The Atari VCS Controversies Thread

[+Nathan Strum]

2 hours ago, RedWolfJC said:

Loved that video you posted, guy at the end says "Keep in mind this board was designed for digital signage..."

So basically the VCS is using the same processor as a system that tells you that Whoppers are 2 for $5.

Seems inevitable...

 

[jamm]

59 minutes ago, zzip said:

When they first announced Ataribox, that's who they said they were targeting,  kids struggling to run minecraft on old laptops.   The hottest game among kids right now seems to be "Among us", and that could certainly run on this.

Is there a significant market for parents who can't afford a decent laptop for their kids but can afford a low spec games console for $400?  Wouldn't that theoretical market be better served by any of the vastly more powerful consoles out there that have a ton of actual games and are also cheaper?

 

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which people go to try and justify this thing's existence.

 

Edited September 24, 2020 by jamm

[racerx]

14 minutes ago, jamm said:

Is there a significant market for parents who can't afford a decent laptop for their kids but can afford a low spec games console for $400?  Wouldn't that theoretical market be better served by any of the vastly more powerful consoles out there that have a ton of actual games and are also cheaper?

 

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which people go to try and justify this thing's existence.

 

 

Inb4 zzip's "niche product" routine.

[Mockduck]

Atari announced today that they have done a deal with Ultra, a blockchain-powered online digital game distribution hub, to have the app be available on the VCS at launch. Think Steam/GoG/Ichio/Epic/Origin/whatever but with blockchain hooks, and the ability to both buy and sell your digital goods with Ultra's fakerealmoney along with Atari's version of it called the Atari Token. 

 

Not a fan of bitcoin in the slightest, but whatever. Ultra is likely to use people's internet data for blockchain-powered activity, although presumably those using it are into the idea. Hopefully and also presumably you will have the option to not engage with Ultra whatsoever. If you are into bitcoin, maybe this is interesting to you:

 

"All the content you buy from Ultra, such as games, DLCs, and virtual items, are on-chain digital goods you truly own. On Ultra you’re in control of your assets as though they were physical items. These assets can be sold, traded and given away to your friends within Ultra, or outside of Ultra, through 3rd party marketplaces and mobile apps."

 

and

 

"turn any virtual items, subscription plans, features, or user generated content into powerful on-chain digital goods. Ultra’s digital goods are configured prior to being sold by their content creators with parameters such as resale permissions rules, commission fees, quantity limitations, and geographic restrictions. All parameters set on a digital good are “immutable laws” enforced by Ultra’s impartial Blockchain."

 

On the "when" on launch, we still don't have anything new. Atari's social media contractors sent out a blast earlier this week saying an announcement was coming soon and to make sure to follow them on social media, which in my mildly-informed opinion means they are likely planning their info release date to be in the near future, but we'll see. 

 

[zzip]

33 minutes ago, jamm said:

Is there a significant market for parents who can't afford a decent laptop for their kids but can afford a low spec games console for $400?  Wouldn't that theoretical market be better served by any of the vastly more powerful consoles out there that have a ton of actual games and are also cheaper?

I've said all along this is a niche product.   What I was responding to was a claim that if it doesn't have a high-end 3D card, then it's useless for gaming.

 

Minecraft on the PS4 doesn't have mods,  she likes using mods,  so that's another case where this would suit her better than the PS4.    A lot of the games she plays on the PC are not on PS4 at all.

[racerx]

Reddit is swift, and savage.

[fultonbot]

4 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

With all due respect to the Kapia devs (husband and wife team) as it looks like a lovely game, the Kickstarter is at $6000 of a $12000 goal and it's not expected to be released on Steam/GOG until at least Q2 2021. How does this not make the VCS "stealth" game acquisition strategy seem silly in comparison? Are they basically targeting simple conversions of promising looking games from basically unknown one or two person shops to fill out their indie game line-up at this point?

Isn't that their overall strategy?  "Missile Command Recharged" is one-person shop (I believe), and "Pong Quest" was made with GameMaker.

[+Stephen]

1 hour ago, zzip said:

When they first announced Ataribox, that's who they said they were targeting,  kids struggling to run minecraft on old laptops.

Too bad it costs $399 to do so little.

[+Stephen]

1 hour ago, racerx said:

 

Game, Stream, And Connect Like Your Daughter's Old Laptop

Awesome - moms can stream Netflix, and daughters can play Minecraft like on 10 year old hardware.  Talk about bringing the innovation like the VCS did in 1977!  I keep getting more and more impressed with this.

[Agillig]

So, that's Atari's monthly update, as is required by IGG.  Pathetic. You know what would have been a GOOD update?  Announcing a ship date for the product that is supposed to release next month.

 

If backers are supposed to get their system next month, is it safe to say this is the last monthly update?  Unless of course, we've got a few more weeks, not months to go.

[OCAT]

^ this update is the equivalent of someone mildly famous posting on twitter that they stubbed their toe... and the fans send best wishes for a speedy recovery
pathetic... hey post#1111 i read it in binary xD

anyhoo I hope this dumpster fire keeps me warm in December and entertained from October to January 1st 2021.

[Saldo]

Just an FYI, the Epic Games store free game this week is Roller Coaster 3 Complete Edition......

[Matt_B]

4 hours ago, Nathan Strum said:

Seems inevitable...

 

It would be quite hilarious if the VCS was to get snapped up as an off the shelf solution for the digital signage market.

 

That's already happened with the Shield TV to a certain extent. It's cheap, very easy to set up, and you can leave it running practically indefinitely.

 

I'm not sure how well the VCS will score on those things though.

[jamm]

6 hours ago, zzip said:

Minecraft on the PS4 doesn't have mods,  she likes using mods,  so that's another case where this would suit her better than the PS4.    A lot of the games she plays on the PC are not on PS4 at all.

I don't know what to tell you. If you can justify this thing for your extremely niche use case, then go for it.  Personally, if "daughter who wants to run PC games with mods" was the use case I was trying to fill, I'd spent a few more dollars for a SFF PC that she's unlikely to outgrow for a couple of years and could use for more than the bare-minimum PC games.

 

Meanwhile, the new Xbox Series S will be out for $300 and in people's hands long before you see an Atari Box in the flesh.  New and used PS4's will be cheaper than ever as people upgrade.  The world will move on.

 

[Chopsus]

I don’t see an IGG update, has there actually been one? It is overdue if I recall correctly.  ATARI seem to be making it a sport to ignore the backers that gave them $3Mil lately ... reflects their ethics and business style I guess.

 

[Agillig]

3 hours ago, Chopsus said:

I don’t see an IGG update, has there actually been one? It is overdue if I recall correctly.  ATARI seem to be making it a sport to ignore the backers that gave them $3Mil lately ... reflects their ethics and business style I guess.

 

Looks like its not on IGG.  It's a partnership with Ultra, a company that deals in Blockchain. 

[OCAT]

Funny, Just look what happened to the Atari Jag shell, it was repurposed as Dental medical equipment... Fitting that the VCS ends up as sineage hardware.

Perhaps one day we will see "Atari Liquidadation of all property and assets, everything must go!" displayed using the VCS ?

[Thomas Jentzsch]

16 hours ago, zzip said:

What I was responding to was a claim that if it doesn't have a high-end 3D card, then it's useless for gaming.

Who said so?

[Chopsus]

Geez that Tammy girl/boy on IGG is seriously unhinged ... the Atari Intern finally clocked in an cleaned up the discussion.

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

50 minutes ago, Chopsus said:

Geez that Tammy girl/boy on IGG is seriously unhinged

Yeah, that person is pretty much the gold standard for batshittery in the comments section.

 

I really can't understand being that emotionally-invested in a product.  In some ways, it's like watching a six-year-old waiting for a particular toy at Christmas tell everyone about how great it is before even knowing if they're getting it or not.

Edited September 25, 2020 by x=usr(1536)
Un-typoed a typo

[TACODON]

I like that they act like they are some old and wise person full of sage advice. All they ever do is whine about the Hyper Scan. I'm fairly certain they are just some punk kid that mommy and daddy never told no to.

[Agillig]

33 minutes ago, TACODON said:

I like that they act like they are some old and wise person full of sage advice. All they ever do is whine about the Hyper Scan. I'm fairly certain they are just some punk kid that mommy and daddy never told no to.

I don't understand the whole Hyperscan thing. Yes, I'm aware of the system, but how is any of that relevant to this system?

[Bill Loguidice]

52 minutes ago, Agillig said:

I don't understand the whole Hyperscan thing. Yes, I'm aware of the system, but how is any of that relevant to this system?

Agreed. What Mattel or Intellivision Productions did in the past has no relevancy on what's going on with the Amico now other than leveraging past history/IP, just like what Atari entities of the past did in the past has no relevancy on what's going with the VCS now other than leveraging past history/IP. There are no other links that anyone has to worry about. Of course, if you're uninformed or trolling, then you would definitely make direct associations (and in their own ways, both current companies are actively encouraging that).

[Chopsus]

57 minutes ago, Agillig said:

I don't understand the whole Hyperscan thing. Yes, I'm aware of the system, but how is any of that relevant to this system?

I think that the fact it makes no real sense, proves how batshit crazy some are.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Chopsus
Added an s

[TACODON]

Trust me. I've asked numerous times on the IGG comments for an answer. All I get is nothing. I'm sure if you were in a room with them you could smell the smoke from their brains being over loaded. 

 

I just refer to it as Jonestown over there at this this point. Except they all drive Dales. They worry what happens when the VCS cures cancer. I worry what happens when it fails to even be a door stop?