The first thing you need to do, when you get any console, is set it up. Joust was ported to many plaftorms including NES, Atari. The players control two knights riding a flying ostrich and a stork, and they will have to defeat all the enemies in each level. It was one of the first and most successful two-player cooperative games. Joust is a popular arcade game developed by Williams Electronics and released in 1982.DOS, Windows, and Linux versions are available. Z26 - A high quality emulator with many options and is frequently updated. Stella - Popular 2600 emulator with versions for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Trivia game - part trivia, part puzzle, all funThese are all off-site links to ensure you download the latest version.Dreamcast emulator: Chankast (Windows) lxdream (Mac) and download: DC BIOS.Setting up your account is as easy as defining your user name and selecting a password.Given that I received the Atari VCS prior to general release (in order to test it), for the first time in my life, I could choose Ste Knight as my user name and wasn't greeted by a "This username is unavailable" message. This is simply a case of holding down the home button, which puts the controller into pairing mode and connects it to the console.Download the DC ROM of the game Atari Anniversary Edition from the download. At this stage, you'll need to connect the controller to the console, or you won't be able to input any details for account set-up.
Atari Games Plus A SectionYou'll find the following options in here: Selecting one will present you with a description of the game, with screenshots, and the option to buy it (along with the price).System is where you deal with the Atari VCS settings. As you do, it presents each game in its own box, and you just select it to launch the game, as with any other console carrying digital titles.In the Store, you'll find Featured Apps and Games, plus a section for all Games and all Apps. This (obviously) fills up with titles as you add them from the Store. As you use the apps and games you add to the device, the home page will populate, with your most recently used app appearing first in the list.The Games page will also be unpopulated. This comprises several pages Home, Games, Apps, Store, and System.When you first see it, the Home page will be fairly unpopulated, save for Google Chrome and the Atari VCS Companion launcher. Brill! As it is in beta, though, you're likely to only play against AI for now.Atari promised the VCS would create a platform for indie developers to shine, and it has so far. Oh yeah, and no spawn camping in this one. This is an arena-based game, in which contestants fly space ships around an enclosed zone, blasting each other deathmatch style. This doesn't work at all with the game, seemingly taking on a mind of its own and dragging the cross-hair to the bottom left of the screen, so you can't defend your base. The only exception is Missile Command Recharged, which seems to hate the Wireless Classic Joystick. But, hey, the PS5 had few titles at launch and it still relies heavily on indie titles, so who are we to talk?Most of these games run smoothly on the VCS. Best video converter and ripper for macI tried to boot Chromium, but this isn't a signed OS, so the VCS displayed a security warning and refused to launch it, sadly.However, if you're having a similar issue, you do have Google Chrome pre-installed on the VCS. So platforms like ChromeOS, Windows, and Ubuntu. Fingers crossed because I would actually like to use the VCS as a living room PC, as Atari marketed the device.You should also note that PC Mode also currently only works with a signed OS (when it works). I reached out to Atari for help with this matter, and I'm told that it will resolve the issue in the next software update. I couldn't test the PC Mode, as the VCS wouldn't boot the UbuntuOS drive I had created on external storage. You can also access further services (sadly geo-locked to the US, sorry non-US readers), including Showtime, ESPN, and Peacock, among others.I installed Netflix and found no issue with playback, even with UHD movies and TV series'. This includes the current "big three" Disney+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. It works very well with the console and I noticed very little latency between executing a command and the VCS performing it.You can access a range of SVOD services on the Atari VCS. This acts as a wireless keyboard and mouse, so you don't actually need any extra peripherals if you're in a pinch and need to browse the internet on your VCS. I have connected a wireless keyboard and mouse to the device, which makes using it for productivity even easier.Note that you can download an app for your smartphone or tablet called the Atari VCS Companion. Therefore, if you need to get productive with your VCS, you still can, just not with PC Mode at the time of writing.Browsing the web on my Sony Bravia TV, via the VCS was a pleasant experience (MUO looked particularly resplendent). If you would like to use it for streaming media and accessing your owned media, there is another box ticked.The only area that I felt a little let down on was the PC Mode. If you want it so that you have a central hub to play retro and indie titles, then that is one box ticked. However, it handles Plex really well, streaming my music collection faultlessly.Related: Features That Make Plex the Perfect All-In-One Media Streaming PlatformSo, as with games, we're all good regarding media playback.That all depends on what you want from it. I noticed no lagging or juddering, no buffering, and it perfectly syncs audio with video.I also installed Plex, meaning I can access all of my owned media directly from my server upstairs and play it via the VCS (although I don't really need to, as I also have Plex on about a million other devices). So, all is well in this respect. However, how much work can you do on those? None. Hopefully, Atari will resolve the PC Mode issues with the next update.Some might sneer at the price and compare it to the PS5 or the Xbox Series X. The Atari VCS is no different in this respect.
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