Atari VCS (2021 console)
![]() | |
![]() | |
Also known as | Project Ataribox |
---|---|
Developer | Atari VCS, LLC[1] |
Manufacturer | |
Type | Microconsole |
Release date |
|
Lifespan | 2020–present |
Introductory price |
|
Operating system | Ubuntu-based (Atari World) |
CPU | 14nm AMD R1606G Zen processor with 2 cores and 4 threads @ 2.6 GHz (up to 3.5 GHz) |
Memory |
|
Storage | Internal flash memory: 32 GB |
Removable storage | Internal (user upgradeable) M.2 SSD, or external USB-based storage |
Display | HDMI 2.0 |
Graphics | Radeon Vega 3 APU architecture with up to 4GB shared graphics memory |
Controller input | Classic Joystick, Modern Controller |
Connectivity |
|
Dimensions | 11.6 in × 5.9 in × 1.9 in (29.5 cm × 15.0 cm × 4.8 cm) |
Mass | 3 lb (1.4 kg) |
Atari VCS (codename Ataribox) is a microconsole produced by Atari SA. While its physical design is intended to pay homage to the Atari 2600, the new Atari VCS plays modern games and streaming entertainment via a Linux-based operating system called AtariOS that will allow users to download and install other compatible games, including those compatible with Windows 10. The system shares a name with Atari, Inc.'s 1977 Video Computer System, usually shortened to VCS, which was renamed to the Atari 2600 in late 1982.
The system was first revealed in June 2017 and partially crowdfunded starting in May 2018.[4] After several delays, the console was expected to ship in March 2020, but was delayed again to that December due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] Initial units to backers were shipped in December 2020, while the console had a general release on June 15, 2021 - though shipping has, as of yet, been restricted to the United States only by Atari and official distributors.
History[]
Atari Corporation left the hardware business around 1996, after it released the Atari Jaguar CD video game console, and was liquidated in 1998, with Hasbro Interactive purchasing the intellectual property of the brand.[6] In 2001, Infogrames Entertainment SA purchased Hasbro Interactive.[7] Infogrames would later rename itself Atari SA, while the Hasbro Interactive subsidiary was renamed Atari Interactive.[8] Atari Interactive provided licensing for the various Atari Flashback dedicated consoles produced since 2004.
The concept of the Atari VCS came from Feargal Mac Conuladh, who joined Atari and became general manager to oversee the Ataribox release. Conuladh said that he was inspired to create the unit after seeing players connect laptops to televisions to use a larger screen to play games that were not available for consoles, and then use social media platforms outside of the games via the same laptop to communicate with friends.[9] He also saw that Atari's game catalog had a good amount of brand recognition.[10] His design goal was to feed nostalgia for the old Atari consoles and allow players to enjoy indie games without a personal computer.[10] Processor maker AMD provided custom componentry for it.[10] While Atari made most of the decisions on the unit's hardware, they have also kept open to suggestions from Atari fans on the unit's aesthetics and other visual features.[10]
The console in its current rendition functions as a sort of hybrid between a home video game console and a gaming PC, two branches of electronics Atari has operated in previously. Conuladh took lessons learned from the commercial failure of the Ouya, a similar crowd-funded microconsole. One was to use the Linux operating system directly, rather than through the limited version offered through Android, as to be able to provide more capabilities and a more open system to developers and users.[9] Conuladh did not want to restrict what users could install on the device; while the unit's operating system will have a storefront feature, he wanted users to be able to add software by any means possible. He also decided to use a higher-performance laptop/desktop APU than the smartphone/tablet APU used in the Ouya.[9] Conuladh also wanted to steer away from problems encountered by Valve's Steam Machines, which provided a minimum set of specifications for hardware that Valve expected other vendors to build towards, but ultimately never took off. Instead, the Atari VCS hardware configuration will remain fixed and controlled by Atari.[9] Additionally, Atari will contract for the manufacture of all the consoles themselves, rather than relying on third parties to manufacture their own systems based on the Ataribox specifications.
In December 2017, just prior to opening for pre-orders for the VCS (at the time known as Ataribox), Atari recognized there were still several issues they needed to address with the hardware, and decided to postpone the pre-orders. At that point, Michael Arzt, the head for Atari Connected Devices, took over production while Conuladh left Atari, though the two had been coordinating on its development previously. According to Atari CEO Fred Chesnais, this period gave them time to review what they wanted the Ataribox to do, and revise the unit's specifications and hardware without sacrificing the core elements of being a Linux-based system that would be able to run classic Atari games along with newer titles.[11]
Announcements[]
Atari first teased Project Ataribox in June 2017 during E3, releasing images of the box but did not call out any technical specifications. As this followed Nintendo's November 2016 release of the NES Classic Edition, a dedicated console that supported a number of pre-loaded Nintendo Entertainment System games, journalists believed that the new Atari system was developed in kind, to provide a way to play classic Atari games on a dedicated platform.[12]
Further information released in September 2017 provided more technical specifications, details on the software approach including the plans to use Linux and provide an open platform for other compatible software to be installed, and a planned release in the second quarter of 2019. The price is expected to fall between $249 and $299, based on configuration options. The announcement also stated some of the funding for the unit will come from a planned Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to be launched before the end of 2017.[13] Conuladh said they chose Indiegogo to help with international sales and hardware support, including a close relationship with Arrow Electronics, an electronics components company, that has supported past Indiegogo projects.[10][9]
Pre-orders for the system were expected to start on December 14, 2017,[14] but Atari announced a temporary delay that day, stating "it is taking more time to create the platform and ecosystem the Atari community deserves".[15]
During the 2018 Game Developers Conference, Atari announced that the unit would be called the Atari VCS.[16] Pre-orders for the console and controllers started on May 30, 2018 exclusively via Indiegogo, with shipping expected in quarter 2 of 2019; the configurations included the wood-veneer front panel "Collector's Edition" model, and an all-black with red-orange highlights "Onyx" console model. A base system, consisting of a console and joystick controller ran from $279 to $299.[17][18] Within the first day, the Atari VCS saw more than US$2.25 million in pre-orders, far exceeding the anticipated US$100 thousand they were seeking to start production.[19]
On June 27, 2018, Rob Wyatt, system architect for the original Xbox and designer of PlayStation 3's graphic systems, was announced as part of the VCS team. Wyatt and his company Tin Giant had been working with Atari for months to define hardware and operating system requirements. About joining the project, Wyatt said, "Who wouldn't want to be part of bringing Atari back? From the moment the AMD team introduced me to Atari and the VCS project, I have been intrigued and inspired by the opportunity that it represents."[20] The announcement came only days after British technology news website The Register and Atari faced off after an interview between a reporter and Atari COO Michael Arzt from March 2018 resurfaced. In the article, The Register reporter questioned the VCS project's legitimacy after Arzt was unable to answer certain questions about the project.[21]
In March 2019, Atari announced that they would be delaying the launch of the VCS to the end of 2019 and announced that the system has upgraded to an unannounced embedded 14 nm AMD Ryzen processor with Radeon Vega-based graphics and two Zen CPU cores. The new AMD processor supports native 4K video playback with modern HDCP, has built-in Ethernet and a secure framebuffer.[22][23]
In July 2019, Atari announced that they would be providing more information about the product's mass production and game content to be available for the system in summer 2019. By the end of summer 2019, no functional version of the AtariVCS meeting the product description has been shown publicly, and additional details of gaming content have not been forthcoming.[24]
On October 4, 2019, Wyatt stated that he resigned from the project in a statement to The Register. Wyatt cited non-payment by Atari as a key reason for his departure. In wake of this news, several of those that had backed the Indiegogo campaign took to the project's Reddit forum to ask about the state of the project, but Atari subsequently took down these posts.[25] In April 2020, Wyatt filed a lawsuit against Atari to recover payment for his design work.[26]
Atari VCS's COO Michael Arzt stated in December 2019 that they were in the final stages of pre-production of the unit, with plans to ship the console to those that pre-ordered by March 2020 before the units were then sent to retail. Arzt explained that the lack of communications over the previous year was due to limitations with their partnership contracts, but promised that they would try to provide more regular updates moving forward.[27]
The console was delayed again in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Atari showed off a new production update on March 20, when they said that they have received enough parts to build the first 500 Atari VCS production units. However, most of these units are earmarked as dev kits for developers.[28]
Release[]
On May 29, 2020, Atari announced the first batch of 500 production units are ready to exit the factory by mid-June,[29] and expected all 10,000 VCS units would be delivered to backers by the end of 2020.[30]
The console was released and shipped to backers between December 14, 2020, and December 16, 2020.[31][32] while the retail release date was still unknown to this date. It was released about a month after the release of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles,[33] with early backer reviews finding the performances to be inferior to those consoles.[34]
On December 22, 2020, Atari announced the success of a fund raising effort to Atari VCS run-rate production rhythm, then planned for the first quarter of 2021.[35]
The console was released worldwide on June 15, 2021.[36] It was released as two bundles, an Onyx Base bundle that includes the console. An All-In bundle includes the console and two controllers: a Classic Joystick modelled after the CX40 joystick, and a Modern Controller that resembles more current controllers.[37]
Hardware[]
The Atari VCS was announced in 2017 and is based on a customized AMD central processor using Radeon graphic processing technology.[13] Pictures of the unit released in July 2017 showed HDMI and USB ports, an Ethernet port, and an SD card slot. The unit's photos echo the look-and-feel of the Atari 2600, with a black veneer and faux wood-grain front plate, though sized about half as large.[12][38]
Conuladh said that they anticipate the hardware is comparable to a mid-range personal computer for 2017, powerful enough to run most games but not for more recent AAA titles.[10] This was before the platform was redesigned around AMD's new Ryzen R1000 chip, the R1606G announced in 2019.[39] Since then, the VCS has been demonstrated at the 2020 CES playing Fortnite and Borderlands 2.[40]
The hardware includes a "Classic Joystick" controller and a "Modern Controller". The "Classic Joystick" is based on the single-button design of the Atari CX40 joystick, adding only additional inset buttons for accessing the console's menus,[16][41] as well as LED lighting. The "Modern Controller" features a layout typical of modern console platforms.[16] The controllers are designed in partnership with PowerA.[42]
The AtariVCS collector's edition was available only to Indiegogo backers, and is a numbered edition with a real wood Teak front panel. Three other editions are available online to the general public: ONYX (with a shiny black faceplate and red backplate), Black Walnut (also a real wood front panel) and Carbon Gold (with a shiny black faceplate accented with gold stripes). Carbon Gold is available exclusively through Walmart.
The Atari VCS features a Ryzen-based AMD R1606G APU with two cores and four threads (SMT) that clocks at 2.6GHz up to 3.5GHz[43] and a Vega 3 graphic solution (GCN 5) supporting OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan, with an HDMI 2.0 connection supporting 4K screens at 60Hz with HDCP 2.2 protection. The VCS 800 features 8GB of DDR4 2400 (4GB for the VCS 400 model) upgradeable to 32GB, and an internal eMMC storage of 32GB with an available M.2 SSD SATA slot to increase the internal storage. Four USB 3.1 ports are provided, enabling external storage and support for accessories. The Atari VCS features one Gigabit Ethernet connection, WiFi and BlueTooth.
The Atari VCS is a PC/Console Hybrid, and its performance can be compared to a "Linux gaming PC".[44]
Accessories[]
The AtariVCS is available bundled with the Classic Joystick and Modern Controller ("all in"). There is also the option to purchase the device without them. This comes as Atari allows users to use their own pre-existing accessories including remotes, mouse and keyboards, microphones, external speakers and other controllers. The Atari VCS is compatible with most PC peripherals via both Bluetooth and USB 3.0.[45]
Reception[]
Pre-release[]
Early backers reviews were mixed. GameRevolution praised the console's "thankfully" small size, but also stated that its design "still remains subdued enough to match the style of modern consoles". It also found that the Classic Controller "lacks in utility", due to the lack of modern games that can be played with it.[34] Video Games Chronicle criticized the console's architecture, saying that it does not give Microsoft or Sony "anything to worry about".[46] Due to the high concorrence and Atari's conflicted history, CNET concluded that the console has an "identity crisis".[47] Although with this criticism, Tom's Guide stated that Atari VCS "may be not as good as a next-gen console, but buying one is lot easier than working out where to buy PS5."[48]
Post launch[]
IGN awarded the system a 5/10 saying "The Atari VCS tries to do some interesting things but ultimately fails as a console and a PC alternative."[49]
Software[]
The Atari VCS is driven by a Linux operating system. In 2017, quoting a mail from the company it was said the software is specifically designed to be open to allow to install other Linux-compatible applications on the Atari VCS alongside pre-installed games,[13] using Atari Vault (now called Atari VCS Vault). Other applications that can be installed include streaming applications, music players, and web browsers.[10]
Whereas the Atari 2600 was a cartridge-driven game system, the VCS does not use cartridges or optical discs for games, but instead allows players to download games from a built-in store. The Atari VCS will have a custom storefront that Atari developed with an undisclosed "leading industry partner", where users can download additional video games and applications.[45] All users will have access to basic online features such as the store and online multiplayer, however, access to cloud storage and live streaming video games will be available exclusively on a subscription service.[45]
Atari has stated that the unit will ship with "tons of classic Atari retro games pre-loaded, and current titles from a range of studios".[13] Conuladh stated that there will be "hundreds" of Atari games, plus a number of other retro games from other catalogs.[9] The console will ship with Antstream Arcade, a game streaming service that supports titles from the Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and arcade games.[50]
Atari announced that the Google Chrome web browser will be pre-installed and will power some of the console's online services.[51]
References[]
- ^ "Atari VCS™ - Game, Stream, Connect". Atari VCS, LLC. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ "Atari: April 2018" (PDF). atari-investisseurs.fr. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ Palumbo, Alessio. "Atari VCS Specs Unveiled – Bristol Ridge A10, Radeon R7, 8GB DDR4 RAM, Mouse & Keyboard Support". wccftech.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ "Atari® Announces Atari VCS™ Pre-Sale Begins May 30th on INDIEGOGO with Exclusive Wood-Front Collector's Edition, Onyx Model and Accessories". Atari. April 30, 2018. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ "Atari VCS console delayed, report blames Coronavirus outbreak". Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Johnston, Chris (April 8, 2000). "Atari Goes to Hasbro". GameSpot.
- ^ "Company News; Hasbro Completes Sale Of Interactive Business — New York Times". New York Times. January 30, 2001. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- ^ "Anthony Jacobson and Pierre Hintze Hire Release FINAL" (PDF) (Press release). Atari. October 7, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Takahashi, Dean (October 18, 2017). "Former Xbox leader Ed Fries quizzes Feargal Mac on Atari's new console". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Takahashi, Dean (September 25, 2017). "Ataribox runs Linux on AMD chip and will cost at least $250". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (March 26, 2018). "Atari pressed the reset button on its Atari VCS game console". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Kerr, Chris (July 17, 2017). "The AtariBox sounds like an NES Classic with a modern twist". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Kerr, Chris (September 26, 2017). "Back to the future: AtariBox price and (some) tech specs revealed". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- ^ Seppela, Timothy (December 11, 2017). "Ataribox pre-orders start this week, without any game details". Engadget. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Lilly, Paul (December 14, 2017). "Atari hits pause button on AMD-powered Ataribox preorders". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Takahashi, Dean (March 19, 2018). "Ataribox is now Atari VCS, preorders open in April for retro-inspired console". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "Atari VCS pre-orders start May 30th, but it won't ship until 2019". Engadget. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ Warren, Tom (May 30, 2018). "Atari's retro VCS console is now available for preorder". The Verge. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ Lee, Dave (May 31, 2018). "Atari VCS throwback console attracts $2m in pre-orders". BBC. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
- ^ Sheehan, Gavin. "Rob Wyatt Officially Joins the Atari VCS Team". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Sirani, Jordan. "Atari's New Console Under Fire Again As Crowdfunding Campaign Nears End". IGN. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Fingas, Jon. "Atari VCS gets a spec boost and another delay". Engadget. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ Gera, Emily (March 19, 2019). "Atari VCS Is Getting An Upgrade, Launch Pushed to End of 2019". Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ "Atari VCS Medium.com Blog". Medium.com/@AtariVCS. July 19, 2019.
- ^ McCarthy, Kieren (October 8, 2019). "Game over: Atari VCS architect quits project, claims he hasn't been paid for six months". theregister.co.uk. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (April 2, 2020). "Xbox co-creator Rob Wyatt sues Atari for failing to pay him for design of VCS console". Venture Beat. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ Moyse, Chris (December 2, 2019). "Troubled Atari VCS project is 'deep into the final stages of pre-production'". Destructoid. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ "Atari VCS: Managing the Unexpected". Medium. March 23, 2020.
- ^ "An Anniversary, Production Updates, and @Home Testing Underway!".
- ^ Brian Shea (July 1, 2020). "Atari's New Console, The VCS, Launches This Fall". Game Informer.
- ^ Rémi Bouvet (July 7, 2020). "The Atari VCS 800 will land on December 14 at a rate of $389.99" (in French). Tom's Hardware.
- ^ Atari (December 16, 2020). "ATARI VCS: Shipping of the Indiegogo backer units Native integration of Google Chrome for enriched content Release of the dedicated VCS Companion App". GlobeNewswire.
Paris, December 16, 2020 – Atari, one of the world's most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers, announces the shipping of the Atari VCS to its Indiegogo backers
- ^ Will Greenwald (January 9, 2020). "Hands On With the Atari VCS, a Strange, Streaming Slice of Nostalgia". PCMag.
It looks like 2020 is shaping up to be a big year for game consoles. Sony is launching the PlayStation 5. Microsoft is launching the Xbox Series X. And Atari Interactive is launching the Atari VCS.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Jason Faulkner (January 4, 2021). "Atari VCS Review (2021) - 'Hard to recommend as anything other than an oddity'". GameRevolution.
This System-on-a-Chip Is fairly capable, though it lacks the horsepower to be a capable modern gaming machine.
- ^ Atari (December 22, 2020). "Successful completion of Atari's private placement to accelerate development of the Atari VCS as well as new video game partnerships". GlobeNewswire.
With the funds raised, Atari will accelerate the development of the Atari VCS in order to reach its run-rate production rhythm, currently planned for the first quarter of 2021, earlier, notably by consolidating its supplies of critical components, and to facilitate the ramp up of the distribution networks in the United States and internationally.
- ^ Bonifac, Igor (June 15, 2021). "Atari VCS is now available to buy". Engadget. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Shea, Brian (June 2, 2021). "Atari VCS Release Date Is This Month". Game Informer. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ Browne, Ryan (September 26, 2017). "Atari's new console to cost less than $300 and ship next spring". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- ^ AtariVCS (March 18, 2019). "More Power is Coming to the Atari VCS™". Medium.
The Atari VCS will now be powered by a 14nm AMD processor featuring high-performance Radeon Vega graphics architecture and two “Zen” CPU cores. This new processor replaces the model from the “Bristol Ridge” family that had been in the plan since originally selected for the Atari VCS back in 2017. AMD’s all-new Ryzen embedded R1606G chip will be faster, cooler, and more efficient, allowing the VCS to benefit from a simpler and more effective power architecture and thermal solution.
- ^ Atari VCS (January 17, 2020). "CES 2020: Recap from the Atari VCS Meeting Suite". Medium.
Guests played games from our downloaded Steam, Epic and GOG libraries, including Fortnite, Borderlands 2, Basketball Classics, and others.
- ^ Workman, Robert (November 30, 2017). "Atari Reveals Its AtariBox Controller, And It's Decidedly Old-School". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Atari VCS (May 21, 2019). "Peripherals Update: Designed for Atari VCS™, in partnership with PowerA". Medium.
The Atari VCS team and our peripherals partner PowerA have been excited to take on the challenge of designing the Atari VCS Classic Joystick and Modern Controller with the right mix of essential features, both old and new.
- ^ Hayden Dingman (July 13, 2019). "What's inside the Atari VCS: Faux wood paneling, AMD's Ryzen, and the soul of a Steam Machine". PC World.
AMD’s Ryzen Embedded R1606G processor, a dual-core/quad-thread part that clocks at 2.6GHz, with 3.5GHz boost
- ^ Owen S. Good (April 3, 2020). "Atari VCS designer sues company for unpaid salary". Polygon.
The Atari VCS, despite its name, is not a throwback mini-console
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Parrish, Kevin (June 22, 2018). "The Atari VCS: Everything you need to know". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ^ Scullion, Chris (March 3, 2021). "Atari VCS Reivew: Atart's first console in 28 years is all style, no substance". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Ackerman, Dan (April 30, 2021). "Atari VCS hands-on: A computer-console hybrid with an identity crisis". CNET. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Pritchard, Tom (January 26, 2021). "Forget PS5 — Atari VCS offers 'something different'". Tom's Guide. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Atari VCS Review - IGN, retrieved August 17, 2021
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (September 29, 2019). "Atari: Antstream Arcade to bring thousands of retro games to Atari VCS console". Venture Beat. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ "Atari VCS Uses Google Chrome Browser". Game Rant. December 18, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
External links[]
- Atari consoles
- 2021 in video gaming
- 2020s toys
- Microconsoles
- X86-based game consoles
- Ninth-generation video game consoles
- Indiegogo projects
- Products introduced in 2021
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the video game industry