What just happened? Atari keeps recreating the brand's iconic consoles and home computers with modern technology. This time it's going back more than 40 years with the 800XL, with the French holding company vowing to provide full support for both classic and modern 8-bit gaming experiences.
Atari's latest foray into retro gaming is The 800XL, a "faithful" recreation of the original 800XL 8-bit computer first released in November 1983. The 25 built-in games should provide enough thrills for Atari aficionados. The machine also offers wider compatibility and expansion options for both commercial and homebrew Atari software.
Available now for pre-order, The 800XL costs $220 and is expected to ship in late April next year. It includes a "full-size" mechanical keyboard like the original 8-bit machine, while the HDMI output handles TV compatibility in either PAL (50Hz) or NTSC (60Hz) mode.
Although it works with modern TVs and technology such as USB, The 800XL also includes a "working" cartridge slot for running original game releases from the 1980s. The slot should work with most cartridges meant for Atari 400, 800, XL, and XE machines. Customers can also add their own games and software in ROM format through USB flash drives.
The built-in games include fan-favorite classics such as Centipede, Asteroids, The Seven Cities of Gold, M.U.L.E., and more. Of course, The 800XL also ships with an updated "THECXSTICK" joystick – a modern recreation of Atari's iconic CX40 handle. The Atari BASIC interpreter is built into the machine as well.
Retro features aside, the new machine offers some modern niceties that make classic gaming's rough edges easier to deal with. Each game supports up to four save slots, while a "rewind" feature can take you back up to 40 seconds of gameplay. Finally, users can connect additional controllers and USB storage through the four USB-A ports.
Atari remarks how the 800XL was first introduced more than 40 years ago, closing the gap between personal computing and gaming thanks to its "massive" 64KB system memory and custom chips for managing graphics and sound.
Put simply, the 800XL was a transitional machine between the legendary Atari 2600 and the powerful Atari ST line of 16-bit computers based on the Motorola 68000 family. Either way, Atari SA seems fully committed to turning every single device in the brand's history into a modern plastic gadget, until the end times.