The Atari VCS console got an update yesterday on its IndieGoGo page, which featured a Q&A session with system architect Rob Wyatt.
In the Q&A blog post, Wyatt said the Atari VCS hardware will be powered by an “AMD Bristol Ridge family APU with Radeon R7 graphics,” as well as get 8 GBs of unified memory. Wyatt reasoned that the Bristol Ridge family came out on top when it came to performance, cost, and thermals.
Wyatt then described controller compatibility for the Atari VCS as USB HID devices. The AtariOS will also get standardized controller support which includes a controller remapping tool, allowing players to remap physical buttons. For left-handed users, this tool will also help with remapping and get the responses and feel they want in a controller.
As for developers themselves, Wyatt wrote that creating games for the Atari VCS won’t required dedicated development hardware, as the device itself can be a development kit. Wyatt wrote that developers have to sign up for their program, download the SDK, and can start creating within their guidelines.
“Our core architecture consists of the Atari Secure Hypervisor and a heavily modified Linux kernel called the AtariOS,” Wyatt detailed in the Q&A about open platform and sandbox capabilities. “All of this is in flash memory and before the AtariOS loads, any external storage device is checked, and if a bootable device is found, the OtherOS on that device is loaded instead.”
For now, backers can look forward to getting future updates on the Atari VCS Indiegogo page. As of now, it has a total of $2,999,855 USD raised in funds since the campaign began on June 30 this year.
Liked this article and want to read more like it? Check out Zubi Kahn’s article on the Atari VCS.
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