Modern Ataribox Joystick Teased with New Photos

It has been 5 months since Atari’s CEO revealed that they are working on an all new console. With retro gaming as popular as it is right now, it is hardly surprising. Nintendo for example, can barely keep up with NES Classic and SNES Classic demand. Even Commodore 64 is joining in with their C64 Mini. Atari is calling it the “Ataribox” and it mixes modern and retro design with its wooden front panel and sleek round edge enclosure. A custom AMD chip is going to power it and it will be running a custom Linux OS. Also ccording to the company, new games will be produced for it with a target release of Spring 2018.

Ataribox Joystick Photos Teased

New photos were posted on the Ataribox Facebook page before the Thanksgiving weekend revealing the new console’s controller. It actually resembles the classic Atari joystick with a single button on the side. What is different however is that it has a home and a back button built-in. They also included a photo of a person holding the joystick so that we can estimate its size. The base of the joystick itself is the size of an AppleTV with slits across the edges like on the console body.

One big difference from the original is of course, the absence of visible wires. The single button is positioned for the left thumb to push, while the right hand controls stick. Although sleek looking, the new button does not look as sturdy as the Atari CX40 joystick buttons. The new button also appears to have less travel distance and tactile than the older button design as well. The retro design also suggests that the “new” Ataribox games will be using retro elements which are more fitting with the simple single-button controller.

A fan on the Facebook page jokingly asked “How can I play Skyrim with that?“, but Atari’s answer was surprising. Posting a photo cluing in fans how. Since the controller is wireless, it appears that the console is compatible with modern controllers as well.

We would all just have to wait and see what spring 2018 brings, when the Ataribox comes out.