Imagesource: https://atari.com/

The idea-of-september™ has hopefully earned the employee of the month at Atari not only the title, but also a proper spiff: Why not simply rebuild a 46-year-old games console?

As if selling 30 million (!) consoles wasn't already impressive enough, the ATARI team, tweeting as @atari, tapped into the collective hive-mind of an entire generation and brought to life that one wish – that singular desire:

A brand-new ATARI 2600.

You might think it's a stroke of genius, but honestly, the concept isn't that far-fetched. Take a successful retro product, emulate it with modern, affordable hardware, add a few contemporary features like HDMI output, widescreen support, and some neat little gimmicks, and you've got a recipe for printing money. 💸

Of course, it wasn't that simple, but the new 2600 certainly impresses, especially since it looks almost identical to the original. The included CX40+ joystick is also a faithful replica of the original, and if you happen to have some old 2600 or 7800 cartridges lying around in your attic, you can start playing right away.

The package, priced at a modest $129.99, also comes with a 10-in-1 cartridge loaded with some real classics. So, even without rummaging through your attic or basement, you can instantly transport yourself back to the 80s.

It's interesting to note that Atari actually produced the original until 1992. It remains to be seen whether this new Rockchip 3128 SOC-based version will enjoy the same roaring success over the next 15 years. 🤔

Regardless, at this price point, it's hard to go wrong.

Thank you, ATARI! 👾