JBerel Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 It's clear to me that this is just another manufactured effort to say..."look over there" while their house is on fire. Being that the thing, if ever released, is so "free," the ability to use a generic internet subscription service is a huge nothing. If one were to read anything into it, they suggest 50 classic titles will be available through it exclusively to their box. Why would those titles, whatever they are, only be available for a subscription, and only to some of Antstream's subscribers? This is something new to release anything about, when they appear unable to report anything of substance, and in reality it looks like a step further backward. Sounds like, as usual with these guys, they're trying to leverage someone else's work to look like a win for them. They may plan on using it to declare "mission accomplished" on several of their other stated delivery items now that they may be without a system architect at all. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaysWithWolves Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 6 minutes ago, JBerel said: It's clear to me that this is just another manufactured effort to say..."look over there" while their house is on fire. A long time ago in a board far, far away for manufactured distractions like this we used to say, "Hey look, a bunny!" I forgot my greater point, but hey, look, a bunny: 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBerel Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 And, here's your bunny after crowdfunding the Atari VCS... 4 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 29 minutes ago, Flojomojo said: What strikes me as remarkable about this announcement is how unremarkable it is. It's not really worthy of a press release. It seems like a missed opportunity not to offer a lifetime subscription for the Atari VCS, considering how few will be sold. (Lifetime of the Antstream service of course, not the user). Not to mention that one could install an emulator and the appropriate ROMs in the sandbox for the low, low cost of $0/month, thus completely negating the need for the Antstream subscription. Doing so would also cut out the percentage of the subscription that Atari SA would receive, which I'm basically fine with. 29 minutes ago, Flojomojo said: It's just too expensive for what it is. The games on offer are smaller than the streaming bandwidth they'll use. Not to mention pointless. Offhand, I don't remember the amount of storage a full 2600 ROM library would require, but I know it's small. Even on the Ataribollocks'(tm) less-than-whopping 32GB of storage, they wouldn't use enough space to matter. It's a cash grab. 29 minutes ago, Flojomojo said: I guess it took some effort behind the scenes to make this happen, but we just expect Netflix and Hulu and stuff like that. Look how excited Fred is pretending to be Can't speak to Hulu, et. al., but a bit over ten years ago I worked for a company that was integrating Netflix streaming into their platform. Netflix were more than happy to bend over backwards to make that happen; they really wanted the subscribers. About the only thing that mattered to them was end-to-end encryption and not leaving streaming data at rest - provided that your platform couldn't be easily used to download Netflix' content, they would gladly assist you eight ways from Sunday in getting a player running on it. Yes, that was a decade ago, but given the sheer number of devices that now ship with Netflix included, I suspect that not much has changed in that regard. Atari SA has accomplished... Exactly what anyone else capable of a) breathing and b) contacting the appropriate parties at Netflix can do. 29 minutes ago, Flojomojo said: As if these games couldn't be emulated in any old potato computer. ? ? The same things that could run Antstream, too. And it's the same old tat that's bundled with Atari Vault. Again. There's just not that much there there. Who is this being made for? People who think that spending $300 on the promise of obsolete hardware perhaps one day materialising is a fine idea. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaysWithWolves Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Backers rejoice! The long silence is over. There's a new update on Indiegogo! Oh, it's just what we've been talking about. Antstream. Bah. But wait, there's also a Medium blog post! Bahhhh, more of the same. Although, they mention the special Atari VCS version of Antstream will have exclusive Atari games!!!111one!1! Oh, and there's this: Quote Last but not least, for those of you who might miss our hardware-oriented updates, here’s a sneak peek at one of the actual Atari VCS pre-production boards, hot off the presses. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidus79001 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) Here is a look at the actual system board for all the trolls in this thread who keep complaining that no hardware exists. Personally I am excited about this new console and looking forward to receiving mine. https://medium.com/@atarivcs/here-come-the-games-7f50f5a17b85 Edited September 30, 2019 by Tidus79001 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) 38 minutes ago, ColecoJoe said: Smells like freedom to me? Let's see: $10 * 12 = $120 $8 * 12 = $96 Neither of those numbers are $95.88. Atari SA might have a floating point maths issue. Edited September 30, 2019 by x=usr(1536) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 8 minutes ago, Tidus79001 said: Here is a look at the actual system board for all the trolls in this thread who keep complaining that no hardware exists. Personally I am excited about this new console and looking forward to receiving mine. https://medium.com/@atarivcs/here-come-the-games-7f50f5a17b85 Until the hardware's in backers' hands and available at retail as promised, it's still vapourware. There's plenty of time left for that really difficult email to write to be written. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 13 minutes ago, Tidus79001 said: Here is a look at the actual system board for all the trolls in this thread who keep complaining that no hardware exists. Personally I am excited about this new console and looking forward to receiving mine. https://medium.com/@atarivcs/here-come-the-games-7f50f5a17b85 Looks like a large raspberry pi 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Well, like I said before, the hardware is still somewhat intriguing to me. That board looks rather nice actually, and I don't see anything in the picture that strikes me as fake (though there IS such a thing as photoshop xD). It will be a nifty little toy to play with in my spare time. I'm still very certain the platform will fail though, and the Atari brand will just fall into obscurity. Quite frankly, they really should've just partnered up with PowerA and come out with the Atari-branded controllers-- and just leave it at that. Seems like most people were actually more excited about those than the actual console. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 27 minutes ago, Tidus79001 said: Personally I am excited about this new console I'm actually going to put the snark away for a moment and genuinely ask, "Why?" The hype train for new consoles is usually simple. Cutting edge graphics. Higher resolutions. New entries in popular franchises. Larger storage. Whatever wonderful weirdness Nintendo thinks up. To these troll eyes, there's nothing this thing does that isn't already being done, being done better, and being done with better support. I'm willing to concede that I'm perhaps missing some key component to this thing so honestly...is it just the logo? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Quote When Atari VCS users log in or subscribe to the Antstream service using their Atari VCS, it will immediately unlock an exclusive and enhanced version of the Antstream app engineered specifically for the Atari VCS. The Atari VCS Edition of the app will house the largest collection of Atari games available anywhere and ready for immediate play. This enhanced collection will be exclusive to the Atari VCS at launch and will not be available on other Antstream platforms without an Atari VCS account. Well, that's one way to offer sold-off Atari assets such as Battlezone. This seems like good publicity for AntStream, but unlikely to move the needle on "Atari VCS" sales. It seems to me that the die-hard retrogamers already have emulation solutions (including the $30 Raspberry Pi), and that a subscription is too much to ask of casuals (as is the $250+ "Atari VCS"). Their list of games is a Super Retrocade style stack of stuff that I might enjoy messing with, but nothing I would want to pay for. I liked the dude in this discussion on the emulation subreddit that said streaming old games was a worse idea than DIVX, ? @kevtris penny for your thoughts about the image of the pre-production board? In your experience, how likely is it that "Atari" will achieve backer distribution by the end of the calendar year, as they've been saying they will do? The IndieGogo campaign marker still says "Prototype phase," and hasn't been moved to "In Production" yet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TACODON Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Is the Atari Vault dropped now? Will it have both? This big update doesn't address that. Seems to me they are charging for a feature they claimed would be free. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agillig Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 38 minutes ago, Tidus79001 said: Here is a look at the actual system board for all the trolls in this thread who keep complaining that no hardware exists. Personally I am excited about this new console and looking forward to receiving mine. https://medium.com/@atarivcs/here-come-the-games-7f50f5a17b85 Well, it's a board with an Atari logo on it. That's something I guess. It's not a video of the system plugged into a monitor with someone playing games, which would actually be evidence this thing has a pulse. I guess when you're constantly disappointed by someone, your expectations of them are lower. 8 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidus79001 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Lodmot said: Well, like I said before, the hardware is still somewhat intriguing to me. That board looks rather nice actually, and I don't see anything in the picture that strikes me as fake (though there IS such a thing as photoshop xD). It will be a nifty little toy to play with in my spare time. I'm still very certain the platform will fail though, and the Atari brand will just fall into obscurity. Quite frankly, they really should've just partnered up with PowerA and come out with the Atari-branded controllers-- and just leave it at that. Seems like most people were actually more excited about those than the actual console. Even if it does fail I will be ok with that as I my other intended use for the console will be booting into Windows or Linux and using those OS'es to run any video game emulator I want. Having a system that interfaces easily with my TV and those 2 Atari VCS controllers (classics and modern) is going to make playing old school games a joy. Best to have another usage scenario for the console and I do certainly have mine and it will fit the bill well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Just now, TACODON said: Is the Atari Vault dropped now? Will it have both? This big update doesn't address that. Seems to me they are charging for a feature they claimed would be free. Sounds like the Antstream version of the Atari games will have extra features, "a constant flow of all-new creative social challenges to engage and incentivize fans to experience their favorite retro games in unique ways." In other words, more outsourcing. "Atari" doesn't have the resources or interest to support this themselves. Quote Antstream Arcade on the Atari VCS will exclusively offer fifty classic Atari titles at launch for new and existing Antstream Arcade users to enjoy whenever they sign on from their Atari VCS system, with additional games added on a steady basis. Antstream Arcade titles will be compatible with the Atari VCS Classic Joystick and Atari VCS Modern Controller, including rumble and LED lighting effects. Enhanced game editions with new functionality such as multiplayer and “pure” unmodified versions of classic Atari games will be available. In addition, Atari and Antstream Arcade will deliver a constant flow of all-new creative social challenges to engage and incentivize fans to experience their favorite retro games in unique ways. Popular Atari titles appearing via the Atari VCS Edition of Antstream Arcade include standalone retro classics — from Adventure, Night Driver™, Pong®, Tempest® 2000, and Yars’ Revenge® — and full Atari compilations from PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 44 minutes ago, Tidus79001 said: Here is a look at the actual system board for all the trolls in this thread who keep complaining that no hardware exists. Personally I am excited about this new console and looking forward to receiving mine. https://medium.com/@atarivcs/here-come-the-games-7f50f5a17b85 holy jeez they might have a one off board 2 months before shipping to backers, if that's the case, bout fukin time 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodmot Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 4 minutes ago, Tidus79001 said: Even if it does fail I will be ok with that as I my other intended use for the console will be booting into Windows or Linux and using those OS'es to run any video game emulator I want. Having a system that interfaces easily with my TV and those 2 Atari VCS controllers (classics and modern) is going to make playing old school games a joy. Best to have another usage scenario for the console and I do certainly have mine and it will fit the bill well. Yeah, I agree. I plan on having this as an emulation device as well. I'm thinking of loading Windows 10 on it, and using it as either a traveling unit for when I go visit my long distance girlfriend. Otherwise, when I have my own place, I'm thinking of having this as a media streaming device for under my TV (I don't plan on having cable TV because I never watch regular cable anymore, lol). Doesn't change my attitude towards the company behind the Atari VCS. Their business decisions are highly illogical. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 48 minutes ago, Tidus79001 said: Here is a look at the actual system board for all the trolls in this thread who keep complaining that no hardware exists. Personally I am excited about this new console and looking forward to receiving mine. https://medium.com/@atarivcs/here-come-the-games-7f50f5a17b85 That would totally fit in a shoe box! 3 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 6 minutes ago, Agillig said: Well, it's a board with an Atari logo on it. That's something I guess. It's not a video of the system plugged into a monitor with someone playing games, which would actually be evidence this thing has a pulse. True. And given that anyone can sketch up a design in Eagle and send it off to one of the low-volume PCB fabs in China that'll do 10-board production runs, it really doesn't prove anything. Even Real Atari had a vapourware track record of its own back in the day, and they were a multinational, multi-billion-dollar company at the height of their success. The 1090 expansion module, 1400XL, and 1450XLD spring to mind - and all of those are devices for which PCBs have been found. The assclowns at Atari SA still have nothing in the grand scheme of things, but they've been able to come up with nothing on a far, far lower budget. Good for them! 6 minutes ago, Agillig said: I guess when you're constantly disappointed by someone, your expectations of them are lower. True, but that assumes you've any expectations of them at all. It's not unreasonable to just give up and file them under, "if you manage to actually do something, that's a bonus, I guess." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TACODON Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Is it too late to change my order from woodgrain to the Converse edition? 2 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Can anyone scan datamatrix codes? I'm just curious about that code (the grey squarish box printed on the board) below. See if that brings up anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, TACODON said: Is it too late to change my order from woodgrain to the Converse edition? Can I get mine with the Odor-Eaters option? 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 25 minutes ago, Lodmot said: That board looks rather nice actually, and I don't see anything in the picture that strikes me as fake (though there IS such a thing as photoshop xD). What is it with you guys and your obsession with how things look? I'd want to see it working, in that stupid case that has sold the concept to a few hopeful souls. According to this, there doesn't seem to be anything significantly up with the photograph, the Atari logo appears to have been silk screened onto the blue board, not added after the fact. And it would totally fit in a shoebox. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 10 minutes ago, Lodmot said: I'm thinking of loading Windows 10 on it, and using it as either a traveling unit for when I go visit my long distance girlfriend. Which is fine, but what would it do that a laptop and an HDMI cable wouldn't? If anything, the laptop is going to offer much better flexibility. I am actually genuinely curious about this. It's not that I can't see your use case, but I am trying to understand it. 10 minutes ago, Lodmot said: Otherwise, when I have my own place, I'm thinking of having this as a media streaming device for under my TV (I don't plan on having cable TV because I never watch regular cable anymore, lol). Fair enough, but virtually every $150-and-up TV now has streaming services plus DLNA built-in. And having had the set-top-box streaming device (WD TV Live) in the past, integrated services on the TV generally provide a better experience than external boxes. Again, not being antagonistic towards you on this; just trying to understand the perceived advantages. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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