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'Mr. Run and Jump' will be the first official cartridge for the Atari 2600 since 1990
Atari just announced a brand-new physical cartridge for the 2600 console. ‘Mr. Run and Jump’ is a 2D platformer that’s taken plenty of design cues from recent indie games like ‘Celeste’ and will also arrive as a modern version for new consoles like the PS5. The 2600 cartridge is available to preorder on July 31st for $60.
Atari revives unreleased arcade game that was too damn hard for 1982 players
Legendary developer Jeff Minter brings his signature synthwave style to Atari's upcoming remake.
'Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration' brings together more than 90 games this fall
With Atari turning 50 this year, the brand’s current owner plans to celebrate with a collection that brings together five decades of games.
Atari steps back from mobile games to focus on 'premium' PC and console titles
Atari has announced a new business strategy that re-shifts its focus from free -to-play mobile games to console and PC titles.
Atari VCS is now available to buy
Three years after its original announcement, you can finally buy the Atari VCS.
2021 could be a great year for 'alternative' consoles
Despite the pandemic, it’s been a pretty great year for video game hardware. Microsoft launched the Xbox Series X and the smaller Series S. Sony, meanwhile, released the PlayStation 5 and a cheaper Digital Edition that doesn’t come with a disc drive.
Atari VCS will feature Google Chrome as its built-in browser
The Atari VCS retro console will also feature Chrome as its built in browser.
Atari VCS backers should get their consoles 'very soon'
More than two years and multiple delays after its original announcement, the Atari VCS is finally making its way to people who helped crowdfund the console. In an update over on Medium, Atari says it's putting the "finishing touches" on the first batch of production VCS units. It also shared photos from the factory floor to prove manufacturing has been coming along.
The first Atari VCS units should be ready by mid-June
The first production Atari VCS units are leaving the factory in mid-June, or close to two years after the crowdfunded project began.
The architect behind Atari's VCS retro console just quit
Atari's long-delayed retro console may be in trouble, because according to The Register, its lead architect has left the project. Rob Wyatt, who was also a founding Xbox team member, told the publication that he "officially resigned as the architect of the Atari VCS" on October 4th. He said Atari hasn't paid his design consultancy Tin Giant, which has been behind the console's development, for the past six months. The crowdfunded retro console was supposed to be released last June, but the company pushed its release back to March 2020 due to a series of delays and revisions.
Atari's VCS will offer 'thousands' of retro games through a subscription
The Atari VCS is still months off (barring more delays), but it should at least have a healthy selection of retro games when it does arrive. Atari has forged a deal that will offer an optimized and expanded version of Antstream's Arcade game subscription service exclusively on the VCS when it launches. You'll have access to Atari's full library of 300-plus games, plus "thousands" more titles from other vintage platforms -- you could be playing a Nintendo 64 or Neo Geo game if Asteroids is no longer scratching your itch.
Pre-orders for Atari's retro VCS console start at $249
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.
Atari shows off joystick and controller for its retro VCS console
When the Atari VCS team decided to remake the retro console, it knew the controllers would be just as important as the box itself. After all, there's no gaming accessory quite as iconic as the Atari CX40 joystick. Earlier this spring, we got a glimpse of what the VCS will look like, and now, the company has revealed more details about the Atari VCS Classic Joystick and Modern Controller. Both are a carefully crafted mix of essential features, both old and new, the company said in a blog post.
Finished Atari VCS design pays homage to its 2600 roots
Now that the Atari VCS team has once again delayed its retro console to give it more powerful innards, it's ready to show what that redesign looks like. The developers have unveiled what they say is the "production-ready" system design, and it pays even more of an ode to the Atari 2600 than before. The main body now floats above the base like the 2600 did, and addresses multiple "practical considerations" in the process. To start, two of the USB ports are now front-facing -- it's much easier to plug in a controller or keyboard.
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 pioneer Steve Bristow passes away
Steve Bristow, who Nolan Bushnell called one of the world's most powerful gaming pioneers, has died, according to Atari historian Marty Goldberg. Bristow was an early Atari employee who helped birth the Atari 2600 (originally called the Atari Video computer System, or VCS) back in 1977. The pioneering home console was one of the first to use a microprocessor and game cartridges, and sold over 10 million copies by 1982. Bristow also headed Atari's coin-op arcade division during its heyday and helped develop classic games like Tank and Breakout. If you enjoyed the original games or remakes, why not hoist a drink to the man who built them (and his magnificent muttonchops)?
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.
