The Atari VCS is currently showing behind closed doors at E3, but the console is available for pre-order now, as announced Tuesday via a press release.
There are multiple models of the Atari VCS up for presale, and the lowest priced model is $249.99– the base model Atari VCS 400 Onyx, which includes 4GB RAM. The more expensive unit is the Atari VCS 800, which has 8GB RAM and is priced at $389.99 for the all in one bundle that includes a joystick and a modern controller. You can pre-order the consoles via GameStop (for the Onyx version), Walmart (for the kevlar gold version), and directly from Atari (where the black walnut color console is exclusively available).
Backers of the original campaign for the console on Indiegogo and Indemand will get their new Ataris in December of this year, according to the press release. Those who preorder separately of the crowdfunding can expect consoles to ship in March 2020.
Atari VCS is not going to be a mini retro console, but a full console powered by an AMD Ryzen processor that can support 4K HDR streaming. In the coming months, we should learn more about what the console will play like and what games it will have, as the press release teases that “expanded details about games and entertainment content, software development protocols, expanded distribution and more” are coming this year.
Atari CEO Frédéric Chesnais commented on the upcoming Atari VCS.
“Atari made a commitment to its fans to make the new VCS the best and most versatile game and home entertainment platform it can be, with a wide array of options,” said Chesnais. “After so many months of work defining and refining the products, and after the strong initial support of thousands of Indiegogo backers, we are excited to finally and officially announce our product launch configurations, first key retail partnerships, and the kickoff of the Atari VCS Official Online Presale that will put the products into the hands of gamers.”
