The Atari Jaguar was the last throw of the dice for Atari v3.0. You know, the one the Tramiel's ran for a decade or so, scoring hugely well with the original ST and then slowly screwing it up as the competition, and computer market itself, changed. Returning to Atari's (v2.0 - the Warner year's, as opposed to v1.0 - the Nolan years) gaming roots, the '64-bit" Jaguar (calm down, we all know it's not that simple!) launched with high hopes and tragic prospects. For the first time, combining freely available information along with interviews, chats and conversations from over forty individuals with links to the machine, Boris Kretzinger has written the story of the Jag. In this self-published (and free) pdf, the question is though, has he "done the math?"
Version 3 of Atari was always a contradictory creation. Never cash rich, it had at least a fighting spirit that certainly kept fans (and a few wavering converts) happy as it tackled the new 16-bit computer market. If you ever get a chance to read Karl Morris' excellent "We Love Atari" duo (especially the second volume), or Jamie Lendino's sublime "Faster Than Light", you'll know exactly why Tramiel and sons failed. Further evidence is amply provided in this publication.
What Mr Kretzinger has done is investigate, research and compile a variety of sources to give a highly detailed, blow by blow account (and conclusion) of what happened when Atari tried to re-enter the home console market after blowing several years worth of effort and cash with increasingly re-hashed computer products, combined with some absolutely bone-headed business decisions.
Searing as it is deep, the narrative here covers everything you need to know, from press interviews (I do recall the Edge ones from the time and still have pdf copies of the magazines now), to the recollections of those who coded, sold or just enjoyed the games on the more-powerful than you'd think box.
Some of the tales presented here have more than a hint of tragedy about them: the sales figures for some of the most well-received/well-remembered titles are dire, as is the emphasis on spending money where it would do no good (VR anyone?), but you, gentle reader, also have to remember that this was the company that mostly sat on the ST with little or no improvements (aside from announcing kit that never appeared), as well as the one that screwed their US dealership connections into the dust.
Overall, this is a well written book. Maybe another editing pass to correct the odd typo, but nothing else stands out, leaving Clipped Claws as the must-read single volume on the Atari Jaguar, as well as a highly informative look at Atari themselves as the company slid towards the abyss. The abundance of footnotes is also greatly appreciated for further reading. I can also add that, if the author ever thinks of getting a physical copy published, I'd be more than happy to buy it.
You can pick up a copy of Clipped Claws from the Internet Archive here, and I would recommend the pdf version over any other, purely based on my reading experience. You can also follow the author on Twitter here.
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