Lodmot

Thanks! :3 Yeah, I'll definitely stick around. ^^ But like you said, I'm likely not going to be super impressed by the VCS. It's a mid-range gaming PC in a console-sized Atari-branded box. The idea of a console form-factor gaming PC at $300 is interesting though. I built my own with that Sega system I posted pictures of a while ago, and it's an awesome experience. I like that idea, but they didn't market the VCS correctly at all. They had no idea what they were actually making with this thing. The fact that you can have a mid-range gaming PC in a console-sized box is intriguing though. It makes me wonder how long the game industry will have proprietary game consoles like the PS4/PS5 or Nintendo Switch. I wonder if eventually that will transform into just companies making digital-only PC's in special console-sized boxes that run Windows 10/Xbox. After all, Microsoft's already doing what they can to partner with Nintendo. Maybe next they'll strive to get Sony on-board... I dunno. I'm just rambling. xD

I actually frankly don't have much faith. Lol. At this point I'm fully expecting nothing to come out, but if it does come out, well, it will be a fun piece of tech to play around with. Getting an actual product at this point will be better than I'm expecting. o w o

It's alright, lol. > u < I totally know what you mean frankly though, this console is spiraling towards a void to nowhere. I just can't help though, when I see a picture of a motherboard I'm automatically fascinated by it. o u o That's the nerd in me coming out, LOL.

Dude, you have to chill with getting snappy with me. That's frankly the reason why I originally didn't want to even trust people here, it's a huge turnoff to getting me to want to actually listen to you.

It's alright. And thank you for not being antagonistic. Thing about laptops is, I wouldn't buy a laptop and just keep it hooked up to the TV all the time. I guess you could do that, but then you have to configure power settings so the laptop doesn't go to sleep or use the laptop's screen as a 2nd monitor, etc. If I'm going to buy a laptop I'll use it as a laptop. The form factor of this device also fits better with a TV setup. Laptops are generally flatter devices, but they also span a wider area, which makes them awkward when you're trying to find a spot for them on your entertainment unit (depending on what you have).

Yeah, I agree. I plan on having this as an emulation device as well. I'm thinking of loading Windows 10 on it, and using it as either a traveling unit for when I go visit my long distance girlfriend. Otherwise, when I have my own place, I'm thinking of having this as a media streaming device for under my TV (I don't plan on having cable TV because I never watch regular cable anymore, lol). Doesn't change my attitude towards the company behind the Atari VCS. Their business decisions are highly illogical.

Well, like I said before, the hardware is still somewhat intriguing to me. That board looks rather nice actually, and I don't see anything in the picture that strikes me as fake (though there IS such a thing as photoshop xD). It will be a nifty little toy to play with in my spare time. I'm still very certain the platform will fail though, and the Atari brand will just fall into obscurity. Quite frankly, they really should've just partnered up with PowerA and come out with the Atari-branded controllers-- and just leave it at that. Seems like most people were actually more excited about those than the actual console.

I like this idea actually. I'll definitely look into it.

Not a problem dude. I understand fully I'm a very small developer. I was initially limiting myself to just the Atari VCS because I was that excited for it, so it was mostly just enthusiasm-driven. After I learned my lesson the hard way and realized there wasn't going to actually be a VCS, I got discouraged (as probably a lot of other people did) and decided to focus on perhaps developing the game on Steam instead. The other thing that made the VCS an attractive platform for me as a developer, was that it would be a brand new ecosystem. I felt like I'd have a better shot at getting my content noticed if it's on a platform that's very new, and it isn't oversaturated with thousands of titles yet. Steam is still a nice platform to develop for and I'm certainly going to shoot for it, but I'm worried my game will just get lost in there-- lol..

Exactly. Already sent a message there. Lol.

That all makes sense. Makes me question though-- was there in fact any way to sign as a developer officially? Looking at their website I didn't see much of anything. There is no sign-up process, and I've actually emailed Atari directly, inquiring about how I could do so. All they've told me was that "details would be shared soon" (and mind you, this was during the campaign, and they had a bunch of third party developer logos on the page). It doesn't make sense to me. It's possible I didn't go through the proper channels though... I don't know.

Yeah, apparently not.. o 3 o It's so illogical though... Fred makes a small company, then buys this recognizable brand that's essentially dead …… And he decide to publicize and make money off of pre-orders for a new console...…… but then he's doing everything in his power to NOT get people excited, or listen to backers, and they DON'T put out a product or reveal details about it... They literally make every wrong decision imaginable. Why would someone actually want to do that? LOL. All it's achieving is they lose money. They make $3 million, sure-- but then it's going to backfire on them and then they'll essentially lose half of that (or all of it) on advertisements and negotiations with Flex/PowerA, people wanting to cancel/get refunds, etc... I understand I'm not stating any news here, but I just can't help but wonder-- was there any actual thought process behind this whole thing? Lol... I guess what I'm trying to get at is, even IF your motive is strictly to make a shit ton of money, this is still a terrible, terrible execution of an idea to do so.

Well, in my mind I was thinking it probably would help let them know "Okay, we're losing developers here... Might be a good idea to take serious measures." If there's actual people and not mis-programmed AI-driven robots, they would actually do something I would think...? Also, it felt good to write. xD I'm probably just being awkward though... so I'll be quiet. o u o

Action item? o 3 o;; (ish le confused)

Lol, you're saying that like Atari wasn't those things. o u o I get what you mean though, i'll probably just leave it here for our enjoyment. xD

I was thinking about shooting Atari an email.... How does this sound? I was going for a sort of "Agent Smith" tone to it. LOL ============================= Dear Atari, First I'd like to introduce myself-- my name is Tom O'Neil, founder and developer at Megatoxic Studios. I've developed and published a number of my own independent video game titles on various platforms. My latest release is Ballzerk, an arcade game with tilt controls available on Android and iOS smart phones. Next, I'm going to be as forthcoming as I can be with you. The reason why I'm writing to you is because I'm no longer developing software for Atari VCS or its ecosystem. Back in 2017 when Atari first announced the VCS, I was initially very excited as both a developer and consumer of the console. Believe it or not, I am still at least somewhat intrigued by the hardware and I am eager to get more hands-on with it as a television supplement for my home. However I don’t have the same feelings when it comes to bringing my own content to your platform. In the past, through various communication channels, I’ve made repeated attempts to contact you about working on the Atari VCS hardware and software. I was interested in hardware specs, the availability of a software development kit, and I provided feedback to you over e-mail communication, the comments section on the Atari VCS Indiegogo page and a number of surveys that your team/Indiegogo sent out to me. I’ve also supported you by donating over $400 to your campaign, plus an extra $30 for your t-shirt (which I am delighted to admit I actually received—and I wear it at least once a week). However-- try as I might, and remain as friendly, professional, and patient as I could—no response comes, my feedback is consistently ignored, and the release date of your platform draws closer and closer. At this point, it is physically impossible for me to deliver any kind of content to your platform even if I was still motivated to do so (which I am not). To be perfectly honest, I’m very saddened by this. I was preparing to go as far as creating an exclusive mascot for the VCS to help it stand out from other platforms. My team was lined up and we were developing a prototype engine with art and music assets. I had another person interested in doing character art for the game. I really wanted to deliver a beautiful, high-quality title that would only be available on the VCS. Due to the bad press the Atari VCS has been continuously receiving, we’re pulling all support from your platform. Please note that the project itself has not been cancelled, but I will release it on other competitor platforms such as Steam, Intellivision Amico, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. Also note that we have not set in stone which of these platforms we’re choosing to go with, as we simply haven’t reached that point in the project’s development yet. I fully understand you probably have NDA’s in place with various third parties assisting you in the VCS development cycle, however it is very well known that you have in-house development taking place as well, with Rob Wyatt as part of your team. If the problem is your partnerships with Flex, PowerA or AMD, the best course of action is to simply tell people. If you’re straightforward with everyone, we will understand. If you not straightforward, you will get the public reaction you’ve been getting, you will lose more third party support, and your fans will turn into skeptics. It may even be too late at this point, I honestly don’t know. For the record, I also want to say that during the writing of this email I was contemplating whether I should attach pictures and/or video footage of my aforementioned game project. I decided not to, because I feel after supporting you this whole time and spending hundreds of dollars on your product, it is now more appropriate to force you into a “gambler’s position” (so to speak), and leave it to you to speculate whether this email is honest or not. I suppose you can view it as, like the old saying goes-- “getting a taste of your own medicine”. In the meantime, if you’re looking for some suggestions on what you can do to improve your situation with the Atari VCS, I would start with the following: Tell the truth about your product, whether it’s in production or not. If you indeed have a working prototype of the Atari VCS, reveal it to the general population. If it is no longer feasible to produce the Atari VCS, you need to come out with an official announcement. When people ask you for specific information about the Atari VCS, stop giving us the run-around. Answer the question completely and just be straightforward. I would like to conclude that I do not wish harm on the Atari VCS team, or the platform itself. I am merely a concerned fan and independent developer who has lost confidence in your product due to the negative publicity surrounding it, as well as your refusal to be more transparent with development operations. Good luck with the Atari VCS. Sincerely, Tom O’Neil

Is it just me or did Indiegogo re-word the terms of use for campaign owners to be more strict about fulfilling backers' requests/pledges? https://www.indiegogo.com/about/terms?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ann-09202019&utm_term=&referral_code=iggemail

Yeah.. That's why I sorta just stopped caring. I knew I wasn't going to win that argument, even though they're in the wrong. And yeah, I know I keep droning on about this, but guys...... GENESIS MINI IN 6 DAYS, FAWK YEAHHH!

Sweet! :3 I probably will. It's funny-- I actually stopped even paying attention to the Atari VCS and focused more on Sega, because they're actually doing some awesome stuff this year (and I get my Genesis Mini in 6 days). Just need to fix my original genesis and figure out why it keeps black-screening.

Hey guys, bit of an update (not necessarily good). I tested the Sega CD system on another Genesis console that i have, and it actually worked fine. So now we know its not the Sega CD unit (which is actually lucky for me, because those have gotten quite pricey on eBay lately). I almost wonder if the CPU or memory in my original genesis is bad... Its just weird because most of the board seems fine. At least I have a spare i can use until i find a way to repair my original console...

It's probably keeping your classic consoles alive bruh XD I'm gonna check the motherboard again tonight. Hopefully it doesn't get to the point where I need to de-solder the cartridge connector in order to repair the corrosion or the bad traces underneath but if so-- screw that... XP

Thanks for the link and the pictures. > w < Observing my own pictures a bit closer, it looks like there's some trouble going on near the cartridge connector but it's hard to tell really. The pictures are a bit unclear because of the way the light bounces off the board. I'll probably re-open the system tonight and look at it a second time.

Here's some pictures of the top of the board. Overall it looks very clean, though around the cartridge connector it looks a bit dusty. Although it might also be corrosion too, i dont really know how to identify for that. Let me know what you think though. Thanks! :3

Hey there, thanks for taking a look at it. Yeah, those red wires have always been there on the power jack, and i was the original owner of the system when it was brand new. Only thing i worked on with this console is the controller ports (which i frankly think should be redone). I also checked the side expansion port (though i didnt check the connector on the Sega CD unit yet). The two systems have remained connected since the last time it worked. I'm pleasantly surprised that both the cartridge port and the power connector is fine, so i guess im fine to leave that alone. o u o

A bit of an update. I took the unit apart tonight just to inspect the inside of it. On the top the whole board looks pretty clean, but i found a couple points on the underside of the board that looke questionable. So i took a few pictures of them (attached images). Im not an expert, but those power connector solder points definitely look sketchy... I also included pictures of my shitty soldering job on the controller ports that miraculously worked somehow.