The Museum's Curt Vendel says the project has a practical application beyond the living history factor. "What is the potential of this?" he said to Atari Age. "Doing the chips in smaller SMT packaging, and potentially bringing back to life some of the later CMOS designs of combo chips which could lead to a SoC - System on a Chip.

"The future just got a little brighter in terms of preserving and continuing the legacy of Atari's custom IC chips," he added.

The more technically inclined can follow a deeper discussion here. The project involves the TIA, used in the Atari 2600; the GTIA, used in the 5200 and the 8-bit line (the Atari 400 and 800) and the MARIA (used in the Atari 7800).

Atari Chips Reconstructed [GameSetWatch]

Hack-a-Day says the console has "somewhere around 1200 ROMs" on an SD card inside the case. With the three switches on the front, the user can cycle through them and then flash the title over to the EEPROM inside. The display's size is 2x16.

Atari 2600 Mod Features LCD Selector [The Bits, Bytes, Pixels and Sprites]

Hasbro, the owners of Dungeons & Dragons through wholly-owned subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, alleges that Atari may have entered into an unauthorized sublicensing agreement with Namco Bandai Partners. Atari sold it PAL distribution arm to Namco Bandai partners earlier this year, which could very well be one of the causes for Hasbro's concern. Hasbro maintains that a sublicensing agreement with Namco Bandai, one of Hasbro's competitors, is strictly prohibited under the D&D licensing contract.

"While unfortunate that we had to take this action, it is crucial for us to protect the Dungeons & Dragons brand," said Greg Leeds, President of Wizards of the Coast. "We have been working for several months now to reach resolution with Atari, and they have left us with no other choice than to pursue legal action."

Hasbro seeks to terminate Atari's license as well as compensatory damages for economic losses.

Atari responds to these allegations in a statement sent to Kotaku this morning.

"Atari has had a long and rich history with the Dungeons and Dragons franchise, investing millions of dollars into numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful games that have generated significant revenue for Hasbro. Hasbro has resorted to these meritless allegations, in an apparent attempt to unfairly take back rights granted to Atari. Atari has sought to resolve the matter without cooperation from Hasbro. We regret that our long-time partner has decided to pursue this action. Atari will respond appropriately through its legal counsel in court."

Atari signed a 10-year licensing contract with Hasbro in 2007, the future of which is now uncertain. Through the agreement Atari has produced Dungeons and Dragons Online, Neverwinter Nights II and its expansions, and Dungeons & Dragons Tactics for the PSP. Enjoy them while you can...they might not be around much longer.

Fraud and Breach Complaint Filed Against Atari Over Dungeons & Dragons License [CNN Money]

And by that we mean the inclusion of Mr. Quinto, famous for his roles in Heroes and JJ Abrams' Star Trek, in the massively multiplayer online Star Trek game. Quinto will be offering his Spock-like vocal talents to the forthcoming game, "teaching fans how to explore the Star Trek Online universe, improve their characters, attain higher ranks, and succeed in space combat."

The best aspect of tapping New Spock for something like this is that if Quinto's voiceover contributions are devoid of enthusiasm and warmth, that can just be chalked up to being Vulcan-esque!

Star Trek Online is due February 2, 2010 in North America and February 5, 2010 across Europe and Australia, Quinto in tow.

The publisher of Star Trek Online gave no reasoning for the switch, only saying outgoing CEO David Gardner will remain with the company as a member of the board of directors. He had been the honcho since January 2008, taking over for Patrick Leleu, who had been CEO for only nine months. Leleu had succeeded 24-year CEO and Infogrames (as it was known then) cofounder Bruno Bonnell.

Lapin was Take-Two Interactive's CEO in 2003 and 2004 and was also an exec for THQ. Gardner was known for hiring former Sony VIP Phil Harrison to be Atari's president. Harrison stayed in that gig for a year.

Atari Replaces CEO [GameSpot]

The fancy case is only the beginning for Star Trek fans willing to spend $79.99 instead of the normal retail price of $49.99 on Star Trek Online, but it sure is lovely. It features magnetic closures and nested storage for the rest of the premium items included in the deal. Items like a combination hardbound instruction guide, art book, and disc container, or the cast metal communicator badge, styled after the one used in the game. The package also includes three credit card style buddy passes for you to share with your friends. Swanky!

The collector's edition also comes with the requisite in-game items, with a red matter capacitor for your ship and Deep Space Nine and Next Generation uniforms for your crew.

The Star Trek Online Collector's Edition will be severely limited, so if you want it, I'd highly suggest preordering as soon as possible. GameStop has an exclusive in-game Constitution Class Starship waiting for those that do.

Star Trek Online Collector's Edition [GameStop via Big Download]

Perhaps I am just not seeing the beast in the trailer, or perhaps the whole thing takes place inside said belly and I am just not versed enough in Star Trek lore to see it. I suppose it's a better title than "More Ships Shooting At Each Other," but I still want my money back.

Direct2Drive is having a 24 Days of Christmas sale which today slashes The Witcher's price tag in half — only $20! The sale lasts until 9 AM PT tomorrow, so get buying.

Mind you, the Enhanced Edition Director's Cut includes...

"Making of" videos with never-before-seen bonus material (180 mins)
Game Soundtrack MP3s (73 mins)
"Inspired by" Music MP3s (59 mins)
Official Game Guide PDF (112 pages)
Map of The Witcher's world

Totally a steal.

Shack PSA: The Witcher on Sale for $20 [ShackNews]

I got a little excited when I heard the term 'boarding parties' in the video, but it turns out that the separation of starship combat and away missions remains intact, with boarding parties essentially acting as any other attack would. You launch shuttles, and your away team does the work behind-the-scenes. I would have enjoyed the chance to run around causing havoc on board an enemy vessel while it shook from the beating my ship was giving it, but I guess you can't have it both ways.

The new Atari.com represents phase one of the company's internet re-launch, allows fans of the company's works to browse the latest Atari titles, buy games from the Atari Store, enter contests, and most importantly, play six classic Atari games for free as long as you;d like, unless your boss is watching. The six games currently on the site include Asteroids, Adventure, Battlezone, Crystal Castles, Lunar Lander and Yars Revenge, each retro-fitted with leaderboards so players can keep track of how much they suck at Crystal Castles and how many times they blame it on the lack of a trackball.

"Today commences the first stage in Atari's ongoing commitment to growing its online business with the re-launch of Atari.com," said Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc. "Our online roadmap contains a multitude of enhancements and exciting new features which over time will redefine how people play and connect with Atari."

Yes, yes Jim, whatever you say. More Yars Revenge please.

For those of you not up to par on your Star Trek calendar, that's actually January 12th, 2010. The open beta will run through January 26th, giving players two weeks to play the game prior to the February launch. Open beta keys will be given out on a first come, first serve basis, with players urged to watch the game's official website at http://www.startrekonline.com to keep abreast of the situation.

"We are excited to announce the dates for the open beta phase as this is one of the final steps in launching Star Trek Online to the public," said Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer on Star Trek Online. "We are looking forward to the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other."

Star Trek would be a much bigger hit with the fans if video game website writers didn't have to covert dates to stardates of their own accord. Just sayin'.

We've been harping on the space combat in Star Trek Online for quite some time, and now Cryptic gives you a look at what we're so excited about. It's possibly the best video game representation of Star Trek space battles so far, and utilizing bridge officers as special powers and abilities during combat is rather brilliant.

Once again I must point out that the space shots look incredibly pretty, and the on-foot bits not-so-much. It almost looks like you'll be playing two different games when Star Trek Online launches in February. I'll be sticking to the space lanes as much as possible, thanks.

Star Trek Online is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game based in the near future, or at least the near future of the Star Trek universe. Players become high-ranking Starfleet officers, customizing their ships and boldly going many different places, both in space on planet side. Beta testing is now underway, and will likely continue until the game's newly-announced February 2nd North American release date.

"Star Trek Online is poised to become the ultimate Star Trek gaming experience," said Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari, Inc. "Throughout the last four decades, Star Trek has been a mainstay in pop culture, influencing legions of fans through television, film, and more. Star Trek Online opens a whole new chapter and expands upon this incredible universe in 2010."

While I am excited by the concept of the game, the more stats-based side of me is even more interested in seeing how many Trek fans flock take to the game. It could become the new online destination for Trek fandom, or it could wind up one of those deserts where the crew of the Enterprise tends to run across the odd megalomaniacal robot.

Atari and Cryptic announced the one million character milestone today, using the figure as an example of the strong reception Champions Online has received from both fans and game critics since the game launched in early September. A million superheroes running about saving the day is nothing to scoff at, though I'm sure the companies would rather that was a million registered players. Still, Atari seems pleased.

"We are very pleased with the wonderful praise Champions Online is receiving," said Jim Wilson, CEO, Atari, Inc. "We credit the great MMO fan base and look forward to seeing what players create as the game continues to grow and develop. We are working hard on new content and updates that will expand the universe and give Champions fans more to explore."

Expect that number to increase by a large amount this weekend, with a free trial of Champions Online kicking off tomorrow.

It's strange. I don't remember Star Trek Online looking this pretty when I played it at PAX last month, but it was pretty early on the first day, and I was still getting my show legs. Perhaps I was too busy destroying Klingon ships and raiding the planet below to pause and take everything in. Or maybe someone on the Cryptic crew takes a damn fine screenshot.

From Friday October 30th to Monday November 2nd, Cryptic is opening up Champions Online to any and all who want to come try it out. Simply head over to the free play promo page, sign up for an account, download the client, and then wait. Perhaps you could make a sandwich or something.

The free play weekend coincides with Champions'' Blood Moon Halloween event, which introduces invading zombie hordes (*sigh*) and the introduction of the new Celestial power set. The event begins for current subscribers on the 27th. Free players can play around with it once the weekend comes.

Photo Sauce, developed by the Atari London Studio, is a free Facebook app that allows users to plaster retro stickers, stamps, and speech bubbles all over their photos, creating images and comic strips they can share with their friends, or people who added them because they felt it was rude not to. As you can see from the image above, I am already an expert at using this application.

So why a Facebook app, Atari?

"Atari introduced the world to computer entertainment with simple and fun games for everyone," said Paulina Bozek, Development Director, Atari London Studio. "Atari Photo Sauce builds on that heritage with a social application that is universally appealing and instantly fun, allowing social networkers, who share billions of photos online, a new way to be creative with photos and share them instantly with friends everywhere."

See? Atari is building on its heritage. Soon its heritage will be littered with "Totally Rad" stickers and rainbows. This pleases me. Go forth and Photo Sauce, I suppose.

Variety reports today that the Project Runway game will likely feature the likenesses and involvement of co-hosts Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum. In addition to fulfilling our dream of a low-polygon count Klum barking at us in a video game, the Wii version is reported to feature Wii Remote and Balance Board support, the latter for walking one's chosen model down the runway.

Atari's deal with the Weinstein Company reportedly includes the option to release a series of games, so brace yourselves appropriately.

'Runway' poised for videogame makeover [Variety]