Atari VCS (2020)
The Atari VCS is a home video game console released by Atari in December 2020 to its crowdfunding backers and in June 2021 to the public. It is built like a small PC around an AMD Ryzen processor and runs AtariOS, a Linux-based system that also lets owners install other software. Its styling recalls the 1977 Atari 2600, whose original name, Video Computer System, it takes.[2] Its memory and storage can be upgraded, and Atari publishes illustrated guides for both jobs.[1][3]
 | |
| Atari VCS in the Onyx finish, with the Modern Controller, the Classic Joystick and the PC Mode USB stick | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Produced under licence from Atari Interactive, Inc.[1] |
| Type | Home video game console and Linux PC |
| Released | Shipped to Indiegogo backers 14-16 December 2020; general release 15 June 2021[2] |
| Intro price | US$279 to $299 for the console and joystick (Indiegogo pre-order, May 2018)[2] |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen R1606G, 2 cores and 4 threads, 2.6 GHz (3.5 GHz boost)[2] |
| Memory | 8 GB DDR4-2400 (VCS 800) or 4 GB (VCS 400), two SODIMMs; up to 32 GB[2][1] |
| Storage | 32 GB eMMC; M.2 SATA slot[2][3] |
| Display | — |
| Sound | — |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Vega 3; HDMI 2.0, 4K at 60 Hz with HDCP 2.2[2] |
| Ports / interface | Four USB 3.1, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth[2] |
| OS / Firmware | AtariOS (Linux)[2] |
| Codename | Ataribox[2] |
| Model no. | VCS 800, VCS 400[2] |
History
editAtari first showed the console as the Ataribox at E3 in June 2017. It took pre-orders through Indiegogo from 30 May 2018, by then renamed the Atari VCS, and the first day brought in more than US$2.25 million. In March 2019 Atari changed the design to an AMD Ryzen embedded processor with Radeon Vega graphics, and the launch slipped several times, the last time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Backers received their consoles between 14 and 16 December 2020, and the general release followed on 15 June 2021 in two bundles: the Onyx base bundle, and the All-In bundle with the Classic Joystick, modelled on the Atari CX40, and the Modern Controller.[2]
Atari's financial reports show hardware sales falling from $2.44 million in 2021 to about $212,000 in 2022, and Atari suspended its relationship with the original manufacturing partner in December 2022. In November 2022 it released the PC Mode USB, a 128 GB USB drive with a Debian-based system that runs the VCS as a Linux PC.[2]
Hardware
edit| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Ryzen R1606G, two cores and four threads, 2.6 GHz rising to 3.5 GHz |
| Graphics | Radeon Vega 3 (GCN 5), OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan |
| Video output | HDMI 2.0, 4K at 60 Hz, HDCP 2.2 |
| Memory | VCS 800: 8 GB DDR4-2400 as two 4 GB SODIMMs; VCS 400: 4 GB. Up to 32 GB |
| Storage | 32 GB eMMC on the board; one M.2 slot for a SATA SSD |
| Connections | Four USB 3.1, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Finishes | Collector's Edition (teak front, backers only), Onyx, Black Walnut, Carbon Gold |
The rear panel has two USB ports, HDMI, Ethernet, a round power input jack labelled "AC" and the power button, and there are two more USB ports at the front.[4]
Opening the case
editAtari's RAM and M.2 guides open the console the same way, with a T10 Torx driver or hex key:[1][3]
- Unclip the backplate.
- Turn the console upside down, peel back the four rubber feet and remove the four screws under them.
- Lift the front plate away carefully.
- Open the console like a book, folding the top over away from you until it rests against the bottom. Two thin wires run from the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip to the top of the case as aerials, held by solder; opening the case any other way can pull them free.
Reassembly is the reverse: refit the four base screws, press the rubber feet back into place, and snap on the front plate and backplate.[1]
Adding an M.2 SSD
editThe M.2 slot takes SATA drives only. A SATA M.2 drive has two notches in its edge connector (B and M keys); an NVMe drive has one, and does not work in the VCS. Atari knows of no limit on capacity. With the case open, slide the drive into the socket and secure it with a screw at the end of the drive.[3]
Changing the memory
editThe memory sits on the underside of the main board, so changing it means lifting the board out. Atari calls this an advanced job.[1]
- With the case open, remove the six screws holding the main board: top right and bottom right (both through the metal shield), top middle, bottom middle (through the shield), bottom left (through the black plastic exhaust) and top left, which sits under the clear light diffuser. Nudge the diffuser aside to reach it; do not unscrew the diffuser itself.
- Release the two ribbon cables from either side of the board to the USB boards on the base, by flipping each grey clamp towards the outside edge, and slide them out.
- Flip the board up and over onto the top of the case. The loose metal shield goes with it.
- Lift away the lower heat shield.
- Release the clips on each memory module, which then rise to about 30°, and remove both.
- Fit the new modules and clip them down, then refit the heat shield, flip the board back, reconnect and clamp the two ribbon cables, and refit the six screws.
Fit DDR4-2400 SODIMMs in matched pairs, for example two 16 GB modules for the 32 GB maximum. Desktop memory modules do not fit.[1]
Documentation
edit- Atari VCS (2020) Documentation: Atari's RAM and M.2 SSD installation manuals.
- RAM Installation Manual (Atari, 2024)
- M.2 SSD Drive Installation Manual (Atari, 2024)
Gallery
edit-
Rear with the snap-on backplate removed
Related pages
editReferences
edit- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Atari Interactive, Inc., RAM Installation Manual for the Atari VCS, 2024: memory compatibility and warning (p. 2), tools and steps 1 to 20 (pp. 3-10), and the licence line on the last page. Hosted as File:Atari VCS RAM Installation Manual (2024).pdf.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Wikipedia, "Atari VCS (2021 console)", revision 1377065614: history, Indiegogo campaign, processor change, delays, release dates, bundles, editions, hardware, AtariOS, the PC Mode USB and sales. en.wikipedia.org.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Atari Interactive, Inc., M.2 SSD Drive Installation Manual for the Atari VCS, 2024: SATA and NVMe keying, capacity, warning (p. 2), tools and steps 1 to 13 (pp. 3-7). Hosted as File:Atari VCS M.2 SSD Drive Installation Manual (2024).pdf.
- ↑ Photographs of the rear of an Atari VCS by Wizzard, Wikimedia Commons: File:Atari VCS rear panel.jpg and File:Atari VCS rear with backplate removed.jpg. Front USB ports from the same photographer's set, Commons File:Atari VCS 03.jpg.