The Atari VCS 800 package.
Atari
Craving some retro video games during coronavirus pandemic? The Atari VCS 800 may be the system you’ve been waiting for.
After first revealed in 2018, and subsequently affected by delays, the Atari VCS 800 bundle has arrived at Walmart and Gamestop and is available to preorder for $ 390. Walmart lists the shipping date as November 27, with the official Atari VCS store indicating the planned launch date for the box is December 14.
GameStop doesn’t have a release date on their site, but it’s offering a $ 10 discount for pre-orders with the system at a price of $ 380.
Powered by 8GB of RAM, an AMD Raven Ridge 2 APU, and a Ryzen GPU, the box lets you play classic Atari games on modern big screens. The VCS 800 Bundle includes “100 Atari Classic Consoles and Free Arcade Games” as well as a wireless joystick and traditional controller in the box, with additional games available from an online store.
In addition to playing games, you can upgrade RAM or install different operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Steam OS or Chrome OS to turn it into a PC. Videos can be streamed at 4K (60 frames per second), with the VCS store promising that “many of your favorite TV / movie services” will be available in the box’s app store.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 are built into the box, as are four USB 3.1, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI ports. There is 32 GB of built-in storage, although more can be added via USB.
The Atari VCS 800 was offered on Indiegogo. The campaign for the video game box attracted 11,597 backers and raised over $ 3 million.
