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They started with a crowdfunding campaign that raised $3 million: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/atari-vcs-game-stream-connect-like-never-before/#/ https://

They started with a crowdfunding campaign that raised $3 million: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/atari-vcs-game-stream-connect-like-never-before/#/ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/atari-vcs-game-stream-con... So there would seem to be at least some demand, though I share your general skepticism — nothing crowdfunds quite as well as nostalgia, particularly geek nostalgia. And this thing is leaning on the nostalgia angle hard.

dmix 7y ago
Get the price to $100, or at least sub $200, and I'll consider it interesting. The Indiegogo minimum which (seems to) include a base system was only $100, which makes sense for a legit branded emulator + a little more features on top. Otherwise it's entering semi-luxury collectible to full-fledged competition with current gaming systems entering in their late phase and sub $300 range on Craigslist/EBGames. This feels like a decent idea faced with feature-bloat and/or early & unrealistic technical requirements. The website is encouraging people to make their own Atari starter-games for kids or whatnot, which then makes it's not only an emulator console but a whole modernized platform w/ an SDK + all the Chromecast browser/etc crap that will probably be rushed at the end.
- djaychela 7y ago
  >Get the price to $100, or at least sub $200, and I'll consider it interesting. I thought about the same, and ended up reading a few articles on it. Then I went to the website [1] and found the price - $389!!!! No chance, despite me being target market (48, original Atari 2600 owner (still have it in my loft), still moaning about how great the games were in the old days to the kids as I get them off my lawn, etc). [1] - https://atarivcs.com/ https://atarivcs.com/
  - dmix 7y ago
    Wow even worse. That’s a terrible idea. No wonder he left, they probably got a fraction of the preorders they expected.
Aperocky 7y ago
If you're nostalgic about something that's readily within your reach, I find it hard to not just do it. Pretty sure emulators exist and a dedicated fan can easily port this to one of the hundreds of raspberry pi gaming rigs I've seen people post all the time. Unless you've got money to throw around and not enough time to truly invest, but aint that always the truth.
- rbanffy 7y ago
  A cool looking box around a Pi-like device would already be great. A pair of solid joysticks that look like the 2600 ones (could even be pin compatible - it only need 5 IO pins each) would seal the deal.

dmix 7y ago

Get the price to $100, or at least sub $200, and I'll consider it interesting. The Indiegogo minimum which (seems to) include a base system was only $100, which makes sense for a legit branded emulator + a little more features on top. Otherwise it's entering semi-luxury collectible to full-fledged competition with current gaming systems entering in their late phase and sub $300 range on Craigslist/EBGames. This feels like a decent idea faced with feature-bloat and/or early & unrealistic technical requirements. The website is encouraging people to make their own Atari starter-games for kids or whatnot, which then makes it's not only an emulator console but a whole modernized platform w/ an SDK + all the Chromecast browser/etc crap that will probably be rushed at the end.

djaychela 7y ago
>Get the price to $100, or at least sub $200, and I'll consider it interesting. I thought about the same, and ended up reading a few articles on it. Then I went to the website [1] and found the price - $389!!!! No chance, despite me being target market (48, original Atari 2600 owner (still have it in my loft), still moaning about how great the games were in the old days to the kids as I get them off my lawn, etc). [1] - https://atarivcs.com/ https://atarivcs.com/
- dmix 7y ago
  Wow even worse. That’s a terrible idea. No wonder he left, they probably got a fraction of the preorders they expected.

Aperocky 7y ago

If you're nostalgic about something that's readily within your reach, I find it hard to not just do it. Pretty sure emulators exist and a dedicated fan can easily port this to one of the hundreds of raspberry pi gaming rigs I've seen people post all the time. Unless you've got money to throw around and not enough time to truly invest, but aint that always the truth.

rbanffy 7y ago
A cool looking box around a Pi-like device would already be great. A pair of solid joysticks that look like the 2600 ones (could even be pin compatible - it only need 5 IO pins each) would seal the deal.