The Linux-powered Atari VCS will accept pre-orders May 30th, shipping next year

At the end of the day, it will come down to how well their software gui et al function. If it works well then that's fine even as a under powered gaming box which we already know it's going to be. But have a terrible software configuration and it will fail like all the rest, they honestly needed to demo this unit off and the fact they haven't really raises questions.

As has been pointed out repeatedly, Atari cannot compete directly against Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, as Atari have very limited resources. So they must have a plan to hit an adequately sized sub-part of the console market cheaply. This plan has not been divulged yet, so presumably is either not fully-formed or needs to be kept secret for a while longer. So the current game is "guess the plan"!

Quoting: elmapulyou dont get the point, i dont know the number of transitors and i didnt specify if it as 2cm² or 2cm³ either.
the issue is, there is nothing that you can do in an small device that you cant do better on a bigger one, they could make something more powerfull but instead chose to make something compact.

Whatever you meant about the transistors... it seems pointless to me. The size of the device is only relevant to their goal. As long as it serves the purpose, it's good.

Quoting: elmapulthis thing is not what going to give us more triple A games, the multiplatform Triple A that we are missing from the current gen, so what is the point of this thing? an indie box for the price of an ps4? thanks but no, if i want to help linux i will spend those 200 U$D in games instead of this thing that contribute nothing to us.

A new PS4 is more expensive than $200. But the PS4 doesn't come with over 100 games, so buying the Atari VCS is a lot of fun out of the box, compared to the other popular consoles.

Quoting: elmapuldo you really think that atari can compete with sony, ms and nintendo?
with an smaller device launched in the midle of the generation?

Surely it can't compete at their level. But the purpose of business is not strictly competing with the top brands. Profit is also essential in business. So will this console make profit? I think it will, but the size of the profit depends on what Atari manages to pull off with the final product. So as long as there are happy Atari VCS owners and there's profit for the maker... isn't that a good thing? Not everything needs to be huge to be a lot of fun and successful. :)

Quoting: kneekooFrom what we know so far, the only selling point and true value is "the included Atari Vault" and the retro feeling of the console. Everything else can be done with another console or a PC.

Atari Vault is $10 on Steam, so that leaves the retro feeling.

Quoting: pucko

Quoting: kneekooFrom what we know so far, the only selling point and true value is "the included Atari Vault" and the retro feeling of the console. Everything else can be done with another console or a PC.

Atari Vault is $10 on Steam, so that leaves the retro feeling.

You are making the assumption that is the only titles they will have. I have the Atari Vault (bought on sale for $5(US), and it is about 15-20 old 2600 games and roughly the same number of Arcade games. There are so few details on the system, but I personally doubt they will get many sales, especially for $200, without including a lot more titles than just what is included in the Atari Vault.

As I and many other mentioned earlier, that same lack of actual information is the biggest problem with the system right now. If any real work or prototype was currently available there would likely be much more detailed information about the hardware and software specifications. This sounds more like vaporware.

Quoting: puckoAtari Vault is $10 on Steam, so that leaves the retro feeling.

Hmm... then Atari has to step up seriously. Even a 10 year old laptop can run the Atari Vault, so I hope their next announcement will bring something consistent to the table. And that can either be the hardware, or - in addition - some very attractive perspectives, whatever those might be. We'll find out on May 30th, but my excitement just flew out the window.

I don't even know why they decided to sell the console without any controller. Every package should have at least one, but apparently the $199 pre-order package will come without any. At least that's what we can understand from their announcement, unless it's not what they intended to communicate.

Quoting: stretch611You are making the assumption that is the only titles they will have. I have the Atari Vault (bought on sale for $5(US), and it is about 15-20 old 2600 games and roughly the same number of Arcade games.

The Atari Vault on Steam says this:

QuoteRelive the Golden Age of Gaming with 100 of the most popular iconic games from the 70’s and 80’s.

So it's been updated, I guess. Check it out, you might now have all 100 games in your collection.


Last edited by kneekoo on 3 May 2018 at 4:27 am UTC

Holding on to scepticim here. It'll be E3 before/around the time the campaign starts innit?!


Cheers
Charlie

Quoting: kneekooA new PS4 is more expensive than $200. But the PS4 doesn't come with over 100 games, so buying the Atari VCS is a lot of fun out of the box, compared to the other popular consoles.

200 is the pre-order price, it may cost even more in the final relase (otherwise why would anyone pre order)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/400020/Atari_Vault/
100 games for 10 dollars, that is how much those games worth nowadays.
for ps4
https://www.amazon.com/Atari-Vault-Online-Game-Code/dp/B01D93X3QW

ps4 out of any sale cost 280:
https://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-4-Slim-500GB-Console/dp/B01M0RU6LY/ref=sr_1_4?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1525326288&sr=1-4&keywords=playstation+4
now, just think what an regular consumer would think:
280 and you play all the multiplatform games from the current generation + ps4 exclusives.
or you can buy an used one for less, or wait for a sale, and the price comes
+10 dolars more and you play those atari classics

ps4 and xbox one are geting all the multiplatform games from the current gen, but you will bet your money on the atari box that no one knows nothing about... really?

i fooled my self with the steam machines, i lied to my self, i thought, ok, there is no many reasons to people to buy one, ok there is no actual advantage beside the fact that it as an superior system with bad ports that make it perform worses, but still maybe valve will do something to solve that?
fourtunatelly i didnt spent my money (i didnt had any anyway and it didnt even sold on my country.
i fooled my self once, i created false hope and will not do it again, and i recomend you to do the same.

the only people who care about this thing are us linux users, yet, this will change nothing, we will keep receiving the games that we are receiving, a few AAA and many indies, we will just waste money in hardware that could be better spent in software.

looks like companies have realzed that linux users think they are so smarth but dont they are so smarth as they think and are willing to spend money in wetever scam or piece of shit they throw at us because we are desperated to see linux grow.

do yourself a favor, stop lying to you self and creating false hope until they reveal the specs.
just think about it:
if instead of an console running linux, it were an console runing windows, would you care about it?
or an original OS?
there is any reason that you want this thing to be a sucess or think it will be despiste the fact that it run linux?

Atari dont have money to do dumping until their competition crash, they dont have money to make exclusives or subsidize support from thirdyparties to reduce their risk to loss money in case the console flop, nor to market it, nor to even make the hardware, hell they had to make an crowdfunding to make an game:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/01/23/rollercoaster-tycoon-seeks-crowdfunding-for-switch-version
they dont have 10.000 dollars to make/port an game.

just wake up!

we are being made of fools, and we cant see it because "it runs linux, of course it will be a sucess"

to be fair, i still have one hope.

samsung is trying to push hibrid phones that can act as computers, by supporting desktop apps on their phones.
google is bringing android apps to the chromebook and linux softwares.

those too are strong enough to compete with sony and microsoft.

if Atari made an partnership with Google, Samsung, Valve, AMD at least one of those, so they can make an console under the atari brand and earn most of the profit, then there is hope, they have the money, atari has an brand that can push some aditional sales.

still, its very unlikely that this will hapen for many reasons, first off, when you sell an console, you expect to see part of the profit from games sold, the more people to share the profits, the less revenue for each company, so those companies have no reason to associate thenselfs with an small one that cant bring much to the table, or to launch an platform that you can install the games using other stores or without even buying the console.
why would they do that?

Quoting: elmapuljust wake up!
we are being made of fools, and we cant see it because "it runs linux, of course it will be a sucess"

I think it's safe to assume you missed my previous post. As it stands, their announcement is seriously underwhelming. I might be worth for collectors and people who don't have any consoles or who want a modern mediocre PC, but to everyone else I fail to see what's worth pre-ordering.

I hope this turns out way better than what they announced, and I know it's just wishful thinking but at least it doesn't cost me anything. :P