I highly recommend getting the 2nd controller makes all them multiplayer games so much fun. The VCS is my main console by choice have a ps5 have a switch but I love the VCS.
just got mine two weeks ago, had to update the firmware to get it running (no problem), and upgraded both the RAM and storage. so far i am LOVING it! those modern indie games are so cool
Love the review, great vid, some really cool games in there. Vector sector looked fun, as did the Bentley Bear one with 19 mini games (definitely agree great soundtrack) I never bought a VCS simply because I already have too many consoles / collections as well as project systems like pi and mister, and it felt like I wouldn’t have time to give it the love it deserves. Atari deserves devoted fans and I hoped this system sold really good and that Atari continues to support it cause it is amazing.
Love it but it's hard to recommend to the average person. You will have to be willing to work through various technical hurdles, and then you will chance encountering the ZIP code error in the store like I did for a while. PC mode is great but only if you install it to an internal m.2 drive and upgrade the RAM to 32G, but it's something not available on the major consoles. The new joystick is awesome but only after I shimmed the four direction buttons inside the joystick with layers of tape until it was perfect, which took a few attempts.
100%. This is a novelty system that appeals to a very specific kind of person. I just so happen to be that person, so I love the darn thing, but yeah. Absolutely don't recommend for everyone. Where can I learn more about this tape solution for the joystick? Sounds interesting.
The tape solution is something I came up with for my particular problem. Haven't seen it anywhere else. If you remove the joystick's circuit board, you will see the four rubber switches that contact with the "pads" on bottom of the joystick handle. In my case the contact pads were hitting the plastic stops before fully engaging the switches, so I've been adding layers of tape on the top of the buttons, so they engage sooner. It solved the problem after some trial and error, but the soft tape I used deforms over time so it's not ideal. @@stoneagegamer
If they can fix the zipcode BS then I can see how I like it but its been rough as a new owner. The one good thing is mine updated online out of the box last week which seems to be quiet rare. My other friend got his and had to usb update. Antstream and tried Xbox cloud and those worked well, except no wireless on the xbox. I'd like to buy and support the dev on the store when they get that fixed I think I will like it. Its shame on the classic controller, I actually bought two for playing with gf. Maybe I should have gotten two of the newer controllers?
I bought a VCS during cyber week at the sale price, received it yesterday, went through all the flash garbage so it would update and work! This was of course followed by a zip code error when entering credit card info as I was trying to purchase a game from the store. At this point, I can’t buy any games! They need to fix this stuff
I read this morning that a new update went up that fixes the zip code error. I can't confirm that it does since I never encountered it, but you aren't wrong. This system is pretty darn wonky. It's such a neat thing when it's up and running, but it's far from an optimal experience.
Thanks for the news about the update, I just applied it, unfortunately the zip code issue is still not fixed and now the fan on the VCS is throttling up and down in bursts since the update. The burst seem to only happen when in the menus, not during gameplay
@@OldFive31 That's odd because the update fixed the zip code issue for me. I did see someone post a short video where they backed out without attempting to enter their credit card and went back in three times - the third time, their saved card info was there and they could purchase. But, if you have never been able to enter your card, I doubt this will work. Sorry for your issue! It sucks
That stinks it didn't fix the issue. While I'm glad to see them making progress, it's really unfortunate they can't get this figured out. It's such a neat little system, and I hope yours gets ironed out soon.
Happy to see you enjoy it as much as I do. I would recommend giving the classic controller another try. It performs exceptionally well in the games that you wouldn't expect it to. It's the only controller I use for Yar's and Asteroids for example. Excellent in Gravitar and Black Widow as well. And the fact that you can use the rotary control and joystick at the same time, is the one area where the VCS is truly unique, and does infact play differently than any other device. It also works great as a traditional paddle in Atari 50 especially if you crank up the sensitivity. Where the classic controller falls a little short is where you would expect it to excel. It doesn't feel anything like an original CX40 so 2,600 games don't perform the way you expect but, I've gotten used to it. And the padde function strangely fall short in Beakout recharged which is ironic. I think if they added sensitivity adjustments it would work fine in that game as well, because it does perform very well in Neo Breakout, after adjusting sensitivity. In general it's a really cool controller for those games that were designed to take advantage of it, and it makes the console unique.
It might just be a me thing, but I have indeed given the controller a number of shots, and I never quite clicks for me. Except Gravitar, I did find it pretty fun in Gravitar, and Neo Breakout as well. Regardless, I'm glad it works for you. It's such a neat design for a controller.
@@stoneagegamer, I'm sure you're not the only one. I've been playing breakout recharged with a trackball since they got that fixed last week or so. I enjoyed your recap.
I'm kind of like you. I bought the VCS a year ago. I was on the fence but when I heard they were shutting down production, I got tag teamed by nostalgia and FOMO, so I bought one. At first, my plan was to download the Recharged series along with other Atari related stuff like Mania and Tempest 4000. So have a whole bunch of Atari games on my VCS but not much else. Also, I fully expected the store to shut down not long after I bought it because of them cancelling production. Sure, they said they'd still support it, but game companies always say that when their console is dead and rigor mortis is setting in. But once I had it and the store surprisingly didn't shut down, I started checking out the indie games and have downloaded quite a few. It's actually kind of nice that it only occasionally gets new games. That might sound weird, but I'd got a Switch and PS4, and the never ending avalanche of games has left me feeling paralyzed when I look at the overwhelming choices on their e-shops and I end up not buying anything. I'm really happy with it, and of the four consoles I have hooked up to my main TV (also have Switch, PS4pro, and Wii U), it's probably the one I sink the second most amount of time into. Sorry Atari, but Switch is definitely my number 1.
I like my VCS but do not understand why they do not have good sales on the best games. I would prefer to buy it on my VCS but hard when it is the same prices or even cheaper on other systems. The last Black Friday sale was not very good in my opinion.
The reasons for the lack of sales is those people who are confused about what it is and what it's not. You hear a lot of comparisons to a video game system, a computer and a streamer. It's all those and not all those. I consider it more like a NVidia Shield (another bitch item), but way way better. Also, there are these hold out individuals who believe Atari is the old Atari and will disappear and they have little to no understanding of the computer. Then there is this issue of 1st rated or Atari only software. Lastly, are the complainers of the high price of the unit and do they need another computer, video game system and or streamer. Did I mention those that believe that digital items will be taken out of their storage lockers! Anyway, the system is selling, there are more 1st rated titles for it, it's great to have a backup to your many other ways of electronics, it may be pricey yet it has GREAT QUALITY! I do see a future revision with USBC, faster and updated processor, new PCIe storage as well as possibly a VCS cartridge slot. As long as Atari keeps producing them and stays focused on getting ports...it will sell and gain a loyal following.
I was having those a couple of months ago, which absolutely killed some great Yars runs, but they seem to have gone away for me in the latest update? Fingers crossed.
@@stoneagegamer i haven't played it in a couple of days. I'll check it out later today. Black Widow was great played with a ps3 controller but as of last played a couple days ago it didn't even work with the usb cord.😔
I stumbled across this machine when I was looking for something to play the Atari 50th Anniversary Collection on that wasn't a PlayStation, X-Box, or Switch. Once I saw how good those arcade games look, I was sold! They look almost exactly like the machines I spent so many hours feeding quarters into back in the day. We never had an Atari 2600 VCS so I'm really not interested in those games. Mine was an Atari 800 Home Computer System that I bought on closeout after the Atari ST was introduced. I was more interested in computer programming, so gaming was only of peripheral interest to me. I bought games only as graphics demos. Then I would figure out how they did that. Having originally been designed as the next-generation 2600, it had the very best display graphics and sound of ANY 8-bit computer. I'm hoping I can find a good Atari 800 emulator to run on the PC side. My favorite one of these runs only on macOS. My Atari 800 was a computer that was also a game machine. The Atari VCS 800 is a game machine that is also a computer. I'm sorry to hear about Battlezone. That was one of my very favorites. I spent rolls of quarters on that one. Thanks for the tips for Yar's Revenge. It never made much sense to me. I'm convinced the Atari VCS 800 along with the Atari 50th Anniversary Collection may well be everything I need.
Hot tip: The 2600+ is good with hot swapping! For the first few days I was turning it off and on every time I wanted to switch carts, but it's totally fine to just leave it on, yank the cart, and put in a new one. This probably seems obvious to most people, but it never even occurred to me until I saw someone online tell me about it.
I wish I were able to my hands on the VCS, but living in europe there is no way to get one for a acceptable price. When I searched for one it'd cost as much as a xbox series x to get it here which would ruin the feeling of getting it since it's not worth that kind of money. But as an extra console for classic arcade games would be neat.
Yeah, I would absolutely not recommend getting one of these things for that price. It's a fun novelty that I'm glad I'm fortunate enough to have, but it's by no means essential.
I highly recommend getting the 2nd controller makes all them multiplayer games so much fun. The VCS is my main console by choice have a ps5 have a switch but I love the VCS.
That's awesome. Its the only console that I use online.
You should definitely check out Yars Rising and Haunted House for the Atari VCS
I'm almost finished with Yars Rising! It's quite good. I haven't tried Haunted House yet.
just got mine two weeks ago, had to update the firmware to get it running (no problem), and upgraded both the RAM and storage. so far i am LOVING it! those modern indie games are so cool
Lots of fun to be had with this thing. I dont' regret my purchase at all.
-Kris
Love the review, great vid, some really cool games in there. Vector sector looked fun, as did the Bentley Bear one with 19 mini games (definitely agree great soundtrack)
I never bought a VCS simply because I already have too many consoles / collections as well as project systems like pi and mister, and it felt like I wouldn’t have time to give it the love it deserves.
Atari deserves devoted fans and I hoped this system sold really good and that Atari continues to support it cause it is amazing.
Thanks for watching! It certainly is an odd little system.
Love it but it's hard to recommend to the average person. You will have to be willing to work through various technical hurdles, and then you will chance encountering the ZIP code error in the store like I did for a while. PC mode is great but only if you install it to an internal m.2 drive and upgrade the RAM to 32G, but it's something not available on the major consoles. The new joystick is awesome but only after I shimmed the four direction buttons inside the joystick with layers of tape until it was perfect, which took a few attempts.
100%. This is a novelty system that appeals to a very specific kind of person. I just so happen to be that person, so I love the darn thing, but yeah. Absolutely don't recommend for everyone.
Where can I learn more about this tape solution for the joystick? Sounds interesting.
The tape solution is something I came up with for my particular problem. Haven't seen it anywhere else. If you remove the joystick's circuit board, you will see the four rubber switches that contact with the "pads" on bottom of the joystick handle. In my case the contact pads were hitting the plastic stops before fully engaging the switches, so I've been adding layers of tape on the top of the buttons, so they engage sooner. It solved the problem after some trial and error, but the soft tape I used deforms over time so it's not ideal. @@stoneagegamer
If they can fix the zipcode BS then I can see how I like it but its been rough as a new owner. The one good thing is mine updated online out of the box last week which seems to be quiet rare. My other friend got his and had to usb update. Antstream and tried Xbox cloud and those worked well, except no wireless on the xbox. I'd like to buy and support the dev on the store when they get that fixed I think I will like it. Its shame on the classic controller, I actually bought two for playing with gf. Maybe I should have gotten two of the newer controllers?
Give it a go for yourself. I know some folks absolutely love that classic controller, but it just never feels right to me.
I bought a VCS during cyber week at the sale price, received it yesterday, went through all the flash garbage so it would update and work! This was of course followed by a zip code error when entering credit card info as I was trying to purchase a game from the store. At this point, I can’t buy any games! They need to fix this stuff
I read this morning that a new update went up that fixes the zip code error. I can't confirm that it does since I never encountered it, but you aren't wrong. This system is pretty darn wonky. It's such a neat thing when it's up and running, but it's far from an optimal experience.
Oh, wow. I just turned it on to check and it automatically started updating. Here's hoping it clears some things up.
Thanks for the news about the update, I just applied it, unfortunately the zip code issue is still not fixed and now the fan on the VCS is throttling up and down in bursts since the update. The burst seem to only happen when in the menus, not during gameplay
@@OldFive31 That's odd because the update fixed the zip code issue for me. I did see someone post a short video where they backed out without attempting to enter their credit card and went back in three times - the third time, their saved card info was there and they could purchase. But, if you have never been able to enter your card, I doubt this will work. Sorry for your issue! It sucks
That stinks it didn't fix the issue. While I'm glad to see them making progress, it's really unfortunate they can't get this figured out. It's such a neat little system, and I hope yours gets ironed out soon.
Happy to see you enjoy it as much as I do. I would recommend giving the classic controller another try. It performs exceptionally well in the games that you wouldn't expect it to. It's the only controller I use for Yar's and Asteroids for example. Excellent in Gravitar and Black Widow as well. And the fact that you can use the rotary control and joystick at the same time, is the one area where the VCS is truly unique, and does infact play differently than any other device. It also works great as a traditional paddle in Atari 50 especially if you crank up the sensitivity. Where the classic controller falls a little short is where you would expect it to excel. It doesn't feel anything like an original CX40 so 2,600 games don't perform the way you expect but, I've gotten used to it. And the padde function strangely fall short in Beakout recharged which is ironic. I think if they added sensitivity adjustments it would work fine in that game as well, because it does perform very well in Neo Breakout, after adjusting sensitivity. In general it's a really cool controller for those games that were designed to take advantage of it, and it makes the console unique.
It might just be a me thing, but I have indeed given the controller a number of shots, and I never quite clicks for me. Except Gravitar, I did find it pretty fun in Gravitar, and Neo Breakout as well.
Regardless, I'm glad it works for you. It's such a neat design for a controller.
@@stoneagegamer, I'm sure you're not the only one. I've been playing breakout recharged with a trackball since they got that fixed last week or so. I enjoyed your recap.
Trackball? Taht sounds awesome! I'll have to look into that. Thanks!
I'm kind of like you. I bought the VCS a year ago. I was on the fence but when I heard they were shutting down production, I got tag teamed by nostalgia and FOMO, so I bought one. At first, my plan was to download the Recharged series along with other Atari related stuff like Mania and Tempest 4000. So have a whole bunch of Atari games on my VCS but not much else. Also, I fully expected the store to shut down not long after I bought it because of them cancelling production. Sure, they said they'd still support it, but game companies always say that when their console is dead and rigor mortis is setting in. But once I had it and the store surprisingly didn't shut down, I started checking out the indie games and have downloaded quite a few. It's actually kind of nice that it only occasionally gets new games. That might sound weird, but I'd got a Switch and PS4, and the never ending avalanche of games has left me feeling paralyzed when I look at the overwhelming choices on their e-shops and I end up not buying anything. I'm really happy with it, and of the four consoles I have hooked up to my main TV (also have Switch, PS4pro, and Wii U), it's probably the one I sink the second most amount of time into. Sorry Atari, but Switch is definitely my number 1.
Well said!
I like my VCS but do not understand why they do not have good sales on the best games. I would prefer to buy it on my VCS but hard when it is the same prices or even cheaper on other systems. The last Black Friday sale was not very good in my opinion.
I agree. I'd love to see better sales on the VCS store.
The reasons for the lack of sales is those people who are confused about what it is and what it's not. You hear a lot of comparisons to a video game system, a computer and a streamer. It's all those and not all those. I consider it more like a NVidia Shield (another bitch item), but way way better. Also, there are these hold out individuals who believe Atari is the old Atari and will disappear and they have little to no understanding of the computer. Then there is this issue of 1st rated or Atari only software. Lastly, are the complainers of the high price of the unit and do they need another computer, video game system and or streamer. Did I mention those that believe that digital items will be taken out of their storage lockers! Anyway, the system is selling, there are more 1st rated titles for it, it's great to have a backup to your many other ways of electronics, it may be pricey yet it has GREAT QUALITY! I do see a future revision with USBC, faster and updated processor, new PCIe storage as well as possibly a VCS cartridge slot. As long as Atari keeps producing them and stays focused on getting ports...it will sell and gain a loyal following.
I definitely like mine. I use it quite well but controller connection issues persist.
I was having those a couple of months ago, which absolutely killed some great Yars runs, but they seem to have gone away for me in the latest update? Fingers crossed.
@@stoneagegamer i haven't played it in a couple of days. I'll check it out later today. Black Widow was great played with a ps3 controller but as of last played a couple days ago it didn't even work with the usb cord.😔
Oh no! I hope you get it working again soon!@@dad7275
I stumbled across this machine when I was looking for something to play the Atari 50th Anniversary Collection on that wasn't a PlayStation, X-Box, or Switch.
Once I saw how good those arcade games look, I was sold! They look almost exactly like the machines I spent so many hours feeding quarters into back in the day.
We never had an Atari 2600 VCS so I'm really not interested in those games.
Mine was an Atari 800 Home Computer System that I bought on closeout after the Atari ST was introduced.
I was more interested in computer programming, so gaming was only of peripheral interest to me. I bought games only as graphics demos. Then I would figure out how they did that.
Having originally been designed as the next-generation 2600, it had the very best display graphics and sound of ANY 8-bit computer.
I'm hoping I can find a good Atari 800 emulator to run on the PC side. My favorite one of these runs only on macOS.
My Atari 800 was a computer that was also a game machine. The Atari VCS 800 is a game machine that is also a computer.
I'm sorry to hear about Battlezone. That was one of my very favorites. I spent rolls of quarters on that one.
Thanks for the tips for Yar's Revenge. It never made much sense to me.
I'm convinced the Atari VCS 800 along with the Atari 50th Anniversary Collection may well be everything I need.
You may be in luck! The Atari 800 mini was just recently announced and I think you can even preorder it.
@@dad7275Um, Atati 400 mini, but that's close enough. Why am I drooling over that instead of the last thing announced by Apple, which was…?
@@lorensims4846 oh im sorry i do stand to be corrected..the Atari 400 mini lol. Yea its struck my curiosity too even though ive never owned one.
didnt buy a VCS myself but i do have a 2600+ on the way
Hot tip: The 2600+ is good with hot swapping! For the first few days I was turning it off and on every time I wanted to switch carts, but it's totally fine to just leave it on, yank the cart, and put in a new one. This probably seems obvious to most people, but it never even occurred to me until I saw someone online tell me about it.
i slapped a GPU upgrade in mine =D
Awesome!
You got the wrong one, collector’s edition with a “wood grain” looks way better the a plain boring black one you got there.
I 100% agree, but this one was on clearance for like $100 and I couldn't say no. I really wish I had the woodgrain one though.
Hopefully no one loves it and I hope not too many bought it.
I wish I were able to my hands on the VCS, but living in europe there is no way to get one for a acceptable price. When I searched for one it'd cost as much as a xbox series x to get it here which would ruin the feeling of getting it since it's not worth that kind of money. But as an extra console for classic arcade games would be neat.
Yeah, I would absolutely not recommend getting one of these things for that price. It's a fun novelty that I'm glad I'm fortunate enough to have, but it's by no means essential.