Atari Release the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Console Edition

Atari was once a giant of the video game industry in the early 1980s. That was largely due to the Atari 2600, which was one of the most popular consoles in gaming history. Today, Atari focuses primarily on a retro gaming niche. In 2023, the company released the Atari 2600+, which was a modern recreation of its original console. Atari has also recently launched a new Atari 2600 Pac-Man Edition console in October.

Atari unveiled the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition console back in July with an October 31 launch date set. Thus, that console is now available to purchase for $169. It comes bundled with two versions of Pac-Man. One is the original Atari 2600 Pac-Man, and the other is an arcade-style version released for the Atari 7800.

For those not familiar with Pac-Man, it is an iconic arcade game in which players move Pac-Man through mazes to eat all the dots. The various mazes include ghosts that players must avoid to survive. It’s a classic points-scoring game that was a massive hit in the arcades during the 1980s. The Atari CEO, Mr. Rosen, said, “Atari and Pac-Man both defined what it meant to play.”

So, naturally, Atari was very keen to port Pac-Man to its Atari 2600 console back in the day. However, Atari was perhaps overly keen and rushed out a substandard port of the game on its 2600 console. The release of that second-rate Pac-Man port partly contributed to the video game crash of 1983.

Atari did at least learn its lessons, and the Atari 7800 version of Pac-Man was significantly better. That port had smoother and more responsive gameplay. It also benefited from the superior graphical quality of the 7800 console.

At any rate, players can play both iterations on the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition, alongside a whole host of other 2600 and 7800 games. The console supports cartridges for the Atari 2600 and 7800 consoles. So, the Atari 2600 Pac-Man edition console is ideal for collectors of compatible 1980s-era games, such as Pitfall, Asteroids, Missile Command, and Space Invaders.

There are also four Ghost Edition wireless joysticks available for the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition. Those are CX40+ joysticks that resemble classic arcade-style controllers. They are retailing at $39.99 each, with alternative pink, blue, orange, and red colors available. Such joysticks are perfect for playing Atari 2600 Pac-Man and other retro games.

So, the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition console might be a dream system for some retro gaming enthusiasts. However, two retro games bundled with it are a rather small number, even if they are Pac-Man versions. If you do not have a collection of retro game cartridges, then the Atari Gamestation Go, which comes with 200 bundled titles, might be a better alternative.