Atari is officially on the comeback trail although the path it is carving out is a bit questionable. After unveiling images of its Ataribox console last week, the iconic gaming company has provided details on the first product in its new Atari Connected Life line of wearables.
The Speakerhat is exactly what you'd think - a baseball-style cap with speakers built into the bill. The wearable wirelessly connects to any Bluetooth-enabled device and thanks to its integrated microphone, can even be used to conduct phone calls or initiate voice commands. With Social Synchronous Broadcast technology, multiple Speakerhat users can simultaneously listen to a single audio stream.
Atari promises the Speakerhat feels natural and normal to wear for long periods of time while achieving an acceptable balance of weight versus sound quality and functionality.
While I applaud Atari for thinking out of the box, do I really need to express how bad of an idea this product is?
Listening to music while wearing headphones as to not disturb everyone around you is perfectly acceptable. Even Bluetooth loudspeakers have their place (at a pool party or family gathering, for example, or even in the privacy of your own home). A personal listening device that annoyingly blasts music to everyone in the nearby vicinity, however, will be flat out obnoxious. If you've ever seen people blaring music on their smartphone in public without headphones, well, this is basically that on steroids.
Those interested in trying out the Speakerhat can register for a chance to take part in Atari's beta program.