Atari details the Linux powered Ataribox
Atari’s new Ataribox is less of mystery with a price range and some specs. In an interview with VentureBeat, Ataribox creator and general manager Feargal Mac shared that the Ataribox would have a price range of $250 to $300, run Linux, run a custom UI for TV’s, and have a custom AMD Radeon GPU.
We know the bow will run retro Atari games, but it’s unclear what other games we be playable. If you remember, the Steambox from Steam/Valve is a desktop gaming system running Linux. Steam has hundreds of Linux games, but it still fell flat. If the Ataribox wants to succeed at the $300 price, they’ll need some custom first-party and third-party games playable at launch.
Ataribox will run Linux for better or worse
Mac says the console will run PC games, steam games, run apps, and play music. It’s a mid-range PC without Windows, which offers a bulk of playable games. The hope of Atari is everyone will flock to the console to play all the classic games they’ve built, but at the $300 price point, it’s unlikely.
Atari will launch an Indiegogo for Ataribox later this year, which is a little odd. Most hardware crowdfunded campaigns will look towards Kickstarter for validation because there are stricter rules on the platform. It helps weed out scams and companies who are likely to fail. It also gives backers more trust in the Kickstarter campaigns over the Indiegogo campaigns.
It’ll be a hard sell for the Ataribox when you can buy the Xbox One, PS4, or the Nintendo Switch for the $300 price range. Still, nostalgia will get the best of some. Let me know if you’re going to buy the Ataribox once it hits stores.