New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[jaybird3rd]

1 hour ago, Mockduck said:

Keep in mind that Playswithwolves has been harassing and stalking me for a couple of years now. Frankly, it's gotten quite creepy, and I'm sick of it. Note that he is the one who sent the notifications into my inbox deliberately by at'ing me. If my forum account here hadn't been at'd by a creepy stalker, I wouldn't have had a problem with it at all.

Mentioning someone in a forum post (by adding an "@" to their username) hardly constitutes "stalking" under any sane definition of the word.  If receiving a notification when someone mentions you in a topic troubles you that much, simply disable the notifications.

[PlaysWithWolves]

16 minutes ago, Matt_B said:

 

It's not a "wow! did you actually say that?" word like it is in parts of the US though.

 

I was at a small party and a Canadian friend from an island fishing village was telling a story.  He was talking about men and said the C-word in the same way--in front of mixed company.  You could've heard a pin drop. 

 

He's a likeable fellow and quickly realized it didn't sit well in American culture.  So he joked about being a flappy-headed Canadian (South Park), everyone laughed, and the world didn't end.

 

 

[racerx]

On 5/18/2018 at 7:21 AM, carlsson said:

Despite all the criticism so far against Atari SA and Ataribox LLC, I doubt they would grab the money and run without delivering anything. They're a bit too big for that

 

Yep. We're moving the goalposts.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

In related news, IntelliVision unveiled much more about their console today, including announcing a bunch of partners working on content for the machine, new games, some details on one of the pack-in games (reimagining of Skiing), controller redesign and more.

 

https://www.intellivisionamico.com/press-releases/press-release-december-3rd-2019

 

They also posted this video. As a reminder to the VCS Faithful, Atari could easily do something like this, they don't have to beg for PowerA's permission or anyone else, but they haven't. INTV doesn't have crowdfunding/backers to please, but they've got the sense as to how to market their device. If Atari had the competence to be showing things like this, they'd save themselves a lot of mockery and questions. Instead, it's easier for them to delete posts on Reddit:

 

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by Shaggy the Atarian

[Zoyx]

For those that want an Atari VCS knockoff right now... https://mitxpc.com/products/ibox-r1000m

[JBerel]

  2 hours ago, Mockduck said:

Keep moving that goal post!

Speaking of moving goal posts.....

 

 

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And my personal favorite.......

[Agillig]

21 minutes ago, Zoyx said:

For those that want an Atari VCS knockoff right now... https://mitxpc.com/products/ibox-r1000m

Any computer will do just fine, actually. 

[PlaysWithWolves]

Gee, I don't know why but the fun of posting here is gone for me today.

 

Must be time to do a pacermonitor.com lawsuit search and watch that Intellivision video. ?

 

 

[digdugnate]

2 hours ago, H.Hannig said:

Does anybody here know if it is finally possible to watch netflix in UHD/4K on a linux device?
Last time I checked there was no way to do so due to DRM/Drivers.

I don't know about Netflix or 4K specifically, but one workaround I had seen for Hulu and Disney+ is to use the 'user-agent switcher' add-on on Chrome or FF.  My son tested this and confirmed it works on his Arch machine this morning.

 

[digdugnate]

1 hour ago, PlaysWithWolves said:

 

I was at a small party and a Canadian friend from an island fishing village was telling a story.  He was talking about men and said the C-word in the same way--in front of mixed company.  You could've heard a pin drop. 

 

He's a likeable fellow and quickly realized it didn't sit well in American culture.  So he joked about being a flappy-headed Canadian (South Park), everyone laughed, and the world didn't end.

 

 

There's an episode of Letterkenny that involves McMurray and the c-word, lol.

[Tavi]

1 hour ago, Shaggy the Atarian said:

In related news, IntelliVision unveiled much more about their console today, including announcing a bunch of partners working on content for the machine, new games, some details on one of the pack-in games (reimagining of Skiing), controller redesign and more.

 

https://www.intellivisionamico.com/press-releases/press-release-december-3rd-2019

 

They also posted this video. As a reminder to the VCS Faithful, Atari could easily do something like this, they don't have to beg for PowerA's permission or anyone else, but they haven't. INTV doesn't have crowdfunding/backers to please, but they've got the sense as to how to market their device. If Atari had the competence to be showing things like this, they'd save themselves a lot of mockery and questions. Instead, it's easier for them to delete posts on Reddit:

 

 

Tommy Tallarico was an excellent choice for Intellivision CEO.

He has a lengthy career in games/entertainment, and he absolutely knows how to 'sell the sizzle' and market an upcoming product.

Atari certainly could take a few pointers on how to promote and hype your system to potential customers (and developers).

[Lodmot]

13 minutes ago, Tavi said:

Tommy Tallarico was an excellent choice for Intellivision CEO.

He has a lengthy career in games/entertainment, and he absolutely knows how to 'sell the sizzle' and market an upcoming product.

Atari certainly could take a few pointers on how to promote and hype your system to potential customers (and developers).

I also see in the press release that they have a readily visible link for developers to shoot them a message about partnering with them to produce content for the console. VERY tempted to click it. > u <

[OCAT]

A good way to deal with forum creepy --pasta-- Taco stalkers is to ignore your inbox, I never looked at it.
I cannot remember the last time I answered a doorbell, I allways tell my 2 older parents at home never answer your door unless you know someone is coming, just look out the window if it is me. Especially if it is the police DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR unless they are waving a warrant, no need to invite vampires into your house., if they see you outside, remember "I have no recollection of those events in question" This is one benefit of living in an apartment, disable the buzzer, people get the message when you dont have a buzzer (get lost), I am not interested in a 10 year subscription to Retro Magazine, I do not need to know about the upcoming Atari VCS, because not even its creaters know what it is (burn!)

[Shaggy the Atarian]

2 minutes ago, Lodmot said:

I also see in the press release that they have a readily visible link for developers to shoot them a message about partnering with them to produce content for the console. VERY tempted to click it. > u <

 

Of course, if they pull an Atari and never answer anyone then there'll be hell to pay. But so far they are doing everything in the exact opposite way as the Tacobox, so should be interesting to see the comparison. Let us know!

[PlaysWithWolves]

4 minutes ago, Lodmot said:

I also see in the press release that they have a readily visible link for developers to shoot them a message about partnering with them to produce content for the console. VERY tempted to click it. > u <

 

They may be looking for more established studios.  However:

 

[H.Hannig]

27 minutes ago, digdugnate said:

I don't know about Netflix or 4K specifically, but one workaround I had seen for Hulu and Disney+ is to use the 'user-agent switcher' add-on on Chrome or FF.  My son tested this and confirmed it works on his Arch machine this morning.

 

UHD/4K is the hard part. It looks like the only browser currently supporting netflix in UHD/4K is Microsoft Edge on Windows10.

[bojay1997]

12 minutes ago, PlaysWithWolves said:

 

They may be looking for more established studios.  However:

 

Yep, I know Piko applied and Tommy declined.  Personally, I think some gate keeping can be a good thing given some of the junk I have seen on other platforms.  

[Shaggy the Atarian]

True, there's no guarantee they'll be interested in anyone's content. But if they answer, they're still doing better than Atari, which just sent emails to a black hole then acted like it was some sort of glitch, shrugging until people stopped asking.

[Lodmot]

1 minute ago, Shaggy the Atarian said:

True, there's no guarantee they'll be interested in anyone's content. But if they answer, they're still doing better than Atari, which just sent emails to a black hole then acted like it was some sort of glitch, shrugging until people stopped asking.

Lol. XD

 

Yeah, that's the problem. I'm actually the only guy developing the games I work on. The platforming project I was working on for the VCS is actually something I wanted to work on with my girlfriend, who was going to do the character art for it. She's still interested in it too. Now that she's actually living with me we could collaborate on it together way more easily. > u < But I digress.

 

I wonder what you do to become a partner though, but I guess that's a question I could message them about. I'll do that tonight probably. o u o

[Flojomojo]

On 5/16/2018 at 5:08 PM, Flojomojo said:

NOTMYVCS the Anti-FAQ and Alternative Information

 

A little while ago, I was interviewed by an imaginary friend who was interested in my thoughts about the “Atari VCS,” a potential future product from a limited liability holding company that uses the same name as the brand custodian that has the rights to the old Atari name from the 1970s. My friend was struck by the strong feelings, both positive and negative, that this idea was provoking in the middle-aged nerd community. We sat down at my favorite taquiera and drank a few cold Coronas. The following is a verbatim transcript of our conversation.

 

What’s the deal with this thing? It’s just another entertainment box. These things come and go (mostly go) all the time. Why waste time with it?

 

That’s exactly the point. If this item didn’t have the name that it has, if it were just “Shenzhou Android Box #5282,” it wouldn’t be garnering any attention at all. From the few details they’ve shared, it’s literally a low-to-medium spec PC in a box, except with a name attached to it that people used to like. They haven’t able to articulate why this would be of interest to anyone except to imply, “because Atari.” They talk about their rich heritage but literally none of the same people are still with the company.

 

So what? Lots of companies are like that. How many original Apple engineers are still with the company, for example?

 

That’s just it, the people with the rights to use that name have no standing – there isn’t a software, design, or engineering person on their miniscule (I mean, single digits) full time staff. This information is readily available on the internet, it’s a required disclosure since Atari SA is a publicly traded company.

 

There’s nothing wrong with being a small company, an upstart, an underdog, even coming back from multiple bankruptcies and sell-offs. But this isn’t Apple, this isn’t a place that is creating products or even executing on a coherent business plan. Their press releases are an ever-increasing parade of stunts, from partnering with a fitness company to make Atari Fit (now shuttered), to trying to pivot into a different kind of market with a Pride Parade game (now sold off), their Speaker Hat (a $99 trucker hat with Bluetooth speakers and an embroidered Atari logo) vague rumors about partnership with an Internet of Things company, and some truly incomprehensible stuff about blockchain and crypto currency. I get the sense they’re desperate to get some attention, maybe drive up their share price so they could be more attractive as an acquisition.

 

Sounds like you really hate this company.

 

No, not at all! Well, maybe the current incarnation of the company, because they do so many stupid things. Back in the early 1980s, they used to talk about “Atari politicians,” to signify a younger, more tech-savvy kind of policymaker. It used to be a cool place to work, to innovate, to create. That all ended in the very early 1980s, but there’s a whole generation of people like me who paid no attention to the politics and business of the day. We saw the silver labels with arcade ports, red labels while the thing was winding down, the computers and the Lynx. The Jaguar was a punchline to a cruel joke, but lots of us had fun with that, too. We want to like this company, and we wish they could bring us something relevant and interesting to us.

 

So why don’t you give them a chance? Wait and see? Give them a chance to wow us?

 

Are you serious? After all the cockups and own-goals “Atari” has demonstrated? They can’t commit to whether or not they’re crowdfunding, they won’t answer any questions, and they keep moving the goalposts. Their communications seem more geared around collecting email addresses than distributing information. Every time they say they’re going to say more, there’s been a delay. My favorite part was when they said “wait until April for the announcement for when we will open pre-orders” Then on April 30^th, just when we thought maybe they had put a fork in it, they announced that pre-orders would start a month later, on May 30^th. All they did in the meantime was show an old “lab video” of someone playing Atari 2600 Centipede on a big wide screen with what seemed like a wireless joystick. We can do that today, with a $50 AtGames Flashback!

 

I think anyone giving “equal time” to Atari, as if they’re a real player in the electronics space, hasn’t been paying attention. Furthermore, they’re giving this company a whole lot more credit than they’ve earned.

 

What’s the harm in that? It’s a free market, and people can vote with their wallets.

 

Sure, but have you taken a look at the Facebook pages and Twitter feeds for this product? There are people out there who sincerely wish the new “Atari” machine will play cartridges (it will almost certainly not), or Atari Jaguar games (if there were a good community emulator, sure, but there isn’t and it’s not coming from inside Atari SA). The project is going to ask for pre-payments of $200 and up on IndieGoGo, the sleaziest of the crowdfunding platforms, from people who think this is somehow a unique product because it features “Open Linux.”

 

Hey, maybe people will get a unique collectible out of this.

 

Ha, yeah, I suspect that’s a part of the calculation for some people. Also the “Tubers” – the cottage industry of ranting in front of a shelf full of games for the camera – have nothing to lose and everything to gain from this, especially if there’s some drama and feelings of betrayal. I’d really rather that didn’t happen. A few misguided people are making their own “informational” FAQs, Discord channels, subReddits, and so on. I think there’s a danger that some people will get the wrong idea about this project. It’s easy to write up all the “information” provided about this product so far, it’s laughably scant! I hope that no one will confuse Atari SA and its holding companies with companies that have the resources and talent to make a real game.

 

Why don’t you trust people to make their own decisions?

 

Have you seen the EuroGamer interview, “Everyone has a lot of questions for us” or The Register’s coverage of this thing, when they were shown an empty box as if they should have been impressed? If those news articles aren’t enough to convince people that “Atari” isn’t all there, I don’t know what it will take. Maybe those who lose money, $199 at a time not including controllers, will think differently after this episode is over.

 

Those who did not learn from the Coleco Chameleon are doomed to repeat it.

 

Re: Snook's claim that we are "moving the goalposts," I think we've been pretty consistent in our criticism of this thing. It's pretty rich that he chose to use the same language against anyone who would speak their mind against the AtariBox, as if we had taken three million dollars and broken nearly every single promise to communicate and deliver. We still haven't actually seen the thing boot. Sorry @Mockduck, the burden of proof is on "Atari," not us. And yeah, I @'ed you, that's common courtesy, not stalker behavior. If you don't like it, maybe you shouldn't put your name in your public avatar. 

 

This is from around the same time: 

[MantaNZ]

6 hours ago, AtariLeaf said:

In Australia it can actually be a positive

And New Zealand

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, Lodmot said:

I also see in the press release that they have a readily visible link for developers to shoot them a message about partnering with them to produce content for the console. VERY tempted to click it. > u <

Worse case they say no. But at least you tried.

1 hour ago, OCAT said:

A good way to deal with forum creepy --pasta-- Taco stalkers is to ignore your inbox, I never looked at it.
I cannot remember the last time I answered a doorbell, I allways tell my 2 older parents at home never answer your door unless you know someone is coming, just look out the window if it is me. Especially if it is the police DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR unless they are waving a warrant, no need to invite vampires into your house., if they see you outside, remember "I have no recollection of those events in question" This is one benefit of living in an apartment, disable the buzzer, people get the message when you dont have a buzzer (get lost), I am not interested in a 10 year subscription to Retro Magazine, I do not need to know about the upcoming Atari VCS, because not even its creaters know what it is (burn!)

Not answering a doorbell makes the shady people think you aren't home and more likely to break in.

 

But the bigger point though is where are you or your parents living that you wouldn't open up for a cop?

[PlaysWithWolves]

32 minutes ago, Flojomojo said:

NOTMYVCS the Anti-FAQ and Alternative Information

 

That interview belongs in the pages of the Ataribox Thread AtariAge Magazine.

[TankedThomas]

4 hours ago, digdugnate said:

I don't know about Netflix or 4K specifically, but one workaround I had seen for Hulu and Disney+ is to use the 'user-agent switcher' add-on on Chrome or FF.  My son tested this and confirmed it works on his Arch machine this morning.

 

Interesting, I heard it no longer works. Will have to try it myself. Thanks for the tip!

 

Also, your son chose the correct distro. ?

(Seriously though, Arch rocks). 

[digdugnate]

6 minutes ago, TankedThomas said:

Interesting, I heard it no longer works. Will have to try it myself. Thanks for the tip!

 

Also, your son chose the correct distro. ?

(Seriously though, Arch rocks). 

Ha! I'll let him know.