TankedThomas

I hope they include an Atari mouse so that we can browse the Netflix websi- I mean, EXCLUSIVE VCS-ENHANCED APP as well. Better yet, make it the Atari Rat because it's EVEN MORE ADVANCED. And when you try to play a game on it and it overheats and bursts into flames, the fake wood on the front will burn like an open grill, BUT THAT'S A FEATURE AND IS INTENDED TO HAPPEN so don't ask any questions! No refunds, either.

I'd like to think Linux users aren't dumb enough to fall for this sham. There is? I couldn't find a Linux version (again, not counting Android) when I looked a few weeks ago. Maybe it's new? That could be for Atari. Ubuntu can run Debian software and vice-versa, usually without needing to be recompiled (since Ubuntu is based on Debian), so it should work fine on "AtariOS" i.e. stock Debian with an Atari logo. EDIT: I was right. They've only just added the Ubuntu beta THIS WEEK. Here's a Google Cache link (Wayback Machine didn't have it) from the 26th where it was missing. And apparently I was wrong about there being iOS support. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:XWNP7h9ua6sJ:https://www.antstream.com/download-retro-games Hell, you can get a sub-$300 AM4 PC that'll run circles around this trash, and about $300 give or take if you build it yourself instead of buying one from AliExpress (and that's brand new - if you shop second-hand, you can get the price even lower). I put a parts list together about a month ago that achieved this, just to test my theory that it could be done. Linux drivers should just work. If they don't, Atari is really screwed. I have no idea if the Ryzen Embedded chips work (well) with Linux, but if they don't, Atari will need Linux developers to fork or contribute to the AMD (graphics) drivers. And they're not going to do that. Since there isn't a business incentive behind Linux support (sometimes - depends on which companies, if any, care to contribute), Ryzen Embedded might not be properly supported. Or it might run fine because it theoretically has the same Vega iGPUs used on other models of AMD APUs. I really don't know for sure. Either way, this is a mess.

So far, nope. Runs on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, but not Linux. Everything but. The irony.

So I couldn't tell from their terrible Twitter video and thought for sure it was just a poor demonstration on Linux, but thanks to that clearer image... Seriously, running Windows 10 still? Who are they even fooling at this point? All but the most diehard supporters have turned on them, and they're at a public event basically going "hey, were a bunch of liars, but here's some ancient games you can emulate!" Then there are the systems themselves. Surely that's just a bad photo, but it looks like nothing is plugged into the back. I honestly can't believe they'd pull a Mike Kennedy in public at this point because they'd be crucified. No legal problem to my knowledge. Still dodgy and misleading. And still nobody cares about streaming old games, many of which can now be emulated accurately, even perfectly. Weird that Atari still can't get Antstream to run in full-screen. I'm pretty sure it worked in full-screen for me when I tried it on Windows (granted, I only got to the login screen). Eh, he probably works for Uberstrategist, so... Speaking of which, their CEO appears to be some douchebag who tweets passive-aggressive nonsense and about politics all day, at least when I checked last year. They have a large and somewhat impressive-looking list of cliental but I highly doubt they're anywhere near as good as they say they are, else Atari's PR wouldn't be in the shitter. Great game (Cave truly makes excellent shmups), but yeah, not exactly a good look. Granted, it's legal to download Windows without a license, and Microsoft has removed the time limit on unlicensed copies now, AND pirating it would typically remove the watermark... but either way, this is pretty embarrassing for them. Unprofessional, at the very least.

Reminder that Antstream doesn't have a Linux app, so they'll still have to run it on Windows or under Wine. Or they have a Linux build in progress which will probably manage to break GPL because Atari is clever that way. I'm half-expecting them to stand at the front of the line with pen and paper (NDAs) for people to sign before going hands-on. Or that "hands-on" is the same thing we saw from that softball CES video where the guy got to hold a controller. How riveting. I assume this is the face Fred made whilst reading Feargal Mac's email.

Keep in mind that the PS5 and Xbox Series X dev kits have been in developers' hands since last year and neither console is due out until the end of this year. As for why they're delaying the announcement of a delay... Well, they've done it every other time. I figure they just like leading people on for as long as possible so that their noses keep growing. Maybe Fred has some kind of weird Pinocchio fetish. Also, that Raspberry Pi comment is dumb. I got a Pi Zero just over a week ago. The MSRP is US$5 (though you'll rarely find them in-stock that cheap). Even that can play most retro games from the 70s and 80s with ease. Heck, I tried out things such as BMC64 and ZXmini (or whatever it's officially called) and best I could tell, they run as well as the real machines but with more options and flexibility. And that's the low-end Raspberry Pi.

Why two? Because they only have two that work. They sure are desperate for attention though. Much like a naughty child. Or my neighbours. At least until they unpack the DO NOT TOUCH signs from their case. After all, they never said it's the attendees going hands-on.

Oh yes, I forgot that the Coronavirus means nobody can use a computer or telephone. Wouldn't want to transmit a deadly virus through those copper cables! This and earlier comments in the thread remind me of when a friend told me the other day that it might not be a good idea to send him a parcel right now because it might transmit the virus to him. I told him he was an idiot. Let's be real here, Atari (I doubt they're watching this thread but it's not like I can post on their stupid subreddit any more): Coronavirus or not, you'd still need to have started production BEFORE Chinese New Year to even begin to meet your goal, much like with the Speccy Next (and though I haven't followed the project, it sounds like they were pretty communicative despite long delays and are finally delivering a (good) product). Everyone's sick of your BS, Atari. Just tell people that it's delayed inevitably. At least that'll be the truth for once.

While I'm not in the least bit surprised by that letter from Feargal Mac, it does reenforce how much of a shit person Fred is. He really seems like an awful person to work for. Gee, it'd be a real shame if there were ways to buy PC parts locally and build a better machine right now for the same price instead of waiting for Atari to crap out their taco machine. On topic: is there a magical taco-making machine? We have machines for making other specific foods, such as waffles or popcorn. I need a taco machine! Yeah, he's nuts. I'm one of the most politically incorrect people around and yet he was accusing me of being into social justice because... I don't approve of Atari's scambox and I like tacos. I don't get it. Friendly reminder for him (since he's clearly reading this thread): all PCs are open systems, and Feargal Mac still hasn't delivered Gameband (nor will he ever at this point).

I still swear this has Vega+ written all over it.

Since this is their big comeback, they should call it Asteroid: Resurrection. You're right, of course - there's no way they're producing even thousands of units, let alone tens of thousands, and they're nowhere near production. Or, to put it in perspective with one of the articles posted previously: Apple has finished designs ready to produce but have to wait because of the delays in China. They've already made millions of those new AirPods, too - this is just the latest batch. They've got a month's wait on them on Apple's website, with estimates that, due to component shortages (which won't just be affecting Apple), production could resume at only about 50%, meaning that month could easily become two for some customers (and perhaps longer). And that's Apple, one of the world's biggest and wealthiest companies. They may not have anything new out until the end of March. Atari, therefore, is screwed. @Paul Slocum's estimate of June at best is probably accurate right now. But I wouldn't be surprised if it gets delayed even past that.

Atari can't build the VCS without their tools.

Ah, so then they're a perfect match for Atari SA.

Whoops, I knew I missed something. My bad. Still, it's an oddity that probably shouldn't be there. Not sure how you saw the pop-up so clearly but yeah, that makes sense since they appear to have Chromium installed. Was going to mention that. Apparently forgot. But I agree that it's most likely just a bunch of stuff running in a browser (Antstream seems more likely to be the Windows app running under Wine though - I don't think it has a browser interface but I'd have to double-check). That was basically my conclusion too but... I think I wrote it more like a conspiracy theory instead. Sorry about that. I probably should have written it when I wasn't so tired... Apologies, I should have edited it a lot more. I was going to wait until I was awake again but my half-asleep brain decided it was a good time to post. Evidently not. I'd go back and edit it down but I can't edit it any more so... oh well. For what it's worth, I was going to put a huge taco by your mouth but I was craving sleep so I couldn't be bothered looking for one. Maybe I'll fix it up later.

Dammit, I spelt bomb-diggety wrong. I'm an idiot. And my paragraphs look too wall-of-text-y on mobile. Bleh, whatever. Anyway, the most important takeaway here is that there is no native Linux app for Antstream, so they must be (unofficially) running it through Wine.

On the topic of that dire "demo", I've finally had a closer look. It may indeed be running Windows, but I still think it's likely running Linux. Then again, even if it isn't running Windows, people should probably be concerned because Anstream doesn't have a Linux app whatsoever. The only thing you could remotely class as a Linux app is the Android app (TL;DR Android uses the Linux kernel but the OS itself is quite different - think of it as a rather irregular and unique Linux distro). You can't just take an Android apk and run it on x86(_64) Linux. Now, aside from Anstream's installer taking about 5 minutes to download (with my connection, it should have been done in seconds, possibly single digits even - this is a bad sign for their streaming service), I don't appear to be getting a UI that looks quite the same (the one in the video is missing one of the three buttons - I think it's the Minimise icon, but it's hard to tell, and heck, maybe it IS there but impossible to see). It's not running with borders for me (except for the title bar). Granted, I'm not logged in, but it's curious nonetheless. Also, the window name in the title bar is centred - that's common on Linux, but that doesn't happen on Windows 10, and Windows 10 usually has squared borders, so unless it's Windows 7, it's probably Linux. I'm thinking it might be running on Linux under Wine, but I'm not 100% sure. Another red flag that we've missed so far is that it says there's no network connection when they boot, and yet somehow they go into Antstream and start playing. Netflix seems to work too, even though it's only a brief clip, and the network selection doesn't pop up like it did at CES (maybe because it's plugged into ethernet rather than on WiFi). There are three main possibilities here: 1. The demo is fake (perhaps they're running a ROM or the Steam version of Metal Slug or what have you). Considering how well Antstream performs for them... maybe. 2. The demo is legitimate. This would mean the network connection is slow to be made upon boot. I've found this to be one of the things that bottlenecks boot speed for Linux sometimes, but there are ways to optimise it. It shouldn't take this long. 3. Either of the above, with the caveat that said network error message is faked in some manner (bug in the UI software would be my first guess). Notice how it only disappears once they move away from the Home tab, and then it no longer appears again. If it was still missing a network connection at that point, you'd think it would persist until they fixed that. Something else of interest is that they have "#30" in the bottom right corner, to go with their supposed "build version number". Here's the problem: this bit of text is persistent. Not just after the machine has booted, but during the boot as well. It's the first thing that appears on the screen, before the boot-up sequence (what I would assume is just a fancy splash screen which Linux can do with add-ons such as SDDM). To my knowledge (I should reiterate that I'm no expert, just a hobbyist), this shouldn't be possible. A BIOS logo (usually your motherboard's manufacturer, though it can be changed to other things) is interrupted if you have a bootloader (GRUB, rEFInd, etc.) but you can have it persist. If anyone here has a Windows machine (I'm sure plenty of you do), you'll probably notice that the BIOS logo remains whilst the little spinning Windows icon appears on boot. You can do this with Linux too. However, once the OS is loaded, that BIOS screen is cleared and your main UI appears (or doesn't, if you're not booting to a UI, but you get the point). In other words, there shouldn't be text that persists all the way from the moment you switch it on until you turn it off again, and whilst you play games. Again, I'm no expert, but to me this would say that this whole demo is a self-contained app of some kind (I wouldn't be so bold as to suggest it's a video, but you never know at this point). That is, imagine having a game on Windows that hides all the borders but still shows the Windows taskbar. For anyone who didn't know any better, that taskbar could just be part of the game. That clock and calendar in the bottom right-hand corner? Totally from the game. Except it's not. But if people didn't know any better, you could pretend it was. The ONLY time "#30" disappears is when Netflix is loaded (then comes back when it's closed), but pay attention here too: there's more to scrutinise. Let's start with "it's Netflix in a browser". It is. I finally figured out what that pop-up message is in the top-right corner. It says "Restore pages". As in, the message you get when you force quit a browser with tabs/windows open, and then it asks you if you want to restore them the next time. Add to that the flickering (white>black>Netflix UI) as it loads, this smacks of a browser, possibly being loaded in another Desktop space with transition animations disabled, which would explain why the clearly overlayed "#30" magically appears then disappears. Now notice that when they close Netflix, it's just magically gone instantly. No flickering. Combined with the previous pop-up, this tells me they're probably force-quitting the browser. Meaning you'll see that pop-up every time you open it. This is simple to fix, but it seems they decided to just hard-code a "kill" command instead of something a little more graceful. I think it's Firefox but I'm not 100% sure because I'm on Windows at the moment and it seems they've added a redundancy for the process being killed on Windows (restores tabs on start-up after being killed by Task Manager, even when the option is disabled). I could look into this more but I don't really think the browser they're using is important - just that they are using a browser. And yes, something I didn't notice on my phone but someone else pointed out is that they're literally controlling a cursor (they've made it black so you can't see it easily) with the analogue stick to select stuff on Netflix. One final thing is gleamed from watching the controller - the A and B buttons are off-screen almost entirely, but the guy seems to be using his fingers to press the right trigger (the one they made red because reasons) as a selection button instead of "A". The UI navigation appears poor - you can see he moves between icons with the stick, but has to use the bumpers to change tabs. This appears much worse when he exits Netflix - at about 3:50 in the video, he switches to the tab with Antstream, but then has to press the left bumper a second time for it to highlight Anstream, before he then presses it a third time to change tabs again. It seems he also has to select Netflix before changing to the Games tab - at about 3:47, he seems to touch the stick very briefly, but it's hard to say for sure, even going frame-by-frame. When he's then back on the Home tab, he flicks the stick down which then selects Netflix (the one at the top). I feel like the one in the top corner should be selected by default - this is the sort of thing that some of Nintendo's consoles did with motion sensing or touch screens, where it'd select the first item when you press a button because they expected you to select it differently (motion/touch), so there's no need for a default selection. Here, there's no motion nor touch input, so there should be a default selection. No shenanigans with button presses not lining up though, best I can tell. Still, this paints a bleak picture. If the thing does come out, it'll be worse than a dumpster fire - at least you can cook stuff in a dumpster fire, though I'm not sure if that's very hygienic. Anyway, I should probably have put a bunch of screencaps with these so that people can see what I'm talking about, but screw you guys, go frame-by-frame the video instead. I stayed up all night so I'm too lazy/tired to do it. Instead, I've taken up the offer to create a new meme (even though it's terribly uncreative). You can have that instead of effort on my part.

F1JV is insane, I'm convinced. I mentioned before how he spams multiple, aggressive replies to people on YouTube videos. He's completely delusional and seems to be detached from reality. New Register article though? Hell yeah. I just checked a couple of days ago but there was nothing. Thanks @Spriggy! (Oh, and whilst I remember, if others can't see all the photos in the Medium post, try a different browser - I had the issue with Chrome on Android but Firefox Preview was fine).

Whilst Atari is busy digging up corpses, maybe they can dig up Alan Turing's corpse too?

I'm going to be the cynical guy here. I remain unconvinced. My first thought was that it's running Windows 10, as Antstream runs in windowed mode, which is what @Flojomojo mentioned as well, though since I'm currently on my phone, I can't see it very well. I think it might actually be Linux with Netflix running in a browser (off the top of my head, that looks more like the browser interface than the Windows 10 app), and the pop-up in the corner of Netflix looks like a Linux notification (such as KDE) to me, but it might just be a Netflix thing. Haven't used Netflix much recently so I'm not 100% on this. Will have to double-check later. If it's Windows, that's a big problem. Then there's the fact that this video exists. Why? I don't think it's a coincidence that the Indiegogo backers have suddenly and collectively lost it with Atari - the demands for showing it all being plugged in have been met... finally. One has to wonder why it took so long and was showcased in such an unprofessional way - I've made better videos in my spare time inside rooms with terrible acoustics, let alone anything I've done professionally. Also consider we still haven't seen what's inside this working box, and even if it's exactly what they claim, it's still completely worthless. The UI stuff is pretty basic for any marginally competent programmer, and we know the art assets were made for them by another company a while ago. As for the Medium update, it's a complete enigma to me. Other than about half of the photos not loading properly for me (no idea why, but I'll figure it out when I'm back at my computer), there's a lot that I'm still highly sceptical about: - We've still only seen about half a dozen units (NOW WITH RED BOARDS! WOOO RED! But I actually prefer blue). - Following on from that, we still don't know for a fact that they produced 100 pre-production units last year, and now they want us to believe they've done another batch (seemingly of the same size), despite still not being a final product, not being shipped to backers, and being made in such a miniscule amount that making 200 pre-production units would seriously eat into their budget for this thing. - Who are these mysterious developers getting these units, assuming they exist (I doubt it)? Shouldn't we know who at least one of them is by now? - Now that I can see the rest of the photos: why are supposed dev units going into what could potentially be retail packaging? It's Atari-branded so certainly not generic. You don't spend that sort of money on dev units, usually. So then these pre-production units must actually be for backers. - Why is the FCC and other information on the stickers covered up? Has this thing actually been certified and this is just for legal reasons... or is it something more nefarious? - Reading between the lines, it's abundantly clear that they know people aren't happy and, more specifically how unhappy they are. That's not a good sign. These updates have become reactionary over the past few months for a good reason (or bad reason, depending on your outlook). I guess the TL;DR is this: Assuming everything they're FINALLY showing is completely legitimate, who actually gives a damn? Backers will get a toaster-quality PC (almost literally - that smart microwave I posted will undoubtedly be using an embedded chip of some description, as those are the sort of appliances they're designed for), IF Atari brings them to retail (doubtful), it'll be financial suicide, and regardless of any of that, this will crash and burn both harder and faster than the OUYA. If Atari's end goal is bankruptcy, they're on the right track. If they want a marketable, reputable product, they should have made anything but this. I joked about it before but an Atari-styled taco holder would legitimately sell better at this point. After three years, I still have no idea what the hell Atari are doing, and frankly, neither do they.

People wouldn't be so critical and mad if Atari didn't keep lying. I know it's been said before but it really is that simple. Yes, crowd-funded projects get delayed all the time... so be honest about it. It's evident to everyone with half a brain that they won't meet this release date target, just like with their last two targets - why the ruse? Aside from having nothing, wanting people's money and being borderline con-artists, it accomplishes nothing. So I guess it actually accomplishes a lot if Atari's goal is to be scumbags, but it does nothing to make them look like a legitimate business.

"Keep faith." "We're totally not a cult, guys."

https://www.cnet.com/news/ge-kitchen-hub-adds-a-microwave-to-kitchen-hub-touchscreen-display/ Even microwaves are better than the Atari VCS now.

I'm aware of that. What I was saying is that I read a couple of articles that specifically said this particular strain was engineered - this wasn't some random conspiracy theory stuff, but actual discussion of scientific work involving the virus back in 2015. And yes, it sounded like they were studying it to work on a vaccine - it sounded like it was likely accidentally released, not on purpose. Considering some of the things China does to its citizens, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to me. Now apparently that may not actually be (entirely) true but the sources I saw are legitimate in so far as they did exist and the details appeared legitimate. I've been having some technical problems with my computer for the past couple of days so I couldn't go back to check the sources again (hate trying to browse on a phone), but having a quick glance now on my phone, it seems they weren't as reliable as I initially thought, so I apologise for misinformation. The BBC has a decent write-up on all the various conspiracies. The one I saw fits somewhere in the "outbreak planned" and "bioweapon" categories, but it seemed more grounded in reality overall. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/blogs-trending-51271037 for anyone who wants to read it. Anyway, I wasn't trying to spread conspiracy theories (as intriguing as some of them are, most are obviously nonsense, and I promise I'm not a crazy conspiracy theorist), but being barked at over it isn't exactly helping. Let's just drop it, please. I thought I was providing valid information. I was wrong. I'm sorry. It was something I was reading. Don't remember what. This is why I wasn't going to post anything about it at all, but... I did. Guess I regret it now, for a multitude of reasons... Go ask Atari on reddit. And then they'll ban you for nothing and you'll be none the wiser. Apart from tacos though... I have no idea. It's not like Atari has anything to talk about. I wish they'd just release their stuff into public domain already.

I haven't heard that one, but it's been confirmed it comes from bats. It's a real virus. It just appears that it was engineered to be able to affect humans (and mice, since they tested it on them).

I don't have the sources handy on my phone but it seems it's man-made. Lucas was actually more on-point than he may have realised - the Coronavirus was engineered to be able to infect humans back in 2015. North Carolina scientists came up with the idea for a study but funding was denied. Following that, a bunch of scientists in Wuhan actually followed through and engineered this mutation of the Coronavirus. Their lab happens to be about 20 miles from the seafood market where the first outbreak happened. On top of that, it appears that the original virus contained in bats could not affect humans, or at least not in any lethal capacity, so it certainly points to it being man-made. Now whether fears over things like it being a weapon with Hong Kong being a target are legitimate or it was an accident, I couldn't say. I'm no expert - just regurgitating what I've read - but it sounds potentially a lot worse than other recent epidemics if it's indeed man-made. This is surprisingly not being widely reported though, so there's that... Um, anyway, back on topic... Tacos. That is all.