A new version of the iconic Atari is coming courtesy of PLAION and Atari. The Atari 2600+ will arrive on 17th November just in time for the festive season.
The console will cost £99.99 and it is available for pre-order now at Amazon. The Atari 2600+ is a faithful recreation of the pioneering Atari VCS console, later renamed the 2600. Originally released in 1977, the VCS was a worldwide success and massively popularised video gaming in the home, selling some 30 million units. Specifically, the Atari 2600+ is modelled after the CX2600-A version of the VCS, first sold in 1980, and is proportioned at an 80% scale of the original.
The Atari VCS/2600 offered home versions of classic Atari arcade titles like ‘Missile Command’ and ‘Breakout’ as well as popular and influential original titles like ‘Combat’, ‘Haunted House’ and ‘Yars’ Revenge’. All these titles – and many more – are playable on the Atari 2600+ via new cartridges; and the console connects to modern HD televisions, ensuring the best-possible picture for precision gameplay.
The Atari 2600+ includes a brand-new CX40+ joystick, a 1:1 recreation of the original console’s iconic controller; and comes with a special 10-in-1 cartridge including the following games: ‘Combat’, ‘Dodge ‘Em’, ‘Haunted House’, ‘Maze Craze’, ‘Missile Command’, ‘Realsports Volleyball’, ‘Surround’, ‘Video Pinball’, and ‘Yars’ Revenge’. This cartridge offers buyers a wonderful array of nostalgic gaming experiences, with the titles selected via old-school DIP switches on the cartridge itself rather than through an on-screen menu.
Available alongside the Atari 2600+, and sold separately, is a 4-in-1 cartridge including the titles ‘Breakout’, ‘Canyon Bomber’, ‘Night Driver’ and ‘Video Olympics’. These games require the 2600’s circular CX-30 paddle controllers, and the package – which retails at £29.99 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon – includes a pair of these peripherals, allowing two players to jump right into the retro action. Additionally, an extra CX40+ joystick can be pre-ordered for £19.99, and further new game cartridges are available for £24.99 each: Berzerk: Enhanced Edition and Mr Run And Jump.
What’s more, the Atari 2600+ will play most original VCS/2600 game cartridges from the 1970s and ‘80s, and also game cartridges released for 1986’s Atari 7800. So, if you – or your parents (or grandparents!) – have some of these old games collecting dust in a drawer, dig them out and plug them in for some throwback thrills. Just remember that you blow on them at your own risk.
Further information on the Atari 2600+ can be found at the official Atari website.
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