September 17, 2024, 8:02 am | Read time: 2 minutes
The manufacturer Atari repeatedly reminds us of its pioneering role within the video game industry with new editions of earlier consoles and games. The pre-sale of the Atari 7800+ has now begun. Visually, it is deliberately more than just based on the predecessor games console released in 1984. Technically, it can do more in some areas.
In November 2023, the refurbished version of the Atari 2600 games console was launched on the market while retaining almost the original design. In addition to new games, buyers can also import games that were once produced for the cartridges of the Atari 2600 and its successor console, the 7800. The latter first appeared 40 years ago – and now there is also a cult new edition of it.
Pre-sale of new Atari 7800+ has begun
The retro console is a collaboration between Atari and the online store My Arcade. Together, they have already reissued a whole series of classic consoles and arcade machines. The new Atari 7800+ looks like a slightly more compact replica of its predecessor. It can now be pre-ordered from the official Atari store at a price of around 130 dollars. Deliveries are scheduled to start next winter and then most probably all over the world. In any case, there were no shipping restrictions for previous Atari reissues.
What can the retro console do?
Thanks to an HDMI output, the retro console can be “easily connected to modern televisions via HDMI,” explains the manufacturer. Users can choose between a 4:3 and widescreen display format.
In addition to the console and a new game, the package is said to include a gamepad – a “replica of the radical controller that Atari launched in Europe in the 1980s together with the 7800,” as the store states. The package also includes an HDMI and USB-C cable for power supply but does not include the required mains adapter. Additional gamepads would also have to be purchased separately, as would a wireless joystick (equivalent to around 25 euros each).
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Release of new games planned
The backward-compatible Atari 7800+ can be operated with older interfaces and can, therefore, play cartridges developed for the Atari 2600 and 7800. If you don’t have any games from the past at home, you can buy them in selected retro stores. The first new one is supplied with the console: Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest 7800, according to the manufacturer, the sequel to the Crystal Castles game module. Atari has also announced the release of further new games in the coming months.