I use mine as a console and as mini-PC. I've had it for 3 years and still use it regularly. My experience has been quite good. There are a number of exclusive games: BPM Boy, Roasty Buds, several games from Metgan Games, End's Reach. Some of the 7800 games are exclusive outside of limited release cartridges for the original console.
I looked into it more, and you are correct. Two of those games you mentioned, BPM Boy and End's Reach are currently exclusive but will be released on Steam soon. Roasty Buds is a VCS exclusive that doesn't appear to have any plans for release anywhere else. My bad.
Yeah they wanted something like $450 initially, then it dropped to $350, then I guess it went all the way down to $80 I guess, and unless you crowd funded, you couldn't even buy one. I played one at a local games shop. It's an atari, and it doesn't even have USB-C (to keep costs down lol) A usb-c port is cheaper than a micro, they've must've a bulk pack of micro's. The Atari 50 release is only $20 and the games play better on modern controllers. I say this as a veteran gamer. I was born in 81, mom bought the Atari at the end of 83, in 86 before the NES was anywhere except NY, mom bought 130 + games from a swapmeat for $10. I became an Atari expert until 1988 when mom found a NES at a swap meat for $25 plus SMB/DH and capcoms 1943. I still have a heavy sixer 2600, and it works. I still have the majority of those shoebox games too, I was so bummed this atari was just a scam crowdfund.
One thing to note about the Retro controller is it has a twist functionality, but it's very cheaply implemented -- it's a motion sensor like that in a Wiimote not a rotary encoder. If you play Tempest or one of the other games with rotation, you can either physically spin the controller or even sit in an office chair and spin yourself with for the same effect. I have a personal story about the launch of this console. I preordered one of the dev kits hoping to make a game for it. I'm just a database integrations engineer professionally but I had put together a decent prototype of a puzzle game I called "Packet Factory" using Unity's game engine. In theory there was a packager to export a unity project available to get the game onto their store. I was pretty comfortable with making Linux and Macos exports, so I thought I'd try making my own video game for this console and wanted to use the "twist" mechanic of the retro controller to allow players to toss puzzle pieces across the room. I got the code working to allow players to flick an analog stick and send a piece flying, all I needed was to adapt my library to whatever the bit or analog stream coming off the controller. Once I actually got the dev kit, and plugged the controller in, I could not see any rotational data. Tried all sorts of ways to read the controller's data directly on windows and linux, and nothing would show rotational data. The twist function of the retro controller only works when the console is "Atari" mode and their store. I spoke with a sales rep at the company (Before launch if you even had a hint of a game ready to go, they'd talk to you) and got access to their documentation. Nothing on how to read the rotational data. I ended up disassembling the unit and near as I can tell it uses some kind of side channel communication to read the motion data. Once I had it disassembled, I found a cheap motion sensor embedded in the top of the joystick handle. Those kinds of motion sensors are horrible to work with for precise rotation. They're always fiddly and never quite feel right (See most Wii games where you have to twist something. ) Anyway, I eventually abandoned the game for other reasons. You can see on my channel a couple of gameplay prototype videos. I still have the VCS machine itself. It's a decent windows machine, mediocre linux machine unless you are good at recompiling the kernel. Anyway, cheers. Thanks for posting this video.
I remember that the Intellivision Amico was announced at roughly the same timeframe and it wasn't received with the same skepticism as this, probably because they didn't go with crowdfunding at first. But is crazy how this released and got supported by Atari while the Amico pretty much crashed and burned.
@@marcelosoares7148 Atari received more skepticism probably due to many of their past decisions that let many of their fans down. However, they still have a sizable fanbase willing to give them one last chance. I'll say that I've been pleased so far with it and I had to do a few service tickets to resolve an issue with their VCS game store or answer a question. They responded and took care of them.
No proof, no references - it's been years - but: Even crazier is the AtariBox was a scam when it started and Amico was not. When it overperformed in crowdfunding, Atari realised they might just have something, and cut ties with the guy in charge of the 'Box (and were sued by him for stealing his project - I think he was licensed to make branded product but not an employee, it was weird. He was also well known as a scammer and had done at least 3 previous involving Atari.) On the Amico side, Tallarico just didn't know how to run a company and when COVID happened he drove them deep into debt they had no realistic was of escaping - but he kept pretending everything was OK and the console was coming any day now until it became more than obvious it wasn't.
Stick with a Linux-based OS and games will perform better. Windows eats up resources. If a game has a Windows version and not a Linux version, use a wrapper to run it. That works better these days than I expected.
To me, Atari VCS is a step up from a classic mini consoles of 2016-2020, it’s meant for older people who grew up and fondly remember Atari. Hardcore gamers and kids are more likely to get something like the PS5 than an Atari.
Some people may not have heard about this, but back in the 1940s there was a device called the cathode-ray tube amusement device. It was not considered a game system and remained a prototype, but it could play games. If a company were to bring it back, it would be interesting. The controls were mainly buttons on a screen, and maybe today it might even be considered a game system. The Magnavox Odyssey, from what I heard, paved the way for future game systems and inspired other companies to develop their own consoles, such as Atari's Pong and later the Atari 2600.
The VCS is the only way to play Atari50, recharged series, Asteroids v claw, Basket Boom etc. with spinner control. My VCS was a hit over the holidays thanks to two-player paddle games.
Are you kidding? I just brought the switch version to my sister's over christmas. The kids and the adults played those games all day long, even though little jonny had a brand new ps5 game. Anyway, the VCS was just scam crowd fund, but at least it does work out of the box, and the games are owned not streamed until the server shuts down like the Switch retro's. Otherwise, you can build thing out of a raspberry pi in about an hour, and well Atari Rom code is everywhere.
I think the worst thing about those controllers are the notch they put inside the usb connection effectively making these proprietary connectors unless you like modifying USB cables.
I meant to comment on this but I forgot. I do think it's silly that they make you use the cords that it comes with. If you're buying the unit, Atari's getting money anyway. Why must they force you to use their own cords? Lol.
@@talon12020 I have several of their Switch Pro controllers as they are very cost effective, and work well even with my PCs running STEAM for Linux, but yeah that notch cut out is annoying AF, and makes them harder to connect than it should be. it really should have just been a USB C to A cable.
@@pojr Old corporate practices die hard. Atari still has their 80's corporate handbook obviously. It's an old relic of the days when the 6502 was in every home in some for or another. The VCS like the original apple II was built with off the shelf parts. Early hobbyists would just buy the parts and build the machines at home for about an 80% discount. My uncle built a pong console and later updated it to a VCS for his little brothers and sisters in 1981. We called it Grandma's wacky atari. It was a circuit board and an edge connector mounted on a piece of throwaway 70's plastic packaging. My aunt Judy still has that thing, and it works.
The PC mode and RAM upgrading is scary. Had to disable EMMC (maybe temporarily) so that Windows 10 doesn't try to install it onto the EMMC. I tried DDR4-3200 and could only get it to run at DDR4-2400. Still, with a 512 GB SATA SSD and 32GB of RAM, the thing is very capable Windows 10 box that's small. It runs emulations really well in Windows 10. Have you played Atari today? I successfully ran (probably a lighter) PlayStation 3 game... ON ATARI! Many of my Steam games run on it as well at 1080p. I ripped out the antennas by accident (had to take out the module and reattached them successfully). The controller in Bluetooth doesn't have RT and LT in Windows, but it does wired in Xbox 360 emulation mode. It's an embedded Ryzen 1600G series CPU with an integrated Radeon APU. It's a nice mini PC that wouldn't look out of place in an entertainment center. They should have marketed it as an Atari computer. It's a great toy computer if you can get it set up. I hope they make a new revision with better RAM handling, the RAM having a door on the bottom of the device, M.2 PCIe SSD support, and a better BIOS password.
You could also develop games for it if you have a knack for it. There is no separate dev kit for it (there are instruction on atari website how to get into dev mode). Also, as a pc, it is compatible with windows 11 and you could have up to 32 gb of ram. Add a decent sized SSD, you got yourself a pretty decent PC.
They just had a Christmas special for the "all in one" for about a hundred bucks. (Bought two) I added 32gb RAM, a 1tb SSD M.2 and they are fantastic for emulation! Both have Windows 11 and all but the most heavy laden games. So you have a Windows/Linux lower end PC for a hundred bucks? A steal!!
Also snagged one at the Walmart price. Even Atari's own store had it at a reasonable $100 before the Walmart deal popped up. First time I played Tempest with rotary controller, so that was a nice find. I am also testing out Batocera and Bazzite on mine with upgraded SSD and RAM.
I got one for Black Friday too. The Atari mode is fun, and the controllers are... well, they work pretty good. If you didn't notice, the joystick is a spinner too for paddle games. I spent an extra $50 or so and put in 16g RAM and a 512g SSD. If you upgrade the RAM go into the BIOS and up your VRAM split to 4g (it can't push more than that realistically) . I'm running Ubuntu and installed Steam to get a cheap little box that's far ahead of my old desktop potato. So, in a nutshell, I spent around $150 all told to play American Trucking Simulator. Still need to replace the thermal pad with some proper paste - it has heat issues out of the box. Actually watching this video on a VCS, it's my daily driver now.
Not a bad market strategy. They just forgot that GenX is the flea market generation. when we wanted new stuff as kids, we hit the yard sales and swap meets. New in Box stuff was for the rich kids. The initial price for the VCS was what killed it as far as mainstream appeal goes. It bummed me out, I was hoping atari was going to make a comeback what with the last eight or so years of AAA re-skins.
I've been really wanting to buy one of these lately. I do not play games on my PC anymore, and just want a device that is dedicated to just gaming, and since I don't want to give my money to Sony, MS, or Nintendo, I think the VCS is what I will look into. If the VCS gets games that are made by Nightdive, then it's a done deal.
I remember the Atari Box getting a bad rap back when it was first being made, but i was so delighting to see it wasn't like the Coleco Cameleon. I'd imagine it would work well for people who are looking for something like this or even running Windows or Steam OS on it for even more game support. Kinda tempting tbh, great work Pojr!
This isn't Atari's first console in 30 years. The company that is selling it doesn't go back that far. Atari went out of business at the end of the 90's. This company has no connection to that one. Acquiring the name 30 years later doesn't make you same company.
It may not be for everybody so people need to decide for themselves. It's unfortunite that one of the later updates made it impossible to do initial updates on new consoles without having to go thru the trouble to flash the drive. It caused a lot of disappointment and frustration. I bought mine before all that back in 21 so I never had any problems and still don't. Hopefully the newest update slayed that dragon for new owners. I also expanded the ram and memory so it can do a better job of playing newer Steam games like Wreckfest, Pinball FX3 and FX, Halo games (and Infinite), and Hotwheels Unleashed. Those are a few of my favorites. Depending on the game and preferences, you might have to adjust the graphics, but most games I like still run and play ok to me. I like it because it's a hybrid console/PC. Sort of reminds me of the classic Atari computers that most people used for games. It's flexible because you can set up the pc side any way you want. I have Windows 10 (it can do 11) so I use it as a handy living room PC/game machine for my big screen that I keep connected all the time. I use the PC side for other things too and occasional work. I have Windows on one external SSD and Batocera on another and just swap them out. It depends on what you want it for and have the patience to set it up like you want.
Honestly, I was genuinely interested in the idea of it being a PC that can be played like a console, and I could actually see that, if nothing else, that part of it could actually make it worth a spot under the TV. ...Then the Steam Deck got announced.
I got mine about 1 1/2 years ago and I had the one hat I had to flash the new update on. But after that, it has performed solidly and I've enjoyed it very much.
I've had mind since close to launch. I mostly used it as a windows pc for my TV. I've since retired it but I still keep the VCS out on a shelf for display. I like the looks of it.
I bought one of these on sale too... but I haven't gotten around to opening it yet. I did buy RAM (32GB) and a 512GB M.2 SSD to upgrade it. You didn't really mention the PC mode where you can run Linux or Windows... or any other OS that runs on x86 hardware.
If it had some really good exclusive games and maybe had some bespoke controller options like trackballs and stuff it could be worth while. It needs to have stuff that you can't do on a P.C with Steam.
Honestly, for a mid-range PC, the VCS is decent enough. And well, I understand the initial skepticism, not for the emulation stuff, but because of their mishaps. Like that fundraising for investors (not the campaign on indie gogo), their mishandle of the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise. But at least it got a happy ending, and Atari got their stuff together with some good studio aquisitions, like Nightdive Studios and Digital Eclipse
I think the price of the VCS at launch should have been the price of the 2600+ if not less at launch since it seems to be just a low-end console with like low-end games you get on a digital storefront, either that or just make that console capable of run AAA games from big publishers for the $400 price tag.
I figured it was related to the VCS. It doesn't seem like an overly powerful game, so I'm surprised the VCS would have trouble with it. But I'm not a programming expert.
Same on the switch. 720P mode fixes that on the VCS. I just leave my VCS in that mode for an extra performance boost in most games, and it still looks fine for these types of games.
Great content, as always! Just a quick off-topic question: I have a SafePal wallet with USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). How can I transfer them to Binance?
The VCS is basically a Linux-powered PC with a very cool form factor. Based on Atari SA financial statements, the VCS sold reasonable well during the first 1-2 years but then the sales dried up. For the rest, it's very difficult to have 3rd party devs to make games on a new console.
Anyone who dismissed it thinking it was just an emulation box obviously was incapable of reading or comprehension. It's a PC, just a regular AMD mini PC - and that's what I bought mine for, to run Linux and be a modern home PC like the ST and 8-bit machines were before. The flip side of it is out of the box it's got a console style OS and experience, for original and new games and 3rd party indie stuff.
Thank you for telling me about Donut Dodo and how much it cost on the Switch eShop during the Christmas sale. I was able to get the game for free with my $2 worth of gold coins after buying Dragon Quest III, Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario & Luigi Brothership, and Ys X.
Well the APU they use is the Embedded R1606G (comparable to the Ryzen 3 3200U) so it's really not a powerful chip which is it's Achilles heel as a console. Still for $80 you can at least say you got your moneys worth out of it. When they shutdown their stores servers you can just turn it into either a Batocera or SteamOS Box (via Bazzite). Then you play older AAA, indie games, or emulate the old consoles.
Is there a way to upgrade the internal storage for the unit? 32GB is fine for Atari stuff, but if you want to run Windows or Retro Arch, you are going to want more storage. Also $200 for a retro gaming machine that looks like the 2600 is a nice piece to have in the living room.
Paid $100 with modern and classic controllers during Black Friday. Installed 32GB Ram and 2TB SSD(roms and all the other theme stuff that goes with emulation).
I have this, and use it as my daily driver. Installed an SSD, and run Fedora. If you're a Linux user, this computer is awesome! Personally I was unimpressed with the bundled games and GUI, however the family loved it for the holiday last year so I guess it did what it was designed to do! 😂 I never was compelled to purchase games from their online store, and honestly haven't revisited it since jumping into PC mode. The joysticks are really awesome, but only really applicable to Atari games. The console is a sexy piece of hardware, and it does attract comments when people see it on my desk. I wouldn't spend a lot of money on it, but would never hesitate to grab it for under $125.
There's no jail brake. Just boot it with USB stick containing any OS you like. It's a PC disguised as a gaming machine that happens to play over 150 recently developed games.
honestly I wish games were more simple like they used to be , back when games gave you joy and you had fun playing them , but on the other side of that ATARI as s current company needs to make new games or at least put more modern games they've published on the console for example the Transformers Armada game for Ps2 that was published by ATARI.
I am not sure I still fully understand. So does this thing play computer games? As in if I don't own a computer, I could get VCS, buy a game for a computer, and play it on this?
Yes and no... Yes, in that you can run the console in PC mode with either Linux or Windows (although you need to provide your own OS license), then install Steam and use it as normal, although it may not play newer cutting-edge games well due to slightly older hardware. But also No, because PC mode requires a bit of tinkering, and also games that you buy in a store will either be Steam keys which require PC mode, or physical media, which the device doesn't support (unless you maybe get a USB disc drive, which I've not tried yet). Hope that's not too confusing, ping me back if anything needs clarifying. Had mine for about 3 years, I really like it and use it about once or twice a week.
I want to develop games. I think it would be interesting to publish on this platform, but I don't know if the hardware would have enough power for what I want to make.
my family actually used to own atari and a popcorn machine that caught on fire our Atari was not a VCS but because it only came with two of the original controllers
I love it. A few years ago I became bored with modern gaming and went full retro. This thing is great for indie titles. And there's a large support group on Reddit and Discord.
Install Batocera on it and you can play every game, if you have the roms, for Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, 400, 800, 600xl, 800xl, 65xe, 130xe, Atari Arcade games. NES Super NES N64, ps1, Genesis, Saturn, Apple, Coleco, Intellivision, Vertex etc.
I backed this on Indiegogo at launch and I’ve not been very happy with it honestly, at $350 I expected them to do more and have more third party support. I wasn’t expecting a Xbox/PS competitor, but at least have quite a few AA ports. If I had only paid $80 I wouldn’t have such expectations so I understand your review here, but I feel like Atari just took advantage of its original backers.
You left out "PC Mode". Sure, it's just a dual-boot, but the reason I bought one was I needed a cheap PC, and for me anything that acts like a console is a bonus. (also why I own a nu0n)
Micro USB was used for years, but company sales dropped. We are all being forced to switch to USB-C, and profits increase as everyone buys many of them.
I wish this thing wasn't basically an Ouya. Hearing that it was Linux-based killed basically all interest I had since most Triple A and Third Party don't develop for it. Most of the games that are on other consoles won't be on this thing
Def won't play Triple A games. People that play those have a tripped out PC, Sony or Xbox. IT's great for retro and all the Recharged games Atari released over the past few years. There are over 150 games you can buy for it on the Atari Store. If you like retro and emulation it's a killer looking console for that.
Yup with modern games released by Atari and indie developers Got one during Black Friday with the modern controller and classic controller included for $100. There 2TB ssd in it and 32GB memory(overkill) and it becomes a beautiful Batocera machine.
I also got one on Black Friday from Walmart..$80 usd. I just returned it. Older tech….the noisy fan is terrible, vcs companion/chrome mode useless, upgrade ram and pc mode hard, and the joystick controller is really sad. 😅😢
@13:03 Actually it is still a waste of money, but it's a good waste of money... Personally, Atari never really appealed to me, especially after how they have handled the Rollercoaster Tycoon franchise...
You sell the treachery (and stupidity) behind the Coleco Chameleon "prototype" short by simply calling it a fake. Kennedy thought he could trick people into thinking he had something by putting an SNES 2 board in the Chameleon shell... which was molded in clear plastic, so people caught onto it immediately. To his credit, he at least tried to camouflage it by putting the guts of an old capture card or something on top of the board, but people even managed to track the exact one he used. 🤣
1:50 Hell yes Retro Atari Classics for the DS. One of the BEST Atari compilations! I pop it in and play it for quick arcade fun sometimes. 9:20 I WARNED YOU ALL ABOUT SKIBIDI TOILET! 😭
Another good video. But doesn't this console also have a. Windows side too that allows you to play games from steam and Xbox gamepass and. Emulators as well. Or at least I thought that's what I saw from others I could. Be wrong tho. But it's good for the price you paid for it and hope you had a. Good holiday
Never found this interesting or compelling, to me it's just a functional pc and i already have one, i guess i am also or was also confused on what it was, seemed to do a bunch of things and was not appealing to me.
Quote of the day: “It's not a waste of money if it makes you happy.”
Actually it is, it's just a good waste of money!
I use mine as a console and as mini-PC. I've had it for 3 years and still use it regularly. My experience has been quite good. There are a number of exclusive games: BPM Boy, Roasty Buds, several games from Metgan Games, End's Reach. Some of the 7800 games are exclusive outside of limited release cartridges for the original console.
Alien Abduction from John Van Ryzin is still exclusive on the console.
I looked into it more, and you are correct. Two of those games you mentioned, BPM Boy and End's Reach are currently exclusive but will be released on Steam soon. Roasty Buds is a VCS exclusive that doesn't appear to have any plans for release anywhere else. My bad.
$80.00 !? I didn't even know this existed, but for $80 looks like a no-brainer. I wanna steal Dodo's donuts. Too cute.
Yeah it was too good to pass up. Even when it was $99, that was a pretty good deal for the all in bundle
@@MorreskiBear Walmart had a few atari units on sale it was surprising to see. VCS and Gamestation
Yeah they wanted something like $450 initially, then it dropped to $350, then I guess it went all the way down to $80 I guess, and unless you crowd funded, you couldn't even buy one. I played one at a local games shop. It's an atari, and it doesn't even have USB-C (to keep costs down lol) A usb-c port is cheaper than a micro, they've must've a bulk pack of micro's. The Atari 50 release is only $20 and the games play better on modern controllers.
I say this as a veteran gamer. I was born in 81, mom bought the Atari at the end of 83, in 86 before the NES was anywhere except NY, mom bought 130 + games from a swapmeat for $10. I became an Atari expert until 1988 when mom found a NES at a swap meat for $25 plus SMB/DH and capcoms 1943. I still have a heavy sixer 2600, and it works. I still have the majority of those shoebox games too, I was so bummed this atari was just a scam crowdfund.
One thing to note about the Retro controller is it has a twist functionality, but it's very cheaply implemented -- it's a motion sensor like that in a Wiimote not a rotary encoder. If you play Tempest or one of the other games with rotation, you can either physically spin the controller or even sit in an office chair and spin yourself with for the same effect.
I have a personal story about the launch of this console. I preordered one of the dev kits hoping to make a game for it. I'm just a database integrations engineer professionally but I had put together a decent prototype of a puzzle game I called "Packet Factory" using Unity's game engine. In theory there was a packager to export a unity project available to get the game onto their store. I was pretty comfortable with making Linux and Macos exports, so I thought I'd try making my own video game for this console and wanted to use the "twist" mechanic of the retro controller to allow players to toss puzzle pieces across the room. I got the code working to allow players to flick an analog stick and send a piece flying, all I needed was to adapt my library to whatever the bit or analog stream coming off the controller.
Once I actually got the dev kit, and plugged the controller in, I could not see any rotational data. Tried all sorts of ways to read the controller's data directly on windows and linux, and nothing would show rotational data. The twist function of the retro controller only works when the console is "Atari" mode and their store. I spoke with a sales rep at the company (Before launch if you even had a hint of a game ready to go, they'd talk to you) and got access to their documentation. Nothing on how to read the rotational data. I ended up disassembling the unit and near as I can tell it uses some kind of side channel communication to read the motion data.
Once I had it disassembled, I found a cheap motion sensor embedded in the top of the joystick handle. Those kinds of motion sensors are horrible to work with for precise rotation. They're always fiddly and never quite feel right (See most Wii games where you have to twist something. )
Anyway, I eventually abandoned the game for other reasons. You can see on my channel a couple of gameplay prototype videos. I still have the VCS machine itself. It's a decent windows machine, mediocre linux machine unless you are good at recompiling the kernel.
Anyway, cheers. Thanks for posting this video.
This is great information.
I remember that the Intellivision Amico was announced at roughly the same timeframe and it wasn't received with the same skepticism as this, probably because they didn't go with crowdfunding at first. But is crazy how this released and got supported by Atari while the Amico pretty much crashed and burned.
@@marcelosoares7148 Atari received more skepticism probably due to many of their past decisions that let many of their fans down. However, they still have a sizable fanbase willing to give them one last chance. I'll say that I've been pleased so far with it and I had to do a few service tickets to resolve an issue with their VCS game store or answer a question. They responded and took care of them.
For all the crap said about the unit, they at least they delivered. And the unit is still available for sale off their website.
@@marcelosoares7148 I have the physical "games" that they came out with lol. Waste
No proof, no references - it's been years - but: Even crazier is the AtariBox was a scam when it started and Amico was not. When it overperformed in crowdfunding, Atari realised they might just have something, and cut ties with the guy in charge of the 'Box (and were sued by him for stealing his project - I think he was licensed to make branded product but not an employee, it was weird. He was also well known as a scammer and had done at least 3 previous involving Atari.) On the Amico side, Tallarico just didn't know how to run a company and when COVID happened he drove them deep into debt they had no realistic was of escaping - but he kept pretending everything was OK and the console was coming any day now until it became more than obvious it wasn't.
I have to admit, the PC mode of this console is what's still tempting me to grab one of these (if I can find it at a descent price...)
I didn't have a chance to test this out, but I did see that it was a feature. I definitely will try it
These things are extremely easy to stick a SSD in and install Windows 11. Performance is just good enough to run games like Persona 3 Reload.
Not bad, I heard you can mod it but haven't looked into it
Stick with a Linux-based OS and games will perform better. Windows eats up resources. If a game has a Windows version and not a Linux version, use a wrapper to run it. That works better these days than I expected.
To me, Atari VCS is a step up from a classic mini consoles of 2016-2020, it’s meant for older people who grew up and fondly remember Atari. Hardcore gamers and kids are more likely to get something like the PS5 than an Atari.
Atari was before my time, I was more of a Nintendo person, so I just go with the Switch...
Some people may not have heard about this, but back in the 1940s there was a device called the cathode-ray tube amusement device. It was not considered a game system and remained a prototype, but it could play games. If a company were to bring it back, it would be interesting. The controls were mainly buttons on a screen, and maybe today it might even be considered a game system. The Magnavox Odyssey, from what I heard, paved the way for future game systems and inspired other companies to develop their own consoles, such as Atari's Pong and later the Atari 2600.
No company would sell the actual thing but software emulation (possibly with a custom controller) would be pretty easy.
The VCS is the only way to play Atari50, recharged series, Asteroids v claw, Basket Boom etc. with spinner control. My VCS was a hit over the holidays thanks to two-player paddle games.
I still want super breakout amico on this with spinner control.
Are you kidding? I just brought the switch version to my sister's over christmas. The kids and the adults played those games all day long, even though little jonny had a brand new ps5 game. Anyway, the VCS was just scam crowd fund, but at least it does work out of the box, and the games are owned not streamed until the server shuts down like the Switch retro's. Otherwise, you can build thing out of a raspberry pi in about an hour, and well Atari Rom code is everywhere.
I think the worst thing about those controllers are the notch they put inside the usb connection effectively making these proprietary connectors unless you like modifying USB cables.
I meant to comment on this but I forgot. I do think it's silly that they make you use the cords that it comes with. If you're buying the unit, Atari's getting money anyway. Why must they force you to use their own cords? Lol.
The controllers are made by PowerA, apparently all their controllers have that connector.
@@talon12020 I have several of their Switch Pro controllers as they are very cost effective, and work well even with my PCs running STEAM for Linux, but yeah that notch cut out is annoying AF, and makes them harder to connect than it should be. it really should have just been a USB C to A cable.
@@pojr Old corporate practices die hard. Atari still has their 80's corporate handbook obviously. It's an old relic of the days when the 6502 was in every home in some for or another. The VCS like the original apple II was built with off the shelf parts. Early hobbyists would just buy the parts and build the machines at home for about an 80% discount.
My uncle built a pong console and later updated it to a VCS for his little brothers and sisters in 1981. We called it Grandma's wacky atari. It was a circuit board and an edge connector mounted on a piece of throwaway 70's plastic packaging. My aunt Judy still has that thing, and it works.
The PC mode and RAM upgrading is scary. Had to disable EMMC (maybe temporarily) so that Windows 10 doesn't try to install it onto the EMMC. I tried DDR4-3200 and could only get it to run at DDR4-2400. Still, with a 512 GB SATA SSD and 32GB of RAM, the thing is very capable Windows 10 box that's small. It runs emulations really well in Windows 10. Have you played Atari today? I successfully ran (probably a lighter) PlayStation 3 game... ON ATARI! Many of my Steam games run on it as well at 1080p.
I ripped out the antennas by accident (had to take out the module and reattached them successfully). The controller in Bluetooth doesn't have RT and LT in Windows, but it does wired in Xbox 360 emulation mode. It's an embedded Ryzen 1600G series CPU with an integrated Radeon APU. It's a nice mini PC that wouldn't look out of place in an entertainment center.
They should have marketed it as an Atari computer. It's a great toy computer if you can get it set up. I hope they make a new revision with better RAM handling, the RAM having a door on the bottom of the device, M.2 PCIe SSD support, and a better BIOS password.
You could also develop games for it if you have a knack for it. There is no separate dev kit for it (there are instruction on atari website how to get into dev mode). Also, as a pc, it is compatible with windows 11 and you could have up to 32 gb of ram. Add a decent sized SSD, you got yourself a pretty decent PC.
This needs to be able to be compatible with the new SteamOS that runs on the steam deck.
SteamOS can be installed in PC mode.
@ the new steam os hasn’t released for any other device besides steam deck thus far unless you’re talking about the old steam is 2
HoloOS or ChimeraOS are the SteamOS built to install on other systems.
They just had a Christmas special for the "all in one" for about a hundred bucks. (Bought two) I added 32gb RAM, a 1tb SSD M.2 and they are fantastic for emulation! Both have Windows 11 and all but the most heavy laden games. So you have a Windows/Linux lower end PC for a hundred bucks? A steal!!
Also snagged one at the Walmart price. Even Atari's own store had it at a reasonable $100 before the Walmart deal popped up. First time I played Tempest with rotary controller, so that was a nice find. I am also testing out Batocera and Bazzite on mine with upgraded SSD and RAM.
Nice, glad you're able to pick one up. $80 is unbeatable
I was at a Christmas with my family at the time of the notification, merry Christmas POJR great video as always
I got one for Black Friday too. The Atari mode is fun, and the controllers are... well, they work pretty good. If you didn't notice, the joystick is a spinner too for paddle games. I spent an extra $50 or so and put in 16g RAM and a 512g SSD. If you upgrade the RAM go into the BIOS and up your VRAM split to 4g (it can't push more than that realistically) . I'm running Ubuntu and installed Steam to get a cheap little box that's far ahead of my old desktop potato. So, in a nutshell, I spent around $150 all told to play American Trucking Simulator. Still need to replace the thermal pad with some proper paste - it has heat issues out of the box. Actually watching this video on a VCS, it's my daily driver now.
I meant to comment on the joystick being a spinner. It actually does feel pretty good. I tried it with super breakout
It really seemed to me like a indie game machine targeting Gen X nostalgia for Atari
Not a bad market strategy. They just forgot that GenX is the flea market generation. when we wanted new stuff as kids, we hit the yard sales and swap meets. New in Box stuff was for the rich kids. The initial price for the VCS was what killed it as far as mainstream appeal goes. It bummed me out, I was hoping atari was going to make a comeback what with the last eight or so years of AAA re-skins.
Merry Christmas Pojr & Friends!! Hope you got an Atari under your tree 🎄
Merry Christmas! I think I saw on your schedule that you're releasing a video soon, so I'll definitely be checking that out!
@pojr yup, 7pm tonight! 😁
I love my Atari VCS
Atleast it’s no Mattel Hyperscan.
Love your videos, Merry Christmas!!!
Thank you, Merry Christmas!
Merry Xmas! Happy Pojrdays!
Merry Christmas!
Dude, your Videos are getting way better! Really enjoying your content...
I really appreciate that, thank you!
Merry Christmas! Good idea for a video. I always wondered about the VCS. They never sold them in Europe.
Merry Christmas! I was always wondering about it too. I've heard a lot of negative things, and wanted to see if there were positives.
Happy Holidays, POJR!
Thank you, happy holidays!
I've been really wanting to buy one of these lately. I do not play games on my PC anymore, and just want a device that is dedicated to just gaming, and since I don't want to give my money to Sony, MS, or Nintendo, I think the VCS is what I will look into. If the VCS gets games that are made by Nightdive, then it's a done deal.
Good point. I've personally never been a PC gamer, and like having a dedicated unit that I can plug into my TV.
@@pojr Exactly.
merry xmass mr pojr.
I remember the Atari Box getting a bad rap back when it was first being made, but i was so delighting to see it wasn't like the Coleco Cameleon. I'd imagine it would work well for people who are looking for something like this or even running Windows or Steam OS on it for even more game support. Kinda tempting tbh, great work Pojr!
This isn't Atari's first console in 30 years. The company that is selling it doesn't go back that far. Atari went out of business at the end of the 90's. This company has no connection to that one. Acquiring the name 30 years later doesn't make you same company.
And Happy Holidays to you, POJR! Playing some Atari 50 with The Fam today.
Atari 50 definitely would be fun for the family. Happy holidays!
It may not be for everybody so people need to decide for themselves. It's unfortunite that one of the later updates made it impossible to do initial updates on new consoles without having to go thru the trouble to flash the drive. It caused a lot of disappointment and frustration. I bought mine before all that back in 21 so I never had any problems and still don't. Hopefully the newest update slayed that dragon for new owners. I also expanded the ram and memory so it can do a better job of playing newer Steam games like Wreckfest, Pinball FX3 and FX, Halo games (and Infinite), and Hotwheels Unleashed. Those are a few of my favorites. Depending on the game and preferences, you might have to adjust the graphics, but most games I like still run and play ok to me. I like it because it's a hybrid console/PC. Sort of reminds me of the classic Atari computers that most people used for games. It's flexible because you can set up the pc side any way you want. I have Windows 10 (it can do 11) so I use it as a handy living room PC/game machine for my big screen that I keep connected all the time. I use the PC side for other things too and occasional work. I have Windows on one external SSD and Batocera on another and just swap them out. It depends on what you want it for and have the patience to set it up like you want.
The new update fixed the update issue
@whatspeedlimits Great to hear! Thanks! Took them long enough.
Honestly, I was genuinely interested in the idea of it being a PC that can be played like a console, and I could actually see that, if nothing else, that part of it could actually make it worth a spot under the TV.
...Then the Steam Deck got announced.
Very nice summary. Well done
I got mine about 1 1/2 years ago and I had the one hat I had to flash the new update on. But after that, it has performed solidly and I've enjoyed it very much.
Happy holidays to you, Pojr =)
Thank you! Happy holidays!
Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 have a wonderful day POJR
Thank you, Merry Christmas!
I just got one of these.
I've had mind since close to launch. I mostly used it as a windows pc for my TV. I've since retired it but I still keep the VCS out on a shelf for display. I like the looks of it.
I bought one of these on sale too... but I haven't gotten around to opening it yet. I did buy RAM (32GB) and a 512GB M.2 SSD to upgrade it. You didn't really mention the PC mode where you can run Linux or Windows... or any other OS that runs on x86 hardware.
Think I might actually get one now I didn't realise how much the price had come down
I remember when they sold segas at walgreens for like one xmas a few years ago for like $30.
As always, great content! Love your videos. Merry Christmas Pojr!!
Thank you, Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas 🎅
Thank you, Merry Christmas!
If it had some really good exclusive games and maybe had some bespoke controller options like trackballs and stuff it could be worth while. It needs to have stuff that you can't do on a P.C with Steam.
Honestly, for a mid-range PC, the VCS is decent enough. And well, I understand the initial skepticism, not for the emulation stuff, but because of their mishaps. Like that fundraising for investors (not the campaign on indie gogo), their mishandle of the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise.
But at least it got a happy ending, and Atari got their stuff together with some good studio aquisitions, like Nightdive Studios and Digital Eclipse
I think the price of the VCS at launch should have been the price of the 2600+ if not less at launch since it seems to be just a low-end console with like low-end games you get on a digital storefront, either that or just make that console capable of run AAA games from big publishers for the $400 price tag.
How do i know if i have the first original model atari console ever made ?
The frame rate for run and jump is low on the vcs. Running it on my pc with a powerful cpu and gpu it runs at 60fps.
I figured it was related to the VCS. It doesn't seem like an overly powerful game, so I'm surprised the VCS would have trouble with it. But I'm not a programming expert.
Same on the switch. 720P mode fixes that on the VCS. I just leave my VCS in that mode for an extra performance boost in most games, and it still looks fine for these types of games.
Great content, as always! Just a quick off-topic question: I have a SafePal wallet with USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). How can I transfer them to Binance?
By the way, what's the outro music? It's a pretty good tune, thanks in advance.
It's from Pac-Man arrangement, the first stage
Merry chryslerto ebrybody
MERRY XMAS BOSS-MAN!
The VCS is basically a Linux-powered PC with a very cool form factor. Based on Atari SA financial statements, the VCS sold reasonable well during the first 1-2 years but then the sales dried up. For the rest, it's very difficult to have 3rd party devs to make games on a new console.
atari??? console??? can't wait to watch the video
Anyone who dismissed it thinking it was just an emulation box obviously was incapable of reading or comprehension. It's a PC, just a regular AMD mini PC - and that's what I bought mine for, to run Linux and be a modern home PC like the ST and 8-bit machines were before. The flip side of it is out of the box it's got a console style OS and experience, for original and new games and 3rd party indie stuff.
Thank you for telling me about Donut Dodo and how much it cost on the Switch eShop during the Christmas sale. I was able to get the game for free with my $2 worth of gold coins after buying Dragon Quest III, Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario & Luigi Brothership, and Ys X.
For only $80, that's not too bad, especially when you consider that they seem to be trying to make it more console like.
Yeah, $80 is a steal. Even for $99 on Black Friday, it was a pretty good deal
Well the APU they use is the Embedded R1606G (comparable to the Ryzen 3 3200U) so it's really not a powerful chip which is it's Achilles heel as a console. Still for $80 you can at least say you got your moneys worth out of it. When they shutdown their stores servers you can just turn it into either a Batocera or SteamOS Box (via Bazzite). Then you play older AAA, indie games, or emulate the old consoles.
Is there a way to upgrade the internal storage for the unit? 32GB is fine for Atari stuff, but if you want to run Windows or Retro Arch, you are going to want more storage. Also $200 for a retro gaming machine that looks like the 2600 is a nice piece to have in the living room.
Internal SSD and RAM are upgradable
@ oh, nice!
Paid $100 with modern and classic controllers during Black Friday. Installed 32GB Ram and 2TB SSD(roms and all the other theme stuff that goes with emulation).
Internal is m.sata not m.2 nvme but an external m.2 nvme via usb3 is faster if your not concerned with extra wiring. I use 2TB Samsung T7 external
I have this, and use it as my daily driver. Installed an SSD, and run Fedora. If you're a Linux user, this computer is awesome!
Personally I was unimpressed with the bundled games and GUI, however the family loved it for the holiday last year so I guess it did what it was designed to do! 😂 I never was compelled to purchase games from their online store, and honestly haven't revisited it since jumping into PC mode.
The joysticks are really awesome, but only really applicable to Atari games.
The console is a sexy piece of hardware, and it does attract comments when people see it on my desk.
I wouldn't spend a lot of money on it, but would never hesitate to grab it for under $125.
Lets jailbreak it and run other games
There's no jail brake. Just boot it with USB stick containing any OS you like. It's a PC disguised as a gaming machine that happens to play over 150 recently developed games.
$20+ for a jumper game?????????? That is nuts. A dedicated AMD mini PC, sailing on the high seas, and all emulators are the solution.
honestly I wish games were more simple like they used to be , back when games gave you joy and you had fun playing them , but on the other side of that ATARI as s current company needs to make new games or at least put more modern games they've published on the console for example the Transformers Armada game for Ps2 that was published by ATARI.
you can also boot into a pc mode. did it looked around but i did not need a pc.
I am not sure I still fully understand. So does this thing play computer games? As in if I don't own a computer, I could get VCS, buy a game for a computer, and play it on this?
Yes and no... Yes, in that you can run the console in PC mode with either Linux or Windows (although you need to provide your own OS license), then install Steam and use it as normal, although it may not play newer cutting-edge games well due to slightly older hardware. But also No, because PC mode requires a bit of tinkering, and also games that you buy in a store will either be Steam keys which require PC mode, or physical media, which the device doesn't support (unless you maybe get a USB disc drive, which I've not tried yet). Hope that's not too confusing, ping me back if anything needs clarifying. Had mine for about 3 years, I really like it and use it about once or twice a week.
I want to develop games. I think it would be interesting to publish on this platform, but I don't know if the hardware would have enough power for what I want to make.
my family actually used to own atari and a popcorn machine that caught on fire our Atari was not a VCS but because it only came with two of the original controllers
I love it. A few years ago I became bored with modern gaming and went full retro. This thing is great for indie titles. And there's a large support group on Reddit and Discord.
I love mine.
Atari vsc should've been a software emulated retro console like the 2600+. Where users can play every single home console game atari released.
Install Batocera on it and you can play every game, if you have the roms, for Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, 400, 800, 600xl, 800xl, 65xe, 130xe, Atari Arcade games. NES Super NES N64, ps1, Genesis, Saturn, Apple, Coleco, Intellivision, Vertex etc.
Cool design. Also we cracked laughing when so the jumping toilet enemy 😂😅😂😅😂
I backed this on Indiegogo at launch and I’ve not been very happy with it honestly, at $350 I expected them to do more and have more third party support. I wasn’t expecting a Xbox/PS competitor, but at least have quite a few AA ports.
If I had only paid $80 I wouldn’t have such expectations so I understand your review here, but I feel like Atari just took advantage of its original backers.
You left out "PC Mode". Sure, it's just a dual-boot, but the reason I bought one was I needed a cheap PC, and for me anything that acts like a console is a bonus. (also why I own a nu0n)
Plus, it seems pointless to me to go on the actual Atari website and buy it because it'll never ship in Canada.
Micro USB was used for years, but company sales dropped. We are all being forced to switch to USB-C, and profits increase as everyone buys many of them.
Roasty buds is a vcs exclusive (a coffee sponsored game)
It's a steam machine lite with a cool retro shell by a 50 year old indie gaming company.
I missed the sale :(
It's always been known it was an emulation box. I'm not sure whoo was surprised at this
I wish this thing wasn't basically an Ouya. Hearing that it was Linux-based killed basically all interest I had since most Triple A and Third Party don't develop for it. Most of the games that are on other consoles won't be on this thing
Def won't play Triple A games. People that play those have a tripped out PC, Sony or Xbox.
IT's great for retro and all the Recharged games Atari released over the past few years. There are over 150 games you can buy for it on the Atari Store.
If you like retro and emulation it's a killer looking console for that.
The fact it runs linux makes it attractive if that means it's also hackable
so it's basically batocera with a nice hardware design
Yup with modern games released by Atari and indie developers
Got one during Black Friday with the modern controller and classic controller included for $100.
There 2TB ssd in it and 32GB memory(overkill) and it becomes a beautiful Batocera machine.
I'm in the minority, but how long until my 5200 gets some love. Still have it with all games CIB and the trackball.
Ok, well ask Mr. Atari why he thinks gamers wouldn't just connect their computers to their televisions when they don't want to use a computer monitor.
You forgot to mention the fact that you can run Windows or Linux
Paddle games with no real paddle controller makes me sad.
I also got one on Black Friday from Walmart..$80 usd. I just returned it. Older tech….the noisy fan is terrible, vcs companion/chrome mode useless, upgrade ram and pc mode hard, and the joystick controller is really sad. 😅😢
People who grew up with this is 50+
@13:03 Actually it is still a waste of money, but it's a good waste of money... Personally, Atari never really appealed to me, especially after how they have handled the Rollercoaster Tycoon franchise...
You sell the treachery (and stupidity) behind the Coleco Chameleon "prototype" short by simply calling it a fake.
Kennedy thought he could trick people into thinking he had something by putting an SNES 2 board in the Chameleon shell... which was molded in clear plastic, so people caught onto it immediately. To his credit, he at least tried to camouflage it by putting the guts of an old capture card or something on top of the board, but people even managed to track the exact one he used. 🤣
1:50 Hell yes Retro Atari Classics for the DS. One of the BEST Atari compilations! I pop it in and play it for quick arcade fun sometimes.
9:20 I WARNED YOU ALL ABOUT SKIBIDI TOILET! 😭
It was one of the first titles I picked up on the DS. I think the graffiti versions are cool.
@pojr They are! They look AMAZING! The touch controls are also fantastic!
His head looks like a *COMMENT DELETED*.
He better be *COMMENT DELETED* something.
Anything made today that still uses micro USB instead of USB C is being cheap
Another good video. But doesn't this console also have a. Windows side too that allows you to play games from steam and Xbox gamepass and. Emulators as well. Or at least I thought that's what I saw from others I could. Be wrong tho. But it's good for the price you paid for it and hope you had a. Good holiday
I want one of these, but I kinda broke for now😂.
So it was a steam machine
Is shame this system isn't research enough for example
No one extracted the os
No one knows if you can sideload games
Etc
Never found this interesting or compelling, to me it's just a functional pc and i already have one, i guess i am also or was also confused on what it was, seemed to do a bunch of things and was not appealing to me.