Atari is working on its first console in more than 20 years

[R-T-B]

View attachment 124781
It's got a similar design, but it's doubtful to have the same internals. I like the look of it.

Why not? Xbox one presents as a generic bluetooth gamepad. It'd be cheaper to just use that controller with some custom theming.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Why not? Xbox one presents as a generic bluetooth gamepad. It'd be cheaper to just use that controller with some custom theming.

Good point.

I think their biggest challenge is that the nostalgia for the old 2600/VCS just isn't there anymore.

That's not true. The nostalgia has faded a bit, but there's still enough to justify the new VCS. Keep in mind, there will be MUCH more than just 2600/5200/7800 games for it. There will be some Jag/JagCD titles and it's rumored to get some Lynx titles along with all of the new stuff in development. Atari themselves have also stated that the VCS will also be able to run Windows 10, Linux and Android. Wondering how they're going to do that. Likely seperate bootable partitions in the onboard storage or perhaps bootable external storage.

 

[WhiteNoise]

@CJCerny

Speak for yourself lol I'm only 46 and had the 2600 when it released...I'm no old grumpy 50 something yet!

 

[Hotobu]

I think their biggest challenge is that the nostalgia for the old 2600/VCS just isn't there anymore. Those of us that grew up with them as kids are now in our 50's and have lots of other stuff to occupy our time, not to mention the fact that 2600/VCS games were so simple that they just can't hold your attention for more than a few minutes. If it was $29 and the form factor was a 2600/VCS joystick with a HDMI output and all the 2600/VCS titles released built in, I would buy one as a stocking stuffer.

If it is intending to compete with the Xbone and PSX with all new titles, they had better get going on the titles and hope for some lucky breaks, especially with indie developers. They haven't exactly been terribly clear about what you are supposed to be able to play on this box. It's a mess.

I have to agree with this. Currently retro may be "in", but that's purely asthetics. Atari 2600 games are WAY to simple to be taken seriously now. Even games with super simple (to practically non-existent) narratives like Sonic or Mega Man at least give the player a reason for playing, and they have levels. Many 2600 games are single screen top score based, and I seriously doubt many people care about that. Leaderboards are a thing, but not the main thing. As for Indie games, that's probably a pipe dream too because the Switch has that locked down. Lynx and Jaguar? Those were awful systems. I challenge anyone (without looking them up) to name 5 games between those systems that were commercially successful, worth playing now, or were the best version of a multi-console release. Everything about this sounds like Palm trying to re-release the Palm Pilot.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I have to agree with this. Currently retro may be "in", but that's purely aesthetics. Atari 2600 games are WAY to simple to be taken seriously now. Even games with super simple (to practically non-existent) narratives like Sonic or Mega Man at least give the player a reason for playing, and they have levels. Many 2600 games are single screen top score based, and I seriously doubt many people care about that. Leaderboards are a thing, but not the main thing. As for Indie games, that's probably a pipe dream too because the Switch has that locked down. Lynx and Jaguar? Those were awful systems. I challenge anyone (without looking them up) to name 5 games between those systems that were commercially successful, worth playing now, or were the best version of a multi-console release. Everything about this sounds like Palm trying to re-release the Palm Pilot.

Oh man, you need to take a closer look at the 2600 library. There are many a game that had surprising amounts of depth to them. Adventure, Frogger, River Raid, Pitfall, Stargate(the Defender clone, not the TV show) and I could go on with that list.

 

[silentbogo]

Oh man, you need to take a closer look at the 2600 library. There are many a game that had surprising amounts of depth to them. Adventure, Frogger, River Raid, Pitfall, Stargate(the Defender clone, not the TV show) and I could go on with that list.

It's not that Atari anymore, just the name. They don't even own the IP for most the games you've mentioned (only for "Adventure"), and even then the IP alone is of no use.
They don't have a dedicated game dev staff, and given last year's comical Tempest situation they can't even communicate with their subcontractors.

 

[Hotobu]

Oh man, you need to take a closer look at the 2600 library. There are many a game that had surprising amounts of depth to them. Adventure, Frogger, River Raid, Pitfall, Stargate(the Defender clone, not the TV show) and I could go on with that list.

...no, no I don't need to look, please stop. They're extremely shallow. I did forget to mention Pitfall as probably being one of the only games that could hold up, but the rest of those games wont hold the attention of anyone that didn't grow up with them for more than 10 minutes. They're all pretty terrible even by mid 90s standards. They have no music, and share the same pool of about a dozen sound effects. In adventure you-are-a-dot. Frogger is a single screen score based game. Some of the rest of those have scrolling screens at least though. Trying to hail 2600 games as being worthy of being played now is the equivalent telling anyone reading this to make their replies via manual typewriter and mail them. That sort of thing had it's place, but it's passe. Some things were only good for their time. Atari 2600 is one of those things.


There will be some outliers, but for the most part the only people who would be interested are people 45+. The amount of them that still game or would care to play 2600 games is likely extremely small. Still it's a moot point because I don't think they even own some of those anymore seeing as they ended up as practically being on life support from so many commercial failures.

 

[lexluthermiester]

It's not that Atari anymore, just the name.

And?

They don't even own the IP for most the games you've mentioned (only for "Adventure")

They have license for it them. Atari has managed to snag the distro rights for almost the entire 2600 library.

and even then the IP alone is of no use.

Oh please explain...

They don't have a dedicated game dev staff, and given last year's comical Tempest situation they can't even communicate with their subcontractors.

That is a nay-sayer argument that has little merit.

...no, no I don't need to look, please stop.

LOL!

but the rest of those games wont hold the attention of anyone that didn't grow up with them for more than 10 minutes.

Your opinion, impossible to objectively prove.

In adventure you-are-a-dot.

True, a dot that has to run around the map collecting items(you can only hold one at a time) to help find the Golden Chalice and return it to the Yellow Castle, all the while a bat flies around stealing any item it sees and on top of that there are three dragons running around trying to eat you. On top of that, all of the items are in different locations each time you play.

Frogger is a single screen score based game.

Single screen yes, however every level the traffic gets more challenging as does the river. It can get repetitive, but shallow?

Wait I thought you weren't going to take a look?

Trying to hail 2600 games as being worthy of being played now is the equivalent telling anyone reading this to make their replies via manual typewriter and mail them.

That analogy not only doesn't work, but also makes about as much sense as an oral bowel-movement.

That sort of thing had it's place, but it's passe. Some things were only good for their time. Atari 2600 is one of those things.

Technology snobs be snobbish.

There will be some outliers, but for the most part the only people who would be interested are people 45+. The amount of them that still game or would care to play 2600 games is likely extremely small. Still it's a moot point because I don't think they even own some of those anymore seeing as they ended up as practically being on life support from so many commercial failures.

Blah blah blah... Do you honestly think 2600 games are the only games included?

If you're going to render opinions on things like this, many you should do research first...

 

[advanced3]

Atari 2600 games are way to boring to base a system off. Even the Jaguar was garbage and had zero decent games. I recently installed a bunch of Atari ROMs and has soon as the nostalgia wore off ( about 10 minutes) I realized they're just not fun anymore.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Even the Jaguar was garbage and had zero decent games.

That's not true either. The Jag was far from my list of "Great Systems", but on all fairness it had some great titles. AVP, Iron Soldier series, Primal Rage and it had one of the better versions of Doom on any of the consoles and those just the one I've played.

Listen folks, you all are trying to argue a point that is pointless. If you don't like the system, DON'T buy it. Talking smack about it to people who are already interested comes of as little more than whiny trolling. Let it go.

 

[StrayKAT]

Eh, I don't care about nostalgia. I just think Atari has a great brand and could compete on modern terms if things aligned right. They've made massive mistakes over the years that never allowed them to capitalize on it, but the brand never died despite that. Whether that's consoles though, I don't know. I like the idea, but it's probably another mistake. They should just follow Sega's footsteps (software powerhouse). They've tried that too, but it could be better.

 

[advanced3]

I'm just as confused as Atari on what this actually is though. Its really an expensive niche product that I don't really see a need for. Didn't Steam Also try getting into consoles...didn't go to well, Oh and that other one there the Ouya.

I'll give you AVP as being the best game on the Jaguar, Doom I had played to death well before Jaguar so it didn't impress me as much.

 

[StrayKAT]

I'm just as confused as Atari on what this actually is though. Its really an expensive niche product that I don't really see a need for. Didn't Steam Also try getting into consoles...didn't go to well, Oh and that other one there the Ouya.

I'll give you AVP as being the best game on the Jaguar, Doom I had played to death well before Jaguar so it didn't impress me as much.

Well, to be fair, Valve are incompetent.

No, really. They've all but consigned themselves to two games and mostly identify as a merchant now. Actual software development is half-assed. They can barely be bothered to update their app, let alone build an operating system. And they've left some of their beloved game properties to rot in cliffhanger hell, and now mostly focus on microtransactions for CSGo and Dota. Maybe they thought the Linux community itself would step in and do all the work for their lazy asses, but that didn't happen.

I know nothing about Atari's development team. It could be just as bad, but simply "not knowing" about Atari gives them more of an advantage than what we know about Valve.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I'm just as confused as Atari

Atari is not confused.

Its really an expensive niche product that I don't really see a need for.

Then don't buy it. This situation is like the market for SBC's. If you have no use for one, buying one would make no sense.

Didn't Steam Also try getting into consoles...didn't go to well, Oh and that other one there the Ouya.

There's another company that once made playing cards for much of it's history, decided to get into video gaming and changed the world, they're called Nintendo. You were saying?

Doom I had played to death well before Jaguar so it didn't impress me as much.

Comparing Doom on PC to Doom on consoles is an unfair perspective. Of course the PC version is better. However in the console market, the Jag version of Doom is one of the better versions. Opinion on that varies from person to person, but it's generally well liked. Another thing to consider is that the VCS is going to be multi-OS compatible. You'll be able to install Windows 10, Linux, AndroidX86, etc, etc in addition to the software that the system itself runs. With the hardware they chose it's not going to be a slow performer.

 

[biffzinker]

The console is still on track for a late 2019/early 2020 release Techspot was told.

Pre-production motherboard

Atari has announced a partnership with Antstream Arcade to bring its collection of retro games to Atari’s upcoming console.
As per the agreement, Atari VCS gamers will have access to an enhanced version of the Antstream app at launch. Atari said it wants the app to debut with at least 50 Atari home and arcade titles as well as the full lineup of licensed retro classics from fan-favorite consoles like the Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, NeoGeo and Nintendo Entertainment System. This is in addition to the 100+ games that’ll be provided with each complimentary copy of Atari Vault that ships with every VCS.

Atari VCS to offer thousands of retro games via Antstream Arcade partnership

Atari's upcoming VCS is one of the more intriguing console launches on the horizon, partially because... well, we still don't know much about the platform or the...

www.techspot.com

 

[lexluthermiester]

The console is still on track for a late 2019/early 2020 release Techspot was told.

Pre-production motherboard
View attachment 132976

Atari VCS to offer thousands of retro games via Antstream Arcade partnership

Atari's upcoming VCS is one of the more intriguing console launches on the horizon, partially because... well, we still don't know much about the platform or the...

www.techspot.com

The ram must be on the other side.

 

[TheLostSwede]

The ram must be on the other side.

And also very far from the SoC if you follow the traces. Not sure why they'd want to do it like that.
At least it has an M.2 slot for an SSD and one for wireless. Assuming the OS will be on the eMMC (assuming that is eMMC), it looks like it will be user upgradable to a degree.
I'm curious what the chip in the top right corner is as well.
That is, if it ever launches... Glad I didn't put money on one when it was on Indiegogo.

 

[biffzinker]

The ram must be on the other side.

The RAM can be upgraded, no soldered on RAM? One or two SO-DIMM slots on the back of the board. Two slots would be a surprise but I'm going to guess there is only one slot available.

Wonder if 4 GB is on the board leaving the option for another 4 GB through a SO-DIMM slot for a maximum of 8 GB?

Copied the link from a prior post of mine.

 

[lexluthermiester]

The RAM can be upgraded, no soldered on RAM? One or two SO-DIMM slots on the back of the board. Two slots would be a surprise but I'm going to guess there is only one slot available.

Wonder if 4 GB is on the board leaving the option for another 4 GB through a SO-DIMM slot for a maximum of 8 GB?

Copied the link from a prior post of mine.

Right, forgot about that. Think I might get the 4GB version and upgrade it.

 

[Liquid Cool]

I'd be in the market for one of these, but I have reservations about this being tied to Antstream. I'm not a big fan of companies selling me something tied to a service that I have to purchase on a monthly basis. Maybe that is normal for people who own Playstation or Xbox consoles? I don't know. Although, it is something that you'd never catch me doing under any circumstances.

Click Here for Press Release about Antstream

I'm on the fence about this...

I had an Atari. I had all of the "old consoles" up until Sega Genesis. That was my last console I got rid of in 1994-5. Since then...I've used my pc for gaming. Nothing else.

I do like the looks of this device, it really bought back memories...but 280-400 for 50 old games?

I dunno. Again...on the fence. Really like it, but definitely on the fence.

Best,

Liquid Cool

 

[TheLostSwede]

Things are looking bad...

Game over: Atari VCS architect quits project, claims he hasn’t been paid for six months

Retro console a mess, may never launch, sources allege

www.theregister.co.uk

 

[las]

Things are looking bad...

Game over: Atari VCS architect quits project, claims he hasn’t been paid for six months

Retro console a mess, may never launch, sources allege

www.theregister.co.uk

LOL ..

 

[potato580+]

definetly added to wishlist, anyway what took so long, any upcoming news?
ky nevermind, i saw the bad news hmm..

 

[TheLostSwede]

This suggests things might not be terrible, but still...
Also sort of explains the memory slot placement.
The M.2 slot for SSDs is SATA only, not that it should matter too much, as it's still much faster than eMMC.

Atari VCS Plastics, Thermals, and Internals

A peek inside the engineering lab, factory, and the Atari VCS itself — along with some hints of what’s next.

medium.com

 

[silentbogo]

This suggests things might not be terrible, but still...

That's from Atari themselves. They are mainly using Medium to post marketing fluff instead of Indiegogo or social platforms.

Few things that bloggers and youtubers were concerned about, like PCB being non-functional, are very wrong and misleading, cause just the front side pic gives me hints as to where's what.
SoC VRM is on the backside (left edge, near feedback resistors), along with both RAM slots (to the right of SoC). On the front you can clearly see +5VSB, +3VSB and +1.2VDDR, along with something that might be a +1.8V rail for minor peripherals and SPI flash power. From my point of view everything is there and seems functional. Weird even for a prototype, but totally functional.
Also, some youtubers nagged about ASKPCB. What they don't understand, is that ASKPCB is not some small company that makes quick prototyping for cheap, it's currently one of the biggest PCB/electronics manufacturers for various brands, nearly on-par to Compal and Winstron. Something like "plz make a couple protos for our fake Atari" is out of their scope of operations.

Regardless, just like from the very start, I'm still on the pessimistic side of things. Just from the looks of things, fulfilling Indiegogo rewards will put them another few $m in the hole. Just BOM for the components definitely seems on the edge of $249 backer price.
Plus, they still have no software. In that same Medium fluff piece they still call a bare-metal console with no OS a "sandbox mode".