Preorders for the Atari VCS retro console are finally open, and excited gamers have quickly swooped in to secure a unit, collectively causing the Indiegogo page to crash.
People are clamoring for the console, and it's easy to see why.
The classic machine comes on the heels of Nintendo's two successful attempts. Reports say more attempts will come — at nostalgia with the NES Classic Edition and its follow-up, SNES Classic Edition, bringing back the NES and SNES era to modern audiences via miniaturized rehashes of their original aged counterparts.
Atari VCS Is A Modern Classic Console
The Atari VCS hopes to do the same, but more importantly, it's a way to reinvigorate the Atari brand in the broader gaming landscape. Unlike Nintendo's Classic Editions, the VCS isn't a complete rehash. Rather, it aims beyond mere nostalgia-milking and actually wants to create a platform for older Atari games. Its hardware, for example, is far more than what would be needed to emulate such games.
Its design, too, isn't a blatant carbon copy of old aesthetics, but rather sleek-looking, svelte, and has a nice classic feel to it. In short, it's a classic console with modern hardware for the modern crowd.
Atari has partnered with AMD to create a custom processor for the VCS, and the console runs on a version of Linux that is able to play classic Atari games and a number of PC titles. It even supports 4K resolution, HDR, and 60 fps games.
The console also has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, a USB 3.0 port, and expandable storage.
Atari VCS Available For Preorder Now
For now, two models are available for preorder: a collector's edition for $299 and a black Onyx variant for $199. Both models, along with classic joysticks or modern controllers, are all available exclusively on Indiegogo, and Atari says it plans to ship units beginning mid-2019. Atari is shipping the VCS with its so-called Atari Vault, a collection of 100 classic games to get players started.
"Atari Vault includes more than 100 all-time classics in their original arcade and/or 2600 formats and is ready to play as soon as you connect your TV," the company says.
Atari says that by spring next year, there will be new and exclusive games available to download or stream, including reimagined titles from the company and other top developers that are ready-to-play. One of these is Tempest 4000, a recently announced modern Atari game.
Thoughts about the Atari VCS? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below.
