here for that extra authentic feel. 

Outside of retro and nostalgic appeal however, imagination is required to fill in a lot of the gaps for these titles. That's not a fault of the games themselves, of course, as was the limitation of technology at the time, and they are no less beloved because of it - but with such basic shape and pixel sprites many title characters and environment objects lack recognisable definition. Nevertheless, for those yearning for the good old days of Joysticks and Paddles, and those keen on seeing the history of the Gaming industry in an easily digestible format, the Atari Flashback X is an easy recommendation. 

9/10

Exceptional - Gold Award

Harking back to the days long before Mario stomped his first Goomba, or Link burned his first tree, the Atari Flashback X from Lost Universe contains and proudly displays many of the greatest of the 2600 era. Oddly absent HDMI Cable aside, the game selection with solid emulation quality, and simple menu and button navigation, result in an easy buy for older gamers, and curious industry historians alike.