In a recent report, a new Atari video game console is in the works, according to the company's CEO Fred Chesnais. Earlier last week, Atari started teasing a new product. The company has unveiled a mysterious video teasing a brand new piece of hardware called the Ataribox. Although the video doesn't reveal much, it does claim that the console will sport some sort of wood-grain design.
The video released on a non-Atari website showed a picture of some kind of hardware product, but many people wondered if the teaser was fake. Others had no idea what the video was showing about a "brand new Atari product years in the making." According to a source, Chesnais addressed the rumors, confirming that Atari is back in the hardware business.
Chesnais also revealed that the new product, which has been "years in the making", will include the woodgrain paneling seen in the teaser video though the final design has yet to be determined. He also noted that the hardware will be PC-based.
Chesnais declined to give out a lot of details about the console. However, he stated it is based on PC technology. He also mentioned that Atari is still working on the design and will unveil it at a later date.
Moreover, The company might be cashing in on the popularity of retro games and Nintendo's NES Classic Edition, which turned out to be surprisingly popular for offering a method to easily play old games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda in HD on a Television. It's already making a profit developing mobile game.
More so, the huge success of the NES Classic edition last winter shows that that the market for nostalgia is a great one. It is licensing its brands more widely, like licensing its Atari name for the next Blade Runner 2049 Movie. The company may just give the likes of the RetroN77 a run for their money.
