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The modern-retro Atari VCS was announced with much fanfare when it first hit IndieGogo in May 2018. People were very excited to secure a preorder for the first new Atari console since the Atari Jaguar in the 1990s. On its official website, the Atari VCS is championed as “blending the best of consoles and PCs,” but in reality the system is nothing more than a watered-down combination of a console and a PC. It sets out to do some interesting things, but it doesn’t do anything unique, and it doesn’t do anything well. It definitely doesn’t justify its price tag.

Atari VCS – Design and Features

There are two different versions of the Atari VCS: the Onyx and Black Walnut variants. Black Walnut has a splash of classic woodgrain across the front, an homage to the original system’s 1980s aesthetic. Lots of electronics in the early 1980s had a panel of wood veneer, for some reason. It was a different time, but it’s a nice retro touch here. I tested an Onyx version, which is closer to the “Darth Vader” Atari 2600 variant, and as you can see from the photos, it’s an all-black device.

The case for the Atari VCS resembles the original in its shape, but lacks all the clunky switches and there’s obviously no cartridge port. It’s also much smaller than the machine to which it pays homage. I quite like the look of the Atari VCS. It’s sleek and unassuming, but resembles an original Atari console just enough to get a knowing nod of respect from my retro-addled brain.

The are four USB 3.0 ports on the Atari VCS for charging controllers or installing an operating system from a USB stick (I’ll get to that later on). Two are on the left and right sides of the front of the Atari VCS, and two more are on the rear of the unit. The two rear ports are side-by-side, and live in harmony with the Ethernet, HDMI, and power ports. 

Power is supplied by a generic power-brick rather than an internal power supply. I’m not a fan of power bricks: I much prefer when devices hide away their power supplies. It’s probably for the best, though, since an internal power supply would increase the size of the case a bit and contribute to heating.

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Speaking of heating, when I first switched on the Atari VCS with the power button on the back, I was surprised by its fan noise. I wasn’t expecting any noise and instead I got more than any of my other devices, save for my gaming PC. This was on the first start-up, ever, mind you, and the internal fans were pulling hard. I initially thought the noise would die down, but it never completely goes away. The fans are always running, sometimes quite noticeably, like the sort of fan noise you’d expect in a laptop built 5 years ago. Not at all impressed by that.

Starting up and logging in, you’re met with a navigation screen where the VCS apps live. There’s a cool Atari VCS Companion app you can install on your mobile device that lets you control the system from your smartphone. If you’ve ever used a Roku device and had to replace your lost remote with the Roku app, it’s pretty similar in functionality. It mimics the functionality of a mouse and keyboard, which is nice because some of the “apps” require a mouse and keyboard to work at all.

I put “apps” in quotes because some of them aren’t actually apps. I was surprised when I went to download the Netflix app and saw its size was measured in kilobytes. Well, it turns out it’s not an app at all. It’s a symbolic link. When you click on the “app” from the navigation page of the Atari VCS, you’re just opening up the web version of Netflix through the built-in Chrome browser. That’s why the mouse and keyboard are required. You can’t navigate it at all with a controller, other than to hop back to the main menu screen.

Atari VCS – Gaming

The Atari VCS Vault contains a decent selection of Atari 2600 and 1980s arcade classics. Some of my favorite old Atari 2600 games are here, like Yars Revenge. Then there are some weird choices, like Basic Math. There are also a LOT of sports games. I don’t even like playing sports games from 2 years ago, I definitely don’t have any nostalgia for Bowling on Atari 2600. Out of over 80 Atari 2600 games included with the VCS, 17 are straight sports games. I didn’t count all the racing games, of which there are plenty (but not Gran Prix, the one I wanted most). There are some classics on here, like Missile Command, Adventure, and a couple others, but overall it’s a weak selection.

The Arcade choices are better, with classics like Tempest, Lunar Lander and Crystal Caverns, but there are only 18 games built in. Navigation of the Atari VCS Vault is simple, with games appearing either as cabinets or cartridge boxes in a carousel presentation. I was surprised at how relatively low-res the boxes are, especially given the VCS champions its 4K capabilities. The gallery mode, which should be a nice touch for those interested in a historical look into the marketing around these old games, is downright awful. Some of the images look like they were lifted from Google Image Search at 300×400 resolution. 

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Speaking of 4K, don’t even bother. You can change the resolution in the settings to 720p, 1080p, or 4K. I don’t know why you’d want to experience Atari 2600 Asteroids in 4K, but it’s an option. Changing resolution requires a full system restart, which is annoying, and changing it back after you see how poorly it runs also requires a system restart. Seriously, at 4K everything is choppy and bogged down. The splash screens, navigating menus – all of it chugs along at an annoying rate, and that’s just the UI. 

The somewhat confusingly named Antstream Arcade is a storefront where you can buy games, most of which are retro-aesthetic and not actual retro games. This is different from the vault, where the pre-installed classic arcade games are found. This is more akin to Steam or the Google Play Store, with modern games available for purchase and download. I really enjoyed Unsung Warriors, a side-scroller with some tight controls and a cool cartoonish style, but you can play that on Steam. In fact, just play it on Steam.

Atari VCS – PC Mode

If you have a bootable thumbdrive with an operating system on it, you can use the Atari VCS’ PC Mode to turn the device into a tiny, functional PC. I don’t have a copy of Windows laying around, but I am the annoying guy who uses Linux regularly, so I made a bootable Ubuntu thumbdrive and plugged it in. Navigating to the PC Mode section of the home menu brings up a prompt telling you to insert a thumb drive and then restart the VCS. That’s it. The official instructions tell you to insert a thumb drive and then power-cycle it with the switch on the back. 

Whatever method I used, I was unable to boot my Ubuntu thumb drive. I tried two different thumb drives, all the USB ports, and even two different Windows programs to make the bootable media (Rufus, which is recommended by the manufacturer, and Universal USB Installer recommended by the Pen Drive Linux website). Nothing worked. I plugged it in and THEN powered on the VCS. Nope. Plugged it in while the VCS was on and power-cycled. Still nothing.

I tested the drive on my laptop and booted into Ubuntu without problem. I’ve seen people using the VCS online with a bootable Windows drive, so this method does work, it just doesn’t work for me and my Linux distro. I’m not a stranger to bootable media: I’ve been creating bootable CDs and pendrives since Ubuntu’s version numbers were single-digit. I’m also no stranger to Linux: at one point many years ago I had a Linux network certification I never did anything productive with. I found it pretty frustrating to follow the boot directions to the letter and still not have work. Having seen videos of people using Windows on their VCS, I know it works. It just didn’t work for me in spite of multiple attempts, and I’m very familiar with booting Linux from removable media. 

Microsoft officially revealed Windows 11 yesterday after supposed leaks of the OS made their way around the internet last week. Of the changes coming with the latest iteration of Windows, Microsoft also announced a way for app developers to keep a big chunk of their revenue. Unfortunately for game developers, that revenue split won’t apply to games.

In a post on the Windows blog, Microsoft shared its pricing splits across the Microsoft Commerce platform. According to the post, starting on July 28, app developers will be able to “bring their own or a third-party commerce platform in their apps, and if they do so they don’t need to pay Microsoft any fee. They can keep 100% of their revenue.”

Initially, this gave the impression that game developers putting their games out on the Microsoft Store would be able to claim all of the revenue from any microtransactions or other in-game purchases. However, a second post from the Windows blog clarified that that isn’t exactly the case. “You will also have more revenue sharing options,” reads the post, “such as keeping 100% when you bring your own commerce platform for the Store for your app (this does not include PC games).”

In all, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that game developers won’t be able to keep all the revenue from their in-game purchases. Other digital game storefronts, such as Steam and the Epic Games Store, don’t even have such generous terms, offering total splits of 70/30 and 88/12 respectively. Microsoft is opting to take the same approach as the Epic Games Store, offering an 88/12 revenue split between developers and itself.

While Windows 11 won’t be coming with a way for game developers to make a bit more cash off their sales, players will certainly benefit from the OS. The next iteration of Windows is integrating some features from the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, including auto-HDR and direct storage.

If you are using an internet-connected Western Digital My Book Live or My Book Live Duo personal cloud storage device, you would be wise to disconnect it immediately. The company has determined that a cyber-attack can compromise these drives, completing resetting them and erasing all stored data in the process.

“Western Digital has determined that some My Book Live and My Book Live Duo devices are being compromised through exploitation of a remote command execution vulnerability,” a note on the official support page said. “In some cases, this compromise has led to a factory reset that appears to erase all data on the device.”

Neither drive has received a firmware update in six years, and that will probably have to change pretty soon if users want to safely connect the devices again. They’re designed to create personal storage clouds for multiple devices in your home, backing up your PCs, streaming media to your TVs, and centralizing files across several computers. Should you be using it for something like old game saves, such a compromise could erase your progress for good.

Western Digital now sells a newer line of personal cloud drives under its My Cloud line. These were not mentioned in the notice and should remain safe to use. The My Cloud Home Duo also comes with two hard drives and a “Mirror Mode” to back up everything twice.

F9, which hit theaters in the US on June 21, is picking up impressive speed in the box office–making $7.1 million from the 3,100 theaters that screened the film Thursday alone according to Deadline. On Friday, the movie will expand out to 4,179 theaters, which is the widest release for a film released during COVID-19.

This, after earlier this month, F9 already grossed $250 million in the international box office. While these numbers are truly impressive and indicate a healthy demand for the theatergoing experience in general and this franchise in particular, it still has a ways to go to catch up to 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, which grossed $1.2 billion.

Deadline is forecasting F9 may net around $60 or $70 million over the upcoming weekend, but also points out that due to presales from ticketing services such as Fandago–which have already preloaded sales for screenings that haven’t yet happened–there may be leaps in attendance numbers already laying in wait.

As moviegoers and the movies return to the theaters, F9 will stand as a pretty good litmus test of how cinemas are likely to fare in the near future. F9 is only available to watch in theaters, and will be followed over the summer by other high-profile movies that were delayed during 2019: Marvel’s Black Widow arrives on July 9, with Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Jungle Cruise, The Suicide Squad, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, and Space Jam: A New Legacy all following over the next few weeks.

In his review for GameSpot, Chris E. Hayner described it as “loud, explosive, and filled with the type of action dying to be seen on the big screen in a room with other fans to go along with you on the ride.”

Epic previously teased the idea of Marvel’s Loki in Fortnite, but today the developer-publisher has confirmed it. The god of mischief will be the centerpiece of the July Crew Pack. Subscribers will be able to start playing as Loki in Fortnite on July 1, and the complete cosmetic set will likely include more accessories yet to be revealed.

It was back in May when Epic first hinted at Loki descending onto the island of Apollo, sneaking him into the background of a loading screen that Fortnite Crew subscribers received as a bonus item for May. At the time, the focus of the loading screen image was Mecha Cuddle Master, but eagle-eyed fans noticed the unmistakable helmet of the Norse god in the background. Some speculated that Loki would come included in the Season 7 Battle Pass, as the new season kicked off just a day apart from the Loki premiere on Disney+.

But that theory proved fruitless, and instead it was Superman who was announced as the almost customary superhero in the latest Battle Pass. But at long last, Loki is nearly here.

What we didn’t know then but do know now is that Loki will be exclusive to Fortnite Crew, meaning he won’t be sold in the Item Shop. Only subscribers during the month of July 2021 will gain access to him. Fortnite Crew is a monthly subscription service that gives players exclusive cosmetics, a stipend of 1,000 V-Bucks per month, guaranteed access to the most current Battle Pass, and even more. Right now, new subscribers can still unlock three months of Spotify Premium with their Fortnite Crew subscription.

Players can subscribe for $12 at any point during a month to unlock all related rewards for that month. Previous Fortnite Crew Packs have featured mostly Epic original characters, but the service did previously offer DC Comics’ Green Arrow.

If you’re not into Loki, there’s still a lot going on in the Fortnite world this week (okay, and every other week). Check out the Week 3 challenges, the 17.10 patch notes, or the Week 3 Alien Artifacts to stay current on all things Fortnite.

Nightwing director Chris McKay has hinted there’s a chance that the DCEU movie might still go ahead at Warner Bros.

McKay recently sat down with The Bear Cave to discuss the live-action Nightwing movie, originally announced back in 2017, and explained why the long-gestating project hadn’t made it to the big screen yet. He explained that Warner Bros. had prioritized other titles over years, but that the studio had never officially cancelled Nightwing either.

“No one has told me we’re not making that movie. It’s just right now, [Warner Bros.] have other priorities,” McKay said. “Obviously a lot of their plans have had to change and change again. They’ve gone through a lot of stuff, and when I was brought in to Nightwing, they were in the process of doing Matt Reeves’ The Batman, so he was starting his thing there.”

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McKay added that he still holds out “a lot of hope” that he’s going to make the movie at some point. “Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but certainly no one has said, ‘Hey kid, you’re not making that movie.’ In fact, if anything they’ve said, ‘Today we’re not prioritizing that movie,’ but they still want to make a Nightwing movie something I think is still important to them.”

According to earlier reports, Warner Bros. wanted to expand the DC Extended Universe with a story revolving around the Batman-centric character, who’s also known as Dick Grayson or the very first Robin. McKay told The Bear Cave more about his plans for the solo Nightwing movie, which was apparently given a budget of less than $100 million to get off the ground.

“It was going to be a character study about this guy who grew up with sort of a bad dad. How that made him as a young adult try to fight off and go as far away from that world as humanly possible and get dragged back into it,” McKay revealed, adding that ultimately it would have turned into a “revenge movie” with “a lot of villains” surfacing on the streets of Blüdhaven.

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While there are plenty of adventures to choose from, here’s our list of the best Nightwing comics that could be adapted for the movie, and here’s every DC Extended Universe project currently lined up to come before it, including the upcoming wave with The Suicide Squad, The Batman, and The Flash, which is expected to deal with the concept of the DC multiverse.

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Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The Steam Summer Sale kicked off yesterday with deals on thousands of PC games. Now it seems like Newegg is trying to steal some of Steam’s thunder with its own PC digital game sale. Hundreds of games are on sale at Newegg–many of which are Steam codes–and a bunch of them actually beat the deals offered in the Summer Sale. We compared prices of Newegg’s featured game deals to Steam’s deals and rounded up some of the games you’re better off buying from Newegg below.

Let’s start with a pair of action-RPGs that released earlier this year. Nier Replicant, the wonderful remaster and upgrade of the 2010 cult hit, is on sale for $40 at Newegg ($45 on Steam). This is the best price we’ve seen for Nier Replicant yet. Newegg also happens to have Persona 5 Strikers for its lowest price yet at $32 ($40.19 on Steam). Persona 5 Strikers is a riveting spin-off that features Dynasty Warriors-style action combat.

Fans of From Software games shouldn’t miss out on Team Ninja’s Nioh series. Nioh: Complete edition is $12.49 ($15 on Steam) and Nioh 2: Complete edition is $35 ($40 on Steam).

Meanwhile, Newegg has a stellar deal on Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s Legendary Hero edition, dropping the price from $90 to $40. The standard edition of Like a Dragon is $39 on Steam, so you can get a bunch of in-game bonuses (costume sets, crafting sets, and more) for only a buck extra. Alternatively, you can snag the standard edition at Newegg for $30. Yakuza fans can also pick up The Yakuza Remastered Collection for $21.39 ($26.91 on Steam) as well.

Check out more of Newegg’s PC game deals below. We’ve only included titles that are cheaper at Newegg than on Steam. It’s important to note that while Newegg has plenty of excellent deals, Steam’s Summer Sale is much larger, so make sure to take a look at our roundups of the best Steam Summer Sale deals and best deals under $10.

Best PC game deals at Newegg

The award-winning comedy series The Chris Rock Show is now available on HBO Max. The first two seasons of the show hit the service today, June 25.

The Chris Rock Show originally aired on HBO between 1997 and 2000. The series was a mix of stand-up, sketch comedy, and talk show-style conversation, that allowed Rock to explore a wide variety of topical issues. It also showcased an amazing line-up of special guests. It ran for a total of five seasons and won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program in 1999.

The two seasons that are now available on HBO Max both aired in 1997. Social issues that it dealt with include the fall-out from the OJ Simpson trial and the campaign against the controversial same sex marriage ban Proposition 238, while the special guests include Prince, Mary J. Blige, Arsenio Hall, George Carlin, Jada Pinkett, and Missy Elliott.

In a statement, Nina Rosenstein, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, said, “We’re thrilled to have The Chris Rock Show on HBO Max so that subscribers can revisit one of comedy’s most iconic series. Chris has never been afraid to take risks and challenge norms, and both guests and viewers embraced this.

“His show also provided a platform for up-and-coming talent and cutting edge musical guests, and while there are too many unforgettable comedy pieces to name, Chris’ attempt to rename a Howard Beach street to ‘Tupac Shakur Boulevard’ is a classic that instantly comes to mind. It’s one of the many examples of why we’re excited for fans and new audiences alike to watch the show.”

HBO Max recently launched a cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier. An ad-supported subscription costs $10/month, which compares to $15/month for no ads. You can also subscribe to the ad-supported tier for $100/year or $150/year for no ads.

The only thing better than being on a train is being in charge of one, and if you don’t have several years to dedicate to learning the art of being a locomotive operator, then train simulator games are the next best thing. There’s no shortage of games in this genre, but finding the right hardware to create an authentic experience on the Nintendo Switch for these games can be challenging. Unless you’re in Japan, that is.

The latest Densha de Go!! from 2017 was ported to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in 2020 as Densha de Go!! Hashirou Yamanote Sen, and according to Famitsu Magazine via Kotaku, the first peripheral in 14 years is going on sale for the game.

It’s a fairly complex controller outfitted with all manner of buttons, but its primary hardware feature is a one-handed lever equipped with a series of internal gears to change the speed of a train.

Players can learn “intuitive operation” that allows them to concentrate on the screen without looking at their hands, as well as “power acceleration” that allows for a slow but thrilling iterative increase in speed. The controller is probably not intended to be used in other games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, unless you want a weird challenge.

The Densha De Go!! Dedicated One Handle Controller For Nintendo Switch will go on sale in August in Japan for 14,850 yen or roughly $134, but there has been no mention of an international release yet.

Sega’s video game adaptation of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will officially head West this year, releasing on October 15 for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Based on the popular manga and anime series, the game stars Tanjiro as one of the titular demon slayers who fights to save his sister from the demonic curse placed upon her, as well as avenge his murdered family.

emon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles is an arena brawler that adapts the breathing-powered swordsmanship of the source material to unleash plenty of flashy attacks. CyberConnect2–the studio that has created numerous anime video games over popular franchises such as Naruto and Dragon Ball Z–is handling development on Demon Slayer.

Available in a regular $60 edition, Sega also plans to publish the Demon Slayer in a digital deluxe version package that includes early access to the game and various cosmetics for $70. The game also features both its Japanese and English voice cast, with local and online multiplayer options included.

Demon Slayer has been a breakout anime adaptation recently, with the series earning rave reviews for its story, characters, and groundbreaking animation. The first feature film based on the series also did big numbers, surpassing Spirited Away’s longstanding record to become the highest-grossing movie of all time in Japan, earning over $367 million during its run.