E. King

Turns out I have this on PC too!  I will give that version a try before buying the VCS version.  This one looks really difficult!

Awesome!
Man if they gave an option in a twin classic setup for the right classic joystick to shoot with the spinner rotation that would be great.

Very cool @E. King ! I may have to try the dual Classic setup myself for this one! 🤔

I got 7790 in April but will need to go for a new high score for this challenge in May.
Will be using this method of control because the only thing better than 1 Classic Joystick is 2 Classic Joysticks.
 

Ok this is my first attempt in May for this challenge.
5090 points with Twin Classic Joysticks.
In the beginning of the video I show the Twin Stick Controls.
I will keep practicing and post higher scores throughout this challenge.
 

I got 7790 in April but will need to go for a new high score for this challenge in May.
Will be using this method of control because the only thing better than 1 Classic Joystick is 2 Classic Joysticks.
 

Let's get the word out about this Recharged Squad Challenge!
The more people participating the more fun the challenge!
Spread the word and invite friends to play!

@Mockduck has a great review of Black Widow: Recharged that really gives you a sense of just how frenetic this game is. It's worth checking out if you're new to the game!
 

Did you know that there are four ways to play Black Widow: Recharged?
- "Twin-stick controls": Modern Controller/Gamepad for dual thumbstick action!
-  "Classic Mode: Classic Rotational": Use the spinner feature of the Classic Controller to aim your shots.
-  "Classic Mode: Classic Directional": Use a single Classic Controller to shoot in the direction you're moving.
- "Classic Mode: Twin-Stick Controls": Use two Classic Controllers for arcade style twin-stick precision!
Which controller setup do you prefer? Let us know how you're playing when you post your scores!

I so far have not found using a Classic to work very well. I've used Classic Rotational and it works well, but I need a bit more accuracy, and dual thumb sticks is still the way to go for twin stick shooters like this in my opinion. However, I bet people good at old twin stick arcades might really get Twin Sticks working well. 
This is going to be fun!

Kicking it off well with a personal best or close to it:

Black Widow: Recharged
Atari VCS
Controller: MODERN / CLASSIC / PLAYER'S CHOICE
Difficulty Level: ARCADE MODE
Play on: Real Hardware ✔
Squad Challenge ends 11:59 pm PST May 31, 2022
 
 
Objective
Play for the highest possible score using the difficulty settings defined in the challenge. Post a photo or YouTube video of your score in this thread. Scores must be achieved between May 1st through May 31, 2022.  Screen captures are not allowed as they are more easily manipulated for falsified scores. Multiple submissions are permitted. The player with the highest score at the end of the competition is the victor!
 
Eligibility
This is a Club VCS Exclusive Challenge. All Club VCS players are welcome!
 
Play Rules
Games may be played on real Atari VCS hardware. Choosing which controller to play on is part of formulating your strategy. Enhancements, rewinds and hacked versions of this game are not allowed.
 
Difficulty Level
We are playing Black Widow: Recharged in the "Arcade Mode". You have a single life to move, shoot, and score as high as possible!
 
Fair Play
Your integrity is everything. Players should play fairly, be honest, and have fun! Falsified scores will result in your immediate removal from the site. It goes without saying that we will not allow cheats, hacks, cartridge frying, enhancements, rewinds, deceitful photo manipulation, subterfuge, or any other unfair advantage. Everybody hates a cheater.
 
More
To review detailed rules on how to play, please visit the High Score Squad page here: 
 
 
Message
Welcome to our third Club VCS Recharged Squad Challenge!!! For this challenge we're playing Black Widow: Recharged! Released on Halloween 2021, Black Widow: Recharged is a re-imagining of the cult classic twin-stick shooter!
Like all games in Atari's recent "Recharged" series, it includes a neon vector-like graphic aesthetic and more modern gaming elements like power-ups, leader boards, challenges, achievements and more. What sets Black Widow: Recharged apart from the other Recharged titles is that this marks the first time that Atari has ever revisited this IP. There has never been a sequel to the 1982 arcade original and it's a bit of a "deep cut" choice for a reboot. This makes it possibly the most intriguing game coming from Atari and developers Adamvision and SneakyBox!  It's also quite possibly the most challenging game in the series.
 
Club VCS Recharged Squad Contest
We are celebrating the launch of Club VCS and the Recharged Squad Challenge with a contest!
From March to July we will be playing other Recharged titles.  After the last game, we will hold a drawing for the winner's choice of one (1) Atari VCS Modern Controller or (1) VCS Classic Joystick Controller!
All challenge participants will receive one (1) entry for each challenge in which they submit a valid score!
The top scorer of each challenge will receive three (3) additional entries - for a total of four (4) entries in a single challenge!
In addition, the top scorer in each of our first five (5) Recharged Squad Challenges will get a ClubVCS button pack celebrating Atari's Recharged series!
This contest is open to everybody, including Atari I/O Moderators, with a U.S. or Canada mailing address. It's really easy, all you have to do is participate be a Club VCS member and participate in our Recharged Squad Challenges.
 
 

 

Just a few hundred away from 3rd place

Two more days to get in your best scores! Let's close strong!
💪
I'm going to give it at least one more shot but I don't see me topping Joe's score.

77,730 with a Modern Controller.

Nice to see you make a submission @Davpa! Let’s see you take the top score with that trackball!
Also, feel free to share your VCS Connect videos on the ClubVCS Creator Space topic!
 

@E. King - I agree with you 💯 on Asteroids: Recharged and Thrustlander. Those along with Breakout: Recharged are easy recommendations for anyone who really enjoys the spinner. I'm confident that we'll see a similar implementation in Gravitar: Recharged too.
Tempest in the Vault is a sublime experience. I also think Tempest 4000, Guntech 2 and Danger Scavenger do a decent job with it.
Atari and its dev partners definitely need to embrace that function as an option. it really sets the VCS a part from other platforms.
Also, I saw your YT video review of the VCS and play of Asteroids. Feel free to share your VCS content on our Creator Space pinned topic: 
 

In case anyone is looking for games that use the Spinner feature and if anyone wants to add ones they know that use the Spinner feature or what your favorites are.
My favorite is Asteroids Recharged the way the Spinner rotates the ship and the trigger does the thrust, for me it just feels like Asteroids was always meant to be played that way.
Anyone who is playing Asteroids Recharged with the dual analog modern controller or even with the Classic Joystick without the Spinner feature turned on is doing it wrong, LOL... If you haven't already done so, Please turn on the Spinner in the control settings for Asteroids Recharged.
I also enjoy ThrustLander  a lot for the same reason as you can rotate the ship with the Spinner and it really makes the gameplay very interesting for me with that game mechanic.
Other games that I know use the Spinner are Breakout, Tempest 4000, Guntech 2, Danger Scavenger and Black Widow.
 

In case anyone is looking for games that use the Spinner feature and if anyone wants to add ones they know that use the Spinner feature or what your favorites are.
My favorite is Asteroids Recharged the way the Spinner rotates the ship and the trigger does the thrust, for me it just feels like Asteroids was always meant to be played that way.
Anyone who is playing Asteroids Recharged with the dual analog modern controller or even with the Classic Joystick without the Spinner feature turned on is doing it wrong, LOL... If you haven't already done so, Please turn on the Spinner in the control settings for Asteroids Recharged.
I also enjoy ThrustLander  a lot for the same reason as you can rotate the ship with the Spinner and it really makes the gameplay very interesting for me with that game mechanic.
Other games that I know use the Spinner are Breakout, Tempest 4000, Guntech 2, Danger Scavenger and Black Widow.
 

Cool man, I think it will be nice to have one in my game room and one in my living room.  Now that I know I can load my games to both I will go for it.
Thanks!

Yes, but I believe that only one can be set-up as a home console. 
Also, save data is local. So on something like Asteroids Recharged your progress on Challenges and local high scores will be cleared. You will still see online leaderboard scores.

HomeVCS allows for multiple users to access games downloaded to that particular machine.  Like a partner, child or roommate that wants their own profile. Setting home should allow them to do so and access games from the primary account without repurchasing.

That worked, thanks.  What does the "HomeVCS" setting do?

Hello everyone:  I'm a new VCS owner, having jumped in during the Gamestop $99 deal.  I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread where new owners can post questions and get help from more experienced users.   I know I've had plenty so far. 
My first question is in regards to the PIN for my account.  Since I'm the only user of my console, it seems kind of silly to have to choose my account and enter the PIN each time.  Is there any way around this?  My guess is that I shouldn't be doing a complete power-down when I'm done using the system and instead I should...what?  Choose sleep mode, or just leave it at the main menu and it goes to sleep itself after a while?
 
 

Yes, you can turn the pin requirement off in the settings.
Go to SYSTEM tab on the top of your screen then just toggle off the "Require PIN at sign in" option.