Developers Are Sleeping On The Atari VCS

[@TreeFallStudios]

Hey everyone! Thanks for watching! Are you a game developer or a player who owns a VCS? Let me know what you think in the comments! Also I filmed this video weeks ago and just got to the edit yesterday so a few things changed like the total games on the store went up by like 5, which is wild, AND the Atari new year sale already ended. *also found an error in the video edit so I threw up a new upload.

[@ressljs]

As a big Atari fan, I wish the Atari VCS had sold better. So shill away!

[@TreeFallStudios]

Hahah! We shall bring them to victory all by ourselves? lol. But on a serious note, it is just nice to have another place to be able to distribute games. Nintendo is extremely difficult to work with to become approved, Xbox has a really murky future and low results, Steam is nice but is beyond over crowded it is hard to make consistent income on there unless you are insanely talented AND lucky. Having another platform to distribute on outside of just relying on PlayStation for us is really nice. PLUS it is nice to see new people finding our games and having fun!

[@ressljs]

@@TreeFallStudios I'm glad you're finding some success on the VCS. As far as the other platforms, I know Nintendo is crazy people living in their own crazy universe, and I've heard many times they're hard to work with. As far as Xbox, I don't pay much attention because... Gross! But even I noticed that in the last 24 hours, there has been a panic among KZbinrs loyal to Xbox. Maybe the black cloud of doom rumored for years to be hanging over Xbox is finally materializing?

[@shawn6306]

sells don't matter to me i will always love atari no matter what happens that's just me

[@TreeFallStudios]

Yea we have seen some success so far. A few games have done better than others but honestly it really helps in the long run. Add VCS + Steam sales together and we have a semi extra revenue stream to compliment our PS sales. Our PS sales still dwarf both VCS and Steam together but Atari is really building up over time. I think if I can keep getting ports out it will keep growing. Also the Xbox stuff is wild, it looks like they are gonna eventually get out of hardware and go third party. I still hope to at least get my Tilting Tiles Xbox port finished to see how that goes, but the Xbox fanbase is def volatile right now will be interesting to see how everything turns out. I have worked on my Xbox port forever lol so hopefully it at least goes alright HA.

[@TreeFallStudios]

I hear you! :D

[@mopster64]

Thank you. You're the reason I upgrade my VCS components so I can put this console to use!

[@TreeFallStudios]

Wow! That is cool to hear! Glad you are enjoying our games and getting some use out of your VCS haha! Thanks for watching!

[@saurondp]

Nice to see you're still supporting the VCS, and I'm glad it's providing a revenue stream for you. I've enjoyed your VCS releases, and hope you keep them coming!

[@ScuzzMB]

I know this wasn't aimed at players, but as a VCS owner since early on, I can tell you that many of us abandon trying to get our games here for a while. Atari has really mis-handled this console and is not supporting their consumers on it. First, for most of of 2023, as you touched upon in your vid, you are unable to purchase games on it unless you already had stored credit card - they are currently selling out their stock of hardware to consumers that won't be able to purchase anything on it. This is impacting massive numbers of customers leading us to buy the primarily non-exclusives on other platforms because we had no other choice (no, you cannot purchase games with anything other than a credit/debit card, no pay-pal/venmo or other options)- the few VCS exclusives that have come out in the past 8 months are so (not many if any) are shut off from us. When we reach out to Atari for support, they would either not respond or say "we're working on it." You've really underplayed how wide reaching and impactful this is. All I know, is that I've sunk several hundred dollars into titles on other platforms that I had PLANNED to sink into the VCS. The product is a doorstop for a huge swath of their fanbase right now. I've been a huge fan of Atari since a kid, the 2600 was my first console and this brand is really sour for me now. Again - that "payment processing error" that you say Atari is telling you they are working on - they have been "working on it" for approaching one year now. You have thousands of people that have sunk hundreds or thousands of dollars into this console at the beginning that CANNOT BUY GAMES ON IT. They don't even have an option to purchase the game through an account on an app or online and then go in and download it. That alone would at least by-pass this problem. But you MUST buy games on the console hardware. Such a mishandled product. It's to the point now, where occasionally payment processing will start working - usually only for a few hours - I think the longest stretch was 1-2 days - owners of the consoles will hurriedly post forum or youtube vids saying PAYMENT PROCESSING IS WORKING! IT'S WORKING - but then when you finally see the message a few hours later it's down again for another couple of months. I'm glad this can be a good start for developers, but for a large number of us owners, it's a nightmare.

[@TreeFallStudios]

Yea in my opinion the Zip code payment error is the absolute biggest fault with the entire system. Have you gone to the discord to post about your errors? Typically when you do that they will log them or try to fix it. When I first got my VCS I had the exact same error and could not buy anything. I was in shock thinking this is crazy, how is anyone going to buy my games? But then I got my first sales report in, saw people in the discord playing and having fun and realizing well it must not be everyone. They gave me a support email to reach out too, and then I gave them my account and told them I was unable to purchase games. They spent some time on it and said that is should be resolved. As a test I just got my "personal" VCS account, not dev mode, and went to the store and was able to buy a game, even though I originally had that payment error. So I know it can be resolved, but it is beyond annoying. You gotta realize that Atari is really not the same giant it used to be. The company is much smaller and the amount of people actively on the VCS side of things is even smaller. This product is niche and comes with some growing pains, which I mention in the video. IF all those issues do end up getting fully ironed out, the platform will be EVEN better for devs as customers won't have any problems and be able to enjoy the system much easier. Either way as it currently stands the system is STILL worth it for devs in my opinion. Also I found that if you keep trying sometimes you can maybe get through the error, and basically once you save a credit or debit card in the store you are good to go. I do agree having a gift card system like PSN cards or eShop cards would be great and could fix this entirely. I have mentioned that idea PLUS that having an online store on the web would be a big help to people who work at Atari on VCS. Will it ever happen with this system? Probably not but hey if the system keeps getting all the support from its fans who knows maybe they will make an even better one in the future.

[@battlegeekplus]

Thanks for this video. I just released a game on the PC, PS5, and Xbox and been selling well on the PS5 and Xbox. However, I've been rejected from Nintendo 4 times and decided to go to the VCS instead.

[@TreeFallStudios]

Nice! That is good to hear you are finding some decent success with PS5 and Xbox. Out of curiosity which one of those systems has performed better for you? As far as Nintendo goes, join the club! They reject everyone lol. Have you already released on VCS?

[@battlegeekplus]

@@TreeFallStudiosXbox by far as my game was retweeted by Sarah Bond, the president of Xbox. I’m still in talks with David Paige at Atari to develop on the VCS but the VCS discord community has been extremely cool and encouraging so far.

[@TreeFallStudios]

Wow! That is some great exposure!! Yea haha developer set up can take a bit at Atari, but once you finally get in past all the red tape it is a breeze. I wish you the best of luck.

[@IOwnMyWiiULEGIT]

Got a VCS for Christmas and really enjoy it.

[@TreeFallStudios]

That is awesome!

[@ThomasStewartDev]

Awesome video! The VCS looks like a fun console to play games on.

[@TreeFallStudios]

Yea it's definitely a unique experience, you can say that much! In the clip going from the home menu to the store, you can see I have picked up a few games on the system. Me and wife tried a few rounds of the old school Centipede lol! Thanks for watching bro.

[@marsumane]

I never even knew about this system. You're also attracting people that are non-developers and doing an excellent promotion for this underdog Atari system

[@TreeFallStudios]

Well it is super niche. I feel like they did not really do much marketing after the original launch. It probably didn't sell like they were hoping and they just let it fly under the radar is my guess. But I know there are other devs like me actively making games for the system and Atari still drops new games on there so for now it slowly lives on lol!

[@grunch610]

Well that doesn't seem comfortable they should try a bed

[@TreeFallStudios]

Truly. Especially that classic joystick, it will really just stab you in the back if you aren't careful.

[@bradensorensen966]

As a non-game-developer, this is totally true.

[@TreeFallStudios]

Awesome! Well I am glad you think so, thanks for watching I appreciate it!

[@angelmesa9530]

I fan of Atari and I have Atari VCS. And you right the developers is sleeping. Thanks for this video

[@TreeFallStudios]

Wow cool! Thanks for watching the video, I appreciate it. They definitely are missing out!

[@ObsidianContraption]

Visibillty is great on the VCS and a great community!

[@TreeFallStudios]

Yea it really is! At this point in time, they are like the only platform with that low of a game volume. I love being able to scroll through the entire store in a few minutes lol.

[@robertbuckley1503]

Solid video and many good points. Question - how did you manage to get ahold of them to become a dev? Is support (on Atari's end) still active for development? I've tried reaching out a few times to get information on becoming licensed, haven't heard anything.

[@TreeFallStudios]

It is super laid back and just not official like other consoles. The best way to get approved is to join the Atari Discord and connect with some of the people working there. That is the most recent way I have seen and helped devs get through.

[@ShadeofJeremy]

I've had my VCS for about a year now myself. I am enjoying it and like that it's more indie friendly. I don't care for most modern games and this is the first time since the original Playstation that I've owned a current system. This is an interesting video and I'm l'm glad to learn a little more about it.

[@TreeFallStudios]

Very interesting! Yea it is definitely a unique niche machine with some cool games! Thanks for watching!!

[@Hammersmith4602]

as a new comer to the VCS i must say we gamers who like the VCS are always welcome to new developers putting out new games on it

[@TreeFallStudios]

Yea exactly! I have seen a very active community in the Atari Discord plus new fans finding our channel, and everyone is just looking for new stuff to play! Developers are definitely missing out on an opportunity to serve an under served market!

[@playtoonsrv6209]

If it's still around by the time I find a studio to join, I honestly wouldn't mind supporting the Atari VCS. I also hope that they'll fix those problems soon.

[@TreeFallStudios]

Yea it definitely is fun. Very niche system but it has been fun deving on it. Reminds me of the old Wii U days. Just making games and putting them on the store ha. It really feels unique when scrolling through the store on the system, it feels like wow "no one knows about this" lol.

[@hedraun9289]

Thanks for promoting the VCS. I hope people hear it. Btw I liked Mighty Math, do you think you could Patch in Leaderboards into it? Leaderboards=more fun. Also a versus Local mode would be fun. To compete with other players for numbers. They can get their own box and steal eachothers numbers.

[@TreeFallStudios]

Yea absolutely it is a system worth getting a little more light on it! Also I probably won't add leader boards into that game but I am looking into putting them into future games where it would make sense. Also I do have some ideas for a Mighty Math 2 with a Co-Op mode. I am currently working on bringing over my upgraded version of my game called "Annihilation". That game has both a Co-Op and a Versus mode for local multiplayer, it will be our first local play VCS game. I am really looking forward to it! I am trying to get the port finished up today =) Thanks for watching!

[@hedraun9289]

@@TreeFallStudiosLooking forward to it. Just FYI though, leaderboards are a big seller for games on the VCS. People will legit buy the game just for the leaderboards and some competition. Also give you alot of enjoyment seeing the length of effort people will go through playing your game to get the top score. An update to any of your current games would spread by word of mouth pretty fast and you would give the game more life.

[@TreeFallStudios]

@@hedraun9289 I see that! A lot of people in the discord have been suggesting that lol. I need to work on it when I get the chance!

[@basicforge]

I'm a VCS owner and I'm thinking of porting my Liberty BASIC programming language to the VCS. I have a version that runs on Linux and I'm just wondering if the VCS supports windowed apps? Liberty BASIC would be an easy way for VCS owners to write their own games. :)

[@FunkyStudios]

I would love to produce games for this system, but I have a question, do you know if Atari supports GDevelop games on its marketplace?

[@TreeFallStudios]

Hey there! I do not think so, unless GDevelop has a linux based exporter. You need an engine that can get you to a linux build and then from there you can work with that to get it running on Atari!

[@FunkyStudios]

I do believe it can export to Linux! ​@@TreeFallStudios

[@8biters]

dziękuję za to wideo, bo mam takie małe marzenie :)

[@nickdoesnotlikepie]

It’s sad they can’t ship to Canada

[@TreeFallStudios]

I have heard that a few times now. I have a developer friend in Canada having trouble getting one for a devkit and another developer from Europe asked me about it last night. I know every country is different and I assume importing something from a US seller might be expensive. I need to look into that.

[@ManaCoder-h4y]

very good perspective

[@NamiTentou]

Hey. We wanna get started with Atari development.

[@TreeFallStudios]

YO YO! You know you can always hit me up any time bud! Thanks for watching!

[@NamiTentou]

@@TreeFallStudios I think you've found your calling as a KZbin indie game developer content creator because these are always top tier! :)

[@TreeFallStudios]

HAHA! Thanks bud, I really appreciate it. I try my best lol

[@Kall_Mii_Kemo]

Would you say the VCS 800 is targeting single A games?

[@TreeFallStudios]

I mean it is hard to say really. There is a lot of debate on the definition of A, AA, and AAA games. Everyone basically knows what AAA is, but the size, scope, budget, team size etc of single A and AA are kinda harder to pin down to me. I would say at this point the system *mostly* targets small indie games, old school inspired arcade styles, and then actual classic atari games ported to this system. Although there are games developed by Graphite Lab, which if I am not mistaken, might have been purchased by Atari a little while back. They made "Kombinera" and "Mr Run and Jump" and put them on the VCS. Those games are multi-platform but I believe have VCS exclusive content. Those games are probably not what you would call "AA" scope but to me maybe more than single A, they seem to have semi larger budgets. I think they have a decent sized team that works there. Also Atari recently released "Food Fight: Culinary Combat" on VCS which is a fully 3D third person online shooter, so some of the games that do get released have a little bit of a bigger scope that's for sure. But mostly I would say it is a perfect classic game and indie machine.

[@Kyjor_]

Is there a simple way to put it into dev mode? Or do I need to message someone in the discord?

[@TreeFallStudios]

Well simple ish. You can either re-flash the entire system so its main OS is Dev OS OR you can download a Dev OS onto a USB stick and plug in the USB when you want to boot into dev mode. That way you can have a retail version to play yourself and test your games on once they release, and then a dev version for the original builds. But I'm not actually sure if you can get the Dev OS until you become a registered dev, you might be able too, but I didn't get it til I was already done signing up and I use mine via USB.

[@Kyjor_]

@@TreeFallStudios Oh I gotcha! That's kind of annoying that I can't try it, but I guess I understand since other consoles are like that. Thanks for the info!

[@shawn6306]

yes it's true that the majority of indie devs are sleeping on the new atari vcs 800 that's because not alot heard about it and atari is now a small company and it doesn't matter to me if video game hardware has alot of games or don't have alot of games or don't have alot of games only have little bit of games i'm ok with it no matter what happens atari will always have a place in my heart this new atari vcs 800 pc/console hybrid is the reason why i'm a fan of the atari vcs it's my favorite video game hardware i always want it atari to make a comeback with new hardware and there are the miniroty are indie devs that do support and love the atari vcs that did heard about it the only problem issue i have with the atari vcs is the atari vcs store sometimeswould glitch out with the zip code not working that's the only thing i don't like about it but i love everything else the rest about the atari vcs it's a great underrated hardware to me and power spces don't matter to me i don't care about power to be honest i know it does matter to the majority but only the miniroty some of us don't care about power spces i may not be a developer but the i am a atari fan customer it's not a niche project to me in my book i enjoy the rest about the vcs i will always support it no matter what happens because i'm the only one that i don't believe in the failure label to me there is no such thing as failure to me i just love embrace the atari vcs for what it is that's just me my honest unpopular way of thinking it's fine if the majority don't embrace it for what it is i just want to also share my honesty too i think it's ok nothing wrong thinking difference and being difference that's what makes us unique the world will be a boring place if we were all force to be the same like robots that's not a world i wanna live in and i also think there is no such thing as failure to me i think it's all that we just have difference preference that's all just like they say can't please everyone it doesn't matter if it's popular or unpopular there are some unpopular things i love better than most popular things that is great to me sure there are some popular things i love but there are some popular things i don't like at all that is bad to me i'm goingo sure this vide onmy twitter x account because i also love to help to spread the word out too on my twitter x account and my youtube as well

[@gabrielribeiro5192]

Atari console is dead, I submitted my application an the doesnt even respond, Btw my game was accepted for consoles, but not on Atari lol