TankedThomas

B-BUT A COUPLE OF RANDOM GUYS HELD THE CONTROLLERS! Clearly it's all legitimate and above-board.

PDubs still swears his investment is good, so at least someone still thinks it's a great deal. It's not.

If the press release is to be believed, Atari got their $600k upon signing the deal, so supposedly that's a "yes". I do like how they wrote it as $0.6m though, as if to make it sound better than it really is. I feel like both parties got royally screwed by this deal, to be honest.

Though it's relatively cheap as far as licensing deals go, ever since this news broke, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how incompetent this hotel must be to spend that sort of money on the Atari license of all things. Heck, I bet the exponentially more extensive Nintendo license would have essentially paid for itself. Maybe they'll just rebrand the hotel to "Haunted House" with the gimmick being that there are no lights and so they cut their power bill down drastically, with the caveat that the chef in the restaurant ends up cutting his fingers all the time, so you might want to check what's in your tacos before you take a bite.

Call me sceptical but if Atari are asking for a homebrew 2600 game and promising 10k units sold, they're either full of crap (from eating too many tacos) or there's some Epic Games-style nonsense going on (in Epic's case, they have that sweet, sweet unlimited Chinese money from Tencent). Either way, I'd personally stay far away from working with Atari after the horror stories we've heard from others, to say nothing of the VCS itself. Plus as has been said already, you could just make a game for PC and sell it on multiple platforms. Heck, things like Unity (for better or worse) make it relatively simple to get your game onto all the consoles these days, so there's that opportunity too.

You guys need to start a thread on ethics if you're not going to talk about tacos. But as someone who believes in absolute free speech, it's nice to at least see some relatively civil discourse. Almost glad I haven't visited the Amico thread yet. Now I'm curious as to what exactly has been going on... But anyway, I mainly wanted to say that all those homemade tacos look friggin fantastic - even when the lot of you use ingredients I don't like, they still make my mouth water, and I'd probably eat (and enjoy) them regardless of the ingredients. Within reason, of course, and only if you haven't prepared them after sticking your hands in your pants (to possibly coin a term, we could call this Wyatting). Oh boy, just look at all the "retro" crap on Steam for a perfect example of what you're talking about. Just because it looks pixelated to hell and back, that doesn't suddenly stop it from being shovelware! You know, if it was sold as a machine filled with thousands of curated taco recipes (or just a recipe book, which would be cheaper/better), they might have had something there. In all seriousness, if Atari embraced the taco memes, they might stand a chance of delivering an interesting product. A 0.000000001% chance is still a chance. Set phasers to TACO! F1JV seems to spend all his time spamming the comment sections of YouTube videos about the VCS with complete and utter nonsense. Almost all his information about the VCS is the complete opposite of the facts, and when presented with facts, he writes multiple relies to a single person's comment. I think he's got a few screws loose... I might even feel sorry for him if he didn't just insult people most of the time. At least John Phelan seems relatively pleasant.

I'm not touching this one. All I'll say is at least the mods here aren't crazy like the ones on another site I used to frequent, who crack down on pretty much anything they personally dislike (and they dislike a lot). In other news, I finally got around to watching the DesTech video with Woz, and all I can say is that I have to retract my previous statement: I feel IMMENSELY bad for Woz. What an awkward mess that was. Poor guy just wanted to tell stories and talk about his admirable new company. On the subject of videos, I also worked up the courage to watch that 24-minute mess. For anyone who hasn't watched it: don't. It's a complete waste of time. There were a few interestingly-word parts though, only two of which I can remember: Mike Fartz mentions that Antstream SHOULD have about 2000 games available by... I think he said June or July. So their marketing of over 2000 games was a lie (sort of). The second part is where Mike Arszt mentions that "Sandbox Mode" does indeed work how Rob Wyatt originally said - you have to remove the extra drive to boot into "AtariOS". That's probably why they were using a USB stick - they could swap between their shitty UI demo and Windows 10 without unscrewing the thing to remove the SSD. That is, assuming the board was even working. Oh, and Shacknews sucks, in case my ironic post previously wasn't clear. What a joke they are. "Softball" doesn't even begin to describe their approach to this interview. It was basically just Mike Farczt's soapbox.

I'm sure Shacknews is a highly respectable and reputable news source with no bias whatsoever because they definitely weren't handpicked to visit Atari's bedroom. Fixed that for you.

Keep in mind, though this may have changed in the last month or so, at launch, Stadia was very limited. You had to use Chrome (bit Chromium or a spin-off, as far as I'm aware), Android devices had to be Google Pixel phones, and I don't believe Android TV worked either. There was also only one way to get proper 4K, which I THINK was with the Chromecast but I'm not sure. And then you had to buy the games or pay a subscription, so the "free" part was irrelevant. See below about Destiny 2. I doubt they'd ship internationally though. I need to go to more farmers markets - they tend to have the good stuff. A lot of our cheeses in New Zealand aren't really the real deal, for better or worse (maybe better for me, since I'm a picky eater). Keep in mind, Destiny 2 is free on every platform now, except unlike on Stadia, PS4/XBO/PC have the latest patch and content always available immediately and aren't lacking in features. I don't even like Destiny but if you're going to play Destiny 2, there are several better options than Stadia. What I want to know is why Google thought this was a good idea in the first place. Unless they actually believed that "negative latency" was a real thing, this was doomed to fail from the beginning.

B-but brie is one of my favourites!

I believe the EU mandates a 2-year warranty. Australia too. Not sure about here in NZ - it's probably the same. Plus, a lot of countries have some form of consumer guarantees act like NZ has, where s product must last a "reasonable" amount of time. It's vague, but a PC should be at least 3 years. Though I'd typically say it's a crowdfund and so a lawsuit would go nowhere, it's entirely possible it goes the route of... was it the Vega+? Where the court determined that Indiegogo was being used to explicitly sell pre-orders and thus it was false advertising, or something like that, and so the lawsuit had merit. Honestly, I hope that happens here but from what we've seen, I'm doubting anyone who backed the VCS will want, let alone afford, to sue Atari. All I want to see is them not getting off screwing over customers (and more eyes on shady Indiegogo crap wouldn't hurt, because if it helps set precedent or even create laws to prevent this sort of blatant consumer exploitation in the future, that would hopefully be a good thing).

This is something I considered doing myself, since 2600 boards are old and could be modernised (plus if you're going to recap one and replace some other components, you may as well go ahead and do a whole new board at that point). Closest thing I could find that already exists is Longhorn Engineer's "Project Unity": https://longhornengineer.com/2011/07/19/project-unity/ https://longhornengineer.com/2011/07/19/project-unity-update-yes-it-is-still-alive/ In theory, you could make it... not portable. I've never designed PCB schematics but I figure it shouldn't be too hard to recreate the original since the schematic drawings exist already. I was thinking using donor chips would be a better idea - that this would be for replacing a broken or dying old PCB, or just making something more reliable. Maybe I'll have another look at it eventually, because I need to fix my 2600, but I'm not sure if it is fixable, hence why I had this idea in the first place. I'd rather use original chips instead of an FPGA though (not because I dislike FPGAs, but I'd rather reserve those for a new system, like what Analog has been making).

I'm just going to leave this here for anyone who wants it: a PC that's better-specced than the VCS which you can build yourself right now for about the same price. Grab an Xbox One controller with a wireless adapter for ~$70 (or buy a cheap Bluetooth adapter and save ~$20), and it ends up cheaper than the VCS + accessories. Slap an Atari logo sticker on the front (should be easy to get on eBay or Aliexpress), and you've outdone Atari. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8YghK4 It's a bit bigger than the VCS - mini-ATX is the best we can do without custom boards or spending more - but it should work better. Since I know there's at least one person here who wanted the VCS so they could have a PC (they know who they are), this would be a better option. It's not using an embedded CPU, so it'll actually be capable of running without choking itself, and it leaves one RAM slot free if you want to upgrade in the future, with one populated with faster RAM than the VCS will undoubtedly offer. You could also spend another ~$10 and [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Cmk7vW]get the 3200G instead[/url] (much better, but you'll need to ask the seller to upgrade the motherboard BIOS before shipping, else it won't work - places like Microcenter should do this for you). You can also swap out some parts to get even cheaper-quality parts and lower the price, but I wouldn't go much lower than I have here. All in all, you'll spend less after buying controllers, and about the same beforehand. You do lose out on built-in WiFi and Bluetooth but you can always buy a wireless card to solve that issue. There are, of course, dozens of other options available (and not all are listed on PCPartPicker, at least not with prices). I might even have a couple of spare Windows keys if anyone builds something like this and needs one. Honestly, I wish that if people wanted a PC, they'd just ask people who know stuff about PCs to help them build one within their budget, instead of giving money to scumbag scammers like Atari SA. And if anyone wants said help, I'm happy to give it. More importantly, chilli sauce: (I know it's technically not hot sauce, but it's great on meat anyway, and I guarantee it'll make for killer tacos, so I'd say it's relevant to the discussion). Questionable grammar aside, the label is one of the best parts. It reads: " My Mum once told me, 'never judge a book by its cover' ..and of course, we all listen to our Mum, so true when its comes to trying some of these 'load of bull' foods. We at Palat a bull are proud to work alongside some premium New Zealand producers in presenting to your willing discerning palate, this quality innovative palat a bull sauce. This 'lord of the ring' chilli sauce was tested on Bulls... 'what a load of Bull' actually the sauce was tested in Bulls on friends and family, some of whom are still my friends, I mean only some, family, well, you are stuck with them. (but we're not talking) So anyway, after what seemed like a Bull ring trial, our team of enterprising New Zealanders created this Bulls eye chilly sauce complete with bulls eye..chillies, no not actual bull eyes..but made from finest NZ ingredients. This sauce will add a dimension to any meal.... Enjoy a bull...the jury are still in deliberation on this." (Not much left, so hard to get a good shot of this... plus the lighting sucks in that part of the kitchen so I screwed up the focus).

It's probably too mild for you but since I can't handle spice well at all (despite liking it), there's this local chili sauce I found that just seems to have a damn good flavour. It's hotter than the most basic hot sauces you can buy, but I've had hotter (asking for "hot" when getting Thai is usually a mistake). It's something like Bull's Chili Sauce, with the joke being that you need balls to handle it. Or something like that. I think I have some left so I'll get a photo later if I remember.

Yeah, they still work. Did it myself last year when I built my new PC. They said there was a time limit but it seems they changed their mind - Windows 7 and Windows 8 keys still work. I wrote a bunch of other stuff but it got deleted when I changed pages. Guess it didn't save. The TL;DR is that Windows licenses are a mess these days. They're meant to be tied to your Microsoft account, and so you can reactivate using the same account multiple times without ringing Microsoft... or something like that. Gives you a headache just trying to figure it out. I agree, and that's why I'm assuming they've made about as much progress as they have for the rest of the 2 1/2 years they've been stringing people along. 😉

Oh, I was just thinking of everything in the drawers. That's what I meant by "in the back". Lots of Atari bits and pieces in there. The stuff up the front is just a ruse though. So again, a bit like the VCS. I suspect Fred's too cheap for that. No, he'd just go around looking at old, used computers and taking photos of the keys on the side instead. I mean, it works, but... yeah. Not a bad way to get a key from old computers that are being recycled/thrown out; not so much good if you're doing them to sell.

Looks like Atari's Twitter is (hyper)active again. They're just filling it with as much crap as they can. I'd be here all day if I broke down how stupid most of their tweets are. Go take a look if you want to see the chaos. Some of the replies are gold, too. Is this like a real Atari display - real stuff in the back, BS to distract you up front? (Also, correction from earlier: the controller looks more like a Swtich Pro Controller, not one of PowerA's Switch controllers. I was looking at the split three sections on the front around the shoulder button area, and the triggers looked familiar too. I'm probably just overthinking it though. It's not like PowerA can't make controllers from scratch. Can't edit my previous post for some reason - must be a time limit on edits - so I'm just including this footnote here).

You're overcomplicating it. It's pretty easy, really. They don't have to use that exact cooling solution and, again, we have no idea how hot/loud it's running anyway. They solved the LED problem two years ago with their fake-ass prototypes. USB ports are easy to do with basic breakout boards. Anyone with half a brain, ten minutes on YouTube, and a few hundred buckaroos can slap together something like this I'm an evening. I'd do it myself for proof if I wasn't broke. I forgot to mention this earlier, and I might take some photos later to prove my point, but that latest closeup on the Atari controller shows it's an almost 1:1 replica of PowerA's Switch controller. The only noticeable difference other than colour is the crevasse in the middle and the Atari button, but I figure that might be a holdover from an Xbox or PlayStation variant I have yet to see. Normally I'd say nothing is below Microsoft but... Would Microsoft even want to sell these goons licenses for Windows? Unless those supposed 100 prototypes are sent to backers, there's no way these will be out in February. They even said they're going back to China soon to "finish" testing. They're nowhere near to production, let alone the chaos of Chinese New Year. Absolute best case scenario would be April, but that's assuming things like certification are already done, which they aren't, last we heard from Atari.

Yes, they kept saying it could do 4k at 60fps. AMD says this in their own advertising to be fair, but regardless it's only for video playback and streaming, not for games. Atari only recently started being more specific about this, saying it's for streaming - they misled people for a while. Plus, outside of YouTube and such, 60fps video isn't common, so that can be especially confusing to those who don't know any better. I did too, though I also got no reply. Made sure to supply evidence. My thought process was basically: "fuck 'em". Microsoft will be fine. They may be third place but they're still moving plenty of units and the Xbox One X is currently the most powerful console on the market. I'd buy one if I had the cash to spare just because it's well-made hardware. Microsoft is positioning Xbox as more of a service, anyway. Every new Xbox game now comes to PC too, and they continue to have the best backwards compatibility currently available, not to mention their upcoming streaming service. I don't like Microsoft but they've positioned themselves well for the long-term. Sony, on the other hand, only has their first-party studios to fall back on, and that won't keep them afloat forever. On a personal level, I loathe exclusives but I'm keen to buy good games from Microsoft on PC. Seems like a win-win to me. I thought the CTA and CES mentioned fines but that's probably not correct. Regardless, I see it as karma for screwing with their customers. Plus, I'm sick of this charade from Atari. Who says it's running cool/has good airflow? It can be hot and still run - it's just that thermal throttling is more likely. Plus there are other PCBs out there that funnel air like the VCS board and laptops, and you can get cases and such that do that too. I think the cooling is a non-issue for a potential fake.

It's sad that we've got to the point where even such a low bar is too high for "Atari".

And since it's our pal Lucas, it's unironic. Just a reminder that this guy has children. Or a child, anyway. And he probably called them Atari. Let me guess: they get the exclusive pink bubble wrap instead?

Nope, and even that terrible PCMag article only said they held the controllers.

You and I obviously have different ideas of "good", because the one my little brother has is hot garbage. Even HE was unimpressed with it when I told him it's crap - usually he'd figuratively bite my head off for daring to even criticise something he bought. In other news, I finally got perma-banned from Atari's shillreddit. No reason given, but I have a feeling it's for the post where I asked them to "prove me wrong", or the one where I called them out for outboarding. Haven't found any of my posts deleted yet, but maybe I missed something. Don't really care. Sent them a message about the perma-ban anyway because I want to see what they have to say (probably nothing, just like when I messaged them the last time I got banned). The irony being that I didn't make any assumptions - I only posted the facts as they've given them to us, but with less fluff and obfuscation, and then asked them to prove me wrong. Guess they couldn't. Also, you can edit posts on reddit despite being perma-banned, so that's fun. I know I shouldn't be surprised by Atari's behaviour at this point because they've been doing this for a while now but... they just try to shut people up from legitimate criticism. Tommy Tallarico might say too much in some of his replies to criticism, but at least he actually replies and doesn't just stone-wall people. I should just take my friend's advice: "Go play Asteroid, non believer".

Too bad they decided to go with PowerA for the controllers. And I thought the ring around the base of the stick was meant to rotate for paddle controls but apparently it's just the stick itself, which sounds awkward and prone to breakage (especially considering who's making them). What I'm curious about is if the Last Gameboard actually works as intended. For all his idiocy, I'd love to see Rob Wyatt's project succeed with flying colours, just to really rub it in Atari's face.

I need.