Atari VCS Video Computer System Enters Pre-Production

Atari has news regarding the Atari VCS home gaming and video computer system. Set to transform the TV-centric home entertainment experience with an ever-expanding Atari world of all-new games, classic and remastered favorites, streaming media and personal apps, the Atari VCS has now entered pre-production.

In the Atari VCS Medium project update, Atari gives an inside look at the current state of the Atari VCS project, from the first pre-production printed circuit board (PCB) to the operating system and the elegant and retro-inspired exterior casing.

Powered by a powerful AMD Ryzen processor featuring Radeon Graphics Technology, the newest images of the Atari VCS PCB provide a first-look at the hardware that will drive the system’s customizable and user-defined entertainment experience. In addition to the AMD Ryzen APU, the PCB features two USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI port, and an M.2 SATA solid-state port. On the underside of the board are twin upgradeable memory slots for SODIMM DDR4 RAM and two additional USB ports. Atari VCS engineers have developed a custom solution to cool the components efficiently while maintaining the system’s small footprint and sleek aesthetic.

Early images of the Atari VCS exterior case reveal a near-final look at the iconic system design while pre-production units are now also completely bootable to the core Atari BIOS. This software platform will allow users to interact with their Atari VCS either through the Atari VCS operating system or through Atari Sandbox Mode — which transforms the Atari VCS into an expandable multimedia PC running Windows or Linux.

The Atari VCS lineup of systems, bundles, and peripherals are available for preorder at GameStop.com, Walmart.com, and AtariVCS.com, for shipments starting in March 2020. Pricing starts at $249.99 USD for the Atari VCS 400 (4GB) Onyx Base model and goes up to $389.99 for one of three Atari VCS 800 (8GB) “All-In” system bundles that include the Atari VCS Classic Joystick (available separately for $49.99) and Atari VCS Modern Controller ($59.99), which were created in partnership with PowerA. Atari will announce international presale dates soon.