Atari VCS, the reissue of the legendary Atari 2600, already has a guaranteed date of arrival on the market and is available to reserve on your web portal and at large retailers like GameStop and Walmart.
More than three years ago, and in the midst of the “fever” of retro consoles, we learned about a crowdfunding project in Indiegogo that aimed to revive the Atari 2600, the first successful video game machine Commercialized in the summer of 1977 under the original brand Atari VCS (Video Computer System), the same name chosen for the launch.
Since then, promoters have traveled a bumpy road with marked delays in the release dates they were announcing. Finally, Atari has promised the “Guaranteed delivery before December 24”. In addition, presales at some of the world’s largest retailers confirm that this time it is time.
Atari VCS, not just a retro console
Machine has been changing a lot since what was announced in the original project and the definitive version has improved its hardware in a significant way. Also its potential since from “only” a retro gaming machine is now a small-format personal computer with AMD hardware and a custom Linux (possibility of installing other distros) that – keeping the distance – strongly reminds us of the Steam Machine of Valve.
In this way the Atari VCS offers retro console functions, mini-PC, home theater computer, video streaming, etc. Among its characteristics we can stand out:
- AMD Ryzen Embedded R1606G CPU
- GPU Radeon Vega 3
- 4 or 8 GB of RAM
- Storage 32 GB eMMC + USB / cloud storage (with subscription)
- Connectivity 802.11 ac (dual band), Bluetooth 4.0, Gigabit Ethernet
- HDMI 2.0, 4 x USB 3.1 USB ports (2 x front, 2 x rear)
- Drivers: Classic joystick, modern controller
- Materials: plastic, wood and metal
Versions and price
The problem with this machine is that its price is much higher than the retro consoles that have been coming onto the market and it is difficult for a player not to think about buying a modern console from Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft. For those who value the rest of the functions, it is something else.
Presale at GameStop It is for the Onyx version (black) and the Walmart the variant in gold color. Both are sold as a complete kit including the machine, a classic wireless joystick and a modern wireless controller. The first is priced at $ 379 and the second is $ 389 with a shipping date of November 21, 2020.
The kit can also be pre-booked directly from Atari, in black walnut finish with guaranteed delivery “before December 24” and a price of $ 389. Atari VCS is not what we were promised… it is something much better. The problem is that the price shoots up.
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