Atari’s new console will be a Linux-powered game device that plays classic Atari retro games and new titles, as well as “a full PC experience for the TV,” its creators said in an update about the Ataribox.
What’s in the Ataribox console
New Atari hardware slated to launch next spring
Michael McWhertor is a journalist with more than 17 years of experience covering video games, technology, movies, TV, and entertainment.
According to a newsletter from Atari, the Ataribox will be powered by “an AMD customized processor, with Radeon Graphics technology.” The console will run Linux with a “customized, easy-to-use user interface” that will include video games as well as streaming services, multimedia, web browsing and more. The developers promise “tons” of classic Atari games will be pre-loaded on the device.
“Most TV devices have closed systems and content stores,” the Ataribox team said in an email this week. “Linux lets us be more open; you can access & customise the OS, [and] you can access games you’ve bought from other content platforms.”
The Ataribox team said it will launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo sometime this fall. The console is expected to ship “late spring 2018” and will cost between $249 and $299, depending on hardware configuration. The system will come with the option to include real wood panelling.
Atari announced the Ataribox in June and shared first images of the console in July. New photos of the first Ataribox prototypes can be seen in the company’s latest newsletter.
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