Atari is further branching into the handheld market with a portable Atari 2600, complete with classic games and 1970's wood paneling.
The Atari Retro Handheld aims to bring old-school gaming on-the-go similar to Nintendo's popular Switch NES service (only without online connectivity). The device is basically a $45 (35 GBP) small, fits-in-your-pocket emulator that runs Atari 2600 games. It features an iffy-looking "joystick"/circular D-pad that's more convex than a 3DS stick, a 2.4-inch screen, and comes pre-loaded with 50 retro games like Centipede, Asteroids, Pong, Breakout, Missile Command, and even all three Swordquest games.
It can also hook up to your TV via an A/V cable for home play, but don't expect dual-screen action. The handheld is a cheaper and more affordable old-school arcade machine that could be competitive in a sea of higher-cost retro mini-consoles like Nintendo's NES and SNES Classic Editions and Sony's upcoming $100 PlayStation Classic.
But cheap is the key word here. The Atari 2600 portable runs on AAA batteries, not rechargeable lithium ion, and brings to mind the power-sucking prowess of Nintendo's Game Boy. Really this is just a plug and play console you can take on the go.
Right now the Atari Retro Handheld is only available for pre-order in the UK and there's no word yet on a U.S. release. In fact it's only listed on Atari's UK site and there's no mention of it on the default Atari.com homepage.
The Atari 2600 handheld is scheduled to launch during holiday 2018. Check below for more info on the Atari Retro Handheld:
A stunning reimagined Atari 'Retro' Handheld with 50 built-in games and TV output!
Featuring a spectacular collection of classic titles including Asteroids, Adventure, Breakout, Centipede, Missile Command, Millipede, Pong, Sword Quest and many more!
- Reimagined design with immortalised "wood" effect
- 50 built-in games
- 2.4" screen
- A/V Output
- Responsive Buttons
- AAA batteries required (not included)
Full list of included games below:
3D Tic-Tac-Toe (31 in 1)
Adventure
Air-Sea Battle
Asteroids
Black Jack
Bowling
Breakout
Canyon Bomber
Casino
Centipede
Circus Atari
Crystal Castles
Demons to Diamonds
Desert Falcon
Dodge 'em
Double Dunk
Fun With Numbers
Golf
Gravitar
Haunted House
Home Run
Human Cannonball
Maze Craze
Millipede
Miniature Golf
Missile Command
Night Driver
Off the Wall
Pong - Video Olympics
Quadrun
Radar Lock
Realsports Football
Realsports Tennis
Realsports Volleyball
Sprintmaster
Steeplechase
Stellar Track
Street Racer
Submarine Commander
Super Baseball
Super Breakout
Super Football
Swordquest: Earthworld
Swordquest: Fireworld
Swordquest: Waterworld
Tempest
Video Checkers
Video Chess
Video Pinball
Yar's Revenge