Yet another new Atari VCS update...

I think the name recognition along with the nostalgia factor of the true authentic licensed old Atari games will drive a large part of it. Up to an hour ago reading this thread, I honest to god have never once even heard of Ouya. Atari is a name known worldwide which also has a ton of IP that while widely pirated is still Atari and that wide piracy of the old Atari games by itself also shows part of the value of the name and nostalgia it has. Combined with the retro looks, etc. I'm pretty sure it will not be a total flop.
 
I think the name recognition along with the nostalgia factor of the true authentic licensed old Atari games will drive a large part of it. Up to an hour ago reading this thread, I honest to god have never once even heard of Ouya. Atari is a name known worldwide which also has a ton of IP that while widely pirated is still Atari and that wide piracy of the old Atari games by itself also shows part of the value of the name and nostalgia it has. Combined with the retro looks, etc. I'm pretty sure it will not be a total flop.

If that is the case, why did Ouya have way more backers, raising way more money?

Again you are falling for the same trap as Ouya, despite not having heard of it. Maybe those who don't know the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them. ;)

This is a predicable flop, just like Ouya was (which I was saying even when most were wildly optimistic).

A handful of old nerds might by one because they remember the original VCS, but everyone else will just buy a $200-$300 Xbox or PS4. Less money, much better HW, more games, better games, etc...

And as far as those classic Atari games:

$20 on Xbox:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/a...ol-1/c3nd23hm1j1p?activetab=pivot:overviewtab
 
If that is the case, why did Ouya have way more backers, raising way more money?

Again you are falling for the same trap as Ouya, despite not having heard of it. Maybe those who don't know the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them. ;)

This is a predicable flop, just like Ouya was (which I was saying even when most were wildly optimistic).

The Ouya was designed to play Android games on the TV. That alone should tell you why it failed. It also has no comparison to the VCS, since the VCS is full x86 (Ryzen cores at that) and the Ouya was ARM. No comparison to the hardware.


So that's an extra $20 cost, and less than half the games Atari is including with the VCS. I don't see how this helps your argument against the value proposition.

Though, if you want to really compare, here is a NUC with a celeron processor (way slower than the Ryzen core in the VCS) at $265 with only 2GB of RAM
Now, if you want to compare something that will have similar power per core, the cheapest I could find is this HP, which will admittedly have vastly inferior graphics capabilities, at $449.

The VCS with its Ryzen core is going to blow away any Atom-based processor in performance (I'll take a dual core Ryzen over a quad-core Atom any day), and comes in over $150 cheaper than the cheapest Core-based Pentium system.

Duh, I can "build my own" that will be much more powerful than the VCS and only cost a bit more. I can say the same about any pre-built computer system from any manufacturer, yet Dell, HP, Lenovo, Puget Sound, Apple, CyberPC, et. al, appear to be selling plenty of computers to consumers.

I am having a hard time deciding if you are 1.) as dense as you are making yourself appear, 2.) filled with irrational hatred towards anything "Atari" or 3.) simply wanting to argue for arguments sake. I'm leaning towards the last option.
 
Right, they already released the Atari collection years ago on every platform (inducing PC).

Now, since this thing runs Linux, instead of Windows, it's going to be a higher learning curve for buyers. That means most will go with the consoles, or build their own for about the same price.

Thanks to this baby, the total cost for an similarly-equipped system to the 800 with Linux is $275, and you can even throw in a 256GB SSD for that price. You can't get that kind of speed or capacity on the shitty VCS.

https://www.amazon.com/ASRock-DESKM...t=&hvlocphy=9007849&hvtargid=pla-570092891905

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-NAND-250GB-SSD-WDS250G2B0B/dp/B073SBV3XX/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

The included 32GB emmc in the VCS is pathetic! And going this route also allows you upgrade your build to 2200g, for $30 more ($305 total build cost). That will give you a lot better lifetime out of your media/gaming pc, because the improved graphics and 4 cores mean better all-round experience. It's about twice the graphics performance!

This would have been a better offering if they had just made it a barebones for $150. By the time it's released next year, the Athlon 200GE is going to be severely outdated, and no way to upgrade it. You can build a more powerful system today for the same price as the 800!
 
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So that's an extra $20 cost, and less than half the games Atari is including with the VCS. I don't see how this helps your argument against the value proposition.
.

Here is a typical Xbox Bundle. You get an Xbox, Battlefield V, a controller, for $225 Add $40 for both Atari Flasback collections and you are up to $265.
https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-One-1TB-Console-Battlefield-Bundle/dp/B07GQGKZXK/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2RBO7S4A1072D&keywords=microsoft+xbox+one+s&qid=1560445316&s=gateway&sprefix=microsoft+xbox,aps,189&sr=8-4&th=1

The cheapest VCS with a controller is $300.

The Xbox does what this does for $35 less(plays 100 atari classics), plus you get BF5 (AAA game that would crush VCS), much better HW, much better game library, an HD Blu Ray player...

The Value proposition of the Xbox leaves VCS in the dust.

Exactly what is the market for something that is much worse, includes less, does less, and costs more?
 
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Here is a typical Xbox Bundle. You get an Xbox, Battlefield V, a controller, for $225 Add $40 for both Atari Flasback collections and you are up to $265.
https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-One-1TB-Console-Battlefield-Bundle/dp/B07GQGKZXK/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2RBO7S4A1072D&keywords=microsoft+xbox+one+s&qid=1560445316&s=gateway&sprefix=microsoft+xbox,aps,189&sr=8-4&th=1

The cheapest VCS with a controller is $300.

The Xbox does what this does for $35 less(plays 100 atari classics), plus you get BF5 (AAA game that would crush VCS), much better HW, much better game library, an HD Blu Ray player...

The Value proposition of the Xbox leaves VCS in the dust.

Exactly what is the market for something that is much worse, includes less, does less, and costs more?
Much worse? Does less? Will that Xbox run Excel? Gimp? You're looking at it wrong. The VCS is not a gaming console - it's a mini-pc. Because it is an open platform, it can and will do things that the Xbox cannot. Plus the Xbox is using a much older and lower performing CPU - Jaguar cores vs. Zen cores. More vastly weaker CPU cores does not make it inherently faster than fewer vastly more powerful CPU cores. The Xbox's only advantage is the closer to metal programming for Xbox developers, allowing it to perform better in games than a general purpose PC.

No one here is going to say the Atari VCS is the deal of the century, or even the deal of the year. But the assertion that it is vastly overpriced and a bad deal just is not based in any form of reality.
 
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Much worse? Does less? Will that Xbox run Excel? Gimp? You're looking at it wrong. The VCS is not a gaming console - it's a mini-pc. Because it is an open platform, it can and will do things that the Xbox cannot. Plus the Xbox is using a much older and lower performing CPU - Jaguar cores vs. Zen cores. More vastly weaker CPU cores does not make it inherently faster than fewer vastly more powerful CPU cores. The Xbox's only advantage is the closer to metal programming for Xbox developers, allowing it to perform better in games than a general purpose PC.

No one here is going to say the Atari VCS is the deal of the century, or even the deal of the year. But the assertion that it is vastly overpriced and a bad deal just is not based in any form of reality.

I feel the goal posts shifting.

Point out how VCS sucks as a console and it's portrayed as a PC. Point out how it sucks as a PC, and is portrayed as a console.

Truth is it sucks either way.

It's not because you could build it cheaper. It sucks because no one would build something that crappy to start with. Who in the hell is buying/building dual core PCs these days? At Minimum anyone looking for a PC should start with a Ryzen 3, 2200G.

As a console, sure it has 2 ryzen cores, but consoles have 8 jaguar cores and their software targets them specifically, but where it really falls apart is the GPU (you conveniently ignored). It's a 3 CU part. Vs 12 CUs for the basic Xbox (18 CUs on the PS4), that is 4 and 6 times more GPU power on the consoles. Try and find one triple-A game that runs better on VCS than it does on the consoles.
 
I feel the goal posts shifting.

Point out how VCS sucks as a console and it's portrayed as a PC. Point out how it sucks as a PC, and is portrayed as a console.

Truth is it sucks either way.

It's not because you could build it cheaper. It sucks because no one would build something that crappy to start with. Who in the hell is buying/building dual core PCs these days? At Minimum anyone looking for a PC should start with a Ryzen 3, 2200G.

As a console, sure it has 2 ryzen cores, but consoles have 8 jaguar cores and their software targets them specifically, but where it really falls apart is the GPU (you conveniently ignored). It's a 3 CU part. Vs 12 CUs for the basic Xbox (18 CUs on the PS4), that is 4 and 6 times more GPU power on the consoles. Try and find one triple-A game that runs better on VCS than it does on the consoles.
Shifting the goalposts? Now I know you just want to argue. I have always in this thread portrayed the VCS as a mini-PC with some nice extras, and defended the value proposition as such.
 
More good news...
https://www.digitaltrends.com/compu...C1wXtzLLm4FbveQVA74SSYVweDKNiKXJXFDxM9gr1R610

According to this reviewer it has at least the better of the two R1000 APU's (I'm not going to argue that a V1000 quad core would be even better yet - if it were at least a socketed processor it could be upgraded).
Review states that 101 games ship with it. Store available for other games. No details yet on streaming services agreements like Hulu, etc.
BIG plus - all units will have an M.2 slot available inside. (no mention if NVMe, SATA, or what flavors the slot will support).
"You can even upgrade the console’s RAM and storage space. Atari says both will be accessible by users. Most models will have free RAM slots, and all of them will have an empty M.2 hard drive. That’s good, because the console’s 32GB of built-in storage will go quickly."

Of course all specs are still subject to change prior to mass production and shipping start so everything is still somewhat up in the air. If they were to change the APU to the V1000 like the V1605B that would be sweet. A bit slower clock but turbo to 3.5, quad core, and 8CU. There are two others even higher but the TDP starts going way up and would probably require a good bit of re-engineering for power and cooling. The V1000 are pin and electrically compatible with the R1000 board designs. I doubt they would do that but it would probably lower the amount of disdain some have for the system.

If its HDR capabilities are well integrated with some of the streaming services that will be a big plus too. Annoying when something has HDR and your TV has it but some streaming service does not support it on your device.

I also see it as a nice little PC to hook to a TV. That it will also have the Atari OS and built in games, etc is great but if I can stick an M.2 SSD in and load Windows on it too, that makes it awesome for what my family would want.
 
And it was not advertised or marketed as something to compete with the latest high end consoles or PC's or to play the latest AAA games.... so yeah.
 
And it was not advertised or marketed as something to compete with the latest high end consoles or PC's or to play the latest AAA games.... so yeah.

Then, outside of half-assed nostalgia bait, what exactly is it supposed to be? As an emulation machine there are better, cheaper options. As a dedicated gaming box it’s woefully underpowered. As a dedicated streaming machine it’s too expensive. It feels like a product with no market.
 
It’s a pretty shit PC.
There's no pre-built mini-pc in it's price range that is any better - most of them are much worse.

More good news...

BIG plus - all units will have an M.2 slot available inside. (no mention if NVMe, SATA, or what flavors the slot will support).
"You can even upgrade the console’s RAM and storage space. Atari says both will be accessible by users. Most models will have free RAM slots, and all of them will have an empty M.2 hard drive. That’s good, because the console’s 32GB of built-in storage will go quickly."

This is very good indeed. With the extra internal storage, this will be much easier to install alt OS's and apps, could make this a versatile little box.

Of course all specs are still subject to change prior to mass production and shipping start so everything is still somewhat up in the air. If they were to change the APU to the V1000 like the V1605B that would be sweet. A bit slower clock but turbo to 3.5, quad core, and 8CU. There are two others even higher but the TDP starts going way up and would probably require a good bit of re-engineering for power and cooling. The V1000 are pin and electrically compatible with the R1000 board designs. I doubt they would do that but it would probably lower the amount of disdain some have for the system.
A lot of wishlists, but you start adding costs. I seriously doubt their planned initial production run is even 100,000 units, so any specification upgrade will significantly affect the BOM. Unless they plan on being like Sony and Microsoft by selling the hardware at a loss in anticipation of making it up in services and game sales, but Atari doesn't have enough alternative revenue streams for that.
 
There's no pre-built mini-pc in it's price range that is any better - most of them are much worse.

I don't get the obsession with pre-built. Especially on something as tinker oriented as a Linux PC that you will almost certainly have to open up and upgrade the weak 32GB storage.

The Asrock Deskmini opens up MUCH better APU options in the same price point. Or you can order them pre-built as well:
https://www.newegg.com/p/1VK-004R-0...&cm_re=asrock_a300-_-9SIA65C93P3050-_-Product

If you are fixated on pre-builts ECS has one coming with the choice of 2 and 4 core APUs:
http://www.ecsusa.com/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Overview/ZH-CN/系統/SF110-A320/LIVA

Like Ouya, I think the audience for this isn't much larger than the initial backer pool.
 
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Build your own box using a STX or thin-ITX motherboard, AMD 220G CPU, and 8GB Ram, with storage, case and power delivery. Throw in a LEGAL bundle of licensed games. Then come back and tell us how overpriced this is.

I see this product for what it actually is - a pretty neat pre-built compact PC with some extras. Looking at it that way, the price is very reasonable.

Initially I was skeptical, but yeah, $390 for a nice little Vega mini-PC and controller is actually pretty decent. Now I'm actually thinking about picking one of these up to replace my old 25w socket AM1 low-power machine (assuming I can load up plain old Ubuntu). The R1606/Vega chip offers much more power, full Linux support, and runs at essentially the same TDP as my old AM1 Kabini chip.
 
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Initially I was skeptical, but yeah, $390 for a nice little Vega mini-PC and controller is actually pretty decent. Now I'm actually thinking about picking one of these up to replace my old 15w socket AM1 low-power machine (assuming I can load up plain old Ubuntu). The R1606/Vega chip offers much more power, full Linux support, and runs at essentially the same TDP as my old AM1 Kabini chip.
You could prob get the same hardware without the word Atari on it for cheaper (which - what does that word mean anymore since now it's just an imposter that bought the rights to the name).

I can appreciate MixManSC's passion for this thing, it's cute no doubt, but to my mind it lacks a killer app -- even just a single amazing game that runs on it and nowhere else.
 
The "hipster" comment I personally dont much care for...from what I've seen I'm about as far from a "hipster" as it gets. My thoughts are a lot of those buying these are older and not the type who has a man bun, wears trendy outdoorsy clothes, etc. Hipster is the last thing I'd ever want to be associated with. I'm nearly 50 years old - can disassemble an entire engine and rebuild it, know how to drive a bulldozer, can weld, know how to use tools, etc. Not many "hipsters" I've seen appear to be capable of much more than trying to look pretty and fondling their vaping thing while they have a double crappy espresso at some overpriced coffee place. ;)

For me, I can afford it simply for the nostalgia factor and I can see it being useful as a HTPC in addition to its built in capabilities. After 20 years in IT and working on thousands of computers I really just have no interest in building a computer from scratch anymore and I have no interest in a PS2 or Xbox. This will blend in nice with the home theater system. (y)
 
The "hipster" comment I personally dont much care for...from what I've seen I'm about as far from a "hipster" as it gets. My thoughts are a lot of those buying these are older and not the type who has a man bun, wears trendy outdoorsy clothes, etc. Hipster is the last thing I'd ever want to be associated with. I'm nearly 50 years old - can disassemble an entire engine and rebuild it, know how to drive a bulldozer, can weld, know how to use tools, etc. Not many "hipsters" I've seen appear to be capable of much more than trying to look pretty and fondling their vaping thing while they have a double crappy espresso at some overpriced coffee place. ;)

For me, I can afford it simply for the nostalgia factor and I can see it being useful as a HTPC in addition to its built in capabilities. After 20 years in IT and working on thousands of computers I really just have no interest in building a computer from scratch anymore and I have no interest in a PS2 or Xbox. This will blend in nice with the home theater system. (y)

It's not to be taken literally, the point is people don't buy this for the value they buy it for the emotional charge. Maybe its just nostalgia from when they had one in the old days, maybe it's just a talking point for parties, maybe its about being retro and having a theme in your life like that, maybe its a prop to create conversation and talk about the good old days. The point is, its an emotional buy. It doesn't matter though, because that type of sale is a powerful sale, you can sell a lot of units on those types of emotional incentives. I view all these retro game consoles in exactly that light. Often the people purchasing it will try to justify it by saying it is good value or these vinyl records have some distinct sound signature that is sought after or whatever. But maybe the easier thing to do is just get in touch with your emotional drive and just say I bought it just because I wanted too! As soon as you start trying to rationalize it then, of course, other people are going to shoot holes in your rationale.
 
It's not to be taken literally, the point is people don't buy this for the value they buy it for the emotional charge. Maybe its just nostalgia from when they had one in the old days, maybe it's just a talking point for parties, maybe its about being retro and having a theme in your life like that, maybe its a prop to create conversation and talk about the good old days. The point is, its an emotional buy. It doesn't matter though, because that type of sale is a powerful sale, you can sell a lot of units on those types of emotional incentives. I view all these retro game consoles in exactly that light. Often the people purchasing it will try to justify it by saying it is good value or these vinyl records have some distinct sound signature that is sought after or whatever. But maybe the easier thing to do is just get in touch with your emotional drive and just say I bought it just because I wanted too! As soon as you start trying to rationalize it then, of course, other people are going to shoot holes in your rationale.

Thank you kind sir! I have been saying it's a poor value this entire thread, but I keep getting gunned down. It's not a good value! Lol!
 
Yes, but who would build this when for $30 more you can have the 2200G. That was my point.

Dual core is OVER.

It's not to be taken literally, the point is people don't buy this for the value they buy it for the emotional charge. Maybe its just nostalgia from when they had one in the old days, maybe it's just a talking point for parties, maybe its about being retro and having a theme in your life like that, maybe its a prop to create conversation and talk about the good old days. The point is, its an emotional buy.

Thank you kind sir! I have been saying it's a poor value this entire thread, but I keep getting gunned down. It's not a good value! Lol!

These lower TDP parts have always been overpriced, it's a very niche market outside of laptop parts. Like I said earlier in the thread: I have a little 25w AM1 system that I use for all of my retrogaming and I really like it. It was the first gen of ultra-low-power parts I've used that actually 'feel' smooth and usable, and the real Radeon iGPU/drivers made it perfect for old games.

I think the whole build including a nice little MountainMods Mini-ITX case and a game controller ran a little over $340. Not a good value, but its been nice to have a silent 25w machine in my projector room that can play my 1080p Blu Ray rips and run NES/SNES/N64 emulators and PC games up through stuff like Neverwinter Nights/Half Life/Thief/Homeworld. New ULP Ryzen+Vega parts with a decent case and controller and freebie retro game collection actually sounds pretty nifty. The ~$390 price point is definitely going to limit their market though.

I was born in '88 so it's not really a nostalgia thing for me. I do like the case.
 
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But maybe the easier thing to do is just get in touch with your emotional drive and just say I bought it just because I wanted too! As soon as you start trying to rationalize it then, of course, other people are going to shoot holes in your rationale.
People who "shoot holes" in other people's explanations for why they bought something after being asked are socially maladjusted...commonly known as being an asshole. It's already assumed that people buy things because they want them so no one expects that's the answer that will shut you up when you harass them over their buying choices. Trust that as soon as people understood that saying, "I bought this because I wanted it" would actually shut you up about the purchase that would be the first thing out of their mouth. The willingness to argue with you over their buying decision is only imagined by you.
 
I've missed on posting some of the updates Atari has put out but it is still in progress. They actually had a bunch of test units at CES a few weeks ago showing off the early build of the UI and some of the hardware, etc. They put out a new update today showing off some more refinements to the UI, updated main board, assembly jigs, etc at the factory.

https://medium.com/@atarivcs
Last I read on shipping I think was possibly starting in March or April if I remember right but the Chinese new year is going on right now along with the unfortunate coronavirus so hard telling if that will cause any delays. Hopefully not....

Regardless and as mentioned many times before the VCS is not intended as an Xbox or Playstation competitor nor a gaming desktop competitor. It will play plenty of games just fine but no not the latest and greatest stuff at 8K with every possible graphics enhancement feature enabled. I dont think that market is who this is for though. In my opinion it will be a fine living room pc / game console for streaming services, some light gaming, general PC uses, and playing/viewing local content, etc. that has some pretty cool visual appeal and of course for us older folks, a nice nostalgia factor. Add in the ability to drop an NVMe SSD in and upgrade the ram and it will be a reasonably capable little machine.
 
Regardless and as mentioned many times before the VCS is not intended as an Xbox or Playstation competitor
right

In my opinion it will be a fine living room pc / game console for streaming services,
ummm, why not just use a ps4 then??? How is it not a competitor lol

some light gaming
again ps4, or heck even an apple tv

general PC uses
Find me a market of people that do excel on their living room television

and playing/viewing local content
This market is completely, 100% gone.
 
Really not sure who the target market is for this. at that $400 pricetag, how do you push ps4, appletv, or nvidia shield aside and become what someone chooses to buy?
 
right


ummm, why not just use a ps4 then??? How is it not a competitor lol


again ps4, or heck even an apple tv


Find me a market of people that do excel on their living room television


This market is completely, 100% gone.

The PS4 is several years old. It would be close to the performance but older and not terribly attractive. If that is what you would prefer, buy one and enjoy it. Sure you can build a basic PC with somewhat better specs for less but many are not interested in building a PC.

Apple, not my thing.

Cmon, be realistic. You know I was not implying someone is going to work on a spreadsheet on their TV in the living room. We use our current pc (connected to the TV as well as the home theater) and use it regularly for basic web surfing, checking email, etc.

There is no shortage of people over 40, 50 (my age), years old, etc as well as plenty of younger, who have terabytes of music, videos, photos, etc that they enjoy from their PC. How is that market completely 100% gone????

Again, from what I've seen online is those who are most interested are not "gamers" or even geeks. Mostly those who are nostalgic and remember owning a 2600 and like the idea of a nice HTPC that can serve as a good solid streaming platform, play some nostalgic old games, use it as a PC for accessing their media library, etc. Sure it can play some much more modern games but not at max quality and well, there are other platforms that cater to that market and are better suited for "gamers" and well, even just those who are more into the latest and greatest tech.

What is most important though. If it's not for you, it's not for you. If someone likes something, good for them. Let them enjoy it if it makes them happy. I'm just sharing the news on the latest update on this. Some will appreciate it, some will not.
 
The PS4 is several years old. It would be close to the performance but older and not terribly attractive. If that is what you would prefer, buy one and enjoy it. Sure you can build a basic PC with somewhat better specs for less but many are not interested in building a PC.

Apple, not my thing.

Cmon, be realistic. You know I was not implying someone is going to work on a spreadsheet on their TV in the living room. We use our current pc (connected to the TV as well as the home theater) and use it regularly for basic web surfing, checking email, etc.

There is no shortage of people over 40, 50 (my age), years old, etc as well as plenty of younger, who have terabytes of music, videos, photos, etc that they enjoy from their PC. How is that market completely 100% gone????

Again, from what I've seen online is those who are most interested are not "gamers" or even geeks. Mostly those who are nostalgic and remember owning a 2600 and like the idea of a nice HTPC that can serve as a good solid streaming platform, play some nostalgic old games, use it as a PC for accessing their media library, etc. Sure it can play some much more modern games but not at max quality and well, there are other platforms that cater to that market and are better suited for "gamers" and well, even just those who are more into the latest and greatest tech.

What is most important though. If it's not for you, it's not for you. If someone likes something, good for them. Let them enjoy it if it makes them happy. I'm just sharing the news on the latest update on this. Some will appreciate it, some will not.

I would have preferred a dumb retro console unless there is option to download lots of games

Going thru Atari's blog posts in medium, looks like it comes with 100 built in Atari first party games in the Atari vault
Third party developers can sell their games in the store, but first they need to buy the console to be able to test their games
There is a streaming app. Biggest issue I have with app (other than having to pay subscription) is that it depends on broadband speed & latency. Doesn't look like a fun way to play the games

Today I have a windows htpc (dell Inspiron phenom 3 LE igp ), and generic $5 controller with $10 xpadder software, I can play emulated games for free

For example using free app in windows 10 store, I can play bundled games such as Berserk or space invaders
And using java/browser play other games such as Keystone Capers online

I would love to buy the VCS just for the classic controller but that used to break more often than D-pad based controllers & seeing the price at which Atari is selling the classic controllers, this could turn out to be a very expensive proposition
 
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The PS4 is several years old. It would be close to the performance but older and not terribly attractive. If that is what you would prefer, buy one and enjoy it. Sure you can build a basic PC with somewhat better specs for less but many are not interested in building a PC.

Pretty sure the PS4 will blow the doors of the VCS in gaming performance, and obviously in gaming library as well.

Again, from what I've seen online is those who are most interested are not "gamers" or even geeks. Mostly those who are nostalgic and remember owning a 2600 and like the idea of a nice HTPC that can serve as a good solid streaming platform, play some nostalgic old games, use it as a PC for accessing their media library, etc. Sure it can play some much more modern games but not at max quality and well, there are other platforms that cater to that market and are better suited for "gamers" and well, even just those who are more into the latest and greatest tech.

More important than what the interest is about, is the level of interest, and that seems even less than there was for the Ouya. We know how that turned out.

IMO, there is no question that this will fold. The only question is whether it will fold before or after delivering units to the initial backers.
 
Wouldn't this just be a form of console peasant but for pc? You are buying a use specific pre-built pc by a company that has very little experience in building them. Im creepin up on 40, grew up with an atari 2600 and then 7800 in the house. Would rather get a raspberri pi or odroid for emulation games, and I prefer to build my own pcs.

I guess what I am going at is what problem is this product solving that isnt already taken care of by small form factor pcs, consoles, nvidia shield, or a laptop etc.

As shown in the console world, it is your exclusives that will sell a system. Are they developing their own great games on this to make people want it? I tend to buy every console when they come out, guilty pleasure of mine it seems. Yet this does nothing to tempt me so maybe I am just missing something.

I dunno, atari games entertain me for a good half hour and then that is it. I mean it isnt like there is some engrossing story that can keep you hooked. This just seems underwhelming and with no one really talking about it, plus lack of info out there makes me think this will flop. I would like to see more things like this succeed but at least with the kids of my friends, many are already building their own pcs with their parents so i just don't see much love for this.

Yes you can install 'any os' in the sandbox mode, so now I gotta buy a windows license to play all my steam games? That adds to the cost of this.

And what about?

Watch your favorite web-based streaming videos and entertainment, and play games at up to 4K resolution and 60fps.*

Playing dig dug at that is not a thing to brag about lol
 
Operating System: Atari Custom Linux OS (Linux Kernel)
APU: AMD Raven Ridge 2
GPU: Ryzen
Storage: 32GB eMMC internal, unlimited external USB HD/stick, cloud (subscription required)
RAM:8GB DDR4 RAM (upgradable)

Well for sure gonna need more storage right off the bat, 32gb is laughable, 8gb ram gonna need more but not as laughable.
 
It's a hard sell for anyone but Atari fanatics. And even then I would suspect those kind of users would actually enjoy tinkering with building their own media PCs or setting up their on emulators. Heck you can buy smaller, more powerful, systems right now from HP \ Lenovo for less. Example
 
There is no shortage of people over 40, 50 (my age), years old, etc as well as plenty of younger, who have terabytes of music, videos, photos, etc that they enjoy from their PC.

Go to cedia this year and find me all the HTPC products on offer... oh yea, there haven't been any in years. That market is gone. I'm telling you.

This thing will flop, atari has no idea what the market wants.
 
It's basically just a generic PC/console with a layer of Atari aesthetics (case/software/peripherals) on top

Which, aesthetically, I think is pretty cool. $400 cool though? Nah. Won't hate on Atari fans that want one, but I don't think you're getting much for the money other than some hint of nostalgia mixed with modern, and maybe that's worth it to some. I can't see it being a sustainable product for any length of time outside of the backers, though.

This is just an opinion though, so I'm ready to be proven wrong, and at a discount I wouldn't hate having one :)
 
It's basically just a generic PC/console with a layer of Atari aesthetics (case/software/peripherals) on top

Which, aesthetically, I think is pretty cool. $400 cool though? Nah. Won't hate on Atari fans that want one, but I don't think you're getting much for the money other than some hint of nostalgia mixed with modern, and maybe that's worth it to some. I can't see it being a sustainable product for any length of time outside of the backers, though.

This is just an opinion though, so I'm ready to be proven wrong, and at a discount I wouldn't hate having one :)

I think with its specs $200 might get one on my shelf
 
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