On Monday, Atari posted a teaser for a major upcoming announcement for the game developer and publisher. Today, it was revealed as the Atari 2600+, a modern recreation of the original Atari 2600 game console that first launched nearly 48 years ago in September 1977.
The console is not for show, either. The Atari 2600+ is capable of playing hundreds of original Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 game cartridges You can check out the full backwards compatibility list (in PDF format) to see if your old cartridges will work with this new console.
While the Atari 2600+ looks a lot like the original, the design of the new console has been reduced to 90 percent of the Atari 2600, so it won"t take up as much space. It also includes features like an HDMI port so it can be quickly connected to modern televisions. The Atari logo also lights up on the console, and even the cartridge slot has been made slightly bigger than the original so that cartridges don"t stick as often.
In addition to the console itself, it comes bundled with the CX40+ Joystick that also replicates the joystick found on the original Atari 2600. The new console comes with a second joystick port so you can buy a second CX40+ Joystick for some two player action. Atari will also release a CX-30 Paddle Controller.
If you don"t own any Atari game cartridges, the good news is that the Atari 2600+ will come with a bundled cartridge with 10 games:
- Adventure
- Combat
- Dodge Em
- Haunted House
- Mase Craze
- Missile Command
- RealSports Vollyball
- Surround
- Video Pinball
- Yars Revenge
There will also be additional game cartridges for the console at launch, with games like Berzerk Enhanced Edition and Mr. Run and Jump.
The Atari 2600+, with the included CX40+ Joystick and the 10-game cartridge, is available for preorder now for $129.99, and will start shipping on November 17. Additional CX-40 Joysticks will retail for $24.99.
The two CX30+ paddle controllers, which comes with their own four-game cartridge (Breakout, Canyon Bomber, Night Driver, and Video Olypmpics) are priced at $39.99.