A day after the start of the crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, eight thousand backers pre-ordered the console Atari Video Computer System or its accessories.
Atari VCS was announced last year. In March, its design was demonstrated, and the full technical specifications became known only by the beginning of the campaign.
Crowdfunding started on May 30, $2.1 million has been raised so far. The console is sold in the usual black version ($199) and a more expensive collector’s version — with wooden body elements. You can also order a gamepad and a joystick for it. Delivery of the awards is scheduled for the second quarter of 2019.
The console runs on a Linux-based operating system and allows you to install additional software. More than a hundred classic arcade games from Atari are pre-installed on it.
Examples of pre-installed Atari VCS games
The release of the Atari VCS corresponds to the fashion for old games and retro consoles. For example, Nintendo had previously released “classic editions” of its consoles, and demand for them was very high: more than 5 million copies of the SNES Classic Edition sold and more than 2 million NES Classic Edition.
However, Atari itself insists that VCS is not just a retro console. It also supports modern games and can connect to streaming services. That’s just even the chief executive officer of Atari Connect, Michael Arzt, compared the console to a “good laptop”, so it still looks like a niche product.
Also on the topic:
- Atari has announced the creation of a blockchain platform. The company’s shares rose by 60%
- The mini version of the NES surpassed Xbox and Playstation in sales in the USA
A source: Indiegogo