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Atari VCS gets a spec boost and another delay
The nostalgic Atari VCS console has been delayed yet again, but at least this time you're getting more for your money. The creators have pushed back the system's launch to the end of 2019 in return for an upgrade to an as yet unannounced embedded AMD Ryzen chip, complete with Vega-based graphics. It'll offer more power for games, of course, but it'll also pull off feats you might not expect in a retro box, like native 4K video playback and support for protected streaming video services like Netflix.
Atari VCS preorders are finally available through Indiegogo
Atari launched an Indiegogo campaign today, allowing fans to finally preorder the revamped VCS console ahead of a supposed 2019 ship date. The company is offering a handful of limited-time bundles that package the two versions of the Atari VCS along with a joystick and/or a modern controller, and Atari has announced partnerships with some independent development studios.
Atari's retro console has a new name, but remains a tease
Atari's retro Ataribox console has been more sizzle than steak since it was first unveiled last summer, with delays and a distinct lack of game announcements dampening the enthusiasm. And unfortunately, that trend is mostly continuing today. The company has announced that it's rebranding the Ataribox as the Atari VCS in a nod to the 2600's little-used full name and plans to show prototypes of the system, the Classic Joystick and the Modern Controller at the Game Developers Conference this week. However, that's about all it's showing.
Atari: celebrating 40 years of gaming history
Forty years. That's a long time in the tech industry and Atari knows it. Today it celebrates four decades in the game, and quite the tale it is. Highs, lows and everything in between, Atari has been there. As one of the most influential brands both in gaming and technology, it only seems right to take a look over the company's history and chart some of the more significant twists in its less than straightforward journey. After the break we speak to the man that started it all and the one currently at the helm, as well as some of the many people whose lives were irreversibly changed by its influence. Happy birthday to you, Atari!
Students create CRT emulator, hope to recapture that analog gaming vibe of yesteryear
The retro gaming insurgence seems as strong as vinyl these days, but you don't see as many people looking for a CRT monitor to complete the set. More likely, they're playing a HD remake or the original title on a digital screen in more detail than the developers ever anticipated or intended. A group of Georgia Tech students are looking to change all that by modifying open-source Atari 2600 VCS emulator Stella to give players that good ole fashion analog vibe. As highlighted by associate professor Ian Bogost, key attributes such as color bleed, "burned" afterimage, RF-engendered signal noise, and texture created by the phosphor glow have been imitated here in recreating the effect. Hit up the gallery below for pictorial examples while we wait anxiously for video and / or the mod itself to rear its blurry head.
