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

Additionally, the Atari VCS platform will support 4K resolution, HDR and 60FPS content, onboard and expandable cloud storage options, dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0, as well as USB 3.0 support. Moreover the proprietary Atari VCS User Interface that the device packs integrates optional voice control and a web browser for full access to the internet.

A new Atari VCS launch video accompanied the announcement:

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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.

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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

 

[Old]

A bunch of these "indiegogo" and "kickstarter" things have gone sour, eh? Something to consider, to be sure....

 

[the_randomizer]

4 GB RAM in 2019?

Are they for real?




Indegogo and other crowdfunded scams can suck a cactus.

 

[pedro702]

4 GB RAM in 2019?

Are they for real?




Indegogo and other crowdfunded scams can suck a cactus.

the thing is if everything is smooth they say its mid 2019 release, if they just have a single issue or setback this thing will release on 2020 lol.

 

[the_randomizer]

the thing is if everything is smooth they say its mid 2019 release, if they just have a single issue or setback this thing will release on 2020 lol.

Who the hell puts only 4 GB of RAM in a computer in this day and age? That's just pathetic.

"4K 60 FPS", how? Running an Snes emulator with HQ4X filters perhaps?

 

[pedro702]

Who the hell puts only 4 GB of RAM in a computer in this day and age? That's just pathetic.

well atari games are kb in size so they only need like 30 mb to run their emulators and games

 

[the_randomizer]

well atari games are kb in size so they only need like 30 mb to run their emulators and games

Atari games have not aged well I hope people aren't buying this only for Atari games, or buying it at all.

 

[pedro702]

Atari games have not aged well I hope people aren't buying this only for Atari games, or buying it at all.

if you dont buy it for atari games what do you buy it for? old linux games? because with those specs your not gonna run current games in 2019.

 

[the_randomizer]

if you dont buy it for atari games what do you buy it for? old linux games? because with those specs your not gonna run current games in 2019.

Exactly, the system is a joke, anyone can play Atari games on a phone. If someone's dumb enough to invest in Indegogo or this device, they deserve to be ripped off on an overpriced, over-glorified emulation box.

 

[chirogan]

see i told you it would just be an emulator machine without any way to read media lol it just has an sd slot and can use external HD to increase its small 32gb internal storage, also it runs linux so its a pure steam machine with an atari Vc store lol.

Ok. The official specs has been released and your assumptions are correct. This is what iam waiting. Still doesnt change the fact that i will believe only the official announcement and not some random forum member with no official basis and concluded based on pure speculation. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they will think outside of the box to impress the audience and compete with the latest gen consoles but yep. They went full head on the truth about their limitations.

 

[orangy57]

Weird that they didn't specify which R7 card they used, since the range of r7 cards is like from r7 240, which blows chunks, to like the r7 370 which actually a pretty decent card for 1080p gaming.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Weird that they didn't specify which R7 card they used, since the range of r7 cards is like from r7 240, which blows chunks, to like the r7 370 which actually a pretty decent card for 1080p gaming.

It's not a dedicated card, it's the integrated graphics included with the Bristol Ridge APU, so it's not going to be all that great.

From what I recall, the highest spec Bristol Ridge APUs could only just handle GTA 5 at 720p with all low settings at a somewhat stable 60fps. But, this isn't the highest spec Bristol Ridge APU, it's an A10 (which is just below), so I would imagine it might benchmark GTA V more like [email protected] than anything.

 

[codezer0]

The entire (official) Atari 2600, 5200, and 7800 console libraries would barely need more than a CD-R, let alone a 32gig storage volume. What would be the point of the cloud storage? I could sort of understand the SD slot if it allows someone to load homebrew games as well.

 

[Tony_93]

No surprise here, I could spend a whole page gong into a rant, telling people how this was a terrible idea from the start But, I'm gong to be very humble and spare all of you that didn't see it coming

 

[DeslotlCL]

People complaining about 4gb of ram in 2019 when the switch in 2017 did it just fine

Still, what a huge and expensive emulator box you got there atari

 

[Tony_93]

People complaining about 4gb of ram in 2019 when the switch in 2017 did it just fine

Still, what a huge and expensive emulator box you got there atari

The difference is that the games on the switch are optimized for that specific hardware configuration. 3rd party games are ports, not straight PC versions running in those 4GB of ram.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Hust came from indiegogo, people are throwing some serious $$$ at this thing

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

The entire (official) Atari 2600, 5200, and 7800 console libraries would barely need more than a CD-R, let alone a 32gig storage volume. What would be the point of the cloud storage? I could sort of understand the SD slot if it allows someone to load homebrew games as well.

It doesn't just play old Atari games, you can play any Linux PC game available on platforms like Steam/GoG etc, plus whatever devs bother publishing in their "VCS" store.

 

[codezer0]

It doesn't just play old Atari games, you can play any Linux PC game available on platforms like Steam/GoG etc, plus whatever devs bother publishing in their "VCS" store.

As long as it's not a glorified Angry Birds machi-- Android TV, someone will figure out a way to make the thing handle newer stuff better. Or install an SSD to help.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

As long as it's not a glorified Angry Birds machi-- Android TV, someone will figure out a way to make the thing handle newer stuff better. Or install an SSD to help.

Uhh no, they won't. It's going to just be a Linux PC with embedded hardware, that's it. It's not an Android box, it's not an emulation machine like Nintendo's classics, it's just a PC shoved into a small box running Linux. You won't be able to change any of the internals to "handle newer stuff better" since it'll all be embedded, you're stuck with the potato Bristol Ridge APU and dinky 4GB of RAM and inadequate 32GB eMMC.

Granted, you can just plop an external HDD or stick a big Micro SD card in it for more space, but that won't change anything performance wise beyond perhaps slower performance with anything installed to the external storage cuz slow USB speeds.

You couldn't even try an eGPU on the thing since it, unfortunately, appears to lack USB C/Thunderbolt 3

 

[laurorual]

If they upgrade it to a Ryzen APU and at least 8GB RAM until the launch date (and keep the price), they have my attention, but right now this is just a fancy and expensive Atari Box, that for some weird reason it's selling like hell

 

[Foxi4]

Indie hardware projects are tough because they take a long time to complete and by the time they're ready to hit shelves, they're already outdated. In the case of the VCS it was outdated when it was announced, now it's just embarrassing.