2 hours ago
3 ARTICLE AD
Video games have come such a long way. Games like The Last of Us Part II or God of War: Ragnarök are stunning marvels of technological progress. Completely realistically designed characters with lifelike animations and the ability to showcase subtle emotions like an actor would. It’s easy to forget video game characters used to be drawn only a few pixels high. Just because games have come so far, doesn’t mean they are inherently “better” than what came before.
There is so much value in the retro games of yesteryear and now Atari has made many of them available to play at the ready on your modern HDMI TV. The official Atari 7800+ console with wireless controller is normally $130, but at the moment, Amazon has the system bundle going for just $101. That’s a 22% discount, saving you $29.
Plug and Play
If you still have an old Atari 2600 or 7800, first of all, jealous. Secondly, even if you still have it, it’s likely a pain to get working on any modern television. Well the newly released Atari 7800+ is capable of playing both 2600 and 7800 original cartridges and has an HDMI output so it can connect to your smart TV. No need for some weird adapter that introduces lag and stretches out the image. You can switch between aspect ratios on the fly whether your prefer 4:3 or 16:9.
The controller included is wireless, connecting to a dongle which you plug into the console (kinda like the original Wavebird for the Nintendo GameCube). That means you can also plug in original Atari controllers for the true retro experience.
Atari has released a large catalogue of it’s original games. Each comes with its own slipcase, instruction manual, and flatpack box like back in the day. This offer from Amazon comes with a brand new game, Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest — a sequel to the side-scrolling arcade classic Crystal Castles.
The Atari 7800+ is easy to set up. You already know it connects to you TV over HDMI. For power, it works over simple USB-C. However, it only comes with the USB-C cable and not a wall charging plug for your outlet. You’ll have to pick that up separately or find a spare lying around your home somewhere.
If you’re curious to dip back into what video games were like in the 80’s the Atari 7800+ is a spectacular way to do so. And now, it’s an even better deal as it has just dropped to $101 — its lowest price yet. Check out Gizmodo’s full review for more insight.
