<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dk2fwXrhdRQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Yep, definitely meant Warbirds, it was great.

I think I ended up with four Lynxes, although I haven't played them in several years now. I hope I remembered to take the batteries out......

Ataribox runs Linux on AMD chip and will cost at least $250.

Atari released more details about its Ataribox game console today, disclosing for the first time that the machine will run Linux on an Advanced Micro Devices processor and cost $250 to $300.

In an exclusive interview last week with GamesBeat, Ataribox creator and general manager Feargal Mac (short for Mac Conuladh) said Atari will begin a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo this fall and launch the Ataribox in the spring of 2018.

The Ataribox will launch with a large back catalog of the publisher’s classic games. The idea is to create a box that makes people feel nostalgic about the past, but it’s also capable of running the independent games they want to play today, like Minecraft or Terraria.

The new box will have an AMD custom processor with Radeon graphics. It will run the Linux operating system, with a user interface it’s customizing for TVs. Mac said that the machine will run PC games, but it will also be capable of doing streaming, running apps, browsing the web, and playing music.

As far as games go, the machine will run the kind of games that a mid-range PC can do today, but it won’t run Triple-A games that require high-end PC performance.

Atari will factor in feedback from fans, particularly on things like content, colors, special editions, early access, and design options. But it has made some key decisions on the design, which pays homage to older consoles such as the Atari 2600, which debuted in 1977.

Mac joined Atari for this project, and it wouldn’t be happening without his involvement. As an aside, he’ll be a speaker at our upcoming GamesBeat Summit 2018 event on April 9-10 in Berkeley, California.

Mac thought of the idea for the box when he saw kids and their friends connecting laptops to TVs so they could play Minecraft and other software that they didn’t have readily available on consoles.

Mac has been involved in technology companies for years. His past companies include FMTwo Game, Now Computing, and MediaLab Barcelona. As Atari started talking about the project, Mac was astounded to see how much love people had for Atari.

“I was blown away when a 12-year-old knew every single game Atari had published. That’s brand magic. We’re coming in like a startup with a legacy,” Mac said. “We’ve attracted a lot of interest, and AMD showed a lot of interest in supporting us and working with us. With Indiegogo, we also have a strong partnership.”

Mac said Indiegogo will be able to offer stronger international support for crowdfunding as well as hardware support. As a Linux-based open system, the Ataribox will also promote freedom for users to run what they want.

Users will have free access to the underlying OS to customize as they wish.
“People are used to the flexibility of a PC, but most connected TV devices have closed systems and content stores,” he said.

“We wanted to create a killer TV product where people can game, stream and browse with as much freedom as possible, including accessing pre-owned games from other content providers.”

In an interview with GamesBeat in June, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais confirmed the company was working on a new console as part of both a retro revival and a new era for Atari.

The New York company is cashing in on the popularity of retro games and Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition, which turned out to be surprisingly popular for providing a method to easily play old games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda in HD on a TV. Atari’s classics include Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, and Pong.

“People are used to the flexibility of a PC, but most connected TV devices have closed systems and content stores,” Mac said. “Ataribox is an open system, and while our user interface will be easy to use, people will also be free to access and customize the underlying OS.

We’ve chosen to launch Ataribox with Indiegogo given their focus on delivering technology products, and their strong international presence in over 200 countries, allowing us to reach and involve as many Atari fans around the world as possible.”

“It’s a very flexible product, and you won’t need to spend more money if you don’t want to,” he said. “In some ways, you are buying some freedom.”
Atari will discuss details on the content and partnerships later. For more info, you can sign up at Ataribox.

“With Ataribox, we wanted to create an open system, a killer product where people can game, stream and browse with as much freedom as possible. Atari games and content will be available as well as games and content from other providers,” said Chesnais, in a statement.

“We also wanted to launch Ataribox with our community, and reward our fans with exclusive early access, special editions, and include them as active participants in the product rollout.”

https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/25/a...-at-least-249/

$250 to $300 hundred dollars? Someone has lost their minds.

good luck selling it at that price. Even as someone who likes retro games no way would I come even close to paying that. Atari games are fun for a while but don't have nearly the appeal of something like classic Nintendo or Sega.

It sounds like it's a Steambox

Is it just me or is that press release/article really poorly written? Like they use the same quotes multiple times.

Yeah, but I don't know why a person would buy one simply because it's Atari branded. Seems like they're throwing in unnecessary extras to try and justify a higher price point.

Who is this made for? It sounds like someone's harebrained get rich quick scheme.

Yeah, we already have an Alienware steambox for PC gaming. I would have rather this be their own unique take on a console, or maybe some kind of portable (with hundreds of the old style games already onboard).

That price is insane. You can get an nBox for less, and it's a better machine.

I meant Steam Machine, my bad. A standard Steam Machine still goes for around $600 or $700, but they're basically full PCs just with SteamOS, this would be cheaper but I still question the benefits.

No idea what the hell these guys are thinking. There is no market for another console outside PS4/XO.. even XO is having trouble holding on to its space in there.

How do these obviously DoA console projects get funded, over and over again??

Sounds like someone took a steamer in the box and think it is worth 250 bucks or more. This thing will end up on the shelves at Big Lots in 6 months.

A guy knows a guy. There are a lot of clueless investors out there who invest based on a chain of personal introductions.

I don't know what AMD chip is actually in here, but given the price it might provide decent performance. I wonder how hackable it will be given it runs Linux too. That said, not sure what value people would get out of it versus the base PS4 or Xbox One, or how the performance compares.

I think the issue is ultimately going to be that the crossover market for people who want something like a Steam Machine and who are just looking to play Atari isn't the same. It's not like Atari is still making games that will be exclusive to this system so what's the point? Especially when other options are on the market at a much cheaper price that allow Atari games to be played. This seems like a half baked idea by a group trying to cash in on the retro market and largely overestimating the demand that the Atari name carries in modern times.

Ataribox is now Atari VCS, preorder date revealed soon.

Atari has renamed its upcoming Ataribox console as the Atari VCS, which is a retro-inspired entertainment platform based on PC technology.

The iconic video game brand is showing off the latest version of the box at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, where 25,000 developers are gathering this week. Atari said the machine, which an exclusive GamesBeat story originally described last year, takes inspiration from 40 years of video game history.

The company is showing off the Atari VCS, Classic Joystick, and Modern Controller prototypes to the press this week at GDC. And it is working with game developers, content creators, and other partners to finalize details.

In April, Atari will announce a preorder date for the Atari VCS. Earlier, Atari canceled a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo because its development hit a snag.

Inspired by the memorable silhouette of the original Atari 2600 Video Computer System, the new Atari VCS design had previously generated excitement within the gaming community.

“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,” said Atari Connected Devices chief operating officer Michael Arzt in a statement.

“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 despite the delay, Atari’s fans appreciate our extreme attention to detail and are as excited about the Atari VCS as we are.”

The latest design has a blend of modern lines and classic details, which the designers hope evoke positive reactions from Atari fans.

The VCS will serve up lots of classic content, but it is so much more than a “retro-box.” It is a new connected device designed for today’s living room, the company said.

The new Atari VCS logo, like the hardware itself, combines past and present, drawing inspiration from Atari’s rich history of progressive graphic design from the 1970s and 1980s.

The company said it paid careful attention to the industrial design and graphics for the box.

Atari didn’t offer more details on the pricing, components, or other details. It did, however, say earlier that the box would sell for $250 to $300 and include an Intel-based processor running Linux.

Atari has licensed other consoles to use its name, but the last time it shipped its own console was the Atari Jaguar in 1993.

https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/19/a...le-in-9-years/

So it's a more expensive Ouya? If that didn't sell, I don't see this making a dent, especially at that price range.

Everyone involved in this is going to lose a shit ton of money.

Agreed, that price is ridiculous for what is essentially a Raspberry Pi in a nice case.

Should be a LOT more powerful than any version of the Pi. Still, no room in the market for this, and I think the investors overestimate the nostalgic power of Atari vs. a company like Nintendo.

Exclusive: As VCS Pre-Orders Begin, Atari Explains What Its New Box Actually Is.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertc.../#bd98cdb4e7e8

I may be wrong, but I don't see people shelling out this kind of money to buy one of these.

So it IS a more expensive Ouya? When the Ouya was released, there was talk that Android games and apps could be easily ported to it, since the device was running a version of Android 5 or something. That didn't exactly help the Ouya set the world on fire and I don't see the Ataribox running Linux faring any better.

Cheaper SteamOS box moreso than a Ouya.