[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

15 minutes ago, mr_me said:

The difference is that when Fiat, or Daimler or AMC before them, bought Chrysler-Jeep; they bought the company not just trademarks and copyrights.  They bought the factories, the workers, the executives, and the engineers.  They bought the whole company just like Warner did when they bought Atari back in 1976.  You can argue that the companies had changed but going forward it's mostly the same company.

 

Atari SA, formerly Infogrames and at least prior to going bankrupt in 2013, has always been a software company and never produced any hardware before.  So saying it's their first console in 25+ years is not correct.

Great points and fair play. I still think the average consumer has zero knowledge of that, just like how very few of them even know the VCS exists. I'd love for a company like Warner to buy the whole Atari she-bang again, but that border has likely flown.

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

8 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

 

In the sense that a company currently named Atari was responsible for its production, yes, this is correct.

 

In the sense that the specific company currently named Atari has any of the ability, ingenuity, or creativity of the Atari of the past, then no, it is not an Atari product.

I agree wholeheartedly, but this is admittedly a slippery slope argument. Jeeps (now owned by Fiat) reportedly aren't as good as they once were, but if you go down to a lot and buy a Cherokee it's still a Jeep product. It's nothing like the Cherokee you may have owned in the 80s, but it's part of their official lineup and will be catalogued as such. We can nitpick if the impact or quality of the VCS will be anywhere near the past Atari products (safe to say likely not), but the argument that it shouldn't count as "real" Atari for xyz reason is a bit odd to me. To those outside this forum, Atari released a new console for the first time in 25+ years to compete with the PS5 and Xbox. The minutiae is lost on most people.

[Atari Flashback X Custom Firmware for USB roms and boxart]

Question for the gallery here- I have a Flashback X Deluxe (120 game version) and did the Firmware update to add a USB. I finally got an OTG/Y-Adapter but for some reason the device won't boot/load when I attach the power cable through the OTG. It doesn't work with or without a USB device. Once I remove the OTG, boots right up. Easy answer seems to be that I have a bum OTG adapter, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing a step before loading to ensure it wasn't user error (and an easy fix). I got the roms formatted off of Draxxon's latest file (thank you!!!) and have had those work before. I added a photo of the OTG in question in case that's an easy answer. Thanks to all in advance. 

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

When this was teased, then launched as a crowdsourced concept in 2018, I think the excitement was more natural and founded. In that time, not just the wait but also the countless other, stronger products that have come out that seem to do something similar (Flashback X, Retron 77) or innovate classic feel in a new way (Intellivision Amica) make this thing look disorganized and borderline silly. Add the fact that the parent company is trying to launch a line of Atari-branded hotels and a Casino, and welp, this sure looks a whole hell of a lot more like the Fyre Festival than the next Xbox.

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

52 minutes ago, godslabrat said:

 Essentially, some are trying to sell the AtariCube as a game console, until it becomes clear it has no selling points as such.  Then they want to sell it as a very expensive electronic Funko Pop, until it becomes uncomfortable noticing how few people really want such a thing.  Even after it's released, no one can decide what it is or why we should want it.  

Fair play, I can agree that it does look like a play off nostalgia. The core problem with this thing, IMO, is that I struggle to see what they were aiming to achieve. My $50 TiVo dongle gets me streaming TV and video apps. I don't need this to do that. My Flashback X, bought for $50, gets me classic 2600 games. I have an EVERCADE to play Lynx games and select 5200 or 7800 ports. Cost about $120, all told. So right there, that's a lot of entertainment for just about half the price of the VCS. 

 

If Atari had initially marketed this thing as a 4GB device that had access to the whole damn library- we're talking 2600/5200/7800, Lynx, Jaguar, newer next gen ports, and a handful of new games developed exclusively for the system, marketed for around $279.99, and with access to streaming apps, I'd have purchased no questions asked. The lack of development for the system and shadowy status this thing has to the existing library (or if Atari even has license or the ability to offer such a thing) is what scared me away.

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

Hello all, longtime lurker and fan of the site who finds the VCS both fascinating and disappointing.

 

Here's where I am with this: I have nearly dropped the money down for this thing twice. Honestly I still might. But I think the thing that is keeping me hesitant is the idea that this *might* motivate Atari to develop something better with possibly more funding in, say, 2-3 years. Again, purely a hunch. But we know the response outpaced expectations via IndieGoGo, and while TurboBlaster's review is hardly encouraging, it is clear this thing is veeeeeery beta. No, that's not fair for a $350-400 product. But I get it. The sandbox element of this thing was always part of the allure. 

 

All told, I don't think these issues are show stoppers. It's not like the thing doesnt turn on or is capped in terms of its projected use. In fact it feels the opposite. Part of me wonders how the VCS would have landed if it wasn't competing with 2-3 other highly anticipated consoles. I think it probably would have spurred a little more attention. But honestly, the saturated market may play in Atari's favor. The backlash is muted. Everyone is discussing how crappy Cyberpunk is, or lamenting a PS5 that can only be bought for the same price as a down payment on a car. In that space, they could pivot quickly and develop the ever-loving hell out of the VCS firmware as this thing launches. 

 

I am a sad optimist. I am a brand fan who wants this thing to work. I owned Nintendo, Sega, and Atari products from the 80s to now, and see this era as a potential space Atari could reemerge in. I am still watching this launch closely. I know people see this roll out as a dumpster fire, but honestly watchibgg these unboxings and reading about the software slowly but surely being developed is making me want it more. 

 

Again, thanks to all the mods and posters for this phenomenal site.

[Atari Flashback Portable FAQ and Compatibility List]

 

Goodwill, pawn shop, garage/yard/tag sales!

Thank you, will give those a shot.

[Atari Flashback Portable FAQ and Compatibility List]

 

Nope just Windows 7 full format. Note mine is a very old from the 1990's ...16MB SD Card (not a modern 16GB which is 1024X larger). AtGames says use a 8GB or less. A 16GB SD Card is almost guaranteed NOT to work.

Ah, good to know. Thanks. I ordered a 2GB Transcend SD card off Amazon and will give that a shot. Anyone have luck finding SD cards lower than 8Gb in a retail store? Only ask as I'm traveling tomorrow and this would be a dream for the trip.

[Atari Flashback Portable FAQ and Compatibility List]

 

I use a 16M SD card I got decades ago from an old digital camera. I would recommend if you can find an old small SD card as they are much more likely to work.

Are you doing anything fancy with yours, Tick? The 16GB one I have is a SanDisk series 10. I tried formatting to no avail. I tried loading out of the package but it didn't take. I've even tried a different AFP.

[Atari Flashback Portable FAQ and Compatibility List]

 

Did you format the card using SD Card Formatter from the SD Card web site? I had problems until I used that program to format my SD Card. I also cannot use my Windows 10 computer to unzip the files because it defaults and makes the games rom media player files by default

So greetings all- I have read this awesome forum and saw the countless advice offered but have gotten nowhere through loading games on an SD. Here's the rundown:

 

1.) Loaded an old Adata 8GB SD card via my Windows 7 computer and it immediately worked. Dreams come true, happy day. I then tried to load more games but it immediately crashed when I tried to boot it on the AFP, cycling me back to the menu each time.

 

2.) I then downloaded SD formatter, did a quick reformat, no dice. Still cycles back to menu despite the games being on the card. Even tried version 4. All naming conventions for the menu files were in the proper case as described.

 

3.) I tried using a SanDisk 16GB card, same issue.

 

Are these cards too big? Why would the Adata card work then fail? Thanks in advance for any help.