Hello again! Well, with just a sidebar advertising prices I have snagged 50+ pre-orders for Ataris. Not bad, but I must ‘pause’ taking pre-orders for a while. I can’t build them terribly fast and I don’t want to disappoint people.

Production could be sped up quite a bit if I could get some custom PCB’s made. I have no experience making them nor the software to design them. If any Atari fans out there with the know-how to do such a thing would like to contact me about designing such a board, please do. There would be per-unit royalties involved, and I can fill you in on the specifics of what I need.

Also I have been toying with the idea of have other people build VCSp’s for me. Basically what I’d do is supply the person with a ‘how-to’ manual and some custom case parts, and they would be responsible to assemble the unit. People would order the units through me, and I would then ‘farm out’ the work to others. This would speed things up for the buyers, though it would involve the touchy issue of me giving out my construction details.

So, if anyone would like to help, and especially if anyone can help with PCB’s, please contact me using the EMAIL button above. Infrogrames will probably never make an actual new ‘Atari’ system, so it’s up to us!

I was in Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine’s July issue I have heard. Yes, just when you all thought the Game boy Advance was the coolest thing ever, along came my VCSp.  Anyway, I can remember reading that magazine WAY back when the Turbo-Graphx 16 was first released (CD QUALITY SOUND AND MIND-BLOWING GRAPHICS!)  but I never would have thought I’d be in it one day. Still waiting for my email from Nolan Bushnell!

A note on production. Even though I am doing my best to build these things for people, the reality of it is that I’m swamped with more requests than I can handle with any sort of speed. SO! If there are any entrepreneurs out there that would like to discuss any business ideas please drop me a line! Why? Because PEOPLE WANT IT!

I think the problem that recent owner(s) of Atari have had is that they think Atari is just “Asteroids”, “Missile Command” or “Pong”. They think of it like Hollywood does movies. Get the rights, then remake the old stuff over and over, or get people to buy something they already (ahem,  DVD!)

Atari isn’t a just a list of titles that did well in the arcade…
Atari is an IDEA.

Atari isn’t a bunch of re-programmed games slapped on a CD for play on a computer monitor using your keyboard…
Atari is sitting up all night eating chips and soda, peering at the interference-filled screen trying to beat your friend’s top score while holding a crappy uncomfortable pizza-sauce stained joystick.

Atari wasn’t just a company…
It was a way of life!

And I think that’s what people want. They want a way to relive those old memories. And that’s what I’m trying to help with, as best I can. Why am I doing all this? Because there are those of us who have loved videogames ever since their inception. And to us, Atari is king.

Long live the king.

As some of you may have noticed, I have very subtly begun taking pre-order names. (See the right-hand column). So far 7 Atari VCSp Rev 5’s have been built and sold. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but Mike and I are getting pretty proficient at these things, cranking out 3 a week…

(These pictures, which were NOT staged, show us hard at work on the VCSp’s of the future…)

     

The largest problem I find now is getting enough screens. The VCSp Rev 5 uses an RCA pocket television model L2501:

I can only find these at Best Buy and they RARELY have more than 2 a week in stock (which I always plunder). So my question is this. Could potential VCSp buyers purchase this TV themselves? That way, the supply of these screens would not rely on ONE Best Buy store, but stores all across the WORLD! A VCSp buyer could get the screens, then ship it to me (along with an Atari for trade) and I’d have all the parts to build a VCSp, without all the running around and searching on my part. And of course, the price of the VCSp would be $130 less… OR if anyone knows where I could get these in bulk, that would also help.

Email and let me know what you think! An arrangement such as this could certainly speed production.

 

After nearly a year, another VCSp has finally been built in glorious black coloring! Surprisingly, I’ve gotten very few emails saying “why are they blue, they’re supposed to be BLACK!” so I guess people are OK with a blue VCSp, but deep down in my heart I knew I had to get them Back In Black.

The material I’ve been using to make VCSp’s is actually a graffiti-proof sign material called Densetec. Therefore, it’s hard to stick ANYTHING to it, let alone paint. This black coloring was accomplished using an epoxy resin mixed with black enamel. For a look that shines!

I am working on getting some custom molds designed for these things (which can be painted easily) but until then I can use epoxy enamel and vinyl to color the units I currently have. This will probably add about $20 to the cost of the unit. Is it worth it, I wonder?

The first Rev 5 arrived in the hands of its happy buyer this week! Click HERE for his review! Thanks Marc!

I slightly updated this section. I already got a bite on the 8 boards for a Rev 3 trade, thanks. BUT! Anyone else with an abundance of working Atari 2600 4-switch boards is welcome to email and let me know how much they’d like to get for them. If I could get enough extra boards at a reasonable cost it would lower the price of the VCSp’s in the long run. So let me know!

In other news, my friend Mike, webmaster of the “The Homepage”, has joined my Atari-building team. Production may DOUBLE now!

Now, I know in the past I’ve made fun of Mike’s site, but since he’s helping me out now I felt obliged to alter my review. Here it is:

“Surely and truly, Mike’s site, ‘The Homepage’ is, without a doubt, the most exciting and engaging collection of dead links ANYWHERE on the ‘Net. His apparent disregard for maintaining a site might be considered, by some, to be the result of negligence, or just plain laziness. But I see it as an act of BRILLIANCE, that is just not appreciated by the average viewer! Instead of simply ‘pointing’ you to useful information, Mike’s idea is that you SEARCH for it, much like how our ancient ancestors had to search for food. But did our ancient ancestors have rendered “Under Construction” pages? I think not! And this is where Mike’s site exceeds beyond all others! I give it an A+, 5 stars and an Oscar *”

So there you have it! Check out Mike’s site TODAY and discover the sheer AWESOMENESS it has to offer! Then email him and let him know how glad you are he’s helping to bring VCSp’s to the masses!

ALSO! I am building SIX more of these things all at once. Three of the six have already been ‘claimed’, but the other 3 are not yet sold.