Atari Unveils the Atari VCS 'Video Computer System' - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 20 March 2018 / 3,003 Views
Atari has officially unveiled the its upcoming console, the Atari VCS, at Game Developers Conference.
VCS stands for Video Computer System and the platform was originally known as the Ataribox. It will come with a classic joystick and modern controller. Pre-order date for the Atari VCS will be revealed in April.
"Every person at Atari and every partner involved with the new platform is just as fanatical about the brand and its heritage as our biggest fans are," said Michael Arzt, Atari COO of Connected Devices.
"With the Atari VCS name, we know how important it is to get everything completely right and that’s why we briefly paused an imminent launch late last year. It was a difficult decision with the countdown underway, but we weren’t willing to go forward with even one thing out of alignment. We hope that Atari’s fans appreciate our extreme attention to detail and are as excited about the Atari VCS as we are."
Here is an overview of the Atari VCS:
Inspired by the iconic silhouette of the original Atari 2600 Video Computer System, the new Atari VCS has already generated considerable excitement within the gaming community. Its skillful blend of modern lines and reverential details, combined with contemporary content technology and new innovation, has evoked positive reactions from Atari fans both new and old. The Atari VCS will of course serve up lots of classic content, but it is so much more than a “retro-box.” It is a completely new Atari connected device designed for today’s living room.
The new Atari VCS logo, like the new hardware itself, combines past and present, and is inspired by Atari’s rich history of progressive graphic design. Countless highly-memorable game logos, illustrations, ads and packages were generated by Atari’s legendary in-house Industrial Design and Graphics department during the 1970’s and 80’s.
Industrial design and graphics are essential parts of the brand’s DNA and part of what makes every Atari game an adventure for the player. Today’s Atari design, engineering, software and marketing teams all endeavor to bring similar levels of care and attention to the new VCS. Atari intends its new video computer system to change the way you interact with your TV, just as the original Atari 2600 Video Computer System first did more than 40 years ago.
View screenshots of the hardware and controllers below:
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Looks very sleek. Any word about the price?
Again? I'm pretty sure this has already been revealed some 40 years ago...
Is this the new Indrema L600?
C'mon, Atari VCS? I love the ACTUAL Atari VCS to this day... Perhaps I'm alone in this, but it always bugs me when people use the same name as a classic (such as the recent Ghostbusters being named simply "Ghostbusters"), and now I'll either have to say "Atari VCS (the original)" or use the 2600 moniker. Frankly, I think they'd have been better served selling a smaller version of the original design with the original games installed if they were going to do this.
Note that this is just a company called Atari!
Is this thing going to be all digital?
Talk about a blast from the past. Consider me interested.
This actually looks really nice. Has a premium brand look to it. I am also Glad they went with the Xbox controller layout aswell.
Be interesting to see what games it will offer
We sure that's a joystick or is it a button?
I'm down. Sounds like a good back up system to my X1X!
I think you mean your X1X will be a good back up system to your Atari VCS
