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.

Fueled with enthusiasm after the very cool Rev 4, I built Rev 5, a completely redesigned VCSp. It’s just a prototype (hence the rubber bands) but it’s new, fresh and exciting, and I wanted to share it with the world!

Oh, and something else. There’s a very good chance that I can sell these Rev 5 units for well under $200 (with trade-in of a 2600). And that’s the same hi-res screen as the Rev 4. So keep your fingers crossed! I know I have been delaying the official ‘for sale’ status of these units, that’s because I want to have the best unit possible to sell, both in quality and price.

Surf the information superhighway over to the Research & D section to take a look at it. I’d really like your input on this new design, so I can gauge if it’s worth pursuing. Thanks!

The best VCSp yet! Finally has a paddle controller, new style hi-res screen and MORE WOOD GRAIN! Check out this one-of-a-kind prototype by clicking here or the Research & D button to your right!