When Atari first announced the VCS as the “Ataribox” back in 2017, I was impressed with their very modern looking interpretation of an iconic gaming console design. The woodgrain panel sporting a lighted Fuji logo was just too cool! I missed the crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo that came next, but heard about the VCS again when it finally came to market in early 2021. While I definitely wanted one at the time, the $399 asking price with controllers was a bit much to work into my modest hobby budget. They did start to go on sale periodically a few months after launch, though, and I finally pulled the trigger and purchased one directly from the Atari website in 2023 for $299.
Not Really a Gamer
Before we get started with the review, I should clarify that I’ve never been a serious gamer. I did go through a phase in the early 80s when I was really into my Atari 2600, and like lots of kids I also spent many hours in the arcades that could be found in every shopping mall at the time. I was fairly into the Nintendo NES in the late 80s too, albeit to a lesser degree, but by the PC Doom era of the 90s my interest had greatly waned. Grand Turismo 3 was the last game I spent any serious time on, and I bought a PlayStation 2 in the mid 2000s just to play that one title. I also picked up a lot of old computers and gaming consoles in the early days of eBay when they could be had for very little money, including the 2600’s big brother the Atari 800 along with several game cartridges. When I’ve occasionally been inspired to play a video game these last couple of decades, it’s usually been a vintage 80s game.
All of this is to say, the VCS is clearly marketed to nostalgia-driven gamers and retro enthusiasts like me who want an officially branded Atari experience on their modern TVs. From the outset, Atari emphasized that the VCS wasn’t meant to compete head-to-head with dedicated gaming consoles like the PlayStation or Xbox. Instead, it aims to offer a multi-purpose device that can blend retro gaming with modern streaming and productivity. This review is from the perspective of their original intended demographic.
Out of the Box
The first thing you notice when you receive the unit is the beautiful and colorful packaging, much nicer than the original Atari 2600 box from back in the day. Inside are separate cardboard boxes for the console and the two included controllers. The “asteroids” theme is carried over to the inner boxes in a tasteful way that makes you feel like you’re unboxing a premium product. My first impressions were very good.
The next step was to plug the unit into my TV and boot it up. One of the early complaints with the VCS was that the required updates to the device on first boot could take a very long time to install and sometimes even get stuck. I think these issues had mostly been resolved by the time I got mine, though. The updates did take a while to download, but everything went smoothly and I was up-and-running within a few minutes. The setup does require you to create a login that connects to their servers before you can access any functionality on the device, a process that also went as well as can be expected. We’ll revisit this requirement later in the article, though, when we talk about Atari’s long term support for the VCS.
Once logged in, I was redirected to the home page and main menu of the VCS’s custom operating system. AtariOS is based on a Linux kernel — specifically a customized version of Debian Linux tailored for the VCS hardware — and provides a streamlined, console-like interface for easy access to games, apps, and media. I found the interface pretty intuitive to use and was able to play some games and purchase a couple of new ones via the online store within the first few minutes. The trickiest part for me was getting used to the controllers.
Controllers
One of the other things that drew me to the VCS was their modern take on the classic joystick, and this was the controller I chose to use during my first couple of weeks with the console. It offers a few nice features that weren’t available on the original Atari 2600 joystick including bluetooth connectivity, LED lighting, and a decent rumble effect. By far the coolest addition, though, is the ability to rotate the stick to play vintage games that would normally have required a separate paddle controller. A very elegant touch. The joystick is also more pleasant to use than the original with better control and less hand fatigue during long game play. While it’s great for vintage games designed for a joystick, it’s not as good for more modern games and also makes navigating the menus a bit harder. Before long, I decided to give the more modern Xbox-style gamepad a try.
The modern controller definitely works better for modern games and general navigation, and I got used to it pretty quickly. It’s similar in layout to the controller for my old Playstation 2, although it’s not as ergonomic and doesn’t feel quite as well built. I’ve been using it regularly for the last year, though, and it’s held up just fine. I use it almost exclusively now for games, and I have an external mouse and mechanical keyboard installed for non-game apps.
Vintage Games
The VCS comes with an pre-installed app called Atari Vault that packages together several Atari arcade and home console games from the late 70s and early 80s. The arcade menu includes a lot of very popular and iconic titles developed by Atari back in the day including Centipede, Millipede, Missile Command, Tempest, and Asteroids. There are some conspicuously absent games like Battlezone, Star Wars, and the Empire Strikes back which haven’t been included for licensing reasons, but most of my childhood Atari favorites are present.
The VCS uses customized versions of open-source emulators to run all of the games in the Atari Vault, specifically: MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) for arcade games, Stella for Atari 2600, and A7800 for Atari 7800 titles. I’ve found the emulation on all of the games I’ve played to be quite smooth, and I’m hard pressed to tell the difference playing 2600 games on the VCS versus playing them on my vintage “light sixer” 2600 console (aside from the controller, of course). In general, it’s a big step up from the often quirky emulation found on the many less expensive retro game emulators you can find at Target and Walmart.
I also purchased the Atari Vault Volume 2 which is available from the built-in online store. While most of the arcade games in this collection are older ones from the 70s like Super Bug that I remember seeing in arcades but not playing, it does include several 5200 games along with most of the M Network series developed for the 2600 by Mattel. I have most of the M Network games on 2600 cartridges already, with one notable exception in Star Strike. This is the game that I recreated on a TI-99/4A back in the early 80s using an Extended Basic cartridge and a lot of help from my Dad. I may purchase an original cartridge on eBay some day, but it’s nice to be able to play it in on the VCS in the meantime.
If you want to play classic arcade games from publishers other than Atari, the VCS also comes with the pre-installed AntStream Arcade app. It does require you to create a separate login from the VCS, but it’s a great place to play the occasional game of Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Defender, or a whole host of other classic games. When I first tried out AntStream in early 2023, there was the occasional glitch or pause when playing certain titles which was a bit annoying. I’ve tried it more recently, though, and they seemed to have ironed out the performance issues running on the VCS. They do constantly prompt you to upgrade from the free plan to the $6.99 premium one which is a different kind of annoying, but I understand they need to make their money somewhere.
Recharged Series
The VCS was also designed to play new games, and Atari has published several modern reinterpretations of their own classic games under the Recharged label. The first title I bought was Centipede Recharged. While not as challenging as the original Centipede arcade game, it does follow the classic Atari formula of being easy to learn but hard to master. The gameplay gets progressively more difficult at a balanced pace that keeps you engaged, but not so much so that you get easily frustrated. And there are all kinds of interesting weapons you can acquire by shooting the spiders that I’ve had a great time exploring. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with how fun this game is to play.
I was always a big fan of the 2600 game Yars Revenge, so the next title I tried from the series was Yars Recharged. I liked this one even better than Centipede. Again, unlike other modern games that are so hard I lose interest before I even get started, Yars Recharged is very intuitive so you can start playing extended games very quickly. The game play is very engaging, and like Centipede it starts to get quite challenging as you get to the higher levels. It’s also a very pretty game to watch. If you’re a fan of the original, you’ll probably like this one as well.
I’ve also tried a few other modern games outside of the Recharged series. One standout title is Tempest 4000, which is still developed by Jeff Minter for several platforms including the VCS. Like the Recharged series, Tempest is easy to pick up, but rewards you with more challenging game play and longer playing sessions as you become a better player. And it looks cool too. I’ve only tapped the surface of games in the VCS store, and it’s surprising how many titles are available for such a niche product. As a casual gamer with a preference for retro aesthetics and game play, the VCS more than meets my needs for modern game playing.
Desktop Computer
Atari also markets the VCS as a desktop computer alternative. You can boot the VCS directly into Linux or Windows using an external USB drive, or you can switch from AtariOS to your desktop OS using the included PC Mode app. Earlier this year, I decided to give this a try and purchased the Atari-branded PC Mode USB stick directly from the Atari site. This Kingston USB 3.2 drive comes preloaded with a custom Debian operating system and includes the Office 365-compatible LibreOffice suite.
The main problem with the VCS as a computer is its rather anemic specifications. The VCS is powered by an AMD Raven Ridge 2 APU and AMD Ryzen processor GPU with 8GB DDR4 RAM, and 32GB eMMC fixed internal storage. While this default configuration is perfectly adequate when using AtariOS, it can’t keep up with the customized version of Debian that comes installed on the USB. The resource intensive Chrome browser, for example, constantly gets stuck loading even fairly modest static websites. The Chrome browser app in AtariOS, on the other hand, performs just fine. Atari has clearly optimized AtariOS to focus on running a single app or game at a time, with background processes minimized. This allows resource-intensive apps (like streaming services or some higher-end emulation) to run more smoothly within AtariOS than they do on the PC Mode custom Linux.
Atari recommends that you can boost performance by adding an internal M.2 SATA hard drive or upgrading the RAM. I’ll definitely try that out at some point and see how it goes. For the time being, though, desktop performance is one of the weak points of my VCS.
Long Term Support
In late 2023, Atari scaled back its support for the VCS and halted direct manufacturing relationships, shifting its strategy toward licensing partnerships rather than producing additional consoles. Many of us VCS users were concerned that the updates would become fewer and farther between, but I’m happy to report that a fairly major update became available in October with the following updates:
Hide and Unhide on Home Tab: This feature offers more customization, letting you control which apps and games are visible on your main screen—a great addition for users like me who like a tidier, more personalized layout.
PDF Support for User Manual and Notifications: Having PDF support directly in the OS makes it easy to access manuals and other documentation without needing an external device. This could be handy for troubleshooting or accessing setup guides right on the console.
Customize Grid View Options: Allowing users to choose between 3×3, 4×4, or 5×5 grid layouts for their home screen adds flexibility for different screen sizes and preferences. It’s a thoughtful update, especially for users who want to see more (or less) at a glance.
QuadHD (1440p) Resolution Support: This is a nice touch for users with monitors or TVs that support 1440p resolution, enhancing visual quality for apps, games, and multimedia content.
Visual Sale Banner in VCS Store: Adding a sale banner is a simple but effective way to highlight discounted content or promotions, helping users spot deals at a glance.
Earlier in this article, I mentioned that a login is required to use the VCS. If Atari stops supporting it down the road, will they essentially be “bricked”, unable to play even the pre-installed Atari Vault games? Well, probably not. Most likely, Atari would release a final firmware update removing the login requirement or allowing local-only accounts. This would ensure users could still access their content without server authentication. Since Atari Vault and other local apps do not require a constant internet connection, they would continue to function in an offline mode, preserving the console’s ability to play the built-in games. And of course, PC Mode would also remain unaffected by this issue, allowing users to run Linux or Windows from an external drive without needing an Atari login.
While long range VCS support and development is uncertain, I’m glad that Atari has continued to provide periodic updates every few months. You can also still purchase a new VCS with controllers on the Atari website, and at the time of this writing it’s heavily discounted at $200. At that price, it might be worth taking the risk of future reduced functionality or even a shortened lifespan.
Conclusion
Overall, I really love the VCS as a retro gaming console. It’s a country mile ahead of the many Walmart-special games emulators I’ve acquired over the years, and while it can’t quite compete with a modern gaming console, it more than meets my needs for retro-inspired modern games. Let’s hope Atari continues to support the VCS well into the future. Long live the VCS!
