The Atari VCS Controversies Thread

[Chopsus]

28 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said:

 

I would have bought that.

I’m in Australia... would have cost a bomb to post it

[leech]

As I pointed out in a different thread, not all of the joysticks are missing the metal rod.  Some have taken theirs apart and found it in there.  From watching some videos I am guessing mine has it, as it doesn't look as loose as others.  I just don't feel like taking mine apart.

I would like it to work in Stella though!  Not sure if sulport for it needs to be put into SDL2 or what

 

I think it is read by Linux a little different than a Paddle?  It has a 'center' and goes each way to '37267'.

[mr_me]

In windows, the joystick is seen as a pov hat and the spinner as an analog axis.  They both work in stella with proper mapping configured.

[leech]

8 minutes ago, mr_me said:

In windows, the joystick is seen as a pov hat and the spinner as an analog axis.  They both work in stella with proper mapping configured.

Hmm, must be an SDL2 issue then.  It shows 4 Axis, 1) the spinner 2) the left/ right 3) up/down 4) no idea.

[Atari Nut]

3 hours ago, mr_me said:

In windows, the joystick is seen as a pov hat and the spinner as an analog axis.  They both work in stella with proper mapping configured.

Did you try to get the spinner to map in Altirra?

[leech]

22 minutes ago, Atari Nut said:

Did you try to get the spinner to map in Altirra?

I started to, but then got distracted by other things.  If I get a moment today I will try it out.  I also was going to try it with Atari800 on Linux.

I think the difference is on Windows I don't think the controller works at all in 'Atari' mode, as when I plugged it in Windows seemed confused.  In 'xbox mode' it was detected.  In Linux I used it in Atari mode.

[Atari Nut]

4 minutes ago, leech said:

I started to, but then got distracted by other things.  If I get a moment today I will try it out.  I also was going to try it with Atari800 on Linux.

I think the difference is on Windows I don't think the controller works at all in 'Atari' mode, as when I plugged it in Windows seemed confused.  In 'xbox mode' it was detected.  In Linux I used it in Atari mode.

Mine works in Windows in Atari mode. I always plug it in with a USB cable because if I pair it in bluetooth...it can no longer been seen in Atari OS without re-pairing it.

[Chopsus]

Australian retailers have removed the VCS from their online catalogs ... a month from retail release ... curious but not surprised.

 

[leech]

13 minutes ago, Chopsus said:

Australian retailers have removed the VCS from their online catalogs ... a month from retail release ... curious but not surprised.

 

Is that due to Atari being terrible at this?

 

[leech]

5 hours ago, Atari Nut said:

Mine works in Windows in Atari mode. I always plug it in with a USB cable because if I pair it in bluetooth...it can no longer been seen in Atari OS without re-pairing it.

Cool, I will have to try it again, I had too many things going on at once when I was trying.

 

Edit:  for me the use of the classic controller really is for emulator use.  Seems to be perfect for that.  Not enough games for the VCS at rhe moment besides the emulated ones seem to work well with it.

Edited January 29, 2021 by leech

[Chopsus]

On 1/30/2021 at 9:24 AM, Chopsus said:

Australian retailers have removed the VCS from their online catalogs ... a month from retail release ... curious but not surprised.

 

The VCS is back ... just unavailable now.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

On 1/29/2021 at 3:24 PM, Chopsus said:

Australian retailers have removed the VCS from their online catalogs ... a month from retail release ... curious but not surprised.

 

Why would they do such a thing from the best gaming PC ever released and a guaranteed PS5 killer? Someone on FB must be feeding me some BS...

[CPUWIZ]

Heh, PC FB BS.  <- Why I don't own an Oculus Quest 2. 

[leech]

41 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said:

Heh, PC FB BS.  <- Why I don't own an Oculus Quest 2. 

Ha, seriously.  For a long time I was going to buy an Oculus, as soon as FB bought them, I noped out of it.  Valve did too, so clearly Lord gaben at least have some of the same values as mine.  ?

I am probably going to be setting up my Vive Pro downstairs assuming I can ever get a newer video card for my upstairs setup...

 

 

[justclaws]

On the subject of other systems, is anybody else also buying an Intellivision Amico, here?
FAQ — Intellivision Entertainment (intellivisionamico.com)

I don't see VCS vs. Amico as competition because they're for different consumers, different concepts,
but the previous video Nicktendo made a couple of years ago on this was quite interesting, I admit.

For me, I was totally up for an Amico, but I've not pre-ordered since the price went up here ~$300.
I like the classic console, the new concept, the spirit behind the team, but I can't go crazy about it...
(It's a bigger commitment to me, because there's no fall-back use, unless later they open-source it.)

(I really wanted an Intellivision Flashback too, but it was never released here, so it costs the same.)

 

[JasperAK]

24 minutes ago, justclaws said:

On the subject of other systems, is anybody else also buying an Intellivision Amico, here?

I don't see VCS vs. Amico as competition because they're for different consumers, different concepts,
but the previous video Nicktendo made a couple of years ago on this was quite interesting, I admit.

For me, I was totally up for an Amico, but I've not pre-ordered since the price went up here ~$300.
I like the classic console, the new concept, the spirit behind the team, but I can't go crazy about it...
(It's a bigger commitment to me, because there's no fall-back use, unless later they open-source it.)

(I really wanted an Intellivision Flashback too, but it was never released here, so it costs the same.)
 

 

I am buying two Amicos. One for the family room, and one for my game room. For game systems it really comes down do they have games I want to play. I don't have any Playstations after 2 nor Xboxes after 360 because I am happy with the games I have for those systems. I have a Switch but don't play more than Minecraft on it. Now my daughter and I play Warlords on my Vader 2600, and both of my children play NES games like Jackel and Heavy Barrel with each other. So we don't care so much about graphics, the question is are the games fun to play with as a group. I am chomping at the bit waiting for Amico.

[Oscar Manuel Rojas Maillo]

On 31/1/2021 at 3:34 PM, justclaws said:

On the subject of other systems, is anybody else also buying an Intellivision Amico, here?

Me

[Shaggy the Atarian]

On 1/31/2021 at 7:34 AM, justclaws said:

On the subject of other systems, is anybody else also buying an Intellivision Amico, here?
FAQ — Intellivision Entertainment (intellivisionamico.com)

I'm curious about it, but I'll wait and see how things go after launch and whether or not they'll announce some must buys for me. I am interested to see how certain games like Moon Patrol, Centipede, & Cloudy Mountain turn out in practice, but nothing shown for it yet tells me that I should spend $300 on it over buying a second Switch (something we're considering as my kids keep going back and forth on fighting over who gets the Switch).  

 

Quote

I don't see VCS vs. Amico as competition because they're for different consumers, different concepts,
but the previous video Nicktendo made a couple of years ago on this was quite interesting, I admit.

Not sure how you come to that conclusion. When you have two systems with a classic brand name on them and both offer classic games, then they're aiming for the same consumer. Different concepts of how to play, yes, but there's no question that the early adopter base for both comes from the retro gaming circuit. No matter how you slice it, there's competition there. Can people own both? Sure. Just like no one here is upset that you are enjoying your VCS, no one cares if you decide to own both systems. I just personally wouldn't find any reason to spend my money on both - if I had to get one, it would be the Amico since I already have a gaming PC that runs circles around the VCS.

 

Let's throw out a scenario here: Imagine that both the Amico and the VCS come to GameStop or Wal-Mart. Where would both of these products go? Right next to each other, because the primary function behind both is to play games, and both come with a retro brand name to them. No, they wouldn't go up front over the Big 3 consoles, but it's not like you would find them being sold outside of the Games sections in a place like Wal-Mart. They're not going to put them next to action figures. Still in that fantasy scenario though, which one would get more shelf space (which is very important in retail)? The Amico, since they're supposed to offer physical media. Where the VCS is digital only, it would only be able to take up as much space as an empty box and some controllers, while the Amico would be able to show games in addition to the accessories. 

 

The one other advantage the Amico has over the VCS is that they are trying to broaden the appeal to casual gamers. Personally I have zero interest in stuff like cornhole and like I said about my kids, they are interested in Minecraft, Mario and Zelda - they could care less about Sesame Street or Skiing. But the casual market is pretty big these days, and is a more lucrative market to chase than the retro gamer one. In that regard, Amico is doing a better job at offering classic games than the VCS is, since they are offering new remakes as opposed to just downloading emulated ROMs. Still, if the Amico hopes to reach the lofty goals of becoming the next "Wii" to gaming, then they're going to need something that an reproduce the impact of Wii Sports. 

 

The other issue I see for Amico in the broad market is not allowing M-Rated games on the platform. That's like a movie theater saying they won't screen any rated R movie - it's short sighted and throws money away. That's particularly true in gaming, where many of the best selling games are rated M. Not all of them sure, but until either Amico or Atari can come up with their Mario, they're just going to be niche...no matter what though, they are competing for the same entertainment & gaming dollars. 

 

[Mockduck]

Totally getting an Amico too, although my bet has been on the VCS being better than the Amico for a while now despite what public opinion wants me to believe. Still will be fun, though, and I hope it is a big success for Tommy and team. As long as I get a fun updated Shark! Shark! I'll be fine, and if the rumor is true that the old AD&D games might get an update and an IP strip so they can get made I am also down for that. 

 

Do I need an Amico? Of course not, just like I haven't needed any of the six Atari 2600's I've purchased, NES, SNES, PSP, Vita, Genesis, Playstation 1/2/3/4/5, DS, 3DS, Flashback portable, Nintendo Game and Watch, TI 99/4a, Odyssey 2, pong units, etc. Won't stop me from buying it. 

 

 

 

[Bill Loguidice]

2 minutes ago, Mockduck said:

Totally getting an Amico too, although my bet has been on the VCS being better than the Amico for a while now despite what public opinion wants me to believe.

Being better how? 

[Matt_B]

1 hour ago, Bill Loguidice said:

Being better how? 

The main thing I see going for the VCS is that it's got much better hacking potential. You can upgrade the RAM, add an SSD, put your own OS on there and it doesn't really matter that it's almost surely going to be an abject failure as a games console. It's still somewhat overpriced for what you're getting, but people can still make something of it in spite of Atari's rank incompetence when it came to getting it to market.

 

The Amico just doesn't have that fall-back option. It lives or dies as a games console in an exceedingly difficult market, and your next best use case is going to be to mod it into a foot spa. ?

Edited February 4, 2021 by Matt_B

[godslabrat]

If nothing else, both the Amico and the VCS can be excellent example of why crowdfunding to launch a video game console is a terrible idea. 
 

Not sure why we needed to learn this lesson yet again, but here we be.

[CPUWIZ]

55 minutes ago, godslabrat said:

If nothing else, both the Amico and the VCS can be excellent example of why crowdfunding to launch a video game console is a terrible idea. 

 

Amico is not crowd funded.  What did I miss?

[godslabrat]

1 minute ago, CPUWIZ said:

 

Amico is not crowd funded.  What did I miss?

Taking pre-orders while being nowhere near ready for production is crowdfunding as far as I'm concerned. 

[Mockduck]

2 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

Being better how? 

Well, subjective of course, but so far the Amico looks to really focus on medium-graphics-quality simple games and mobile-looking games stripped of their eCommerce nonsense, and their vision of a family console where two to four people gather to play games on two touchscreen controllers and/or two phones seems questionable to me. But hey I will support them regardless cuz I want to. It also seems like the Amico will become dated super quickly, more so than the VCS, and while everyone loves to blast Atari and praise INTV for "doing it right", I still see a console that has no sign of coming out any time soon.

7 minutes ago, godslabrat said:

Taking pre-orders while being nowhere near ready for production is crowdfunding as far as I'm concerned. 

Totally. They didn't send people to Indiekickgoreon, they just took pre-funds. Exact same except theoretically they are committing to making the item and sending it to you except it's just a theory because it could still go poof and we'd all be out of our money, just like on IndieGoGo or Kickstarter. Was all about hiding it rather than being up-front about it.