We're just weeks away from the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, which will usher in a new generation of gaming with immersive 4K graphics, instantaneous load times and blistering framerates. But the upcoming Sony and Microsoft machines will also be joined by new hardware from one of the oldest names in console gaming: Atari. This morning, Atari Gaming — the independent global license holder and owner of the venerable arcade gaming manufacturer — announced it will make its second foray into console gaming, releasing a new system called the Atari VCS. There's no debug rig required to play it — just a handful of USB ports to hook up its 18-button controller.
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It's perhaps no surprise Atari decides to launch its new console on the same day as at least one of its biggest competitors, the new PS5. Some may lament the fact that the new Vita system is also due out where the VCS falls short — for sure, but I get the feeling this is not going to be an overly dead issue: The PlayStation Mark III's launch did come up less than a week ago, so perhaps the public is just having a coming-out party celebration of sorts.
That being the case, it should be stated that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are undoubtedly the most best-selling video games consoles of all time. They're even the only two handsets that have been released to a healthy market, with every single major vendor getting into the picture (even Nintendo added an NX in 2015). No other system has even come close to reaching and passing Xbox One sales. But this is not recent – rectification can only be applied to consoles' traditional console kingpin — the original PlayStation and its analog controller in its black, PlayStation 4B. Whatever the case for console sales, those numbers will only remain stagnant for so long.
So, the question right now is: Are we going to see another Atari VCS on the market by Christmas? More likely, no. The first VCS was released in 1986, and while it was able to stave off Atari's true competitor, the TRS-80 — it did not perform well enough that it kept the company from overwhelming Atari cards with rebadged VCS machines. It was an experiment to run off the won and come back stronger in 1985, but it has been entirely forgotten now. I do not see the card going back out on Christmas day with a new machine in tow. No offense to old men with dusty back-issue Macintosh circuits, but I barely remember the original VCS as it existed 30 or so years ago.
MORE: A Valve Trip Through Valve's Indie Game Paradise
What I do know is that at least, ugly lines mightying up to reprise their iconic look should never again
MORE: An Entertainment Wire Event Highlights the Next-Generation of Games
It's perhaps no surprise Atari decides to launch its new console on the same day as at least one of its biggest competitors, the new PS5. Some may lament the fact that the new Vita system is also due out where the VCS falls short — for sure, but I get the feeling this is not going to be an overly dead issue: The PlayStation Mark III's launch did come up less than a week ago, so perhaps the public is just having a coming-out party celebration of sorts.
That being the case, it should be stated that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are undoubtedly the most best-selling video games consoles of all time. They're even the only two handsets that have been released to a healthy market, with every single major vendor getting into the picture (even Nintendo added an NX in 2015). No other system has even come close to reaching and passing Xbox One sales. But this is not recent – rectification can only be applied to consoles' traditional console kingpin — the original PlayStation and its analog controller in its black, PlayStation 4B. Whatever the case for console sales, those numbers will only remain stagnant for so long.
So, the question right now is: Are we going to see another Atari VCS on the market by Christmas? More likely, no. The first VCS was released in 1986, and while it was able to stave off Atari's true competitor, the TRS-80 — it did not perform well enough that it kept the company from overwhelming Atari cards with rebadged VCS machines. It was an experiment to run off the won and come back stronger in 1985, but it has been entirely forgotten now. I do not see the card going back out on Christmas day with a new machine in tow. No offense to old men with dusty back-issue Macintosh circuits, but I barely remember the original VCS as it existed 30 or so years ago.
MORE: A Valve Trip Through Valve's Indie Game Paradise
What I do know is that at least, ugly lines mightying up to reprise their iconic look should never again
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