Pre-orders for Atari's retro VCS console start at $249
You'll have to pay considerably more if you want the full nostalgia trip.
If you're tired of hearing about delays and revisions to the Atari VCS and just want to know when you can buy the damned thing as an everyday customer, you're in luck. The retro console will be available for general pre-order today from both the company site as well as GameStop and Walmart, with orders from the last two expected to ship in March 2020 (crowdfunding backers may get theirs in December 2019). How much you'll pay will depend on just how nostalgic you are, though.
The base VCS 400, with an AMD processor, embedded Vega graphics and 4GB of RAM, will cost you $249. A VCS 800 with 8GB of RAM will cost $279. The classic Atari-style joystick and more modern gamepad will sell for $49 and $59 respectively, though, and buying an all-inclusive 800 model with the both controllers will cost you $389. Also, you'll have to be finicky about where you buy depending on your design preferences. The Atari 2600-inspired Black Walnut design you see above is only available directly from the company -- GameStop is only selling the black-fronted model (also available from Atari), while Walmart is offering an exclusive version with a Kevlar Gold front panel.
As before, the price is well above that of recent retro machines like the SNES Classic or PlayStation Classic. The hook, in this case, is that it's not just a fixed collection of games from your childhood -- it's a 4K-capable machine that can play modern titles alongside the vintage ones. Whether or not it works as well as promised is another matter, but you at least won't be stuck with whatever came in the box.
