As Atari promised, they have taken the wraps off of the AtariBox this week- it is now called the Atari VCS (which stands for Video Computer System), a name that is a blast from the past of Atari’s heyday back in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

It’s not just the name that harkens back to the era- the design of the console does, too, which is a very clear reference to the Atari 2600. Atari has also indicated that the system will come with a host of retro games, but that it will also have modern mid tier and indie game support. Apparently it will also “transform the way we interact with our TVs” much like the original Atari did, although how it will do that is something that remains to be seen.

On the one hand, I want a new major entrant into the console market to shake things up, so I wish Atari well. On the other, I can’t help but feel that this is a misguided venture…

The incredible thing is that in 2018, Atari- yes, that Atari- is gearing up to launch a brand new console, with the Ataribox, which they announced last year. While we have been receiving (surprisingly) steady updates on the upcoming console, there is still a lot about it that we are in the dark on.

Thankfully, a lot of that might change next week, because Atari has confirmed that it will give us the first look at the Ataribox in action at the Game Developer’s Conference (which, as you might have guessed by now, presuming you didn’t know already, is next week). We should see then exactly what the new console is- we know it uses a Linux base OS, that it is equivalent to mid range PCs, and that it is targeting indie and mid tier third party games, in addition to Atari’s own fare. What we don’t know is, well, why it has any reason to exist.

Hopefully, all will be made clear soon.

Persona 5 Spoiler Bots

When Persona 5 first released, Atlus was so gung-ho about preventing spoilers from leaking that it actually threatened content creators and streamers with account suspensions. To that end, someone created Twitter bots for Persona 5 to spoil the game should it ever be referenced on Twitter. This resulted in the official Persona 5 Twitter receiving spoilers every time “#Persona5” was used. Ah, justice.

Wanting to avoid the fate of the Ouya, Atari has officially put the breaks on the once impending launch of the Ataribox Indiegogo backer distribution. While the once great Atari has been sputtering around dealing in mobile games, Ataribox represents a new hope for company, and it seems they want to get it right.

Through press release, the company stated that they were taking more time to create a strong ecosystem to deliver the platform the Atari community deserves. “The countdown to the Ataribox launch on Indiegogo has been officially paused. Because of one key element on our checklist, it is taking more time to create the platform and ecosystem the Atari community deserves. Building Ataribox is incredibly important to us and we will do whatever it takes to be sure it is worth the wait”.

AtariBox is an AMD powered set top box with streaming capabilities, intended to allow users to run old Atari games and new indy titles on a modern platform. Are you itching for that classic fix? Let us know below.

Incredibly enough, there will be a brand new Atari console launching in 2018. It’s called the Ataribox, and while it will be at least partially crowd-funded- which sounds like a recipe for disaster, going by how the Ouya went- it also sounds like Atari is proceeding with its plans.

Therefore, the Ataribox will be available to pre-order starting December 14. It will run from $250 to $300, depending on the model you choose, and not be available at retail- not at first, anyway. Instead, you can pick it up only via the IndieGoGo campaign. The console itself is actually a living room Linux PC, albeit with a customized interface, and a sleek design for the hardware reminiscent of the classic Atari 2600.

I’m not sure any of this is a recipe for success- products like the Steam Machine have already tried this and failed, Atari has already mentioned the system is not powerful enough for modern AAA games, and having no retail presence is… not the best idea. Throw in the fact that it’s $300, which is the same price as a PS4, Xbox One, or Switch and- who will buy this?

If you want to, head on over to the IndieGoGo page.

While Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have all three managed to carve out a comfortable niche for themselves in the console market, with each clearly defining their areas of focus, and then proceeding to do well in that segment, the market is readying for a fourth entrant to the market.

This new entrant isn’t actually new- but is in fact the return of the progenitor of the console market. Atari (in a manner of speaking) will be releasing its first console since the ill fated Atari Jaguar in 1994, next year- the AtariBox. We’ve seen renders of the system, and heard some rumblings about it. Today, we got the first tangible information we have received about the system.

In its latest newsletter, Atari confirmed that the game console will have a custom AMD CPU with Radeon graphics, and that it is due to launch for $250-$300. The game console will run on LinuxOS, with graphics comparable to a mid-range PC, and will have a customized interface. It will come with the ability to browse the internet and run apps as well.

The console will be able to run both retro Atari classics and recent games from various, as yet unnamed, studios- however, speaking to VentureBeat, Ataribox creator and general manager Feargal Mac stated that top end AAA games will not be possible on the system as a result of its specs.

The crowdfunding campaign for the console is due to begin this Fall- it will be interesting to see if the console actually manages to make it to the market, and actually do well.

It’s not been getting a lot of attention, but Atari is priming itself to release a brand new console next year, which it calls the Ataribox. And today, we got our first look at what the final console may look like via renders for it.

“Our objective is to create a new product that stays true to our heritage while appealing to both old and new fans of Atari,” Atari said, speaking of the new design. The new design will have SD card ports, four USB ports, and an HDMI port. “As you can guess, those ports suggest modern internal specs. It also means that while we will be delivering classic gaming content, we will also be delivering current gaming content,” Atari confirmed.

Does this mean we are getting a fourth contender in the market? It barely seems big enough to support three, with Sony dominating, Nintendo doing well by doing their own thing, and Microsoft floundering. Do we think a fourth system would do any good at all? Plus do we trust modern Atari to be able to manage their own console?

These are all questions that need answering- but till such time that we get those answers, I suppose we can at least appreciate these renders.