Atari VCS Console Opens For Pre-Order On Indiegogo
As reported earlier, the Atari VCS was set to open its Indiegogo campaign on May 30th and today's the day! While there was little information about the details of this cryptic console, the pre-order page finally shed some light on some of the most burning questions people had:
- Unit Dimensions 14.5" x 5.3" x 1.6"
- Unit Weight 3 lbs.
- Materials Plastic, Metal, Wood
- Operating System Linux OS based on Ubuntu (Linux Kernel 4.10)
- Compatible Systems Linux
- Power Low TDP architecture - Less Heat & Noise
- Connections HDMI 2.0, 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Gigabit Ethernet, 4xUSB 3.0
- External Inputs Classic Joystick, Modern Controller, Microphone
- Storage 32GB eMMC, external HD, SD card
- RAM 4GB DDR4 RAM
- Memory 32GB eMMC
- CPU Bristol Ridge A10
- GPU Radeon R7
- HDCP Integration HDCP 2.2
- Second Screen (Screencasting) Yes
- Cloud Storage Yes. Additional Service Offering
- Required Internet Connection Not for classic gaming but required to access all features
- Cross Game Chat Skype, Discord, etc.
- Voice Commands 4-front facing mic array
- Subscription Needed? No. Includes cloud and other services.
- Live Streaming Yes with Twitch.tv
- Mouse & Keyboard Support Yes
A new Atari VCS launch video accompanied the announcement:
And what about games? Every Atari VCS comes with the Atari Vault collection of more than 100 classics like Asteroids, Centipede, Breakout, Missile Command, Gravitar and Yars’ Revenge.
And that's as much as we know for now but the team behind the Atari VCS previously said that "a growing list of games, especially a full range of popular modern titles, will be announced at later dates". Nevertheless, the Indiegogo campaign page is touting the device as a "gaming and home entertainment streaming device with open platform for creativity and customization". This might entice tinkerers as the platform runs on Linux and might evolve into a community investing in independent software development for the console.
However this revival of the Atari brand in the console market does not come cheap. The less pricey option is the Atari VCS Onyx priced at $199 USD (without controllers), and that for a limited time. Other options include extra controllers or even the $299 USD Indiegogo-exclusive Atari VCS Day One Collector’s Edition, also available only for a limited time. Nevertheless, there seem to be a lot of people interested in the product as its campaign has raised 1779% of its initial goal (almost $1.8 million) at the time of writing, with a month left before the backing ends.
“We are happy with the progress we are making on Atari VCS and thrilled that fans finally have a chance to reserve the first ones,” said Michael Arzt, Atari COO of Connected Devices. “Atari VCS will give fans a lot of freedom to game, stream, connect and customize their experience like never before. The entire Atari team is working hard to deliver this unique platform and can't wait for fans to get their hands on it. We’ll have exciting reveals and announcements between now and then so stay tuned!”
The Atari VCS has an expected delivery date of July 2019. Do you think it will fare well? What games would you like to see on the console?
Atari VCS Indiegogo Campaign page