It’s not just about the nostalgia; the Atari 2600 console could teach you a thing or two about gameplay as well. And for much less than a Playstation or Xbox. Especially now.
It’s amazing that the Atari 2600 is back on the shelves – or one shelf – because, by rights, it should be consigned to a museum. But as I said, the gameplay of these vintage games means they never go away. Before the era of flashy graphics, gameplay was all you had – and Atari did it so well.
But before we get to that, let’s look at the machine itself, which is a design classic and something you will be proud to have on display. It might only date back to 1980, but there’s a hint of midcentury modern about it. The 2600 is so good-looking that Lego did a model kit of it not long back.
But at the end of the day, this is a gaming machine, one that has been updated a little for the modern era. But not much. If you loved it then – or just love retro gaming – then you’ll probably love one of these now.
Officially titled the Atari 2600 Plus, it is designed to look and feel like the 4-switch Atari 2600 from 1980, although it also plays Atari 7800 games, and has a widescreen mode, connectivity for modern TVs and, best of all, it comes with a 10-in-1 game cartridge of classic Atari titles. So you don’t have to buy them one by one. But if you own old ones, it plays those too.
The included games are:
Adventure
Combat
Dodge ‘Em
Haunted House
Maze Craze
Missile Command
Realsports Volleyball
Surround
Video Pinball
Yars’ Revenge
There’s also a CX40+ Joystick Controller, recreated with the same size and layout as the original 2600 Joystick Controller; plus, you can buy extras too, such as more multi-game cartridges, extra joysticks and old-school paddles. In short, everything you need to recreate a cosy evening of TV-based gaming in 1980.
How much? Well, the main console is an Amazon exclusive, and if you want one, the price is discounted right now down to £89.99. All those add-ons are exclusive to Amazon as well. See the website for the details of those.
