Atari Founder Likes Xbox360, Disses PS3

Chuck E. Cheese, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell on the latest round of the console wars, and bringing food and games together… again.

Even if you only have a passing familiarity with the gaming industry, you've probably heard of Nolan Bushnell. Best known for founding and running gaming icon Atari and later the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant chain-which brought kids, pizza and video games together-Mr. Bushnell is the founder of more than twenty companies and a member of both the video game and consumer electronics association hall of fame.

For the past four years, he's been working at the helm of another company. A digital entertainment shop dubbed uWink, the company marks Mr. Bushnell's latest foray into the restaurant business. Last month the company quietly opened its first bistro in Woodland Hills, California, near Los Angeles.

Featuring touch-sensitive screens at each table, visitors submit their own food and drink orders. uWink's tabletop displays also give patrons a plethora of entertainment options. From poker to trivia games, the chain aims to use casual games and food to create a fun, social atmosphere

Red Herring recently caught up with Mr. Bushnell to chat about uWink and hear his thoughts on the current state of the gaming industry. Excerpts from the conversation follow:

[m23]

This guy just went full out and said it
"a first party developer would be an idiot to develop for Sony first and not the 360"

[monark]

Looks like this dude is still holding a grudge against the Japanese and Sony. Which just goes to show when you're #1, you're in everybody's gunsites! I think he is also a pretty demented old fart the way he talks. But mostly just a sore old loser or making alittle extra cash under the table.

Most likely one of those "ah... shuks.. I remember when gum was a penny and games were what you did with your finger in the dirt" mentality. Doesn't like to even hear the sound of new technology and ifin it's one of them there Ja..Pan..ese names like Sony his arch enemy, he ready to diss the heck out of em! Wonderful ole gent with no mind left. Needs to dig a hole and bury his head in it.

This is a fully retarted attempt to digg on the inevitable success of Sony and their consoles who have sold world wide over 3 times the nearest competitor in consoles, and 12 times the game release of any competitor world wide and for units sold they demolish all the competition over the entire world!

And here's this ding chucky cheese moron with companies that have gone out of business saying how a Company Losing Billions every year in the Gaming business somehow has a better product to make money with! That's a joke and will be proved with a 3Peat for Sony, absolutely positively guaranteed!

[pbo2m3]

talk about starting a war, but have to agree with some of the things he says

[icdedppl]

"people don't buy hardware, they buy software." chicken before the egg kinda guy i guess. and does he not know about digital distribution of software? i guess not.

[power of Green]

I think he's a chicken that can't lay eggs then you're doomed as an species/chicken(s) kind of guy.

[shotty]

I agree that sony just can't screw around anymore. In the past sonys competition wasn't really much going against small companies like Sega and Nintendo. One slip up and microsoft could walk over them.

Microsoft has a way for doing complete takeovers, like with PCS in the 1980s. Apple was huge in the 80s who knew they would be wooped so bad. Samething here. I repeat that the only thing sony has for them is Brand Name/ Brand Loyatity. There are millions of people that grew up with sony devices in their homes.

But guess what they are equally familiar with microsoft who is basically in every PC, smartphone, media devices and internet services.

Times are interesting for US gamers.

[HyperBear]

Talk About a B!tch Slap. That was a b!tch-slap, a facewash, a finger, a beating, a hot carl, a dirty sanchez, and a finger-bang all in one. DAMN, Sony just got SMACKED DOWN. We'll i guess all we can do is wait for 1st party developers to see what they say about Atari now, I cant wait to hear responses from those guys. LOL

[drewdrakes]

HAHA i like how you put that. :)

[Boink]

if MS is goping to buy atari...they are quite ripe for the plucking

[FadeToBlack]

Nintendo would sell out to MS so i could play Zelda in HD rather on their Gimmik machine.

[Marriot VP]

isn't it coming on the gamecube too, just use that

[G_CodeMonkey]

The Wii is nothing more than a gimmicky controller stuck to the original XBOX, minus the DVD player.

Has anyone player with that controller for more than 5 mins? Will you not get sick of the motion?

gCM

[power of Green]

They did a great job with Test Drive Unlimited(best Racer i played in ages it has revolutionary gamplay). That's got to hurt for Sony though.

[Bill Gates]

talk about being bitter.

[Marriot VP]

haha funny title, never heard that before

[specialguest]

how can the founder of Atari comment of failure. hahah didn't the Atari's numerous attempts on home console failed miserably? i wanna say crash and burned, but the problem is that it didn't even take off, so crashing is impossible.

[UrbanJabroni]

These are the only two consoles released under bushnell. They CREATED the home video game business and they were INCREDIBLE successes. My God, is everyone on here 12?

[specialguest]

i started my video gaming during since ' 83 son.

[THWIP]

If you've been gaming since '83, and you don't know the impact this man, and Atari had on the industry, you truly are ignorant.

[specialguest]

business wise, he is a failure. a failure is a failure, there's no sugarcoating it yah sensitive blouse wearing sunday driver.
By the way, the discredited Ralph Baer is the TRUE father of video games and the inventor of Pong. Bushnell stole the idea because it wasn't copyrighted back then. http://www.pong-story.com/r... and http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Ralph Baer finally got the credit he deserved on ICON show on G4tv last year. don't come around here and act like you you're video game history.

[ApocalypseShadow]

coming from the same company that
is down 200 million in revenue for fiscal year 2006.and full year loss at 70 million.they suck.shiny was sold and now they have nothing.and they use a name of a company that tanked years ago to help themselves with brand name recognition.now they are going to pinch pennies to make 360 games because they have no money.HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
http://www.gamespot.com/new...

"oh,i know what we can do to raise revenue","let's fire some people!"bushnell says

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[Munky]

All this talk about Atari losing money this year, can you remind us all how much Sony lost? ;)

[PS360PCROCKS]

Well while not entirely agreeing with what he is saying, he is right in some sense. Sony has alienated customers, but not the ones who don't look at stuff online, the majority, probably 80% of their install base has no idea what Sony has said/done in the past year plus...Sony WILL NOT fail, they will not falter and they most likely will not lose, but it's only from the pure arrogance of the consumers to not have any clue to what their true business affairs really are...and no I don't hate Sony or the PS3, I just think they have done some pretty shoddy stuff, but their getting better and the PS3 looks to be a truly amazing machine...yes I said it...lol but it's true, they'll probably win, but I don't care cause as long as their games for my 360 on shelves, I'm happy

[highps3]

Dont you have to buy hardware to use the software?

I swear there is like some conspiracy for Sony to fail.

[kornbeaner]

I can't believe he would just lay all down like that. This man sounds like he knows what he's talking about. I know he's a pioneer of the industry, But he just sounded completly stupid, Everything he mentioned as a flaw with Sony has been prevelent since the launch of the PS2. But sony was still number 1 despite these flaws. If the 360 wins the console war here in the states then thats great, but looking at the big picture this is the only place where MS can acutally win. Everywhere else in the world seems to be pro sony even if by the smallest of margins. To date the 360 has sold around 5.8 million 360's around the world with 4.2 of that being sold in the states. So roughly 1.6 million units have been should outside of the states and only 100,000 of that has been in Japan. Now if anybody has been keeping track of systems, companies must be successful around the world and not only in the U.S. Why do you think Nintendo is still around even though the Gamecube flopped here in the states, because in Japan the Gamecube is #2 and their gaming products worldwide outsell all competitors. This has been the intional factor that has kept the Xbox brand from being an overwhleming success. Little to no support in forgien markets, especailly Japan. Sony will never truley be a #2 in the market, maybe here if people decide that $500-600 is to much for a system and in the handheld market nobody will ever touch nintendo. So unless sombody can make the Japanese buy a 360, sony will never truly be out of #1 in the home console market. Cuz recent trend in japan when it comes to home consoles is Sony first, nintendo second, and Xbox only if am really bored and i got money to burn.

[Thugbot187]

Nintendo is only still around not because of it's sells in Japan with the gamecube. It's because the DS has sold more then any console in history. Next Japan is the 3 largest market, not only that they are becomming less of a factor as other markets grow. MGS4 Lead Developer talks about this a whole lot. Microsoft only really has to win North America and Europe. What the guy is saying makes since, the harder it is to develop for a console the more money you spend. The PS3 also is so highly priced that after all the early adoptors buy sales will slow big time, not less the price drops. Not only that but consoles in history sell best during NOV and DEC, which Sony can't meet the demand. Meaning less of an install base. So with those two factors from a business view you would loose money developing for the PS3 as a company. Look at how many exclusives PS3 have lost, and that's because companies see themself taking a lose. Now this could change later but at the current cost associated with the hardware and game development it's not looking good.

[Alymon]

At it again are we? The endless rants about which company is better, which company will fail.....

The state of Atari has nothing to do with Bushnell's comments or his impact on the gaming community.

He is right. Sony has gotten by on their name and product loyalty alone for quite sometime now. The Xbox didn't do well because of timing. When the Xbox was released, PS2 already had a large headstart on it and many were opposed to Microsoft branching into the console industry (especially considering the monopoly charges they were facing in relation to windows and internet explorer as well as the sheer size and "giant" status they were seen as).

Sony has made obscene comments directed at gamers and their arrogance has built them up onto a pedestal so high that it is only a matter of time before they are knock off and brought back down to Earth.

Granted, the PS3 is a very nice system. I've played it, it looks nice, it will likely have a great selection of games and will be well supported. However, I do not see anything with it that justifies $200 more in price (from a gamer's perspective). Sure it has blu-ray, which is great if you want to get involved in the format wars and are interested in blu-ray movies, but strictly from a gamer's point of view, there is nothing that beneficial to me to warrant spending $200 more.

I was a big fan of Sony for a long time. Their name meant quality and service. I can't say I have ever been disapointed with a Sony product. Unfortunately, they've made some bold statements that have alienated a large portion of the gaming community. Some choose to ignore it, some don't care at all, but I am not going to invest in a company who's executives make comments saying I should get a second job or work harder so I can afford their system (when justifying the $600 price point). Who are they to treat the community that way?

The PS3 will not fail. Sony will not fail with it. They have too much product loyalty still remaining. However, they have lost alot of it. Between the Xbox/PS war and propoganda, the battery recalls, and a number of other hurdles they have faced recently, they lost alot of support from the community. If blu-ray fails, they will lose even more. It won't be the end of them, but it may just bring a little sensibility and understanding to their executives and show them that they are some all powerful entity that no one can topple.

[vettle1]

i agree thug, im not a fanboy of either but when it comes down to it its common sense, stop fooling yourselves

[THELANDOFSANDS]

Man speaks truth. Fanboys cry.

[borgome]

solid

Had to change my underwear like 3 times playing gears of war last night... sicckk.

[AuburnTiger]

Q: But what about Sony’s success with the PlayStation and PS2? They sold more than 100 million of each system.

A: It wasn’t anything brilliant that they did. With the PS and PS2 it was timing. They had the right pricing at the right time [and were] almost the accidental winner. It would not surprise me if a year from now they’ll be struggling to sell 1 million units. [Factoring in the PS3’s price], I think in the U.S. the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000.

"It wasn’t anything brilliant"

I guess selling over 100 million units in 6 years isn't anything brilliant

"the accidental winner"

WTF is that??

"I think in the U.S. the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000."

how much do you wanna bet the PS3 will completely sell it's 480,000 units on the first day.

To tell you the truth it sounds like this gentleman has an issue or 2 with Sony that sounds well, kind of personal.

[DJ]

it's no wonder Atari disappeared from the hardware business.

[Anerythristic26]

This guy is my hero. Not because he hates Sony but because he's speaking his mind. You rarely see that in the game industry , everything is always equal and has potential and is more powerful than the other. Nice keep ypur pimp hand strong Bushnell.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Q: What do you think of Atari? It’s much different from the company you founded in 1971.

A: It really isn’t a part of today’s gaming world in any meaningful way. They lost the cachet of being a leading technology company in the games space.

what he is saying is that the company he helped found "SUCKS".the company is not doing ANYTHING MEANINGFUL IN ANY WAY.THEY SUCK!

Q: But what about Sony’s success with the PlayStation and PS2? They sold more than 100 million of each system.

A: It wasn’t anything brilliant that they did. With the PS and PS2 it was timing. They had the right pricing at the right time [and were] almost the accidental winner. It would not surprise me if a year from now they’ll be struggling to sell 1 million units. [Factoring in the PS3’s price], I think in the U.S. the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000.

LET'S SEE:ACCIDENTALLY BEATING TWO OF MY FAVORITE COMPANIES.PUTTING ONE OF THEM OUT OF THE HARDWARE BUSINESS.ACCIDENTALLY BEATING NINTENDO AGAIN AND BEATING ANOTHER COMPANY WITH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO SPEND.let me say this again.....BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.bill gates should have his face on his money because he has so much.but not only did they beat microsoft with an inferior system,THEY MADE THEM CUT AND RUN TO MAKE A NEW SYSTEM.ABANDONING IT'S FANBASE.i say this because backwards compatibility SUCKS.MY BEST GAMES STILL DON'T WORK ON THE SYSTEM(360).and they are not making ANY GAMES for that 24 million people.

MUNKY,the name alone doesn't require a response,but... sony spent the money to make the system.they're a h-a-r-d-w-a-r-e c-o-m-p-a-n-y.they build things.that costs m-o-n-e-y.say it with me:m-o-n-e-y.good boy.microsoft builds nothing.say it; n-o-t-h-i-n-g.gooood!!microsof t could have built the most powerful system on the planet with all that m-o-n-e-y,but they didn't.it also takes,you guessed it,m-o-n-e-y to release it on the market.did you get it.gooood!!!class dismissed.

[Alymon]

First, I'll say the PS1 was more than an accidental victory. You are right in that Sony did a great job with the PS1. However, the PS2's success was completely 100% about timing. PS2 was successful for a couple reasons: First, it was the first new system of that generation. It had the clearcut time advantage (something the 360 has over the PS3 this time around). Second, the PS2 was released using the DVD format. At the time, it wasn't that much more expensive than a stand alone DVD player. That gave it a dual purpose (something sony is trying to do with the PS3).

You claim that MS lost with the xbox because Sony was far superior and MS had billions to spend on a console.... perhaps you know nothing about how business works. Microsoft may have billions in share value, but the fact remains it isn't just invested in making consoles... in the same way that Sony isn't spending all it's funds on console development. They have other interests, and one of the key interests is utilizing their other technologies in their console to push the diversity of their technology. Further, they often release new technologies in the consoles to demonstrate the power of it so that it will be implemented for other purposes. Blu-ray being in the PS3? Has nothing to do with gaming, it never has, it never will. It is Sony's attempt to push their proprietary technology and gain a foothold in a different industry (next-gen data formats).

I find it amusing that you think Sony is better because they beat MS with the PS2/Xbox. Since you feel the need to belittle other posters with your comments, perhaps you are in need of a little schooling and class as well?? Look up the history of the PS2 and of the xbox, pull the dates of release, pull all the information you can about it. Wikipedia is a great source. The PS2 was so successful because of the timing and the name loyalty. The PS3 has lost timing and has greatly reduced name loyalty. More and more developers both US and Japanese are developing for multiple systems and shying away from exclusives. Sony doesn't have the support it had previously. Without it, they will be hurt. Not enough to take them out of console development, but enough that they might just wake up and take their heads out of their bottoms for once.

You sound like you are just pissed that the 360 doesn't have complete backwards compatibility. I think every original xbox owner feels for you on that topic, but coming here and spouting off B.S. comments that aren't based in reality doesn't do anyone any good.

[Munky]

wow..relax buddy. did you even answer the question? how much did they lose? The bottom line is that besides their digital cameras and their plasma tv's, their product is not selling as much as it used to. Not to mention the huge hit they took with the battery recalls. And as far as names go SHADOWGAMER, are ppl to assume that you a coward and you like hiding in the dark, or you just like hanging out in the dark? or that yopu like playing games while standing in someones shadow? I didn't think so, so you can't make personal judgements about somebody because of their account name, got it? Good boy. Alright, i'm done with this. Peace!! ;)

Oh yeah one last thing. Since you failed to answer the original question in that long useless comment. How much did Sony lose this year?

[Geohound]

that a man's opinion can be wrong. Next, we will try to make water into wine! Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of News4Gamers!

[Retard]

I disagree with your opinion! HA!

[ApocalypseShadow]

i know my gaming history.microsoft had come out one year later.but they have more money.that's fact.no one thought sony could beat nintendo or sega at their own game.they did.sony assumed everyone(like me)grew up from playing atari, nintendo and genesis.they were right.more adults play games than kids now.that's why the industry grew.sony did sell more systems because of dvd,but the sales kept going.and going.no system had sold more than 100 million before.maybe gameboy,but that's portable.then sony did it again with nintendo and microsoft nipping at their heels.that's unheard of.i also said that the ps2 was INFERIOR TO XBOX.GO LOOK AT THAT POST AGAIN.IT SAYS INFERIOR.but sony still sold 100 million and right now are probally at 106-110 million by now.that's not an accident.brand loyalty only goes so far.it was the selection of games that got them this far.nintendo refused to grow up and expand the market.microsoft refused to really support japan.

munky,sony has lost a lot of money.because they take risks.they're not perfect.but they're willing to take a risk even if it might bite them on the butt.the industry is stagnant because too many companies are not willing to take risks any more.they now just produce sequels of the same things.i have respect for any company or person willing to put their neck out.and that includes microsoft.nintendo is taking a risk with the controller.that takes guts.

bushnell can't talk because the comapny he founded is in the hole and barely survivng.if you don't have the money,you shouldn't be in the game industry because it now costs a lot.even 360 development.gears cost over 10 million.most smaller games cost somewhere between 5 miilion and up.

shadow means i'm a black gamer.not because i hide from anybody.having been in the army means i'm not afraid of anybody and that includes you.not because of my skill.i don't need to put a picture up when my words speak for me.

[Retard]

Yeah... Ataris sh!t...

"...bushnell can't talk because the comapny he founded is in the hole and barely survivng..."

Thats one of the companies, but he has many others... as he states.

"...shadow means i'm a black gamer.not because i hide from anybody.having been in the army means i'm not afraid of anybody and that includes you.not because of my skill.i don't need to put a picture up when my words speak for me..."

--I'm white, I guess I got alot of problems then huh? I'm screwed! You don't have to be so serious man, this is the gaming world; Ahem, GAMING.

[Retard]

"...For years and years Sony has been a very difficult company to deal with from a developer standpoint..."

When was he the developer calling Sony?

What does this guy even know... Sure he might know business dynamics;and yet, I stress the fact this man probably has no earthly idea what he's talking about when it comes to the gaming business. I poop on Atari!

[ApocalypseShadow]

i'm not a serious person all the time.i like having fun.i like gaming.i also respect others comments when they have something good to say.but when someone directly attacks me because i comment about something,not another gamer,news,that's when we have a problem.the article says bushnell disses ps3,likes xbox.but if you follow my first post,atari is in the gutter.so my comment was he can't talk when the company he founded is not doing so great.he moved on to do other things.that's great.but my comment on him meant to some that i was attacking microsoft.like it always is.say something good about sony,means you're attacking microsoft.that's how this site goes.i have microsoft products.so that would make me a hypocrite for talking about microsoft,but using their products.i mentioned that i was black because munky wanted to comment about my chosen virtual name.i have no beef with them.but if they want to attack me,then it's on.and you're right.this guy has been out of the industry for awhile,so what does he know.it's only his opinion.confidence,which a company should have is always mistaken for arrogance.sony was successful twice,they have confidence that they can do it again.there's no guarantee,but at least they are confident in their products.

[Munky]

C'mon man...You are the one who called me out after I asked you a simple question. Anyways homes, you gotta relax. Play some GOW...if you haven't tried it yes...It's awesome!!! ;) Peaz

[kornbeaner]

I stated that nintendo can't be touched when it comes to handhelds, thus reason why they're still around, cuz the company finds a way to make money. and far as demand goes no console in history has been able to ever meet their demand, PS2, 360 none even before have been able to meet their intional demand. So we really won't know how the 2 companies stack up until the holiday rush of 2007. As for post 16.2, this is more of a side note reply. we really need to stop comparing the $600 PS3 to the $400 360, because in reality the $400 360 has more on common with the $500 PS3, Both have powerful insides. (take your pick) Both are systems that the companies are really offering. Both offer 20 GB hard drive, wireless controllers they're pretty much as close to the same as possible. now depending on how you want to cut it what does a 20 GB PS3 ($500) offer you that a 20 GB 360 ($400) doesn't. First the PS3 remote can be recharged without buying a charger or extra batteries, and a high-def movie player that doesn't need a special remote to make it work. now for an extra $100 I think that's a pretty good deal.
If you want compare the $400 360 to the $600 PS3 you'd have to bring them up to the same level. As mentioned before the 360 has no type of High-def movie support, HD-DVD drive for the 360 cost $200 so right there your looking at machines that already cost the same. Then the $600 PS3 has a 60 GB HDD, now MS has not decided wether their going to release a bigger HDD but one would have to assume that they will. A bigger HDD for the 360 will likely be in the $150 - 200 range which makes it more expensive then a PS3. That's not even includig Wi-Fi support or Memory card support which will Drive the cost of the 360 up close to $1,000, if you really want to compare apples to apples. So really if you want to compare machine to machine It's a 20 GB ($500) PS3 to a 20 GB ($400) 360. Now if you can find stuff that's worth it to you to spend an extra $100 then coo if not then go with the 360. Me myself i can see what $600 gets me and it's totally worth it to me.

[Alymon]

If you want a blu-ray player, go for the PS3. If you are into movies, and you think Blu-Ray is the wave of the future, go ahead and buy a PS3.

That's the simple truth of it. You may not like Bushnell's comments, you may not agree with them, but he's only saying what many critics and journalists have already said about Sony for the past year.