The Atari VCS finally has a pre-sale date of May 30, 2018, as announced via press release. The system will offer 4K resolution support, HDR compatible, provide 60FPS content, built-in and external storage, dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 compatibility on top of USB 3.0 ports. Also, Atari has partnered with AMD, who provides a custom Atari VCS processor with their patented Radeon Graphics Technology.
Exclusive to Indiegogo, pre-orders will start at USD 199 for the Collectors Edition with a wood-front casing. Early-bird buyers can also pre-order a limited edition Onyx version for the same price.
There will be multiple packages, with some offering a classic joystick or a controller for modern times. The peripherals are developed in partnership with Power A. Shipments are planned for Spring 2019. Users who sign-up at AtariVCS.com before May 24 will receive special purchase incentives before the sale as well.
Atari calls the VCS a “fully customizable entertainment experience.” The machine will play games, media, and have streaming capabilities. Each device comes with an Atari Vault filled with over 100 of their classic games including Asteroids, Centipede, and Breakout. Modern titles are also supported. A list of compatible modern games will come out later on.
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. 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.” – Michael Arzt, Atari COO of Connected Devices
Here are some photos of the device:
The sort of modern titles available remains to be seen. It is hard to say if these will be exclusive games or third-party ports. Regardless, it is exciting to see Atari back in the hardware game.
What do you think of the Atari VCS? Will you be picking it up or do you think Atari should have just not bothered? Let us know in the comments below!
