Want To Pre-Order An Ataribox? You’ll Have To Wait A Bit Longer

We reported earlier in the week that Atari was set to launch a pre-order initiative for its new Ataribox console, promising to usher in a golden age of classic gaming in a fancy new form, for around the $250-$300 price tag. Well, today was supposed to be that day, but the company has hit a snag with its program.

The company announced today that, even though pre-orders were supposed to happen, it's decided to delay the launch of its crowdfunding program. When asked why, the company noted, "The countdown to the Ataribox launch on Indiegogo has been officially paused. Because of one key element on our checklist, it is taking more time to create the platform and ecosystem the Atari community deserves.

"Building Ataribox is incredibly important to us and we will do whatever it takes to be sure it is worth the wait."

That's really all the company said at this point. It didn't point out what this problematic "element" was, but did insist that it would be fixed when the program would eventually relaunch.

"An updated launch plan is underway and more detailed information will be available soon," it added. "We will be keeping you, our community, informed every step of the way. Thank you again for your support of Ataribox."

The project has been shrouded in mystery since its announcement earlier in the year, signifying Atari's return to the console market for the first time since the Atari Jaguar. (The Atari Flashback consoles don't count, as those are made by the folks at AtGames.) There's no word of game support just yet, or even a list of third parties that will be supporting the system. That said, Atari has promised it would be a portal to classic gamers, and a potential home for several indie titles as well, though, again, we don't have a specific list just yet.

We do wish Atari the best of luck on the project, but filling us in on more details certainly wouldn't hurt. We're down to see what kind of game library it has to offer, but it'd be kind of questionable paying $250-$300 just to see what the Atari 2600 version of Asteroids looks like on a 4K television. Just saying.