250°

Why The Atari VCS Is Likely Dead On Arrival

Atari recently sent out another round of pre-order information for the Atari VCS system and in a new Opinion Piece Skewed and Reviewed looks at why the system is likely dead on arrival especially with the release of two higher profile systems pending.

East76lands1542d ago

I have literally no idea who this system is aimed at? Atari loyalists maybe?

Garethvk1542d ago

I think so. One on Twitter wrote me that the base unit is $249.99 and gave me this rundown on how it can run Unix and so on. I said ok what will I be playing though as they have not done much in the way of promotion or hype. He told me not to be a hater and said if nothing else it looks good. I do not pay $250.00 for something to sit on a shelf gathering dust. I would rather apply that money to a new system.

1542d ago
XtraTrstrL1542d ago

LOL, I played all the diff Ataris as a kid, and my interest isn't even peaked. I'm just curious who it is at Atari that feels they should randomly put a new system out every 25 years now.

LOL, $390 for 100 Atari games I can already play on emulator. Hmm, lemme see, $400 for a shiny new next gen console or same price for a flashback to the early 80s to the primordial soup of gaming.

MWH1541d ago

these are people in their 40s and above! frankly I have no idea what kind of plans they have in mind, I think no one does. let's see.

Vits1542d ago (Edited 1542d ago )

The good thing about the VCS is that even if it fails.The people that have one will not lose much. As they can just use it as a computer.
That said, I would still not recommend getting one.

Garethvk1542d ago

They just have not done much in the way of telling people what type of content it will have or anything to get excited over. As I said; going up against the big 3 is hard enough and when two of them have new systems it is an uphill battle.

Vits1542d ago

They sort of did. On the original pitch they made it pretty clear that it would play old and new PC games. Would feature their Atari Vault for classic games and should be compatible with any PC application.

The issue is that somehow as time went, the narrative got distorted to the VCS being a console. I have no idea if that was Atari themselves or just the internet/media. But this is not really console, it's a mini-pc. And it would be a pretty cool mini-pc if the price tag wasn't so high.

Cmv381542d ago

Didn't know this existed until just now.... and I follow gaming news daily. . This is a problem.

Garethvk1542d ago

Exactly my point. We heard about it years ago and then heard about delays and such. So now it is set to rollout against two new systems and with the Switch going well. We do not know any real games other than the new Missile Command which has been out for other platforms for a while and truly is not that amazing. So there is no real hype and we are supposed to shell out for the console for nostalgia?

Tross1542d ago

Yeah, actually. I wouldn't have known Stadia existed either if it weren't for gaming news, but it got that in spades. It certainly didn't help the system sell, but it did have gaming news coverage. I've never seen a Stadia on sale anywhere in my region, or so much as advertised anywhere IRL. If this Atari VCS doesn't even have much in the way of gaming news behind it, I can't imagine it will do well at all. I'm sure as heck not counting on seeing one in stores.

Knightofelemia1542d ago (Edited 1542d ago )

Just ask Stadia I am sure Stadia will tell the Atari VCS what it's like to be in a market where people hardly buy you and where you have a magazine rack of games compared to a library of games the PS5 and Series X will get. Atari should just skip the VCS and just concentrate on making games I have a feeling the VCS is what will ruin Atari. And I doubt Atari has the cash to keep the VCS a float when compared to Google who has the cash to keep Stadia a float. and for the price of the VCS and what's included $390 for controllers, 100 free games, the unit, and an app store. I'd be better off putting the cash towards a PS5. I own a 2600, 5200 and a 7800 I think for sure I will pass on the VCS and just go PS5 there is more info towards the PS5 then there is info on the VCS. Consumers like to know what they are getting in the long run then little tid bits here and there hell people don't even know if the VCS will play modern games or if it is just a hub to play old Atari games.

Garethvk1542d ago

You pretty much hit all the points and then some.

Locutus_of_borg1542d ago

I think most of this system has been funded by crowdfunding anyway... Atari being clever not to loose too much of their own money

franwex1542d ago

I still don’t know what this does.
I thought it was like an NES mini. Like a retro collection, but newer games can be made for it-but in a retro style and internet connectivity for updates or multiplayer.

But it’s also a streaming service that plays new games too?

Garethvk1542d ago

This is what the guy sent me on Twitter.
S starts $249 open hybrid mini-pc / console, runs linux, load windows, upgrade RAM & SSD, AMD chip, wi-fi, bluetooth, the #AtariToken will be integrated to create/trade/earn wealth.

It was never meant to. They do things it can't- but it does things they can't. Looks really nice, cost only $249, AAA isn't everything. No need to hate for no reason. If it does well, maybe they will have a next generation more up to your expectations.

He is now fighting people who claim he is an employee. He said I need to stop spreading false rumors. So I said well since this came from their p.r. firm to us and all I did was add commentary which part is a rumor.

Show all comments (29)
60°

Unity shows what's possible in Unity 6 with the Time Ghost Demo

Unity has shared a new tech demo that showcases what's possible in the latest version of the Unity 6 Engine, called Time Ghost.

Read Full Story >>
dsogaming.com
Jin_Sakai2d ago

You never see anything close to these tech demos in actual game releases. More fluff than anything.

Yi-Long2d ago

I think Unity exposed themselves last year, and IMO any developer should just stay away from them completely.

isarai1d 18h ago

Exactly my thoughts, they killed so much interest in their engine since doing that. Godot looks like it's rising to take it's place as the indie darling game engine.

Palitera26m ago(Edited 26m ago)

In its current pace, Godot would need decades to reach Unity's current state. Almost no studios use it. For hobbyists, it's a valid option, though.
Gotta be real about it: Unity was and will continue as the market leader for small studios. There's no competition in this sense.

Palitera31m ago

The thing is: there's nothing even remotely as good as Unity for small studios game development, even if you consider the company's disgraced trust.

So, sure, it's your opinion, but most professionals have not and will not leave Unity.

And Godot is a hobby project in comparison, not even an option.

Sonyslave31d 23h ago

You might see this type of graphics on ps 15.

60°

Steam breaks all-time user records thanks to Black Myth: Wukong waking the Chinese market

Steam's total player count hit an all time record recently, and it foretells the influence that Black Myth: Wukong and China is going to have on gaming.

Read Full Story >>
videogamer.com
350°

Microsoft Reportedly Spends $1 Billion Annually To Get Third-Party Games On Game Pass

Uncover the spending behind Xbox's Game Pass subscription. Discover how Microsoft invests a billion dollars annually in securing third-party games for the service.

Read Full Story >>
gamersocialclub.ca
Obscure_Observer3d ago

Good.

Now that you´re releasing games and making big money from every gaming platform, you should double that amount and give us even more day one third party games!

Jin_Sakai3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

You’re delusional beyond belief. Businesses wise it doesn’t make sense and sooner or later they’ll be raising prices again to cover that billion they’re blowing every year.

outsider16243d ago

Lucky for xbox that papa microsoft is rich.

purple1013d ago (Edited 3d ago )

As someone else said earlier today, they are past the growth stage, it’s been stagnent for last 3 years, they are now in the money making stage, prepare to be goosed for as many dollars as possible for the least amount of content. It may not be bad now, (actually it is) but it will be soon (even worse) this year you got hellblade and starfirld and a load of other games that could be bought in bargain bins for about $5-30 and for that you pay them monthly

To add I honestly don’t know how you put up with the barrage of Xbox negativity (which is deserved). I put it down to:

A) you are being paid
B) you may have a problem thinking clearly
C) prefer rooting for the underdog, that’s a legit thing too. English people do it by default

Profchaos3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Yeah Aussies also love an underdog as long as that underdog isn't Xbox as they were too of the game with the 360 then lost their minds

Chevalier3d ago

3 straight years of missing Gamepass targets. Some people are just blinded by their own idiocy. Will be interesting to see if COD does anything this fall

CosmicTurtle3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

He is a troll. Designed to stoke people up on here. We know this.

It’s quite funny.

Popsicle3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Yet people still allow the troll to derail an entire topic. I don’t understand how moderation allows it.

I literally just skip the comment. This may be the best comment obscure ever made. I don’t know because I didn’t read it. I have read to many thread derailing post from this person to ever devote any time to reading another.

I wish everyone would ignore the trolls so we can have a genuine discussion. Stop feeding it and it will go away. Even just hitting the disagree button feeds it. Thats what it wants. This is the last post I will ever post about obscure because I am feeding them now.

Legit question to Mods. After such a long history of being a troll, how has this poster not been banned?

Profchaos3d ago

Is he though or does he just blindly love Xbox in the same way Sega fans loved the Dreamcast even though it was clearly dead they thought it could be redeemed

Ok yeah he's saracstic and does troll but I enjoy seeing what he comes out with it would be boring here if we never had conflicting opinions

Sonic18813d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Are you insane? You want them to double the amount when the Xbox is already struggling and losing money 🤔

Hofstaderman3d ago

Correction....XBOX is already dead.

Obscure_Observer3d ago

"Are you insane? You want them to double the amount when the Xbox is already struggling and losing money"

As long we get the games I couldn´t care less about a trillion dollar company losing money. That´s their business to worry about. I only care about the games.

And "struggling and losing money"? Really?

"Microsoft reports Xbox’s revenue is up 61% in Q4 FY24 thanks to Activision"

https://venturebeat.com/gam...

61% more revenue and BO6 is not even out yet.

MS will make a sh!t ton of money with that game alone in all platforms. So 2 Billion yearly invested in their *core* business is nothing!

So yeah, I want them to double the investments on Gamepass. Period.

Sonic18813d ago (Edited 3d ago )

"So yeah, I want them to double the investments on Gamepass. Period."

That ain't going to happen. Just because you want it 😂

fr0sty3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

They'll do that, after creating 4 more higher-priced tiers and making the one that currently includes everything only contain games that have been on the market for 4 years.

"Gamepass Ultra to the MAX: Now only $299 per year!"

MrNinosan2d ago

Already $240/year, so we're there within a year, without new tiers.

jznrpg1d 17h ago (Edited 1d 17h ago )

It will be 29.99$ a month eventually 360 a year

Profchaos3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

They are trying to get a return on abk and Bethesda they won't double day one we're lucky we are still getting them now that day one has been removed from base tiers

They want to make money not give it away

OlderGamer173d ago

Sorry O_O, I tought you where loosing it, but i now come to the conclusion that you realy lost it.
The coping from you is not on a stellarr level....

Flakegriffin3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Homie got 77 dislike and his brain rot will still help him think that he’s right.

3d ago
+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 1d 17h ago
MrDead3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I like how they twist cannibalising game sales into "invests".

No lifetime sales with MS, they'll F-up gaming the same as streaming services have done to the movie industry and it's workforce.

Fishy Fingers3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Out of interest do you think those 3rd parties signing the deal are unhappy with the severence and have a gun to their head?

Bro probably has a PS+ sub and has library full of Epic launcher free games.

TheNamelessOne3d ago

lol

Pretty much. There's a lot of hate on this site for Gamepass, but put games on the different tiers of the PS subscription, and whenever they get that free day one release, it's an entirely different tune. No talk about how this choice is killing devs.

DarXyde3d ago

Do we think they're unhappy?

Umm...YES...?

They literally need to be paid up front to put games on the service. It's become a way to gain a foothold on the platform.

Do you think Atlus would launch on Game Pass otherwise?

MrDead3d ago

"Out of interest do you think those 3rd parties signing the deal are unhappy with the severence and have a gun to their head?"

I think you mean severance... and I've noticed you don't know what it means either, MS aren't firing the third-parties they're purchasing from.

"Bro probably has a PS+ sub and has library full of Epic launcher free games."

I'm not a console gamer, but yes I do have Epic with a library full of free games... but guess what Epic rotating free games every week doesn't do. It doesn't destroy lifetime sales and cut workers out of residuals. Then you bring up PS+ a service that also doesn't destroy lifetime sales as their model allows for new releases to earn.

DivineHand1253d ago

There are pros and cons to everything. Streaming services like Netflix is no different than cable tv except it is on demand. Services like Netflix has made it so that more studios can get a share in the profit where they can reach more consumers worldwide compared to the old days where the masses will only watch a few new titles per month.

The only negative about streaming services is that it no longer makes any sense to sell DVDs and Blu-rays though it can be argued that those persons may have moved on to building digital libraries for the sake of convenience.

The reason Xbox is doing so poorly is because they are not doing enough to be competitive. Their output of AA and AAA exclusive titles are extremely low compared to the competition and they haven't had a game of the year nominee in years.

Releasing their games the same date on PC is also hurting their console and it would have been more strategic for them to delay those releases by a year similar to what Sony does to maximize profits.

Gamepass alone is not to blame for Xbox's current position because it can be argued that if the service didn't exist and they had the same gaming output as they have now, they would be in an even worst spot.

MrDead3d ago

"Streaming services like Netflix is no different than cable tv except it is on demand."

It's nothing like cable. My comment isn't a guess lifetime sale of films has shrunk to a point it's almost gone and so has the revenue it generated, that is money from competing TV networks, cable/satellite and physical media sales.

Lack of revenue transparency with streaming has meant workers job security and pay has massively diminished, earnings from residuals is almost gone for example the writer for Squid Games because of streaming gets no royalties despite series earning $900 million for Netflix, before streaming he would have royalties form lifetime sales.
Or another example Willow the series was pulled and is no longer watchable here's why: “Willow” was one of nearly 50 titles that Disney+ pulled from its streaming library in May. Other titles included the series “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and the feature film “The One and Only Ivan.” Disney CFO Christine McCarthy explained that Disney was expecting to take a write-down in the June quarter of $1.5 billion-$1.8 billion by removing content from its streaming platforms. By writing down the value of the content assets, Disney can remove that from its balance sheet and reduce its tax bill." Also when you pull a show you no longer need to pay residuals to the workers.

Have you also noticed the drop in quality on sfx or thought some older films look so much better then they do now? This is because the industry now relies on cheap labour for sfx outsourcing abroad, more green screen instead of location shooting and a lot less real extras bring life to a scene.

Streaming in gaming is going to be far worse as we've seen with MS consolidating a massive part of the industry to try and make the service sustainable, lifetime sales being cannibalised by gamespass and a work force that has no unions like SAG is already paying the price.

All streaming does is remove income transparency, cuts the workers from the money and sets flat rates and removes consumer ownership... but CEO's and shareholders will still be ok as they benefit from the industry consolidation.

Huey_My_D_Long3d ago

MrDead is absolutely on fire with the post.

Nothing else I have to add other than that.

DivineHand1253d ago

@MrDead like I said pros and cons. Some of those issues can alleviated with alleviated with regulatory intervention to give more transparency to the industry but unlikely anytime soon with all the lobbying going on.

The issue with the squid game's writer can be attributed to the terms and conditions he agreed to. It happens often in business as no one really knows how popular something will be until you catch that lightning in a bottle. I remember reading about how Nintendo hardly made anything off Pokemon Go dispite Niantic making Billions.

I don't blame streaming services for studios finding was to reduce the cost of making films. That stuff would have happened regardless because of the greed of these corporations. We see that same cost reduction happening in every industry from food to Aerospace.

shadowT3d ago ShowReplies(2)
CrimsonGuardVII3d ago

@badz148 its not, it just straight lied.

gold_drake3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

we know this, we have known this since last year.

this is not new or news.

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