In a newsletter to customers, Atari have unveiled its plans to re-enter the gaming console market with a new device called the AtariBox.
“Our objective is to create a new product that stays true to our heritage while appealing to both old and new fans of Atari,” the company says.
Earlier in the year, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais announced to GamesBeat that the company is “back in the hardware business” and hinted that the company would be bringing a new console to the market for the first time in over a decade.
At that time, Chesnais declined to describe the console in detail. However, he did reveal that will be based on “PC technology”.
Subsequent speculation by industry figures has previously suggested the “AtariBox” would be a retro console aimed at striking the same nostalgia-driven success that Nintendo’s recent NES and SNES Classic Mini encountered.
Now, the company has shed more light on the console and released renders for what the finished product will look like.
It’s been revealed that the “AtariBox” will be available in two models. The first features old-school wood-grain panel sides while the second boasts a more modern black plastic build in line with today’s gaming consoles.
The company says that “we want to get this right, so we’ve opted to share things step by step as we bring Ataribox to life, and listen closely to Atari community feedback as we do so.”
Atari have remained relatively quiet on the products specs, aside from revealing that the unit will feature will come with an SD card slot, HDMI output, four USB inputs and an ethernet port.
What’s more, they insists that “while we will be delivering classic gaming content, we will also be delivering current gaming content.”
Pricing is another unknown, as is the intended release-window and availability for the product.
However, an industry insider speaking to Eurogamer revealed that “to limit risk taking, this product will initially be launched within the framework of a crowdfunding campaign.”
