Chip shortages be damned. Atari has announced THE 800XL – a modern recreation of their 1983 computer system, featuring 25 built-in games, a working cartridge slot, a mechanical keyboard, and HDMI connectivity. Retro Games Ltd are behind the project, with PLAION REPLAI both manufacturing and distributing.
Of the 25 built-in titles, eight are licensed Atari first-party games while the remaining 17 are third-party licensed. Two additional titles – Castle Crisis and Super Breakout – can be unlocked by connecting an analogue controller.
Here’s the list:
- Airball, Asteroids, Basketball, BattleZone and Berzerk
- Boulder Dash, Bristles, Capture the Flag, Centipede and Crystal Castles
- Elektraglide, Encounter, Flip and Flop, Henry’s House and Hover Bovver
- Lee, M.U.L.E., Millipede, Miner 2049er and Missile Command
- O’Riley’s Mine, The Seven Cities of Gold, Star Raiders II, Wavy Navy and Yoomp!
More games can be loaded via USB. Atari BASIC is built in too, should any budding coders want to try creating their own software.
The system has four USB ports, HDMI that outputs at PAL (50Hz) and NTSC (60Hz), four save slots per game, and a 30 second rewind tool. A THECXSTICK joystick is also bundled in.
“The 800XL was one of those rare machines that really showed what an 8-bit home computer could be capable of,” said Stuart Chiplin, COO at Retro Games Ltd. “When recreating it, we wanted to capture not just how the original looked, but what made it such a compelling computer – the freedom it gave people to play, program and create. A lot of work has gone into making THE 800XL feel authentic while bringing the experience up to date for today’s players.”
“There is something gloriously unapologetic about the Atari 800XL,” said Namer Merli, Senior Product Marketing Manager, PLAION REPLAI. Today our technology comes in black, white, silver and glass. “In 1983, apparently the future came in brown, cream and burnt orange … and it looked fantastic. But what I love most about THE 800XL is that it captures an entire way of experiencing technology. Real keys, real cartridges, a proper joystick, BASIC programming, games, secrets and discovery.”
THE 800XL is set to launch 23rd April 2027 for USD $219.99/GBP £199.99/EUR €219.99/AUD $349.99. We remain ever hopeful that a modern recreation of the Atari Lynx will one day happen.