All posts by benheck

VCSp Gold Revealed, Report From Classic Gaming Expo 2001

Hello there, portable classic gaming fans! The Expo was a lot of fun, it was great to meet so many of you! To see some photos I took from the event, please click here.

Also for the first time at the show  people were able to see the new VCSp Gold! The new feature I mentioned is the ability to link 2 VCSp’s together for 2 player games! (Sorry to all the people at the show whom I smoked at “Combat”…he he he) For details on the VCSp Gold and the linking feature, please visit VCSp Models.

All in all, a great show! And who knows what wonders await the classic gaming world before next year’s show…

I will be at the 2001 Classic Gaming Expo, come Heck or High Water!

After pointless procrastination, I have decided to attend the Classic Gaming Expo in Vegas the weekend of August 11 & 12th.  Why I even had to think twice about it is beyond me…

I shall bring the following:

  • A VCSp Rev 5. Available for sale.
  • (Hopefully) The VCSp Gold, the latest & greatest model. Available for sale.
  • The Original VCSp, the one that Started It All. Not for sale!

I will also take pre-orders at the show. Hope to see you all there!

Aw, heck, let’s take PRE-ORDERS!

I have teamed up with Kevin Horton, creator of the Puma (a portable Atari 2600 that fits inside a Sega Nomad case, here’s his site) to get some custom PCB’s going for the next revision Atari portable, code named ‘Phoenix’.  Hopefully this unit can be produced in great enough numbers to supply the demand.

That said, I am once again taking pre-orders! Please click here for details!

In the meantime, I am still building Rev 5’s and working on the VCSp Gold.

New Super-Awesome VCSp GOLD Under Construction!

I was at Best Buy last week, buying all of their pocket TV’s as usual, when I saw something. The latest Casio portable, the EV-4500! This sucker has a 4 INCH screen! So, I asked the guy if he could pull it out of the box. I examined the unit and did my usual ‘guess the internal layout without taking it apart’. I deduced that it could be adapted fairly easily for a VCSp, and the thing came with free batteries so I was sold!

I then decided that this awesome TV would be used to make VCSp GOLD – the absolute best Atari portable ever made.

New Features will include:

4 inch screen, MUCH larger than the 2.5 inch screen on a Rev 5. In fact, the largest full-color screen on any portable system ever (to the best of my knowledge)

Joy pad and paddle control on the right-hand side of unit (like the old days)

Cartridges slide in the back, like a Gameboy.

TV / GAME switch. Just like the old systems had, but in this case it allows you to watch TV on the unit. The antenna pops out the top of the unit.

Classic black, aluminum & wood grain coloring.

Headphone jack.

More features & a bigger screen, but still the same size as a Rev 5.

Full-size RCA video out jacks for play on your television, no need for a special cable.

Totally new look with Real Gold Leaf all over the thing.

Pending Features (yet to be completed):

Runs off normal AA batteries with increased efficiency.

I have paused my pre-sale list as most of you know, but I am taking offers to sell the VCSp Gold. It will be completed near the end of July, and it will be a one-of-a-kind special edition. Pictures will be posted on this site  immediately upon completion. Anyone interested in buying what will no doubt be the ultimate classic gaming machine in history should contact me. When the time comes I shall take the highest offer.

VCSp vs. The Gameboy Advance!

Here is the review you’ve been waiting for! Can’t decide between a new, high-tech Gameboy Advance and the retro-cool VCSp? Well, then, read my review! I’ll rate them both (completely without bias!) to give YOU, Joe Consumer, all the facts you need to make the best decision!

So prepare yourself for the biggest, most epic battle of 2001! VCSp vs. GBA!!!!!!!

ADDED! Super-cool new VCSp IN A CAVE wallpaper! Better than any allegory! Download yours now before they’re gone!

Pausing the presale list / Outsourcing VCSp Construction

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!