Atari VCS has now been on the market for 3.5 Years. What are your thoughts?

[+swlovinist]

Just did a video to reflect about the Atari VCS on the market for 3.5 years.    I just missed the announcement that it will be on sale though Memorial Day.    Feel free to share your opinion about it.   Here are my thoughts in this video.

 

 

[stirrell]

It has far exceeded my expectations. To be honest I was buying it figuring it would be a nice little mini PC after games in the library failed to materialize. So I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of games in the store to date.

 

Also I am really impressed at how much of a neat experience the Classic controller is with the right game. Thrustlander is just a great title that feels made for the Classic controller.

 

Another big positive for the system is the ability to purchase homebrews. I no longer have my 7800 so it is the best way for me to check out homebrews. I hope there are more to come including Jaguar, 8bit, and ST games.

 

Also I realize that there are many indie developers to support on Steam and other places but the VCS community has highlighted some developers and allow them to talk with community. I enjoy seeing the back and forth between the developers and the players.

 

So, for me, I really like the VCS. I have gotten a ton of use out of it both with native games and games in PC mode.

 

 

[+Sauron]

It's been an interesting system for sure. I still spend time playing on it, yet haven't managed to boot it in PC mode as of yet, so I've been treating it more like a traditional console. On that end, I can't quite share the same amount of enthusiasm as expressed above. I'm more of the thought that it's been a mixed bag. The selection of games has steadily grown, and while I won't say it's a bad selection of games, it's not all that great either. Without wanting to offend many of the devs who have been supporting the system, I'll say that most games have been a bit "meh", with a few exceptions. And Atari's own games have been a bit in that range too. That said, the system still shows a lot of potential. Having the 2600 and 7800 homebrews has been great, but I also feel like Atari could certainly do a lot more on that front, as there are still tons of unreleased games for those systems as well as for the 5200, Lynx, and Jag that would all help fill out the library. Plus, it would be nice if Atari could reach out to some other companies that didn't have games on Atari hardware and really start making the VCS into a real retroconsole that branches outside of just the Atari realm. That would certainly attract some more attention to it.

 

There's still plenty of other nitpicks to be had outside of just the game library. The OS has definitely seen some improvement, but there are still plenty of stability issues and other things that detract from the overall experience. The interface could use some more tweaking, as it's proving to be quite cumbersome with a sizeable library. The system also seems to crash or hang more often than I'd like, and this is especially true if I'm watching videos of games on the store. And I d probably don't even need to mention the non-gaming "apps", which are a frustrating experience for anyone not using a keyboard and mouse.

 

Overall, I'd give the VCS a passing grade, but only barely (and I'm being generous here). It could be a much better experience with some more resources put towards it, as well as some more timely moves to expand the game library.

[Atari_JaguarVCS]

My thoughts are it's doing/done great for a small niche hybrid system that's locked down to being sold in the US only. It's great there's a constant supply of games coming out for it and more games always being submit to Atari for the system to. I'll continue to support and buy every game that gets released for it, it's served and continues to serve its purpose well for me as a games console and mini PC.

 

The only thing that has been bugging me lately is i keep hearing developers reaching out to Atari to make games for the system to never receive a reply back, and even developers submitting there games over for testing/approval to hear nothing back i think Atari need to hire more people or stop encouraging developers to make games for it.

[tripled79]

I love it. I wish it were more widely available. But it has exceeded my expectations. It's a shame that there are still a ton of gamers that don't even know it exists.

[Flyindrew]

Last 2 weeks on VCS

 

1.)Played Madness Beverage, new Haunted House, Circus Intersteller and Berzerk Recharged

2.)Used Xbox Game Pass to play Flight Simulator and Starfield

3.)Streamed a couple of shows on Paramount +

4.)Went online PC mode to order Mothers Day gifts

5.) Played Video Pinball, Warlords, Pac Man on Antstream and 7800 Frenzy homebrew

 

My point:The Atari VCS is the perfect combo of where yesterday meets today. While both the unit, and the concept are fantastic, the shortcomings of the system are its marketing and (sometimes) resolving glitches. It has the potential to be such a fantastic system, which is why its shortcomings can be so frustrating at times.

[RollOut]

On 5/17/2024 at 11:50 PM, Atari_JaguarVCS said:

The only thing that has been bugging me lately is i keep hearing developers reaching out to Atari to make games for the system to never receive a reply back, and even developers submitting there games over for testing/approval to hear nothing back i think Atari need to hire more people or stop encouraging developers to make games for it.

I agree that that could be an issue. In the past, one of the VCS' strong points was how easily indie developers could get their games on the console compared to working with Nintendo, Sony, etc. This easy avenue to make ports (combined of course with the fact that Atari OS is Linux based) made it a great platform to highlight many really talented small developers. Making sure the company is responsive and easy to work with should be a priority.

 

All that said, my experience has been very positive for all the reasons mentioned above. I also picked one up expecting to use it mostly as a gaming PC for my living room, because I thought official Atari support would be ending soon. Years and several awesome games later, the VCS is still my main gaming machine, and I love exploring it's growing library of fun indie, Atari homebrew, and legacy titles. Additionally, I have had a lot of fun using it as a gaming PC for titles on Steam and GOG. The VCS is the most fun I've had with a console in years, and I'm glad that Atari has exceed my (and so many others') expectations by continuing to support their niche but really awesome machine. 

[zzip]

I bought mine because I intended to mostly use PC mode to make a living room emulator console.   At the time, Atari wasn't really putting out anything impressive with games (It was before the Recharged series, Atari 50 and all that), so I didn't expect much from the Atari Store.  

 

The Atari Store has exceeded my expectation, there are some decent games available there.   So I use it as both an emulation console and Atari OS.   

[justclaws]

I'm very happy that I managed to get one of the first collectors editions, and threw my energy into helping
the community. I use my systems in native mode, and also as super slim PC's running Linux and Windows.

The saddest thing though, being English, living in Europe, is that the system was never released at retail
over here at all, just as it's been nearly impossible to get VCS merchandise or extra components here too.
I'd have loved to grab the dark wood model for completeness, as I have the original teak and onyx ones. 🙂

Ironically, it's seemed that the VCS online game store, despite being hosted in USA, has worked well here,
and I didn't have problems to buy games or download games or updates. The updates happily keep coming,
and that's something I am very impressed by, with Atari now investing to bring updates we never expected.

I say the system really deserves it's place in Atari history, and it will continue to grow support in the future.
Of course, not mainstream support, but Atari has been a niche platform since the 1980's, so no change there.

[justclaws]

The way Atari continue to support the VCS, and an indication ongoing commitment is this.

Via the Atari VCS console notification system, there is an update regarding support for Intellivision games...

News of May 24, 2024

To celebrate Intellivision joining the Atari tribe, here is a 2600 port... Dark Caverns: 2600. I know,
I know, not directly Intelllivision, but the VCS currently doesn't have an emulator for Intellivision

games. This will take some time, but it is our intention to bring Intellivision to the Atari VCS where

we can give a digital home to the Intellivision games and the Homebrew community. This will take
some time, so be patient with us.

 

This notice has nothing to do with the modern games developed for the Amico project, soon to be rebranded.
This announcement refers only to games for the original Mattel Intellivision!
 

[Gamemoose]

I haven't had my VCS 800 for all that long, but I've been pretty satisfied with the dual nature of this system.  Right now I'm primarily using it as my desktop PC and as a way to smoothly transition into using Ubuntu/Linux as my primary operating system.  While I could have installed Ubuntu (or any Linux distro) on one of my laptops (and I have tried), I always ran into some sort of hardware compatibility issue that I never had time to sit down and hammer out.  The VCS was a great option for me as it works with Linux right out of the box, either with what Atari provided or with whatever else you may throw at it.  I haven't gone too deep with it yet (like video editing or anything) but I do want to make it my daily driver for personal stuff.  I have also dabbled with Steam and so far what I have tried (Bastion) has worked extremely well.

 

As for the gaming side of the coin, I've enjoyed what I've played.  I wish I had more time to just sit at my desk and just play it rather than work on it, but that's life I guess.  While the interface could use some serious work, I've had a great time with what I've played so far.  Even though there are titles that are available on other platforms, the games just feel right on this system.  While I'd probably play Donut Dodo on my Steam Deck, I don't know if I want to.  Games like that along with what Atari provides feels like it should be played on a system made by Atari (yes, I'm channeling the commercials of old through my keyboard).  When time permits, I'll probably focus time on the gaming side of this little machine.

[JPF997]

Overall my thoughts on the system are :

 

Negatives : Never released outside of America so I've never been able to purchase one ( I refuse to buy it used on eBay or from scalpers on Amazon, I want to buy it from the official Atari store like everyone else )

 

Positives: Arguably the greatest Atari system ever made, the game library is fantastic, sure 99% of it can be played elsewhere but that doesn't diminish it's quality, the Atari 50 Collection, the Recharged games, the remakes and sequels of classic IP's (Qomp2, Haunted House, Food Fight Culinary Combat, Neo Sprint etc), new IP's like Kombinera and Mr Run and Jump, great Indies like BPM Boy and Donut Dodo, all great stuff.

 

The ability to turn it into a full blown PC is the  other major plus, sure it won't run the latest Triple A games but most   AA games and indie games will run on this machine just fine so for 300 bucks (and often much less than that since it's regularly discounted, unfortunately only in America) it's a great low budget PC, shame I'll probably never own one.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30 by JPF997

[Zonie]

Well, I just got mine today.

Packaging was nice.

No manuals, and the online one has more crap about FCC rules then the console, so it is useless. It should have a nice color manual. THis is an ATARI but feels like a cheap Chinese thing.

It has fans, and they are noisy. Didn't expect that.

It connected to my wifi but it kept scrolling back to the wrong choice, I finally got it to work.

I was able to pair the controllers

I was able to update the controllers

Now, I get "something went wrong, try again later" for the following:

• It does not work in guest user guest@atari.com (is this built in or is this a returned used unit?)
• I cannot create a new account, It never shows Icons
• I tried my atari account and it does nothing after entering my email address
• The game vault does nothing when you click on it
• It will not load the OS update
• WIth the PC dongle, it boots to Debian, then nothing works. I assume I need a mouse? Controllers don't move cursor, so stuck on language page.

The controller cables were packaged differently, like one maybe had been used? One was in a round hoop, the other folded back and forth. The velcro straps were nice.

Sucks that the power entry is NOT USBC. Everything on my desk is, my PC, My Mac, My ipad, My phone, My chargepad. Now I have another Power supply.

 

Not a good start. If I don't get this thing working with an hour of dicking around, it's going back. It should at least play the damn games with the controllers plugged in if nothing else.

[+Neon Wraith]

1 hour ago, Zonie said:

Now, I get "something went wrong, try again later" for the following:

• It does not work in guest user guest@atari.com (is this built in or is this a returned used unit?)
• I cannot create a new account, It never shows Icons
• I tried my atari account and it does nothing after entering my email address
• The game vault does nothing when you click on it
• It will not load the OS update
• WIth the PC dongle, it boots to Debian, then nothing works. I assume I need a mouse? Controllers don't move cursor, so stuck on language page.

For all of these issues, you will need to update the OS.  Unfortunately this has been the VCS' Achilles heel.  If you plug in the USB stick and a keyboard, you will be able to select an OS update or the Debian startup screen.  Select the OS update and it should update.  It will then probably go through a few more updates.  If you still have trouble, contact @davpa or @Ashlee - VCS Support for instructions on how to proceed.  You can ping them here or also on the VCS Discord HERE.

 

On a positive note, once you get it all updated and set up you should never have to do it again.  It really is fun once you get it going.  Good luck.

[Zonie]

1 hour ago, Neon Wraith said:

For all of these issues, you will need to update the OS.  Unfortunately this has been the VCS' Achilles heel.  If you plug in the USB stick and a keyboard, you will be able to select an OS update or the Debian startup screen.  Select the OS update and it should update.  It will then probably go through a few more updates.  If you still have trouble, contact @davpa or @Ashlee - VCS Support for instructions on how to proceed.  You can ping them here or also on the VCS Discord HERE.

 

On a positive note, once you get it all updated and set up you should never have to do it again.  It really is fun once you get it going.  Good luck.

Thanks, My point is It shouldn't take this amount of dicking around to get a new machine to work.

I went over to discord. That site is a mess.

Couldn't find the link to the file.

 

Found this one in another thread here. Is this the latest?

atari-flasher-ab-upgrade (Dec2023).img.gz

 

 

[+Neon Wraith]

25 minutes ago, Zonie said:

Thanks, My point is It shouldn't take this amount of dicking around to get a new machine to work.

I went over to discord. That site is a mess.

Couldn't find the link to the file.

 

Found this one in another thread here. Is this the latest?

atari-flasher-ab-upgrade (Dec2023).img.gz

 

 

I agree 100% that is should not take all this effort to get the VCS to work.  That is not the newest OS image.  Try going back to the Discord server and look under the Troubleshooting channel.  At the top of the screen, click on the "push pin".  That will bring up a few videos and a link to the latest file for download.  The latest OS image is March 2024.  That should get you up an running.  There will be another update next week too.

[Zonie]

11 hours ago, Neon Wraith said:

I agree 100% that is should not take all this effort to get the VCS to work.  That is not the newest OS image.  Try going back to the Discord server and look under the Troubleshooting channel.  At the top of the screen, click on the "push pin".  That will bring up a few videos and a link to the latest file for download.  The latest OS image is March 2024.  That should get you up an running.  There will be another update next week too.

Thanks!

[Zonie]

Got it updated and to work. What a pain.

The setup took me back to the beginning twice. Ughh.

The thing also gets stuck on the companion page. Had to power cycle.

It then went to the update page, then to login.

Do I have to type my email in every time?

This thing is not going to get a lot of use if I have to do this every time? Should just auotpopulate my user name and ask for the PIN.

Also realized I had to double click the joystick button.

Also, why does the controller work as a mouse only sometimes? I guess I need to get a mouse for this thing.

Also the fan speed goes up and down, a lot, just when idle. Is this normal? sounds like a dying computer fan.

 

Asteroids is arcade perfect. Might need to turn off the haptic if I can.

 

I think the same folks who created the HMI in my Mach-e wrote this. It sucks. No wonder it doesn't sell well.

I'm half thinking to return it and half to take it to the firing range.

 

Sorry for the negativity, This was a really frustrating experience.

Edited Saturday at 05:44 PM by Zonie

[PowerDubs]

Frustrates me to read posts like this.

 

I have bought 5 VCS...and never had an issue other than when the 3rd party store payment system had a problem.

 

Whatever caused these issues- if I am understanding correctly- was something changed by an outside party.

 

Hopefully the new OS updates coming in the next few weeks resolve all this mess.

[+Neon Wraith]

6 hours ago, Zonie said:

The thing also gets stuck on the companion page.

I don't know what you're trying to do here.  I assume using the Companion App on your phone?  I am not sure where it could be getting stuck though.

 

6 hours ago, Zonie said:

Do I have to type my email in every time?

You should not.  Are you again referring to the Companion App?  If you have created an account on the VCS then you should be able to get into Atari OS with just your controller.  If you are using the "guest" account, that could be your issue.  You can't even buy games in the "guest" account.  BTW your VCS account has nothing to do with your Atari online account.  They are two separate things.

 

6 hours ago, Zonie said:

Also, why does the controller work as a mouse only sometimes? I guess I need to get a mouse for this thing.

The controller is not usable as a mouse.  For any typing related needs I have one of THESE and it works pretty well.  If you are using PC Mode with the USB stick then I might get a larger, more comfortable keyboard.

 

6 hours ago, Zonie said:

Also the fan speed goes up and down, a lot, just when idle. Is this normal?

Yep.  That's pretty normal.  Sounds like a jet trying to take off.  There are a few things that you can do to "fix" it such as turning off Core Boost in the BIOS and replacing the silly thermal pad on the CPU with some real thermal paste.  I'm pretty used to the sound by now so I never bothered to change either one of those.

 

Ah, I just realized that with the companion app and controller issues you must be using this in PC mode with the Debian stick plugged in.  They are not designed for use with PC mode.  If you unplug the stick and reboot the machine it will boot into Atari OS for gaming.  You should be using a keyboard and mouse if in PC mode.

 

PM me with any more questions.

[Zonie]

Thanks for all that.

Not using in PC mode, but did it once and yeah needs a mouse.

The companion screen had no way that I could see to exit back to the main menu.

 

[zzip]

On 9/7/2024 at 1:40 PM, Zonie said:

Do I have to type my email in every time?

This thing is not going to get a lot of use if I have to do this every time? Should just auotpopulate my user name and ask for the PIN.

I only type a pin when I log in,  I think you can customize it so you don't even need to do that.     Also did you get the latest OS?  It fixed some of the oddities of the user interface in the past.

 

On 9/7/2024 at 1:40 PM, Zonie said:

Also the fan speed goes up and down, a lot, just when idle. Is this normal? sounds like a dying computer fan.

 

Yeah the default is the fan triggers pretty aggressively for short bursts.   I think this can be changed in the bios 

[polyex]

Ordered one over a week ago. Not shipped. Got an email saying there was something wrong but they would look into it. Have not heard back. Be wary ordering from Atari.com