The Atari VCS Controversies Thread

[AlecRob]

47 minutes ago, Shaggy the Atarian said:

It would be great, but prohibitively expensive. If Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos were big Atari fans then they could do it without blinking an eye, but I'm sure that they'd have bought the company already if they had the interest. Warner Bros/AT&T owns all of the Atari Games stuff; then many other IPs have been sold here and there over the years (BattleZone to Rebellion as one example).  It also wouldn't mean much if the IP just sat around or was released once every 10 years on a Steam compilation.

 

Now if you did have some of the original creators come along and reinvent the games or something along those lines, it'd be interesting - but IMHO, for Atari to maintain relevancy over the years, they also need fresh ideas that are fun to play. Milking the past won't pay the bills forever.

 

Just buy BattleZone Gold Edition on Steam. Been out for a few years and was a fantastic remake.

Battlezone gold edition looks like it would run on the vcs under windows.  I think i will play that!

[CPUWIZ]

39 minutes ago, AlecRob said:

Battlezone gold edition looks like it would run on the vcs under windows.

 

Could have played that a long time ago, on your PC.

[AlecRob]

12 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said:

 

Could have played that a long time ago, on your PC.

I don’t own a windows PC.

 

are you still hospitalized, wiz?  Hope you’re feeling ok

Edited December 18, 2020 by AlecRob

[6502wrangler]

12 minutes ago, AlecRob said:

I don’t own a windows PC.

 

Once you buy another drive + a Windows 10 license. You will!

 

(for a bit more than you would pay just getting a windows mini PC)

 

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by 6502wrangler

[The Historian]

Starting to see ebay auctions. Most are over $900 usd for the 800 plus controlles. 

 

 

[CPUWIZ]

1 hour ago, AlecRob said:

I don’t own a windows PC.

 

are you still hospitalized, wiz?  Hope you’re feeling ok

 

I am "fine", thanks.

 

 

[Shawn]

30 minutes ago, The Historian said:

Starting to see ebay auctions. Most are over $900 usd for the 800 plus controlles. 

 

 

 

They can ask whatever they like but as for completed sales? 2 have sold at $450 and 1 at $475. There is one listed at $550 with no bids currently. It has 4 days left to go. Some sucker will no doubt toss a bid at it with others listed at such high BINs. "Merry Christmas 2020 with the Atari VCS"

[TACODON]

I just checked sold units also. Who is buying this stuff? I know the answer but still.

[godslabrat]

I'm thinking there's still a viable market for speculators.  Now that the thing is out, some people might be trying to buy one and sit on it for a year or three to see if it goes up in value.

 

If someone is buying a VCS, I wouldn't assume they'd be breaking the seal.

[6502wrangler]

20 minutes ago, TACODON said:

I just checked sold units also. Who is buying this stuff? I know the answer but still.

 

Powerdubs, obvs. If he can just get some excitement going... well his stock is TO THE MOON.

[CPUWIZ]

40 minutes ago, 6502wrangler said:

well his stock is TO THE MOON.

 

Yeah, totally, if the moon has moved underground.

 

 

 

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

15 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said:

 

 

Wow - Atari was apparently founded in 1972 by a then-14-year-old Bruno Bonnell!  Who knew?

 

?

[TACODON]

I was just happy to get most of my money back from selling my presale.

[+Stephen]

5 hours ago, AlecRob said:

It would be nice if Atari, SA could buy back all the atari properties owned by other companies.   It would certainly be cool to have all the stuff under one roof again.   

Yeah - that would be truly awesome, bomb diggity.  They've done such a killer job with what they do own, they should get more IP to completely squandor.  Hey - it could open them up to suing a ton more people though.  That's the only thing faux-Tari spend time and effort at.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

2 hours ago, TACODON said:

I just checked sold units also. Who is buying this stuff? I know the answer but still.

Other scalpers? 

 

 

Or maybe the Werner Bro, frustrated that he still hasn't got it yet, so will buy one of these, then relist his other one later in the hopes of making the money back?

[racerx]

9 hours ago, Atarick said:

Maybe one of the most odd driving reasons I remain interested in this thing, classic Atari or non, is that I genuinely wonder if anything we could describe as a "new console" from Atari will ever happen again.

 

I have a pretty healthy sense of nostalgia, but I'm not utterly driven by it.  I simply don't care if there's a new console from a company called Atari ever again.

 

I'm a big fan of a lot of the products the old Atari made...I'm not beholden to "Atari" the brand name. I don't buy a Honda just because it's a Honda, and I certainly don't place any importance on brand names that have been passed around to the point of irrelevance.

 

I'm almost 50, and well past brand name attachments. Pitch me a superior product, and I'll buy it. I've yet to see how this is a superior product in any way.

Edited December 19, 2020 by racerx

[OverMuch]

6 hours ago, zzip said:

It remains to be seen if they will show up on store shelves.   

They will not.

 

6 hours ago, zzip said:

But consider this scenario:

Kids: "What do we get dad for Christmas this year, he has everything?"

Mom: "Look at this Atari VCS thing, he used to love Atari growning up"

Kids: "It even plays Minecraft and Fortnite?  Cool, now we can teach him how to play, perfect!"

So I can see a lot of them being sold as gifts for a hard to buy for parent.

Respectfully, that's a TREMENDOUS leap.  First, you'd have to have some sort of awareness that this product exists, which is not the case, by and large.  Second, you'd have to have them available by Christmas.  You don't have them now and I'd bet my paycheck there won't be any available next Christmas, either.  Third, you'd have to have a whooooole bunch of people willing to make a $400 impulse buy of a console they haven't researched or know anything about. It's just not going to happen.

[CPUWIZ]

8 hours ago, AlecRob said:

I don’t own a windows PC.

 

Where were you on March 28th?

[digdugnate]

11 hours ago, AlecRob said:

I don’t own a windows PC.

 

are you still hospitalized, wiz?  Hope you’re feeling ok

wooooow.

[Atarick]

8 hours ago, racerx said:

 

I have a pretty healthy sense of nostalgia, but I'm not utterly driven by it.  I simply don't care if there's a new console from a company called Atari ever again.

 

I'm a big fan of a lot of the products the old Atari made...I'm not beholden to "Atari" the brand name. I don't buy a Honda just because it's a Honda, and I certainly don't place any importance on brand names that have been passed around to the point of irrelevance.

 

I'm almost 50, and well past brand name attachments. Pitch me a superior product, and I'll buy it. I've yet to see how this is a superior product in any way.

My sole attraction to this from the nostalgia perspective, beyond the romantic lure of having the ability to show my kids a new Atari console on the shelf, stemmed in part from the belief there would be many, many more games in the mold of Missile Command Reloaded (a respectable reboot) or Battlezone Gold (ditto), with a few new exclusive titles over time. Taking old classics we know into the modern day, exclusive to this system, optimized for the new controllers. But Atari hasn't done that, at least unless I missed something. I have the Missile Command game on my phone, and can get BZ on my PC. They *could* find this niche if they ramped up development, but I just don't think they have any capacity to do that. This is interesting, but as you note, the superior product is a $400 laptop with respectable RAM storage and OS, word processor, webcam, and huge app store. You can get one of those in any Best Buy, MicroCenter, or Walmart in America, and that's where this thing missed the mark.

[Atarick]

9 hours ago, TACODON said:

I was just happy to get most of my money back from selling my presale.

BTW, congrats on that. Haven't heard of many who were successful, but I imagine there are some who are still looking to sell their presale slots. Interestingly, I know a couple people who are still looking to buy a slot. I wonder how informed they are.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Atarick

[Saldo]

2 hours ago, Atarick said:

Taking old classics we know into the modern day, exclusive to this system, optimized for the new controllers. But Atari hasn't done that, at least unless I missed something

Sounds like you really should pre-order an Intellivision Amico!  It will have more reimagined Atari classics on it than the VCS.

[Solomon_Man]

2 hours ago, Atarick said:

My sole attraction to this from the nostalgia perspective, beyond the romantic lure of having the ability to show my kids a new Atari console on the shelf, stemmed in part from the belief there would be many, many more games in the mold of Missile Command Reloaded (a respectable reboot) or Battlezone Gold (ditto), with a few new exclusive titles over time. Taking old classics we know into the modern day, exclusive to this system, optimized for the new controllers. But Atari hasn't done that, at least unless I missed something. I have the Missile Command game on my phone, and can get BZ on my PC. They *could* find this niche if they ramped up development, but I just don't think they have any capacity to do that. This is interesting, but as you note, the superior product is a $400 laptop with respectable RAM storage and OS, word processor, webcam, and huge app store. You can get one of those in any Best Buy, MicroCenter, or Walmart in America, and that's where this thing missed the mark.

All,

I bought a Pre-Order one. I also put money down on a Amico and I have bought a few Retro-N products. Not to mention the slew of adapters to make the old hardware run on new TV Sets/Monintors etc. You can call me a fan-boy and I am ok with that label especially considering the forum I am writing this response. But I am the ones that will help keep the Retro-Computing Scene healthy financially so people will have options. Now and in the future. This is not the 1970s-1980s if you think it is you are just showing your age.

 

One thing that the naysayers cant argue with is its out. Yes its late/delayed but its still out. (My only complaint would be maybe a little more communication and more public communication (TV Commercials)). My Expectations are not of a PS5 or the newest Xbox. I can buy those as well. Just another option for entertainment. Personally I believe how this is broadcasted to the masses will seriously influence its adoption to the standard Joe and its success rate. 

 

I have been in my fair share of Software Releases over my 23 year career (7 of which was with Microsoft) and delays happen and sometimes for really stupid reasons...Larger companies (deep pockets)  throw resources at it and I am not talking small money here...things I have seen to get a product out would completely shed a new light on the Atari VCS financials. 

 

Now whether the product is worth the costs...Look in your driveways...the automobile.

Cars are all over the cost spectrum but there have been studies done of what an actual car cost in materials and manpower and I will tell you its not anywere near what you paid. I will give you an example on a typical 2021 fender with modern sensors (proximity etc). I know these costs because another 7 years of my career have been in the Automobile sector for one of the Largest Tier one providers. The cost from the dealer to the consumer/Tier 1 supplier to OEM fender on the car is somewhere in the neighboorhood of $350 to $700 range loaded. The cost to make (parts and labor) is well under $80 dollars. In fact the sensorless ones commonly range sub $40. These are painted and ready to go on a vehicle delivered to sequencers. People still go out and buy Cars (15.2-18.4 million cars a month).  A car is a car the price differences between them is commonly separated by brand/how many are made (size of company).

 

So the cost comparison of a Laptop/Pi/Computer to this device is really not in most peoples radar. Remember not everyone can setup a machine or wants to play with them constantly. Also some people $400 is nothing to spend. I know people who spend that on a Friday night out. Its not me at least not me currently with 5 kids, mortgage, and a wife.

 

As far as AtariAge not supporting (no new forum(s)) the AtariVCS I am somewhat disappointed. I know sites will pop up supporting it but I would think AtariAge supporting it "could" significantly breathe new life (interest) in the Older systems and bring new fans of Atari which I would assume would increase the bottom line for AtariAge.

 

Just my two cents,

Chris

 

 

 

[Atarick]

38 minutes ago, Saldo said:

Sounds like you really should pre-order an Intellivision Amico!  It will have more reimagined Atari classics on it than the VCS.

Maybe, though I never loved the Intellivision controller setup at all, and I still don't see how expansive or expandable the library is. 

Edited December 19, 2020 by Atarick

[godslabrat]

12 minutes ago, Solomon_Man said:

All,

I bought a Pre-Order one. I also put money down on a Amico and I have bought a few Retro-N products. Not to mention the slew of adapters to make the old hardware run on new TV Sets/Monintors etc. You can call me a fan-boy and I am ok with that label especially considering the forum I am writing this response. But I am the ones that will help keep the Retro-Computing Scene healthy financially so people will have options. Now and in the future. This is not the 1970s-1980s if you think it is you are just showing your age.

 

One thing that the naysayers cant argue with is its out. Yes its late/delayed but its still out. (My only complaint would be maybe a little more communication and more public communication (TV Commercials)). My Expectations are not of a PS5 or the newest Xbox. I can buy those as well. Just another option for entertainment. Personally I believe how this is broadcasted to the masses will seriously influence its adoption to the standard Joe and its success rate. 

 

I have been in my fair share of Software Releases over my 23 year career (7 of which was with Microsoft) and delays happen and sometimes for really stupid reasons...Larger companies (deep pockets)  throw resources at it and I am not talking small money here...things I have seen to get a product out would completely shed a new light on the Atari VCS financials. 

 

Now whether the product is worth the costs...Look in your driveways...the automobile.

Cars are all over the cost spectrum but there have been studies done of what an actual car cost in materials and manpower and I will tell you its not anywere near what you paid. I will give you an example on a typical 2021 fender with modern sensors (proximity etc). I know these costs because another 7 years of my career have been in the Automobile sector for one of the Largest Tier one providers. The cost from the dealer to the consumer/Tier 1 supplier to OEM fender on the car is somewhere in the neighboorhood of $350 to $700 range loaded. The cost to make (parts and labor) is well under $80 dollars. In fact the sensorless ones commonly range sub $40. These are painted and ready to go on a vehicle delivered to sequencers. People still go out and buy Cars (15.2-18.4 million cars a month).  A car is a car the price differences between them is commonly separated by brand/how many are made (size of company).

 

So the cost comparison of a Laptop/Pi/Computer to this device is really not in most peoples radar. Remember not everyone can setup a machine or wants to play with them constantly. Also some people $400 is nothing to spend. I know people who spend that on a Friday night out. Its not me at least not me currently with 5 kids, mortgage, and a wife.

 

As far as AtariAge not supporting (no new forum(s)) the AtariVCS I am somewhat disappointed. I know sites will pop up supporting it but I would think AtariAge supporting it "could" significantly breathe new life (interest) in the Older systems and bring new fans of Atari which I would assume would increase the bottom line for AtariAge.

 

Just my two cents,

Chris

 

 

 

There is some logic to what you say, but I have serious disagreement that l'Atari wants anything to do with this machine once it leaves the warehouse.  Your analysis would have merit if this were a contending product off to a rocky start, but all signs point to it being a one-off project they reluctantly fulfilled.