New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[JBerel]

52 minutes ago, jaybird3rd said:

I suppose that I have to address this since certain people insist on being immature, continuing to take potshots at the Intellivision Amico with their snide indirect references and "footbath" posts.  Ironically, these are some of the very same people who previously complained about the Amico discussion in this thread because they claimed that it was "off-topic."  In response to that criticism, Tommy Tallarico voluntarily agreed to exit this thread and take any discussion of the Amico to his own thread, but now these people seem to think that bringing up the Amico isn't "off-topic" anymore as long as they do it themselves for the purpose of criticizing it, without Tommy being here to respond.  Sorry, but you can't have it both ways.  Any further "footbath" posts, or anything else that seems to make oblique reference to the Amico, will be promptly deleted.

I've got to take issue with you on that. I suppose you're going to delete this too, so I'll also file it as a report to the mods.

I'm genuinely concerned that this entire episode is turning into a tacit endorsement of a commercial product with willful censorship of any alternate viewpoint. Sure a lot of folks come in here and poke fun, but most have been respectful and open minded. I venture a guess that most or all of the folks that have been banned from the other discussion were more than supportive of the idea and willing to give it every benefit of the doubt. After excessive and ongoing  spamming, trolling and ad hominem attacks on longstanding members of these forum, and a number of personal attacks on others on the internet who dared not take the same glowing view of the project, some of us have taken a different view of the product and its creator(s) or their unsubstantiated claims. It's hardly worthy of unquestioning devotion after the way it's promoter has conducted himself. Last I looked, public relations was about building an audience rather than ticking one off or inventing one. In any event, I was unaware that using AtariAge as an official public relations hub for commercial products was even a thing. If the vendor in question is sponsoring the site as an advertiser then do let us all know and we'll shut the heck up.

 

It's one thing for an aspiring commercial product team or individual to have a genuine discussion with a community of interested individuals about a product they're excited about. It's something very different for them to come into a community forum and relentlessly ramble on with one sided endorsements of their product in an echo chamber they seek to create when they could very well be marketing their product themselves. Jumping on anyone and everyone as "Haters and Dipshits" because they don't support the commercial agenda being proffered, and reporting anything not consistent with a product endorsement while doing it is beyond the pale. Finding fault with comparisons to other sketchy product launches in their designated thread topics is more than apt as those other product launches are being leveraged to further endorse said commercial product.

 

I don't think folks are being especially immature given the length and breadth of Tommy's behavior in promoting his product and his upcoming pre-orders. I think many of them have been extraordinarily patient. Tommy didn't voluntarily agree to exit this thread. He snidely pissed on the participants of this thread and left as he was invited to when it was made clear to him that he was being insufferable with his product endorsements. There sure seems to be some other set of "forem" rules Tommy is operating under to cast aspersions at long time participants, openly mock youtubers behind their backs, piss and moan about all the haters who don't buy into his "can't fail" attitude, proudly rage at people with his Napoleon complex on full display, and then receive free reign to continue endorsing his commercial product and pre-order scheme free of "potshots", dissenting opinion or scarcely a mention anywhere else. I dunno what's happening here. 

 

 

[jaybird3rd]

1 hour ago, PlaysWithWolves said:

Guy who banned several users in Amico thread complains about our using analogies in this one. Where are we allowed to voice concerns, then?  Not there; not here. 

 

I don't think any of you are bought--and-paid-for by Tallarico, but this slavish watching out for his best interests has become sickening.  

 

Nobody blocked Tallarico from coming here and discussing concerns.  He threw a hissy fit and left.  It seems he's only interested in this thread when he can sell something.  Weird.

Nobody here is bought and paid for by anyone, and nobody is "slavishly" devoted to anyone.  We're not looking out for any one individual's best interest; we are making sure that the forum is able to function and to continue to do its job.  "Discussing concerns" rationally and dispassionately is one thing, but certain people here showed themselves to be incapable of doing that, and they are the only ones who were kicked out of the other thread.  (And no, it wasn't exclusively my decision, either; it was discussed among the other mods.)

 

As far as the Amico goes, I'll reiterate what I said in Tommy's thread:

 

On 1/12/2020 at 11:36 AM, jaybird3rd said:

If you're tempted to chime in yet again about the [Amico] Founder's Edition preorder, or about Tommy's style and mode of communication, remember: everybody here is perfectly capable of making their own decisions and dealing with the consequences.  If you don't like the idea of the Founder's Edition preorder, you don't have to buy the preorder.  If you don't like the way Tommy chooses to answer questions or address critics in this thread, you don't have to read the thread.  If anyone feels that any rules are being broken, certainly continue to let us know; otherwise, please don't presume that it is your job to moderate the forums or to protect other peoples' money or feelings.

 

Or, as CPUWIZ put it:

 

On 1/14/2020 at 10:39 PM, CPUWIZ said:

We are in no way in Tommy's back pocket, why the fuck do I have to read all these nonsense reports?  I know Jay is paying attention to this thread, pretty much nobody else is, AA != IA.  Don't like the ice cream, don't fucking eat it and quit fucking bitching about it.   Just like idiots screaming at a news outlet, sad.

[ColecoJoe]

Here is a Asian guy eating a BIG ASS TACO!!!!

 

[JBerel]

"Don't question or chime in on Tommy's style and mode of communication" and "If you don't like the way Tommy chooses to answer questions or address critics in this thread, you don't have to read the thread." doesn't appear consistent with the presumption of impartial moderation. I think that's what people are attempting to convey to you, and a number of long time members want to know what gives?

 

I don't recall anyone complaining about being forced to read annoying posts. It sounds like the issue is having entire subjects of conversation censored, neutered or forbidden if it conflicts with support of a commercial product.  If it's the aim of the moderators to have everyone who doesn't share unquestioning support of a commercial pitch remain entirely silent on the subject in all threads, then some reasoning should be offered. If there's a sponsorship arrangement in place, I think everyone would recognize that as supportive of the community and be happy to avoid the issue. Otherwise, the logic to forbidding mentions of yet another retro angled product launch is hardly consistent with this community's history or purpose. A number of us would like to know why the severe left turn.  

[TankedThomas]

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. 

 

[ColecoJoe]

6 minutes ago, TankedThomas said:

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. 

 

Listen to that "oh my goodness" --- translation "oh my goodness I just got tricked how do I get out of here"

 

 

 

I am not in the know when it comes to E-Sports but has Atari really been iconic in that industry?

 

[MrBeefy]

3 minutes ago, ColecoJoe said:

Listen to that "oh my goodness" --- translation "oh my goodness I just got tricked how do I get out of here"

 

 

 

I am not in the know when it comes to E-Sports but has Atari really been iconic in that industry?

 

No they haven't.....

[Paul Slocum]

 

8 minutes ago, ColecoJoe said:

Listen to that "oh my goodness" --- translation "oh my goodness I just got tricked how do I get out of here"

 

 

 

 

I've watched pretty much every AtariVCS related video because this project is like watching a train wreck, but that's the one video I skipped because just the first 30 seconds were too cringey for me.

[+frankodragon]

30 minutes ago, ColecoJoe said:

Listen to that "oh my goodness" --- translation "oh my goodness I just got tricked how do I get out of here"

 

 

 

 

 

I can just see Bushnell screaming at Fred at his computer monitor.  "What the fuck are doing to my reputation?!"

[PlaysWithWolves]

31 minutes ago, JBerel said:

If there's a sponsorship arrangement in place, I think everyone would recognize that as supportive of the community and be happy to avoid the issue. Otherwise, the logic to forbidding mentions of yet another retro angled product launch is hardly consistent with this community's history or purpose. A number of us would like to know why the severe left turn.  

 

Nailed it!

 

[dj_convoy]

1 hour ago, JBerel said:

I've got to take issue with you on that. I suppose you're going to delete this too, so I'll also file it as a report to the mods.

I'm genuinely concerned that this entire episode is turning into a tacit endorsement of a commercial product with willful censorship of any alternate viewpoint. Sure a lot of folks come in here and poke fun, but most have been respectful and open minded. I venture a guess that most or all of the folks that have been banned from the other discussion were more than supportive of the idea and willing to give it every benefit of the doubt. After excessive and ongoing  spamming, trolling and ad hominem attacks on longstanding members of these forum, and a number of personal attacks on others on the internet who dared not take the same glowing view of the project, some of us have taken a different view of the product and its creator(s) or their unsubstantiated claims. It's hardly worthy of unquestioning devotion after the way it's promoter has conducted himself. Last I looked, public relations was about building an audience rather than ticking one off or inventing one. In any event, I was unaware that using AtariAge as an official public relations hub for commercial products was even a thing. If the vendor in question is sponsoring the site as an advertiser then do let us all know and we'll shut the heck up.

 

It's one thing for an aspiring commercial product team or individual to have a genuine discussion with a community of interested individuals about a product they're excited about. It's something very different for them to come into a community forum and relentlessly ramble on with one sided endorsements of their product in an echo chamber they seek to create when they could very well be marketing their product themselves. Jumping on anyone and everyone as "Haters and Dipshits" because they don't support the commercial agenda being proffered, and reporting anything not consistent with a product endorsement while doing it is beyond the pale. Finding fault with comparisons to other sketchy product launches in their designated thread topics is more than apt as those other product launches are being leveraged to further endorse said commercial product.

 

I don't think folks are being especially immature given the length and breadth of Tommy's behavior in promoting his product and his upcoming pre-orders. I think many of them have been extraordinarily patient. Tommy didn't voluntarily agree to exit this thread. He snidely pissed on the participants of this thread and left as he was invited to when it was made clear to him that he was being insufferable with his product endorsements. There sure seems to be some other set of "forem" rules Tommy is operating under to cast aspersions at long time participants, openly mock youtubers behind their backs, piss and moan about all the haters who don't buy into his "can't fail" attitude, proudly rage at people with his Napoleon complex on full display, and then receive free reign to continue endorsing his commercial product and pre-order scheme free of "potshots", dissenting opinion or scarcely a mention anywhere else. I dunno what's happening here. 

 

 

I just want to say I agree with this 100%. I don't appreciate threats, even mild ones, and frankly, jaybird, if you can't understand what's being said here, that's fine, it's not my problem. It is my problem when the forum I enjoy has been invaded by someone who appeared to be a nice person but ended up being a carnival huckster and appears to have carte blanche while the rest of us have to walk on eggshells. Or, can one of us hide behind "WHERE I COME FROM, WE BUST BALLS" and the rest of us can't? 

 

Also my problem is whether or not I choose to continue supporting this site by subscribing. Hidebound moderation does not increase my enthusiasm for re-upping my subscription. 

[ColecoJoe]

8 minutes ago, dj_convoy said:

Also my problem is whether or not I choose to continue supporting this site by subscribing. Hidebound moderation does not increase my enthusiasm for re-upping my subscription. 

That's where I'm at.

[kevtris]

27 minutes ago, dj_convoy said:

I just want to say I agree with this 100%. I don't appreciate threats, even mild ones, and frankly, jaybird, if you can't understand what's being said here, that's fine, it's not my problem. It is my problem when the forum I enjoy has been invaded by someone who appeared to be a nice person but ended up being a carnival huckster and appears to have carte blanche while the rest of us have to walk on eggshells. Or, can one of us hide behind "WHERE I COME FROM, WE BUST BALLS" and the rest of us can't? 

 

Also my problem is whether or not I choose to continue supporting this site by subscribing. Hidebound moderation does not increase my enthusiasm for re-upping my subscription. 

I wasn't going to say anything, but I feel I should.   I am on the edge on resubscribing too next time it comes due.   I brought up some valid concerns in the thread in question, and supported my position with images from the original video, and he threatened to leave the forum because he didn't like what I brought up.   He goes on about Pat and Ian not taking him up on his offer, but they couldn't take the offer-  they would've had to sign NDAs which would've tied their hands and effectively prevented them doing any kind of videos after that point which wasn't a glowing review.   Instead he plied another youtuber with a similar offer, who posted a really weak attack video after that.

 

The whole thread over there seems to be bordering on cult status, and when someone simply said they didn't want to drive 2 hours to play a demo unit (if and when one showed up at a mall 2 hours away) he got dogpiled and accused of being a hater by three others.  It's easy to call people haters and trolls that don't toe the party line, even if they have perfectly valid criticisms.  You literally are not allowed to have any counter-opinion or concern.   I understand the enthusiasm and desire for it, but it seems to be clouding peoples' judgement, and causing a total rejection of reality.

 

That's the last I will say about it on here probably.   Let's get back to tacos! ?

[Tavi]

1 hour ago, JBerel said:

 

I'm genuinely concerned that this entire episode is turning into a tacit endorsement of a commercial product with willful censorship of any alternate viewpoint. Etc. Etc.

 

 

I would imagine if it was an honest discussion, or even just poking a bit of fun at it or Tommy; then it would not be a problem.

Howling 'FE is a scam! FE is a scam!' over and over in forum because you do not like it is not expressing or discussing a viewpoint, and mods finally telling you to dial the rage back is also not censorship.

This is coming from someone who always had been mainly Atari. I grew up with a 2600. Played it in emulators and bought several Flashbacks (until I got tired of them becoming obsolete every 6 months anyways), and still play my modded 2600 after work and on weekends.

But given the choice between these two upcoming retro consoles (or one console and one 'box'), I would go with 'the one which shall not be named'. Why? Because the VCS II has basically been a mix of a blowout dumpster fire and Keystone Kops since their campaign ended. It is not fanboi'ing to be excited about a console that looks like it will actually be a console offering some unique games, as compared to a system looking like a half-built PC offering absolutely nothing original.

It is eye-rollingly inane to suggest that Tommy bought off the forum in some kind of secret payment, in exchange for preferential treatment. He has been staying in his own lane (RE: his own dedicated forum thread) since he said he would stay out of other topics to avoid this very controversy. I am not sure how you get this is somehow special treatment?

I was made clear that this was going to be a verboten topic here, for both supporters and detractors. Getting upset because you tried to slide a sly dig or two in anyways and got caught out at it is not really a case for righteous indignation.

[jaybird3rd]

3 hours ago, Tavi said:

I would imagine if it was an honest discussion, or even just poking a bit of fun at it or Tommy; then it would not be a problem.

Howling 'FE is a scam! FE is a scam!' over and over in forum because you do not like it is not expressing or discussing a viewpoint, and mods finally telling you to dial the rage back is also not censorship.

Thank you.  That's exactly how I see it, too.  We've said several times that well-intentioned, reasoned, fair questions are welcomed and encouraged; you'll find many such questions in Tommy's thread that haven't been "censored" in the least.  But for certain people, these questions quickly and habitually gave way to wild accusations, unsubstantiated charges, and borderline paranoia.  It got to the point where we didn't have much of a choice but to block those people from the other thread, because they were inhibiting the positive, constructive exchange that a discussion forum is supposed to be about.

 

Now, I'll grant that Tommy has said some things that he later had second thoughts about, and that others may have handled certain interactions with the people here and elsewhere differently.  I'm not sure why that's anyone's business other than Tommy and the other parties directly involved, but it's a fair enough criticism.  There have also been (very few) occasions when some of the more enthusiastic participants in the other thread got carried away in trying to persuade those with a more skeptical view, and I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping that under control, too.  (More often than not, these were new members who were not accustomed to interacting with the community here and who simply needed to be shown where the lines were drawn.)  But the magnitude of the visceral reaction in some people still seems to me to be vastly out of proportion to whatever transgressions they're supposedly reacting to.

 

3 hours ago, Tavi said:

It is eye-rollingly inane to suggest that Tommy bought off the forum in some kind of secret payment, in exchange for preferential treatment. He has been staying in his own lane (RE: his own dedicated forum thread) since he said he would stay out of other topics to avoid this very controversy. I am not sure how you get this is somehow special treatment?

It was made clear that this was going to be a verboten topic here, for both supporters and detractors. Getting upset because you tried to slide a sly dig or two in anyways and got caught out at it is not really a case for righteous indignation.

Thank you again.  I'd consider the ludicrous idea that Tommy is "sponsoring" AtariAge, or somehow buying preferential treatment, to be a perfect example of the kind of paranoia that I mentioned.  I can scarcely imagine what else would prompt someone to posit something as ridiculous as that.  To me, it's not hard to understand that everything has its place, and that discussions of the Amico should be taken elsewhere.  There's nothing stopping anyone from starting their own Amico thread if they choose; as always, all we ask is that they abide by the community guidelines.

[MrBeefy]

59 minutes ago, Tavi said:

I would imagine if it was an honest discussion, or even just poking a bit of fun at it or Tommy; then it would not be a problem.

Howling 'FE is a scam! FE is a scam!' over and over in forum because you do not like it is not expressing or discussing a viewpoint, and mods finally telling you to dial the rage back is also not censorship.

This is coming from someone who always had been mainly Atari. I grew up with a 2600. Played it in emulators and bought several Flashbacks (until I got tired of them becoming obsolete every 6 months anyways), and still play my modded 2600 after work and on weekends.

But given the choice between these two upcoming retro consoles (or one console and one 'box'), I would go with 'the one which shall not be named'. Why? Because the VCS II has basically been a mix of a blowout dumpster fire and Keystone Kops since their campaign ended. It is not fanboi'ing to be excited about a console that looks like it will actually be a console offering some unique games, as compared to a system looking like a half-built PC offering absolutely nothing original.

It is eye-rollingly inane to suggest that Tommy bought off the forum in some kind of secret payment, in exchange for preferential treatment. He has been staying in his own lane (RE: his own dedicated forum thread) since he said he would stay out of other topics to avoid this very controversy. I am not sure how you get this is somehow special treatment?

I was made clear that this was going to be a verboten topic here, for both supporters and detractors. Getting upset because you tried to slide a sly dig or two in anyways and got caught out at it is not really a case for righteous indignation.

I like what I've seen of the Amico so far. I'm not a fan of the FE, and I know others aren't but I don't remember anyone saying it is a flat out scam. I think most if not all the recent bans over there would say that it isn't. 

 

The biggest critique was that the FE was basically the equivalent of raising funds early. It was also questioned as to why when the retail wasn't set in stone. It was also asked why such a high pre-order price when they have enough investors to make it happen? VCS wouldn't be getting at least as much dogpile of crap if they didn't take money up front. That is all the comparison was to the VCS was the taking of funds early. Not that they were the same as in a scam. 

 

As soon as TT did that he opened the door for that criticism whether you agree with it or not. Were some of the comments made dickish? Yeah but not all of them.

 

 

 

 

[MrBeefy]

Also forgot to post my taco update. Pulled pork was great and the slaw combos were great other than I need better knife skills to cut the cabbage thinner. ????

 

[bojay1997]

3 hours ago, jaybird3rd said:

Nobody here is bought and paid for by anyone, and nobody is "slavishly" devoted to anyone.  We're not looking out for any one individual's best interest; we are making sure that the forum is able to function and to continue to do its job.  "Discussing concerns" rationally and dispassionately is one thing, but certain people here showed themselves to be incapable of doing that, and they are the only ones who were kicked out of the other thread.  (And no, it wasn't exclusively my decision, either; it was discussed among the other mods.)

 

As far as the Amico goes, I'll reiterate what I said in Tommy's thread:

 

 

Or, as CPUWIZ put it:

 

So, to clarify, are we allowed to open a new thread dedicated to open and honest discussion of the Amico outside of Tommy's thread?  Because my recollection is that such a thread was opened and led to some reasonable discussion and that was shut down as well.  I mean, I can understand wanting to be welcoming to someone who is prominent person in the video game community, but that same person is running a business and is actively using the forums to solicit business and feedback on his product.  I'm not aware of any situation in the history of this site where a commercial business was allowed to essentially moderate its own thread and discussion by declaring that they had opened the thread and could decide what kind of discussion should be had as Tommy has done.  

 

What's really frustrating about all of this is that had the same rules applied to the Chameleon or Atari VCS, a lot of the scammy things that have happened with both products would not have been exposed.  Indeed, members of this website exposed many problems in what Mike Kennedy was showing and probably saved a lot of people from being scammed.  Similarly, tacos aside, this thread is keeping pressure on Atari by raising questions about what are becoming more and more vague promises and missed markers. 

 

As I have said before, Tommy doesn't strike me as a scammer and I hope his product is real, but the more I read about it and his increasingly lofty claims, the less convinced I become.  Honestly, you don't have to raise millions of dollars or have 40 employees plus hundreds of contractors as he claims to show what he has shown so far.  Every media appearance has been just him, he does all of his own PR on Facebook and Twitter and here from what I can tell.  Heck, at CES he was literally walking around doing media alone with just a light up controller.  A few hundred thousand dollars of personal savings and a key person or two could easily deliver the same thing.  Continuing to shout down dissent and over-moderating an organic discussion by banning subscribers and long-time forum members in favor of a commercial business and a bunch of low post count fanboys doesn't seem like the best approach.  I feel disappointed that things have come to this and I hope that free and honest discussion will be allowed to flow once again regarding the Amico and any other product that seeks the hard earned money of gamers prior to launching to the public.  

[+frankodragon]

[joeatari1]

[MrBeefy]

23 minutes ago, bojay1997 said:

So, to clarify, are we allowed to open a new thread dedicated to open and honest discussion of the Amico outside of Tommy's thread?  Because my recollection is that such a thread was opened and led to some reasonable discussion and that was shut down as well.  I mean, I can understand wanting to be welcoming to someone who is prominent person in the video game community, but that same person is running a business and is actively using the forums to solicit business and feedback on his product.  I'm not aware of any situation in the history of this site where a commercial business was allowed to essentially moderate its own thread and discussion by declaring that they had opened the thread and could decide what kind of discussion should be had as Tommy has done.  

 

What's really frustrating about all of this is that had the same rules applied to the Chameleon or Atari VCS, a lot of the scammy things that have happened with both products would not have been exposed.  Indeed, members of this website exposed many problems in what Mike Kennedy was showing and probably saved a lot of people from being scammed.  Similarly, tacos aside, this thread is keeping pressure on Atari by raising questions about what are becoming more and more vague promises and missed markers. 

 

As I have said before, Tommy doesn't strike me as a scammer and I hope his product is real, but the more I read about it and his increasingly lofty claims, the less convinced I become.  Honestly, you don't have to raise millions of dollars or have 40 employees plus hundreds of contractors as he claims to show what he has shown so far.  Every media appearance has been just him, he does all of his own PR on Facebook and Twitter and here from what I can tell.  Heck, at CES he was literally walking around doing media alone with just a light up controller.  A few hundred thousand dollars of personal savings and a key person or two could easily deliver the same thing.  Continuing to shout down dissent and over-moderating an organic discussion by banning subscribers and long-time forum members in favor of a commercial business and a bunch of low post count fanboys doesn't seem like the best approach.  I feel disappointed that things have come to this and I hope that free and honest discussion will be allowed to flow once again regarding the Amico and any other product that seeks the hard earned money of gamers prior to launching to the public.  

I personally would like a separate thread that would keep information in it and could still have the discussions.

 

Things have changed a bit since the beginning and it can be hard to keep up with everything.

 

[CPUWIZ]

Alright, I just talked to Al on his fucking vacation about this, thanks to some paranoid people, I had to interrupt him.  There is no sponsorship or preferred treatment going on, Al hasn't even talked to Tommy at all.  I have, because he worked on the sound for one of my games in the 90's, but I don't actually read this thread, I leave that up to mods.  

 

If this shit continues, threads, including this one, will be locked.  If not by me, by Al, we do not like these sort of baseless accusations.  This crap leads to the spread of misinformation on other sites.

 

I could care the least bit, if someone wants to make fun of anything, including the new PS5.  But you have to stay calm and not attack individuals, with different opinions, including Tommy.

 

[MrBeefy]

Just now, CPUWIZ said:

 

That sauce looks yummy.

[Tavi]

2 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

Also forgot to post my taco update. Pulled pork was great and the slaw combos were great other than I need better knife skills to cut the cabbage thinner. ????

 

Looks scrumptious! ... if perhaps a bit light on the sriracha for my liking I think?

[Swami]

6 hours ago, JBerel said:

"Don't question or chime in on Tommy's style and mode of communication" and "If you don't like the way Tommy chooses to answer questions or address critics in this thread, you don't have to read the thread." doesn't appear consistent with the presumption of impartial moderation. I think that's what people are attempting to convey to you, and a number of long time members want to know what gives?

 

I don't recall anyone complaining about being forced to read annoying posts. It sounds like the issue is having entire subjects of conversation censored, neutered or forbidden if it conflicts with support of a commercial product.  If it's the aim of the moderators to have everyone who doesn't share unquestioning support of a commercial pitch remain entirely silent on the subject in all threads, then some reasoning should be offered. If there's a sponsorship arrangement in place, I think everyone would recognize that as supportive of the community and be happy to avoid the issue. Otherwise, the logic to forbidding mentions of yet another retro angled product launch is hardly consistent with this community's history or purpose. A number of us would like to know why the severe left turn.  

I know of two whole commercial sections in the ColecoVision forum and one other in the Intellivision forum that starts and ends with an E that are there for commercial purposes and don't take to people repetitiously tearing apart one of their products. It also doesn't go over well in the 7800 forum. I think most people have a view to not bite the game providers who feed us. I really don't understand people trying to bully Tommy into revealing all kinds of protected patent information before he's ready. It's been pretty well established that this thing is well beyond where Coleco and Atari have ever gotten so it seems like an inflated sense of entitlement to want all the inside information you don't get from other commercial companies.