Atari VCS: Atari is pulling the plug on the retro console
Atari has officially announced the end of their retro console Atari VCS. No more new devices are manufactured and the remaining stock is to be sold off.
Atari is one of the most well-known names in the video game industry – and that’s despite the fact that some non-believers have been thrown onto the market under the label. Atari’s current retro console, the Atari VCS, which costs around 300 euros, must (at the latest) be counted among these. As the company officially announces, no new devices will be manufactured from now on. What’s left on the shelves goes to potential customers with a 20 percent discount. There doesn’t seem to be many left of those if you look at the financial report for the console.
The Atari VCS no longer has a market
Sales of the Atari VCS last year, when the console was finally launched, were 2.3 million euros – in 2022 it was only 200,000 euros. If you divide this amount by the official retail price, you can calculate that fewer than 1,000 consoles were sold. With these numbers, it is only understandable that the production is no longer worthwhile. Especially since Atari recorded a net loss of 5.3 million euros in the last financial year and will probably have to save now.
The Atari VCS had a difficult time right from the start. The console could already be pre-ordered in 2018, but only appeared three years later. So now, a good year after the release, it’s clear that Atari couldn’t deliver with the hardware. It does what it’s supposed to do, but in no way justifies the high price for which you could also get an Xbox Series S or a Nintendo Switch. But Atari wants to keep going, releasing new titles under their label and licensing their brand to third parties for games or hardware. Another field of interest are NFTs – a path that is at least controversial for the former games giant and manufacturer of the legendary Atari 2600.
Source: tech powerup
Reference-www.pcgameshardware.de