Behind the name Atari lies one of the most fascinating and controversial stories in gaming. The company conquered the world in the late 1970s, was one of the first casualties of the video game crash, restructured several times, declared bankruptcy in 2013, recovered with gambling and mobile games, and now wants to return to hardware. Its current CEO, Fred Chesnais, confirmed at E3 2017 that the company is working on the Ataribox, and the only relevant technical detail is that it will be based on PC technology. Are we looking at a new platform, or will it follow the path of emulation like the NES Classic?
A Look Back at Atari's Hardware Legacy
The last piece of hardware that Atari Corporation put on store shelves was the Atari Jaguar. That was in 1993, and in 36 months it sold no more than 250,000 units. Technically, the Jaguar belongs to the fifth generation of consoles, but its limited game library and the subsequent arrival of options like the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64 sealed its fate. Atari Corp. tried to resist by bringing Jaguar games to PC under Atari Interactive, but that also didn't bear fruit. The Atari name became something of a dinosaur, surviving on licensing alone until its bankruptcy in January 2013. After restructuring, it attempted to revive franchises like Alone in the Dark and Rollercoaster Tycoon (failing both times), though it had more success with mobile titles, gambling games, and offerings aimed at the LGBT community. Today it may be a shadow of its former self, but the mindshare of the Atari brand remains intact, and when its CEO Fred Chesnais said it would return to hardware, well… let's say we're paying attention.
The Ataribox Announcement
At first, the teaser was believed to be fake, mainly because its release was so unexpected. However, Chesnais confirmed everything at E3 2017. The console carries the official name Ataribox… and there's nothing more. Chesnais said they are still working on the overall design and that it will be based on PC technology. The only thing I can think of by 'PC technology' is the adoption of the x86 architecture. Will it fight at the level of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, or maybe Atari is thinking of something a bit more nostalgic like the NES Classic? Nintendo is still receiving criticism for its cancellation, and personally I've come across its remnants at ridiculous prices ($190 in some stores).
I think the most logical approach is to take the entire Ataribox announcement with a grain of salt. The company managed to get out of the red and secure very special licenses (including the use of its name in Blade Runner 2049), but creating hardware is expensive, even if the components are common. Let's keep the radar on.
