Atarick

It would be awesome. Bonus if they could get a notable actor with a great voice to do the commands like "Intruder Alert."

All in all I'd recommend. There are a few threads talking about pros cons but I'll break it down as follows: Highlights: -- It's a very intuitive system and all in all does everything it should be able to well, sometimes great even. It is mod-able and has a clean interface, and Atari did a solid job of knowing which apps to feature and offer. -- The games are all very affordable and with a couple minor exceptions perform extremely well. There is enough there to attract all ages of gamers and the Recharged series is a high point, as are the modern retro classics (Sydney Hunter, Pixel Cup, Jetboard Joust). Yes, these games are available elsewhere, but the classic controller handles some of these games (the Recharged titles in particular) great. -- If you so desire, Stadia, Luna, GeForceNow, and XBox Cloud are all there for AAA games, and at least in Stadia's case, seem to work great. I am a sports fan and can pull the modern sports games, like Madden, NBA2K, and F12020, without any issue. You can also get a free month of Stadia to test it, and the kids game options there (a few DreamWorks titles and a Paw Patrol game) are great. -- The addition of Antstream Arcade and the Vaults are huge for this system, and do a magnificent job. Good content, leaderboards, and fun variety that plays well. Lowlights: -- The lack of games overall, and the lack of games tailored for the VCS, is absurd. Yes, there are levels added for some games, and some VCS-specific specs, but it's not a marked change. Atari needs to fix this, and good news is they seem to be aware of how this can attract new players. Since Chesnais left, Rosen has been saying this is the priority, and they do already have 3 games slated for release in Q1. We'll see, but even if they somehow dropped 10 games in the next 2-3 months, it would seem sparse. That IMO is the biggest black eye this system has right now, other than being slightly overpriced ($279.99 would be near my retail price for an all-in). -- The OS is good, but lacks some easy, basic functions. Why no search? Why can't I sort the icons? Why no manuals for the 7800 games? All in all it looks great and works well but could be better. -- Network issues. It's been better since Christmas, but man, what a lame couple of weeks. VCS users are a fun and open minded lot, but they need to avoid that, big time, going forward to avoid burning the fans who bought this and supported them. -- Lack of transparency on forthcoming system updates. This seems a little unfair maybe, but especially after the network outages it would help people maybe be a little more patient knowing some patches are on the horizon. Bottom line, I am a huge fan of the system and think (and hope) they'll turn the corner. I recommend the Super Nicktendo reviews, as well as John and others who have done great reviews. As they often mention, keeping expectations realistic is key to enjoying the device. I do think that Atari might have a couple tricks up their sleeve, like possibly through USB-based features such as an emulator, or something even crazier like a USB-based cartridge reader for 2600 games. I have had a lot of fun with it and hope they can get the kinks out and add more content and users to really drive the idea home and maybe keep growing the functionality over time.

It's a good service and I think it works great on the VCS. I also think that gaming habits are changing and having in house studios for companies like them is kind of dumb. AAA games are a mammoth market, but one thing I noticed in using Stadia was that it was not logically arrayed, relies on a Stadia-specific controller, and is a bit choppy, though not bad, with a high speed internet connection. That last thing is an issue for all cloud gaming services, but it's something purists just can't get over. I still see a big future for cloud gaming but do wonder if companies with a bigger native user base and better access to agreements with developers, like XBOX, will turn the corner quicker. For now I like Stadia and will co tinge using it.

This is a great idea, and IMO would instantly elevate the connection the VCS could have to Atari fans and help it sonewhat stand out from the other console/mini PCs out there.

Excellent game, and I agree with others who feel definite MarioKart vibes. I am still learning how to unlock tracks but this looks like a fun one to play head to head as well.

This is easy, E.T. Once and for all (kidding). That said, there are a ton of properties they could leverage that had or were scheduled to have games. One is A-Team, which just ripped off Saboteur. The other is Knight Rider. I would absolutely love a game that is like a modern version of Fatal Run meets Spy Hunter based around that show. We also talk about the lack of a stellar RPG first person shooter, boom, do something around Rambo or Miami Vice. The possibilities are endless, especially when it comes to properties for kids games. I do think Atari can lean heavy into the nostalgia, being who they are, and hopefully pull it off.

Did you make any mods to the system? I wonder if something shorted somehow.

I would predict this game would be among the top 3-5 sellers among 7800 games if released. An absolute gem. To me, Bentley Bear is the Atari marketing/licensing icon that got away. They could have turned him into a Mario/Sonic/Zelda/Pac-Man, but missed it.

Agreed. I also think the VCS is screaming out for a Crystal Castles reboot (not recharged, like a fully reimagined new release akin to the new Food Fight) and a really awesome racing game. I believe they still have the license for Checkered Flag and owe us a solid release to get the Jaguar version out of our minds.

First I've heard of this. When the server issues came up in November there would be a delay in loading, for some people up to several minutes, from the post animation black screen to the login page. The wifi would affect the loading after login maybe, and the store, but shouldn't affect the initial boot. Could your console have overheated somehow? If not then it may be a server issue. I'd give it another go and see if it comes up. If it persists I'd throw a ticket Atari's way. Best of luck.

Crystal Castles (VCS): A first person perspective 3D puzzle game where you are commanding Bentley (think a view angle similar to Super Mario Party for the Switch) through various mazes, dodging all the usual characters and pitfalls. A Berthilda spell can take you to a level of the 2600 game, with a successful completion of the 2600 level gaining you a power up. Bentley discovers shops along the way that can provide spells or tools to help in the quest, while Atari easter eggs abound. Each maze has a boss that can be defeated for new spells/resources or dodged to get to a new level.

3 quick things on this. I also am an avid car fan and browse several car forums, and see similar things to this there. Here goes: 1.) The VCS was launched for retail in June 2021, and for pre-sale backers in DEC 2020. The first persistent issues with the server showed up in November 2021 and appear resolved for most now. Thus, about a month of dogged issues, thankfully temporary, for all but a few people (unfortunately). 2.) Generally, the people who gravitate to forums are avid enthusiasts or concerned owners. If I went to the Honda Civic forum, a popular, established car from a popular, established brand, I'd imagine most of the posts relate to the new model, mods, or problems/questions about something going wrong. There isn't enough content to dominate or pace discussion for the VCS (this is a wholly separate issue that Rosen and co. are working to address) so the issues people are having somewhat dominate the signal. 3. It's a niche system for a niche target audience that welcomes mods and alterations. That said, there is no measure or control for whether two people are making said changes the same way. If someone adds RAM but accidentally disconnects a wireless antennae, they may have issues. Granted, some people just got unlucky with the hardware and that sucks. But some people may have went in to mod it and accidentally or inadvertently affected something else. It was a natural, intrinsic possibility with an open architecture like this. It's the same if someone tries to do their own oil change and leaves a gasket loose, then complains about oil leaks on a car forum. It's very difficult to understand where the issue truly lies. Ultimately, until the VCS has more content or announcements these issues will clog the line for the microphone. I am hopeful they will be making the adjustments needed and hope you give it a shot. Admittedly, it still feels somewhat beta even with about ~20,000 units floating around out there, and the people who seem to enjoy it most might have a bit of a pioneering spirit about the whole thing. That said, it has been a lot of fun for me and I can sense a number of software releases building on the horizon, which will hopefully help things.

In addition to the list above, there are at least 2-3 more rumored: BPM Boy (details in other threads); a new game from Janni, who made Guntech/Utopos; and a racing game called Rally Racers, which I am near positive is the racing game ported from Xbox described above. To be even modestly viable as a console/mini PC I suspect Atari needs to release 3-5 games a month, so they better hop to it. Games and playability are what people gravitate to, so they have work to do.

Remind me, was this a Microcenter buy, eBay, or Atari site? If the latter they should replace, at a minimum.

Good to hear and hope you enjoy it. I honestly think that if they can really flood the store with games to increase the content, drop the price a bit, and avoid the server issues, they could have a big winner on their hands. It seems like the easy solution would be to move some of the mobile and legacy games over, along with any new releases. The one thing that also needs to jump is the marketing, but baby steps.

Played for about 2 hours yesterday, one hour midday one at night, no issues. Installed a controller update but that was it.

Yeah exactly. I remember there was some bluster that delayed the Sydney Hunter release but it still made it. Both sides are interested in making money so I have a hard time believing a deal won't/can't get done.

Answers abound on this forum and the Reddit. TL; DR: keep trying. There is a server issue affecting Atari and other gaming platforms and its just crap luck. It came up for several people after awhile yesterday.

I can't say this was my experience but yeah, that would be frustrating as all get out. I'd say give it till first update. If it still glitches out, give Atari hell. I luckily had like 7 months of solid performance and the lags corrected for me, but yes, it would be irritating. Keep us posted.

It feels like they are rolling out server updates and upgrades before/without doing a full system update. Which is kind of dumb. But wouldn't shock me if they roll out a full robust system update within the next day. They better do that, actually, if this thing may be a Christmas gift and be lampooned by server issues on the first boot up.

I should have been more specific, I was talking about the Beats Legend game on mobile that donates money to his charity. It's entertaining and I thought there was a port playable on PS4.

The update info came from just justclaws I think via a discord or reddit, I believe; the server info was buried in a recent press release from the Atari shareholders meeting when they talked mostly about blockchain, NFTs, and the acquisition of MobyGames. I should heavily caveat that this article was translated from French, I believe, and the announcement of the server was a somewhat inspection aside. If anyone else has cone across it feel free to add your take on that.

So good news: Atari is launching an update and made a huge server purchase a few weeks ago, so I imagine, and hope, this will resolve soon. But yes, near term, it sucks. All I can say is keep the faith, I've had an awesome time with it and think it is a fantastic system for its price and specs. I do think this is a hiccup as they adjust to more users and volume and hope they can make the adjustments soon. In the meantime, I wired directly to ethernet and noticed a little less lag that way. And oddly, I found that logging into the PIN prompt and then letting it reject me, but repeating it twice, on time 3 it worked. I cant explain it and it's totally unscientific, but give it a shot. Best of luck and hope it all works out for you ASAP.

Agree totally. Ninja Golf, Avicii, Castles and Catapults, and the RC Tycoon games would all work amazingly IMO and be great adds. I got the VCS expecting those to be launched on it eventually, and was disappointed they weren't on it. A huge opportunity missing.

Here here, yeah this was really well done. I disagree with her on one thing though- I don't want to see Crystal Castles: Recharged, I'd rather see that launched as a new refreshed game on the VCS with new features and levels optimized for the classic controller, kind of like I think they're doing with Food Fight. I see immense potential there.