Turn On VCS With Controller?

[YarsFan]

Let me preface by saying I am a huge fan of Atari and proud supporter of the VCS and their newest efforts. That said, why can I not turn on my Atari VCS with the controller (e.g., by holding down the Atari symbol)? My 2006 Nintendo Wii and 2006 PlayStation 3 have offered this feature for over a decade and a half, so what’s the deal? I thought by now it would be a feature of an OS update, but nope. Am I so old-school I have not figured out how to do this (note: not interested in sleep mode, want to turn it on just like how I use it to turn it off). I mean, I love old-school, but having to press a button on the back of the console is one of those old-school things I could live without in 2022…

 

What are some other Atari VCS eccentricities they ought to address with future OS updates?

Edited March 24, 2022 by YarsFan

[THX-1138]

Generally, when a PC is off, it's off. Some PCs can power-on by a key press for example, that's implemented at the hardware level and selectable thru BIOS, that may not be supported on the VCS.  Standby is the way to do it, as the system is waiting for some signal from the user to resume operation.

 

My VCS is usually on standby when not in use and I always have a keyboard etc (Logitech K400) attached and that wakes it just fine.

Edited March 24, 2022 by THX-1138

[zzip]

Generally its because PC BIOSes have no awareness of game controllers,  so they'd have to write some kind of custom BIOS.  

[joeatari1]

5 hours ago, THX-1138 said:

Generally, when a PC is off, it's off. Some PCs can power-on by a key press for example, that's implemented at the hardware level and selectable thru BIOS, that may not be supported on the VCS.  Standby is the way to do it, as the system is waiting for some signal from the user to resume operation.

 

My VCS is usually on standby when not in use and I always have a keyboard etc (Logitech K400) attached and that wakes it just fine.

You are 100% correct.  My laptop, desktop, daughters laptop, work desktop all stay off when turned off.  When these devices go to sleep, they can be awaken by a press of a button on a controller or a keyboard or mouse movement and the VCS is no different.  According to Atari CEO of Connected Devices Michael Arzt, the VCS is a mini pc.  So I think this behavior is completely in line with any other pc on the market.

 

The bottom line is, if you want to wake the VCS with a controller then put it in sleep mode.  That's what it's there for.

[ColecoGamer]

What everyone said is true - the Atari VCS is built like a PC, which is why holding the Atari button on the controller doesn’t turn the system on. Yes, its an inconvenience, but it’s how Atari designed the console.

 

Maybe in the future - if enough people request it - Atari will include that function in an update?