The Atari VCS, a new video game system that plays 100-plus games originally played on the '70s console, is due in spring 2019. Pre-orders starting at $199 begin May 30. As video game fans get excited about PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch games during this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), a classic name is poised for a comeback. Atari announced Tuesday its VCS video game system will open up for preorders this week, with retailers GameStop and Walmart serving as exclusive partners. Pricing for the console starts at $249.99, with a top price of $389.99 for system bundles, reads a press release from Atari.

Nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool, often used by companies to provoke consumer desire and extract more money from the pockets. A prime example: The rise of "classic" shrunken-down versions of decades-old video game consoles, loaded with favorite games from yesteryear. While Nintendo popularized the trend, Sony's now getting in on the action with its $99 PlayStation Classic, a miniature replica of the iconic PlayStation with two controllers and 20 games. But despite the appealing design and potential to relive some of your favorite moments in video game history, Sony's PlayStation Classic is a frustrating device. Barebones in terms of extras and marred by flaws, it may leave both hardcore PlayStation fans and casual gamers feeling as if it's little more than an attempt to capitalize on the nostalgia of older Millennial gamers who now have disposable income of their own to spend.

The support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back the much-missed "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question comes to us from a reader curious about the new series of retro consoles.

Check out how Sony's original 1994 PlayStation is being miniaturized and pre-loaded with classic games. You knew Sony couldn't make everyone happy when it came to choosing the 20 games that would come preloaded on Sony's upcoming retro console, the PlayStation Classic. Sony had already announced five games coming to the $99.99 console: "Final Fantasy VII," "Jumping Flash," "Ridge Racer Type 4," "Tekken 3" and "Wild Arms." The video game maker on Monday filled out that list with classic games such as "Metal Gear Solid," "Final Fantasy VII," "Grand Theft Auto" and "Twisted Metal." The plug-and-play system (out Dec. 3, available for pre-order), which is 45 percent smaller than the original PlayStation, comes with two controllers.

The PlayStation Classic will launch Dec. 3, 2018. Sony's next video game console is going retro. The electronics giant announced early Wednesday it will sell the PlayStation Classic, a miniature version of its first PlayStation console, on Dec. 3. Instead of requiring discs to play games, the PS Classic will come pre-loaded with 20 retro games, including "Final Fantasy VII" and "Tekken 3." The Classic looks exactly like the original PlayStation, which launched in 1994, only the Classic is about 45 percent smaller. It was a huge hit for Sony, becoming the first home video game console to ship 100 million units worldwide.

The Atari VCS, a new video game system that plays 100-plus games originally played on the '70s console, is due in spring 2019. Pre-orders starting at $199 begin May 30. The retro video game trend is gaining extra life. Just as a rebooted Atari is set to begin taking pre-orders Wednesday for a modern version of its classic '70s video game system, Atari's old rival Intellivision is re-emerging, too. Originally introduced in 1980 by Mattel, the Intellivision video game system battled it out in the market with the Atari 2600.

Nostalgic Nintendo fans who did not get in on the Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition craze of 2016 can rejoice. Nintendo announced on Sunday night that the miniaturized game console, which proved difficult to find on its first go-around, will come back to store shelves on June 29. The news came via a tweet from the official Nintendo of America account. This system and the #SNESClassic Edition system are expected to be available through the end of the year. Alongside the announcement that the NES Classic would return, Nintendo assured fans the Super NES Classic console would also be available.

File photo: The first recovered Atari cartridge and packaging recovered from the old Alamogordo landfill are shown in Alamogordo, New Mexico, April 26, 2014. Some of the best video games ever were made ages ago. Super Metroid, Planescape: Torment, Deus Ex, and hundreds of other amazing games were produced for platforms that don't really exist anymore. They were made for systems that used cartridges and PCs that ran Windows 95. Some have aged well and some haven't, but they've all made their mark on video game history. Unfortunately, you can't easily play them in their original forms on current systems.

Japanese videogames maker Nintendo, already expecting its highest earnings in seven years, almost doubled its full-year operating profit forecast on Monday as supply shortages for its new Switch games console began to ease. Demand for the hybrid home-portable Switch has led to a near-doubling of Nintendo's stock price to nine-year highs since the device's March launch. Sales have exceeded the company's initial estimate, outstripping those of predecessor Wii U, and leaving suppliers scrambling for parts. Demand for the hybrid home-portable Switch has led to a near-doubling of Nintendo's stock price to nine-year highs since the device's March launch'We've boosted Switch production to meet strong demand as it was difficult for customers to buy the consoles at retail stores,' Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima said at an earnings briefing, adding the firm misjudged demand. The Switch's early success has fuelled hopes for strong earnings in the coming years, as solid demand for new consoles is widely regarded as a prelude to strong sales of high-margin game software over several years.

On Sept. 29, a new Tickle Me Elmo arrived in online stores--and then quickly vanished. That same day, Nintendo's new Super NES Classic, a Lilliputian version of the '90s-era game console compatible with today's television sets, sold out in minutes. The wee machine proved popular partly because it comes with some 20 classic games built in, including a never-released version of cult favorite Star Fox. But mostly it went so fast because retro game boxes are like fidget spinners for nostalgic grownups. A line of plug-and-play set-tops crammed with Atari's iconic games has been around since the early 2000s.