I\u2019ll be trustworthy: A part of the explanation I wished the Pac-Man Version Atari 2600 Plus console was as a result of I assumed it could look cute in my front room, the place I\u2019m making an attempt for a form of late \u201970s look. However having spent a number of days with Atari\u2019s retro console, it\u2019s much more than only a dialog piece. In case you\u2019re fascinated with retro video games and ephemera, these new-old consoles are the purest dopamine rush.<\/p>\n
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The yellow Pac-Man 2600 Plus console is pretty petite, particularly in comparison with beefy fashionable consoles just like the PS5 and Xbox Sequence S. Although it\u2019s light-weight, the development is strong and strong. There are 4 large toggle switches flanking the cartridge slot, that are satisfying to fiddle with. Whereas Atari\u2019s standard-model 2600 Plus console options wonderful late \u201970s woodgrain, the Pac-Man Version, which is obtainable to pre-order now<\/a> for a late November arrival, has a distinctly \u201980s really feel to it, with vibrant yellow panels making a stark distinction to black trim. Better of all, the entrance illustration of Pac-Man and the 4 ghosts on the lights up when the console powers on. It\u2019s a pleasant contact that lends the console a bit of contemporary flourish with out sacrificing retro aptitude.<\/p>\n The Pac-Man Version Atari 2600 Plus additionally performs 7800 video games, and Atari has dozens of titles out there in its on-line retailer, with cart costs topping out at $35. When you’ve got an current assortment of retro carts that you simply\u2019ve been holding onto, the 2600 Plus can play these too. The particular version will set you again $169, and comes with one CX40 Plus joystick in an identical vivid yellow hue, adorned with pellets surrounding the joystick and a Pac-Man cap on the high. Not like the unique 2600, the controllers are wi-fi, and simple to arrange due to the included USB dongle. Extra controllers will set you again $34.99 for conventional black<\/a> and $39.99 for Pac-Man-themed colours<\/a>.<\/p>\n Coming from the dual-thumbstick period of contemporary consoles, the CX40 Plus takes a little bit of getting used to. It\u2019s fairly actually only a joystick and a single pink button. (It took me a minute even to determine that the button is supposed to be going through away from you \u2014 I used to be spinning the controller round in my fingers, pushing up on the stick just for my cursor to maneuver down on the display.) As soon as I truly obtained it going through the suitable approach, I discovered myself \u201clacking turns\u201d in Pac-Man<\/em>, largely as a result of I used to be being somewhat too mild with the joystick. You\u2019re gonna need to crank the CX40 Plus a bit greater than you\u2019re accustomed to with newfangled controllers, nevertheless it\u2019s strong sufficient to deal with it.<\/p>\n The special-edition 2600 Plus console is bundled with a Pac-Man Double Function <\/em>cartridge, which incorporates each the acquainted arcade model of the long-lasting pellet-gobbler and the 2600 model, which may be very flickery, elongated, and trippy. (To be trustworthy, I loved the 2600 model extra in a lava lamp \/ historic oddity approach than as an precise online game.) All people loves Pac-Man<\/em>, and one thing about taking part in with an old-school joystick makes it a bit extra pleasing.<\/p>\n I additionally had numerous enjoyable with 1980\u2019s Berzerk <\/em>and its sequel. Frenzy<\/em>, each of that are top-down shooters the place you dodge skeletons and aliens whereas weaving by way of a maze. These had been each completely new to me, but in addition felt surprisingly acquainted. It took me a number of runs to appreciate it in all probability (a minimum of partly) impressed the Jackenstein boss combat<\/a> in Deltarune Chapter 4 <\/em>from earlier this yr. The visuals had been tremendous easy, however the vibes had been there all the identical.<\/p>\n One other new one for me was 1984\u2019s Meals Battle<\/em>, the place you\u2019re a child dodging a bunch of lethal cooks with the intention to safe an ice cream cone. As you cross the display, you may choose up bananas and cupcakes to toss at your foes. When you attain your goal, the child\u2019s head opens freakishly extensive and his tongue unfurls like a magic carpet to gobble up the cone. It seems to be like one thing out of a nightmare, and I like that.<\/p>\n As somebody who pored over printed recreation guides as a child, I recognize that every one of Atari\u2019s new-wave 2600 and 7800 video games embody detailed instruction manuals. Every one consists of fundamental \u201cthe way to play the sport\u201d data, which could be genuinely useful with stuff from an period the place in-game textual content is tremendous minimal. A number of additionally embody historic particulars in regards to the recreation\u2019s improvement and restoration, together with cool archival artwork and illustrations. I\u2019m positive there are authorized and not-so-legal methods to play 2600 video games for much lower than $35 a pop, however the packaging and presentation are a giant a part of the appeal right here. In an period when video games libraries are more and more digital, it\u2019s refreshing to see this stage of care and a focus dedicated to paper packing containers, cartridge sleeves, and pamphlets.<\/p>\n A few of Atari\u2019s recreation cartridges, together with Pac-Man Double Function, <\/em>additionally embody an array of 4 small \u201cdip switches\u201d on the underside. These could be toggled up and down with a fingernail. For Double Function, <\/em>it\u2019s the way you select between the arcade and 2600 variations of the sport. As a \u201990s child, this complete idea was completely new to me, and I like that Atari retained this tactile component of the cart design, relatively than simply making the alternate model an choice to pick out in the principle menu.<\/p>\n So who is that this for? There\u2019s no approach round it: older video games could be fairly darn unforgiving. Giving a contemporary youngster an Atari 2600 is like giving them a duplicate of The Canterbury Tales<\/em>: in all probability extra of a intelligent punishment than anything. A candy summer season youngster raised on Pikachu and Peely would get their shit wrecked by Galaga<\/em> or Bounty Bob Strikes Again<\/em>. In case you give this to a child, they’ll hate you.<\/p>\n Even so, the Pac-Man Version Atari 2600 Plus is a incredible vacation reward, particularly at a time when it\u2019s all however unattainable to get any recreation console beneath $200. (Hell, even Soulja Boy\u2019s new bootleg handheld<\/a> is $400+.) In case you\u2019re in any respect fascinated with gaming historical past, it\u2019s tremendous rewarding to take these older video games for a spin and see all of the connective threads which are nonetheless there, even 40+ years later. That is one for the old-heads and the retro followers, the collector varieties with too many Ikea Billy bookcases to depend. You recognize who you might be.<\/p>\n![\"Console](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/console-image-5.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>![\"Atari](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/screenshot-2025-11-07-at-8-50-13-am.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Picture: Atari<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n