Atari VCS – First Impressions

Our friend FOX was one of the many people who backed the Atari VCS Crowd Funding Campaign when it launched in 2018. It’s finally arrived and here is the first impressions!

So here we are, the day I thought would never happen – my Atari VCS 800 Collectors Edition finally (after originally backing it in May 2018) arrived via UPS today.

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First impressions, the main console (or is it a PC?) is nicely made, feels like a quality product, build quality seems good, and the joystick seems like it will be responsive and looks great – you can definitely see the linkage with the original 2600.

It came with a certificate of authentication, and a confirmation of my backer number, noted via a hologram at the rear of the console/PC, whatever it is.

No instructions or any other documentation as it’s all digital. And as I stopped paying any attention to the project (about 18 months ago), I’ve no idea what the Ubuntu-based OS (Atari World) will be like. It apparently has about 100 classic games bundled, which seems very very low to me. I’d have expected to be 10-times more games available than that.

The form factor is nice, but as so many pics have previously been leaked, it doesn’t blow me away. Sadly not much else I can say right now BECAUSE, and the lolzz keep coming , it’s shipped with a 2-pin USA plug, so I need to check the voltage and buy a 2-pin to 3-pin UK adapter and I really hope I don’t need a step up/down transformer. I’ll be emailing Atari to seek advice.

But yeah, this is my $299 (£225) investment. And although the machine is now in my paws, I still can’t use it, which is frustrating, as I wanted to make a very short video of it booting-up and see what I get on-screen as I’ve no idea right now, but the PC mode might be interesting.

I may not get the converter before Christmas, weather awful so I’m hunkering down inside, the Royal Mail is shot to bits right now and it wouldn’t arrive before the 25th (I’m sure)

I saw someone on eBay in the UK trying to shift theirs for £5k…