New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[MrBeefy]

41 minutes ago, Agillig said:

I  agree. I don't think the footage is fake either.  I wouldn't put it past Atari to do something like that, but it's a big risk.  And besides, it's not like what they've shown would actually be that difficult to program. 

 

I really never thought the thing would come out in the first place.  Eh...looks like I might be eating crow on that one.  I still think it's a ridiculously bad product, and agree with you that once people buy everything they need to get the most out of it, it's a very poor product for the price, but I guess that's on the backers.  If they like it, then that's good.

With the cuts in the footage I wonder how long it takes everything to boot. Also I wonder if they booted from their OS or went directly to Win10.

[CPUWIZ]

2 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

Either way welcome, and hope you like tacos.

 

[+thanatos]

4 hours ago, Arnaud Giese said:

So much hate here.

 

Start from the first post.  It's gonna take you a few days, but you'll figure it out.

[Arnaud Giese]

4 minutes ago, thanatos said:

 

Start from the first post.  It's gonna take you a few days, but you'll figure it out.

I have been following the indiegogo campaign for quite a while now. No need to read 1000+ pages of sarcasms here.

It's a small team. They made mistakes. Communication is bad, but at least they are trying to come up with something.

I just don't understand all this hate.

 

[RainbowCemetery]

they been bullshitting so long i have trouble imagining they'd do somethin legit even if it was easier than faking it

[Shaggy the Atarian]

16 minutes ago, Arnaud Giese said:

I have been following the indiegogo campaign for quite a while now. No need to read 1000+ pages of sarcasms here.

It's a small team. They made mistakes. Communication is bad, but at least they are trying to come up with something.

I just don't understand all this hate.

 

Any time you have a company begging for money to make something, then constantly dropping the ball with that money, you're going to have problems. The longer that goes on, the deeper the resentment gets. A pattern of bad communication over many years doesn't garner respect, it destroys it. For those that loved the Atari of the past, some find what the company has become to be an offense to the efforts and memory of what came before.  

 

Their IP trolling and lawfare behavior on many fronts rubs a lot of people the wrong way, especially for those who have good memories of Atari in the past. Their behavior of how they treat their development partners is even worse, but most of that stuff isn't public (I know someone who worked on a game that they published and he said that they were one of the worst partners to work with, where Atari did everything possible to screw the development company over - which ended up hurting the players in the end, since they left the online-only game hanging in the wind). That they frequently have no clue about their own products makes them very easy to laugh at ("What's your highest score on Pong?" was perhaps the most embarrassing thing a game company has done since Giant Enemy Crabs and Riiiiidge Raacccuuurhhh - not to mention them showing typos on their own games with the VCS today. Asteroid? Really?)

 

If it had a bunch of games coming to it that were being made specifically for the platform - not emulated titles, but reimagined classics and some new exclusive stuff, then I'd be less inclined to dump on it. To me, that would show that they are trying, not this half-assed tease-with-crumbs-once-every-several-months method. We're past the 2nd or 3rd time that they promised to have this thing out to people who paid for it, and only today has it been shown to be running in some form. Even then, that they can't simply show it being setup from start to finish with a more hands-on approach, just creates more questions, like we've seen in this thread. I don't know who does their marketing, but they are incompetent at it. It doesn't matter how big or small your team is, if you're launching a device that you've marketed as a game console, you have to give potential customers a reason to buy it, as opposed to spending $300+ on a competing entertainment device. 

 

There was a place in this thread where many users said that they wanted to see the VCS succeed, but it's Atari's own fault for bringing it to this point. How they treated negative press at The Register was the first indication that Atari is not an honest "doing our best" operation; then that snowballed into not working with developers and not announcing any sort of interesting game for the platform with it about to supposedly launch; not keeping backers/investors updated (which is supposed to be done per their end of the agreement) and constantly moving the goalposts; spinning wheels by constantly rehashing updates; losing their system architects; constantly signaling that you want someone with deep pockets to buy you out - these are not things that a company with an eye towards customer service does. 

 

Yes, they have something now, but this isn't 1977 anymore - there are many other gaming entertainment options that offer you a much better gaming experience for the money. Nostalgia gets you $3 million it seems, but an impactful game console? Not from the looks of it. That they still can't even promise to show their flagship titles on, like Rollercoaster Tycoon, raises a red flag. It's a bare-bones PC with an Atari logo on it. Now, some people are fine with that. Others find it to be a wasted opportunity, or worse, a scam - using the pretense of a new Atari game console just to get money. You might not feel it was presented that way, but to others it has been. 

 

 

 

 

[TankedThomas]

@DurradonXylles summed up what I was thinking. I know not everyone agrees but I'm thinking there's at least some fakery going on here.

 

Not like they've earnt the benefit of the doubt either way.

Especially considering those videos - I've seen people in their 80s or even 90s take better bloody videos.

Hell, I've seen home videos from the 60s with better clarity. I'm not even exaggerating. 

 

And even if it works, it's still one of the worst PCs I've ever seen. PC hobbyists and "tinkerers" don't want this shit, and the Switch is a better platform because the NVIDIA Tegra X1 is a more solid chip than AMD Ryzen Embedded (sorry AMD; still love your other CPUs). The NVIDIA Shield TV is a better set-top box than the VCS, too. 

[+frankodragon]

11 hours ago, Shaggy the Atarian said:

"Sad news is good news!"

And don't forget: "Sad news=sad times."  

 

[CPUWIZ]

2 hours ago, Arnaud Giese said:

I just don't understand all this hate.

 

Explain hate, we have had far more interesting Atari projects go sideways (delayed beyond 100 pair of socks you bought).  I want someone, to  hit me in the face, with joy.  I am old, no time for VP.

[leech]

9 hours ago, DurradonXylles said:

No... Sorry, Tommy, I for one am not buying it.

 

These two videos show that pesky cable going underneath the TV through the front of the cabinet, which, along with the fact that the we've seen multiple VCS chassis that are only meant to show that Fuji light turning on, seriously suggests that none of the showroom units taken to Vegas are actually working properly and Atari SA is falling back to full on smoke and mirrors. Before any of the nosy Facebook-based, Chesnais Faithful (hi there, by the way) comment that the cable could be connected to a cable box, PPV box, or something else from the hotel, lemme ask you: have you ever seen a hotel half that ritzy with poor cable management like that? Nah, they would have holes drilled in the back of that cabinet to let the cables connect to the TV. Anything popping out there is from whoever is using the room at that time.

 

Not to mention: the sandbox mode video, on top of being poorly edited and having a black screen for nearly ten seconds in the middle of it, shows that the "console" is only being controlled via wireless keyboard and mouse. It does look like in the Fortnite video that the controller is being used to play the game, and based on those loud clicking noises, they'd like to suggest that it's plugged into that unit. But if you were to compare that video to the Sandbox demo one, because they haven't moved it at all between the two, you'd clearly see that the controller isn't plugged into the front left USB port like the video suggests. While that controller is actually playing the game, it isn't controlling the TacoBox sitting up there. That showroom unit is doing next to nothing but looking pretty for the camera.

 

All in all, it looks like more deceit from Chesnais and Co, and not even well hidden deceit at that.

Sorry if this got covered because I had to skip a few pages (holy crap does this thread grow fast).  But in the video the person at the table isn't playing the game, you can see the cable going up the chair, someone is standing behind the chair in the mirror with their arms or something right above the chair.  So maybe someone actually is playing around on it?  But that doesn't stop the thing about... I thought the controllers were wireless? 

[roots.genoa]

Usually I would say that you guys are getting a little too paranoid, not because I'm naive but because I never understood the point of blatantly lying or faking something when the truth will be eventually revealed anyway and make you look even worse... You're just delaying the (sad) outcome. I almost never lie and that's why I'm very bad at marketing and selling myself.

 

There are too many red flags in these videos to ignore, and even though I think they got a few things done, like the UI or the PCB, to me it's clear that the first is not running on the second yet. Of course they can manage that eventually, but they already screwed themselves with bad communication. The mainstream audience probably doesn't care anyway, but backers are clearly waiting to get something in March, and since they've just been shown the unconsole allegedly working, another delay (months, not weeks) wouldn't go off as well...

[+frankodragon]

Think of it this way:  You want to buy a super duper car you've heard and seen in commercials that boasts it'll do just about anything- make tacos, remind you of your dry cleaning pickup, cut your toenails, etc.  But you want to see the under the hood, but the dealership won't let you.  And they'll do everything in their power to prevent you from seeing the engine, and even let you start up the car.  Why?  Because there is no engine underneath.   

 

You wouldn't buy a car without an engine, right?  "Atari" is acting in the same way.  Until we actually see some concrete proof that their un-console boots up without smoke and mirrors, we can only continue the hate.

[Zor]

3 hours ago, Arnaud Giese said:

I have been following the indiegogo campaign for quite a while now. No need to read 1000+ pages of sarcasms here.

It's a small team. They made mistakes. Communication is bad, but at least they are trying to come up with something.

I just don't understand all this hate.

 

Hate is a big word.

That they make mistakes isn't a big issue. It's the Fyre festival attitude from the start:

 

- Launched the project with a guy known for not delivering. I mean at the time he had already fucked up an atari licenced smartwatch. In what universe was it a good plan to have that guy lead the resurrection of Atari hardware

- Claimed to have a prototype from the get go, when clearly the earliest prototype is from last summer (being generous)

- Claimed to be on track for December delivery when it was painfully obvious that it wasn't possible. 

 

- But most of all, their whole pitch was about a gaming system (lets disregard whether or not it's a "console", that's just semantics), yet they have no game:

==> consistently announced "news soon" about modern games, yet "weeks" for launch, nothing.

 

- Confidence in this things was so low, that supporters are impressed seeing that *weeks from launch*, it can boot in windows ! Still no modern games. The excuse of "can't talk about it because partners" does not make any sense .. unless there's no actually signed deal with any partner

 

- To use the machine as demonstrated at "CES", you need to add storage and a windows licence, adding at least $150 to the price of the setup (yes, yes, you can find windows keys of questionable origin for less)

 

There's nothing wrong about releasing a barebone pc, whether or not there's a market for it at that price point is another question, but that is not what they've been advertising..

Edited January 10, 2020 by Zor

[Mikebloke]

It's too hard not to compare it with another project in progress of a very similarly intended device, God knows I've done it in this thread myself once or twice. 

 

The ataribox doesn't have to do much, but it has to do at least one of the following to be interesting:

 

A) a culture around it that is appealing - led by marketing or behind the scenes viewpoints. Not present. 

B) a different way of controlling content. We have a standard Gamepad, mouse and keyboard support and a one button joystick which is supposed to come with a light feature (but probably not a gameplay element - which could have made it unique) 

C) anything exclusive, at all. As others are commenting, there isn't even a guarantee that ataris own games will run on it, let alone anything being exclusive! 

D) a hole in the market. There has to be something, anything, usually one or more of the above points, but it could be price point, size, anything. A device that can play 5-10 year old games on low to mid settings is not great for the price that is being sold at. I don't think anyone is going to buy the ataribox because they want to play pc games but couldn't afford a regular pc. 

 

Believe it or not I did want the ataribox to be worth something, anything, and occasionally even I dared to think that I might be up for buying one at some point. But right now? Completely useless. Instead I've bought the dlc for atari vault because code mystics are competent and I would love more of their stuff. 

[PlaysWithWolves]

We knew they had at least one board.  What we don't know is if this is version 1 with "redundant resistors and capacitors", or if it's the heavily-revised PCB they spoke of at the latest medium.com.  

 

We also don't know how stable it is.  Does it crash after five minutes of Fortnite?  Or does it all play fine? Is it slow to load Windows? Why the weird jump cuts and black screen?

 

Nevertheless even if we give Atari the unearned and abused benefit-of-the-doubt about hardware being right, signs still point at being months, not weeks.  And that's if the hardware is solid.

[JBerel]

Occam's razor says that when presented with competing hypotheses that make the same predictions, one should select the solution with the fewest assumptions. Most direct path to reality is they don't have a functional board, so this board is pulled from somebody else's stuff, or is being faked with the ol' box behind the curtain routine. Either way, it's bullshit that demonstrates little or nothing.

 

You don't make a functional board then go back and remove components and whatever other nonsense they're talking now. The design is done in CAD, fabricated by a machine, then has to be tested. It failed to work, and they're going back to the beginning, probably without benefit of the work done to date because they didn't pay Robb for his work. They're at square zero unless they have an off the shelf board they can buy from somebody else and cram in their box.

[PlaysWithWolves]

12 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

Anyone at CES have a look at Rob Wyatt's gameboard? They have a booth and they're also going to PAX. 

 

Supporters of $3,000,000+ AtariVCS: CES BOOTHS ARE EXPENSIVE.

 

The $150,000 Gameboard-1:

 

 

I don't see any hands-on videos, though.

[PlaysWithWolves]

53 minutes ago, JBerel said:

Most direct path to reality is they don't have a functional board, so this board is pulled from somebody else's stuff, or is being faked with the ol' box behind the curtain routine.

 

Legitimate or not, it's been a great ride and one of the best shows I never paid for. ?

 

 

[OCAT]

There are lies you are forced to tell, and there are lies that are contrived deception..

1- You are walking with your wife, saucy looking lady says "hello", wife asks "who was that?" you say "someone from highschool",
you do not say "girl that I made tacos with in the locker room in high school"

2- lies that are a Deception; you show video of Tempest playing claiming it to be your own work. Or jamming a SNES Jr. inside a Jaguar shell.

How anyone is impressed with windows running on a mini PC is sad, and even that feat is questionable.

Atari -Whatever it takes, The end justifies the means.

(allegedly)

[racerx]

8 hours ago, Arnaud Giese said:

Communication is bad, but at least they are trying to come up with something.

I just don't understand all this hate.

 

 

If you think "trying to come up with something" is a compelling endorsement of a product or a solid business case for it to exist, I really don't know what to say.

[JBerel]

Aw shucks. Somebody new came in after page 1000 and outed us as a bunch of unjustified haters. Damn, jig's up fellers. Time to pack it in.

[racerx]

Now that I think about it, though...how awesome would it have been if instead of "Atari VCS: Game, Stream, Connect Like Never Before" they'd gone with "Atari VCS: Trying To Come Up With Something" for the IGG campaign?

Edited January 10, 2020 by racerx

[PlaysWithWolves]

5 minutes ago, racerx said:

gone with "Atari VCS: Trying To Come Up With Something" for the IGG campaign?

 

Or "They call it hardware because it's hard!"

[CPUWIZ]

8 minutes ago, JBerel said:

Aw shucks. Somebody new came in after page 1000 and outed us as a bunch of unjustified haters. Damn, jig's up fellers. Time to pack it in.

 

Yep, time to stop talking about things that exist, like tacos and delicious hot sauces.  I'll lock this shit now and start a taco thread instead, then the AA haters can post sandbox images of tacos, to make us jealous.  Or not.

[OCAT]

Atari is coming across as a teen on social media with the updates "Tune in tomorrow! I'll be dropping the Bomb biggety news update!"

Most other companies actually have the problem of people hunting for updates because they have so much going on, like all those spy car shots in camo. or Leaked cases or pieces of the camera for an iPhone. Atari, no one could have cared less to take a pic in the factory, the only ones that care are the ones that stand to lose the money they gave to Atari. And yes I said they handed over the money like a tithe.

This is so insane it boggles my mind, I go to the store I take a cart, I then go to the checkout machine, then beofe I pay I use as many coupons as I can, we have people handing money over to a greedy scumbag seller of the year with no recourse. Might as well drop your britches and say "Yes sir may I please have another" and hope to be indoctrinated into the Atari fraternity. Hazing by Atari means handing over your money and they will test to see how long you can go without posting a negative comment about them after they tell you they are delaying the release again and again and again.

(Allegedly)

Edited January 10, 2020 by OCAT