NEW YORK CITY — Atari (www.atari.com) has announced that “Atari VCS” is the official name of its new, retro-inspired gaming and entertainment platform, which was previously known by the working title “Ataribox.” The company marked the announcement by sharing the Atari VCS, Classic Joystick and Modern Controller prototypes with members of the press at this week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The company plans on revealing the exclusive pre-order date for the Atari VCS during the month of April.
Inspired by the iconic silhouette of the original Atari 2600 Video Computer System, the new Atari VCS is a blend of modern lines and reverential details, combined with contemporary content technology and new innovation. The Atari VCS will serve up lots of classic content, but it is much more than a retro-box. It is a completely new Atari connected device designed for today’s living room.
The new Atari VCS logo, like the new hardware itself, combines past and present, and is inspired by Atari’s rich history of progressive graphic design. Countless highly-memorable game logos, illustrations, ads and packages were generated by Atari’s legendary in-house Industrial Design and Graphics department during the 1970s and 80s. Industrial design and graphics are essential parts of the brand’s DNA and part of what makes every Atari game an adventure for the player. Today’s Atari design, engineering, software and marketing teams all endeavor to bring similar levels of care and attention to the new VCS.
“Every person at Atari and every partner involved with the new platform is just as fanatical about the brand and its heritage as our biggest fans are,” explains Michael Arzt, Atari COO of Connected Devices. “With the Atari VCS name, we know how important it is to get everything completely right and that’s why we briefly paused an imminent launch late last year. It was a difficult decision with the countdown underway, but we weren’t willing to go forward with even one thing out of alignment. We hope that Atari’s fans appreciate our extreme attention to detail and are as excited about the Atari VCS as we are.”
In addition to unveiling the official name and logo, Atari will be shifting all branding and communications channels to reflect the Atari VCS name. Fans and followers can sign up for email alerts at www.Ataribox.com and follow the company on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.