Hey Arcaders!
Before we get to Data Eastober, We REALLY need to talk some Atari news!
When Wade Rosen took over starting in April 2021, most people thought little of it. The previous CEO, Fred Chesnais, his “blue sky” projects were way too ambitious. I mean- I want to see an Atari Hotel like the next guy. But, the Atari VCS was amazing to say the least- A dedicated media streaming machine- that played Atari classics, and looked the part- a futuristic Atari 2600- something I might add no one was able to pull off successfully ( I’m talking to you Coleco Chameleon and Intellivision Amico!) and I still would purchase the VCS today!
But then the Atari 50th anniversary arrived.
We not only got the “Recharged” series of games ( which if you haven’t tried- SHAME ON YOU! But please give us Adventure recharged!)
Then the amazing Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration hit late last year- and without a doubt, is the most comprehensive (and fun) retro collections to date!
Then- we got the AMAZING Atari 2600 LEGO set (which my lovely wife got me for Christmas- Thank you, my Peach!)
Let’s not forget their acquisitions this year! M Network, Stern electronics, Accolade, Nightdive Studios, and the amazing AtariAge website- There’s going to be a lot of great games coming soon (some of which have never released- go read my article on Stern to find out!)
We also got a special 50th anniversary edition Arcade1up- if you love gold- this is your machine!
Which brings us to MyArcade.
They have been the purveyors of the classic arcade game handheld and tabletop scene for years now. Arcade Classics are good- but these guys are the Cadillac of these amazing machines.
They did a Mappy Micro Player- which I received as a Christmas gift from Josh!
I did a review of it here! check it out!
At this years CES, MyArcade announced the release of an entire line of Atari 50th anniversary machines! in pocket, nano, micro, and a deluxe Game station Pro edition!
This machine caught my eye for is look- kind of a modernized Atari 2600 “Vader” from ’83 or the Atari 5200- with cool LED lights, and even cooler joysticks!
I’m gonna let the Jon the GenX Grownup tell ya’ all about it!
It looks great ! And like Jon said- they listened to the customer- with built in paddles in the joystick, and a micro SD card slot!! And with a good selection of 2600, 5200, 7800, and arcade- it’s a great way to go to get your Atari fix! It retails for $99.95.
And now… for the main event!
Atari announced two weeks ago- They will be releasing the Atari 2600+!
Set to release on November 17 at a price of $129.99, the Atari 2600+ has expected modern amenities like an HDMI port and widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio support, and it comes bundled with a single cartridge containing 10 classic games—including Adventure, Missile Command, and Yars’ Revenge.
The 2600+ uses a software emulator to play games on a Rockchip 3128 Arm SoC. This is the same approach taken by some aftermarket consoles that take the “hardware cartridge, software emulator” route, like Hyperkin’s RetroN 77, which runs a version of the Stella emulator. So- if you have the cartridges- and you want to play your games on a modern TV with a machine that looks like the real thing- this is the way to go!
Atari is releasing the hardware in partnership with game publisher Plaion, and will release additional multi-game cartridges in the future. The hardware will come with an updated version of the classic joystick, and Atari will also sell the familiar paddle controller separately.
Here’s Wade with all the info!
So it’s a great time to be an Atarian!
What do you think of these two consoles? I think the price point is spot on, I like the authentic look of the 2600+. I can feel the clicks of those top switches already! and knowing the cartridges are used- it’s a winner for me. But- knowing you can add roms to the gamestation- and the paddles are built in to the sticks- and that 5200 look it has- I might be looking into one of these as well! and here are the links for the preorders!
Atari Gamestation Pro (Pre-order ships by Oct 31)
Keep Playin’ Like It’s 1981!
The Arcade Archives! 