It seems Microsoft isn’t the only company to announce a new console at this year’s E3. As reported by VentureBeat, Atari is going back to its roots with a new console called the Ataribox.
“We’re back in the hardware business,” Atari CEO Fred Chesnais told VentureBeat. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all Chesnais had to say on the subject. Whatever this box is, it will be based on PC technology. The designs are still in the works as well.
As seen in the trailer above, it looks like the Ataribox is going to cash in on the retro gaming hype created by the NES Mini. Nintendo’s tiny console featured 30 different NES games with HDMI support, save states and more.
However, one major problem the NES Mini had was distribution. It seemed everyone wanted one, but nobody could find one in stores. If Atari is smart, the company will make sure there are enough Atariboxes on store shelves for all consumers to purchase.
What could go into an Ataribox? There are a ton of great games from the classic system, but a quick list of personal favorites would include:
Pitfall
River Raid
Pac-Man
Space Invaders
Frogger
Breakout
Defender
BurgerTime
Barnstorming
Q*bert
While that is only a short list of 10 games, there are almost 600 games that were released for the Atari 2600 alone. This doesn’t go into the possibility of including Atari 5200 and Atari 7800 games as well.
One interesting thing to consider is what kind of controllers the Ataribox will have. While the traditional joystick with a single button works for most games, some require the paddle with the rotating knob. If other Atari systems are all wrapped into one, it would make the most sense to use one of those later controller designs for the 5200 or the 7800.
To be the first to know more information, sign up for the newsletter on the official Ataribox website.
So what do you think? Are you interested in seeing what Atari has in the works for a console? What games do you think will make the final product? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
