Atari has revealed that the Atari VCS, the product that will mark the company's return into the gaming console market will be launched to the masses sometime in Spring 2019 while pre-orders for the console are scheduled to go live on May 30, 2018.
Pre-orders available at IndieGogo
According to Atari, the pre-orders for the Atari VCS are being handled exclusively through IndieGoGo, the very crowdfunding platform the company had used for funding the console, though its campaign was canceled. Consumers will be able to pre-order two versions of the consoles that were previously revealed including the Onyx Edition, a modernly sleek, black front console and the Collector's Edition, a retro style console complete with the wood grain front.
“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,” said Michael Arzt, the COO of Connected Devices at Atari.
New specs change everything
Atari also revealed new details about the console's specs that could radically shift the responses towards it. Initially titled the "Atari Box," the console was touted as a fully customizable living room PC similar to Valve's Steam Machines, but with only mid-range level graphical quality. This meant it probably wouldn't be able to render most modern games at full HD resolution and 60 FPS, putting it at huge odds with more powerful consoles already on the market.
However, new details on the Atari VCS reveal that it is far more powerful than originally advertised. Not only can the console render games at full HD but also at 4K resolution and 60FPS quality as well as HDR support. Additionally, it features both onboard and expandable storage options, USB 3.0 support, dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0.
The update in specs is hopeful news as it improves the marketability of the console for developers and consumers alike.
Games, games and more games!
The Atari VCS will access a wide range of games ranging from modern titles to classics from the company's heyday. the latter will be made available through a digital distribution service called "Atari Vault." As planned, the service will provide access to over 100 of Atari's retro arcade and home games. Among the clacsic titles touted in the announcement were gems such as Asteroid, Gravitar, Missile Command, Centipede, Yar's Revenge and Breakout.
