Atari finally opens pre-orders for its VCS retro console

Atari today opened up pre-orders for its revival console, the VCS. For a few days, you can order at least one version of the VCS for a discounted price, along with the 100 or so games which will come installed with it.

Atari’s had a bit of a rougher time getting its throwback console to the market than Nintendo. The Big N’s sold four million SNES Classics and 2.3 million NES Classics, at the most recent estimate. By contrast, Atari’s had to raise interest via its crowdfunding campaign.

That said, it apparently offers more than either of its Nintendo competitors. While both of those are restricted to playing a certain number of games and nothing else, Atari promises its VCS will allow users to customize their console via the Linux OS.

Speaking specifically of the games it’ll offer, Atari says, “…of course there are classic arcade games, plus the latest modern and Indie PC titles from a wide variety of independent developers.” If nothing else, you certainly can’t say that about the SNES Classic.

Not to mention, if Atari were hoping to tap into their niche faithful audience for the crowdfunding, then they managed to find a particularly rich vein — literally and figuratively. The campaign, which originally asked for $100,000, has received well over $1.6 million by this point.

According to Gamespot, the campaign crashed the Indiegogo page briefly, though it’s back up at time of writing. Anyone who orders today might be cooling their heels for a while, though, as the console isn’t slated to ship until some time next year.

If you’re interested, you can obtain the Onyx Edition for the discounted price of $199 (it’ll go up to $299 after June 4) or the wood-front Collector’s Edition for its standard price of $299. Both come packaged with a joystick and a modern controller.

h/t Engadget