If you’re an Atari 2600 aficionado, hearing Pac-Man may make you wince. Such was the pain inflicted on the platform by a port so bad it’s cited as a major reason for the US 1983 video game crash. Presumably in an effort to distract you from such memories in this Pac-Man-themed reissue of the Atari 2600+, Atari has painted the console bright yellow and bundled it with an Atari Pac-Man game that isn’t terrible. And, do you know what? It might just work.
For the uninitiated, the Atari 2600+ mimics the original console, right down to the DB9 ports and cart slot. That means you can plug in controllers from the 1980s and run vintage carts (assuming you can blow all the dust off). Or you can grab one of Atari’s newly released titles. In either case, the experience all feels suitably authentic, but now – and I don’t think I can emphasise this enough – the console happens to be bright yellow.
Ghosts in the machine
Even the joystick – a wireless take on the classic, cramp-inducing CX-40 – is banana-hued, and has a little Pac-Man atop the shaft. And because no Pac-Man experience is complete without ghosts, you can buy joysticks featuring every one of them too. Really. Each of the blue (Inky), red (Blinky), pink (Pinky) and orange (Clyde) joysticks will set you back $39.99/£29.99. And, no, they don’t all turn dark blue if your Pac-Man joystick wolfs down a power pellet. Although you might when spending that much money on retro joysticks.
So what of the games? As noted, Atari 2600 Pac-Man is included for maximum trauma. But Atari has also bundled a brand-new Atari 7800 version, which in the trailer looks impressively close to the arcade original. If that doesn’t make you want to get your waka-waka on, nothing will.
You can place a pre-order with Atari from 23 July. The pack with console, game and Pac-Man joystick will set you back $169.99/£129.99, and will land on 31 October. Which feels appropriate, given all the ghosts.