Let’s be honest, all the previous attempts to resurrect the retro Atari console and all of its nostalgic game libraries have not hit the right notes. Even Atari themselves attempted to do it with their $300 Ataribox (later renamed Atari VCS) but landed in a soup of issues that never let it go over 10,000 sales in total.
Now MyArcade in collaboration with Atari, well known for its budget gaming machines has released its own take on the classic Atari console that sparked the gaming industry in 70s.
Dubbed the My Arcade x Atari Gamestation Plus, this retro gaming console comes with a suite of classic gaming titles from the Atari 2600, Atari 7800 and Atari consoles. Unlike previous attempts to create such a console, this one sticks to a very modern aesthetic design while retaining some of the nostalgic elements. There are a couple of battery-powered RBG-lit joysticks with Bluetooth and USB-C compatibility. The RGB lighting follows down to the console at the front, and comes with Aeration holes. That all-red D-pad and the Atari stripes virtually traverse you to a different era.
The attention-grabbing console was present at CES 2023 too but was behind the glass walls, keeping any chances of a hands-on at bay. It was officially announced by Atari and My Arcade on their respective Twitter accounts with information kept to the bare bones minimum. Whether the console has an integrated spinner controller on the joystick is also not certain at this point in time.
There are no pricing or availability details about the Gamestation Plus right now. The only thing that’s come through is an imminent pre-order date that’ll be announced soon. More features are expected to be revealed about the Gamestation Plus at that time. One thing’s for sure, by the looks of it, the classic console will fare better than any of the previous releases of the modernized versions of the Atari VCS that’s lived in the gaming fraternity’s consciousness in all its glory.
