INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Atari name still carries a lot of cachet with video game fans, given the company's role in creating the home console market – but its
last piece of new hardware, 1993's Jaguar, was a massive flop. Since then, the Atari brand has changed hands multiple times, emerged from
bankruptcy, and been used to market social games and online gambling.It's been a rough couple of decades for Atari, that's to be sure. But
that could all change with the company's new, crowd-sourced console: the Atari VCS (the console formerly known as the Ataribox). While
details are still scarce, the Atari VCS represents Atari's hopeful comeback in the console world, promising both access to original Atari
games and new experiences, pairing the classic with the modern. The system has yet to be fully detailed and while we're excited about the
possibility of the a new console capable of playing Atari's greatest hits like RollerCoaster Tycoon, Driver and NeverWinter Nights, the fact
that so little is known about the console is worrying
Atari has yet to unveil a working prototype to the public and, to make matters worse, announced that it would open pre-orders up on December
14 only to delay the pre-order process due to "development problems"
Yikes.But, just recently, Atari has re-opened its doors to the public to announce that the Atari VCS will be available to pre-order starting
on May 30, 2018 and will be sold at a special pre-sale price of $199
Best of all, Atari says backers who place an order early will receive units by Spring 2019. Look out nostalgia, Atari is making its big
comeback next year.[Latest update: Atari has just announced a pre-order date and pricing info for the first batch of backers.]Cut to the
chaseWhat is it A new Atari console that plays old games and new ones too.How much will it cost $199 during the special pre-sale periodWhen
does it come out Spring 2019 is Atari's targetWhat's an Atari VCSAtari first teased the Atari VCS back in June 2017 with a pretty
lightweight website and a brief YouTube clip, and then finally spilled the beans back at E3. Atari CEO Fred Chesnais, who bought the
company following its 2013 bankruptcy, told VentureBeat: "We're back in the hardware business." The article also claimed the device would be
"based on PC technology".It wasn't until July of 2017 that we got a better sense of what to expect when an email blast to fans who
subscribed to Atari's newsletter answered some questions: The Atari VCS will be available in two models – one with a classic wood grain
front, and another that's black and red – with a very slim, streamlined aesthetic that looks a bit like a cable box or streaming set-top
Both versions share the same, smooth overall design, with ribbed lines and a raised back.Based on a prototype engineering unit we've seen
that the Atari VCS will have several modern ports in the back, including an HDMI output, four USB ports, and an Ethernet cable port for
It's also planned to support SD cards, which could make it easy to bring games, media, and other content to your Atari VCS, or perhaps help
sustain a homebrew community
Or maybe it'll just provide expandable storage so users can buy as much or as little as they need, rather than Atari packing the box itself
with it."Our objective is to create a new product that stays true to our heritage while appealing to both old and new fans of Atari," read
the email. Inside the box you'll see an AMD customized processor with Radeon Graphics technology powerful enough to run games like
Minecraft and lightweight indie titles just as well as the other consoles can
It will also be able to run traditional Atari games – though it won't take much horsepower to run them.According to a press release sent
out in late September, all this hardware will help the console bring a full PC experience to the TV, including the ability to stream shows
and movies, access applications (the console runs on a flavor of Linux), log-on to social networks, browse the web and stream music.Then
there's the controller - well, two controllers to be exact. One of the aforementioned controllers is a replica of the Atari paddle you grew
It features a singular button and a directional joystick
Also shipping with the VCS is a more contemporary controller - similar to what you'd find coupled with an Xbox One
It has four face buttors, a d-pad and two thumbsticks. Which games will it playWell, that's the big question
After all, what good is another console if it doesn't have great games to play on it That was one of the most obvious problems with the
Atari Jaguar, but that was more than two decades ago in a completely different era for gaming, not to mention on notoriously complex
hardware that was difficult to develop for.Atari says that the Atari VCS will run classic games – digitally, that is, whether they're
built-in or downloadable (or both) – which makes a ton of sense
After all, the NES Classic was a big hit, selling out every time it hit stores and leaving a lot of fans desperate and wanting when Nintendo
opted to stop producing the box. Atari owns the rights to more than 200 different video game properties, including Pong, Missile Command,
For a better hint at what to expect from the company, just check out the Atari's Greatest Hits app for iOS and Android: it offers 100
classic Atari 2600 games that you can buy in small bundles, or you can unlock the entire library for $10.If the Atari VCS is patterned more
like the Ouya microconsole, then it could serve as a platform for new and experimental content of all kinds, especially from indie
developers.Obviously, Atari isn't going to release a custom piece of hardware, sell a $10 pack of games for it, and call it a day
That why the company has also teased "current content" for the Atari VCS
Will that mean appearances by other, more modern Atari franchises like Rollercoaster Tycoon, Test Drive, and Ghostbusters That could mean
ports of Atari games we've seen on mobile platforms and other consoles over the last couple decades, or even ported PC games.Maybe! But it
could also mean brand new content. If the Atari VCS is patterned more like the Ouya microconsole, then it could serve as a platform for new
and experimental content of all kinds, especially from indie developers
That would seem to make a lot of sense, especially if the device ends up being powered by a low-end PC processor, or perhaps even Android
with a mobile chip in the mix (despite the "PC technology" suggestion)
But for now, it's all just speculation
We know nothing for certain.When will the Atari VCS come outAtari has been a bit vague around this topic but, so far, it looks like the
company is targeting Spring 2019."We know you are hungry for more details; on specs, games, features, pricing, timing etc," read the
company's July 2017 email to subscribers
"We're not teasing you intentionally; we want to get this right, so we've opted to share things step by step as we bring Atari VCS to life,
and to listen closely to Atari community feedback as we do so." But we do know one critical detail: the Atari VCS will be crowdfunded
Atari doesn't seem to be quite as flush with cash it was back in its early glory days, plus the Atari VCS is a huge risk and will require
ample investment. This is obviously a bit of a double-edged sword: If the box gets all the funding it needs within a matter of days –
it'll be clear that Atari has a potential success on their hands
If they don't, well, it could be an early death for a neat idea.It wouldn't make sense to crowdfund a device that's already manufactured and
Also, the email said there were still decisions to be made "in the months ahead."But hopefully we will see it in 2019, then, or beyond
However, even if the console makes its way to the mass production stage, crowdfunded consoles haven't had a great run so far in terms of
longevity: the Ouya ended up being a short-lived phenomenon that yielded rough launch hardware and few essential games you couldn't play
Meanwhile, the PlayJam GameStick landed with a whimper and the Coleco Chameleon flamed out before it was even built.But if Atari can
successfully trade on its classic brand, deliver an authentic old-school 2600 experience, and offer enough compelling modern content to
justify the price, then maybe the Atari VCS can succeed where other microconsoles have failed
As with most of the hard details here, we'll just have to wait and see – and we'll keep you updated.7g2t2RT6efsmjftwkpSPVQ.jpg#
