Atari VCS FAQ

Q: What is the Atari VCS?

A: The Atari VCS™ is a sleek, modern mini-PC, inspired by the company’s legendary computers and video game consoles, designed to delight a whole new generation of gamers and creators.

Q: What games are available for the VCS?

A: The Atari VCS Vault comes free with every VCS and includes one hundred Atari 2600 and Atari arcade games from the ’70s and '80s, now remastered for the Atari VCS. The Atari VCS has something for every gamer. The Atari game store is loaded with an assortment of great Atari classics and modern games, a huge retro library from Antstream Arcade, and an ever-growing list of 3rd party indie titles. You can also access popular AAA cloud gaming services like Xbox Game Pass, Stadia, Luna and GeForce Now. Advanced users can access Atari’s unique PC Mode to load almost any existing game libraries, using Windows or another favorite operating system.

Q: How do I buy games for the VCS?

A: The Atari VCS store is available upon turning on the console and allows you to purchase and download a large selection of games and apps.

Q: Do I need an Atari controller to use the VCS?

A: The Atari VCS works best with the Atari Joystick and Controller, and is also highly compatible with most Bluetooth or USB PC peripherals, including keyboard and mouse, game controllers, headsets and various other accessories many users already have.

Q: Does the VCS require an internet connection?

A: The Atari VCS is a connected device. An Internet connection is needed to create your account, download updates, make purchases, and access streaming services.

Q: Where can I purchase the Atari VCS outside the US and Canada?

A: At this time we are only accepting orders in the US and Canada. We plan to offer the Atari VCS in more markets next year. If you leave us your information using the contact us form we will email you as soon as we are accepting orders from your country.

Q: Can I purchase replacement parts for my VCS?

A: At the moment there is no immediate plan to sell replacement parts as standalone items, but we do expect to have some inventory of replacements for the face and backplates, and chassis pieces, for users who might have damaged the part and need a replacement. Please contact customer support for more information.

Q: How do I use an Xbox One controller with my VCS?

A: If you have an Xbox One controller it will work, but you need to configure it first with the use of a keyboard. Here are the steps to configure your controller:
Note: Use these steps to get past the onboarding screens with a keyboard:
Movement - Arrow Keys
A - Enter
B - Backspace
Back - {No mapping as we already have B}
Menu - Menu Key
Atari/Fuji Logo Button - Escape
Left Bumper - Left Shift
Right Bumper - Right Shift
Left Trigger - Left CTRL
Right Trigger - Right CTRL
X - F1
Y - F2
Left Stick - F3
Right Stick - F4
Once you get past the screen where it asks you to identify your controller, you would hit "escape" and then "a".

Q: How do I update my VCS if I'm stuck in an update loop?

A: 1) Boot with a keyboard attached, holding down the ESC key. Go into boot manager. You will see three options. Select EFI Embedded MMC Device 1 (TA2932). The system will reboot.

2) If that does not work, you will need to manually flash the box with an OS image from a USB stick. It can take a bit of time to download and write the file to the USB drive but is otherwise a very straightforward process. 

Atari OS Image

The latest Atari OS Image can be downloaded here: Link.

Q: What version of Linux does the VCS use?

A: The Atari VCS uses a version of the Debian Linux OS and supports games and apps developed using standard 64-bit Linux code, APIs, and tools. You can expect a large majority of Linux-compatible content to be fully compatible with the Atari VCS.

Q: Is Atari VCS compatible with Unity?

Most non-VR games and apps developed in Unity will be readily compatible with the Atari VCS. For existing titles, porting to the Atari VCS is typically light work and mostly involves mapping to our gamepad and joystick controllers. Joystick compatibility is not required, but is encouraged when the form factor provides benefit to gameplay.

Controller mapping tables have been developed for both the current version of Unity, and the previous Unity Input Manager. A table has also been created for Rewired, and other methods are being added as we run into them.