The Atari VCS Controversies Thread

[Tidus79001]

1 minute ago, MrBeefy said:

Gotcha, but that is already being done. Indie scene has a plethora of that available. Steam and Switch eShops already have that too.

 

I bought this for $0.09 on Switch and bought it again on Steam because it was so good.

 

Retro inspired has been pretty mainstream for awhile. Was it 2014 that Shovelknight came out? I think IMO that was one of the games that showed you can have a new game in an old style and be fun. 

 

Now if you mean you want a cookie cutter version of a retro game with new paint, there is another retro console coming out next year that will scratch that itch some.

No, I mean real new 2-D content with modern HD graphics

[MrBeefy]

8 minutes ago, Tidus79001 said:

No, I mean real new 2-D content with modern HD graphics

Maybe here are a few places to start.

[Tidus79001]

1 hour ago, MrBeefy said:

Maybe here are a few places to start.

 

I get it you don't like the Atari VCS.  If you think proving a point to me you aren't.  I am content to enjoy what have purchased.  I know what I intend to use my device for and your attempts to try to show those who have purchased the Atari VCS that they are "foolish" is just immature.  You think you are being clever with your efforts to passively aggressively troll me since I am not one of the toxic trollish fanboys who are on the bash the Atari VCS bandwagon.  That being said I will not further indulge you in the pointless back and forth exchange as that enables trolls such as yourself who want to try sour those of us who are excited for the new consoles that we have purchased.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Tidus79001

[ColecoJoe]

4 hours ago, joeatari1 said:

My purpose has always been as a media center for my living room.  I can eliminate cable, play retro games, browse the internet, stream, play new games (perhaps not AAA titles but maybe AA), all in one attractive package.  Of course I could do all of these things with a pi, plus a cable box, plus a laptop etc. etc.  but this is an all in or solution for me and comes at a reasonable price and in a good looking case (my opinion of course).  Why would I clutter my daily living space with four or five different devices that do four or five different things?  Gonna have fun with this despite all the taco theorists here.

You just described my setup. 

[roots.genoa]

2 hours ago, ColecoJoe said:

You just described my setup.

Yes but yours has an ugly Nvidia logo, not a beautiful Atari one.

[Matt_B]

3 hours ago, ColecoJoe said:

You just described my setup. 

Needs more woodgrain.

[Chopsus]

I love my Nvidea ... and I suspect the graphics chip is seriously superior to the VCSs onboard solution.

[racerx]

[RedWolfJC]

Not to get too negative, as I'm happy they have made it this far, but once again, Atari, gonna Atari...

 

Here's the picture of the backer consoles ready to ship overseas.

 

 

So lets look at this picture.

If my eyes (and math) are not deceiving me, we have 24 cases per pallet (2 stacks of 12 cases per pallet), 9 pallets per row, and (potentially) 2 rows

Given 6 consoles per case, that gives us an ironic quantity of close to 2600 units pictured ready to ship.

 

I'm not saying they don't have more ready to go. There could be rows and rows of them somewhere else 

I'm also not saying anything about that partial pallet at the end, or the fact the photo is taken in such a way that makes it look like there are 2 rows but in fact there may be only 1 row +1 pallet, or that the boxes may not all have VCS's in them... wait I guess I did just say all that. 

 

 

Honestly, I'm pretty amazed they got this far, and kudos to them.  But lets not start pretending this is 100% done and set in stone yet.  This is major progress, but there's still a long way to go.

 

 

 

[Austin]

8 hours ago, Tidus79001 said:

 

I get it you don't like the Atari VCS.  If you think proving a point to me you aren't.  I am content to enjoy what have purchased.  I know what I intend to use my device for and your attempts to try to show those who have purchased the Atari VCS that they are "foolish" is just immature.  You think you are being clever with your efforts to passively aggressively troll me since I am not one of the toxic trollish fanboys who are on the bash the Atari VCS bandwagon.  That being said I will not further indulge you in the pointless back and forth exchange as that enables trolls such as yourself who want to try sour those of us who are excited for the new consoles that we have purchased.

If pointing out how clearly out of the loop you are with modern 2D content is considered "trolling", then you might want to back away from internet forums.

 

Enjoy your box, but don't be surprised when it does jack-all to make 2D mega-popular again.

[OCAT]

Naw... i see the corner of a 3rd Pallet. I say they have 3 rows.

[Bill Loguidice]

There's perhaps an argument to be made for Amico bringing back 2D-style gaming (not that I would agree with it being able to do that nor do I agree anything like that has to be brought back because there's still plenty of such content) because they'll have an actual game line-up and do in fact specialize in such games, but I don't see how there's that argument for the VCS. It has no game line-up that we know of other than a handful of titles already available and some streaming services that are also already available. I think a more realistic argument can be made for the VCS being an appealing and versatile (not that I would agree with that either), if somewhat limited, media center computer for those willing to put in the configuration and expansion work to fulfill such a vision.

[RedWolfJC]

14 minutes ago, OCAT said:

Naw... i see the corner of a 3rd Pallet. I say they have 3 rows.

I saw that too, but I don't think it's a third row of pallets, after zooming in,  to me it just looks like 1 box with a much larger label on it but it's hard to really tell.  It doesn't look like the rest of the pallets do though.

Also, although the perspective is kind of weird, it looks to me if there is a third row of pallets, that it would be outside of the covered area, I doubt they would leave them out exposed to the elements.

If it was anyone other than Atari, I may have automatically given them the benefit of the doubt.

Even giving them the benefit of the doubt, if there was a full 3 rows, that's still only an extra 1300, which gets them to just over half of the collectors editions.

 

 

 

 

[MrBeefy]

9 hours ago, Tidus79001 said:

I am content to enjoy what have purchased.  I know what I intend to use my device for and your attempts to try to show those who have purchased the Atari VCS that they are "foolish" is just immature.  

You must have missed where I said I think people will have fun with it. You are being quite confusing with the 2D talk and I gave you good examples of games you will be able to play on your VCS. All games I showed you are available on Steam. If I thought you were foolish I'd tell you.

 

I'm trying to figure out what you think the VCS is going to bring back in the retro inspired market that isn't already being done. Mini consoles? No. Retro styled arcade games/graphics? No. Modern 2D games with beautiful graphics? No. What's left that you are hoping for? Are you hoping Atari gets a development team together and they are the ones that pump out the type of games I just showed?

 

For the record I almost backed it too. I don't think you or anyone else is foolish for it and I do think you will have some fun with it once you get it. I do think the 2D comment was silly, and I'm curious what is missing in that realm that isn't already being done?

 

If you don't know about the type of games I mentioned you are going to be floored when you get Steam booted up on your VCS and start exploring what's out there.  

 

Super Bit Blast XL - Asteroids like game

Bloodstained Curse of the Moon - Castlevania like (second one is out but I haven't tried it yet)

Hollow Knight - Action/adventure

Cuphead - Run and gun

MagiCat - Puzzle platformer

 

6 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

Yes but yours has an ugly Nvidia logo, not a beautiful Atari one.

I do believe the Ataribox is much nicer looking. Nvidia isn't terrible, but it's not as cool as the box. I still think it is the best looking one out of everything coming out this year and next.

[MrBeefy]

6 hours ago, Matt_B said:

Needs more woodgrain.

Here you go. Still think the box looks better.

 

https://www.amazon.com/MightySkins-NVIDIA-Shield-TV-Pro/dp/B07HCKSDG6

 

[youxia]

1 hour ago, RedWolfJC said:

Honestly, I'm pretty amazed they got this far, and kudos to them.  But lets not start pretending this is 100% done and set in stone yet.  This is major progress, but there's still a long way to go.

Why wouldn't they actually get this far? They've collected a fairly big bag of $$$s as a preorder and are supposed to be a bunch of hotshot designers, industry professionals, etc, etc (their own description, of course, not mine :)) The product itself is just a bog-standard SOC board with a custom case, nothing really innovative or difficult to design.

 

It's only a "major progress" because of all the slapstick ridiculousness which took place between the announcement and this point in time. I wouldn't say they deserve any kudos for basically doing what should have been done long time ago and without all the circus & hype that happened along the way.

 

And that's regardless of what I think about this product in general (that it's an overpriced & pointless nostalgia cash-grab).

[MrBeefy]

6 minutes ago, youxia said:

Why wouldn't they actually get this far?

I think a majority of us thought they would get it out the door. It has just felt like forever. I really hope for backers sake they start shipping individual units to those who didn't order the joystick. That would suck for it to delay it for those who didn't order it.

[RedWolfJC]

16 minutes ago, youxia said:

Why wouldn't they actually get this far? They've collected a fairly big bag of $$$s as a preorder and are supposed to be a bunch of hotshot designers, industry professionals, etc, etc (their own description, of course, not mine :)) The product itself is just a bog-standard SOC board with a custom case, nothing really innovative or difficult to design.

 

It's only a "major progress" because of all the slapstick ridiculousness which took place between the announcement and this point in time. I wouldn't say they deserve any kudos for basically doing what should have been done long time ago and without all the circus & hype that happened along the way.

 

And that's regardless of what I think about this product in general (that it's an overpriced & pointless nostalgia cash-grab).

Well, they could have just taken the big bag of money and ran.  I think that was the expectation from some (I will say I had my doubts this would ever be produced.)

 

But yeah, I guess it says a lot about expectations, when kudos are given for not being a thief.  

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by RedWolfJC
clarification

[Hwlngmad]

10 hours ago, ColecoJoe said:

You just described my setup. 

I love my Nvidia Shield TV as well.  Although, I seriously need to take more advantage of its gaming capabilities.

[jamm]

I get the feeling that people who are genuinely excited about the Atari VCS are a bit or a lot out of touch with what's been going in in gaming from the days of the Ouya release to today.

 

The only thing new thing the Atari VCS is bringing to the table is a logo.  And that's old, too - just revered.

 

Much of the same "I don't care if it doesn't do the latest games, at least I'll have a cool, all-in-one media box" arguments where also flying fast and loose about Ouya.  Also the "I want a box I can emulate old games on", and "people want the 2D gaming experience but with modern games."

 

That device was created by a lot of people who really wanted it to succeed, cared about gaming, contacted and made deals with real (mostly indie) developers, and supported it as well as they could.  The VCS doesn't have any of that.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by jamm

[youxia]

49 minutes ago, jamm said:

The VCS doesn't have any of that.

It probably could have, if the people behind it were as passionate as the Ouya people. As it is, it's just a few suits in a rented office, who live off retro-whoring  - sorry, licensing - this venerable brand to literally anybody who throws them a dollar or two (shady blockchains or African casinos are most welcome).

 

The idea for the box itself wasn't that bad. If you slashed that preposterous price and put it together in reasonable time, with a competent frontend and e-shop full of really attractive stuff, not just some old rope roms, perhaps it could get some traction and be a moderate success.

 

But they were never interested in that, too much fuss and trouble, it's easier to just push out something - anything - out of the door. So now it's just a sad gadget for a few who still believe and a bunch of speculectors (it's a sad reality of the times we live in that even something that pointless will instantly surface on ebay with 2/3 times the price.)

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, jamm said:

I get the feeling that people who are genuinely excited about the Atari VCS are a bit or a lot out of touch with what's been going in in gaming from the days of the Ouya release to today.

 

The only thing new thing the Atari VCS is bringing to the table is a logo. 

 

I don't know about out of touch, but maybe the nostalgia of this box will get some people to explore that there are a bunch of current games in the style they want. 

 

I've been hearing a lot of talk like that where people are saying ____ isn't in gaming anymore. It might not be the sole focus anymore, but yes there is. There's more out there than AAA 3D FPS. It just seems that some don't want to look beyond that.

 

3 minutes ago, youxia said:

 

The idea for the box itself wasn't that bad. If you slashed that preposterous price and put it together in reasonable time, with a competent frontend and e-shop full of really attractive stuff, not just some old rope roms, perhaps it could get some traction and be a moderate success.

 

I think an affordable indie steam box would have been the way to go. Launch title of Atari Vault is disappointing. Not that bad, but that it has been out there for awhile for cheap. 

[OCAT]

Well during lockdown part 2, people will have time to discover the Atari VCS.
Where I live they pre-announced the lockdown 3 days ahead of time instead of the first when we woke up and were like WTF!? I cant even buy lottery tickets?!
sheet! Now if you will exscuse me, I have to go to the stores and Hoard! (also get some lottery tickets)
If I win it big I can buy a few Atari VCS and hook them up together to make a super computer that can play...a 10 year old game at maximum resolution and FPS! :D

[Shaggy the Atarian]

13 hours ago, Tidus79001 said:

 

I get it you don't like the Atari VCS.  If you think proving a point to me you aren't.  I am content to enjoy what have purchased.  I know what I intend to use my device for and your attempts to try to show those who have purchased the Atari VCS that they are "foolish" is just immature.  You think you are being clever with your efforts to passively aggressively troll me since I am not one of the toxic trollish fanboys who are on the bash the Atari VCS bandwagon.  That being said I will not further indulge you in the pointless back and forth exchange as that enables trolls such as yourself who want to try sour those of us who are excited for the new consoles that we have purchased.

I'm glad you and the others that paid for this thing years ago will finally have something to enjoy. I wish I could be excited about a new Atari console, I certainly would have been back in 1998.

 

You are living in a bubble by ignoring what MrBeefy pointed out. Here to help, here are around 7,200 titles that are retro inspired, most are 2D and all are in HD: https://store.steampowered.com/search/?term=retro

 

What retro remakes has Atari announced for the VCS? Just Missile Command being ported from a game that's already available on other platforms. Are we getting an HD remake of Asteroids, Yars Revenge, Adventure, Combat, Warlords, etc? Not that they've shown or announced. Intellivision on the other hand has announced Asteroids, Missile Command, Warlords, Breakout, and they have a game or two like Combat on there. They also have other arcade classics being remade and will be available in 1080p. It's pretty ironic that a VCS competitor will have more Atari content on it remade for it than Atari's own system. Don't be mad at us for pointing this out, be mad at Atari for dropping the ball on it. BTW Atari also did remake many games in HD for Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 years ago. Oddly, they haven't announced any of those titles for the VCS, which should be more than easy for them to do (well, except for paying someone to do the work of porting the games over). 

 

Nintendo has also been doing this since the WiiU for a lot of their stuff. Look up Nintendoland or just the eShop. You can ignore the reality of the game scene all you want, but don't go around pretending that no one is doing anything retro inspired except for Atari, just because you want Atari to be doing this stuff. And at 6-11,000 console sales, this isn't even a blip on the radar in terms of market impact, more like a fly fart.

[Mockduck]

I mean, I know I'm not a very popular person in some parts here, but if anyone's concerned about a plain 'ol teardown video I will likely do it when I get one, assuming opening up the actual console doesn't destroy labels or something. I intend to put it through its paces from initial bootup to whatever/whenever on Twitch (with some overlays and such to remove sensitive account info). I'd be down for chat guided input as well. I also have a USB microscope if we really wanna get dumb on the motherboard.