Fully-functional and updated Atari 2600 console coming this year

Atari and PLAION are bringing back a classic. The original console that started the first gaming boom re-debuts in November.

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If you were playing video games any time from the late 70s through the mid-80s, then chances were that you played on an Atari. The 2600 was the first in the line for the company, and while it wasn’t the only game out there, it was far and away the market leader. And now it’s back.

Just announced this morning, Atari has joined forces with gaming publisher PLAION to bring that original home unit back to fans. Though, don’t expect an exact replica of what hit the market way back in 1977. This new Atari 2600+ might look the same as the classic, but it has been fully updated for the modern living room.

A “CX40+ Joystick” featuring an improved joystick comes packed in, and the new unit features an HDMI port, plus a USB power supply, and can produce “multiple screen resolutions”. It’s also got a cartridge slot that is backwards compatible with “hundreds of original Atari 2600 and 7800 games”. And on that note, yes there is a pack-in.

The 2600+ comes with a 10-Games-in-1 Cartridge, that includes a range of classic games. Included are “Adventure®, Combat®, Dodge ‘Em™, Haunted House®, Maze Craze™, Missile Command®, Realsports® Volleyball, Surround™, Video Pinball™, and Yars’ Revenge®.” So you can jump-start your collection and get to playing right away, while you hunt down your faves from decades gone by.

Targeted at that Christmas shopping season, the Atari 2600+ is scheduled to hit stores on November 17th, 2023 and should make an awesome gift for the retro-minded. It’ll be priced in at $129.99 USD.