justclaws
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Posts posted by justclaws
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I see that there will now be at least 2 staff in Europe, with Hans Ippisch in Germany,
and this Therese Svensson in Sweden coordinating localisation. Actually, one thing
from this really surprised me, which is that games and console will support DUTCH!
This was reported prominantly in several places, but this seemed appropriate to link.
https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2021/05/26/93079/intellivision-reveals-physical-media-launch-titles-and-accessories-for-amico/
So now the question comes!
In Germany, there will be sales of the Amico via Mediamarkt, and Saturn.
https://www.mediamarkt.de/de/product/_amico™-first-edition-sonstige-konsolen-2651349.html
https://www.saturn.de/de/product/_intellivision-amico™-first-edition-2651349.html
However, in The Netherlands, I have not found any chain or small retailer listing it.
I checked Dutch MediaMarkt, Coolblue, Amazon, Intertoys, and independent chains.
None listed it.
I did find one reference in a blog, and the guy (maybe here too?) is waiting too.
https://www.nesfan.nl/2021/01/waarom-ik-uitkijk-naar-de-intellivision-amico.html
So the question is, I suppose Amico supports Dutch, some sales are planned, but via...?
I recentlly imported an Android box from China - EUR 43, but I paid 22 EUR import tax.
When the last delay happened, I decided to save money, and switch to retail purchase...
The Amico via Intellivision pre-order would be at best 204 EUR today ($303 USD) and
postage, and then I'd have to add 50% import tax, or more, and that's just not doable.
(The 279 EUR ($331) from German Mediamarkt already stings, but $450 via import
is just too much. Further, we're no idea how the USD->EUR exchange rate changes...)
If you're another Dutch person or European, how are you planning to get an Amico?
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I discovered today that Gamestop finally stopped blocking Europe, as it seems. :-)
Consequently, I was able to go and have a look on the Gamestop site for pricing.
They clearly know what I'm interested in, so they're using some 3rd-party cookies.
The other thing which amused me is that the promotional video for the Amico
is the satirical (viral-style) video about the Amico (which I loved) from in 2020.
There's Tommy, welding Amicos together, between doing all the social-media.
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I was surprised to find that Gamestop have unblocked Europe, it seems. :-)
Now I got to check-out their website for the first time in a few years, I guess.
It's good to see several VCS combinations are now in the store, with a coming date.
It's also interesting that Gamestop game me a an "Also Like" list with the Amico. :-)
Meanwhile, more users who ordered from Atari directly reported getting their box.
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On 5/17/2021 at 3:24 AM, tripled79 said:There's a weird bug on one level where the gravity is ridiculous. Full throttle in the opposite direction and I'm still getting pulled into the ground. Becomes less a game of skill and more of a chore respawning and slowly making progress across until you inevitably blow up again against the unfair gravity force...
Then there's that level where if you don't eliminate the virus's at the speed of light, they become "lost" and you'll never find them or complete the level.
If you're not on the Utopos Discord, I fully recommend it.
You can interact with Jani directly, most of the time, and he's still developing both Utopos of course,
but the bonus is, he pushes improvements retrospectively into Guntech/URG, and is still maintaining them actively.
It's really refreshing, and he's a great guy. :-) -
I'd be happy to see Steam on the VCS, natively, but I do see challenges with that.
- I already have Steam on my VCS, under Windows 10, and with an Ubuntu install.
(Well, I hate Steam, for it's client updates, and prefer to buy on Gog, Itch.IO etc..)
However, in parallel, there is news that there may be a Steam hand-held coming.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/steams-latest-update-could-hint-at-valve-plans-for-a-console-like-device/
For a more detailed background to the story, read this.
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/05/hints-appear-of-valve-making-a-possible-handheld-steam-qsteampalq-neptune-console -
On 5/7/2021 at 10:16 AM, marss said:Chrome is updated
On the 7th of May, it was updated to Chrome 90.x.
Chrome was just updated again today, to version 91.x.
It should have happened automatically, the little "downloading" icon appears on the status bar. -
2 hours ago, Re4per said:My VCS has only 9.9 gig storage that i can use. It has 32 gigs of internal storage so where is the rest???
It sounds as though your system has a corruption to the disk partition table - the layout of the disk.
The easiest way would be to just flash the system, according to the Atari support pages. (For link, see the FAQ.)
You take a USB stick, run some software from another PC or a Mac to put an image on it, then boot from that.
I think I saw 2 other people who had a similar problem, with their original Backers consoles, and that fixed it.
(The other fix, if you're technical, is to boot Ubuntu from a USB stick, and fix the partitition table as required.)
It's not a hardware fault - not even a software fault - it's a very rare error from when the system was installed.
My guess is that during software installation, something glitched, or somebody disconnected the VCS too early
at the factory, and so the internal software was not fully "expanded" to the system. Very unlucky but easily fixed.
I hope that helps. -
28 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:I think physical media will require a store account and the reason is Tommy's hinting about non fungible tokens. Without getting too geeky this will actually tie a physical purchase to you electronically - theoretically forever (unless you transfer it). This is basically the new digital ownership. [...]
[...]
Overall I agree that it may not has as much impact as I originally thought, you have some darn good points.
I understand the benefit of NFTs; I'm actually a fan of the concept, particularly for software resales.
However, I think having the "physical media" tied to an account, rather than anonymously to a console,
would be a negative, because the console is being marketed to tech-averse, or tech challenged people.
I know several Dutch people (young and old) who point-blank refuse to use online services which require
any kind of personal account. They won't give real name, real email, and definitely never their credit card.
The idea to buy a physical game, and just touch the console to play, would definitely appeal to them most.
"Bricks and Mortar" stores still survive surprisingly well, against online equivalents, for similar reasons.
Here, in The Netherlands, we have a national digital identity online system, a government portal, and it
is a constant irritation to many people, as it assumes Internet access, which is not free, or easy for many.
Thanks for your positive feedback on my previous comment! :-)-
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3 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:That does bring up a challenge however, Intellivision is going to need to sync their in-store physical launches with digital (at least within a day or two). Otherwise the physical sales will suffer if a game has been available digitally for too long without the physical being available. That is going to take some close retailer coordination.
I thought about that too, but then it occurred to me, it's probably not a problem, after all, IMHO.
- I presume the "physical media" do not require an account setting up on the Intellivision store, and just link to
the console/primary controller, so those people who don't or can't or won't setup online account/purchases will
be the ones buying from the shops. That includes the older people or kids, I presume, so no conflict in sales.
- The collectors may buy a game electronically, but will want a new/sealed box for their collection in any case,
and won't open it, so they won't care if they already bought the game to play, previously, so there's no conflict.
- Everybody else who just wants to play the games will just buy them at the best price electronically, online.
What do you think?-
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6 hours ago, Mockduck said:Perfect, thanks! Semi-related, did anyone by chance both order and ever receive a VCS 400? I don't think one was ever released, right?
I think it goes back as far as the middle of the development, around the time they upgraded they chipset.
The minimum system became also the 800, with the 8GB RAM as standard, which was a very good move. 🙂
I think it was written on the Indiegogo, or the Medium blog, but for sure, a 1600 is possible, but never 400. -
I guess most people here have heard about the PiePacker project. If not, see below.
https://www.piepacker.com/
PiePacker on the new Atari VCS - under AtariOS
Just to confirm, PiePacker works really well, in Google Chrome, running under AtariOS. I
was playing with a friend for a few hours tonight, but only dipped my toe in the water of
the service so far. There are so many games already - I played one new, and one old via
the emulation - that was Worms. (I do feel for sure, the Atari Jaguar version was better!)
The modern controller was immediately recognised, although in some games there were
some unexpected controller mappings - it different from the Xbox controller layout using
Bluetooth, but I also used a wireless (USB dongle) Bluetooth controller with the VCS test.
It's still in BETA so I'll report the differences in behaviour to them - but it's all cloud based.
(I did not try either Atari VCS controllers via USB, where they also support the Xbox mode.)
The VCS Classic controller was immediately recognised, but only up/down worked, and not
the left/right, so the mapping for that to the PiePacker app needs to be adjusted - it's BETA.
Although the Kickstarter has now closed, here is the link to that, just for historical details.
They recently ran a Kickstarter, and I was a backer, and today got my "backer BETA-access".
Prior to the Kickstarter, they had 100K (yes, 100,000) play-testers using it for some months!
PiePacker Background
If you don't have any idea what it is - it's a cloud service - to legally run multi-player retro
and modern (or reimagined) classic games over the Internet - games which are not written
for the Internet, of course, but playable in real-time over the Internet with friends on other
platforms, just using Chrome, and with video and voice chat, where people want to do that.
It ideal for pandemic times - playing together, even when we're apart - no special hardware
to buy, or software to install. The "owner" just sends an invite to friends, and they can join,
anytime, and join in the fun. My friends and family are not local, to come and sit on the sofa
next to me - they're scattered across this country, Europe, and the USA, as for many people.
There is OPTIONAL hardware called the PieReader (shown below) which takes a range of
adapters (more will follow) to plug physical cartridges into, but no support for Atari yet.
(Even an adapter for a CD unit could follow, but the hardware is not necessary to play.)
I was in communication with the CEO, who's a very friendly guy with a great track-record.
He said they are very keen to support the Atari VCS. Perhaps we'll see an Atari partnership!
It's quite different to Antstream, but certainly complements it. I'd love to see it as an "app".
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There's also now a great interview with Jani re: his history and future with Utopos.
https://www.atarilegend.com/interviews/52-
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(As a fellow Brit, I reached out about the high-score bug.)
I heard back from the developer of Jetboard Joust, and he expects to submit a bugfix for the game to Atari tonight. Very nice guy, and he wrote: "Please can you pass on my apologies to the folks there and assure them that I am working on a fix." He then followed up saying that he thinks he's "there with the fix, just running a few tests", and should submit the new version to Atari "by the end of the day". 🙂-
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A first early review from OEB-Pete for this game. (Before pending game-update.)
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It certainly looks as though the company has a proven track record for this.
I'm not in the market for it, but if I had that cash for a handheld, I would be.
It's certainly interesting to see handheld PCs eating into the console market.
Now I'm almost certain in future somebody will turn a new VCS into a portable! -
I've been giving it a lot of play so far, and it plays very much like Defender, at the beginning, but there is
the Rogue like development, power-ups through your chosen game-play path, and lots of play evolution.
Fantastic depth to this game, and huge challenges so far. Very interesting art style, marks this out also. -
Also, another great game which would suit the Wii, and was a big hit on the Wii.
It does not need the mat - it can also be played with the Wiimote only if you want.
This game was so much in demand in months after release, that it was selling for
hundreds of dollars, and I had to import a 2nd copy from Australian myself, even.
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If you think of quirky, "Let's Catch" is not as good as "Let's Tap" in my opinion.
The fact that the box of that game is a necessary part of the game, is so cool,
but in fact, it's an amazing demonstration of the sensitivity of the Wiimotes too!
It's also a GREAT couch co-op/compete game, and no controls to learn AT ALL.
Further, the graphics are great, and the game already has a running theme in it. 🙂
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28 minutes ago, Sheldon Sims said:My WiFi drops every few seconds in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, so I have been using an ethernet cable to get around it. 🤪
Yes, there is a known driver problem in Ubuntu for the Realtek chipset. It's very annoying.
I keep checking for updates, but Linux support at the moment is flaky for this Realtek sadly.
The disabling WIFI power-management helps, but it's not a cure.
It's not the Realtek board/chipset because it works perfectly (and fast) under Windows 10,
and it's now reliable under AtariOS too, but still not as fast as it is in Windows 10, for sure.-
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6 hours ago, Battlefish said:Here's a screenshot, if anyone's curious:
You can also see a sneak peek at the Glacier White and Graphite Black controllers, as well as the top shell of a couple Vintage Woodgrain systems.
The latter seems less metallic and more glossy, when compared to render shots. Not sure how good it's gonna look if they go with that...
I think the all white looks great, and it will match better with my Wii and Wii-U too,
which already stand next to the living room TV. It can also bring reminders of the Wii
to the casual gamers who may have bought or played a Wii years ago. It does not look
intimidating like a gaming console. It looks more adult this way, and less like for kids.
* Oh, just one concern - I hope the white plastic will not turn to yellow in the sunshine!-
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This is a little off-topic, but it's very much on-topic for game collectors,
and the link is, Tommy Tallarico is in the film, talking about game music.
https://watch.plex.tv/movie/nintendo-quest
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3063470/fullcredits
Maybe you've all seen it, but I hadn't, and did not expect the Tommy Tallarico bit.
(I just streamed the film via my Atari VCS, which introduced free Plex to me.)
Of course since then, prices soared for all retro games, and modern games, huh?
For Dutch pricing comparisons, see:
https://www.nedgame.nl/zoek/systeem:nintendo--nes-/
For that matter, you can also check-out the Dutch Ebay, for Intellivision gear...
https://www.marktplaats.nl/q/intellivision/#searchInTitleAndDescription:true
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9 hours ago, Intellivision Master said:I got to see it live. But I missed the first half. I thought it started at 8pm. And it was on earlier. I went back and watched what I missed.
BHG now does a short version with his own comments. He's another Amico convert and didn't event host Tommy yet.
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On 5/14/2021 at 7:00 AM, Swami said:"5% of women players spend on in-app purchases, compared to 3.3% of men." (MoPub)
MoPub is the source, found about half way down here:
https://www.blog.udonis.co/mobile-marketing/mobile-games/mobile-gaming-statistics[...]
Edit: this 2019 articles indicates up-front gaming subscriptions are not much of a thing, although they do make up 9% of all cell phone subscription services (you can find that percentage pretty easily).
https://www.mobilemasterminds.com/2019/08/29/mobile-game-monetization-subscription/Honestly, I gave up following discussion pages back, as I lost track of who was arguing what, and why.
I like to read articles like those, even though I'm not "in the business", and have no cards in this game.-
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31 minutes ago, Chris Brockman said:Anybody playing this?
Mostly the players can be contacted on Utopos' Discord or Facebook.
Sadly a lot of Founders owners stay away from AtariAge due to past conflicts, and it will take time before more come here.
So, my advice, look for matches on Discord. There are of course, players on PC, and Mac, via Steam, as well as via the VCS.
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Amico competitor in the cloud - AirConsole
in Intellivision Amico
Posted
I was just about to ask if a moderator could split the more general argument about Amico, which
veered totally off AirConsole, off from the discussion about AirConsole, and then the last post...
I guess I'm really a bit "special", because I like to keep X in box X, and Y in box Y, and so on. 🙂
I sometimes wonder if some people just put their game media in any old box which comes
to-hand, rather like they have discussions. It must be like a lucky dip when going to play...
This isn't a comment criticising anybody. If it's criticising anybody, I guess I'm criticising me!