The Ataribox has been delayed, casting doubt on the console's future

Atari's throwback console Ataribox looks like it's in trouble.

The Ataribox, first revealed in June, was supposed to go up for preorder Thursday, but the preorder was unexpectedly delayed the morning of, Engadget reported. According to Atari, the delay is because the console is taking a bit longer to make than expected.

Based on the design of the Atari 2600, the $250 to $300 Ataribox will run with a Linux operating system and be able to run mid-range level PC games, but not modern AAA titles, which is a huge red flag — that price tag is not cheap and most people reserve spending that type of money on modern consoles that can run new games. Plus, Atari is hoping pay for the project through crowdfunding which means Atari wasn't able to drum up its own outside investments. (Side for Atari: Crowdsourced consoles have a 0% success rate.)

When the Ataribox was first announced, people thought it was Atari's answer to the NES Classic and would include classic Atari games like Pong, Pitfall!, and Ms. Pac-Man. Over the past six months, though, Atari hasn't made a single comment about what games would be coming to the system, or if the games that will be available will be packed-in or must be purchased separately.

Based on the Ataribox's price, Atari's specific mention of its compatibility with mid-range level PC games, and no mention of old Atari games, it seems that Atari is trying to position the Ataribox as a brand new console competing in the market against Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

That's a rough market to break into — many companies have tried and failed — but the fact that the Ataribox has been delayed and the company will be looking for crowdfunding in the spring does not bode well for Atari's entry into the market.

Atari did not specify when the new preorder date would be, but the company did assure fans that there would be more information coming in a few weeks.

More likely than not, the Ataribox is going to get delayed and delayed and delayed until it gets canceled, not modern AAA titles, which is a huge red flag — that price tag is not cheap and most people reserve spending that type of money on modern consoles that can run new games. . Either that, or it's going to flop upon release, like the 2013 Ouya.