The 80s are back as Atari announces imminent 2600 console relaunch

The gaming experiences of the 1980s are making a comeback with the return of the cult Atari 2600 console and its classic joystick. — Photo: Atari/Plaion/dpa

TOKYO: Nostalgia buffs and Luddites rejoice: Atari is reviving its pioneering 2600 video games console, complete with HDMI connectivity to enable the device to play 1980s classics on the latest monster flat-screen TVs.

The company said it would work with games developer Plaion to launch "a modern day faithful recreation of the pioneering console that first appeared in 1980." The reborn 2600, set for a November 17 launch, might be a technological dinosaur compared to the latest Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony devices, but it is to come with 10 gaming classics, including Adventure, Combat, Yars Revenge, and Missile Command.

The new-old 2600+ can be ordered ahead of launch for US$129.99 (about RM603), Atari announced, promising to recreate "the look and feel of the 80s."

But although mullets and moustaches have already made a comeback, Atari's throwback dice-roll doesn’t imply a longing for the return of all things 1980s.

Instead, it's simply about "preserving classic games," according to Wade Rosen, the company’s chief executive. The release "will make the hundreds of Atari 2600 and 7800 games that have been released over the last 50 years universally accessible," Rosen added. Until now, playing Atari games on a rare antique console meant complicated modifications to allow it to play over modern TVs. – dpa