Ataribox Gets New Name, Pre-Order Details Coming Next Month

Atari has shared some more details about its upcoming "Ataribox" system, including a new name and logo for the device. The retro-inspired console has been rechristened the Atari VCS, and it won't be long until we hear when players will be able to pre-order one.

Atari revealed the system's new name alongside the start of this year's Game Developers Conference, where the company will show off the Atari VCS along with prototypes of its classic-style joystick and more modern controller. You can take a look at those, along with some new images of the hardware and its retro-inspired logo, in the gallery below.

Gallery

Atari says the VCS hardware was inspired by the "iconic silhouette" of the original Atari 2600. It will be powered by a custom AMD processor and feature "lots" of classic Atari games, along with "current titles from a range of studios." An Indiegogo campaign for the system was originally scheduled to begin back in December, with a full launch following sometime this spring, but that was delayed because the company felt a "key element" was still missing.

"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," said Michael Arzt, Atari COO of Connected Devices. "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 Atari's fans appreciate our extreme attention to detail and are as excited about the Atari VCS as we are."

Atari plans to announce when pre-orders will begin for the VCS sometime in April. The company didn't share any more details about when the console will launch or how much it will cost, but it was previously estimated to retail for $250-$300.