Before the 1983 video game crash and Nintendo’s subsequent takeover of the industry with the NES, the Atari 2600 reigned supreme. The popular console was pretty much the poster child for ‘late 70s/early ‘80s gaming, boasting a vast library of titles that have since inspired a multitude of games for decades to come. Over 30 years after the 2600 was discontinued, it’s making a contemporary comeback.
Atari and Plaion have announced the 2600+, a modernized recreation of the four-switch model introduced in 1980. In addition to sharing the same woodgrain aesthetics and metal switches, it also includes modern features such as HDMI output, USB port, and support for multiple screen resolutions. The console comes with a new CX40+ joystick faithful to the original and supports two players.
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The Atari 2600+ launches on November 17 for $129.99. You can pre-order it now on Atari’s website. CX40 joysticks will also be sold separately for $24.99. Atari and Plaion also plan to launch the CX-30 Paddle Controller bundle that includes the paddle and a 4-in-1 game cartridge for $39.99.
Ordered and already excited. I still have a giant box of 2600 games and controllers and according to their site, it will all be compatible.
Ready for the nostalgia overload when I fire up Pitfall.
Be also ready for the realization of how barebones those games are. Played a couple of 2600 games with a friend and there is just a tiny amount of genuine fun to be had. And I am definitely not hating on simple old games! But most of the games we tried boiled down to “follow ball” with terrible controls. His collection might just have been bad, though.
I havnt heard of any one mentioning any old atari games worth playing…
I mean, only one i have personally played is space invaders… which was… not shit.
Game quality is what crashed the home video game industry between Atari’s decline and Nintendo’s rise. Not that all of the games were bad, there were just so many bad games out there that buying games became a gamble that disappointed more often than not.
Nintendo improved on this by requiring games meet certain standards before they’d let someone release them for their system.
Edit: fixed typo
No international retailers yet grumble
– A Sulky Brit
I don’t know whether to be happy for a modern Atari or angry because it looks cash grabby.
Oh it definitely is. I mean we’ve had many re-releases of a 2600 including multiple Flashback consoles.
AFAIK, only one was moddable to use old catridges, but none shipped with that capability. But many came with a 20+ games and were significantly cheaper.
I still can’t believe they made some of the Flashbacks with IR remotes. My kids grew up in the age of the Switch. They have no idea how to keep a controller within line of sight of the console.
You can’t play The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on this.
Does the Atari 2600+ use emulation software to play game cartridges?
Yes, the Atari 2600+ uses emulation technology to play game cartridges. View the full list of compatible games here.
I got you though.
There is no Atari.
