leech

Nice thing is, you are basically overclocking the GPU at the same time since it shares system RAM with VRAM.

Apparently they still are selling the Jaguar Yeah, it'll be interesting if they can supply enough for demand. From my understanding of it (which is little, mind you) that was one of the big reasons the Jag failed. There simply weren't enough of them made to go around to all the stores and be in stock long enough for people to notice them. No user base, means that very few developers were willing to try to make games for them. So many studios took a 'wait and see' approach, and because of that the Jaguar never did have a lot of third parties sign on for it. And a game console without games...

Wait, you're wondering why this didn't sell? I actually think it didn't sell well because most people who already wanted one, would have had a Wii, right? I never did understand what the purpose of the Wii-U was, what did it have over the Wii besides that weird screen as a controller (none of those things ever really sell. It's either mobile, or console, but some weird thing where you're tied to the console but have to look at your controller for the benefit?) I don't even know how that works, as I didn't see much info on the Wii-U back when it was being sold. Look at how well the weird 5200 sold. Generally weird controllers will make/break a system's success, it seems. Ha, probably the one exception to that is the N64, which seemed to have some decent success, but a really odd controller layout. The Dreamcast was similar, but definitely some odd choices in the controller there, and look how that one succeeded...

I wouldn't say the people on the backer discord are 'True Fans' as they are definitely pointing out the flaws and issues. Some have been absolutely pissed and sold their stuff already. Guess unless you are actually a part of said discussions you would see. They have already released OS updates, people were pissed they lost their save games, as they added in better multiuser support. Hell, one of their devs was wvwn annoyed with tgem so users made sure to call out to tge Atari support people in the chats that they need to pay attention and the next day the communication with the dev was sorted (it literally was over the holidays that the dev was getting antsy because no one was around to QA his new build.) I have seen 'True Fans' of Apple products where they twist around things that Apple mess up into 'for the greater good' or 'why would you need that anyway, just buy a new one' (like for soldering ram on the motherboard). Sure, I bet there are 'True Fans' I am not one. I am more a fan of other things about the VCS than Atari. (I like gadgets I can run Linux on)

While it is currently only released to backers and people who bought off eBay, I 100% agree that we should concentrate on the hardware as it is a thing now. Which is why I was talking about the comparisons with the Ouya and Amico both being Android based, and others kept bringing up that the VCS was more like Ouya due to crowdfunding. To me it doesn't matter how it was made, just the hardware and operating system and sofware aspects. Amico is not out in the wild yet, and any contemplating about how well any of them are going to do in the public hasn't even begun yet as the VCS won't hit retail until March/April/later? So yeah, if people want to continue to bash it, do it based on what it IS, not what it WAS (nebulous renders, a lot of talk and hearsay, some lawsuits, etc.) The thing ACTUALLY got made and is a real thing, unlike the Chameleon and some other projects. Like the title if this thread, it is okay to like the VCS. It is a cute little machine that is a bit more capable than I thought it would be.

Ha, mine is kind of a mix of all three. A) because I was curious to see what they would actually come up with. I mean slapping a somewhat modern PC into a case that doesn't look like it would be terribly favorable to air flow, and nit have a fan go crazy. That alone amazes me. B) well always need something new to tinker with! C) any and all of the mini PCs or towers, etc look like crap in your home theater set up. there is a reason no company tries to really make HTPCs. Sure some still attempt to make cases, but none of them are turnkey solutions because most computer operating systems are not really geared toward the 'just turn it on and play' use case most people want for that. Even as far as retropie and other things like it go, there is some set up requirements that turn people off of it. I mean there is a reason all the game consoles became multimedia consoles. Or is like the 'olden' days where some people would buy a PS2 because it played video games and DVDs. Was a good DVD player. Even if you can get a small form factor computer built, put it under your TV, the operating system is usually more overhead than you want, unless you throw something like OpenELEC on it. but hey, that is free and you don't need to spend 130 on Win10 Home.

Well they seem to have an active community on their founder's discord channel, and have been good so far about listening to issues with the VCS and following up on fixing them. They're working toward something nice, but still dealing with growing pains. Sure there were some dumb moves, some shady ones, and just plain wackiness. But I bet if we were behind closed doors in the 80s and 90s at Atari, I bet you we'd see the same or similar. The difference is now with the internet, and their attempt at being transparent to backers, brought a lot of that shiftiness out. Didn't help their case that they're also trying to do a cryptocurrency, which has it's own weird little feel-bads around it. Especially when it's a 'me too' move like they did. We need to just realize they are a company that happens to own the Logo and IP of something we all love. But yet they need to figure something to stay afloat as their Logo and IP isn't currently bringing in any cash outside of lawsuits, hotels or blockchain... The Hotel chain may even be considered their only actual legit business by some. At least if I were an investor, that's the only thing I'd think they have going for them. If they then can utilize their IP to get some developers working for them to push up the VCS, that would be another thing that would be interesting for an investor. But that's yet to be seen. I'm definitely a 'wait and see' guy at this point, as they actually managed to deliver something. Which already puts them up higher than some of the other things I've backed. Anyow, I think they're trying at least to do better. Their support seem to be doing a fantastic job. The fact they even have a support channel kind of amazes me to be honest, but it's there.

Ha, well the game came with the Index, so I got it for free. Or did I pay 1000 for that game, I don't know which... 😛 In the grand scheme of things, people are overcharging 1k for GPUs now. So if they ever drop in price you can count that 1k for the Index! i still have some other games I need to play, like Boneworks for sure.

Saturn had to compete with the 32x, Sega basically kept crapping on their fans with new addons and so by the time the Saturn was out in the USA, everyone was tired of their shenanigans. And the SegaCD FMV games didn't help. 3DO was barely known and really expensive. The Jaguar had the issue where Atari fans knew what it was, but Atari fans also knew how many issues Atari was having. The kids barely knew what Atari was as they mostly had nintendos. Atari having dropped out of game consoles for so many years didn't help matters at all. But yeah, I never saw the Jaguar in any stores except Incredible Universe where I bought mine. They went out of business even before the Jaguar 'died', so I got Rayman for a dollar and several other brabd new games for like 5-10 each.

It is SICK! Though I have banged my pricey Index controllers a few times while trying to reload my gun as critters jump at my face! 6 or so hours into it. The aliens look amazing, reload actions are generally to eject the magazine, reach behind your shoulder for a new one, then insert and pull the slide. Trying to do that fast while the Combine are shooting at you... not to mention physically ducking behind counters and throwing grenades... talk about intense! If video cards were not so pricey right now, I would have 2 VR rigs... haha

This all assumes that they are indeed doing a cash grab. So far with their support on their discord and making crappy things right, it looks at least as if they are indeed trying. So I take a neutral stance as to if this changes in a year. Like if they pump and dump the system after a year, then I can agree with you. If they support it for longer can you agree that it wasn't just a cash grab and that maybe they actually would like to do something legit? Yeah their screwups were definitely screwups and I am sure any of the backers were getting uneasy with them. But that is the difference now and back in the day. Could you imagine if you were an investor in Atari around 83-85, when they sold off to Tramiel and then learned the 7800 was shelved? The speculation was clearly just speculation. So many were burned by other projwcts like the Chameleon, or that ridiculous gamewatch. So yeah, I can ses why there would be some misgivings there. I maintain they saw the trend with the flashbacks and the mini computer recreations with stuff and thought they could both 'bring back a classic' and 'make a mini new computer/console to scratch the itch of people putting Pis into old computer cases.' Kind of an old and new combination. Let's face it, if they ried to do just a console, it would die next to the giants. If it were not for Nintendo doing something weird and different, and Nintendo's legacy IP, they would have died out with the Gamecube, and would be more like Sega. But they keep doing something more unique and keep selling. had Atari kept a fresh console around all the time after the 2600s success, they probably would not be the what they are now. So that brings the question of, what are they now? They do seem to be 'trying' to be a game company again instead of a IP holder. The question is, will they step up and try to get some developers to actually use that IP 'correctly' vs just reselling their old crap? I vote to let time decide. Sure, if after a year they do nothing but release games that are 'why not?' ports, then I will also belive this was a cash grab. But I don't think they can aford that, and I am sure any shareholders will be like 'yeah, we want you to make money, so do what fans want.' So yeah, it will be an interesting next quarter, as in theory that is when the general release will be.

Ha, really the Samsung Galaxy watches are quite nice and look a lot nicer than the Apple ones. Of course this is just my opinion. Did I miss girly pics? No fair! Fine! Back to trying to dodge head crabs in Half-Life: Alyx!

I like my Tizen one.

Curious, could you please explain why you think their business model is an insult to the consumer? And not healthy to the hobby? I actually never thought of the VCS as a 'retro' machine at all, and as a new platform. As outside of including the Vault, none of the games out for it are old. I was thinking last night about why, specifically after all these years of nothing, would whomever that owns Atari bother with trying a new console. My conclusion was 'The flashbacks and mini computers seem to sell well enough'. Otherwise why do it? I don't see it as a retro machine though, it is a (fairly) modern piece of hardware. So it doesn't touch the crowd that want a real 6502 or anything. It doesn't really do anything but include the classics in the Vault. What this system really is, at least if they do it right, is a way for them to actually resell their IP instead of sitting on it. Like who wouldn't want a new Yars Revenge with some particle physics and such? But yeah, I treat it just as I treat the Switch. A system for playing games both old and new.

I don't know, I thought it was odd as well.

There was a guy on the discord that was planning on creating a MIDI workstation out of the VCS. At least another that didn't have a computer at all and wanted to use one for specifically that reason. The point is, it's a neat little device that you can use as either. Granted it having only a pre-launch at this point, it's probably more useful if you slap on a live USB stick, a keyboard and mouse and use it as a general computing device. I don't know about most people, but I usually only fire up 2600 era games and the old Atari arcade games to play around for a few minutes, then get bored. Then again I also just played 6 hours of Half-Life: Alyx, which was AMAZING. I'm going to go back to that instead of hanging out on AtariAge.

PCs are high for sales because of COVID. This is why the prices have doubled for everything, even GPUs that are several years old. Everyone says the PCs are dying, but they keep selling. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/01/pc-sales-finally-saw-big-growth-in-2020-after-years-of-steady-decline/ As far as Atari being able to produce enough? Clearly EVERYONE in the damn industry is having that issue. Otherwise you wouldn't see 3090s for 2500, 3080s for 1500, and you can't even find the new AMD processors anywhere, or their new GPUs. Computer Electronics are a shit show at the moment.

You specifically say that they struggle selling $300 computers. Sure is that 'NO ONE'? No. But that is 'struggling'. Whether they are useful is debatable, as I hate using Windows myself So if you want to be that picky... meh, whatever dude. Have some Scotch, it's a fantastic way to wash away all your hate for Atari.

I liked the idea of the Switch. It just seems.. I don't know maybe if I went on more trips, I'd like it more. I'm also annoyed that while they do have physical carts you can get, when you buy a game you pretty much get the pretty cover, the tiny card, and a plastic case. Only one of the many games I bought came with any sort of extras, and that was a special edition of Dead Cells (which that is an asshole game). I do really like the Switch Pro controller though.

Ha, unlike most people thinking you'd need a monitor with a PC you know most people have HDMI TVs at this point... Someone did.

Nope, you actually took me out of context. When you said no one is buying those 300 dollar PCs at walmart, I said plenty of people were buying those for kids. You then started saying that such normal things aren't going to be available on the VCS, and I said sure you could use it for general computing. You could technically do all of MS Office through the VCS with Chrome and O365 too.... My contention was that someone walking through looking for a game system for little Timmy may look at a game system that says it includes 100 games out of the box, vs a system that doesn't come with any, and is a bit more in price. Basically you threw in that no one buys the Walmart PCs, I said that they do, but then you somehow mixed those two things into 'The VCS isn't going to be bought for general computing' which I never said it was, just that it could be used as such, not that it would be bought for such a thing. Hopefully that clears up any confusion.

I know it's digging further than most want to usually, but AtariOS is NOT actually based upon Debian. it's based on Apertis, which is in itself based upon Debian. But Apertis is a weird little operating system apparently meant for infotainment systems for the auto industry from what I can gather. https://apertis.org/