Atari VCS

[Adiabatik]

I can't believe that there isn't a thread about it here.
At core, it is a micro PC, with fixed specs, running on Ubuntu (so not very far from Steam OS). The openness of the system seems to be a big selling point, so your linux compatible steam library should be able to run on it.
It looks really much like a low end, low price steam machine, and we have now an idea of the specs: (I added amazon price point on the components, for comparison)

- AMD Bristol ridge A10 with R7 integrated GPU (~75$)
- 4Go DDR4 RAM (~45$)
- Storage 32Go eMMC (30-40$); you will definitively need to add an external hard drive or SSD card.
- HDMI, Wifi, Blue Tooth, Ethernet port, 4 USB ports 3.0

Add the case, alimentation, thermal solution, manufacturing cost and a price point at 250$ and you don't have much wiggle room to change the specs.

Expected performances: the Wikipedia gives those specs for the Bristol ridge:
- CPU 2 physical cores (4 logical cores); 3.0 - 3.5 GHz
- GPU 6 cores 847Mhz, (384 shaders, 24 CU)

For comparison:
Xbox One:
- CPU 2 modules with 4 cores; 1.75 GHz
- GPU 16 cores 853Mhz, (768 shaders, 48 CU)
- 8 Gb DDR3 ram
PS4:
- CPU 2 modules with 4 cores: 1.6 GHz
- GPU 32 cores 800Mhz, (1152 shaders, 78 CU)
- 8 Gb DDR5 ram

So, the CPU are on par with each other with (probably) an advantage on the VCS. GPU wise, the VCS is about 1/2 as powerful as the Xbox one (although RAM type un bus width might have a big influence, don't quote me on that). For reference, that's the difference between HD (1080p) and SD(720p).
For demanding titles, the Atari VCS should probably focus on a SD version. Which means lower quality textures; that's why I don't think that 4gb ram is That a problem.

Is it vaporware? The jury is still out. However, since all the parts seem pretty standard, the release date (july 2019), seem reasonable (at least for the hardware part).

What about the games? Although new titles would be a must, the linux library is already wide enough that the problem is as much about curating the existing base as offering new goodies.

OUYA, NVIDIA Shield ? OUYA, and NVIDIA shield are android and ARM based. Existing (and future) titles for those systems are mainly designed around small screen and touch screen control. Also, they are packaged with the expectation they will be accessed through closed eccosystems.
The VCS is Linux and x86 based. The titles developed for these are tailored for monitor/big screens, with a mouse+keyboard/controller control scheme. The packaging is more freeform, with more room for things like modding. (Freeform packaging has its own problems, of course). Back compatibility is also a big issue; open eccosystems allows you to access (compatible) titles acquired on old machines. Rebuying your games each time you change hardware isn't fun.

[FireSloth]

I just found this thread through a Google search. The VCS specs are quite a bit improved now with a Ryzen R1606G with newer iGPU. The vaporware question in a lot of peoples' minds has been eliminated at this point too, since pre-orders are live now at Gamestop and Walmart, in addition to their own site.

I'm getting one as a long time Atari fan who wants it in my collection. Also I've got over a 1,000 games on Steam and a lot of my favorites will be playable on lower-specced machines like this. I look forward to experimenting. I've never got around to building a media center PC, but I do sometimes play on my Steam Link. But the input lag makes a lot of games annoying to play through it.