a new affordable ATARI VCS embedded PC that can also do games – What was Atari?

24.Feb.2021

games, General / Allgemein, Hardware / Reviews

https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/605355-atari-vcs-enters-pre-production-architect-claims-six-months-unpaid-invoices

first always say something positive:

runs Ubuntu per default (can also run Win10 for Win based games)
THE DESIGN IS GREAT
the controller seams to be good (sold separately?)
THE HARDWARE is (performance wise) okay
Atari seems to ship updates
with a lot of Win10 tinkering it can barely play Cyberpunk 2077 (with all settings on low X-D)

reviews:

what is inside?

how to upgrade it:

checkout this Youtube Video
G.Skill kit was rated for CAS18, I was able to run it at 15-16-16-36 (cas, rcd, trp, ras).

“Fortunately, Atari was eager to demo another important feature of the VCS: PC Sandbox Mode. Since the Atari VCS is basically just an AMD Ryzen-based PC, it can be treated as such, and that includes ignoring the Linux partition of the system and installing Windows 10 instead. Microsoft’s operating system runs just fine on the Atari VCS, which opens up the console for modest PC gaming, including both Fortnite and Borderlands 3. It isn’t exactly a Threadripper-toting beast of a gaming PC, but for $250 to $390, you aren’t going to get that kind of performance in a PC” (src)

Atari ain’t dead… yet… (stock)

but with CEOs that have no technological background… it might soon…

“Atari’s executives have no understanding of how games consoles, nor the Linux-powered operating system at the heart of the VCS, work” (src: theregister.com)

first off … it is a nice idea to make a GNU Linux (Debian) based gaming console… that can also be used as a “normal” PC (just give users the BIOS password… will ya?) X-D

how to enter BIOS & disable Password: hit DEL on boot -> pwd is Piano18482

“The failure to create anything beyond a PC in an Atari-branded box is, we are told, the result of penny-pitching” (src: theregister.com)

“Tin Giant” (Rob Wyatt)

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-03-tin-giant-sues-atari-for-unpaid-work-on-vcs-console

Atari VCS can also run Windows 10 and EPIC’s Fortnite (imho ut2004 (Atari was involved in that game back then) is still more innovative X-D, some players have manged to run ut2004 on GNU Linux

https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/605355-atari-vcs-enters-pre-production-architect-claims-six-months-unpaid-invoices

“The Atari VCS is powered by an AMD Ryzen Embedded R1606G with Vega 3 Graphics.” (64Bit Dual Core, 4 threads) performance seams to be not great but would be “okay” for 250€ bucks” “This System-on-a-Chip Is fairly capable, though it lacks the horsepower to be a capable modern gaming machine.

Unfortunately, the R1606G, which is based on the original Zen architecture just isn’t all that impressive.

If Atari had went with the newer Ryzen Embedded V2000 series, users would have gotten a lot more bang” (src: gamerevolution.com)

“With no exciting killer apps, the Atari VCS just a more attractive version of the countless cheap x64 mini PCs on the market. However, unlike those generic systems, the locked BIOS on the VCS prevents users from using the console as desired. Given the shoddy state of the default Atari OS and the other issues I’ve encountered, it’s hard to recommend the VCS as anything other than an oddity”

was backed with 3Mio … https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/atari-vcs-game-stream-connect-like-never-before#/updates/all

What was Atari?

Atari was a computer manufacturer comparable to Apple in innovation.

Just like Apple, Ataris were also strong in the music sector (Cubase).

What Atari was also (in contrast to Apple) a computer-platform on which a lot of innovative games could be played (like Moon Patrol)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_st

So like the Atari ST it was:

a innovative computer (unfortunately not really compatible with MS DOS computers)
that could also do midi audio “like a pro”
gaming machine computer (floppy disks 3.5″… loads of them X-D)

but when Atari made another dedicated gaming console “ATARI Jaguar” it failed MISERABLY X-D

so it is actually kind of a smart move… to build an Atari COMPUTER (that can actually be used as a computer) that is, at at the same time, can also be used for (this time M$ compatible) gaming.

not bad not bad… but the question is… why not spend a few bucks more and get a laptop?

problem: embedded systems (in the past) have been too slow for gaming… and unlike desktop-mainboard-from-ASUS lacked the possibility of GPU upgrades via PCI-E extensions slots… so if Atari can keep up delivering high quality innovation (probability is low but still)… there could be some sort of comeback…

“Atari Corporation left the hardware business around 1996, after it released the Atari Jaguar CD video game console, and was liquidated in 1998″

Despite its two custom 32-bit processors – Tom and Jerry – in addition to a Motorola 68000, Atari marketed it as the world’s first 64-bit game system, emphasizing its 64-bit bus.^[1] (src: Wiki)

but that did not make it more powerful or better to program than a Playstation 1 with a single 32Bit CPU…

Atari-Hotels? #wtf? bad Corona-Timing X-D

“On January 27, 2020, Atari announced a deal with GSD Group to build Atari Hotels, with the first breaking ground in Phoenix in mid-2020. Additional hotels were also planned in Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose. The company plans to make the hotel experience immersive and accessible to all ages. Hotels are planned to include virtual and augmented reality technologies.[62][63][64]

(src: Wiki)

Good Luck all involved 🙂

Videos:

Alternatives?

a cheap gaming pc or build something embedded on https://www.ebay.de/itm/ASUS-ROG-Strix-B550-I-Gaming-Mainboard-AM4-PCIe-x16-4-0-USB-3-1-Typ-C/184408628052

PS: Did u know, that the PS4 OS is a fork of FreeBSD 9 #wtf #nice #Sony X-D