Fans of retro gaming have plenty to look forward to this coming holiday season and two more neat products just got tossed into the mix: the Atari Retro Handheld and Atari Retro TV Joystick have just been announced as available for pre-order from UK-based retailer Funstock in a press release from PQube and Atari.
The Atari Retro Handheld popped up last year at the cost of £34.99 (≈USD$45.50) and it's returning again at the same price. Joining it is the Atari Retro TV Joystick (priced at £24.99, or roughly USD$32.55), a device with the same amount of games but specifically intended for use with your television. Check out the trailer for the joystick to get a feel for how it works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-sC3NYmho
These products were supposed to launch for Christmas last year but they had never made it to market. We spoke with a representative at Funstock who was able to fill us in regarding this situation. The first runs of production just weren't up to par, so the people behind the product (PQube) packed up shop and had to move to a completely different manufacturing source. These delays ultimately pushed back the release for an entire year. Thankfully, they now have the products in hand and are ready and willing to ship it out to customers in certain regions.
It's also important to note that these, unfortunately, can't ship to the United States or North America region just yet. Licensing deals have only been secured for a select number of European countries. The manufacturers are working on expanding their operations to our side of the pond, but for now, this offer is only available to select customers in the UK, EU, and a few other countries. PQube hopes to get a US/North America license after the product is shipping.
The Atari Retro Handheld and Atari Retro TV Joystick will both include the same library of 50 games. Some of them are the classics you would expect like Asteroids and Missile Command and there are a few lesser-known titles in the mix like Radar Lock and Sprintmaster. Too bad we didn't get some of the more well-known licensed titles like Pac-Man and the like.
Here's the full list of games that come built-in with either product:
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Both the Atari Retro Handheld and Atari Retro TV Joystick have taken their aesthetic cues from the classic Atari 2600 console. The handheld features a wood-grain design and black grooves just like its ancestor. It's great for gaming on the go, but you can also just hook it up to your television. Unfortunately, an A/V cable isn't included with the handheld.
As for the Atari Retro TV Joystick, it does have an included A/V cable. This device features some additional buttons compared to the classic controller from the days of gaming's infancy; a second button on top brings it a bit more in-line with classic arcade controls.
If you'd like to get your hands on either (or both!) of these neat retro devices, you can pre-order the Atari Retro Handheld and the Atari Retro TV Joystick from UK retailer Funstock. Both of these devices will launch on October 26, 2018, and will only ship to a selection of countries outside of the US/NA region.
What do you think of the new Atari offerings for retro gaming? Are there any particular favorites you feel are missing from the game library? Let us know in the comments below!