Atari VCS pre-orders are open and will be shipped in March 2020.

Atari VCS finally has a launch date. Pre-orders for the Retro Console are available now on GameStop, Walmart and directly from Atari, with units to be shipped in March 2020.

Those who supported the project via the IndieGoGo crowdfunding site can wait for their units later this year.

Starting at $ 249.99 for a console with 4GB of RAM, Atari's new device costs a little more than the NES Classic or the PlayStation Classic at launch ($ 59.99 and $ 99.99 respectively, although the Sony console has recorded several price cuts). In all fairness, however, it is a much more powerful system. Rather than sticking an emulator in a piece of plastic and calling it a day, Atari equipped his new device with an AMD processor and support for 4K and HDR. It's basically a Linux PC loaded with old Atari games.

Atari also launches a classic joystick and a modern controller next to the console. The base model, Atari VCS 400, does not include the joystick, nor the Atari VCS 800 at $ 279.99 (with 8 GB of RAM). Sold separately, the joystick is $ 49.99 and the controller is $ 59.99. Atari offers an all-inclusive package with the VCS 800 as well as the joystick and controller for $ 389.99.

Although standalone consoles are only available in black, each retailer has a different exclusive color console included in the All In packages. Walmart's is a "gold Kevlar", GameStop is a standard "onyx" and Atari itself has a very retro "black walnut".

Atari will present this new console at this year's E3 conference. So expect some practical impressions that will come soon. In the meantime, check out other images from the console and game consoles below.