It’s okay to like the VCS.

[+x=usr(1536)]

2 hours ago, zzip said:

So Atari is worse that a company that sold products costing tens of thousands of dollars that deliberately deceives on it's specs because Atari didn't communicate on social media enough for some people's liking?   Got it!

I have to say that I'm starting to admire your ability to derive an entirely nonexistent message from things people write.  The consistency with which you do it is impressive, too!

[justclaws]

Watch this video while you can!  It made me smile/laugh anyway.
He combined 2 things I love... ha ha.
 

 

[justclaws]

I thought this might interest some people. Also, if you happen to live nearby.
I posted a link for the owner, to AtariAge, as I'm sure he could get some answers!
 

 

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

On 2/14/2021 at 4:56 AM, justclaws said:

I thought this might interest some people. Also, if you happen to live nearby.
I posted a link for the owner, to AtariAge, as I'm sure he could get some answers!
 

 

OK that dude just kind of scared me...240p squad ! 

On 2/11/2021 at 2:21 AM, justclaws said:

Watch this video while you can!  It made me smile/laugh anyway.
He combined 2 things I love... ha ha.
 

 

This well, somewhat amusing perhaps but pretty much sums up how I see most fans of the atariVCS, just blind loyalty and joy for the Atari logo but no substance or perhaps even reasoning behind it. ? Just another pointless "It's an ATARI and that is all that matters to me" video. ?

Edited February 15, 2021 by OldSchoolRetroGamer

[doctorclu]

The VCS looks like an interesting streaming/PC box that even has unique games being made for it.

 

Just wondering when this forum will be moved to the "Atari Systems" opening category?

 

Would be nice to see the description change for the Jaguar where "Atari's last game console..." no longer applies. 

 

[+Sauron]

2 hours ago, doctorclu said:

The VCS looks like an interesting streaming/PC box that even has unique games being made for it.

 

Just wondering when this forum will be moved to the "Atari Systems" opening category?

 

Would be nice to see the description change for the Jaguar where "Atari's last game console..." no longer applies. 

 

There's no problem with where it is right now, considering it is actually a modern system. A few years down the road, though, then yeah.

 

 

[justclaws]

On 2/17/2021 at 9:26 AM, Sauron said:

There's no problem with where it is right now, considering it is actually a modern system. A few years down the road, though, then yeah.

Even if it stays in "Modern", I'd love to see a link from the Atari list too, because I've had a few people comment to me,
after I told them to check out AtariAge for VCS information, that there is no forum for VCS here, only forums for 2600.
That's why I've been sharing a link to the specific Atari VCS forum URL. I try hard to redress claims AtariAge is anti-VCS!
It's Albert's decision, I respect it, and for now, he said no. (I'm hoping maybe once it hits USA retail, or 1st anniversary.) ?

Edited February 18, 2021 by justclaws
Typed Arthur instead of Albert. Sorry!

[jaybird3rd]

The discussion here has recently branched out to a discussion of emulation on the VCS.  This is an interesting topic, and the discussions have been positive and informative, but it would be better served (and easier for others to discover) in a dedicated thread.  Anyone looking for these posts will find them in this new discussion thread, and any further posts on the subject should be made there.  Thanks!

[CPUWIZ]

On 2/17/2021 at 12:44 AM, justclaws said:

It's Arthur's decision

 

Bea?  I didn't know that.

[justclaws]

2 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said:

 

Bea?  I didn't know that.

OK, oops, sorry to Albert for the typo! 
My colleague Arthur is not involved, ha ha. :-)

 

[Cebus Capucinis]

On 2/18/2021 at 2:52 PM, CPUWIZ said:

 

Bea?  I didn't know that.

Everyone knows if anyone runs things, it's Estelle Getty.

[+TwentySixHundred]

On 2/19/2021 at 3:02 AM, jaybird3rd said:

The discussion here has recently branched out to a discussion of emulation on the VCS.  This is an interesting topic, and the discussions have been positive and informative, but it would be better served (and easier for others to discover) in a dedicated thread.  Anyone looking for these posts will find them in this new discussion thread, and any further posts on the subject should be made there.  Thanks!

Opps sorry Jay i never got far enough through the thread to notice your post and continued on about emulation. Feel free to move my posts to the correct thread. Sorry about that.

[jaybird3rd]

10 minutes ago, TwentySixHundred said:

Opps sorry Jay i never got far enough through the thread to notice your post and continued on about emulation. Feel free to move my posts to the correct thread. Sorry about that.

No problem!  I moved your posts to the other thread, along with a few replies.

[justclaws]

I think by title, and content, I'm going to post this here.
It's rather interesting to watch.
 

 

[justclaws]

An interesting link to a TV news story was posted on Reddit. ?
 

 

[AlecRob]

I wish Atariage would embrace the VCS.  It’s funny how people complain its not powerful enough.... We are ATARI FANS.  We celebrate a console from 1977...  The new VCS could be a fantastic workhorse and destination for homebrews and enthusiast software. The community could make this thing great, like the dreamcast, or wii homebrew scene. Or raspberry pi.  It’s a versatile board.   Look at that PCB, theres an atari logo silkscreened right on it.  When was last time you saw a new piece of computer hardware officially bearing that badge?   Everyone who loves atari should get a VCS, its a monumental occasion in the history of the brand.  The post jaguar/CD atari hardware saga begins.    I like how the system is basically just a single chip, much better than the jaguars architecture.  

[youxia]

52 minutes ago, AlecRob said:

The community could make this thing great, like the dreamcast, or wii homebrew scene

I don't see the problem, there already is a huge homebrew scene for the PC: check out itch.io, etc

[+x=usr(1536)]

3 hours ago, AlecRob said:

I wish Atariage would embrace the VCS.

The fact that that hasn't happened in the last 3-plus years should speak volumes regarding how this device is viewed by the part of the world that didn't put their money into the Indiegogo campaign.

[zzip]

6 hours ago, AlecRob said:

I wish Atariage would embrace the VCS.  It’s funny how people complain its not powerful enough.... We are ATARI FANS.  We celebrate a console from 1977...  The new VCS could be a fantastic workhorse and destination for homebrews and enthusiast software. The community could make this thing great, like the dreamcast, or wii homebrew scene. Or raspberry pi.  It’s a versatile board.   Look at that PCB, theres an atari logo silkscreened right on it.  When was last time you saw a new piece of computer hardware officially bearing that badge?   Everyone who loves atari should get a VCS, its a monumental occasion in the history of the brand.  The post jaguar/CD atari hardware saga begins.    I like how the system is basically just a single chip, much better than the jaguars architecture.  

Now that the thing has actually started shipping, and people who got one seem to like it.   A lot of the hate and hostility towards it has died down.   Give it time

[+TwentySixHundred]

It has no place in the current market. It's a modern system and i will say 'modern' loosely, as it's under powered compared to everything in the current generation of consoles. Then you need to look at what the AA community is all about. There is basically two interests around here, and that's collecting or developing. The majority of us developers are just not interested in coding for modern hardware, otherwise we would be, for many of the other options out there. Our passion is within developing for classic systems that we grew up with.

 

The Ataribox, i will call it, as personally i don't think deserves to wear the VCS badge, doesn't even know what it wants to be. Not one major third party software company has even shown an interest, as it doesn't fit the build. It's a 'console' of hopes and dreams that really doesn't deliver anything special. Other then the Atari logo what does it really have to offer besides indie games? Nothing, because if you're going to just load Windows onto the system, there is many other rigs you can buy at that price and they will run rings around it.

 

Im not trying to slam dunk the system but you really need to take off the rose tinted glasses and look at the reality here. The system is slow once using Windows which has the highest software compatibility. Im fairly sure the only reason they decided to keep the system open to other OS's is so people could load emulators on it. Even still you're limited to what emulators you can run with a system of that power. bsnes would grab the Ataribox by it's balls and make it choke like you wouldn't believe, so what's the point...

[leech]

2 minutes ago, TwentySixHundred said:

It has no place in the current market. It's a modern system and i will say 'modern' loosely, as it's under powered compared to everything in the current generation of consoles. Then you need to look at what the AA community is all about. There is basically two interests around here, and that's collecting or developing. The majority of us developers are just not interested in coding for modern hardware, otherwise we would be, for many of the other options out there. Our passion is within developing for classic systems that we grew up with.

 

The Ataribox, i will call it, as personally i don't think deserves to wear the VCS badge, doesn't even know what it wants to be. Not one major third party software company has even shown an interest, as it doesn't fit the build. It's a 'console' of hopes and dreams that really doesn't deliver anything special. Other then the Atari logo what does it really have to offer besides indie games? Nothing, because if you're going to just load Windows onto the system, there is many other rigs you can buy at that price and they will run rings around it.

 

Im not trying to slam dunk the system but you really need to take off the rose tinted glasses and look at the reality here. The system is slow once using Windows which has the highest software compatibility. Im fairly sure the only reason they decided to keep the system open to other OS's is so people could load emulators on it. Even still you're limited to what emulators you can run with a system of that power. bsnes would grab the Ataribox by it's balls and make it choke like you wouldn't believe, so what's the point...

Not sure about Windows on it, but it runs Linux quite well.

[+5-11under]

46 minutes ago, zzip said:

Now that the thing has actually started shipping, and people who got one seem to like it.   A lot of the hate and hostility towards it has died down.   Give it time

The only think I really dislike about this new console is the name, VCS. It annoys me every time I see it.

 

Besides that, though, what's the thing that's special about the VCS? I'm looking around my office here, and I can comment on all the things... a guitar that was super cheap but sounds great to me... a stereo receiver that is simple and sounds good... a synthesizer that is rare yet unpopular, sounds huge and would probably fall apart if I opened it... a guitar tuner that is accurate, which is enough to overcome the lack of backlight on the LCD screen... behind me a Wii U that plays a bunch of games featuring Zelda and Nintendo characters that my son likes, and can play games that his grandparents can enjoy... a Microvision that has only a 16x16 monochrome display, but has a quirkiness that appeals to me for some reason, and a paddle, which I find is a fun and often neglected controller type. So, after all that, what's the VCS about?

[zzip]

34 minutes ago, TwentySixHundred said:

It has no place in the current market. It's a modern system and i will say 'modern' loosely, as it's under powered compared to everything in the current generation of consoles. Then you need to look at what the AA community is all about. There is basically two interests around here, and that's collecting or developing. The majority of us developers are just not interested in coding for modern hardware, otherwise we would be, for many of the other options out there. Our passion is within developing for classic systems that we grew up with.

 

The Ataribox, i will call it, as personally i don't think deserves to wear the VCS badge, doesn't even know what it wants to be. Not one major third party software company has even shown an interest, as it doesn't fit the build. It's a 'console' of hopes and dreams that really doesn't deliver anything special. Other then the Atari logo what does it really have to offer besides indie games? Nothing, because if you're going to just load Windows onto the system, there is many other rigs you can buy at that price and they will run rings around it.

This is the same old argument that assumes they are even trying to compete with mainstream consoles or beefy gaming PC rigs.   They aren't.   Amico is more likely the competition here.   They are both systems with the old branding designed to run more modern games

 

There's a few groups of people that I can see this appealing to

1. Atari fans thrilled to have a new piece of Atari-branded hardware after all these years.   (of course some will argue whether it counts as real Atari hardware, but ultimately that's subjective)

2. Kids - Is your kid using your PC to play games and install God-knows-what?   Mine is.   Here's an inexpensive PC they could use instead.  It can easily play the games popular with kids these days, like Minecraft (with mods), Among Us, etc

3. Retrobox/Emulation fans-  Many people use Pi's for this,  but the VCS is more powerful for the task, and being x86 based, it allows some emulators to be used that won't run on a Pi.  

4. Linux fans who love running Linux on anythng and everything

5. Makes a great Living room PC in a console form-factor.   It can play a good portion of your Steam library, and stream the ones it can't from your real PC

 

I know these don't all add up to a huge market, but everyone knows that this isn't going to come close to the sales numbers that Nintendo or Playstation posts.  I'm sure Atari knows that too.

 

54 minutes ago, TwentySixHundred said:

Im fairly sure the only reason they decided to keep the system open to other OS's is so people could load emulators on it. Even still you're limited to what emulators you can run with a system of that power. bsnes would grab the Ataribox by it's balls and make it choke like you wouldn't believe, so what's the point...

As I said above, many people are using raspberry pi's for this now, and this outperforms any Pi out there.  

[leech]

I need to test Valheim on it.  Maybe Atari can get this randomly popular game released on the Atari store.  It is already Linux native.

[Matt_B]

Who really cares about the Atari branding? Did any of you buy the Atari Raspberry Pi, every single model of the Flashback and all the handhelds? If so, fair enough. You're beyond help. Hope you enjoy the VCS just as much as you did all those. ?

 

If not, I'd think that you ought to be capable of judging it on its merits.

 

Regarding the Raspberry Pi, I'd think that the main thing that's always been going for it is that it's very cheap. Having low power consumption and being very compact helps, but it's usually to be found filling the sort of niches that people don't fancy paying the thick end of $400 to get something that might do the job a little bit better.

 

Realistically, $400 gets you a fair amount of PC hardware or, if you're only interested in games or media, at least one model of any of the modern home console platforms and probably a bit of change too. That's really the yardstick against which you've got to justify it.