Someone to blame (at Atari) and yell at!

[davpa]

Hey everyone!  It has been a hot minute since I was lurking in the forums.  Last time I was chatting (6-ish months ago?) I said I was working closely with Atari on a project or two.  Well, that got a little closer as I now work for Atari.  I am working on the Marketing and Development of the Atari VCS for the last 3 months.  What does this mean?  Well, I'm actively talking and arranging new Developers to put their games on the VCS, supporting current Developers with their current and new games being developed, and generally answering questions when I can.  I lead a team of QA testers for games in the VCS (which I have dubbed Team Gremlin), I just wish I was on that job before Tempest 4000 released.  I'm also the head mod at the VCS Discord.

 

So in an effort to be as transparent as possible, these are the places you can find and get a hold of me:

• AtariAge...duh.  I'll be honest, I'm not frequent here so this is not the best place to get a hold of me if you need something urgently.  I'll do better in being a presence.
• Discord.  I am the main Moderator over in the Official VCS Discord (https://discord.gg/atarivcs) and I'm @davpa#8687.  I occupy this space the most as it is part of my job.  Even before that I was in it all the time.
• Email.  Yeah, emails still exist and I still use it.  If you want to email me with anything more official, like you have a game you'd be interesting in having on the VCS, email me at david.paige@atari.com  I ask kindly not to troll me there, please.
• Facebook.  I'm popping in on the Atari VCS Supporters, Backers, Developers, and enthusiasts group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2513120825651652/) to update on news as much as I can.  I tend not to use Facebook anymore so I don't visit this section as much as I should, probably, but I'm there.

 

Ok, so there we go.  Now you have a face to blame when the VCS doesn't get your morning slippers for you or solves the World Peace problem.  I'll also do my best to visit here more regularly from now on with info I get and share it with everyone.  Sometimes things are in development so I have to see how something is going to pan out or need more information, so I usually wait to provide facts rather than just knee-jerk speculation or make believe thoughts.  I think we had a few years too many of that kind of action on these forms that I don't want to follow that example.

 

Most of all, I'm interesting in your opinions, negative or positive.  All I ask is that you be civil with negative opinions.  We can learn from our mistakes and what we can do better, but those learning opportunities are missed when it is presented with hostility.  I'm not the guy that gave you a wedgey in the 2nd grade or the guy that cut you off in traffic, so don't treat me that way.  Allow me the opportunity to find my own unique way to piss you off so you can hate me, that is all I ask!   

[T.A.P.]

I'd love it if there was a way I could look at the Atari VCS store from a web browser on my PC and purchase games that way too, like Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo do.

 

I missed out on the black Friday sale deals because I forgot to boot up my VCS, but I doubt I would have forgotten to check if I could have accessed the Atari store through my PC.

[joeatari1]

32 minutes ago, T.A.P. said:

I'd love it if there was a way I could look at the Atari VCS store from a web browser on my PC and purchase games that way too, like Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo do.

 

I missed out on the black Friday sale deals because I forgot to boot up my VCS, but I doubt I would have forgotten to check if I could have accessed the Atari store through my PC.

I 100% second this motion!  It should be integrated with the VCS Companion APP on your phone as an alternate tab.  Also the UI in the Companion App needs a refresh.  Some of the boxes to click are not visually friendly (the initial setup login).

[swingstate]

It's nice to see someone from Atari out and about promoting the Atari VCS. I hope there is more to come for the VCS. There's lots of changes or improvements they could make. Like for example that developer beta that was supposed to come to all users that was announced in the March update. Even though I'm not a fan of cryptocurrency, at least if that and the Sandbox game was added as well, it would show some sort of progress for the VCS. Rollercoaster Tycoon added and improvements to existing games like Tempest 4000.

[Atarick]

7 hours ago, joeatari1 said:

I 100% second this motion!  It should be integrated with the VCS Companion APP on your phone as an alternate tab.  Also the UI in the Companion App needs a refresh.  Some of the boxes to click are not visually friendly (the initial setup login).

Thanks davpa for being here and all the info. The VCS is a lot of fun and I feel still has huge potential for the brand. It was the first new piece of hardware the company had produced in nearly 25+ years, so it was bound to have hiccups and snags along the way. I would echo the sentiments about finding a way to bring more if Atari's "postmodern" catalogue to the VCS, like RC Tycoon, Pong Quest, etc. As game brands go, I also think they should explore an updated new standalone game for something like Crystal Castles or at least Bentley as a character. That would help throw a face to the company, and while trivial, my kids instantly know that Zelda and Mario=Nintendo, and Sonic=SEGA. Atari could benefit from a marketing piece like that. 

 

Also agree on the store- really cool start but love how I can log onto Steam or XBOX cloud remotely and buy items. I am no developer but seems like if nothing else it could open up further revenue for the company from more people. Look forward to your posts and content!

[THX-1138]

Just a quick reply to say I really appreciate you reaching out.  My main complaint is the apparent inability of Atari to sell the VCS outside the US.
 

[RollOut]

Hey Davpa. Thanks a lot for reaching out. It's great to see Atari pushing some continued support for the VCS. I'm happy to hear that you guys are on the job troubleshooting old issues, and securing new releases. 

 

On a side note, I'm officially removing you from my "guy who gave me a wedgey in the 2nd grade" suspect list. 

[SoCalAttorney]

I'll try to keep the criticism of Atari to a minimum as I have been very vocal. The first issue I'll mention is the impression that the Atari will not be supporting the VCS much longer. The permanent price drop, while welcomed, seems like an inventory dump when you consider that Atari won't ship outside the U.S. Limited games in the library is a problem that has plagued many Atari systems the 2600, include the VCS.

 

The Atari OS still feels unfinished. I still have this strange time jump from to time (7 hours) and I still need to switch to my cell phone as a hotspot to download from the VCS store.

 

I suspect there would be a demand for flash drives with Windows preinstalled or other operating systems.

[Flyindrew]

14 hours ago, SoCalAttorney said:

I'll try to keep the criticism of Atari to a minimum as I have been very vocal. The first issue I'll mention is the impression that the Atari will not be supporting the VCS much longer.

Spot on! The Atari VCS is a great machine with so much potential, yet, at times it is treated like the black sheep embarrassment of the family by Atari and its marketing department just ignoring its existence. Sorry if I seem a bit vocal in this regard, but I love this machine and really want to see it succeed.

 

Thanks Dave_PA for always being very kind, patient and available particularly on Discord when issues come up. 

[THX-1138]

18 hours ago, Flyindrew said:

The Atari VCS is a great machine with so much potential, yet, at times it is treated like the black sheep embarrassment of the family by Atari and its marketing department just ignoring its existence.

Agreed, it is a great machine and Atari have not done enough to promote it.  Failing to sell it outside the US is insane, the European market is where Atari made it's money in later years and there is a huge potential user and developer base.  The marketing has also been poor with comparisons to dedicated consoles and the flawed perceptions of it being underpowered and expensive.  They should have just sold it directly and via Amazon worldwide from day 1.

[mindarch]

Hey, this is great. I know many people talk down about the VCS and how it's a flop and they have already stopped supporting it. Good to see that's not true.

 

You mention development, and I have a question on that. When the VCS was first released, there was quite a bit of talk about how anyone could develop and get their game into the store. There were pages and articles on the main website about this.

 

Those seem to be gone and there isn't any good help and direction for those of us interested in developing a game to get on the VCS store. Is this still a thing and if so, can you point me to info on it?

[zzip]

1 hour ago, mindarch said:

Hey, this is great. I know many people talk down about the VCS and how it's a flop and they have already stopped supporting it. Good to see that's not true.

 

to be fair, this thing was rumored to be dead from the day it was announced back in 2017,  but the "Tommy" console was going to be the real deal.    My how the tables turned...

[phuzaxeman]

On 12/4/2022 at 6:42 PM, davpa said:

Hey everyone!  It has been a hot minute since I was lurking in the forums.  Last time I was chatting (6-ish months ago?) I said I was working closely with Atari on a project or two.  Well, that got a little closer as I now work for Atari.  I am working on the Marketing and Development of the Atari VCS for the last 3 months.  What does this mean?  Well, I'm actively talking and arranging new Developers to put their games on the VCS, supporting current Developers with their current and new games being developed, and generally answering questions when I can.  I lead a team of QA testers for games in the VCS (which I have dubbed Team Gremlin), I just wish I was on that job before Tempest 4000 released.  I'm also the head mod at the VCS Discord.

 

So in an effort to be as transparent as possible, these are the places you can find and get a hold of me:

• AtariAge...duh.  I'll be honest, I'm not frequent here so this is not the best place to get a hold of me if you need something urgently.  I'll do better in being a presence.
• Discord.  I am the main Moderator over in the Official VCS Discord (https://discord.gg/atarivcs) and I'm @davpa#8687.  I occupy this space the most as it is part of my job.  Even before that I was in it all the time.
• Email.  Yeah, emails still exist and I still use it.  If you want to email me with anything more official, like you have a game you'd be interesting in having on the VCS, email me at david.paige@atari.com  I ask kindly not to troll me there, please.
• Facebook.  I'm popping in on the Atari VCS Supporters, Backers, Developers, and enthusiasts group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2513120825651652/) to update on news as much as I can.  I tend not to use Facebook anymore so I don't visit this section as much as I should, probably, but I'm there.

 

Ok, so there we go.  Now you have a face to blame when the VCS doesn't get your morning slippers for you or solves the World Peace problem.  I'll also do my best to visit here more regularly from now on with info I get and share it with everyone.  Sometimes things are in development so I have to see how something is going to pan out or need more information, so I usually wait to provide facts rather than just knee-jerk speculation or make believe thoughts.  I think we had a few years too many of that kind of action on these forms that I don't want to follow that example.

 

Most of all, I'm interesting in your opinions, negative or positive.  All I ask is that you be civil with negative opinions.  We can learn from our mistakes and what we can do better, but those learning opportunities are missed when it is presented with hostility.  I'm not the guy that gave you a wedgey in the 2nd grade or the guy that cut you off in traffic, so don't treat me that way.  Allow me the opportunity to find my own unique way to piss you off so you can hate me, that is all I ask!   

Why is the VCS not a priority and other systems are receiving new games? 

 

Atari announced a new game yet VCS owners don't even have Atari 50.

[Atarick]

3 hours ago, phuzaxeman said:

Why is the VCS not a priority and other systems are receiving new games? 

 

Atari announced a new game yet VCS owners don't even have Atari 50.

I could buy the trickle of games six months in. Now? Come on. And not launching a major anniversary product on the flagship modern console, like it or not, for the brand? Whatever the circumstances, it's just a big, fat slap in the face. Just absurd.

[gespy]

19 hours ago, THX-1138 said:

Agreed, it is a great machine and Atari have not done enough to promote it.  Failing to sell it outside the US is insane, the European market is where Atari made it's money in later years and there is a huge potential user and developer base.  The marketing has also been poor with comparisons to dedicated consoles and the flawed perceptions of it being underpowered and expensive.  They should have just sold it directly and via Amazon worldwide from day 1.

Agree on this. In the Tramiel period, Europe was Atari's main market. The XL/XE and ST were quite successful here. Many of the buyers of back then, would probably buy a VCS now. It now seems that Atari no longer wants to put any energy into that and yust sells its current stock of VCS's in the US and then stops with the VCS.

[MrMaddog]

7 hours ago, gespy said:

Agree on this. In the Tramiel period, Europe was Atari's main market. The XL/XE and ST were quite successful here. Many of the buyers of back then, would probably buy a VCS now. It now seems that Atari no longer wants to put any energy into that and yust sells its current stock of VCS's in the US and then stops with the VCS.

 

Pretty Ironic since Atari SA is a French company...

 

Anyways if I did have a VCS I would have converted it to a Steam machine and still be able to play Atari's Recharged games.

 

AND Atari 50 Collection as well!

[davpa]

On 12/9/2022 at 6:45 PM, phuzaxeman said:

Why is the VCS not a priority and other systems are receiving new games? 

 

Atari announced a new game yet VCS owners don't even have Atari 50.

You mean like this?

 

I know it looks as if the VCS is not a priority, but all I can say that it is.  It is for me, that is for sure.  A few things happened with Atari 50 when it comes to the VCS, some of it we are still dealing with.

 

This is a new platform for Digital Eclipse (DE) to work with.  DE does a lot of great work across a lot of platforms, but this is the first time they are working with the VCS and the AtariOS.  Some things didn't go the way they thought it would.  I'm sure there was a little bit of hubris at work there too.  Oh, it is just Linux, no problem.  DE works with their own custom game engine and so they needed to do various porting to the VCS, like they do for all platforms.  When they want to port over to Switch or Xbox or whatever, they have pipelines and knowledge on how to do these connections to the platform.  They didn't have those for the VCS being the first time working with it.  What was hurt DE even more is the main engineer, their resident Linux guru, was removed from the project late in the game due to a major personal issue.  So all the work that was going to be done by this one guy was now no longer part of the plan, so that seriously delayed things.

 

This collection is the biggest thing the VCS has to date.  To be honest, the VCS was never designed to deal with this large of a size bundle.  We learned a lot of painful lessons during this.  The VCS, back in 2018/19, was designed for AA or Indie games, something on the smaller size when compared to a lot of AAA games.  The backend has had to have some major tweaks and greasing of the sides to squeeze Atari 50 through.  For example, I was having a hell of a time downloading the game onto my VCS.  No matter what I did, the VCS would time out and fail to install Atari 50.  It was driving me nuts.  My other testers were downloading the game but I couldn't.  For a time I thought so many wild things as to figure out what could be wrong.  Finally, after much trial and error, I found that the VCS hates my D-Link 8-port Ethernet Switch.  Something with that on my network caused the VCS to eventually time out and never complete the download.  Still not sure why that is.  We've kept running into oddball things like that that slowed us down in developing and testing Atari 50.  I've got a huge playbook for when people come back and say "hey, I can't download Atari 50."

 

So the good news is that after a lot of issues, the Atari 50 is soooo close to being sent out to the VCS.  I'm QA testing the hell out of it, even as I'm typing this now.  One or two things need to get fixed but it appears any large bugs are gone and it is a very smooth experience.  Does this make up for the fact that it didn't release with the rest of the consoles?  Hell no.  It f-ing sucks it didn't.  Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is happy about this.  This is not an "eh, it is just the VCS, who cares" feeling around Atari.  It has been really difficult.  Games get delayed all the time, sometimes things happen.  We thought about delaying all the platforms until we were able to release all of them at the same time, but ultimately that didn't win out.  We had obligations with partners to get Atari 50 released. As much as we wanted the VCS to be part of it we couldn't hold off the other platforms due to other obligations.

 

I'm sure you and a lot of people will dismiss what I say and believe that the VCS is a low priority or that this is a sign that the VCS is being phased out.  It is ok, I get it.  We've had a bumpy track record so far.  I'll just say that the VCS is not a low priority for me.  It is not a low priority for the people I work with.  Atari 50 and the VCS got a bad couple of breaks that didn't fall our way.  We are continuing on developing games and making new hardware accessories for the VCS which I hope will make it out of development and expand the use and functionality of the VCS.  I'm personally working on getting game developers to put new games on the VCS.  This month alone I've signed up 10 developers to put new games on the VCS.  Hopefully those will pan out.

 

I'll just close this with "Thank you for your patience while we get Atari 50 to the VCS."

[joeatari1]

33 minutes ago, davpa said:

You mean like this?

 

I know it looks as if the VCS is not a priority, but all I can say that it is.  It is for me, that is for sure.  A few things happened with Atari 50 when it comes to the VCS, some of it we are still dealing with.

 

This is a new platform for Digital Eclipse (DE) to work with.  DE does a lot of great work across a lot of platforms, but this is the first time they are working with the VCS and the AtariOS.  Some things didn't go the way they thought it would.  I'm sure there was a little bit of hubris at work there too.  Oh, it is just Linux, no problem.  DE works with their own custom game engine and so they needed to do various porting to the VCS, like they do for all platforms.  When they want to port over to Switch or Xbox or whatever, they have pipelines and knowledge on how to do these connections to the platform.  They didn't have those for the VCS being the first time working with it.  What was hurt DE even more is the main engineer, their resident Linux guru, was removed from the project late in the game due to a major personal issue.  So all the work that was going to be done by this one guy was now no longer part of the plan, so that seriously delayed things.

 

This collection is the biggest thing the VCS has to date.  To be honest, the VCS was never designed to deal with this large of a size bundle.  We learned a lot of painful lessons during this.  The VCS, back in 2018/19, was designed for AA or Indie games, something on the smaller size when compared to a lot of AAA games.  The backend has had to have some major tweaks and greasing of the sides to squeeze Atari 50 through.  For example, I was having a hell of a time downloading the game onto my VCS.  No matter what I did, the VCS would time out and fail to install Atari 50.  It was driving me nuts.  My other testers were downloading the game but I couldn't.  For a time I thought so many wild things as to figure out what could be wrong.  Finally, after much trial and error, I found that the VCS hates my D-Link 8-port Ethernet Switch.  Something with that on my network caused the VCS to eventually time out and never complete the download.  Still not sure why that is.  We've kept running into oddball things like that that slowed us down in developing and testing Atari 50.  I've got a huge playbook for when people come back and say "hey, I can't download Atari 50."

 

So the good news is that after a lot of issues, the Atari 50 is soooo close to being sent out to the VCS.  I'm QA testing the hell out of it, even as I'm typing this now.  One or two things need to get fixed but it appears any large bugs are gone and it is a very smooth experience.  Does this make up for the fact that it didn't release with the rest of the consoles?  Hell no.  It f-ing sucks it didn't.  Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is happy about this.  This is not an "eh, it is just the VCS, who cares" feeling around Atari.  It has been really difficult.  Games get delayed all the time, sometimes things happen.  We thought about delaying all the platforms until we were able to release all of them at the same time, but ultimately that didn't win out.  We had obligations with partners to get Atari 50 released. As much as we wanted the VCS to be part of it we couldn't hold off the other platforms due to other obligations.

 

I'm sure you and a lot of people will dismiss what I say and believe that the VCS is a low priority or that this is a sign that the VCS is being phased out.  It is ok, I get it.  We've had a bumpy track record so far.  I'll just say that the VCS is not a low priority for me.  It is not a low priority for the people I work with.  Atari 50 and the VCS got a bad couple of breaks that didn't fall our way.  We are continuing on developing games and making new hardware accessories for the VCS which I hope will make it out of development and expand the use and functionality of the VCS.  I'm personally working on getting game developers to put new games on the VCS.  This month alone I've signed up 10 developers to put new games on the VCS.  Hopefully those will pan out.

 

I'll just close this with "Thank you for your patience while we get Atari 50 to the VCS."

Thanks Dave!  We appreciate the update and hopefully things get a bit smoother for you and the team.  Keep up the good work.

[zzip]

On 12/10/2022 at 10:02 AM, MrMaddog said:

 

Pretty Ironic since Atari SA is a French company...

 

Anyways if I did have a VCS I would have converted it to a Steam machine and still be able to play Atari's Recharged games.

 

AND Atari 50 Collection as well!

I always wondered why Atari set up their own store instead of striking a deal with Valve to ship an Atari-themed version of Steam Big-Picture mode and curation system to highlight Atari's games in the store as well as games known to work well on VCS

 

It would be easy access to a huge game library without having to resort to dual boot setups.    Maybe Valve would'nt have gone along with it?

 

I know Atari gets a cut of sales in their store, but is it enough to offset the cost of running the store?

[zzip]

1 hour ago, davpa said:

So the good news is that after a lot of issues, the Atari 50 is soooo close to being sent out to the VCS.  I'm QA testing the hell out of it, even as I'm typing this now.  One or two things need to get fixed but it appears any large bugs are gone and it is a very smooth experience.

Good to hear!  I keep getting tempted to just buy Atari 50 on another platform,  but I really feel like it belongs on the VCS so I've been patient.

 

 

[phuzaxeman]

7 hours ago, davpa said:

You mean like this?

 

I know it looks as if the VCS is not a priority, but all I can say that it is.  It is for me, that is for sure.  A few things happened with Atari 50 when it comes to the VCS, some of it we are still dealing with.

 

This is a new platform for Digital Eclipse (DE) to work with.  DE does a lot of great work across a lot of platforms, but this is the first time they are working with the VCS and the AtariOS.  Some things didn't go the way they thought it would.  I'm sure there was a little bit of hubris at work there too.  Oh, it is just Linux, no problem.  DE works with their own custom game engine and so they needed to do various porting to the VCS, like they do for all platforms.  When they want to port over to Switch or Xbox or whatever, they have pipelines and knowledge on how to do these connections to the platform.  They didn't have those for the VCS being the first time working with it.  What was hurt DE even more is the main engineer, their resident Linux guru, was removed from the project late in the game due to a major personal issue.  So all the work that was going to be done by this one guy was now no longer part of the plan, so that seriously delayed things.

 

This collection is the biggest thing the VCS has to date.  To be honest, the VCS was never designed to deal with this large of a size bundle.  We learned a lot of painful lessons during this.  The VCS, back in 2018/19, was designed for AA or Indie games, something on the smaller size when compared to a lot of AAA games.  The backend has had to have some major tweaks and greasing of the sides to squeeze Atari 50 through.  For example, I was having a hell of a time downloading the game onto my VCS.  No matter what I did, the VCS would time out and fail to install Atari 50.  It was driving me nuts.  My other testers were downloading the game but I couldn't.  For a time I thought so many wild things as to figure out what could be wrong.  Finally, after much trial and error, I found that the VCS hates my D-Link 8-port Ethernet Switch.  Something with that on my network caused the VCS to eventually time out and never complete the download.  Still not sure why that is.  We've kept running into oddball things like that that slowed us down in developing and testing Atari 50.  I've got a huge playbook for when people come back and say "hey, I can't download Atari 50."

 

So the good news is that after a lot of issues, the Atari 50 is soooo close to being sent out to the VCS.  I'm QA testing the hell out of it, even as I'm typing this now.  One or two things need to get fixed but it appears any large bugs are gone and it is a very smooth experience.  Does this make up for the fact that it didn't release with the rest of the consoles?  Hell no.  It f-ing sucks it didn't.  Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is happy about this.  This is not an "eh, it is just the VCS, who cares" feeling around Atari.  It has been really difficult.  Games get delayed all the time, sometimes things happen.  We thought about delaying all the platforms until we were able to release all of them at the same time, but ultimately that didn't win out.  We had obligations with partners to get Atari 50 released. As much as we wanted the VCS to be part of it we couldn't hold off the other platforms due to other obligations.

 

I'm sure you and a lot of people will dismiss what I say and believe that the VCS is a low priority or that this is a sign that the VCS is being phased out.  It is ok, I get it.  We've had a bumpy track record so far.  I'll just say that the VCS is not a low priority for me.  It is not a low priority for the people I work with.  Atari 50 and the VCS got a bad couple of breaks that didn't fall our way.  We are continuing on developing games and making new hardware accessories for the VCS which I hope will make it out of development and expand the use and functionality of the VCS.  I'm personally working on getting game developers to put new games on the VCS.  This month alone I've signed up 10 developers to put new games on the VCS.  Hopefully those will pan out.

 

I'll just close this with "Thank you for your patience while we get Atari 50 to the VCS."

Thanks for the update.  It's good to know someone is on the lookout for the VCS.  

 

I hope Atari can learn from this situation.  

 

Hopefully, I don't play Atari 50 for the first time in 2023. 

[The Helper]

On 12/12/2022 at 10:22 AM, davpa said:

You mean like this?

 

I know it looks as if the VCS is not a priority, but all I can say that it is.  It is for me, that is for sure.  A few things happened with Atari 50 when it comes to the VCS, some of it we are still dealing with.

 

This is a new platform for Digital Eclipse (DE) to work with.  DE does a lot of great work across a lot of platforms, but this is the first time they are working with the VCS and the AtariOS.  Some things didn't go the way they thought it would.  I'm sure there was a little bit of hubris at work there too.  Oh, it is just Linux, no problem.  DE works with their own custom game engine and so they needed to do various porting to the VCS, like they do for all platforms.  When they want to port over to Switch or Xbox or whatever, they have pipelines and knowledge on how to do these connections to the platform.  They didn't have those for the VCS being the first time working with it.  What was hurt DE even more is the main engineer, their resident Linux guru, was removed from the project late in the game due to a major personal issue.  So all the work that was going to be done by this one guy was now no longer part of the plan, so that seriously delayed things.

 

This collection is the biggest thing the VCS has to date.  To be honest, the VCS was never designed to deal with this large of a size bundle.  We learned a lot of painful lessons during this.  The VCS, back in 2018/19, was designed for AA or Indie games, something on the smaller size when compared to a lot of AAA games.  The backend has had to have some major tweaks and greasing of the sides to squeeze Atari 50 through.  For example, I was having a hell of a time downloading the game onto my VCS.  No matter what I did, the VCS would time out and fail to install Atari 50.  It was driving me nuts.  My other testers were downloading the game but I couldn't.  For a time I thought so many wild things as to figure out what could be wrong.  Finally, after much trial and error, I found that the VCS hates my D-Link 8-port Ethernet Switch.  Something with that on my network caused the VCS to eventually time out and never complete the download.  Still not sure why that is.  We've kept running into oddball things like that that slowed us down in developing and testing Atari 50.  I've got a huge playbook for when people come back and say "hey, I can't download Atari 50."

 

So the good news is that after a lot of issues, the Atari 50 is soooo close to being sent out to the VCS.  I'm QA testing the hell out of it, even as I'm typing this now.  One or two things need to get fixed but it appears any large bugs are gone and it is a very smooth experience.  Does this make up for the fact that it didn't release with the rest of the consoles?  Hell no.  It f-ing sucks it didn't.  Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is happy about this.  This is not an "eh, it is just the VCS, who cares" feeling around Atari.  It has been really difficult.  Games get delayed all the time, sometimes things happen.  We thought about delaying all the platforms until we were able to release all of them at the same time, but ultimately that didn't win out.  We had obligations with partners to get Atari 50 released. As much as we wanted the VCS to be part of it we couldn't hold off the other platforms due to other obligations.

 

I'm sure you and a lot of people will dismiss what I say and believe that the VCS is a low priority or that this is a sign that the VCS is being phased out.  It is ok, I get it.  We've had a bumpy track record so far.  I'll just say that the VCS is not a low priority for me.  It is not a low priority for the people I work with.  Atari 50 and the VCS got a bad couple of breaks that didn't fall our way.  We are continuing on developing games and making new hardware accessories for the VCS which I hope will make it out of development and expand the use and functionality of the VCS.  I'm personally working on getting game developers to put new games on the VCS.  This month alone I've signed up 10 developers to put new games on the VCS.  Hopefully those will pan out.

 

I'll just close this with "Thank you for your patience while we get Atari 50 to the VCS."

 

Good enough for me.  Thanks for the Update!

[T.A.P.]

How long will the new Christmas Sale last?

[davpa]

BTW, I posted this in the Atari 50 thread, but the game/collection is hitting the VCS tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec 20) morning.

[davpa]

9 hours ago, T.A.P. said:

How long will the new Christmas Sale last?

to be honest, I don't know!  After Christmas but I wasn't told when we wanted to end it.  I'll update you when I find out.