Backed by almost 11,200 people back in June 2018, Atari managed to raise close to three million dollars for the Atari VCS Indiegogo project. You would imagine with names like design consultancy Tin Giant and Rob Wyatt (a founding Xbox team member), things would be smooth sailing and the InDemand project, touching new heights.
The scoop is that Rob Wyatt and his consultancy has quit the project over money matters. While Atari is remaining tight-lipped on the subject, and are responding to backers queries on the subject, by simply pointing them towards the ‘Medium’ article that they have published. It gives a factual update on the progress of the production. The bottom line is that the first round of production is being dispatched to Indiegogo backers this December.
Game, Stream, Connect Like Never Before
The legendary Atari comes back into our lives in a new form called the Atari VCS, which is a modern gaming and video computer system. Taking inspiration from the best consoles and PCs, the new gaming device will make its debut next year, and is all about bringing high-performance designs for gamers of today, tomorrow and beyond.
Atari VCS supports open platform for creativity and customization and is Linux-based. What this means is that you can add ‘your own‘ software and apps to personalize the platform. The makers are dividing your experience into Play, Stream, Create and Connect. Under ‘Play’, you get to discover new and classic games on Atari’s new open platform, which is powered by AMD Ryzen with Radeon Graphics Technology.
With ‘Stream’ you can browse and stream videos, play cloud-streamed games and watch content at up to 4K resolution. ‘Create’ allows you to develop new TV-based games and apps that you can use for yourself or share with the Atari VCS community. ‘Connect’ allows you to connect and play with friends or even publish your creations and share with the community.
The Atari Update
Amidst the questions brewing with regards to Rob Wyatt’s exit, Atari brings back the focus on the gaming console and its impending release, by showcasing the progress they have made in the pre-production stage. Aiming to deliver the units to Indiegogo backers this December, the Atari VCS project seems to be heading towards completion.
The printed circuit board (PCB) along with the operating system and a retro-inspired exterior casing were showcased in the article. The brand has put up images of the hardware and we notice that along with the AMD Ryzen APU, the PCB features two USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI port, and an M.2 SATA solid-state port. In case you need to upgrade the memory, you will find twin upgradeable memory slots for SODIMM DDR4 RAM, placed on the underside of the board.
A custom solution for cooling the parts of the console have also been developed by the Atari VCS engineers. If you are looking to preorder (for March 2020 delivery), then head to Gamestop, Wallmart or AtariVCS to get your gear.
