New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[Flojomojo]

Speaking of Tempest 4000, I thought this was interesting. Llamasoft has not developed a Linux port and has no insider knowledge of the AtariBox whatsoever. Considering how outspoken their main developer has been about other issues (sample -- you can probably imagine much Italian waving of hands), I don't think this is the NDA telling them to shut up. He's also stated that it could just be running in WINE, as it's not a graphically intense game.

 

The Steam screens we've seen could be the "Big Picture" from a streaming device, not running natively.

 

The Tempest 4000 demo we've seen could have had something other than AtariBox driving it.

 

I'm guessing the backers don't know, or don't care.

 

BTW latest tally of systems only (count the controllers yourself if you care -- click on "back it" to get the current tally)

 

1549 Woody sets

244 Onyx earlybird

566 Onyx early set

1 Onyx full price

1 Onyx full price set

149 Onyx all in set

2594 Woody all in set

5104 total

 

edit: and maybe another 1400 "hidden perks?" Should they be included or counted separately?

[PlaysWithWolves]

Nice. The others seem to be correct that the "Secret Perk" purchases aren't being shown in the totals. For a mere $25 I'd sell my super-special official Atari™ Secret Perk link though!

(EDIT: I see you already figured this out).

 

1549 Woody sets

244 Onyx earlybird

566 Onyx early set

1 Onyx full price

1 Onyx full price set

149 Onyx all in set

2594 Woody all in set

5104 total

 

1389 Secret Perk

6493 total

 

[+AtariNerd]

 

There's no Linux version of Witcher 3, which means it won't run on AtariBox unless you're prepared to dick around in WINE for a long time and maybe sorta get it going. I think that defeats the purpose of what is supposed to be a plug-n-play console-style computer. Even if Atari hits all of its schedule goals, their box is still a year out, at which time Witcher 3 will be a full 4 years old.

 

I get the sense a lot of people not into the PC gaming scene are overestimating the number of Linux native games out there. Yes there are way more than there used to be, and if you don't have a gaming PC, some is more than none. The selection is a LOT smaller than on Windows or even Macintosh, though, and many Linux games are not optimized for the OS like they are for Windows.

 

Your best hardware bet for games like Witcher 3 is a little-known, well-hidden underground system called the "Playstation 4." There are shloads of software for it, and you needn't spend a lot of money or wait a year to have fun.

Not really interested in whatever this is, but was thinking of getting a set-top box or lap-top, not too expensive, with one of the newer integrated sets, preferably with Windows, as it's the only OS I know much of anything about, sadly. Know, investing a bit more would probably get me more longevity-of-use, but am resistant to spending money on myself, short-term. Probably could get a refurbished or used system... PS4 might be better bang-for-buck, but then there is that whole tribal ecosystem thing again. Might have to dig in eventually and make a compromise. First-world problems.

[TheVgaTv]

Nice. The others seem to be correct that the "Secret Perk" purchases aren't being shown in the totals. For a mere $25 I'd sell my super-special official Atari™ Secret Perk link though!

(EDIT: I see you already figured this out).

 

 

1389 Secret Perk

6493 total

 

atariSecretPerk.JPG

 

 

 

So the rush is pretty much over and they reached 6,500 systems. Add three zeros to that and they might have a viable system infrastructure that could attract developers.

[PlaysWithWolves]

Not really interested in whatever this is, but was thinking of getting a set-top box or lap-top, not too expensive, with one of the newer integrated sets, preferably with Windows, as it's the only OS I know much of anything about, sadly. Know, investing a bit more would probably get me more longevity-of-use, but am resistant to spending money on myself, short-term. PS4 might be better bang-for-buck, but then there is that whole tribal ecosystem thing again. Might have to dig in eventually and make a compromise. First-world problems.

Flojo offered a better alternative than the AVCS; one that you could buy today if you like:

 

Not to mention that July 2019 is a long way off. The AMD tech they're putting into this (Bristol Ridge) is from 2016 and will be surpassed this fall.

 

Here's a laptop with the same (or better) A10 CPU and R7 GPU for $361. Except it comes with a screen, keyboard, and pointing device, 2x the RAM, 30x the storage, a DVD drive, and Windows. Oh, and you could have it tomorrow.

 

Atari Vault is in Steam now and Tempest 4000 is expected in two weeks.

[+thanatos]

 

 

I for one am thankful that they changed the name, because if they had kept the name AtariBox it would have made searching for boxed games on Ebay and pain in the ass.

 

Ooh, they should have called it the Atari Launch Edition Holy Grail.

[Flojomojo]

Not really interested in whatever this is, but was thinking of getting a set-top box or lap-top, not too expensive, with one of the newer integrated sets, preferably with Windows, as it's the only OS I know much of anything about, sadly. Know, investing a bit more would probably get me more longevity-of-use, but am resistant to spending money on myself, short-term. Probably could get a refurbished or used system... PS4 might be better bang-for-buck, but then there is that whole tribal ecosystem thing again. Might have to dig in eventually and make a compromise. First-world problems.

 

Some rules of thumb:

 

• Windows has a lot more games than Linux
• Desktops are cheaper than laptops or set-top boxes, and more expandable, too
• If you get a laptop, make sure you have an IPS screen -- pay extra for it if necessary
• "Building your own PC" is just snapping together parts, it's literally simpler than Legos -- but you can probably find a readymade for a similar price
• Intel i5 is plenty for mainstream gaming, Nvidia GTX 1050 or 1060 will generally run 1080p at full detail. 4K resolution is for big spenders at this time.
• 8GB RAM is probably enough.
• Integrated graphics are never as good as dedicated graphics (this may change someday, but not in the next few years)
• Intel CPU with Nvidia GPU is generally better than AMD with Radeon, and is worth the price premium
• SSD storage can make a slow system feel fast. (7200rpm spinning drive is OK if you need to save money and have the most space. Avoid 5400, and steer clear of anything with eMMC)
• Something better will come out in a year or less, that's just the way these things are.

Refurbished is generally fine. I got a big red Dell Inspiron 7567 with Nvidia 1050ti and an IPS screen for a bit over $600 from Dell Outlet and it's been great. Costco and NewEgg have good deals, too. SuggestALaptop is wonderful.

 

(following this logic: AtariBox is underpowered in terms of CPU, storage, RAM, and expandability ... but at least it won't feel expensive if you forgot you paid for it by the time it arrives ... and you'll still have a 2016 laptop in a can, whee)

[BiffsGamingVideos]

Yar

 

 

LOL it does have that same tacky CGI look as Trevor.

 

I'm trying to figure that out myself. My first guess was Sine Mora, but this seems more cartoony, almost like a mobile game. Almost like Jets-n-Guns (which is a Linux gamer fave along with Tux Racer) but I'll bet some shmup aficionado would know for sure. This kind of game should run fine on AtariBox ... and on just about anything else, too. There are lots of games like these.

 

Yar's Renege 4000?

[leech]

 

Some rules of thumb:

 

• Windows has a lot more games than Linux
• Desktops are cheaper than laptops or set-top boxes, and more expandable, too
• If you get a laptop, make sure you have an IPS screen -- pay extra for it if necessary
• "Building your own PC" is just snapping together parts, it's literally simpler than Legos -- but you can probably find a readymade for a similar price
• Intel i5 is plenty for mainstream gaming, Nvidia GTX 1050 or 1060 will generally run 1080p at full detail. 4K resolution is for big spenders at this time.
• 8GB RAM is probably enough.
• Integrated graphics are never as good as dedicated graphics (this may change someday, but not in the next few years)
• Intel CPU with Nvidia GPU is generally better than AMD with Radeon, and is worth the price premium
• SSD storage can make a slow system feel fast. (7200rpm spinning drive is OK if you need to save money and have the most space. Avoid 5400, and steer clear of anything with eMMC)
• Something better will come out in a year or less, that's just the way these things are.

Refurbished is generally fine. I got a big red Dell Inspiron 7567 with Nvidia 1050ti and an IPS screen for a bit over $600 from Dell Outlet and it's been great. Costco and NewEgg have good deals, too. SuggestALaptop is wonderful.

 

(following this logic: AtariBox is underpowered in terms of CPU, storage, RAM, and expandability ... but at least it won't feel expensive if you forgot you paid for it by the time it arrives ... and you'll still have a 2016 laptop in a can, whee)

Windows has it's own set of issues. Though I suppose it works well enough to launch Steam.

 

Yar

 

Yar's Renege 4000?

I'd play that! That reminds me, how many IPs do they own that they can do the 2000/4000 treatment too? Still that makes me think it's Trevor McFur!

 

This is actually Yar's Revenge now? https://store.steampowered.com/app/99120/Yars_Revenge/

Edited May 31, 2018 by leech

[alexkeaton]

They're using the VCS name because their marketing tests told them it would get more attention that way.

 

It looks like that it worked.

They have a really good Marketing Team.

Edited May 31, 2018 by alexkeaton

[JBerel]

Of course, cuz.....Atari

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

Couple million and a cheeseburger is not a whole bunch to work with when launching a new product

 

 

 

they are way out of their league. everybody knows you need tacos to launch a product, not cheezburgers...

[Andromeda Stardust]

Ok, I'm glad so many people are funding the VCS joystick. That thing is pure sex. It's sexy times two. It's a sex machine and it doesn't work for nobody but you. Sex. I'm going to say sex a few more times. Sex, sex, sex.

 

I'm not sure if any of you remember me saying that I recently won $500 on a scratch off ticket. I was thinking about backing the VCS with that money, but I'm considering buying an RC car instead. Will definitely back that joystick though. Did I mention that it's sexy?

 

in order to function as a good marital aid, a powerful rumble motor and/or haptic feedback is required.

[racerx]

It looks like that it worked.

They have a really good Marketing Team.

Their marketing team has actually been hilariously inept. Crowdfunding campaigns canceled the day of? Releasing a five month old video of the dismissed Feargal Mac playing Centipede? Showing off nonfunctional mockups at GDC? Showing off T4K, a game available on competing platforms a full year before theirs?

 

They're just lucky there's enough equity in the brand to be an apparent success DESPITE their marketing team.

[Andromeda Stardust]

You know how some people are unwilling to divulge their choice of political candidate? Well I'm willing to bet the same thing will happen with some folks on Atari Age who supported the VCS campaign. I'm certain there are people reading this thread right now who backed this campaign but are unwilling to admit it.

 

i backed that sexy joystick (rumble function or not) and nothing more...

[+Nathan Strum]

I think this is a really important point to emphasize:

 

Speaking of Tempest 4000, I thought this was interesting. Llamasoft has not developed a Linux port and has no insider knowledge of the AtariBox whatsoever. Considering how outspoken their main developer has been about other issues (sample -- you can probably imagine much Italian waving of hands), I don't think this is the NDA telling them to shut up. He's also stated that it could just be running in WINE, as it's not a graphically intense game.

 

The Steam screens we've seen could be the "Big Picture" from a streaming device, not running natively.

 

The Tempest 4000 demo we've seen could have had something other than AtariBox driving it.

 

I'm guessing the backers don't know, or don't care.

 

Here's the developer's direct post about it (or one of them anyway).

 

For a brief moment, I thought Atari just might have done something semi-legitimately with Tempest 4000. I thought, "Okay, they had Llamasoft compile a Linux port, and they're running it on a generic Linux box hidden under the table somewhere, but at least it's a real game, and it's running on something that might vaguely resemble something that could be in the Ataribox someday."

 

But it appears they couldn't even do that.

 

Just more smoke and mirrors. And even the smoke's fake.

 

And so is that "Yars' Revenge" video. They need to tell their actors to keep their hands away from the TV screen. Or hire someone who's better at After Effects...

 

 

 

For that matter, I'd wager every one of their "videos" is faked somehow or other. The games may exist on some platform, but they're not running on an Ataribox.

 

We already know their first prototype was a complete sham. And by their own timeline, their second one isn't even due until this fall:

 

 

Here, the text around the edge of the screen is razor-sharp, but the frame of the TV itself isn't. Everything should be in focus to the same degree.

 

 

In other "gameplay footage" shot in the Ikea room, good luck trying to get the player's actions to line up with what's happening on screen.

 

I wouldn't have a problem with any of this, if they actually put text over the video that said, "Screen images simulated" or "Proof of concept footage".

 

But I guess they don't have to be held to that sort of standard on Indiegogo.

 

Or by people willing to give them money.

 

The lack of transparency is the biggest problem I have with this whole thing. I would be far more inclined to take them seriously, if they actually, honestly, showed where they were at.

 

Unless or until they do that, they can make all of the announcements and fake videos they want. They're not getting a dime from me.

[Flojomojo]

A lot of people suspect they will be using the AMD 9700E, it fits the bill.

 

Gaming performance for the 9700E looks half decent:

 

 

That does indeed look okay, especially for a low-end PC. That's not necessarily indicative of AtariBox's performance, though. The A-box will have 4GB of RAM and a 32GB eMMC storage device, which will bog things down significantly. I guess you could boot from an external SSD if you were desperate ... but A-box will still be running Linux, not Windows.

 

Here's the list of what they tested for that video:

 

- Battlefield 1

- Destiny 2

- Titanfall 2

- Mortal Kombat XL

- Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG)

- Middle-earth: Shadow of War

- Gran Theft Auto V (GTA V)

- Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 (PES 2018)

- Overwatch

- The Witcher 3

- Rocket League

- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Dust 2

 

Take away the Windows-only games, and here are the games that run in Linux:

 

- Rocket League

- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Dust 2

 

The others could possibly be hacked to run in WINE, but that's not a good time for anyone. I sure hope no one is buying big woody to play these kinds of games. Those "other" games were also made for PS4 and Xbone.

[+AtariNerd]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but noticed, while browsing lists of Atari IP on their various marketing websites, that none of them list Gauntlet. Was that sold off during one of their many liquidations? If so, who owns that now?

 

EDIT: Looks like the last possible rights-owners could be Warner or THQ, THQ having gone under several years ago.. Wonder, who, if anyone gobbled it up.

 

RE-EDIT: Looks like Nordic grabbed that during THQs liquidation.

Edited May 31, 2018 by Standard User

[jaybird3rd]

This has nothing to do with "that Ataribox?", per se, but the new Yars' Revenge game shown earlier looks wretched. We all know that the game takes place in the Razak solar system, and that in the game, you control a Yar (descended from houseflies) and fight the Quotile. So why are you suddenly some nondescript wingless bug, fighting a brain with spider legs that lives in a cave behind a waterfall in Yellowstone National Park? That's what it looks like to me, anyway. (They also used the word "canon" instead of "cannon" in their game instructions—just because spellcheck doesn't flag it doesn't mean it's right.)

If you're going to upgrade the graphics in classic games, why not do it the way it was imagined at the time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Mvwh_Jjhc

This ad was produced by Robert Abel and Associates, one of the production companies behind the special effects in Tron, and was shown in movie theaters in 1982. Modern consoles, even "that Ataribox?", should easily be able to do this on the fly (no pun intended).

[TheVgaTv]

 

It looks like that it worked.

They have a really good Marketing Team.

 

 

 

They've pre-sold about 6,500 units. And most of those were due to the fact that there is a limited edition that is only for sale for 2 weeks or so. Hell, these guys couldn't even properly manage the mailing list (i only got about half of the emails after signing up on day one). Who knows how many they could have sold if they had competent marketing (not to mention a viable product)

[+AtariNerd]

^at least, in both YARS instances, the person is miming to something not really there. ^=^ *groan*

[el gato tuerto]

I am a little confused about the relationship between the Atari VCS and the Gameband (formerly, the Atari Gameband).

 

Feargal Mac Conuladh is behind both the watch and the Atari VCS, right? Shouldn't that be extremely concerning? Why did the individual/individuals running the Atari VCS Facebook tell someone from this forum they have nothing to do with the watch? That alone--the Indiegogo Flexible stuff aside--would make me stay far away from this thing.

Edited May 31, 2018 by el gato tuerto

[Flojomojo]

I am a little confused about the the Atari VCS and their Facebook distancing itself from the (former) Atari Watch.

 

Feargal Mac Conuladh is behind both the watch and the Atari VCS, right? Shouldn't that be extremely concerning? Why did the individual/individuals running the Atari VCS Facebook tell someone from this forum they have nothing to do with the watch? That alone--the Indiegogo Flexible stuff aside--would make me stay far away from this thing.

 

Here ya go ... post #4032349

Atari sacked him.

[+Nathan Strum]

I'd play that! That reminds me, how many IPs do they own that they can do the 2000/4000 treatment too? Still that makes me think it's Trevor McFur!

 

I posted Atari's own list of IPs back here.

 

The question isn't so much what they can do the 2000/4000 treatment to, but what they can convince other developers to do the 2000/4000 treatment to. Atari isn't a game developer. They're an Intellectual Property Holding Company.

 

Maybe I'm mistaken, but noticed, while browsing lists of Atari IP on their various marketing websites, that none of them list Gauntlet. Was that sold off during one of their many liquidations? If so, who owns that now?

 

EDIT: Looks like the last possible rights-owners could be Warner or THQ, THQ having gone under several years ago.. Wonder, who, if anyone gobbled it up.

 

RE-EDIT: Looks like Nordic grabbed that during THQs liquidation.

 

Gauntlet was never an Atari game, it was an Atari Games game. Atari Games was a separate arcade game company, retained by Warner after the rest of Atari was sold off in 1984 to Jack Tramiel. What Jack bought is now owned by Atari SA, which is the parent of all current things "Atari".

[The Mr. Video]

I'm pretty sure I just saw an Ataribox ad on Youtube.