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How much longer will the Atari VCS be on the market?


swlovinist

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Atari hasnt sold any units at $99. The game stop inventory was already paid for. Gamestop bought the systems from Atari last year. Neither Atari nor Gamestop promoted the damn thing in any kind of way, in fact when I called one time (July of 2021) the gamestop employees didnt even know they sold it or what it even was. My point is Atari isn't clearing inventory Gamestop is. They already paid for those! They are the ones selling at a loss not Atari. The check has already long since been in Ataris bank account.

 

Best Buy is not honoring that $99 price and niether is Ataris website

 

Lets see what happens next

 

I also want to add that several games are set for release on the VCS this year

 

Red Rust

Spirit Of The Samurai

The New Food Fight

Gravitar Recharged

Edited by WAVE 1 GAMES
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9 minutes ago, WAVE 1 GAMES said:

Atari hasnt sold any units at $99. The game stop inventory was already paid for. Gamestop bought the systems from Atari last year. Neither Atari nor Gamestop promoted the damn thing in any kind of way, in fact when I called one time (July of 2021) the gamestop employees didnt even know they sold it or what it even was. My point is Atari isn't clearing inventory Gamestop is. They already paid for those! They are the ones selling at a loss not Atari. The check has already long since been in Ataris bank account.

 

Best Buy is not honoring that $99 price and niether is Ataris website

 

Lets see what happens next

 

I also want to add that several games are set for release on the VCS this year

 

Red Rust

Spirit Of The Samurai

The New Food Fight

Gravitar Recharged

Agreed.  If Gamestop are stupid enough to buy stock, not promote it and clear it at a loss, that's their problem, not Atari's.

 

I'd add to that list my wish for a Star Raiders Recharged!

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Well yes.

But the other side of the coin is that Gamestop will not be buying further units from Atari.

So yes.  Sell them at a loss.  But after that, that's it.  Who will Atari peddle their wares to now?  

 

I get the passion and optimism that many are showing.  But the reality tells a different story, and no manner of hoping and fanboy-ism will change it.

Reminds me of when the Dreamcast was discontinued, there were some gamers in the last few months of 2001 that couldn't let go and had it their heads that continuing buying games and accessories would somehow make Sega change their mind about abandoning it.    

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1 hour ago, Leonard Smith said:

I get the passion and optimism that many are showing.  But the reality tells a different story, and no manner of hoping and fanboy-ism will change it.

 

Yes, the writing is not just on the wall - but on the floor, out the door, onto the street and covering several neighborhoods at this point.

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I've been thinking about this topic a bit and I think this is a device that will have a traditional let's call it "eCommerce" life and then a period where the tech gets used for a while longer. 

 

I think the TECHNICAL end of the VCS' life will be when it is no longer a realistic option for Windows 11 use; since it is Win11 compatible it should in theory at least be able to stick around through that OS' life, at least until general benchmark tech rises to the point it no longer makes sense. 

 

In terms of "When will Atari stop supporting the VCS Store in AtariOS", I think we'll have a strong 2022, and we've had a great 2021, and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't at least a trickle in 2023. BUT, I wouldn't be surprised if 2022 ends up being the biggest year in terms of Atari support; they'll at least keep it going through this year for the 50th and because they've got a nice core community buying things, even if the numbers aren't enough to sustain it beyond the year. 

 

It seems - possible - that the Gamestop sales have brought in a few thousand more people at least; the social media comments on "I got one" have been fast and furious in recent weeks. So, maybe that'll give AtariOS enough boost to keep 2023 decent as well? Hard to know, but we'll know more as we see individual game sales positions in the coming few months. 

I think Atari will keep selling the console for as long as they have stock; hard to know how long that'll be as we just don't know what their inventory is. They are still selling Speakerhats after all. :)

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I think Atari will sell the VCS for as long as it is profitable to do so.  They are selling it at a profit and even if that profit is small, they are still getting them out there and selling games for them.  Profit + profit = PROFIT!  

 

Ataris' current leadership is paying attention and takes to heart, the opinions and ideas of the Atari community.  I have been very pleased with them in the last year or so.

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But Sega announced they were no longer supporting the dreamcast when it was being liquidated from all locations it was being sold from.

 

Atari did the same thing when the Jaguar would no longer be supported. All locations who carried it dropped the price simultaneously, not just 1.

 

When the 7800 was discontinued Atari dumped their reamaining inventory off at a discount to stores like Big Lots who in turn sold them to customers at a cheaper price.

 

None of this has happened here. Days after gamestops fire sale the only word from Atari was the announcement of Gravitar Recharged for the console and 2 generic posts on their instagram promoting the VCS.

 

Thats why I said lets see what happens next. Lets see if Best Buy starts selling their stock at $99 per unit. Lets see if Atari does the same thing or something similar. Let's see if Gamestop starts selling some other thing (not Atari related) at an unbelievable price, and finally let's see what Ataris official statement is as all of these prior examples mentioned the parent company did announce they would no longer support the system first.

 

I will also add that Gamestop is not the #1 place to go to buy games and systems now. They have been declining for years now

Edited by WAVE 1 GAMES
spelling typo
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22 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

The real question is was the Atari VCS "on the market" to begin with? I mean it's available to buy, sure, but it barely exists.

I don't even feel like Atari really acknowledges its existence. Recharged games get extra features on the VCS, but it's not like the trailers insist on it for instance. It's just a logo among others on the ending screen.

I think there's a lesson to be learned here - buying an IP and putting out an old product doesn't mean the company is back.  Most of us already knee this, but some did not, as evidenced by the ongoing Amico slog.

 

It's an interesting product for what it is, but you hit the nail on the head.  Getting a system released is the starting point, not the finish line.

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I always saw this as a collectors-type item.   The PC mode was the real appeal for me

 

I never expected much from the Atari store.    Still- they've surprised me with a number of games worth buying.    But at the end of the units life I expect there will be less than 200 titles released through Atari store vs the thousands playable on the console in PC mode.

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Let me add to my above statement.  Atari is/has created an entire ecosystem and OS for the VCS.  If they had plans to abandon it so soon after launch then they would not bother having game devs and OS devs making content and expanding the ecosystem.  They are still currently doing this and they are constantly adding additional features to it.  These things could also be used for a follow up PC/Console thingy with only minor adjustments for performance (not saying this is happening).  There is too much work that has been done and in production for them to be abandoning it.

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3 hours ago, zzip said:

I always saw this as a collectors-type item.   The PC mode was the real appeal for me

 

I never expected much from the Atari store.    Still- they've surprised me with a number of games worth buying.    But at the end of the units life I expect there will be less than 200 titles released through Atari store vs the thousands playable on the console in PC mode.

Ha, is there already more for the VCS than there were for the Jaguar?

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None of the kids at our Easter gathering were interested in "atari". It wasn't mentioned. The videogame talk was all PS5, Xbox, Switch, and perhaps some mobile crappage. Kids just aren't interested in grampa's games.

 

This more telling than hopes and dreams about whimsical ways of fitting into a magical market that's supposed to pop out of thin air and oblige.

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53 minutes ago, Keatah said:

None of the kids at our Easter gathering were interested in "atari". It wasn't mentioned. The videogame talk was all PS5, Xbox, Switch, and perhaps some mobile crappage. Kids just aren't interested in grampa's games.

 

This more telling than hopes and dreams about whimsical ways of fitting into a magical market that's supposed to pop out of thin air and oblige.

Meh, not sure that matters. I don't know the age of the kids you're describing of course, but kids (particularly teenagers) are early adopters and fickle consumers. Brand loyalty isn't a thing to that demographic. If the product was cool, and offered them something they wanted, they'd drive up demand and the "it" factor would return. Atari has chosen in part to live in the past and scrounge for the few dollars it can muster as a legacy brand. They made occasional swings to some new ventures, like mobile gaming, but never invested enough to fully make waves. Some of that was hamstrung by a string of poor decisions by past management groups, some was by selling IPs to make money and limiting their available products. 

 

The VCS was a swing for along these same lines: a basic PC architecture branded with a logo and identity gamers over 40 identify with and enjoy. Nothing was new or novel, and it never crossed over to a broader market. Why would it? Most rabid gamers already have a gaming PC, or an established console. New gamers aged 10 and up are seeking a specific game, like Minecraft or Fortnite or Pokémon, etc, that is offered by Sony or Nintendo, or optimized for PC gaming (ideally for a PC with specs higher than the VCS). There were no exclusive games nor a big marketing push for the VCS. That it could be modded and tweaked is nice, but that can be done elsewhere. 

 

All told, the games are key. Atari under Rosen seems to be pushing back towards game development, and I truly believe that is their best--and only--move to remain a viable corporation. If they nail that, really begin offering games with a market, then talk about consoles and modified gaming PCs under the Atari label. Until then, it will remain a niche brand with a niche audience. It's foolhardy to assume they could become anything other than that at this point. 

Edited by Atarick
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Kids in the age range of 10-20'ish give or take. And it matters huge 'cause that's a demographic (and parents) that'll be buying the stuff. The older +40 folks aren't gonna fart around with a console like that. They're going to get a current console and a PC. And perhaps dive into MAME and MiSTer and other more convenient methods of playing classic games.

 

Rebranding feels like lameness in that a company can't do anything of its own, except install restrictions or make changes that make making future changes a hassle. Just how locked-down is it? A rebranded PC is typically less versatile and partially closed off from doing too much. But a real brand-name or DIY rig is a "real PC" without limits.

 

When using an unnamed, branded, or DIY PC you're approaching the whole experience with a different mindset than what a re-brand creates. You're already in PC land. You're expecting a PC experience. And all the versatility that comes with it.

 

I know if I want to play Steam, doing it on a standard PC won't be an issue. And that means thousands of models and variants of hardware to pick from. No worries. It will work on them all.

 

As a gamer (and hardware enthusiast) over 40 I appreciate and reminisce about what Atari meant to us kids of the 70's and 80's. If atari is living in the past I'm not feeling it. That they're scrounging around, sure, that's quite evident by lack of enticing games like original Atari/Namco gave us in the late 70's to early 90's.

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Having said all that I would like to see atari make top quality controllers, with real bearings and microswitches and oleophobic materials. Some all modern-day. Some all 80's style. Make them for PC. Make them for other modern consoles.

 

Controllers a bigger thing than they're given credit for. When you hand a gamer a controller, you're handing them the game. And this first contact needs to go perfectly. Then they can get into whatever it is they're playing. The controller is everything. I spent days and weeks getting my X-Arcade controllers just right. And it sure pays off!

 

And like Activision did in the 80's, make games for other systems or perhaps PC. Activision was the first company to make 3rd party carts for the VCS back then. And they were monster hits. Even my technologically inept relatives made a big stink about it. It was that important. That ingrained in culture at the time.

 

I don't want to see the lame flat sickening pixel-art retrocrap classic wannabe stuffage. But cool new stuff. This new atari doesn't need to be involved with hardware beyond controllers and a delivery method for new games. Give us something to collect! Give us something to bring a sense of classic gaming's heyday into the room. Something not "VCS" - because those overtones and nods to history just aren't cut'n it.

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8 hours ago, Atarick said:

Until then, it will remain a niche brand with a niche audience.

To be honest, that's how I've always seen it.  I wanted an Atari computer to follow on from my old 8-bit and ST machines.  I wanted a PC compatible to run my favourite Linux distro with my own Atari theme tweaks, Atari emulators for the systems and games I enjoyed.  I wanted a modern Atari machine with a nod to nostalgia.  That's what I got and I love it for what it is.  The Atari OS side, the store, the games, even the classic controller are nice touches but ultimately unimportant to me.   So I'm more than happy with it as a niche machine, if/when Atari drops support, it will have zero impact on how I continue use it, I can support it myself into the future to do what I want.

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4 hours ago, THX-1138 said:

To be honest, that's how I've always seen it.  I wanted an Atari computer to follow on from my old 8-bit and ST machines.  I wanted a PC compatible to run my favourite Linux distro with my own Atari theme tweaks, Atari emulators for the systems and games I enjoyed.  I wanted a modern Atari machine with a nod to nostalgia.  That's what I got and I love it for what it is.  The Atari OS side, the store, the games, even the classic controller are nice touches but ultimately unimportant to me.   So I'm more than happy with it as a niche machine, if/when Atari drops support, it will have zero impact on how I continue use it, I can support it myself into the future to do what I want.

I mean... at least Stella works with the classic joystick, right?  I need to test that again, as well as the paddle function with an 8bit emulator.  Would be cool to see an Atari Linux Distribution.

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14 hours ago, leech said:

Ha, is there already more for the VCS than there were for the Jaguar?

Technically yes..   but a lot of the titles in the store are retro titles from 7800, DOS and 2600.   If you counted only modern titles I don't think it's reached the Jag level yet.

 

20 minutes ago, leech said:

I mean... at least Stella works with the classic joystick, right?  I need to test that again, as well as the paddle function with an 8bit emulator.  Would be cool to see an Atari Linux Distribution.

I would love to see a console-focused distribution like SteamOS or Batocera that removes the requirement to have a keyboard/mouse nearby

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3 hours ago, leech said:

I mean... at least Stella works with the classic joystick, right?  I need to test that again, as well as the paddle function with an 8bit emulator.  Would be cool to see an Atari Linux Distribution.

If you mean the VCS classic controller, I don't know - the novelty wore off quick and I realised I didn't like it.  It's been in the box it came in for months.   I have my own "Atari Linux Distribution"  ;-)

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18 minutes ago, THX-1138 said:

If you mean the VCS classic controller, I don't know - the novelty wore off quick and I realised I didn't like it.  It's been in the box it came in for months.   I have my own "Atari Linux Distribution"  ;-)

Yeah, I mean you can always get adapters for the DE-9 controllers, I have only used the VCS Classic controller a few times, but do feel there is a decent purpose for owning one for emulation purposes.

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On 4/25/2022 at 2:29 PM, jgkspsx said:

If the only thing that survived from the VCS was the classic controller, with support for all the modern consoles, I would be very happy with that outcome. As the Frank’s Red Hot slogan goes, I’d put that $&%! on everything.

Absolutely.   Release a pair of the new controllers with 20 classic games for Xbox, and as long it's priced right  I'd jump on it.  You could even release future games as DLC. 

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6 hours ago, leech said:

I mean... at least Stella works with the classic joystick, right?  I need to test that again, as well as the paddle function with an 8bit emulator.  Would be cool to see an Atari Linux Distribution.

Yes, the Classic works killer with Stella, just works when plugged in currently. Both in AtariOS and PC Mode or on PC or whatever.

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