Back when the games console market was still in its infancy, Atari was a big name on the hardware side of things. Since then, that side of the business has been dormant. However, in an effort to make Atari a household name again, it looks like the company is set to release an all-new console of its own.
In an exclusive interview with VentureBeat, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais confirmed that the prestigious company are working on a new game console. This confirmation comes after a teaser for the Ataribox dropped last week. Many suspected this teaser might be fake after it originally landed on a website unaffiliated with Atari, but has since made its way to the company’s official YouTube channel and has been confirmed by Chesnais to be true. While the console design is subject to change, we can expect to see the woodgrain panelling as seen in the teaser.
Atari hasn’t made a home console in more than 30 years, even being subject to bankruptcy in 2014 before Chesnais saved the company and vowed to make it great again. Now Atari is turning a profit with its mobile games and licensing of its name, Chesnais is happy to say that the company is “back in the hardware business” with a product that is “years in the making”.
While it is possible that Atari will be aiming to fill the market left by Nintendo discontinuing the NES Classic, Chesnais has said the new console will be based on PC technology, meaning the company could be looking into a more powerful market. So can it run Crysis? Will it get Skyrim? Only time will tell.
KitGuru Says: I’d be happy to see another player when the next-generation consoles come into play, I just hope it doesn’t follow the same disappointment that Atari brought to us with Asteroids: Outpost. Are you looking forward to what Atari will bring to the table?
But can it run Cry… ah you beat me to it!