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[Lunatic_Gamer]

The Atari VCS is a retro-inspired game console that’s also basically a cheap, low-power Linux computer designed to look like an Atari console from the 1980s.

It was also something of a flop – early reviews weren’t particularly flattering, and in its most recent earnings report, Atari says sales of VCS consoles and cartridges fell “from €2.3M to €0.2M, primarily resulting from cartridge activity and underperformance by the VCS” compared with the previous half of the year. So the company is shifting its strategy.

In a nutshell, the company says its suspending “existing VCS manufacturing contracts.”

That doesn’t mean the company is getting out of hardware altogether – the report also suggests Atari is planning to implement “a new commercial strategy for VCS” and to launch “a complementary hardware strategy via partnerships and under licensing agreements.”

In other words, we could see third-party joysticks, controllers, and other accessories for the VCS. Or Atari could license its name for use on other game systems.

Meanwhile the company plans to continue launching new “premium games” based on Atari’s intellectual property… and to cash in on some of that IP with “new NFT initiatives” and other blockchain-related projects. sigh

Meanwhile, folks who actually want to get their hands on an Atari VCS system can pick one up at a discount. They’re selling for 20% off at Atari.com, bringing the starting price down to $160 for a VCS console alone or $240 for an all-in-one bundle that also include a joystick and a modern controller.

Atari pulls the plug on Atari VCS console manufacturing - Liliputing

Atari pulls the plug on Atari VCS console manufacturing

liliputing.com

 

[Same ol G]

Sounds like Atari

 

[jaysius]

Atari making a smart move.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[Solarstrike]

 

[calistan]

Or Atari could license its name for use on other game systems.

Surely the name has minimal value now, given that it has spent the bulk of its history being hopelessly mismanaged. The current "Atari" is the cordyceps of videogame companies.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Wait, this thing was running on cartriges? If so then it's the dumbest idea I've ever heard. It should've been an all digital library with some sort of online storefront accessible directly from the console.

 

[JCK75]

Price is insane.. Even though it was the first console my parents got us his kids. I have a lot of nostalgia for it.. I have no desire to ever play in a 2600 version of any game... Regardless of what the game is, it's the worst version.. give me the arcade version every time.

 

[wipeout364]

Wait, this thing was running on cartriges? If so then it's the dumbest idea I've ever heard. It should've been an all digital library with some sort of online storefront accessible directly from the console.

I don’t think it was running on cartridges, I thought it was mostly through their online store you bought games. I kind of wanted one but the price was just too much for what you get.

 

[Agent X]

Wait, this thing was running on cartriges? If so then it's the dumbest idea I've ever heard. It should've been an all digital library with some sort of online storefront accessible directly from the console.

It was an all-digital console with an online storefront.

The cartridges being referred in the article to were likely their limited edition games for the old Atari 2600 system.

 

[The Lunch Legend]

wait, did anyone actually buy this thing?

It feels similar to the Ouya.

 

[Drizzlehell]

I don’t think it was running on cartridges, I thought it was mostly through their online store you bought games. I kind of wanted one but the price was just too much for what you get.

It was an all-digital console with an online storefront.

The cartridges being referred in the article to were likely their limited edition games for the old Atari 2600 system.

Yeah, I took some time to research it just now. Kinda impressive how powerful the system actually is and that you can use it for multiple purposes as this weird mini-PC but overall, I can't imagine who the target audience is supposed to be for this thing outside of some hardware enthusiasts and collectors.

I mean, I kinda want one, but if I already have a PC and two out of three of the current mainstream consoles, then it doesn't even make sense to get this other than to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[dave_d]

I might have bought one for nostalgia but not for $400.(I mean I am a kid from the 70s/80s.)

 

[ReBurn]

I'm surprised that it lasted this long. it was always too expensive for what it offers. Even the $239 for the holiday sale price is too much.

 

[Drizzlehell]

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this should've just been a 2600 version of Nintento Mini, sold at a much lower price and maybe supporting some token digital storefront. Many people probably would expect something like this from a console that imitates the design of the classic Atari and are completely put off by a high price tag, probably not ever realizing why it's so expensive.

 

[The Lunch Legend]

I'm surprised that it lasted this long. it was always too expensive for what it offers. Even the $239 for the holiday sale price is too much.

That's the price for a bundle.

Price for the base model is $159.

GET IT NOW!

 

[Hendrick's]

Surely the name has minimal value now

They will always have t-shirts.

 

[Goalus]

At least on the picture, both joystick and console look very nice.
If I had a dedicated room for gaming collectibles, I would probably get it.

 

[kanjobazooie]

Sounds like they need to get the visionary Tommy Tallarico on board.

 

[ReBurn]

That's the price for a bundle.

Price for the base model is $159.

GET IT NOW!

If you can install Linux on it then that's low enough to use as a utility server for personal dev projects. It's cheaper than a raspberry pi right now.

 

[dave_d]

If you can install Linux on it then that's low enough to use as a utility server for personal dev projects. It's cheaper than a raspberry pi right now.

Didn’t it ship with Ubuntu? When I briefly looked it up on Wikipedia it sounded like a mini pc but I first heard of it I figured it was a raspberry pi or cheap android device.

 

[The Lunch Legend]

It's cheaper than a raspberry pi right now.

damn, that's... quite sad.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Should of followed the Evercade approach and improve on it

Decently priced, cartridges for the retro collectors, small design either handheld or home console.

 

[AJUMP23]

They were close to half off on Black Friday. I picked up a speakerhat for $40 from Atari on Black Friday.

 

[Husky]

Genius move. The resulting artificial scarcity, like Amiibo, is gonna lead to this thing selling like hot cakes. Bitches love hot cakes, even more than Amiibo. The 9th gen is already won.

 

[CobraAB]

They just need to come out with new versions of their old classic games. The price of the VCS was just insane considering you could get a digital PS5 for basically the same amount.

 

[SportsFan581]

Shocked by this. I figured they had this generation in the bag.

 

[ReBurn]

damn, that's... quite sad.

Supply constraints have pushed the higher RAM rpi 4 devices up to around $200 with no end in sight. And that's if you can even put your hands on one.

 

[Deerock71]

I must get my hands on one of them. They'll be worth a fortune!

 

[DeepEnigma]

 

[Mephisto40]

The idea that somebody expected that to succeed is just baffling

 

[daffyduck]

If you can install Linux on it then that's low enough to use as a utility server for personal dev projects. It's cheaper than a raspberry pi right now.

And much easier to find.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Surely the name has minimal value now,

Name has great value, but it's never been utilized for anything, and almost everyone who knows what's what knows the current Atari, or at least THIS one, is just Infogrames in disguise who's fanatic leader brought the brand without really caring about it other than having the name.

Infogrames original big IP that put them on the ma in the 90's, Alone in the Dark, was sold for cash, so the only thing they have left is the Atari brand name at this point, otherwise they would have already been bankrupt.

 

[fart town usa]

Can't blame them, gonna be hard to compete with the Intellivision Amico.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

According to the financials, they actually shipped out 2.3M of them in 2022. Crazy. Although who knows how many sold.

Can't blame them, gonna be hard to compete with the Intellivision Amico.

Forgot about that. I checked their site and they are still in pre-order mode. lol. That thing is never releasing.

 

[SportsFan581]

According to the financials, they actually shipped out 2.3M of them in 2022. Crazy. Although who knows how many sold.


Forgot about that. I checked their site and they are still in pre-order mode. lol. That thing is never releasing.

2.3m units or €2.3M worth of units?

What's quoted in the OP would reduce the number of systems sold substantially, does the article mention direct unit counts (asks too lazy to check gaf poster)?

 

[jufonuk]

I might have bought one for nostalgia but not for $400.(I mean I am a kid from the 70s/80s.)

Same here but despite having an iconic design. I don’t see the point of buying it. At that price.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

2.3m units or €2.3M worth of units?

What's quoted in the OP would reduce the number of systems sold substantially, does the article mention direct unit counts (asks too lazy to check gaf poster)?

Shit. My mistake. $2.3M Euros.

 

[Fbh]

If nothing else the device itself looked really nice.

I'd buy one in a garge sale for $20 to tinker around with

 

[Crayon]

I fantasized about being put in charge of this thing and saving it lol.

 

[wipeout364]

Yeah, I took some time to research it just now. Kinda impressive how powerful the system actually is and that you can use it for multiple purposes as this weird mini-PC but overall, I can't imagine who the target audience is supposed to be for this thing outside of some hardware enthusiasts and collectors.

I mean, I kinda want one, but if I already have a PC and two out of three of the current mainstream consoles, then it doesn't even make sense to get this other than to satisfy my curiosity.

I actually think if they had set it up to have the option of physical cartridges they might actually have had more success. It would be kind of cool to have some of those new remakes on cartridge as they have been very solid.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

If nothing else the device itself looked really nice.

I'd buy one in a garge sale for $20 to tinker around with

You never know. If youre in the right spot at the right moment, you can score a deal. Gamestop cleared out those old PS1 Classic systems for $29.99 at a store near my work. They had a giant clearance sale set up in a vacant shop next door. They had a mound of them on a table along with other knick knacks like Funko toys, board games and ancient used games. They had so many Classics they even had a giant stack of them behind the table against the wall.

 

[The Pleasure]

You never know. If youre in the right spot at the right moment, you can score a deal. Gamestop cleared out those old PS1 Classic systems for $29.99 at a store near my work. They had a giant clearance sale set up in a vacant shop next door. They had a mound of them on a table along with other knick knacks like Funko toys, board games and ancient used games. They had so many Classics they even had a giant stack of them behind the table against the wall.

I got 3 playstation classics at 25 each. Good controllers and modding them makes them the best out of all the minis specs wise.

 

[fart town usa]

According to the financials, they actually shipped out 2.3M of them in 2022. Crazy. Although who knows how many sold.


Forgot about that. I checked their site and they are still in pre-order mode. lol. That thing is never releasing.

Right. I actually put a $100 deposit on a preorder over a year ago. Had no idea of the years worth of prior issues. Keeping the preorder open out of morbid curiosity.

 

[Catphish]

In my opinion, the only way this thing makes sense is if it gives you access to every Atari console and arcade game ever made, included with the console right out of the box, along with paddles and whatever type of joystick/gamepad is required to play them all. It would also make sense to license Activision's Atari 2600 library, since they made pretty much every game worth playing on it. Then, moving forward, they can charge for new Atari releases, like their Reimagined series and whatever else they have up their sleeves.

I recently bought the Atari50 release on Steam. It's a really well-done package. If Atari could take that concept, and turn the VCS into an actual interactive history piece, with the complete body (and history) of Atari's (and Activision's) work, I'd happily throw a few hundred at it. But it's gotta be done right; with reverence, faithfulness, and love for not only the source material, but the consumer as well.

Make the thing a celebration of 70's & 80's Atari gaming. It's not worth the time or effort otherwise.

 

[MALpractice311]

I've learned two things from this thread. First, I learned that the Atari VCS had been released at some point. Second, I learned that the Atari VCS and the Intellivision Amico are two separate products. Wonders never cease.

 

[Redneckerz]

It has yet to release in Europe (December 28) so this thing is literally DOA for us here.

Pity. I could see a small Vega 3 based system working if the price was right. Basically a Switch TV without portable, just purely docked.

Then again you can buy a used HP Elitedesk or Optiplex micro-form-factor PC with an older gen pre-Ryzen AMD APU with Radeon R7 graphics and you get better perf (and more CPU cores) than whatever the VCS does.

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

ew atari

 

[RAIDEN1]

It has echoes of the Atari Jaguar era

 

[calistan]

Name has great value, but it's never been utilized for anything, and almost everyone who knows what's what knows the current Atari, or at least THIS one, is just Infogrames in disguise who's fanatic leader brought the brand without really caring about it other than having the name.

Atari has spent longer in the hands of Infogrames than it ever spent as a relevant force in videogames. That’s why I don’t think the brand really means much these days.

Mid 70s to mid 80s it was huge, then diminishing returns from the home computers, complete collapse in the early to mid 90s, followed by zombification. Sad to think that the name has been in Infogrames’ clutches for over 20 years straight.