[6] While its exterior encasing design is intended to pay homage to the Atari 2600, the new Atari VCS plays modern games and streaming entertainment via a Linux-based operating system called AtariOS that allows users to download and install other compatible games, including those compatible with Windows 10.

[8] Initial units for backers were shipped in December 2020, while the console had a general release in June 2021, in Australia, New Zealand and then in North America; shipping was initially restricted to the United States only by Atari and official distributors before it was expanded to include Canada by October 2021.

[14] His design goal was to feed nostalgia for the old Atari consoles and allow players to enjoy indie games without a personal computer.

According to Atari CEO Fred Chesnais, this period gave them time to review what they wanted the Ataribox to do, and revise the unit's specifications and hardware without sacrificing the core elements of being a Linux-based system that would be able to run classic Atari games along with newer titles.

[15] Atari first teased Project Ataribox in June 2017 during E3, releasing images of the box but did not call out any technical specifications.

As this followed Nintendo's November 2016 release of the NES Classic Edition, a dedicated console that supported a number of pre-loaded Nintendo Entertainment System games, journalists believed that the new Atari system was developed in kind, to provide a way to play classic Atari games on a dedicated platform.

[21][22] Within the first day, the Atari VCS saw more than US$2.25 million in pre-orders, far exceeding the anticipated US$100 thousand they were seeking to start production.

Wyatt and his company, Tin Giant, had been working with Atari for months to define hardware and operating system requirements.

From the moment the AMD team introduced me to Atari and the VCS project, I have been intrigued and inspired by the opportunity that it represents.

The new AMD processor supports native 4K video playback with modern HDCP, has built-in Ethernet and a secure framebuffer.

By the end of summer 2019, no functional version of the AtariVCS meeting the product description has been shown publicly, and additional details of gaming content have not been forthcoming.

Arzt explained that the lack of communications over the previous year was due to limitations with their partnership contracts, but promised that they would try to provide more regular updates moving forward.

[41] The Atari VCS was announced in 2017 and is based on a customized AMD central processor using Radeon graphic processing technology.

The unit's photos echo the look-and-feel of the Atari 2600, with a black veneer and faux wood-grain front plate, though sized about half as large.

[16][42] Conuladh said that they anticipate the hardware is comparable to a mid-range personal computer for 2017, powerful enough to run most games but not for more recent AAA titles.

The Atari VCS features a Ryzen-based AMD R1606G APU with two cores and four threads (SMT) that clocks at 2.6 GHz up to 3.5 GHz[47] and a Vega 3 graphic solution (GCN 5) supporting OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan, with an HDMI 2.0 connection supporting 4K screens at 60 Hz with HDCP 2.2 protection.

[51] Atari announced that the Google Chrome web browser will be pre-installed and will power some of the console's online services.

This comes as Atari allows users to use their own pre-existing accessories including remotes, mouse and keyboards, microphones, external speakers and other controllers.

It is an Atari-branded 128 GB USB 3.2 drive that comes preloaded with a custom Debian operating system, additional storage and the LibreOffice Suite.

[58] Due to the strong competition and Atari's conflicted history, CNET concluded that the console has an "identity crisis".

"[60] IGN awarded the system a 5/10, saying: "The Atari VCS tries to do some interesting things but ultimately fails as a console and a PC alternative.

"[61] CGMagazine gave the console a generally favorable review, especially to retro lovers, but outlined that "its price point is just a bit too high to recommend.

Atari said it "remains committed to the VCS platform" and has been adding more support for developers and continues to add more games to the store.

Atari also stated "there are several hardware projects under development that will expand the VCS ecosystem and create additional utility for users.