The new remake of the Atari 7800 console can also play your old Atari 2600 cartridges

Atari has a surprise in store for anyone still holding onto their Atari 7800 game cartridges: a new compact recreation of the classic home console, complete with backwards compatibility. The company has teamed up with Plaion to announce the Atari 7800 Plus, which comes with an HDMI port for connecting to modern TVs, alongside support for Atari 2600 and 7800 game cartridges – just like the original console.

The $129.99 Atari 7800 Plus is available for pre-order now, with a worldwide release expected in “Winter 2024,” according to Atari’s press release. Like other mini-console recreations the company has released in recent years, the Atari 7800 Plus is visually identical to the original 1986 console (apart from being scaled down). Players can also choose to run games in widescreen or 4:3 format to preserve the feeling of playing on retro hardware.

Two new wireless controllers are being released at the same time as the Atari 7800 Plus. The CX78 Plus Wireless Gamepad – a replica of the console’s original two-button controller – comes with the Atari 7800 Plus, but can also be purchased separately for $34.99. The gamepad also connects wirelessly to the Atari 2600 Plus replica released last year, and can be connected to a PC via a USB-C adapter. There’s also the CX40 Plus Wireless Joystick for $34.99, sold separately, that offers the same support.

Atari advertises that the Atari 7800 Plus is “almost perfectly compatible” with original and third-party Atari games. Only one game is shipped with the console itself – a specially developed cartridge for the Crystal Castles Consequence, Bentley Bear’s search for the crystal — but 10 additional titles are available separately for $29.99. You can pre-order the 7800 Plus right here.