New Atari Console that Ataribox?

[tschak909]

I dunno how many times and different ways that myself and others can say, "We've seen this movie, before. The ending sucks."

 

-Thom

[VladR]

I dunno how many times and different ways that myself and others can say, "We've seen this movie, before. The ending sucks."

 

-Thom

You can't beat the power of the failure through sheer ignorance.

 

Best. Learning. Lesson

 

 

Ever

[JBerel]

I dunno how many times and different ways that myself and others can say, "We've seen this movie, before. The ending sucks."

 

-Thom

 

Nawwww...this time'll be different you'll see. What could go wrong????

 

[Shamus]

Quoted here, since it seems to be the goal of certain people to make sure it gets drowned out in the noise:

 

Well since Westchester Technologies IS my account and has my email address on it and its an email that Albert and I communicate with often and with Thom as well whos also mention to you, as have I over on YouTube that it is me.

Well here I am showing you AGAIN it is me.

As for you comment below, you seem to ignore the fact that Atari was attempting to execute a contract whereby they got Dreamgears controller, electronics design and firmware for free and then would take that design elsewhere giving ZERO compensation to Dreamgear, thats called THEFT and a scam.

As for PowerA, interesting you know that information, so I outed myself, so who are you?

Also, since youre a stickler on proof, show us your proof re: PowerA

I know about it from inside sources, lets see where you got it.

BTW- Thanks Thom for pointing me to this post, the Taco stuff is hilarious!!!

[PlaysWithWolves]

Also,

 

 

Thom and I have had our differences, the Westchester Tech post is an accurate account of what happened.

[JBerel]

Not that my position on the matter should make any difference, but I can't help but wonder what ethical responsibility Curt feels to the backers who will loose their ability to get refunds in a few days, assuming their forthcoming update doesn't extend the money grab.

 

If Curt has more info about the credibility or shifty dealings of this project, it would seem relevant to those risking their money before they can't get it back. On the other hand, nobody is making them give up their hard earned cash. It would be classic if they extend the crowdfunding window only for people to pull out. Can they extend it and still lock existing backers into no refunds in a few days?

[Flojomojo]

I'm not sure what the purpose of extending the deadline would be ... their contributions have flatlined (or worse). I like to think that more punters will wake up and smell the scam then try to get into this.

 

The honorable thing to do would be to use this as a pre-order, but not take anyone's money until a few weeks before shipping, but if they were going to do something like that, they wouldn't have used this vehicle in the first place.

 

https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles/216112178-Deadlines

 

Indiegogo campaigns can run for a maximum of 60 days. However, we’ve found the sweet spot for campaigns is around 30-40 days- see Choose Launch Date & Deadline.

We know many campaigns launch with a deadline of less than 60 days, but may want to extend the deadline mid-way through the campaign. We understand that sometimes more time might be nice when you have an upcoming event, big press release, or need just a few more days to hit your goal. We’ve built a tool that allows you to make a one-time extension to your campaign’s deadline- up to the full 60 day limit!

 

Just because I don't see a good reason to extend the campaign doesn't mean "Atari" won't do it ... very little of this makes sense on the surface.

 

Except for that "desperate Fred will try anything" scenario. In that case, I hope the value of the company goes way down, and the old games are bought up by someone better. Maybe Warner (again!)

[Lodmot]

What exactly is the basis of that "confidence"? The entire project so far, from concept to execution, seems to have been a comedy of errors.

 

I'll list my reasoning here:

• Atari VCS is being handled by industry professionals. Search for each of them on Google and you'll find their LinkedIn accounts. Now if you were one of those guys, would you honestly risk your career by partaking in a scam against 11,000+ backers?
• As I mentioned before, PowerA is handling the controllers, and if you compare the VCS Modern controller with one of the Xbox One PowerA controllers they make, they almost match perfectly. It shows that PowerA is at least involved somehow with the process. They even already have moldings for the controller as seen from GDC.
• There are completely original designs from Atari for this project, which is more than you can say than for example, the Coleco Chameleon. All the designs are very polished and look really nice, and even a lot of naysayers will agree with that. There are also some very nice UI designs that have already been shown off. So a lot of real work has actually been put into this project already.
• The "faked gameplay footage" claims don't really present any concise proof that the footage is indeed fake. I played each video clip in fullscreen and in slow motion, and I didn't see any details that looked odd. As for the Tempest 4000 issue, Nintendo has basically done the same thing with Skyrim in their announcement teaser for the Switch.
• The spec sheet lists details that are frankly pretty realistic and achievable for a console that size. There's nothing that screams "too good to be true" to me.
• Michael Arzt goes into more detail about the system in more recent interviews, and he even states that Nolan Bushnell himself has seen the console and liked it. I understand this is technically anecdotal evidence and should probably be taken with a grain of salt until Nolan himself says something, but it's interesting still.
• Many of the claims saying that the console is a scam seem to be unsubstantiated. Westchester Technologies seems to have the only proof so far, but it still doesn't prove anything about this being a scam towards backers. Nintendo, Philips and Sony had kind of a similar episode in regards to the SNES CD attachment/Nintendo PlayStation.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Lodmot

[Curt Vendel]

JBerel:

 

1. I have no obligation to backers, its not my indiegogo and I stopped all work and parted ways working for Atari once I heard Chesnais took over in 2013

 

2. I need to verify things that have been given to me in confidence by those whove been contacting me from within Ataris contract circles. These things take time, this not my full time job and I have to wait on those who are willing to talk in confidence to return my emails and/or calls.

 

3. Ive given information to several individuals to investigate independently & make posts on, ball is in their court.

 

So I would appreciate you to please not plop this in my lap as if Im somehow to blame for Ataris actions, blunders and shenanigans

[Flojomojo]

• There's nothing that screams "too good to be true" to me.

 

You got that right, sister!

 

I don't have a problem with the delivery of this ... doubts, yes ... but they should be able to pull it off. It's Step One of the concept that eludes me. It has zero reason to exist, it brings nothing to the table, it's just a Brand Delivery Device for the chumps who want to think "Atari is Back!"

 

It's not a game console, it's yet another set top box, except extra poorly executed from what little we've seen so far. It's as if the "industry professionals" have been living in a cave for the last ten years and know nothing of current communication, manufacturing, networking, and gaming trends.

 

It's an embarrassment, at best.

 

[godslabrat]

I'll list my reasoning here:

*Atari VCS is being handled by industry professionals. Search for each of them on Google and you'll find their LinkedIn accounts. Now if you were one of those guys, would you honestly risk your career by partaking in a scam against 11,000+ backers?

The same could have been, AND WAS, said about the Coleco Chameleon, ZX handheld, and, oh yeah, the GameBand watch.

 

*As I mentioned before, PowerA is handling the controllers, and if you compare the VCS Modern controller with one of the Xbox One PowerA controllers they make, they almost match perfectly. It shows that PowerA is at least involved somehow with the process. They even already have moldings for the controller as seen from GDC.

I missed the part where anyone ever said "This console is on the right track, because PowerA is involved". Also the part where having a mold for a controller is any kind of commentary on what's under the hood of the system.

 

*There are completely original designs from Atari for this project, which is more than you can say than for example, the Coleco Chameleon. All the designs are very polished and look really nice, and even a lot of naysayers will agree with that. There are also some very nice UI designs that have already been shown off. So a lot of real work has actually been put into this project already.

True, and if you want to fund any more consoles, I've got three graphic designer friends who can whip up a slick UI for a beer and some nachos. With that and the empty shell, we'll have that VectrexWheelbarrow on the shelves in no time!

 

*The "faked gameplay footage" claims don't really present any concise proof that the footage is indeed fake. I played each video clip in fullscreen and in slow motion, and I didn't see any details that looked odd. As for the Tempest 4000 issue, Nintendo has basically done the same thing with Skyrim in their announcement teaser for the Switch.

Do we again have to go over how it's completely different for a company that actually HAS delivered products in the past to fudge the details? Nintendo has nothing to prove. Atari screwed up a hat and a watch.

 

*The spec sheet lists details that are frankly pretty realistic and achievable for a console that size. There's nothing that screams "too good to be true" to me.

Agreed, at no point during this entire project did the words "too good" come to my mind. Not once.

 

*Michael Arzt goes into more detail about the system in more recent interviews, and he even states that Nolan Bushnell himself has seen the console and liked it. I understand this is technically anecdotal evidence and should probably be taken with a grain of salt until Nolan himself says something, but it's interesting still.

He also said that they had Tempest 4000 on tap. He says a lot of things.

 

*Many of the claims saying that the console is a scam seem to be unsubstantiated. Westchester Technologies seems to have the only proof so far, but it still doesn't prove anything about this being a scam towards backers. Nintendo, Philips and Sony had kind of a similar episode in regards to the SNES CD attachment/Nintendo PlayStation.

So... Nintendo tried to announce a console just to make themselves more appealing to a buyout?

Nintendo took money for a console they couldn't deliver for a year, if ever?

Nintendo failed to line up developers?

 

I'm sorry... what part of this sounds even remotely similar to the SNES CD? I mean, the SNES CD at least exists.

[CommanderGrimm]

 

 

I'll list my reasoning here:

• Atari VCS is being handled by industry professionals. Search for each of them on Google and you'll find their LinkedIn accounts. Now if you were one of those guys, would you honestly risk your career by partaking in a scam against 11,000+ backers?
• As I mentioned before, PowerA is handling the controllers, and if you compare the VCS Modern controller with one of the Xbox One PowerA controllers they make, they almost match perfectly. It shows that PowerA is at least involved somehow with the process. They even already have moldings for the controller as seen from GDC.
• There are completely original designs from Atari for this project, which is more than you can say than for example, the Coleco Chameleon. All the designs are very polished and look really nice, and even a lot of naysayers will agree with that. There are also some very nice UI designs that have already been shown off. So a lot of real work has actually been put into this project already.
• The "faked gameplay footage" claims don't really present any concise proof that the footage is indeed fake. I played each video clip in fullscreen and in slow motion, and I didn't see any details that looked odd. As for the Tempest 4000 issue, Nintendo has basically done the same thing with Skyrim in their announcement teaser for the Switch.
• The spec sheet lists details that are frankly pretty realistic and achievable for a console that size. There's nothing that screams "too good to be true" to me.
• Michael Arzt goes into more detail about the system in more recent interviews, and he even states that Nolan Bushnell himself has seen the console and liked it. I understand this is technically anecdotal evidence and should probably be taken with a grain of salt until Nolan himself says something, but it's interesting still.
• Many of the claims saying that the console is a scam seem to be unsubstantiated. Westchester Technologies seems to have the only proof so far, but it still doesn't prove anything about this being a scam towards backers. Nintendo, Philips and Sony had kind of a similar episode in regards to the SNES CD attachment/Nintendo PlayStation.

 

 

Industry Professionals? Nothing seems professional about the campaign. Also, without any actual hardware a pretty shell is useless for anything other than a shelf ornament. Also, saying other companies have made seedy arrangements doesn't make Atari SA any better. The issue with Tempest 4000 isn't just that it wasn't played on the console, it's that they said it WAS being played on the console and then later edited the post in order to sounds like they had never lied in the first place. I don't know about you, but when a company directly lies and then tries to delete evidence that they lied and then pretend as though all criticism of them is unfair, I don't like that company. Saying that the spec list is "realistic" and "nothing too good to be true" doesn't make the console sounds better; it makes it sound worse. If the best you can do for a new gaming console are mid-range laptop specs at the price of a powerful console, you're doing it wrong.

[The Historian]

I need to verify things that have been given to me in confidence by those whove been contacting me from within Ataris contract circles. These things take time, this not my full time job and I have to wait on those who are willing to talk in confidence to return my emails and/or calls.

 

Please let me know if I can assist. I have a tendency to save everything that comes my way.

 

• Michael Arzt goes into more detail about the system in more recent interviews, and he even states that Nolan Bushnell himself has seen the console and liked it. I understand this is technically anecdotal evidence and should probably be taken with a grain of salt until Nolan himself says something, but it's attachment/Nintendo PlayStation.

 

He liked the modern design of the console.

 

I need to verify things that have been given to me in confidence by those whove been contacting me from within Ataris contract circles. These things take time, this not my full time job and I have to wait on those who are willing to talk in confidence to return my emails and/or calls.

If I can help in any way, please let me know.

[Phantom_of_Krankor]

The case should be designed around the board, not the other way round.

[Curt Vendel]

The Historian...

 

Thanks! Will be in touch with you shortly...

[Lodmot]

 

 

The same could have been, AND WAS, said about the Coleco Chameleon, ZX handheld, and, oh yeah, the GameBand watch.

 

Okay, fair enough.... But logically-speaking, why would any industry-leading person sacrifice his/her career to take part in a scam? What is the actual purpose of them doing that?

 

 

 

True, and if you want to fund any more consoles, I've got three graphic designer friends who can whip up a slick UI for a beer and some nachos. With that and the empty shell, we'll have that VectrexWheelbarrow on the shelves in no time!

 

Doesn't it cost money and time to do all that stuff? Also, Atari have been paying for advertising so if anything, they're losing money on this venture. If this is a scam, it's a pretty pointless/money-costing one.

 

 

 

Do we again have to go over how it's completely different for a company that actually HAS delivered products in the past to fudge the details? Nintendo has nothing to prove. Atari screwed up a hat and a watch.

The watch was being worked on by someone else, not Atari. They merely bought the license for Pong from Atari. The hat I don't know too much about though...

 

 

 

Agreed, at no point during this entire project did the words "too good" come to my mind. Not once.

 

Right, but you missed the "to be true part". Lol. Now it seems like you're just picking on the specs. To give you credit though, the specs are a bit below-par. Mike has mentioned in The Registry interview actually that they were looking into a better AMD chip (which explains why he wasn't certain about which chip they're using yet). Having under-powered specs is something the Ouya got knocked for, so it makes sense that Atari wants to avoid that mistake.

 

 

 

He also said that they had Tempest 4000 on tap. He says a lot of things.

 

Yeah, like I said it's probably something that should be taken with a grain of salt, at least until Nolan himself comes out and says something.

 

I missed the part where anyone ever said "This console is on the right track, because PowerA is involved". Also the part where having a mold for a controller is any kind of commentary on what's under the hood of the system.

 

FYI, PowerA actually makes pretty decent stuff. I watched a few reviews on YouTube regarding their controllers.

 

 

 

So... Nintendo tried to announce a console just to make themselves more appealing to a buyout?

Nintendo took money for a console they couldn't deliver for a year, if ever?

Nintendo failed to line up developers?

 

I'm sorry... what part of this sounds even remotely similar to the SNES CD? I mean, the SNES CD at least exists.

 

My point there was supposed to be that Nintendo's been involved in drama too, and they're a multi-billion dollar game company.

Atari is what.... a tiny studio that's trying to get themselves off the ground and rebuild a dead brand? I say cut them at least a little slack. Lol.

[+sixersfan105]

Here is an article that summarizes the recent press drama fairly well (and links to those original articles, too)...

 

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/games/atari/274474/atari-vcs-indiegogo-campaign-accused-of-being-a-scam

[racerx]

 

Atari is what.... a tiny studio that's trying to get themselves off the ground and rebuild a dead brand? I say cut them at least a little slack. Lol.

 

Rebuilding a dead brand. Resurrecting the brand. Man I'm tired of hearing this, like the consumer has an obligation to help Chesnais make his purchase worthwhile. I posted this elsewhere when someone suggested we had to "back the brand", and why would anyone "hate on" the company, but what the hell, it's still pertinent.

 

 

Why back something just because of a brand that was purchased? Generally, a brand is built based on product. Good product = good sales and word of mouth = valued brand.

 

You've suggested supporting a (once) good brand that has nothing to do with the original company in hopes of eventually getting a good product. That isn't how business works. Brands don't "resurrect" themselves. They either have product or they don't. Chesnais bought the brand to make money...the onus to do so is on him, not the consumer.

 

Why hate on the company? Because this has been an aimless, pointless exercise since it was first announced. Chesnais had a nice case design and a recognizable name, and was looking for something, ANYTHING, to do with it. There was no business plan per se, just a desire to profit.

 

Why hate on the company? Because despite having no exclusive software to announce for their console, "Atari" has a long track record of shoddy, incomplete, and unsupported software releases. Haunted House: Cryptic Graves, a broken, glitchy mess that received terrible reviews. They followed it up in 2015 with Alone in the Dark: Illumination, a broken, glitchy mess that received terrible reviews, and Asteroids: Outpost, an online MMO that nobody played, received terrible reviews, and was later removed from Steam. Then RollerCoaster Tycoon World in 2016, a broken, glitchy mess that received terrible reviews. That's to say nothing of drek like the crappy Night Driver remake or the crappy Yars' Revenge remake. So their newer software sucks, but at least the VCS will come with a $10 copy of Atari Vault and maybe the T4K that everyone else will have been playing for a whole year.

 

Why hate on the company? Because in their desire to justify buying the brand name, they relentlessly chase down and legally threaten those they perceive as treading on their IP, no matter how lightly. That certainly is within their right, but it completely ignores that those types of grassroots products are what has continued to give their stale 45 year old brand any equity after all its lean years.

 

Why hate on the company? Because even now, almost three weeks [now almost four weeks] into the Indiegogo campaign, "Atari" still refuses to answer any kind of questions, responding only with vague suggestions like "this is just the beginning" or "anything's possible" while dismissing legitimate concerns as coming from trolls and haters. It's a stalling tactic made all the more worrisome since they've stressed that after the campaign ends, there will be no refunds.

 

The only good news out of this whole train wreck is that once the speculators and shelf-displayers got their precious "Collectors Editions" ordered, the Indiegogo campaign has dropped to basically zero new orders. Most people ordering a console apparently still demand some reason for their purchase to exist other than a corporate fuji and vague promises.

[Lodmot]

 

Industry Professionals? Nothing seems professional about the campaign. Also, without any actual hardware a pretty shell is useless for anything other than a shelf ornament. Also, saying other companies have made seedy arrangements doesn't make Atari SA any better. The issue with Tempest 4000 isn't just that it wasn't played on the console, it's that they said it WAS being played on the console and then later edited the post in order to sounds like they had never lied in the first place. I don't know about you, but when a company directly lies and then tries to delete evidence that they lied and then pretend as though all criticism of them is unfair, I don't like that company. Saying that the spec list is "realistic" and "nothing too good to be true" doesn't make the console sounds better; it makes it sound worse. If the best you can do for a new gaming console are mid-range laptop specs at the price of a powerful console, you're doing it wrong.

 

To your credit, the campaign didn't do everything the right way, but they're at least not as pathetic as the Coleco Chameleon was. The shell may seem useless, but the fact that they actually designed it themselves and got someone to produce a shell says something. Developing an entire game console is very complicated, so it's impressive to me that they have a finalized shell. You're right that Atari SA isn't better than other companies for making seedy arrangements though. You also have a fair point with the Tempest 4000 scandal, so I can't really comment there. All I can say is, maybe they just made an honest mistake and went back to correct it. But as for your last argument...... mid-range gaming laptop.... hmm...... you mean like the Nintendo Switch?

[godslabrat]

To your credit, the campaign didn't do everything the right way, but they're at least not as pathetic as the Coleco Chameleon was. The shell may seem useless, but the fact that they actually designed it themselves and got someone to produce a shell says something. Developing an entire game console is very complicated, so it's impressive to me that they have a finalized shell. You're right that Atari SA isn't better than other companies for making seedy arrangements though. You also have a fair point with the Tempest 4000 scandal, so I can't really comment there. All I can say is, maybe they just made an honest mistake and went back to correct it. But as for your last argument...... mid-range gaming laptop.... hmm...... you mean like the Nintendo Switch?

Again, I have designer friends who could render a VCS-grade box in exchange for me helping move a couch. As has been documented, the shell isn't engineered to accommodate hardware or dispense heat, it's strictly visual right now. I might not be able to get you a technically competent shell design, but pretty? I can get you pretty all day long.

 

That's all Atari's shell is... pretty. And pretty is neither expensive nor time consuming.

[racerx]

The update My guess: "Campaign Extended" for 30 days.

Without a meaningful update or some measurable sign of progress, this would be crazy.

 

The campaign has been stalled for the past 10 days and has gone negative over the past couple. At this rate, the extra time would see far more people get cold feet and bail than would hop on board.

[MotoRacer]

Isn't this about the time these guys start churning out "collectible" limited editions to bolster more pre-orders/funding?

 

I'd like to imagine internally right now, this is what it's like at Atari SA:

 

Mike: "Funding has stalled... we need an idea!"

Mike 2: "We need a limited edition, maybe a clear system?"

Mike: "No, no... clear systems have been done to death. We already did the wood faced one, how can we top that?"

 

 

 

Mike 3: "Um... what about a velour faced system?"

 

Mike: "......You're going to go places, kid."

 

 

 

Pre-order your Atari VCS Velour edition today, for only $499 plus costs for controllers.

 

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by MotoRacer

[BiffsGamingVideos]

"The "faked gameplay footage" claims don't really present any concise proof that the footage is indeed fake. I played each video clip in fullscreen and in slow motion, and I didn't see any details that looked odd. As for the Tempest 4000 issue, Nintendo has basically done the same thing with Skyrim in their announcement teaser for the Switch."

 

 

They are 100% fake and their claims violate FTC laws and Atari isn't Nintendo.

Edited June 26, 2018 by BiffsGamingVideos

[bigfriendly]

Anybody have any idea how this thread holds up versus some the other all-time long threads??? Is this the longest ever?

[Flojomojo]

Okay, fair enough.... But logically-speaking, why would any industry-leading person sacrifice his/her career to take part in a scam? What is the actual purpose of them doing that?

 

Atari is what.... a tiny studio that's trying to get themselves off the ground and rebuild a dead brand? I say cut them at least a little slack. Lol.

So it seems like the only way you'll accept "scam" as true here is "take the money and run with delivering nothing." I think the word is equally suited to a scenario where they exert minimal effort, drop some half-assed prefab box in a cute case, declare victory and go home -- the whole exercise being designed as a publicity stunt, not to please any real customers. Why would they do that? I think that's been discussed already. To get their name out there, maybe to drive some more licensing traffic, and yes, help unload their faltering brand. Why wouldn't they do that? They're obviously out of ideas. I mean, "Atari VCS," really?

 

Rebuilding a dead brand. Resurrecting the brand. Man I'm tired of hearing this, like the consumer has an obligation to help Chesnais make his purchase worthwhile. I posted this elsewhere when someone suggested we had to "back the brand", and why would anyone "hate on" the company, but what the hell, it's still pertinent.

The brand died a long time ago. Bringing it back would be swell, but it would take a Microsoftian effort to do something worthy of the old company. Speakers in hats won't cut it.

 

mid-range gaming laptop.... hmm...... you mean like the Nintendo Switch?

Sure, that describes the Switch. Mid-range laptop (tablet, but OK) with a stable of AAA top-tier games, with lots of polish, and the most respected and beloved game studios on the planet. "But but but ... open Linux! And Steam!" Yes Virginia, maybe this will someday run Steam games ... but more importantly, other things can run Steam games too, better, right now, without Atari's "help" and without the consumer-hostile crutch of a crowdfunding campaign.

 

The brand adds no value except as a punchline.