The Atari Network feat. 7800 Pro Gamer YouTube Channel

[7800 Pro Gamer]

So I've been talking with people far more successful than me on YouTube and they seem to agree that rebranding to "The Atari Network" sounds more official and inclusive.  Plus, surprisingly nobody is using it.

The thing is, the 7800 will always be my love and focus, and a lot of fans like the 7800 Pro Gamer moniker.  I'm on the fence about what to do, but again if I'm going to do anything now is the time. What do you guys think?

[CrossBow]

22 minutes ago, Silver Back said:

So I've been talking with people far more successful than me on YouTube and they seem to agree that rebranding to "The Atari Network" sounds more official and inclusive.  Plus, surprisingly nobody is using it.

The thing is, the 7800 will always be my love and focus, and a lot of fans like the 7800 Pro Gamer moniker.  I'm on the fence about what to do, but again if I'm going to do anything now is the time. What do you guys think?

Easy...

Rebrand the channel as suggested, but you...yourself... you keep your identity as the 7800 Pro Gamer. So basically you introduce things as..

"Welcome to the Atari Network I'm the 7800 Pro Gamer...."

 

[sramirez2008]

1 hour ago, CrossBow said:

"Welcome to the Atari Network I'm the 7800 Pro Gamer...."

Do it…do it…do it! Just kidding, this is a great suggestion, but do as you like. We’ll continue to support you.

[7800 Pro Gamer]

1 hour ago, CrossBow said:

Easy...

Rebrand the channel as suggested, but you...yourself... you keep your identity as the 7800 Pro Gamer. So basically you introduce things as..

"Welcome to the Atari Network I'm the 7800 Pro Gamer...."

 

Well that's simple lol thank you!

 

Now I need to get some graphics and intros made

Edited October 17, 2023 by Silver Back

[Justin]

I really love what you've built with 7800 Pro Gamer 

[TrekMD]

I agree with that recommendation.  You keep the name for yourself but the channel gets a broader name.  🙂

[7800 Pro Gamer]

Ok so the channel has been rebranded to the Atari Network.  Check out the channel trailer below.  As stated by a few of you, I'm still going under the 7800 Pro Gamer name myself but the channel now has a broader name.

Apparently I was informed after I already changed the name that Atari has been removing channels that use their name and logo.  Does anybody know of any examples of this?  It seems weird that they would force fan channels that just want to spread the word out of their channel but I understand them wanting to protect their brand. 

Either way this should be the one and only rebranding.  Unless Atari themselves step in and force me to change it, if they do I'll go back to 7800 Pro Gamer. 

Alright don't forget the video tomorrow guys!  And I have another review going up Sunday.  These videos are much better than the last couple I feel. 

 

 

 

[sramirez2008]

1 hour ago, Silver Back said:

Alright don't forget the video tomorrow guys!  And I have another review going up Sunday.

Looking forward to it.

[TrekMD]

That video shows what the channel is about quite well.  Let's hope Atari doesn't make you change the name of the channel!

[7800 Pro Gamer]

Hey guys!  So the Atari 7800 Halloween Game video came out on Thursday and I think it turned out very well!  Doesn't seem to be a run away hit, but I think it conveys what I was hoping it would.  Even if it isn't as grand as I envisioned lol.  Check it out below!

 

Also, this Sunday I have a review going up for Haunted House (2023) on the Atari VCS, and its the first video branded with the Atari Network intro.  The next video will have a disclaimer over the intro and I hope that will keep Atari from making me change the name back, but we'll find out!

With that said, we had to miss the podcast last night because I had some family obligations to take care of.  So you can catch me and Vinnie on the Atari 7800 Forever Podcast tonight, October 21st at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time!  We'll be talking about new Atari stuff including the Gamestation Pro, newly released VCS games, EXO and more!  Check it out down below, even if you missed it live you can watch it on replay!  I hope you all tune in and enjoy it.  Remember, audience participation in the chat is always welcome but not required!

 

Next Thursday I'll have my video on the gamestation entitled My Arcade Atari Gamestation Pro Overview and Thoughts!  It goes over what you get in the box, what games are included on the console, how they play, what I think of the hardware, and how you can expand it along with limitations to the expansion!  Be sure to check it out if your on the fence about the Atari Gamestation Pro!

Then the sunday after that we have the final halloween review, which will be the winner of the poll from my channels community tab.  So far it looks like Midnight Mutants will be getting the review, which will be the 3rd video I've done on that game since I started the channel!  Good thing its a good game lol

Be sure to check out all that and more on The Atari Network!  Eat.  Sleep.  Atari!

[7800 Pro Gamer]

Well it's been a while since I updated the post and a lot of content has come out!  The Atari Network acquired a few new consoles so now our coverage includes all of the following:

Atari 2600 Video Computer System

Atari 5200 SuperSystem

Atari 7800 Prosystem

Atari Jaguar 64 Bit Console

Atari VCS 800

Plug in Plays (GameStation Pro, etc)

And we aren't stopping there.  It's taking a while to produce content on our new consoles but once they're established the Atari Network will acquire a Lynx and a form of the Atari 8 bit line.  Being a network based around Atari, I think it's important to cover a bit of everything. 

But regardless of all that we've put out a video all about my acquisition of a "cheap" 5200.  How hard is it to get a good quality 5200 under 100 dollars in 2023 and 2024?  Well watch and find out!

If you prefer reviews we got you covered.  I have a bunch done and set to upload the rest of the month so you'll get to see 7800 Lava Lamps and 8 Tracks Theatre, 2600 Secret Quest and the 5200 version of Gremlins!  One of them gets our lowest score ever, try to guess which!  But check out the ones we've already done, such as tempest 2000, Midnight Mutants and Haunted House!  And one of those got our first ever perfect score!

 

 

 

And our Thursday Featured content keeps coming too!  Check out what we've been featuring since the Halloween video!  The Atari Gamestation Pro first impressions, and the Defense of Jack Tramiel!  Great conversation in the Jack Tramiel comment section too!  And this Thursday we have reviews of Atari commercials spanning all consoles and computers!  I've been using a lot of commercial footage in my videos so I need to get it out of my system lol.  Then on Thanksgiving we give thanks... For Atari of course!  With our video on Atari Things to be Thankful for!  Get stuffed on food and then fall asleep watching Atari Network.  Then rewatch it again I can use the views lol. 

 

and remember guys if you feel your favorite console is being neglected then please be patient.  We have plans for more VCS videos, Jaguar content and coverage on everything else atari!  Head on down to the Atari Network for piping hot reviews, and savory features!  Y'all come back now ya hear!

 

 

[7800 Pro Gamer]

Also I wanted to let everybody know that I am still the 7800 Pro Gamer on YouTube, that's my personal moniker.  But the channel has changed to The Atari Network because I felt a bit limited.  While almost all of you have been nothing but supportive, others didn't like me covering anything but 7800 since that's what the channel name implied.  But I wanted to cover the new VCS, plug n plays, Atari news and even venture into other Atari consoles!  And after talking to a few successful YouTubers, some of which tip 100,000 subscribers, I believe the right decision was to broaden the channel name just a bit. 

I won't ever cover things outside of Atari like sega or nintendo.... Well I have an April fools day idea but that's humorous... Hopefully!  Anyway Atari is what I love and I wanted to explore in creating content beyond the 7800.  I have a unique opportunity to give unbiased reviews and information on many other Atari consoles as I haven't experienced them yet to this point.  But also still have it come from an Atari fan.  

But let's face it guys, if you subscribed to the channel for 7800 stuff then that's always going to be my go to content.  I still want to revamp and finish the man vs 7800 series, and I have a ton of opinions and knowledge about 7800 stuff.  You'll all get what you subscribed for and then some!  The content can be considered 7800+ lol

Thanks for all the support and I hope you continue to enjoy and watch the content!

[sramirez2008]

@Silver Back Good luck on acquiring the Lynx. Like the Jaguar, the Lynx has become very pricey, but it’s a great portable console. The OG library is pretty good and the homebrew community continues to put out amazing games.

[socrates63]

I really loved the Jack Tramiel video. I made a couple replies on YouTube.

Suffice to say, whether you love him or hate him, JT’s contributions and the role of Atari Corp deserve recognition in the annals of Atari history. That’s what I took away from watching the video and thinking about Jon’s arguments presented in the video.

[Justin]

It's interesting how there are so many discussions about Jack Tramiel and Nolan Bushnell but hardly any about Steve Ross, who had the most impact on what Atari became.

[7800 Pro Gamer]

Hey guys, I've been busy building a backlog of videos for the holidays and I've been pretty successful but it hasn't left me with much time to browse the forums or engage too much.  Sorry about that but I think we have some cool stuff coming up and some even cooler stuff that just released!

On 11/10/2023 at 10:45 AM, sramirez2008 said:

@Silver Back Good luck on acquiring the Lynx. Like the Jaguar, the Lynx has become very pricey, but it’s a great portable console. The OG library is pretty good and the homebrew community continues to put out amazing games.

Everything is becoming so expensive these days!  I want one with the mod to let it output to televisions and monitors and man, I don't know if I can swing that anytime soon lol.  I might get a stock one if I find a good deal and just record gameplay via emulation for the videos but that sort of feels wrong to me.  But we'll figure it out eventually we always do!

 

On 11/10/2023 at 6:06 PM, socrates63 said:

I really loved the Jack Tramiel video. I made a couple replies on YouTube.

Suffice to say, whether you love him or hate him, JT’s contributions and the role of Atari Corp deserve recognition in the annals of Atari history. That’s what I took away from watching the video and thinking about Jon’s arguments presented in the video.

Thank you so much, I really wanted to just stimulate people to dig a little deeper and think more independently or at least find out what it was all really about.  And honestly it made me dig deeper too after seeing some of the comments and thoughts.  So a follow up might be in the future at some point!

 

On 11/10/2023 at 6:27 PM, Justin said:

It's interesting how there are so many discussions about Jack Tramiel and Nolan Bushnell but hardly any about Steve Ross, who had the most impact on what Atari became.

Great point, a video on some of the unsung heroes would be pretty cool, or the more ignored figures who influenced Atari.  I wanted a big part of the channel to feature the creators and key community members so I think that's a fantastic point and something I could help shine a light on.

Thanks for the great input and comments guys, your all fantastic!

So I started my week of giving thanks to the Atari 5200 on Thanksgiving with my Five to Try series on the Atari 5200.  My intentions was to start a series over the holidays that I could get out quickly and hopefully still have it be entertaining and help people discover some new games or give recommendations for people just entering a collection for a console.  The series will continue over December with Five to Try Hidden Gems on the 7800 and Five to Try Atari 2600 Red Box Games.  Keep an eye for those over the next few weeks, but lets get back to the 5200!

So 3 days later, on Sunday our Thanksgiving series, giving thanks to the 5200 continued as I put out our first 5200 review on the channel for Gremlins.  This was one of the games I used to drool over wishing it had come to the Atari 7800.  But it remained a 5200 exclusive... that I can finally play!  So I jumped right into it and I give my thoughts on whether or not its worth the high asking price on eBay.  With so many great titles going for much less, is it worth spending 60-100 dollars on that single game?  I don't know but I can tell you if it at least plays well!

And now I have an extra surprise video releasing on Tuesday, 5 days after Thanksgiving and wrapping up our week of giving thanks to the 5200 (while everybody else gives thanks to the 2600+... maybe my timing wasn't great lol) as I do another review on my first 5200 homebrew game, Adventure 2!  This one I had my eye on since before getting the console, and I'm excited to share some thoughts and a little fact with you guys as well.  As a new owner of the 5200, I'm curious to find out if the homebrew scene is as fun to explore as the 7800 scene is.  And I have a lot more cool games I want to explore from Video61 and GoodDealGames as well, so 5200 homebrew will hopefully be a big part of the channel this upcoming year.  So check out the Adventure 2 review tomorrow, November 29th at 2pm Eastern Standard Time.  Or whenever you want to watch it!  Its a youtube video after all its not going anywhere.

 

That wraps up our week of giving thanks to the 5200, I hope you guys enjoyed it.  This Thursday I look as some Jaguar games that have been labeled as awful and give my thoughts if I agree or not, based on first impression!  And then on Sunday, I review Atari Mania for the VCS 800, Switch, Steam and everything else, probably your toaster too! 

Tons more videos have been worked on and completed or close to it as I'll be away for most of the holiday and wont have time to work on videos, but their all set to auto upload.  As long as I'm healthy and able I'll keep the 2 video a week promise!  Ok guys, let me know what you think of the videos, what you want to see from the channel, and thank you all for the supports!  Have happy and safe holidays if I don't hear from you anytime soon and remember to stay classy Atarians.  And yes I robbed that from Ron Burgandy and I kind of like it lol

[Justin]

5 minutes ago, Silver Back said:

Hey guys, I've been busy building a backlog of videos for the holidays and I've been pretty successful but it hasn't left me with much time to browse the forums or engage too much.  Sorry about that but I think we have some cool stuff coming up and some even cooler stuff that just released!

Everything is becoming so expensive these days!  I want one with the mod to let it output to televisions and monitors and man, I don't know if I can swing that anytime soon lol.  I might get a stock one if I find a good deal and just record gameplay via emulation for the videos but that sort of feels wrong to me.  But we'll figure it out eventually we always do!

 

Thank you so much, I really wanted to just stimulate people to dig a little deeper and think more independently or at least find out what it was all really about.  And honestly it made me dig deeper too after seeing some of the comments and thoughts.  So a follow up might be in the future at some point!

 

Great point, a video on some of the unsung heroes would be pretty cool, or the more ignored figures who influenced Atari.  I wanted a big part of the channel to feature the creators and key community members so I think that's a fantastic point and something I could help shine a light on.

Thanks for the great input and comments guys, your all fantastic!

So I started my week of giving thanks to the Atari 5200 on Thanksgiving with my Five to Try series on the Atari 5200.  My intentions was to start a series over the holidays that I could get out quickly and hopefully still have it be entertaining and help people discover some new games or give recommendations for people just entering a collection for a console.  The series will continue over December with Five to Try Hidden Gems on the 7800 and Five to Try Atari 2600 Red Box Games.  Keep an eye for those over the next few weeks, but lets get back to the 5200!

So 3 days later, on Sunday our Thanksgiving series, giving thanks to the 5200 continued as I put out our first 5200 review on the channel for Gremlins.  This was one of the games I used to drool over wishing it had come to the Atari 7800.  But it remained a 5200 exclusive... that I can finally play!  So I jumped right into it and I give my thoughts on whether or not its worth the high asking price on eBay.  With so many great titles going for much less, is it worth spending 60-100 dollars on that single game?  I don't know but I can tell you if it at least plays well!

And now I have an extra surprise video releasing on Tuesday, 5 days after Thanksgiving and wrapping up our week of giving thanks to the 5200 (while everybody else gives thanks to the 2600+... maybe my timing wasn't great lol) as I do another review on my first 5200 homebrew game, Adventure 2!  This one I had my eye on since before getting the console, and I'm excited to share some thoughts and a little fact with you guys as well.  As a new owner of the 5200, I'm curious to find out if the homebrew scene is as fun to explore as the 7800 scene is.  And I have a lot more cool games I want to explore from Video61 and GoodDealGames as well, so 5200 homebrew will hopefully be a big part of the channel this upcoming year.  So check out the Adventure 2 review tomorrow, November 29th at 2pm Eastern Standard Time.  Or whenever you want to watch it!  Its a youtube video after all its not going anywhere.

 

That wraps up our week of giving thanks to the 5200, I hope you guys enjoyed it.  This Thursday I look as some Jaguar games that have been labeled as awful and give my thoughts if I agree or not, based on first impression!  And then on Sunday, I review Atari Mania for the VCS 800, Switch, Steam and everything else, probably your toaster too! 

Tons more videos have been worked on and completed or close to it as I'll be away for most of the holiday and wont have time to work on videos, but their all set to auto upload.  As long as I'm healthy and able I'll keep the 2 video a week promise!  Ok guys, let me know what you think of the videos, what you want to see from the channel, and thank you all for the supports!  Have happy and safe holidays if I don't hear from you anytime soon and remember to stay classy Atarians.  And yes I robbed that from Ron Burgandy and I kind of like it lol

 

@Silver Back This is a terrific lineup of videos and top notch content, thank you for contributing so much to the Atari community and for sharing all of this with us here 

 

[CrossBow]

@Silver Back Edited this as I realized you were talking about a Lynx. Getting a Lynx 2 done with a new screen and VGA output is going to run about $150 or so on average. Most of that cost is the parts and recap, power refresh stuff. No labor on the LCD install since it is just a drop in replacement for the most part on the lynx II.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by CrossBow

[sramirez2008]

5 hours ago, CrossBow said:

@Silver Back Edited this as I realized you were talking about a Lynx. Getting a Lynx 2 done with a new screen and VGA output is going to run about $150 or so on average. Most of that cost is the parts and recap, power refresh stuff. No labor on the LCD install since it is just a drop in replacement for the most part on the lynx II.

 

 

@Silver Back Do it...do it...do it!  @CrossBow modified both of my Lynx IIs and one of them has the VGA output and I love it.

[7800 Pro Gamer]

9 hours ago, Justin said:

 

@Silver Back This is a terrific lineup of videos and top notch content, thank you for contributing so much to the Atari community and for sharing all of this with us here 

 

Thank you!

6 hours ago, CrossBow said:

@Silver Back Edited this as I realized you were talking about a Lynx. Getting a Lynx 2 done with a new screen and VGA output is going to run about $150 or so on average. Most of that cost is the parts and recap, power refresh stuff. No labor on the LCD install since it is just a drop in replacement for the most part on the lynx II.

 

 

So if I get a lynx 2 are you able to do that for 150?  Because that seems cheaper than what I initially seen and I could swing that easier I think. 

[CrossBow]

18 minutes ago, Silver Back said:

Thank you!

So if I get a lynx 2 are you able to do that for 150?  Because that seems cheaper than what I initially seen and I could swing that easier I think. 

The LCD kit is the most expensive part as that costs about $90 - 95 now. But I don't charge labor to install the screen in the Lynx II because it is a drop in replacement and only requires 1 wire to be soldered if you want scanline modes. If that isn't something you care about then that can be left out, although I still add it because I'm already inside it and one wire is a nothing thing.

Recapping a Lynx is about $45 usually and the power circuit replacement as well. But I tend to discount quite a bit in the labor if everything is being done because again, I'm already inside the thing.

So you would be looking at about $150 for full servicing with the LCD, caps, and new power stage components. I do charge an extra $20- for the VGA as there is labor involved there given the wiring and case modification for the DB15 port needed. K-retro does offer a more elegant looking VGA output solution that uses a magnetic connector dongle, but that is really only useful if you also get an external controller port added and essentially turn the Lynx into a console. The mag connectors don't hold up that well when you are holding the Lynx playing it as a handheld. As a result, I advise the use of the standard DB15 for the VGA and I add the standoffs to screw the VGA cable to secure everything to lynx well while holding it to play.

Few caveats to know regarding the VGA...

It can be tricky in that some monitors might not support the VGA signal. Actual computer monitors are usually fine, but some TVs with VGA PC input ports on them could have issues. 

Also, the LCD is turned off when playing on VGA output. It isn't possible to have both on at the same time with an of the kits I've seen.

Last, is that you still have to handle the audio separately so you have to plug in a 3.5mm to 3.5mm patch cable from the headphone jack of the Lynx into an AV receiver or external speakers since the VGA out is strictly video of course. 

So yeah, a ballpark estimate for caps, new IPS LCD, power component refresh and VGA out is going to actually be about $170 + return shipping. That is what I charged on my last client for the same work. You could forgo the capacitor replacement and that would save money there. But the power stage component refresh is mandatory in my LCD installs. Shipping a lynx II is pretty cheap too since they are fairly small and tend to be pretty sturdy in shipping. Last one I sent for about $10 it looks like.

So yes it is an investment to be sure, but you will NOT believe how the lynx games can look when you see them in such clarity. 

BTW, what AV upgrade do you have in your 5200? I can tell you are capturing from composite? Do you do the same for your 7800?

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by CrossBow

[7800 Pro Gamer]

4 hours ago, CrossBow said:

So yes it is an investment to be sure, but you will NOT believe how the lynx games can look when you see them in such clarity. 

BTW, what AV upgrade do you have in your 5200? I can tell you are capturing from composite? Do you do the same for your 7800?

So right now I don't have any av upgrade for my 5200.  I bought a stock one that was untested for 60 bucks locally and got lucky with it working.  So I just run the RF through my VCR and then run composite to my TV.  Then that runs through an off brand retrotink and finally to a capture card.  So it's going to VCR via RF, from VCR to TV via composite, then to generic retrotink which goes to the capture card via HDMI.  

My 7800 has an av mod that was done by somebody on eBay but it's been finicky in the signal for about the last 3 months.  I really don't like the composite cord it's got like a 3.5 mm adapter that it has to use.  My setup is... Umm it's functional lol

[TrekMD]

Very nice videos!  Adventure II is really nicely done.  It pretty much works like the classic game but looks better.  I love how the dragons were designed.  They evoke their 2600 counterparts but look a lot more like dragons.  🙂

Edited November 30, 2023 by TrekMD

[Justin]

On 11/28/2023 at 10:16 AM, CrossBow said:

The LCD kit is the most expensive part as that costs about $90 - 95 now. But I don't charge labor to install the screen in the Lynx II because it is a drop in replacement and only requires 1 wire to be soldered if you want scanline modes. If that isn't something you care about then that can be left out, although I still add it because I'm already inside it and one wire is a nothing thing.

Recapping a Lynx is about $45 usually and the power circuit replacement as well. But I tend to discount quite a bit in the labor if everything is being done because again, I'm already inside the thing.

So you would be looking at about $150 for full servicing with the LCD, caps, and new power stage components. I do charge an extra $20- for the VGA as there is labor involved there given the wiring and case modification for the DB15 port needed. K-retro does offer a more elegant looking VGA output solution that uses a magnetic connector dongle, but that is really only useful if you also get an external controller port added and essentially turn the Lynx into a console. The mag connectors don't hold up that well when you are holding the Lynx playing it as a handheld. As a result, I advise the use of the standard DB15 for the VGA and I add the standoffs to screw the VGA cable to secure everything to lynx well while holding it to play.

Few caveats to know regarding the VGA...

It can be tricky in that some monitors might not support the VGA signal. Actual computer monitors are usually fine, but some TVs with VGA PC input ports on them could have issues. 

Also, the LCD is turned off when playing on VGA output. It isn't possible to have both on at the same time with an of the kits I've seen.

Last, is that you still have to handle the audio separately so you have to plug in a 3.5mm to 3.5mm patch cable from the headphone jack of the Lynx into an AV receiver or external speakers since the VGA out is strictly video of course. 

So yeah, a ballpark estimate for caps, new IPS LCD, power component refresh and VGA out is going to actually be about $170 + return shipping. That is what I charged on my last client for the same work. You could forgo the capacitor replacement and that would save money there. But the power stage component refresh is mandatory in my LCD installs. Shipping a lynx II is pretty cheap too since they are fairly small and tend to be pretty sturdy in shipping. Last one I sent for about $10 it looks like.

So yes it is an investment to be sure, but you will NOT believe how the lynx games can look when you see them in such clarity. 

BTW, what AV upgrade do you have in your 5200? I can tell you are capturing from composite? Do you do the same for your 7800?

 

 

@CrossBow You're selling me on the idea of doing this. Are you able to work on PC Engine, Turbo Duo, Turbo Express stuff also?

[sramirez2008]

6 hours ago, Justin said:

You're selling me on the idea of doing this. Are you able to work on PC Engine, Turbo Duo, Turbo Express stuff also?

Here’s what mine looks like. VGA and McWill LCD screen upgrade. The screen looks better than what’s displayed in the picture.