Atari Jumps Back into The Console Gaming Arena With The Atari Box!
It’s been decades since Atari last attempted to compete with the console gaming market, only to watch their prized Jaguar console hit a brick wall back in 1993 and fall over dead. But it looks like that’s all about to change after a recent mysterious video touting a new Atari console in the making popped up on YouTube. Despite the speculations of many, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais, confirmed to GamesBeat the rumors of a new console are in fact true!
Behold the Atari Box!
From the looks of the video, it appears Atari is going back to its roots in terms of design, creating an all new console that features the classic wood grain finish from the days of the 2600 console.
Fred Chesnais stated the new Atari Box will be based on PC technology, and that Atari is still working on the design for the new console.
Will Atari Be Able To Compete?
There’s no question the console and gaming market as a whole is oversaturated beyond belief, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a new console, given it offers gamers an experience that’s unique and compelling enough to grab their attention.
Atari has a few thing going for them too, including the fact they’re still a major brand in gaming. Despite their absence from competing in the console market for so long, they never stopped developing and publishing games. An easily recognizable brand for sure, giving them the added edge they’re going to need in order to compete in a more modern age of gaming.
Atari could also look to the past and its hard lessons learned with the Jaguar in order to help them prevail with their console plans of today. As one of the old school Jaguar commercials states, “Why would I buy a 32-bit console for $300 when I can get a 64-bit Jaguar system for $149?” The reasoning is simple, the 32-bit console had better graphics, and actually had a decent library of games (Sony Playstation).
And of course, there was Atari’s classic “Do The Math” commercial, that pretty much ridiculed gamers as being stupid if they chose the 16-bit Sega Genesis, or 32-bit 3DO, over the 64-bit Jaguar. In the case of Atari’s current plans, it might make sense to take a softer approach to gamers when pitching their new console, a hard lesson learned.
Either way, there’s a lot Atari can learn from past failed console launches, and not just their own. Sega too has had their fair share of console failures, and if there’ anything that ruins a new console right from its launch, its probably having a lack-luster library of games to play.
While Atari is leaving the world to wonder as to what the new console’s specs will entail, they have launched a new site to showcase the console at Ataribox.com.
They’re also making announcements on Twitter:
One other thing Atari has going for it is the fact they still own tons of gaming IP! Atari has plenty of game franchises from the past they can still easily build upon today, Pacman anyone? In more recent times their push to publishing games on mobile devices as propped them up financially, bringing them out of an earlier bankruptcy.
While only time will tell if the Atari Box can prevail or not, just the fact the world’s oldest and most historically notable of gaming publishers is willing to give the console market a try once again is quite compelling.
Written and published by Daniel Imbellino, co-founder of Gamers Bay! Connect with us across the web to stay up to date with honest gaming news, reviews, and online games!
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Additional Resources: https://venturebeat.com/2017/06/16/atari-ceo-confirms-the-company-is-working-on-a-new-game-console/
