[Rally Racers (in VCS Store)]

17 minutes ago, SabertoothRetro said:

Here's a first look video (gameplay only) that I put together this morning for the curious. It has the turorial and capture of the first few races.  Confirming that its single-player only despite the email from Atari.

 

 

Thanks for confirming that it is only single player even thought this is disappointing since co op would have been a major feature to encourage sales of the game and maybe even Atari VCS systems.

 

6 minutes ago, RadiATIon said:

Indeed it's a single player game. But a very good game I think

It still looks like a fun game and I am going to purchase Rally Racers but this is a major killjoy and will be a deal breaker for many and this error is one that Atari should not have made! They are already people over on The Official Atari VCS Discord channel stating they will not buy a kart racer game that doesn't have a co op mode.

[Atrai 2600 spotted in Hulu series "The Hardy Boys"]

Does anyone recognize the game they are showing on the screen?  There were a few other screens of the game as well in that opening scene in the season 1, episode 1 so it does look like it might be an actual real game, but of course this could all just be mock video showing what resembles a game.  We do know for certain that what is being shown as the game played on this Atari 2600 that this isn't an Atari 2600 game since it greatly exceeds the capabilities of what an Atari 2600 can do and judging it by what is seen would suggest that this is 16-bit game.  Also this Atari 2600 doesn't even look like it is functional let alone hooked up to a TV or plugged into wall for power and the controller also appears to not be plugged into the Atari 2600 and might not even have a cord, but it looks like in both image the joystick are being held backward since you never see a fire button and the both boys seem to holding the joystick in a manner that they wouldn't be able to properly use it.

[Rally Racers (in VCS Store)]

4 hours ago, swlovinist said:

Nice to see a new game released with couch co-op.   

@swlovinist

No, actually it doesn't have co op.  The details for the game on the Atari VCS store says that it is singe player as well as every Google search.  It does seem to be a case of whoever at Atari put that email together was incorrect about the game having anything other than a single player mode.  Can anyone who has already purchased Rally Racers confirm if there is co op or not so we know for certain if the information in the email from Atari about couch co op was an error vs the single player game details that is stated on the Atari VCS store as well as details that the game on all other platforms is only single player.

[Rally Racers (in VCS Store)]

The game single player?  I though it had a 2 player couch co op option as that is what was stated in the email Atari sent the other day.  However I do see the details on the Atari VCS store for the game states single player.  Did the person at Atari who sent that email just misunderstand that this is single player only and assumed it had couch co op since it it similar to Mario Karts?  Looking on Steam and doing a Google search it also shows only single player.  What do they mean by couch op if that wasn't a mistake?

 

It still looks like a fun game and I am going to purchase it, but WOW that is a real killjoy for what would have been a major feature for the game.

 

[Atrai 2600 spotted in Hulu series "The Hardy Boys"]

I was watching The Hardy Boys series on Hulu and it saw this. It was hard to make out because it was so dark in the scene (in the screen capture I made after this yon can see how dark it was and looks they were supposed to be playing with the lights turned off in the room), but knowing Atari as I do I recognized it as an Atari 2600 joystick. I did a screen capture of the part where it was shown and brightened up the image.

 

What is funny is they show this game on the screen which looks to me like a 16-bit game. Either the person who setup this scene was born in the Nintendo era or later and has never seen or played an Atari console or just is too lazy to research for period accuracy the type of games that the Atari 2600 was capable of. I am not sure what game they are showing but maybe someone else will recognize it from this screen capture.

 

Here is another another screen capture from that same scene. Again I have brightened up the image so that it can be seen. There is a 6 switch Atari 2600 (looks like a light sixer to me based on the trim around the front face panel). Can't make out what the name is on the label of the cartridge that is in the cartridge slot. Also, looks like this system has only the power switch and the rest of thee switches are gone, so most likely this a long time dead Atari 2600.

[Rally Racers (in VCS Store)]

Rally Racers is such a unexpected surprise and a very welcome one at that. This game is exactly type of content needed to help with making the Atari VCS a successful gaming platform. Having a proper 2 play co op kart racer game is real delight. Can't wait to play it with family and friends.

 

[I'm thinking of getting a VCS]

9 hours ago, T.A.P. said:

I've been thinking of ordering a VCS, and I would love to hear from those that have one.

 

I want it primarily just to play Atari games, which admittedly, there are probably a billion other ways to do.

 

For those that have one, do you like it? Is it worth the cost? How is the game library now?

 

Can the games be played offline, or is it like that Google Stadia thing, meaning if the service goes away, so do your games?

It is a really fun game system. 

 

- The Atari OS has the Recharged series of games if you like a modernized spin on old classics (overall they are done well)

- Retro inspired games like Jetboard Joust and Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan are great fun

- Rally Racers was just released today on the Atari VCS so now we have a proper kart racing co op game

- Flashback Friday releases each week add classic games from Atari's back catalog to the store

- Antstream Arcade lets you you play a ton of old games from arcades and different platforms

- Coming later this year HD 2.5 games such as Neko Ghost Jump! and Red Rust are being released on the Atari VCS

- Game streaming services such as XBOX Cloud Gaming, Google Stadia and Amazon Cloud and GeForce Now will give you access to tons of modern content

- The Atari VCS is perfect for emulation of old game consoles when running in PC mode

- Play game from your Steam library from when running in PC mode

- Epic Games gives away a free game every Thursday and you can build a nice free library of games to play in PC mode

[3200 MHz compatible memory for the Atari VCS - READ THIS BEFORE PURCHASING!]

On 1/23/2022 at 5:08 AM, marss said:

Thanks for the tip

What changes did you do in the Bios?

If you add more memory there might be timing changes you should make as well as changes the amount of shared memory

 

The memory settings that I adjusted are as shown in this video at the 08:09 - 09:32 mark.

 

A few safe & useful things I did following the steps in this video I have linked here is as follows (the default settings in the BIOS are based on the stock 8 GB of DD4 2666 MHz memory so these should be adjusted to reflect the specs of the upgraded memory and allocate the additional memory to the GPU to optimize performance).

-------------------------------------------------

• Set the memory speed in the BIOS to ensure that clock on that is matches the rated speed for the memory (when I upgraded the memory in my Atari VCS put in 3200 MHz memory to replace the 2666 MHz stock RAM)
• Allocate more system RAM as video memory (I increased the allocation to 8 GB since I have 32 GB installed in my Atari VCS and that will be a nice boost in games that use a lot of video memory and this is four time the default 2 GB that was based on an Atari VCS with the stock 8 GB of memory).

 

 

*One other thing shown in the video was how to change the TDP from 35W to 54W but I did not set this on my Atari VCS since I did not put any undue stress on the system and risk damaging or overheating it (for those who want to do this it is advised to replace the stock thermal pad with Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste to enhance the cooling as this has been reported by other to reduce temperatures on Atari VCS consoles where that was done).

[3200 MHz compatible memory for the Atari VCS - READ THIS BEFORE PURCHASING!]

I had real hell getting memory that works at 3200 MHz in the Atari VCS. Apparently the Atari VCS MB has a fail safe mode that when memory doesn't work it will use the default values regardless of what the setting are you have. After setting the timing the Atari VCS goes to full fans on next boot and will not boot.  Then when then you unplug the power and plug back in again you can boot.  The BIOS will show you setting but when you run CPUID you will see that the memory is only at 2400Mhz and the Task Manager shows only 2 GB allocated regardless of what you have in the BIOS.

 

I have an Atari VCS Collects Edition console from Dec 2020 where G.Skill Ripjaws works fine, BUT I bought another set of this memory in Dec 2021 for the Black Walnut console I got in Dec 2021 and even though the part number was the same for the G.Skill memory (and specs) it would not work.  I know that my newer Atari VCS is not the issue because when took the set of G.Skill the memory (F4-3200C22D-32GRS) from Dec 2020 out of my other Atari VCS and put in the new one it booted without issue. G.Skill sells it as the exact same part number as my first set (same part, same UPC, same specs), but it isn't the same as the stock they sold in Dec 2020. I think G.Skill changed parts for something cheaper in the year since the set I got for my Collector Edition console (probably because of COVID shortages and they got some cheaper components).
 

My findings:
--------------
1) OLOy (MD4S1632180BZ0SH) . I started with that but it crashed in GPU stress test even though it would boot ok after the setting the DRAM timing in the BIOS.  Returned it.  I thought that maybe I could get better as a few of specs were was a bit faster the the G.Skill RipJaws I had in my Collectors Edition console.
2) Bought G.Skill RipJaws (F4-3200C22D-32GRS) from Newegg so it matched what I had bought for my Collectors Edition Atari VCS in 2020. High fans, no boot until unplugging the console and not matching the BIOS settings after plugging it back in to get the system to boot.  Returned it. (My set of this same memory from 2020 in my Atari VCS Collectors Edition console runs at 3200 MHz, but the set from 2021 I put in my Black Walnut console won't run at that speed, however if I take the older set of memory out of my Collector Edition Console and move it the Black Walnut console there are no issue, so I know that the issue is memory and not with the newer Black Walnut Atari VCS)
3) Bought G.Skill RipJaws (F4-3200C22D-32GRS) from Amazon. High fans, no boot until unplugging the console and not matching the BIOS settings after plugging it back in to get the system to boot. Returned it.
4) Crucial memory (CT2K16G4SFRA32A). High fans and no boot at all.
5) TEAMGROUP Elite DDR4 32GB Kit (TED432G3200C22DC-S01). BINGO!

 

 

The TEAMGROUP Elite DDR4 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) 3200MHz works perfect in an Atari VCS when setting the DRAM Timing speed to 3200 MHz in the BIOS.  Good luck finding any other memory that works at 3200 MHz in the Atari VCS!  Do yourself a favor and by the TEAMGROUP Elite DDR4 32GB Kit (TED432G3200C22DC-S01) memory.

 

https://www.amazon.com/TEAMGROUP-PC4-25600-Unbuffered-Notebook-Computer/dp/B08T17RQ87

 

https://www.newegg.com/team-32gb-260-pin-ddr4-so-dimm/p/N82E16820331504

[Asteroite]

Just found out about Asteroite that is coming to the Atari Jaguar in 2022 from Songbird Production.  2022 is going to be a good year for the Jag! ?

https://mailchi.mp/a2b6228094d2/20220112-songbird-update

 

 

 

[VCS BIOS Related Discussions]

On 12/26/2021 at 10:24 PM, Nate P said:

The link here doesn't seem to be working anymore. It says the file doesn't exist. Is there an updated link for that version?

@Nate P I tested the link just now and it is working.  Let me know if you are still having issues accessing the Atari OS Recovery image.

[VCS BIOS Related Discussions]

On 12/27/2021 at 11:28 AM, IndyJones1023 said:

Thanks to Tidus79001 I was able to change my BIOS password. But PC Mode does not work for me. Any tips?

 

Also, any BIOS settings I should change?

 

10 hours ago, zzip said:

Can you be more specific about what it's doing?

You should be able to boot a USB with alternate OS or liveUSB,  but if you did not disable secure boot inside your bios, you will only be able to boot signed OSes until you do

 

This is about Chrome OS. Indy started a new topic dedicated the issue he is having booting into it.

 

 

[ChromeOS install woes]

2 hours ago, IndyJones1023 said:

My bluetooth keyboard works in Windows 10 (booting off an external drive). I'd really like to get the ChromeOS working, though.

I would be interested in that as well.  Not sure if anyone else ever tired it before but Chrome OS is listed as officially being about to run on the Atari VCS.

[ChromeOS install woes]

1 hour ago, IndyJones1023 said:

I guess the extra info I haven't pointed out yet is that I have a large living room so I need to use a bluetooth keyboard/trackpad. And it won't pair with the AtariOS. So I can't use it in the Chrome app. I need to actually boot to the ChromeOS instead.

I have not a bluetooth keyboard that I wasn't able to get working in the the Atari OS or Windows 10 in PC on my Atari VCS (the Atari VCS cannot see it and Window 10 while it can see it keep looping back to asking me to connect the device when I try to pair it).  If you keyboard also have  USB RF adapter just plug into the USB port and the keyboard will work on the Atari OS or Windows 10 just as mine did.

[ChromeOS install woes]

13 hours ago, IndyJones1023 said:

I'm able to boot to a Windows 10 image, but that's really overkill for what I need.

 

All I have to do is run the Chrome browser and Google Sheets. Which is why I thought the ChromeOS would be perfect. But I can't seem to get it to work.

If you are just looking to run Google apps you can do this natively in the Atari OS and will save yourself some hassle since the Atari OS had the full suite of Google apps built in.

[VCS BIOS Related Discussions]

37 minutes ago, IndyJones1023 said:

Thanks to Tidus79001 I was able to change my BIOS password. But PC Mode does not work for me. Any tips?

 

Also, any BIOS settings I should change?

If you added more memory there might be timing changes you should make as well as changes the amount of shared memory

 

The memory settings that I adjusted are as shown in this video at the 08:09 - 09:32 mark.

 

A few safe & useful things I did following the steps in this video I have linked on this reply is as follows (the default settings in the BIOS are based on the stock 8 GB of DD4 2666 MHz memory so these should be adjusted to reflect the specs of the upgraded memory and allocate the additional memory to the GPU to optimize performance).

-------------------------------------------------

• Set the memory speed in the BIOS to ensure that clock on that is matches the rated speed for the memory (when I upgraded the memory in my Atari VCS put in 3200 MHz memory to replace the 2666 MHz stock RAM)
• Allocate more system RAM as video memory (I increased the allocation to 4 GB since I have 32 GB installed in my Atari VCS and that will be a nice boost in games that use a lot of video memory and this is double the default 2 GB that was based on an Atari VCS with the stock 8 GB of memory).

 

 

*One other thing shown in the video was how to change the TDP from 35W to 54W but I did not set this on my Atari VCS since put any undue stress on the system and risk damaging or overheating it (for those who want to do this it is advised to replace the stock thermal pad with Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste to enhance the cooling as this has been shown to reduce temperatures on Atari VCS consoles where the owner did just that).

[VCS BIOS Related Discussions]

5 hours ago, justclaws said:

Thanks for the tip, but this statement can be a bit misleading, as it does not apply for everybody.
I, and many others, have the 1.0.23 BIOS, and the "celebrates" password (out in the wild, listed above), works 100% with our VCS.

At the same time, a BIOS downgrade for some people with problems, for sure is a solution.
My conclusion on this is that (some of) the latest batch of VCS systems from the factory, come with a new password and latest BIOS.

Older systems, like mine, had an older BIOS originally, got the Atari "celebrates" password, and kept it with the 1.0.23 upgrade.
Presumably if the people who downgraded to get the known password, then upgrade, there would also be no change, after upgrade.

The 1.0.23 upgrade in itself does not reset the BIOS password, so that's the only explanation I can think of.
Presumably Atari don't know about the discrepancy from the factory, with some units, and that's why they keep giving the "celebrates"
password to user who ask. I think that is also what you say, in your explanation, but it's not 100% clear, so I am just confirming that.
(An Atari contact I made, also confirmed that there was no password change, as far as they are concerned.)

 

The 1.0.23 password that is on console that came off retails shelves doesn't work as it is different than the Celebrates password to being with.  Down flashing the BIOS will work every time because the Celebrates password is hard code into the 1.0.21 firmware that is in the image that is at the download link and replaces whatever password that Atari set on these retails consoles.  I have had about half a dozen people I have helped so far with this process and 100% success rate.  The only person who had issue was one who was using the December 2020 Recovery image (the other reason would be if they don't use keyboard & select the BIOS flash since this would flash the Atari OS).  If it isn't working the process isn't being followed correctly that I detailed in my post.  Anyone having issues can feel free to reach out to me and I will assist them on this.

 

  

1 hour ago, IndyJones1023 said:

I've seen different "celebrate" passwords online. Is it?

 

Atar!C3l3br8te$40Ye4rs$

Atar!C3l3brte$50Ye4rs$

Atar!C3l3br8$50Ye4rs$

 

Also, even if a person follows the process correctly if they are using a incorrect password such at the 2 variants from the known good password it will seem to a person that the process isn't working.

 

  

52 minutes ago, stirrell said:

The one that worked for me is:

Atar!C3l3br8te$50Ye4r$

I just verified that this is working on my up-to-date VCS.

That is the correct password and the only one that will work with BIOS downgrade flash to 1.0.23

[VCS BIOS Related Discussions]

On 12/24/2021 at 10:58 AM, IndyJones1023 said:

Long time Atarian, new to the Black Walnut VCS as of yesterday. I have the .23 BIOS and no passwords work. I see there is a fix to downgrade the BIOS. How do I do that, please?

 

On 12/25/2021 at 12:01 PM, IndyJones1023 said:

I don't see how a BIOS password could possibly work after a few days.

 

The BIOS password requires flashing the BIOS back to 1.0.21 to set it the password that it out in the wild. 

 

The guide and recovery image can be be found at the following link.  For the most part the guide is not very useful other than to tell you how to create the recovery flash drive, so I would refer to for those steps

 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pgC39vlSaK-8am4cbGKLgQrnKILRU1iK?usp=sharing

 

There are steps you have to do that aren't in the guide, and you will need a keyboard connected to your Atari VCS to complete these steps.  If you don't have a keyboard it will only flash the Atari OS not resolve the issue.

 

• You need to use the keyboard and select the flash BIOS option from the menu that appears on the screen when you power on your Atari VCS with the Atari OS Recovery USB drive the you created from the downloaded image (if you don't select anything then it will just flash the Atari OS).  From the menu select "BIOS Upgrade & Reset Settings (VCS21)" and press the Enter key using the keyboard that you have connected to your Atari VCS. This process will downgrade the BIOS from 1.0.23 to 1.0.21 (the BIOS will automatically get updated again to 1.0.23 the next the the Atari VCS boot into the Atari OS).
• You shouldn't need to reimage the Atari OS, but I did that as my first step before the BIOS.  If you find just flashing the BIOS doesn't work then reimage the Atari OS, power off & then on again and flash the Atari VCS BIOS before the system boots into the Atari OS.  After then boot into the Atari OS and let the system update the BIOS.

Once done you should be able to access the BIOS using the Atari Celebrate password.

[What Classic Game Was Your Childhood?]

Star Raiders on the Atari 2600.  I gave countless hours of my childhood to the game and managed to beat to it on T40 difficulty and unlock the "Mystery Rank", Atari.

[USB Keyboard Issues???]

I went with the Adesso WKB-4400UB - Wireless SlimTouch Desktop Touchpad Keyboard since I wanted a full size keyboard with numpad and trackpad (didn't want a mouse and need to have a surface to use it on and I can siteon the sofa and use this on my lap. Couldn't find all that in a bluetooth keyboard. This perfectly fit the bill for me and works great!  I was surprised how very little options there was for a wireless keyboard with both a trackpad and numpad, but got what I wanted with the Adesso WKB-4400UB.  Well I wanted Bluetooth, but was ok to go with RF.

[VCS BIOS Related Discussions]

12 hours ago, DazRetroDomination said:

Hi there, I just got my Walnut console and am unable to install Batocera. Will what you have suggested work for me to install it? I'm so bummed out as I was looking forward to pimping this thing. I would appreciate the software to do this please.

Yes, I should work.  I will send you details via PM,

[VCS BIOS Related Discussions]

On 12/6/2021 at 4:22 PM, zzip said:

Do the BIOS changes you make under 21 keep when it upgrades to 23?

Not sure, but I would recommend verifying your setting in PC mode after the BIOS is updated back to as when version 23 was released earlier this year it was found to have some very odd behaviors where the setting that were made were made prior to the update were still in place when viewed in the BIOS but not actually being picked by the OS as verified when booting in PC mode.  See the following thread for details on that issue and how to resolve it.

 

 

 

[VCS BIOS Related Discussions]

1 hour ago, BloatedToad said:

I would be interested as well.

I have sent the the link to via email where you can download the Atari OS Recovery media.

[Lock-On 2600]

1 hour ago, Tidus79001 said:

Can anyone here tell how I can contact Winz about an order I placed on winzmods.com? I accidentally mistyped my house number address on my address and the USPS has sent the package back. I cannot find any contact information on the website nor are they are contact details in the order confirmation email. The only email address that I know of is admin@winzmods.com as this is how the sender was for the order confirmation email that I received. I have emailed admin@winzmods.com but I am not sure if the account is monitored for incoming messages.

I was able to reach Winz on Discord and he is taking care getting my order sent out again.

[Lock-On 2600]

Can anyone here tell how I can contact Winz about an order I placed on winzmods.com? I accidentally mistyped my house number address on my address and the USPS has sent the package back. I cannot find any contact information on the website nor are they are contact details in the order confirmation email. The only email address that I know of is admin@winzmods.com as this is how the sender was for the order confirmation email that I received. I have emailed admin@winzmods.com but I am not sure if the account is monitored for incoming messages.