+x=usr(1536) Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 22 minutes ago, Agillig said: Well, it's a board with an Atari logo on it. Something I can't quite figure out, and will leave to someone with better eyes than mine: is that the Warner-era Atari logo? It kind of looks like it to me, and it seems odd that a company as cutting-edge and with-it as Atari SA wouldn't use their own modern version of the logo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 9 minutes ago, frankodragon said: Can anyone scan datamatrix codes? I'm just curious about that code (the grey squarish box printed on the board) below. See if that brings up anything. On second thought, forget it. I just found a scanner that costs over $6K just to verify one of those codes. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoJoe Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 23 minutes ago, Lodmot said: Yeah, I agree. I plan on having this as an emulation device as well. I'm thinking of loading Windows 10 on it, and using it as either a traveling unit for when I go visit my long distance girlfriend. Otherwise, when I have my own place, I'm thinking of having this as a media streaming device for under my TV (I don't plan on having cable TV because I never watch regular cable anymore, lol). Doesn't change my attitude towards the company behind the Atari VCS. Their business decisions are highly illogical. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 8 minutes ago, x=usr(1536) said: Which is fine, but what would it do that a laptop and an HDMI cable wouldn't? If anything, the laptop is going to offer much better flexibility. I am actually genuinely curious about this. It's not that I can't see your use case, but I am trying to understand it. Fair enough, but virtually every $150-and-up TV now has streaming services plus DLNA built-in. And having had the set-top-box streaming device (WD TV Live) in the past, integrated services on the TV generally provide a better experience than external boxes. Again, not being antagonistic towards you on this; just trying to understand the perceived advantages. It's alright. And thank you for not being antagonistic. Thing about laptops is, I wouldn't buy a laptop and just keep it hooked up to the TV all the time. I guess you could do that, but then you have to configure power settings so the laptop doesn't go to sleep or use the laptop's screen as a 2nd monitor, etc. If I'm going to buy a laptop I'll use it as a laptop. The form factor of this device also fits better with a TV setup. Laptops are generally flatter devices, but they also span a wider area, which makes them awkward when you're trying to find a spot for them on your entertainment unit (depending on what you have). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVgaTv Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Nothing like battling the constant cries of "this is an overpriced RetroPie system" than by making an announcement that the only games on the system are going to be provided by a $10/month service that emulates 35+ year old games. 4 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 So they just show one side of the board. What are they hiding on the other side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 17 minutes ago, Flojomojo said: What is it with you guys and your obsession with how things look? I'd want to see it working, in that stupid case that has sold the concept to a few hopeful souls. According to this, there doesn't seem to be anything significantly up with the photograph, the Atari logo appears to have been silk screened onto the blue board, not added after the fact. And it would totally fit in a shoebox. Dude, you have to chill with getting snappy with me. That's frankly the reason why I originally didn't want to even trust people here, it's a huge turnoff to getting me to want to actually listen to you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, TheVgaTv said: Nothing like battling the constant cries of "this is an overpriced RetroPie system" than by making an announcement that the only games on the system are going to be provided by a $10/month service that emulates 35+ year old games. ROTFLOL yeah! Small nitpick: yes they'll be emulated, but they're also STREAMED, which will require an always-on, low-latency network connection. The hits keep coming! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 I just hate the idea of giving "Atari" the benefit of the doubt. They've shown lots of empty boxes so far. A picture of the board isn't worth much without seeing it plugged in. @Lodmot 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 3 minutes ago, Flojomojo said: I just hate the idea of giving "Atari" the benefit of the doubt. They've shown lots of empty boxes so far. A picture of the board isn't worth much without seeing it plugged in. @Lodmot It's alright, lol. > u < I totally know what you mean frankly though, this console is spiraling towards a void to nowhere. I just can't help though, when I see a picture of a motherboard I'm automatically fascinated by it. o u o That's the nerd in me coming out, LOL. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TwentySixHundred Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 59 minutes ago, x=usr(1536) said: I don't remember the amount of storage a full 2600 ROM library would require Depending on NTSC or PAL but a sorted ROM pack of either from Romhunter is about 4-5MB lol. Stella's windows installation is twice that size at nearly 8MB. So theoretically about a total of 12MB and it's free, rolling development, accurate and lightweight it will basically run on anything. Still blows my mind that the pigeons want to spend $300 on an Atari branded fake "unconsole" and pay an additional $100pa to play a fraction of the games that were released on a system from the 70-80's in 2020 (flashback systems come to mind). There isn't a 2000's to modern PC, console, handheld, smartphone or even calculator that retro/classic systems haven't been emulated on. Don't know what they're expecting from this thing if it even ends up in their hands but most their hype is about games like centipede, when in reality every flashback system has already had them. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoJoe Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, Lodmot said: It's alright, lol. > u < I totally know what you mean frankly though, this console is spiraling towards a void to nowhere. I just can't help though, when I see a picture of a motherboard I'm automatically fascinated by it. o u o That's the nerd in me coming out, LOL. So if you don't have much faith in Atari SA as a company, what makes you think you're going to get a unit that will actually be useful to you? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 4 minutes ago, ColecoJoe said: So if you don't have much faith in Atari SA as a company, what makes you think you're going to get a unit that will actually be useful to you? I actually frankly don't have much faith. Lol. At this point I'm fully expecting nothing to come out, but if it does come out, well, it will be a fun piece of tech to play around with. Getting an actual product at this point will be better than I'm expecting. o w o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FCaputo4 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 26 minutes ago, frankodragon said: On second thought, forget it. I just found a scanner that costs over $6K just to verify one of those codes. I scanned this code with an app I use that can read these. Comes up as a product with code 179200003101. A product search does not bring any results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 From the IndieGogo comments. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 3 minutes ago, Lodmot said: It's alright, lol. > u < I totally know what you mean frankly though, this console is spiraling towards a void to nowhere. I just can't help though, when I see a picture of a motherboard I'm automatically fascinated by it. o u o That's the nerd in me coming out, LOL. It'S OKAY if you nerded out over the idea of Atari. I was definitely intrigued when this thing was announced, but had no information on it. I have still yet to see any reason to own it other than the symbol. Even the Antstream can run off of a firestick. This thing is bigger than and more expensive than a NVidia Shield. A raspberry pi can be a cheap computer to easily hook up to the tv. So that leaves only one thing. It can play bigger games than what the Pi is capable of. Only problem with that is you have to buy another device and install it yourself. I really hope it blows your socks off. I just don't see it doing that at this point. The fact that a chunk of the die hards got excited over a shoebox shows is signs of how crappy Atari is doing. I hope you stick around. Ballzerk was fun to play. Didn't get to play much. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 If MK were to wait a few years, he'd probably end up doing this: 6 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 found elsewhere Also, they've made a "megathread" on the Official VCS subreddit, with zero replies as I write this. I guess it's hard to be "mega" when you ban everyone. 1 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) 14 minutes ago, MrBeefy said: It'S OKAY if you nerded out over the idea of Atari. I was definitely intrigued when this thing was announced, but had no information on it. I have still yet to see any reason to own it other than the symbol. Even the Antstream can run off of a firestick. This thing is bigger than and more expensive than a NVidia Shield. A raspberry pi can be a cheap computer to easily hook up to the tv. So that leaves only one thing. It can play bigger games than what the Pi is capable of. Only problem with that is you have to buy another device and install it yourself. I really hope it blows your socks off. I just don't see it doing that at this point. The fact that a chunk of the die hards got excited over a shoebox shows is signs of how crappy Atari is doing. I hope you stick around. Ballzerk was fun to play. Didn't get to play much. Thanks! :3 Yeah, I'll definitely stick around. ^^ But like you said, I'm likely not going to be super impressed by the VCS. It's a mid-range gaming PC in a console-sized Atari-branded box. The idea of a console form-factor gaming PC at $300 is interesting though. I built my own with that Sega system I posted pictures of a while ago, and it's an awesome experience. I like that idea, but they didn't market the VCS correctly at all. They had no idea what they were actually making with this thing. The fact that you can have a mid-range gaming PC in a console-sized box is intriguing though. It makes me wonder how long the game industry will have proprietary game consoles like the PS4/PS5 or Nintendo Switch. I wonder if eventually that will transform into just companies making digital-only PC's in special console-sized boxes that run Windows 10/Xbox. After all, Microsoft's already doing what they can to partner with Nintendo. Maybe next they'll strive to get Sony on-board... I dunno. I'm just rambling. xD Edited September 30, 2019 by Lodmot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Considering everyone has been bitching nonstop that they haven’t shown any prototype hardware up until this point and then they very quietly just chuck it in at the bottom of a press release based around a game subscription service stating: “oh in case you have missed our hardware updates” like they even had any updates since well, never.... seems highly suspicious. That would seemingly be a far more important update, would it not? If it’s so hot off the press then what indeed WAS in the shoebox? Not that any of that matters, as already mentioned they don’t have it connected to a power source, TV or even a heat sink attached. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Clint Thompson said: Considering everyone has been bitching nonstop that they haven’t shown any prototype hardware up until this point and then they very quietly just chuck it in at the bottom of a press release based around a game subscription service stating: “oh in case you have missed our hardware updates” like they even had any updates since well, never.... seems highly suspicious. That would seemingly be a far more important update, would it not? If it’s so hot off the press then what indeed WAS in the shoebox? Not that any of that matters, as already mentioned they don’t have it connected to a power source, TV or even a heat sink attached. Totally agree. It's as if Atari was locked in a 4-wall room with no access to the outside world or the internet, and they absolutely never heard our requests. The whole operation with this "iteration" of Atari is just bizarre. The hardware itself looks relatively neat, but that's about it... Everything else about the product is just wrong. The company is completely mismanaged, the product is mis-marketed, and they ignore everyone's feedback. It's probably a family-owned operation that happened to get the opportunity to buy the Atari brand, and they're just riding off the name at this point. Edited September 30, 2019 by Lodmot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digdugnate Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 7 hours ago, PlaysWithWolves said: Available on just about everything for $7.99/month. I guess the big news with Atari would be Linux support. https://antstream.zendesk.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360002004978-FAQs-What-devices-can-I-play-Antstream-Arcade-on- so, we're back to 'who is this device really targeting?'. I guess the backers will have something to show with their 300+ dollar board-in-a-box that plays Atari Vault and you can pay more money monthly for more games. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TwentySixHundred Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 When there is software like this... Im struggling to to see the appeal other then being, an overpriced LED backlit Fuji logo of a paperweight. Retro even support OSes from the 90's so if you're still rocking an 486 Win95 rig, 56k modem on dial up connection, in a remote town stationed in Antarctica, they got your centipede fix covered... If an competent team with a passion for the old systems held the IP and released a new 8bit 6502 based cartridge system with upgraded RAM ect ect... Now that would be interesting. As it stands the current holders are completely clueless flogging off gimmick products like speakerhats, watches and unconsoles. You know you're product is s#!t, when that kid Soulja boy has released an overpriced POS system before you. How embarrassing! I need a ? to calm down. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVgaTv Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 So in order to run this software it looks like you're going to have to be in Sandbox mode, which is basically either Windows or Linux. So if it's running those operating systems, why not just instal emulators and play all these games and a whole lot more for free? This doesn't seem like they really thought this through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Historian Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Flojomojo said: Also, they've made a "megathread" on the Official VCS subreddit, with zero replies as I write this. I guess it's hard to be "mega" when you ban everyone. We've got a little more traction over on the unofficial subreddit. The post is long as I've listed the games from AntStream's website. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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