Sabertooth

My latest big box game from Avalon Hills for the Atari 400/800. I think I have six or seven of them now. This one represents the time that many of us grew up in -- the 80s and the Cold War. There were frequent news headlines and stories about the possibility of nuclear war and the aftermath (anyone watch the The Day After?), and that was going to be the end of humanity. Now, it's all about global warming and climate change.
Anyways, back to the game -- it's in great physical condition and came with all the inserts in addition to the manual and map.

AtariAge order finally arrived! 

I like to imagine what would have happened if these two had been released by Atari back in the day.  I think we all would have lost our collective minds. 

I improved on my score!  46,600!

I'm sorry to hijack this thread for a non-VCS reason, but I have a quick update on my old laptop.  It does NOT meet the minimum requirements for graphics adapter for ChimeraOS.  I think this speaks pretty well for the VCS hardware though.
I've moved on to trying "Batocera", another linux based gaming OS, instead.  It installed just fine and works pretty well so far.  I need to add more ROMS and that looks pretty easy to do.  It will be interesting to see which console this old laptop maxes out at.  I actually think a Raspberry Pi is more powerful than this computer.  However, this has a nice screen, keyboard, and touchpad built in, so it may be a perfect retro gaming station for really old games.
What is really cool is that everything just worked upon initial install.  Wifi, video, etc.  No fiddling necessary other than putting in a wifi password. 
 

This week's Atari podcast has Digital Eclipse and Llamasoft...(Jeff and Ivan) talking the new game. Worth a listen.
 
 

Here it is on the VCS after all! I guess that's the benefit of it doubling as a mini-PC.
 

Damn, @Sabertooth!  You gave me the info I needed for a really crappy old Windows laptop that I've been wondering what to do with.  It's a beauty cosmetically, but it has a really BAD AMD E-300 CPU that can't even run Solitaire at 30fps. 

I'm going to try putting ChimeraOS on there.
 

You touched on something very important here. If and when that day comes and Atari offers zero support, we need to find new and innovative ways of keeping the VCS humming along for decades into the future. That can and will be done, and Club VCS will be at the epicenter of the innovation I’m sure.

I've no stake in this since I do not have VCS however, of course, I follow everything Atari and have followed the entire history of the Atari VCS release including all of the plus and minuses of the platform. I always thought I wanted to be prepared just in case I ever end up with one. Windows on an external drive or perhaps some other OS is a nice option many seem to have tried, of course, Chimera Linux is an excellent choice with it being a great alternative with Valve dragging its feet on releasing an official PC version of Steam OS. An excellent idea and as you have already confirmed seems to work well. Thanks for sharing. 

I was disappointed that we didn't get Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story on the VCS, but I had to have it. I had a spare Team Group SSD lying around, so I installed it on my stock Onyx 8GB VCS and changed the boot order in the BIOS. Viola, a Steam machine that feels like Steam Deck or Big Picture Mode. The game ran beautifully.
Then I tried titles that crashed on a stock system from a Windows bootable USB.  These include Minter's Moose Life, Balls of Steel, the Lunar Lander demo, etc. They all ran fine.
ChimeraOS also has RetroArch baked in, and support for Epic and GOG. In addition to Steam.
Anyway, this may be a window into second life for VCS owners once Atari pulls the plug.
Have you tried ChimeraOS on the VCS?

I was disappointed that we didn't get Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story on the VCS, but I had to have it. I had a spare Team Group SSD lying around, so I installed it on my stock Onyx 8GB VCS and changed the boot order in the BIOS. Viola, a Steam machine that feels like Steam Deck or Big Picture Mode. The game ran beautifully.
Then I tried titles that crashed on a stock system from a Windows bootable USB.  These include Minter's Moose Life, Balls of Steel, the Lunar Lander demo, etc. They all ran fine.
ChimeraOS also has RetroArch baked in, and support for Epic and GOG. In addition to Steam.
Anyway, this may be a window into second life for VCS owners once Atari pulls the plug.
Have you tried ChimeraOS on the VCS?

I was disappointed that we didn't get Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story on the VCS, but I had to have it. I had a spare Team Group SSD lying around, so I installed it on my stock Onyx 8GB VCS and changed the boot order in the BIOS. Viola, a Steam machine that feels like Steam Deck or Big Picture Mode. The game ran beautifully.
Then I tried titles that crashed on a stock system from a Windows bootable USB.  These include Minter's Moose Life, Balls of Steel, the Lunar Lander demo, etc. They all ran fine.
ChimeraOS also has RetroArch baked in, and support for Epic and GOG. In addition to Steam.
Anyway, this may be a window into second life for VCS owners once Atari pulls the plug.
Have you tried ChimeraOS on the VCS?

I was disappointed that we didn't get Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story on the VCS, but I had to have it. I had a spare Team Group SSD lying around, so I installed it on my stock Onyx 8GB VCS and changed the boot order in the BIOS. Viola, a Steam machine that feels like Steam Deck or Big Picture Mode. The game ran beautifully.
Then I tried titles that crashed on a stock system from a Windows bootable USB.  These include Minter's Moose Life, Balls of Steel, the Lunar Lander demo, etc. They all ran fine.
ChimeraOS also has RetroArch baked in, and support for Epic and GOG. In addition to Steam.
Anyway, this may be a window into second life for VCS owners once Atari pulls the plug.
Have you tried ChimeraOS on the VCS?

I was disappointed that we didn't get Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story on the VCS, but I had to have it. I had a spare Team Group SSD lying around, so I installed it on my stock Onyx 8GB VCS and changed the boot order in the BIOS. Viola, a Steam machine that feels like Steam Deck or Big Picture Mode. The game ran beautifully.
Then I tried titles that crashed on a stock system from a Windows bootable USB.  These include Minter's Moose Life, Balls of Steel, the Lunar Lander demo, etc. They all ran fine.
ChimeraOS also has RetroArch baked in, and support for Epic and GOG. In addition to Steam.
Anyway, this may be a window into second life for VCS owners once Atari pulls the plug.
Have you tried ChimeraOS on the VCS?

Here it is on the VCS after all! I guess that's the benefit of it doubling as a mini-PC.
 

I have not done this, but would try it and add Chimera to a separte external SD drive someday

I was disappointed that we didn't get Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story on the VCS, but I had to have it. I had a spare Team Group SSD lying around, so I installed it on my stock Onyx 8GB VCS and changed the boot order in the BIOS. Viola, a Steam machine that feels like Steam Deck or Big Picture Mode. The game ran beautifully.
Then I tried titles that crashed on a stock system from a Windows bootable USB.  These include Minter's Moose Life, Balls of Steel, the Lunar Lander demo, etc. They all ran fine.
ChimeraOS also has RetroArch baked in, and support for Epic and GOG. In addition to Steam.
Anyway, this may be a window into second life for VCS owners once Atari pulls the plug.
Have you tried ChimeraOS on the VCS?

Ehh

That is cool!

Anyone here grab this yet? The reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Here are a few:
https://www.eurogamer.net/llamasoft-the-jeff-minter-story-review
https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/jeff-minter/llamasoft-the-jeff-minter-story-digs-into-the-underground-past-and-future-of-games
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/llamasoft-the-jeff-minter-story-impressions/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/llamasoft-the-jeff-minter-story-impressions/
https://www.timeextension.com/reviews/pc/llamasoft-the-jeff-minter-story
 

I hope nobody minds me posting a quick follow up on my new ride.  2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid.  I'm four months and about 3500 miles in.
I'm getting 41 mpg, which is exactly in line with the sticker estimate. I LOVE the safety features in the car, and it really does help me stay out of trouble.  Things like blind-spot-monitoring, lane assist, auto braking, etc.  They work shockingly well. Adaptive cruise control is a MUST HAVE.  Once you have it, you wonder how you survived without.  And it will drive for you in stop/go traffic too.  This car is a hoot to drive.  It is just as quick as an electric car off the line (albeit noisier).  Perfect size for an older couple that loves to take trips.  We get in/out easily, and there is plenty of cargo room for stuff. Go for the highest trim if you can (XSE).  It has the eco-leather seats, heated seats, and a really nice sunroof, the wireless connection to your phone, and some understated LED interior lighting. Made in a new factory in Alabama. Toyota makes several hybrid SUV's.  This one gets the best gas mileage and also is the lowest price.  But on the converse side -- it's also the smallest.  AWD worked really well in the snowy winter we had here.  Absolutely no issues with standard all-season tires.   
 

At least you didn't get a minivan, that would really show your age.

I meant to post this when I picked it up: '23 VW ID.4 Pro S. I am coming from the total loss of my 2015 MINI Cooper S 4-door hardtop. I was a bit skeptical stepping into an SUV as I've been partial to small hatches most of my adult life. It's definitely the biggest car I've had and its taken some getting used to. But ultimately my recent accident and practicalities of a growing family are driving me to a bigger vehicle. A month in, it's been a great car so far. Here are some thoughts: 
- I'm impressed with the range (275 on a charge) and DC fast charge speeds (80 % in 30 minutes).
- Some of the software tech is undercooked, but integration with Android auto is seamless. The MyVW app for climate, defrost, and charging is less sophisticated than the app from my 2011 LEAF. It gets the job done though.
- There are some nifty automated parking and drive assist features that I'm pretty wowed by. It does a great job getting into spaces that I would probably pass on. We are taking a road trip to Joshua Tree this month and I'm curious to see some of the cruise features that I don't have a need for in my daily commute.
- The Pro S trim is really well appointed. It feels like a luxury car in this trim.
- That the huge VW logo on the front and back light up is a little corny, but I kinda like it.
- It's made in Tennessee where they used to make the Passat.
- I wish we had more color options in the States. Its grey, silver, white, black, blue and red. They didn't have red in the trim I wanted and the blue only comes with a white interior. Ultimately I picked a pearlescent white over the matte gray. The gray looked cool, but screams 2024. White never ages on cars. Of course, if we had the yellow they get in Europe, I would have got that in a heartbeat.
If you're in the market for an SUV, crossover or EV, I recommend putting it on your shopping list. I cross shopped against similar cars from Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Tesla, Audi (sister car) and Polestar, and the VW came out ahead for my situation.

Fascinating! 

Atari is partnering with Avian Knights developer Alan-1 to produce full sized arcade cabinets for the first 10 Recharged games. The first game is due Q3. Apparently they will be modified and include redemption elements.
I know a few community members participated in the Avian Knights tournament and were impressed with that cab. Hopefully these turn out!
https://www.gamespress.com/en-US/ATARI-PARTNERS-WITH-ALAN-1-TO-BRING-NEW-ATARI-RECHARGED-GAMES-TO-ARCAD