Ataribox pre-orders have been delayed

Ataribox pre-orders were meant to open on the 14th of December, but Engadget has reported that Atari sent out an email stating that it is taking longer than expected “to create the platform and ecosystem the Atari community deserves.” Atari provided no new pre-order date.

Hopefully, the reference to the platform and ecosystem is only about the process of squashing bugs, improving stability, and adding features, rather than the process of actually building these critical areas. The email apparently says that sometime within the next few weeks we can expect an announcement for a new pre-order date.

The Ataribox is the first Atari-branded console release since the Jaguar in 1993. The design is based on the 1970’s Atari 2600, including the wood paneling. Not a lot is known about the internal specifications, except that it will run a custom AMD APU (in a similar fashion to the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One), and that it runs a Linux operating system with a focus on classic Atari games. Retail price is expected to be between US$250 and US$300.