Atari – Nineteen Cents Short of a Paradigm

My 1-of-6000 Collector’s Edition Atari VCS 800 arrived today.

I got it all set up and played some Asteroids and Tempest with the roommate, which was tons of fun. The vector graphics emulation is really cool, and the controllers are amazing.

Here’s a few photos for posterity:

Fresh out of the shipping box. I really like the attention to detail on the boxes, with the silkscreened asteroids graphics.

The Collector’s Edition with its actual wood accents. The fit and finish of the machine is top-notch and it feels really solid.

I got it hooked up to the TV and turned on, where the system did an OS and BIOS update, which took a few minutes. After that though, it was a seamless experience and the built-in games (arcade cabinets and original 2600 games) were well presented and easy to navigate.

And it was really cool to see the original Atari Font in use again.

So far I can say Atari nailed it. It’s an amazing little machine and the reproductions of classic Atari games are perfect.