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The Atari VCS Controversies Thread


Mockduck

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Oh look another thread to take anything Atari and make sure there is a bad vibe around it. People who like it or own it and enjoy it can continue to do so. The thread and the direction it is going in serves no purpose... but it's what happens all the time anymore, even decent games being developed on the Atari 8 bit machines get the treatment as well... a sad commentary on how things are... and we wonder why add-ons and software for any of these machines or even hardware like VBXE etc get no traction. The more people talk the stuff down, the more it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy... the relish being for those that do this... they can say they told you so... meh...   enjoy these things for what they are and don't worry about the rest. ;)

 

On a positive note, it's a great server for all things Atari, and the joysticks can work with many consoles and even the 8 bit Atari's with some nice home brew hardware making it happen. The classic style and even the modern controllers are pretty slick on the A8 afaiac.

 

It's not dead, nor will it be so long as a person enjoys and uses it!

Edited by _The Doctor__
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I really don’t care if it dies or not that’s the great thing about it being an open platform i can do what I want with it. I’m mainly using it in Windows 10 mode and playing a bunch of my favourite games via steam in my living room and doing other work related tasks on it in the living room to where it’s definitely not possible for me to have my gaming pc set up!. The VCS seems to be serving its purpose rather well for me I’m actually very happy with it I have it powered up everyday and I’ll boot into the Atari OS every now and again and see if there’s anything new on the store or for a quick blast of a few of my purchased games and leave again, it’s a shame there’s not been a new game since last month in the Atari OS marketplace I know there’s games in development for the console and I still think it’s far to early to say it’s dead but yes it’s not looking to good at the moment. I would still 100% back it again though I love the design and again it’s doing what I want from it via Windows 10 if it dies I’d happily just delete the Atari OS from it and carry on to be honest. 

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16 hours ago, jerseystyle said:

What happened to all the people who said that this would compete in store with Switch and Microsoft?

That was the haters claiming that.   Any realistic person was saying this was a niche console aimed at fans.

 

16 hours ago, jerseystyle said:

For those who bought it, do you feel a bit ill used by Atari seemingly dropping support already?

I only bought it for PC mode,  I'm using it to load up my own retrogame collection on it.   I don't really care what Atari releases or doesn't release, unless they actually manage to release something amazing.

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4 minutes ago, frankodragon said:

Checking if Walmart.com still has it, and nope.  All they have is the classic controller which is about $100.  $400 for the console itself is just way too much.    

 Why did you say that?

 

You must really hate EVERYTHING  about Atari. Why are you even here, do you secretly work for Nintendo??

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8 hours ago, Keatah said:

Ding..Ding..Ding.. School is in session.

 

There is a huge difference between Atari and atari. The former is loved by all. The latter is hated by all.

 

Class dismissed!

To me the Tramiel Atari is far worse.   They are the ones who ran it into the ground.   Current Atari is recovering from a bankruptcy with limited resources and still trying to make something of the brand in a world that has mostly moved on.

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Yes. That's the killer part, atari trying to be relevant. It's possible I suppose. Can they become relevant? Or is it like VCRs and LaserDiscs? What would we as group, here, at AA, suggest & want atari to do?

 

My vintage Atari history may be pretty rough when it comes to who was in charge when, and what products were axed during management transitions. But I loved the products from 1975 through the mid-80's. A few years longer for their coin-op games. That's a pretty good run. Comparable to my interest in Apple and the Apple II. In the 90's it turned into mostly all PC.

 

I lost interest in Atari 8-bit when the 7800 and XEGS came out. All redundant stuff.

The ST series was moderately appealing.

I lost interest in Apple computing when those clear blobbly iMacs came out. And anything PowerPC and "G" was simply out of my league pricewise.

Edited by Keatah
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I just want to chime in.

 

I think its funny that people that bought one always say, well, I use it as a gaming pc. That's fine, but there are a lot of options for gaming PCs and this thing really doesn't offer anything special for the high price. It's a waste of money at the current price point.

 

I mean, I suppose you could use it as a door stopper, or to level a table with a short leg, I'm sure there are a lot of other things you can do with it besides play new non-existent atari games.

 

I also think its funny how people went on and on about atari vault. thats a $5 steam game.
 

Edited by Draxxon
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42 minutes ago, Keatah said:

Yes. That's the killer part, atari trying to be relevant. It's possible I suppose. Can they become relevant? Or is it like VCRs and LaserDiscs? What would we as group, here, at AA, suggest & want atari to do?

That's just it,  what can they really do now?  Their options are limited.   If they made a proprietary console/ computer, nobody's going to buy that developers aren't going to support that.   They don't have the resources to compete against Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo  That's why making a PC-based console was the best option because at least it's guaranteed to be useful even if Atari's own software fails to materialize.

 

If you were to compare game companies to Rock Bands,  Atari is like the oldies act that had a string of popular hits back in the day but doesn't bother to put out new material and instead banks solely on nostalgia.  A lot of time, such bands barely have any original members but the average person going to see them doesn't know any different.   They see the name, remember the hits and it's nostalgic for awhile for GenXers and Late Boomers.   That's why they are now putting the name on hotels, because these demographics now have disposable income and some will spend money on such things.

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6 hours ago, Matt_B said:

Here's another theory. Spawn Wave's most popular video, with 2.2 million views, is literally about using Xbox and PlayStation controllers with the Switch. ?

 

Also, his last video on the VCS was six months ago. Like most of the bigger YouTubers who covered it at the time and had positive things to say, he's moved on. There's always new hardware coming out to unbox, evaluate and play games on but very little from outside the big three, PC and mobiles gets much lasting attention.

Yeah that’s why I didn’t include it. I was looking for recent videos- like a month or less- not launch videos. I wanted to see the buzz NOW, not what was happening during “launch”. If there is an unboxing/positive review doing similar numbers now, I would be interested in watching it but I couldn’t find one.

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7 minutes ago, Draxxon said:

I think its funny that people that bought one always say, well, I use it as a gaming pc. That's fine, but there are a lot of options for gaming PCs and this thing really doesn't offer anything special for the high price. It's a waste of money at the current price point

I'm using it as a living room console.  The average gaming PC is too big and noisy.   Specifically, I already have a PS5,  so I don't need something that can play the latest games, but I've never had anything in the living room that can play my collection of retro-games..   closest I came was Homebrew Channel on Wii, but that never worked so well.

 

Are there other micro-PCs that can fit the bill?  Sure but they are usually butt-ugly and have weird form factors,  and they aren't much cheaper when you compare apples to apples.

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1 minute ago, zzip said:

I'm using it as a living room console.  The average gaming PC is too big and noisy.   Specifically, I already have a PS5,  so I don't need something that can play the latest games, but I've never had anything in the living room that can play my collection of retro-games..   closest I came was Homebrew Channel on Wii, but that never worked so well.

 

Are there other micro-PCs that can fit the bill?  Sure but they are usually butt-ugly and have weird form factors,  and they aren't much cheaper when you compare apples to apples.

This makes total sense, and what I would get one for at a lower price point. I do want the classic controller for sure.

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8 minutes ago, jerseystyle said:

I still play my Microvision (do you know what that is?) all the time, but that doesn’t mean the system isn’t dead. It’s not an insult. Most of the toys we occupy our time with would be considered the same way. No need to get sooooo upset about the topic.

There's a ton of these types of things, they all have their fans, and people who see no use for them.

 

Which is fine.

 

I just don't understand why the VCS gets singled out, and it's users routinely called idiots on an Atari board full of collectors who all routinely pay too much money for their hobby?   

 

You don't have to justify your affection for Microvision or TheC64 or MistER, or Playdate or whatever it is.   People who like the VCS shouldn't either.  We knew what we were buying, Atari delivered what was promised.  We argued about this thing for years,  nobody changed their mind.  Nobody is going to change their minds, so why keep beating a dead horse?

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20 minutes ago, zzip said:

I'm using it as a living room console.  The average gaming PC is too big and noisy.   Specifically, I already have a PS5,  so I don't need something that can play the latest games, but I've never had anything in the living room that can play my collection of retro-games..   closest I came was Homebrew Channel on Wii, but that never worked so well.

 

Are there other micro-PCs that can fit the bill?  Sure but they are usually butt-ugly and have weird form factors,  and they aren't much cheaper when you compare apples to apples.

I have an arcade cabinet/MAME machine in the living room. it can house any large or noisy PC i want to stick in there. As far as the TV set, I have a legends core gamer and PS5 pads.

 

as far as retro atari stuff... anything will run those games. The Atari Flashback X was as low as 30 bucks a few months ago. Have you seen what we have running on it? Now im not suggesting the AFBX is better than the VCS, c'mon now. but that is a huge price difference if you just wanna play old atari games.

I have atari vault extended and the euro progressive joystick for steam. So for me, what does the VCS offer? A few new fancy remakes of old games? The only way I am going to get one is if they do make new games or the price comes down a bit. Im not a hater, I would like to own one, but, I just can't justify the price point.

Edited by Draxxon
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26 minutes ago, zzip said:

 

 

I just don't understand why the VCS gets singled out, and it's users routinely called idiots on an Atari board full of collectors who all routinely pay too much money for their hobby?   

 

I think it’s the Coleco Chameleon Effect.  That experience was so polarizing for the retro community that every time since then, when a company promised a “transformative” experience, or that they will conquer this nebulous “games were more fun back in the day” demographic we instantly get our backs up. As I remember, with the Chameleon the insults from supporters came fast and early- calling detractors haters, drunks, etc. And sooo many of the retro systems since then have followed this pattern (VCS, Polymega, Amico) and they all end up the same way. It gets so tiresome and I’m just waiting for this trend to rest for a bit. Compare the interactions with these in contrast to the Evercade or  the Playdate. They seem less toxic and I think it’s partly because those companies aren’t promising the moon. Their fans aren’t “ride or die” in response to that. I’ve never called anyone on this forum an idiot for their tastes but I do question why some people (not talking about you) fall for the same exact talking points every few years regardless of history.

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47 minutes ago, jerseystyle said:

I think it’s the Coleco Chameleon Effect.  That experience was so polarizing for the retro community that every time since then, when a company promised a “transformative” experience, or that they will conquer this nebulous “games were more fun back in the day” demographic we instantly get our backs up. As I remember, with the Chameleon the insults from supporters came fast and early- calling detractors haters, drunks, etc. And sooo many of the retro systems since then have followed this pattern (VCS, Polymega, Amico) and they all end up the same way. It gets so tiresome and I’m just waiting for this trend to rest for a bit. Compare the interactions with these in contrast to the Evercade or  the Playdate. They seem less toxic and I think it’s partly because those companies aren’t promising the moon. Their fans aren’t “ride or die” in response to that. I’ve never called anyone on this forum an idiot for their tastes but I do question why some people (not talking about you) fall for the same exact talking points every few years regardless of history.

This is true, and so much of the VCS early criticism was that it was Chameleon part II.   

 

I am much more skeptical about things like Playdate and Amico that are closed platforms relying on vendor support.   But I don't see a need go into those threads to bash them.  If they release and deliver on the promise, great!   If they don't..   Well the backers are adults who should understand the risks.  

 

The VCS is the only such device I purchased..  other than a couple of Raspberry Pi's. 

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I own two (am trying to sell one) it's a fun system but not $400 fun.  For $200, if they were readily available to consumers, it would make sense.  For $400 it's just way too underpowered and not enough on offer to entice people.

 

It seems like its not viable for Atari to sell them for $200, so it's probably not a viable product.   But i'll enjoy it while it lasts and for now had me playing Steam on my TV which is cool.  That's what the system made me realize i really want i guess; a Windows gaming PC in console size to hook up to my TV for Steam, GOG, and other storefronts, etc. 

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It seems to me that if Atari could make new games they could have been doing it on other platforms this whole time.

They make things like Missile Command Recharged and Railroad Tycoon or whatever its called. If they had been making decent games from time to time I could see wanting a VCS to play their 1st party games. But, there are zero "killer aps".

 

The only thing I've seen from Atari over the years is repackaged 2600 collections.

download.jpg

Edited by Draxxon
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23 minutes ago, zzip said:

This is true, and so much of the VCS early criticism was that it was Chameleon part II.   

 

I am much more skeptical about things like Playdate and Amico that are closed platforms relying on vendor support.   But I don't see a need go into those threads to bash them.  If they release and deliver on the promise, great!   If they don't..   Well the backers are adults who should understand the risks.  

 

The VCS is the only such device I purchased..  other than a couple of Raspberry Pi's. 

Yeah I’m skeptical of everything until it’s released. I do think it’s interesting (and I think could make a good case study) to analyze the difference in the reactions between the Playdate and the Amico. Both have fans, but one has some truly devoted supporters and vitriolic detractors, whereas the Playdate, with a similar launch plan and price range, seems to have a much more positive (and more mellow) buzz, overall.  Is it a difference in marketing? Is one being a handheld less “high stakes” for some? I dunno but it’s an interesting question.

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7 minutes ago, jerseystyle said:

Yeah I’m skeptical of everything until it’s released. I do think it’s interesting (and I think could make a good case study) to analyze the difference in the reactions between the Playdate and the Amico. Both have fans, but one has some truly devoted supporters and vitriolic detractors, whereas the Playdate, with a similar launch plan and price range, seems to have a much more positive (and more mellow) buzz, overall.  Is it a difference in marketing? Is one being a handheld less “high stakes” for some? I dunno but it’s an interesting question.

Yeah the only criticism I see of Playdate is "hipster console", and that's about it.

 

I think it's interesting to try to explain the phenomenon by "who is threatened by it?".    In general I believe console wars and online hate boil down to people feeling threatened by the thing they didn't buy, otherwise it's not worth the energy to engage in such things.  VCS and Amico have a similar quality of games and potentially the same caliber of developers.   So the backers of each have incentive to spread FUD about the other, and I've seen some evidence that may have been happening.

 

In the meantime, nobody is really threatened by the Playdate, because there's no other device like it.   If someone were to announce one, then I think things would get interesting in that space :)

 

Also with VCS, I think there are people who genuinely don't feel that the current Atari SA is the "real" Atari, and are offended they are using the name.   Maybe that's also true of the use of the "Intellivision" name for Amico?  IDK.

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12 minutes ago, zzip said:

Yeah the only criticism I see of Playdate is "hipster console", and that's about it.

 

I think it's interesting to try to explain the phenomenon by "who is threatened by it?".    In general I believe console wars and online hate boil down to people feeling threatened by the thing they didn't buy, otherwise it's not worth the energy to engage in such things.  VCS and Amico have a similar quality of games and potentially the same caliber of developers.   So the backers of each have incentive to spread FUD about the other, and I've seen some evidence that may have been happening.

 

In the meantime, nobody is really threatened by the Playdate, because there's no other device like it.   If someone were to announce one, then I think things would get interesting in that space :)

 

Also with VCS, I think there are people who genuinely don't feel that the current Atari SA is the "real" Atari, and are offended they are using the name.   Maybe that's also true of the use of the "Intellivision" name for Amico?  IDK.

Good points for sure. I could see that regarding the Amico. What does FUD mean?

Edited by jerseystyle
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1 minute ago, zzip said:

It's an acronym for "Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt".    Companies routinely spread it about competing products

Haha- got it. I could see the VCS and Amico folks throwing that at each other. Between the two, I find the Amico more interesting, but my skepticism regarding that console has been rising lately as they post more videos.

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