New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[pacman000]

But he might be going to jail if this is the case.

 

"I purchased a collection of titles from a 3rd party who said they had the distribution rights. You'll have to take this up with them. In the mean time, I'll stop selling units with the questionable titles till this is resolved."

 

Granted, that won't completely absolve infringement claims, but it will reduce one's liability significantly. (If what I've read is correct.)

[Inky]

You spoke too soon lol

 

https://medium.com/@atarivcs/behind-the-scenes-atari-vcs-hardware-and-accessories-a0f15052f7bd?r=slt-eml-bck-a2e0

 

Also, I don't know what that means exactly, but it sounds terrifying:

 

The Atari Classic Joystick, which is being developed by the expert team at Power A has also undergone a number of refinements. We can officially announce here that there will definitely be an upgraded “paddle” functionality in the stick that is reminiscent of how the stick worked on the original Atari 5200 joystick.

Woah! It's not an announcement announcing a future announcement!

[digdugnate]

i still see a lot of doublespeak- not-finalized CAD drawings and pictures of wood are great, but....

 

you'd think there at least would be some mention of 'hey, we have the proto completed! we're hoping to go into production on xxxxx'

[Clint Thompson]

i still see a lot of doublespeak- not-finalized CAD drawings and pictures of wood are great, but....

 

you'd think there at least would be some mention of 'hey, we have the proto completed! we're hoping to go into production on xxxxx'

 

Come on, give them a break. They've earned it. Or at least that's what the blog says...

[digdugnate]

'well-earned', right?

 

I saw this as i was re-reading through:

 

"(How would you guys feel about exotic materials like carbon fiber, leather, cork, metallics, color and graphics on the front of your VCS?) Some of the materials our suppliers can provide are downright awesome. We also have the ability to apply unique treatments to the entire unit body. Let us know in the comments what you might like to see come to life."

 

Sign me up for the all-cork model!

[JBerel]

There’s a lot of work going on “under the hood” as our "engineers"* "refine"* the circuit boards and hardware components inside the VCS, along with the cooling and power systems. These elements have an impact on how the components will "go together"* and this of course means that the final product will be "slightly evolved"* from the "prototypes"* and appearance models that have been featured in the Indiegogo campaign, social media and the press in 2017 and 2018. All of this will be for the "betterment"* of the final Atari VCS that customers "receive"* "next"* year. Things that may end up being subtly and/or dramatically impacted on the finished device include the overall unit dimensions, placements of input and output ports and connections, system assembly, venting, weight, and cosmetic surfaces.

* We don't know what any of this means either. Like we have engineers, huh, huh. We really are out of our depth here.

So backers can rest assured they'll get what they "pre-ordered" years ahead of theoretical shipping because the only things that are likely to change are the overall unit dimensions, placements of input and output ports and connections, system assembly, venting, weight, and cosmetic surfaces. Oh and delivery date..........and availability of games............and support........oh, and features.......don't forget the features. They've totally got this.

Edited December 19, 2018 by JBerel

[racerx]

Forget about that whole pesky lack-of-a-prototype business. LEATHER CONSOLE, BITCHES!

 

[Lodmot]

Just noticed something very peculiar in the picture with the various game controllers-- the one that is supposedly unlabeled/mocked up appears to have black stickers covering the center button and the face buttons, if you look closely at it. Seems like they could be trying to hide the Xbox logo.

I know I was that one guy trying to stay positive about this project, but now that I see that, it's the first evidence that I've seen that's convinced me something could be seriously illegitimate here.

 

Like I've been saying before, I always tried to stay positive and keep an open mind, but also carefully analyze the facts-- and this one piece is definitely not reassuring...

Edited December 19, 2018 by Lodmot

[JBerel]

...now that I see that, it's the first evidence that I've seen that's convinced me something could be seriously illegitimate here.

 

...but also carefully analyze the facts-- and this one piece is definitely not reassuring...

 

Can't put nothin' past you eh?

 

 

Pity you've got this set to ignore. Otherwise, you might just hit the side of it.

[ColecoJoe]

Just noticed something very peculiar in the picture with the various game controllers-- the one that is supposedly unlabeled/mocked up appears to have black stickers covering the center button and the face buttons, if you look closely at it. Seems like they could be trying to hide the Xbox logo.

I know I was that one guy trying to stay positive about this project, but now that I see that, it's the first evidence that I've seen that's convinced me something could be seriously illegitimate here.

 

Like I've been saying before, I always tried to stay positive and keep an open mind, but also carefully analyze the facts-- and this one piece is definitely not reassuring...

HEY!!!! You're back .. Hi again

[Clint Thompson]

Just noticed something very peculiar in the picture with the various game controllers-- the one that is supposedly unlabeled/mocked up appears to have black stickers covering the center button and the face buttons, if you look closely at it. Seems like they could be trying to hide the Xbox logo.

I know I was that one guy trying to stay positive about this project, but now that I see that, it's the first evidence that I've seen that's convinced me something could be seriously illegitimate here.

 

Like I've been saying before, I always tried to stay positive and keep an open mind, but also carefully analyze the facts-- and this one piece is definitely not reassuring...

Pfft.. it's clearly a development prototype controller that's going to be worth krillions one day on eBay - uber rare not-so-atari-but-kinda-atari-vcs-game-controller-jkjk

[Hannacek]

There is one paragraph where they talk about the actual motherboard as vaguely and generic as possible. But then they quickly get back to the cosmetic stuff. All they want to talk about is the controller, and the cosmetics of the console, which has real wood! Huge red flags that they continue to focus on the cosmetics, and ignore the actual circuit board that makes the thing actually work.

Maybe they get a 3rd party company like Retrobit, Hyperkin, or AtGames to actually make them a real controller, and then they can claim they blew the rest of the money on real wood trim!

Edited December 19, 2018 by Hannacek

[glazball]

The Atari Classic Joystick, which is being developed by the expert team at Power A has also undergone a number of refinements. We can officially announce here that there will definitely be an upgraded “paddle” functionality in the stick that is reminiscent of how the stick worked on the original Atari 5200 joystick.

 

Just a quick reminder that the Atari 5200 controller did not have paddle functionality.

[Clint Thompson]

 

Just a quick reminder that the Atari 5200 controller did not have paddle functionality.

...you're right, the 5200 controller had zero functionality lol

[Lodmot]

 

Just a quick reminder that the Atari 5200 controller did not have paddle functionality.

 

Yeah! I saw that too, and I was like, "Wait, what? o.o;;"

[Lodmot]

There is one paragraph where they talk about the actual motherboard as vaguely and generic as possible. But then they quickly get back to the cosmetic stuff. All they want to talk about is the controller, and the cosmetics of the console, which has real wood! Huge red flags that they continue to focus on the cosmetics, and ignore the actual circuit board that makes the thing actually work.

 

Maybe they get a 3rd party company like Retrobit, Hyperkin, or AtGames to actually make them a real controller, and then they can claim they blew the rest of the money on real wood trim!

 

Actually I have a few PowerA controllers and they're really nice. Not a bad choice for a controller manufacturer if you're trying to find someone to make one for you. o w o

[+Nathan Strum]

"(How would you guys feel about exotic materials like carbon fiber, leather, cork, metallics, color and graphics on the front of your VCS?) Some of the materials our suppliers can provide are downright awesome. We also have the ability to apply unique treatments to the entire unit body. Let us know in the comments what you might like to see come to life."

 

Sign me up for the all-cork model!

 

 

Spent uranium for me, please.

[Hannacek]

 

Actually I have a few PowerA controllers and they're really nice. Not a bad choice for a controller manufacturer if you're trying to find someone to make one for you. o w o

 

They say they are making a PC/Xbox controller as if that is a great feature where you can use their controllers on a PC, and vice versa. It's not really a feature, its a way they can just drop ship and/or sell 3rd party PC controllers so they don't have to do any actual work to make a controller.

 

I'm not familiar with PowerA, but can't you just buy PowerA controllers from PowerA directly? They really needed that $3 million to figure out a way to sell PowerA controllers.

[Flojomojo]

Hot diggity, they're back. No hardware or software, but they're talking about finishes for the case. I thought that was set months ago?

 

 

We are excited to share some info and new images from our labs.

 

How many labs are there, anyway? Are they all in brightly lit garages with kraft paper on tables?

 

OK, so they've got some veneer samples. I could have solved this with a web search ... here's enough for all your early adopters for twenty-five bucks, probably the price of one of the T-shirts. Pre-glued for your pleasure. Remember, it only has to stay stuck long enough for the Ataribox LLC to stay in business.

 

 

Then we have some

Color, Materials, Finishes Preliminary Specification, 2018 (not final)

 

Yes, we know what "Preliminary" means. (condescending Lemony Snicket voice: "Preliminary" is a word that means "not final.")

 

 

Starting with the Atari VCS itself, as you hopefully expected, we have been able to improve upon the original design in several meaningful ways. There’s a lot of work going on “under the hood” as our engineers refine the circuit boards and hardware components inside the VCS, along with the cooling and power systems. These elements have an impact on how the components will go together and this of course means that the final product will be slightly evolved from the prototypes and appearance models that have been featured in the Indiegogo campaign, social media and the press in 2017 and 2018. All of this will be for the betterment of the final Atari VCS that customers receive next year. Things that may end up being subtly and/or dramatically impacted on the finished device include the overall unit dimensions, placements of input and output ports and connections, system assembly, venting, weight, and cosmetic surfaces.

 

Translation: We haven't done squat. Here are some off the shelf samples hastily thrown in front of existing stuff to suggest otherwise. So many decisions!

 

 

Speaking of Atari VCS cosmetic surfaces, the design and engineering teams have been having a lot of fun experimenting with the “real wood” teak samples that will appear on the Atari VCS “Collectors Edition” along with other woods and materials that could appear on later versions of the VCS. (How would you guys feel about exotic materials like carbon fiber, leather, cork, metallics, color and graphics on the front of your VCS?) Some of the materials our suppliers can provide are downright awesome. We also have the ability to apply unique treatments to the entire unit body. Let us know in the comments what you might like to see come to life.

 

Later versions than what? I think you guys are going to be pretty late as it is.

 

The Atari Classic Joystick, which is being developed by the expert team at Power A has also undergone a number of refinements. We can officially announce here that there will definitely be an upgraded “paddle” functionality in the stick that is reminiscent of how the stick worked on the original Atari 5200 joystick.

 

Translation: HERP DERP DERP we are going to REPEAT the falsehood that the 5200 controller had paddle controls, because we have no credibility or experience with the trademarks we own. Hint: the truth is in this thread somewhere, but you have to read the whole thing to find it, I'm not going to make it easy.

 

 

We are also exploring a number of other “surprises” that we would like to see baked into our first-edition units. Of course, there is a delicate balance between features and price that needs to be achieved, but we are really happy with the way things are shaping up. We think Atari fans will be too!

 

You know what would "surprise" me the most? If you guys stop talking and ship something. Are we to believe that this thing is still in the tooling stage, that you haven't finished it yet?

 

 

Like the Classic Joystick and VCS itself, we have been experimenting with various design features and expect the finished product to have subtle differences from the appearance models and images we have previously shared with the public.

 

Translation: we're not finished yet AND there are quality problems with our overseas manufacturer. We might need to ship you someone else's controller instead.

 

 

Here's another rendering of something that was supposedly finished a long time ago.

 

 

We can’t wait until next year’s holiday season when people will finally be reliving some of those great memories of tearing open the wrapping on that Atari 2600 Video Computer System and firing up all those great Atari games! “Pew! Pew! Pew!”

 

Confirmed: delayed until 2020. Pew, pew.

 

 

 

And of course, there are comments!

BrutallyHonestGamer

Dec 19

In the spirit of customization and “make it yours” mentality, if you had LED’s in the front to make the Atari logo glow, you could have a painted plastic front panel that you could laser engrave through the paint something custom and it would glow when the system is turned on. Like a Brutally Honest Gamer text centered on the panel that glows along with the Atari logo, that would be sweet.

Or to be BRUTALLY HONEST, you could use your "make it yours" trick on something that actually exists. That would be sweet.

 

 

Paul Steffens

Dec 19

A black anodized aluminium body would be sweet and would give it some heft too. You could still make a tonal difference with a smooth and textured anodization surface. I’d be wiling to pay extra for that.

Paul's probably right, smooth/textured aluminum would be more durable and wouldn't be a fingerprint magnet. The fact that he'd pay extra would be sweet.

 

 

Alan Rizkallah

Dec 19

There has been one thing I have wondered about this since it first surfaced. It’s going to include a large library of 2600 games by default, right? How would we play games requiring the Paddle Controllers? Would the stick itself on the modern Joystick have a rotation function to double as one? I know it doesn’t quite seem like a major priority but I ask also for the reason that I would LOVE to see if any indie developers out there would take a crack at designing a new game with fresh ideas for the Paddles since it’s a control scheme we really haven’t seen on anything since those days. I’m always up for seeing designers find new and interest ways in HOW we interact with our games.

Pay attention Alan, they've said "have watched the system box, software and accessory hardware take shape and evolve in exciting and sometimes unexpected ways." Like if they haven't finished anything and you'll get to wait even longer. THAT would be unexpected! And a new and interesting way to interact with your games!

[Hannacek]

 

 

 

OK, so they've got some veneer samples. I could have solved this with a web search ... here's enough for all your early adopters for twenty-five bucks, probably the price of one of the T-shirts. Pre-glued for your pleasure. Remember, it only has to stay stuck long enough for the Ataribox LLC to stay in business.

 

 

 

I have used that real wood veneer 3/4" edging you can get at Home Depot, and its good stuff. You just iron it on with a regular Iron. If you make a mistake, its easy to just heat is up again to remove it.

 

[PlaysWithWolves]

I can't even imagine the actual pain caused to my hand were I to try to use that tiny-diameter joystick as a rotary paddle. Oh, the cramps ...

They really should just stick to making a solid joystick.

[JBerel]

 

I have used that real wood veneer 3/4" edging you can get at Home Depot, and its good stuff. You just iron it on with a regular Iron. If you make a mistake, its easy to just heat is up again to remove it.

 

 

Yup, their "real wood" amounts to stickers. And it's yet again laughable that they continue to be obsessed with the frickin stickers on a plastic box that never held electronics in the first place, and never will. They've acknowledged they will change "the overall unit dimensions, placements of input and output ports and connections, system assembly, venting, weight, and cosmetic surfaces." So for the umpteenth time, they have yet again confirmed they have accomplished jack shit and have never had anything remotely resembling a functional device.

 

On the sticks, the "modern" controller is simply a re-issue of some outfit's existing 3rd party generic controller as evidenced by their photo. That makes it all the more stupid that they don't have more than a solid hunk of plastic on that still.

 

The "classic" controller is obviously a 3D printed monstrosity that will break when you sneeze in its general direction. Did you catch the joint where the stick attaches to the base unit? It attaches to an 8th inch plastic square knob like you see under a thumbstick. The red part is not a fire button on the stick, but where the tiny plastic peg screws into the big hand stick. If it were to ever exist, it would snap off the minute you touch it. What a complete clusterf#@k.

 

It's like reading one of those emails from a Nigerian prince when you already know what to expect. It's much more comedic and entertaining when you're in on the scam in the first place.

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by JBerel

[+frankodragon]

Hot diggity, they're back. No hardware or software, but they're talking about finishes for the case.

I thought at first it was that other case they were talking about. You know, the case with this guy:

 

[JBerel]

Gotta love how they strategically place the random components and soldering gear in the frame to make it look like there are electronics in the picture. Those brass motor gears, stand off posts, binder clips, electronic test probes, inspection microscope and alcohol swabs are going to be really helpful while assembling all that plastic and micro electronics that don't exist. I always like to keep my push down alcohol dispenser right in front of my solder iron. I always find flammable vapors and heating elements make for a fun work space.

 

[Hannacek]

Why do they have all these renders of the different parts that make up the Xbox controller, and all these different wood samples, but not one picture of the circuit board? With Mike Kennedy, he had all his claims about the console and what it could do, but there was no way to disprove what he said, because it was all hypothetical and what he intended to make the final console when it was released in a year or two. But once Mike Kennedy showed the actual circuit board, he got caught, and you couldn't give him the benefit of the doubt or say maybe he is telling the truth. Maybe AtariBox will live up to what they say it will be. We have no way to prove them wrong, because they have produced no board to show what they are actually doing.

It is reasonable for them to say they are making changes, and things are evolving, but they should have multiple circuit boards showing the progress of the work they are doing. How could they not have at least one board at this point? They have a dozen wood samples, but no board?

Edited December 19, 2018 by Hannacek