justclaws

I found the bug which is the cause of why D/Generation crashes, and I have informed WCS. If there is no active controller on the VCS, when the game starts, it will crash. You can fix the problem by having the controller connected via USB, or paired and active. I was launching the game with keyboard/mouse from the Atari VCS interface previously.

I know there's a lot of Mattel nostalgia here, but why is nobody asking for Hyperscan ports? Interesting to me, to watch this, but I guess most readers here already know a lot about it? The serious use of RFID "media" was something I had totally missed, but very interesting!

Interesting! I got a reply from Robert (WCS) and he said Atari are investigating, for re-release ASAP. I deleted it, and tried to download, but it's pulled from the store pending consistent reliability it seems. I think this would be a case where a Windows/Linux "report this error to developers" pop-up is needed. Yes, it's fun, challenging, and old-school in a good way, gameplay wise. I never played "the original". However, the price combined with the retro-graphics ARE going to be a big block for many people... (So many gamers say they don't care about graphics so much, it's gameplay they care about, but any game comes along without amazing graphics, and many of the same people slam it for bad graphics.)

There's a preview now of the next version, on YouTube. MASSIVE update pending!

It's weird, actually - @West Coast Software do you know what the problem is? When I first downloaded it, I played it quite a bit, maybe half and hour, and then I quit. I then returned to the game, and it did not work, just popped-up, and disappeared; baffling. I thought it was something weird locally, so I did not try it again, as I've been rather busy... (BTW, the presentation is very "old-school", true the original, but the gameplay is very good.)

This evening, I discovered that Tommy's smile had a reason behind it, thanks to Amazon. I saw a video on YouTube about being able to order the controller joystick "buttons", and when I went to look, I saw also that controller overlays are already available for pre-order, via Amazon.de, and they are under distribution from Koch Media, just like the console. There are 6 sets listed, controllers only, but I'm guessing console skins are also coming?!

Well, it's also affecting the European car manufacturers... like BMW. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-56915685 Interestingly, after some research, it seems that cars do not use any normal mainstream processors like X86 used in PCs, or the Arm families which are in most mobile phones, STBs and of course, the Amico. (Actually, I presume it's not the Arm chip which is the Amico issue, but the special components used in the controllers, as Arm set-top-boxes are easily available.) As posted before, it's often the fabrication of any custom chips which is the blockage right now, for most companies, and I would guess Amico gamepads have some custom components in use.

This is great, but you should have saved it for Star Wars Day (May 4th Be With You) You're really a maestro with Photoshop, or whatever you use.

Ah, that is indeed, very much pulled off - I didn't mean to patronise you, btw. It's a tricky repair! Some people don't realise that the antenna cable is a very small connector, but clearly you do! 🙂 The close-up of the card is interesting though. Maybe somebody else has a different working one.

I got an update from this developer confirming that the game is still coming this year. Understandably, it will release on Windows first, via Steam, and then the VCS, Switch. You can follow progress here. https://twitter.com/Paladino954 A demo is now downloadable. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1492430/Rift_World/

Well, it certainly looks promising, and a playable demo exists for Windows. I will check it out. https://artsourcedigital.itch.io/redrust

I don't know if you know, but the wireless connector which connectors to the WIFI board is a tiny connector. It's possible that if you accidentally yanked the cable with the connector off the board, you can just push it back on again. Although it's not clear, and there was misinformation back in December that the cables was soldered to the WIFI board, that's not true. (Well, not normally!) It's like a tiny ball connector, that clips on. Most laptops (like my Dell and Lenovo) have a similar WIFI antenna connection, and they also just pop-on. As to Atari spares, I am sure they'd be happy to help usually, but I know that Atari have been having huge problems also with supply chain for parts, and they may well not have a big supply of spares. (My guess.) Rumour has it that some people even got a different WIFI card, just because Atari could not get 13K, or thereabouts, for the first batch. As it's a new OEM component, it may be that it's not in the retail supply. As to your syncing problem, this may just be simply that as a console, the VCS is built to use known good and tested hardware, and so the AtariOS is tuned just for that hardware. Normally Linux distributions will have a driver for numerous different devices, the same as Windows does. Can you try the original again? Honestly, if you cannot get the connector to pop back-on, a careful owner can fix it with solder very easily.

I heard from @West Coast Software: "There was some problem with the store on Friday so D/Generation will be launched on Thursday this week."

Although the VCS has a joystick test application to download, it does not show how controllers react in Chrome, and for Stadia and others that also matters. I found this nice page (for Chrome) which shows the controller performance. It's useful for testing, and also interesting to see how Chrome reads it also. https://gamepad-tester.com/

There is a list here of all announced games. It seems comprehensive guessing game by title! I presume there are could be even more unnanounced! https://www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com/intellivision-amico-update-everything-we-know-so-far/

Here's a useful video giving some insights into what you can do now, with access. Of course, as ever, take care!

The game was updated on the VCS, before the Kickstarter, and the tree has now fully grown in-game. Great news! Partly thanks to the extra publicity from Atari, for this game, apparently, the Kickstarter is funded. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/osarion/unsung-warriors-a-story-driven-action-platformer/posts/3169542

Usually I like your work, but as Queen Elizabeth II's husband is dead barely two weeks, ending her 73 years of marriage, she's 2 days out of a 2 week mourning period, and so I think it's in rather poor taste to portray her this way, even if she wasn't the Queen. It's not about politics. How about instead, use this as the basis, if you think it's appropriate.

Also, out of interest, if you're not following anything Amico, this is interesting. Apparently the Intellivision Amico is NFT based, and every games is an NFT too. GrudgeQ explained very well why NFT are nothing to do with crypto-currency or cryto-currency mining, but rather a way of proving your games ownership.

This week, it became clear that the project is very much still ongoing. Hurrah. There are unfortunately so many projects delayed by the pandemic, of course, and it's not just hardware manufacturing, but also services, for our consoles. 😕

Some months back this announcement was made by Ultra, and it just seemed to drop into a hole, with nothing apparently happening so far. Also, it wasn't exactly clear what Ultra was, or what it might be useful for, but recently there has been more information, and it seems very interesting. Ultra have an amazing range of partners, of whom Atari is only one, but it's coming to the VCS. https://medium.com/ultra-io/atari-partners-with-ultra-to-add-games-communities-and-services-to-its-atari-vcs-home-f48d3c970cca From the announcement made last autumn... Ultra is creating an entertainment platform that enables gamers to play, discover, buy, trade, earn, stream, compete, and socialize with zero friction. Having already partnered with software and hardware giants such as Ubisoft and AMD, Ultra now teams up with Atari to make their platform accessible through the new Atari VCS “PC/console hybrid” games and entertainment system, which launches this fall. Atari, known globally for some of the most beloved video games in history, will likewise be part of the Ultra experience. Ultra users will have the ability to join an Atari dedicated community and play classic Atari games including Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Pong®, and RollerCoaster Tycoon®. Hot Property The eagerly-anticipated Atari VCS video computer system will launch later this year, and also be available to purchase on Ultra using UOS or Atari Tokens — giving crypto and gaming enthusiasts the perfect platform to purchase the new hardware. Atari is also exploring the use of Ultra’s technology including its NFT framework as a way to update many of its most-popular titles with new technologies. The Ultra platform will directly integrate within the Atari VCS, allowing users to purchase, download and play PC games from Ultra on the system, and give gamers instant access to a huge array of titles from triple-A games to lovingly-crafted indie gems.

(Off-topic a bit.) That article I mentioned in the previous message also links to a VGL video too. It also has a link to a Video-Games-Live concert which of course Tommy is known for, but which I'd never heard of or seen until I got interested in the Amico itself. I guess this is an official presentation... and it's what inspired the Amico LEDs!?!

This new article which talks about the Amico popped-up in my feed today. I guess they were holding it back, until the Evercade VS announcement, but all-in-all I think it's a fairly balanced article about new 2021 consoles. https://www.gamingbible.co.uk/features/games-2021s-new-games-consoles-that-arent-playstation-or-xbox-20210422 It fails to mention this console though, ideal for people who don't need a 4K TV. It doesn't actually mention the screen size, so maybe it's 50" with HUGE joypads!

@DJC Make that one as a special edition, (well, it can be a set of "skins", actually) and DJC will need to get an Amico for his kitchen, as well as the ones he has for his arcade, den, and lounge. (Hey, DJC, you need the GTO-Red for your garage.) Actually, joking aside, I think the smooth surface of the Amico will make it ideal for fancy "skins"! There's a partnership, Tommy, and I'll take a set free, for the suggestion.

Oh, a VPN absolutely can help you with speed. However, for VCS use, you'll need one which works on a router, as the VCS has no VPN support built-in. 😞 The difference is that big VPN providers (like a previous employer of mine) have point-to-point connections between major data centres, and super-fast connections between them on different continents, for example. So, where your route to a server in the USA, the number of routing hops can be enormously reduced, also. The other thing is, each connection normally might take a new route, where a VPN funnels it all one route. I understand about very slow. It was only last year that I upgraded to 50 Mbit/s, from 16 Mbit/s, where a Dutch resident with cable connection is widely able to get 1000 Mbit/s, and now Google USA offer 2 Gbit/s. Certainly where there's a lot of lag, it makes the game unplayable. 😕 (I had a lot with Stadia on my PC.)