Atari's peculiar comeback in the console market was announced a while back. During that time the console's name changed from Ataribox to Atari VCS but we had yet to hear about a release date. In a press release today, Atari lifted the veil from some questions.

Pre-sales of its new Atari VCS hardware platform will start May 30, 2018. The pre-sale is exclusive to Indiegogo and features the time-limited Atari VCS Collector's Edition featuring the special retro-inspired wood-front:

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In addition to the Collector's Edition, fans will have the option to pre-order the Atari VCS Onyx, a sleek black version. Early-bird Atari VCS packages will be offered, including the Onyx starting at $199 USD for a limited period of time.

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Other packages will include the Classic Joystick and Modern Controller. Initial Atari VCS shipments are planned for Spring 2019. Fans who have signed up for "insider" email alerts at AtariVCS.com before May 24, 2018 will be eligible for special purchase incentives during the pre-sale.

The company also announced that it has partnered with AMD who will provide the Atari VCS custom processor with Radeon Graphics Technology.

Other features of the console announced include:

• Support for 4K resolution, HDR and 60FPS content
• Onboard and expandable storage options
• Dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0
• USB 3.0 support

A complete list of Atari VCS product specs will be posted with the pre-sale according to the press release.

Rather than being used solely for gaming, the Atari VCS aims to be a multimedia hub with access to other media and streaming options.

As an homage to the past, Atari VCS will cover the classics with the included Atari Vault of more than 100 classic games, including all-time arcade and home entertainment favorites like Asteroids, Centipede, Breakout, Missile Command, Gravitar and Yars' Revenge; a growing list of games, especially a full range of popular modern titles, will be announced at later dates.

"We continue moving forward on the Atari VCS project and are excited to see this pre-sale kickoff and to share more updates with our fans as we look toward the first shipments," notes Michael Arzt, Atari COO of Connected Devices. "We are building outstanding teams and forging alliances that will make this product great and truly worthy of the Atari VCS name. Expert hardware partners are helping make this project possible and we couldn't be more pleased with their contributions."

Do you think that there is a place for a fourth competitor in the gaming console market or does this feel like OUYA 2.0? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

SOURCE
Atari VCS Indiegogo Campaign Page

 

[TotalInsanity4]

The switch is $300, this things is $200. You arr in dreamland if you think this "console" is going to be anywhere near as powerfull. You know what will it compare more to? The OUYA...

This doesn't have the space limitations the Switch does, nor does it have nearly as expensive controller technology. Higher cost does not necessarily equate to higher performance

 

[LightyKD]

If I can install Windows on this thing and the GPU is close to my GT-1030 i'd be interested. It would be nice to have a smaller gaming PC. That said, count me OUT on using those controllers. Hyperlink ProCube 4 lyfe!

 

[KingVamp]

I hope it flops

Someone has to say it. Why?

 

[grossaffe]

Can anyone name any good noteworthy games for this atari system?

Pong.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

Pong.

Pong is not fun and they made many pong systems. If that is the best game on a atari console from before they crashed the video game market, then I have concern for this thing.

 

[PvD79]

Since it's a Linux based system, probably 64 bits. But I don't understand why it should matter?

It doesn’t
Kind of an old school joke. Showing my age I guess

 

[Hells Malice]

It's almost May 1st, not April 1st.
So, wtf?

 

[Pleng]

They´re just delaying the inevitable. It will be a flop anyways so why bother?

I see a remarks like this in every thread about the console. I highly doubt that Atari are expecting this to sell anywhere near the numbers of Sony, MS and Nintendo's offering, but it doesn't *need* to to become financially successful. There's plenty of niche markets this fits into; people who normally use Android TV boxes, people who have a PC in the bedroom/office but don't currently have any game system in the front room, the kind of people who buy NES/SNES mini, and of course die-hard Atari fans. If the ubit manages to make even small inroads into all those markets then it will have presumably been a financial success for Atari.

 

[Captain_N]

Ill wait till its hacked to all shit. Not interested in a all digital game console.

 

[Deleted User]

i m pretty sure i dont need it..... but i want it :s especially that wooden styled one :x

 

[grossaffe]

It doesn’t
Kind of an old school joke. Showing my age I guess

We all get old eventually. Time to start practising yelling at the kids who will no doubt trespass upon your lawn.

 

[pedro702]

This doesn't have the space limitations the Switch does, nor does it have nearly as expensive controller technology. Higher cost does not necessarily equate to higher performance

how do you know it doesnt have space limitations? not once they refered that this thing has an hdd or the size of it.

 

[matthi321]

if the apu is based on ryzen and has around the same power as a ryzen 2200g. this will be very good for the price, as the cheapest you can build a desktop build with a ryzen 2200 is around 300 dollars

 

[MasterControl90]

if the apu is based on ryzen and has around the same power as a ryzen 2200g. this will be very good for the price, as the cheapest you can build a desktop build with a ryzen 2200 is around 300 dollars

I bet it will be a notebook variant, probably a yet to be released one since it is already known that AMD has some other ryzen chips lying around.

EDIT: HOLD ON A SECOND! Are we sure it is not one of those new Intel CPU + AMD GPU on the same little PCB? Those things are monstrously fast given size and power consumption.

 

[geodeath]

Iron Soldier 4 anyone?

The switch is $300, this things is $200. You arr in dreamland if you think this "console" is going to be anywhere near as powerfull. You know what will it compare more to? The OUYA...

Wrong. This does not have the physical limitations, screen, gyroscopes, mobile architecture of the switch just to begin with. The Switch is more expensive because it has things a home console would not need, the dock included. Add the dirt cheap architecture, readily available at any configuration (x86) rather than a specific architecture with only 1 provider and you can see why it can easily be more powerful than the switch for breakfast. I was just looking yesterday for somebody's computer upgrade and an amd Ryzen 2600 + a cheap mobo was £200. This includes a graphics card, so if they could backtrack a bit from this and buy in wholesale as they would, you can see how a board integrating all these can actually be possible.

Cheap PC components outperform even the Ps4/Xbox one (ok not the cheapest of all, but still relatively cheap), let alone the Switch.

 

[RadioShadow]

#realwood

No interested, if I want to play all the Spectrum Atari games, I'll use my Wii!

 

[gnmmarechal]

hmm, looks slightly better than I'd originally expected.

 

[ATofix]

They hell can it play though? Why on earth would I order this without knowing, like, ANY games?

 

[ldeveraux]

Indiegogo = No go!

 

[Anunnymous]

Everyone saying it will flop, forgets that nostalgia sells. NES Classic and SNES Classic sold like hot cakes and all they "technically" play is 30 of their generation of games. Sure, they were a little more affordable but the NES Classic didn't have a problem selling at $200 scalping prices either. We obviously don't know what all this will play but they've stated current gen. There are a lot of people that grew up in that era that would love to buy one, if not only for nostalgic purposes. Will they sell as well as other current gen consoles? Most presumable not. But I feel like they'll do ok.