The Ataribox, which sent gaming fans into a tizzy when it was announced last year, now has a new name: Atari VCS. The device aims to be similar in nature to Nintendo’s retro collectors’ consoles, the NES Classic and SNES Classic, and is powered by a custom AMD processor with Radeon graphics running Linux. This will enable the VCS to run mid-range games, as well as become an all-in-one device akin to the Nvidia SHIELD. In Atari’s words, it’s aiming to be a “completely new Atari connected device designed for today’s living room.”
“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. 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.”
– Michael Arzt, Atari COO of Connected Devices
In addition to the name reveal, Atari also stated that after GDC in San Francisco this weekend, where the press will have hands-on with the prototypes, they are aiming to unveil pre-order details for the all-in-one box during the month of April.
