The Atari VCS Controversies Thread

[82-T/A]

 

I am quite impressed with your honesty, I think many who bought into this are not even being honest with themselves let alone others but you at least admit what most of us see here. AND I CAN RESPECT THAT !

 

If someone is buying this because it has the ATARI logo or even completely for collector purposes that is fine, it's none of my or anyone's business what people choose to spend their money, you clearly know exactly what you are likely investing in so good on you.

 

Sorry, that was my last post in this thread. From this point I will only read it, I had to recognize the one person backing this that at least seems to have their expectations based in reality.

BACK TO THE depths of the TACO THREAD for me. Carry on!

 

Hahah, thanks. Yeah, I don't know really what to expect from it. What I REALLY wanted out of it, was some compatibility with GOG or Steam... the ability to transfer some less complicated games from those platforms and be able to play them on the TV, maybe with a Bluetooth keyboard. It would be neat to do it with an actual Atari product. It doesn't look like Atari did any negotiations with them. Shoot... I'd like to know if they even tried. It would be awesome for me to play a lot of my old DOS games on my TV through the Atari VCS...

 

 

That said... there was also part of me that, with unrealistic expectations / fallacies that Atari will once again dominate the entertainment industry, haha...

 

 

 

I'm middle aged...

 

 

Serious question, at what point do we start considering ourselves middle aged? I just turned 40, and theoretically life expectancy is ~80. However, if I take the "ideal" life expectancy that we all shoot for... 100, then middle-aged would be 50, would it not? So... just curious.

[Flojomojo]

Hahah, thanks. Yeah, I don't know really what to expect from it. What I REALLY wanted out of it, was some compatibility with GOG or Steam... the ability to transfer some less complicated games from those platforms and be able to play them on the TV, maybe with a Bluetooth keyboard. It would be neat to do it with an actual Atari product. It doesn't look like Atari did any negotiations with them. Shoot... I'd like to know if they even tried. It would be awesome for me to play a lot of my old DOS games on my TV through the Atari VCS...

 

Serious question, at what point do we start considering ourselves middle aged? I just turned 40, and theoretically life expectancy is ~80. However, if I take the "ideal" life expectancy that we all shoot for... 100, then middle-aged would be 50, would it not? So... just curious.

Atari doesn't need to do deals with Steam or GOG, because those platforms already support Linux. I suspect AtariBox will have a checkbox somewhere for "allow installation from outside sources" which will let you run arbitrary software on the thing. This will be at your own risk, without support from anyone, or the safety net of an easy GUI apart from the Ubuntu package installer. You'll be OK. You can practice with Ubuntu or Mint in the meantime to get a feel for it. It's no big thing.

 

I used to have the same question about middle age, thinking along the same lines as you. Here's how I see it now: it's not the middle of your lifespan that defines "the middle." It's the middle part of the life, the creamy filling between the sandwich slices of childhood and old age.

 

early age (childhood, adolescence, young adulthood)

middle age (neither young nor old)

old age (elderly, end of life)

 

I'm probably going to cling to middle age as long as I can, it's preferable to the alternative.

 

Mockduck, I also respect what you said back there. I will cheerfully answer fact-based questions about Linux and crowdfunding and stuff .... and if anyone wants to know what I think about the project, there's a lot more to read at the "New Atari Console That Ataribox?" thread.

[82-T/A]

Atari doesn't need to do deals with Steam or GOG, because those platforms already support Linux. I suspect AtariBox will have a checkbox somewhere for "allow installation from outside sources" which will let you run arbitrary software on the thing. This will be at your own risk, without support from anyone, or the safety net of an easy GUI apart from the Ubuntu package installer. You'll be OK. You can practice with Ubuntu or Mint in the meantime to get a feel for it. It's no big thing.

 

 

Yeah, that's my only fear. I'd love for the original OS to be stored on an HPA or some sort of recovery partition or something in case I screw it up. It would be great to install all these things if they open it up... but I definitely don't want to screw anything up.

 

 

I'm probably going to cling to middle age as long as I can, it's preferable to the alternative.

I hear that... your description... the creamy filling is a good one. Sometimes it's good for a solid career change. When I'm 50, kids will be out of the house and in college, and I'll have reached pension requirements for my current job. Maybe consider house flipping if I'm still into it! hah...

[BiffsGamingVideos]

$2,450,697 USD raised by 9435 backers. It just passed Occulus Rift ($2,437,429)

for #92 all time in crowdfunded https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_funded_crowdfunding_projects

 

As the amount each day is now trickling in, is this a bust or hit?

[PowerDubs]

Click the link where it says more for the full #.

 

Currently at over 3.1 mil after only a few days and you guys are looking for confirmation to call it a failure?

 

Hell, there are still a few more days before the first week is even complete!

 

For a bunch of people who dont like modern Atari and the project, you guys sure do spend a lot of time watching and talking about it.

[Flojomojo]

And you only post in two threads. We see you. We get it.

[JBerel]

Hey, it beats..."This looks super awesome! Can't wait to play."

[Andromeda Stardust]

My thinking on this thread was to keep it informative, focusing on things like updates, press releases, numbers, etc. There has to be room for some questions and speculation, but my hope is that the less reasoned opinions along the lines of "Atari sucks", "No, U SUXXORS!" etc would stay in the long-running opinion/taco thread. Clearly some people feel very strongly that what the current Atari is doing is not ok, and some of them also get very upset with people who feel otherwise. It may well be that this whole thing blows up and never delivers, but I'd rather keep this thread more about the information than the opinion.

Well there's the haters, then the blind sheeple followers, and the cautiously optimistic. I tend to be in the cautiously optimistic category. Atari seems to have a noble endeavor here and definitely seems no ill intent or obvious scamming like the Chameleon fiasco from a few years ago. I'm not sure if the market needs this however. The usage of Indiegogo due to Kickstarter policy of "prototype required" throws a couple flags, as well as the current owners of the Atari brand and IP do not have a past track record of successful devices.

 

Knowing this going in, $200 disposable income is not a risk I am willing to make, and looking objectively, the Atari VCS II isn't a device I'm particularly interested in. They definitely have an opportunity to be the next "Ouya" console and I wish them well with that. I backed the joystick because it looked sleek and sexy, and presumably it uses open Bluetooth and/or USB protocol so it's something I can use without the console, for instance MAME / PC / Android. The risk versus reward is lower at $33 so it's lower bar. I won't lose sleep if it fails, and if it succeeds, I'll feel like my contribution was worth it in the end.

 

I do want this to succeed, but know full well that modern Atari will be facing an uphill battle before and after launch. If a consomuer buys or even preorders a Switch, PS4, or Xbox 1, they know what they are getting, and unlike Indiegogo the preorder can be cancelled at any time. Major retailers such as Gamestop or Best buy would even refund the money in the event of a shortage or launch failure, or even give cash or credit if the customer forgets to pick it up. You have none of these safeguards with croudfunding, and this is the first time I've backed an IndieGogo project. My first kickstarter from 2012 failed to deliver, but nearly every single campaign since then has, even if it was well past the deadline.

 

I know there's lots of animosity with the community but I have tried to take the middle road on this thread and refrained from posting jokes. If a forum member cannot express a valid opinion in this thread, in a respectable manner and without fear of retaliation or thread bans, then something is wrong. I look forward to following the project, and remaining cautiously optimistic moving forward as the turn of events progresses.

[CommanderGrimm]

I'm sot sure what to think of the new "VCS". I want it to succeed; I really do. Nothing would be cooler than to see it make its way into stores. However, I also want to be cautious. While crowdfunding is generally a dangerous game to play, I really don't see Atari SA running of with the money or cancelling the project or any of the weird conspiracy theories I've heard so far. Sure, under ten thousand isn't a whole lot of consoles, but that's in four days, with the promise of the console a year away! I've been seeing articles, ads and videos for the VCS everywhere; interest in it will only keep climbing. Something tells me that the around 10,000 consoles is only the beginning.

 

Have I bought one? No.

Why? Like many others I don't have the money or the patience to pay for something a year before launch.

 

I see where the criticism is coming from. The promise of $200 bucks or more for a fancy console with a $15 dollar collection of games also on Steam and streaming services isn't much. I've heard people compare it to an overly expensive Flashback.

Will it be made and sold? I believe so. Will it be well received? That I don't know.

 

In the course of writing this my opinion has swayed back and forth in my head. Should I make my own Raspberry Pi VCS? Why not? Should I invest my money in the VCS or the new Flashback?

Or neither?

 

Heck, I could sit happy with my moral compass by buying the Atari Vault and porting over the roms onto my VCS-flavored Raspberry Pi.

 

The VCS will either be another Ouya or a well-rounded specialty console with a small user base.

 

I'd like to believe this will be the underdog that defies expectations.

But we'll just have to wait and see.

[PowerDubs]

Since I didn't get an answer, I'll ask again-

 

I watched the promo video on the funding page and noticed at the beginning they say- "Atari On" and then later "Atari play ____"

 

Do other modern gaming systems do this as well?

 

If they pull this off, I'd imagine the functionality will carry over to play netflix, play a song, watch Breaking Bad, etc..

 

Yea, I hear you guys now- Comcast voice remote, etc, but I still think it is pretty cool.

[PlaysWithWolves]

The Kinect plus Xbox 360 or Xbox One could, but Microsoft has moved away from Kinect. We had it and never found a good use for voice, short perhaps of making web/movie searches less tedious, but we have a Logitech Harmony remote that turns on/off everything anyway.

Voice commands can still be done through a headset using Cortana. I don't think the XB1 has any sort of native microphone, though. It requires a headset.

 

I don't know about any other modern system. Some, like the Xbox, are getting Alexa and Google support that can do what you ask. That still require having or buying those devices though, so probably doesn't count.

[Ayreon]

PS4 also has some voice control when a Mic is connected. Don't know if you can turn it on or off by voice, but you can start games and apps if the bloody thing understands you. Inever really bothered to explore this feature. Pressing a button or 2 works just as well

[Flojomojo]

Since I didn't get an answer, I'll ask again- I watched the promo video on the funding page and noticed at the beginning they say- "Atari On" and then later "Atari play ____" Do other modern gaming systems do this as well? If they pull this off, I'd imagine the functionality will carry over to play netflix, play a song, watch Breaking Bad, etc.. Yea, I hear you guys now- Comcast voice remote, etc, but I still think it is pretty cool.

 

 

This is a standard feature these days. I didn't know it was on the Comcast box, but that drives the point home further.

 

Voice interactions built into Samsung TV

Roku Streaming Stick with voice remote ($39.99)

Amazon FireTV stick with Alexa remote ($39.99)

Amazon FireTV with 4K Ultra HD and Alexa Voice Remote ($69.99)

AppleTV 4K with Siri Remote ($179.00)

Control TV with Google Home

Control Tivo with Alexa (I enabled this skill just the other day, it's pretty fun)

Control Verizon FIOS with Alexa

Kinect still works if you have one, except they aren't bundling it anymore, however ...

Alexa and Google Assistant support are coming to Xbox One

Control PS4 with voice

[zzip]

Since I didn't get an answer, I'll ask again- I watched the promo video on the funding page and noticed at the beginning they say- "Atari On" and then later "Atari play ____" Do other modern gaming systems do this as well? If they pull this off, I'd imagine the functionality will carry over to play netflix, play a song, watch Breaking Bad, etc.. Yea, I hear you guys now- Comcast voice remote, etc, but I still think it is pretty cool.

My PS4 takes voice commands. I rarely use it though. I don't like talking to machines

[MrMaddog]

Since I didn't get an answer, I'll ask again- I watched the promo video on the funding page and noticed at the beginning they say- "Atari On" and then later "Atari play ____" Do other modern gaming systems do this as well? If they pull this off, I'd imagine the functionality will carry over to play netflix, play a song, watch Breaking Bad, etc.. Yea, I hear you guys now- Comcast voice remote, etc, but I still think it is pretty cool.

 

 

The Kinect plus Xbox 360 or Xbox One could, but Microsoft has moved away from Kinect. We had it and never found a good use for voice, short perhaps of making web/movie searches less tedious, but we have a Logitech Harmony remote that turns on/off everything anyway.

 

Voice commands can still be done through a headset using Cortana. I don't think the XB1 has any sort of native microphone, though. It requires a headset.

 

I don't know about any other modern system. Some, like the Xbox, are getting Alexa and Google support that can do what you ask. That still require having or buying those devices though, so probably doesn't count.

 

It's amazes me that the features like voice commands & watching Twitch videos on the side while gaming were all removed from the X1 by Microsoft, yet Atari is adding those things back to the VCS.

 

I'm wondering if there's a built-in mic on the VCS for turning on... That makes way more sense that having a $100 bulky Kinnect you have to use just to change the channels with your voice.

 

Oh and for Xbox One users, you can get small microphones that were made for the old iPhones (3.5mm) to use for the X1 headset adapters off Amazon for a few bucks. That's one way of using Cortana w/o having to wear a headset.

[barnrk]

For me personally I see the Atari VCS as a looming debacle, but a looming debacle that I have a use for even in the event of failure. Would I be willing to pay $300 for a reasonably powered Linux PC in a cool Atari retro shell, with a wireless classic 2600 controller thrown in? For me that answer is "yes". If Atari actually manages to release a bunch of good games or offers interesting online functionality that's all just a bonus. The only way I can lose is if they are never able to ship the console. Given how much money they've raised I think the odds of nothing shipping to be pretty low though.

[Mockduck]

Here's a free tip for Atari SA: Make launching something using voice control by saying "Atari GO!" Get it? Hahahah......ok.

 

It's pretty common for crowdfunding campaigns to get a big initial jump, then a quick slide to a trickle, then things pick up in the final week. I'd expect the same here.

[bojay1997]

Here's a free tip for Atari SA: Make launching something using voice control by saying "Atari GO!" Get it? Hahahah......ok.

 

It's pretty common for crowdfunding campaigns to get a big initial jump, then a quick slide to a trickle, then things pick up in the final week. I'd expect the same here.

Successful campaigns rarely slow to a trickle, although they do often slow down somewhat in the middle. Of course, that's why you plan a campaign so that there is a consistent stream of updates and media coverage throughout. You also don't front load all of your discounted tiers to expire early in the campaign.

[PowerDubs]

Atari answers questions during live video chat about the VCS

 

Worth watching- https://youtu.be/vgftgTNtYLo?t=235

[StopDrop&Retro]

edit: never mind, found it

Edited June 5, 2018 by StopDrop&Retro

[PowerDubs]

Of course, that's why you plan a campaign so that there is a consistent stream of updates and media coverage throughout. You also don't front load all of your discounted tiers to expire early in the campaign.

 

As I already mentioned, and confirmed in the video I just posted above- they plan on releasing new info piece by piece as time goes by.

 

As some of that info comes out, it may sway people that are currently on the fence, and even those who currently talk trash. The discounts aren't for those people. Which makes sense.

[bojay1997]

As I already mentioned, and confirmed in the video I just posted above- they plan on releasing new info piece by piece as time goes by.

 

As some of that info comes out, it may sway people that are currently on the fence, and even those who currently talk trash. The discounts aren't for those people. Which makes sense.

As I may have mentioned previously, you don't withhold basic information until later in a campaign. I've backed several hundred games, books, hardware and all sorts of other things on Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Fig. I've never seen anyone withhold the basics for later in a campaign. The reason for that should be obvious. Providing comprehensive information up front tends to shut up the doubters and trash talkers and leads to potential backers feeling confident about putting down their money.

 

Now, if you want to hold a big partner or developer announcement or some surprise feature for later in a campaign, that's a valid strategy. That does not appear to be what is happening here. You also seem to overestimate the willingness of fence sitters to pay substantially more than early backers for the same items. The difference between $200 and $300 is massive. It's not like the early bird price was a nominal difference of $25 or even $50 to reward early backers. It's a full 50% increase. I think that kind of difference may force some people to back earlier than they would like, but will also convince many potential late backers to not bother.

[PowerDubs]

Time will tell. I could be wrong- but if they pull off what I think they might do- the difference between $200 and $300 won't matter.

 

One thing I am pretty positive of is that they are putting a LOT of effort into this. Watch the link I posted above.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

$2,450,697 USD raised by 9435 backers. It just passed Occulus Rift ($2,437,429)

for #92 all time in crowdfunded https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_funded_crowdfunding_projects

 

As the amount each day is now trickling in, is this a bust or hit?

I think it's too early to officially declare something like this a bust or a hit; that would come after the initial release to see whether or not people are still buying one after the early adopters are all satisfied. The Ouya, which the VCS is compared to the most, raised $8.5 million from their Kickstarter but they ended up becoming a flop. But Ouya's were $99 and did manage to grab some exclusive content; we still only know of two games for the VCS and those are only something that appeals to Atarians. This thing will need some serious names to back it for longevity but so far the crowdfunding is not exactly enticing to AAA studios to be throwing their support behind it. Perhaps Atari will have more to reveal at E3

[BiffsGamingVideos]

Here's a free tip for Atari SA: Make launching something using voice control by saying "Atari GO!" Get it? Hahahah......ok.

 

It's pretty common for crowdfunding campaigns to get a big initial jump, then a quick slide to a trickle, then things pick up in the final week. I'd expect the same here.

 

Their phone number used to be 1-800-Go-Atari back in the 1990s.