Monday, July 21st 2025

Plaion, Atari and Bandai Namco Announce Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition

Press Release by
Nomad76
 Discuss (22 Comments)
PLAION REPLAI, a leading global publisher and developer of retro video game software and hardware, and Atari, one of the world's most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers, are proud to announce today that the Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition - a newly developed version of the classic console - will be launching worldwide on 31st October 2025. This exciting new product also celebrates the long-standing collaboration between Atari and Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc., with Namco being the original developer of PAC-MAN.

In tribute to the original video game romance that brought PAC-MAN to home consoles for the first time on the Atari 2600, the new hardware is infused with PAC-MAN's signature style. To compliment the release, a range of colorful joysticks will also be separately available.
The collaboration features a variety of different offerings for Atari and PAC-MAN fans, including:
  • Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition: This brand-new version of the iconic console comes in signature PAC-MAN yellow, featuring illuminated character icons across the front. The retail pack also includes the PAC-MAN Double Feature software cartridge and the PAC-MAN CX-40 Wireless Joystick (Yellow). The Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition will be available for pre-order from Wednesday 23rd July, at Amazon, with the price being £129.99.
  • PAC-MAN Double Feature cartridge: This dual game cartridge includes PAC-MAN 7800, a brand new, arcade-style version of the classic, along with PAC-MAN 2600, the very first home console release of the game.
  • PAC-MAN CX40+ Wireless Joysticks: The PAC-MAN joysticks are available separately in five different colours - Yellow (PAC-MAN), Blue (Inky ghost), Red (Blinky ghost), Pink (Pinky ghost) and Orange (Clyde ghost); PAC-MAN CX40+ Wireless Joysticks will cost £29.99 each, and will be available to pre-order from Wednesday 23rd July.
"The Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition is more than just a console - it's a tribute to the moment home gaming truly began. By reimagining the iconic hardware in PAC-MAN's unmistakable style, we're celebrating the legacy of two cultural giants who helped define a generation of play. We're proud to bring this collaboration to life for collectors, fans, and a whole new wave of retro gaming enthusiasts," said PLAION REPLAI's Commercial Director, Ben Jones.
The Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition and PAC-MAN CX40+ Wireless Joysticks will be available for pre-order from Wednesday 23rd July at Amazon and on Atari.com, priced at £129.99 and £29.99 respectively. The release date for the Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition and PAC-MAN CX40+ Wireless Joysticks will be 31st October 2025. There will also be a separate release of the PAC-MAN Double Feature cartridge later in 2025.
Source: Atari

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22 Comments on Plaion, Atari and Bandai Namco Announce Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition

#1
Prime2515102
I wish Atari would roll over and die already. Or maybe this will be their big comeback and I should buy some of their 20¢/share stock.
Posted on Reply
#2
tfp
Prime2515102I wish Atari would roll over and die already. Or maybe this will be their big comeback and I should buy some of their 20¢/share stock.
Yeah it's too bad anyone might enjoy some nostalgia for cheap. Do you have some other suggestions for nostalgia that are unreasonably priced?
Posted on Reply
#3
gwync
I just kinda wonder what market theyre going for at this point, the VCS is as old as my parents. Even they really had limited exposure to it. And their generation already did the "i should buy all the cool stuff from my childhood now that i have disposable income" phase.
I know it had much longer market presence than how consoles are viewed now but really, I think the ship sailed a decade ago for these types of things and I just view these remaining attempts as questionable at best.
Posted on Reply
#4
SOAREVERSOR
gwyncI just kinda wonder what market theyre going for at this point, the VCS is as old as my parents. Even they really had limited exposure to it. And their generation already did the "i should buy all the cool stuff from my childhood now that i have disposable income" phase.
I know it had much longer market presence than how consoles are viewed now but really, I think the ship sailed a decade ago for these types of things and I just view these remaining attempts as questionable at best.
And yet remake consoles still sell like crazy to younger consumers.
Posted on Reply
#5
Prime2515102
tfpYeah it's too bad anyone might enjoy some nostalgia for cheap. Do you have some other suggestions for nostalgia that are unreasonably priced?
Sure, just go drop $20 on one of these and go get this.
Posted on Reply
#6
gwync
SOAREVERSORAnd yet remake consoles still sell like crazy to younger consumers.
Yeah, the atari flashback consoles, because theyre simple and cheap and theyre a fun novelty.
This isnt cheap, its $175 USD if that pricing is accurate (because its $275 USD on atari's US site). Youre in the realm of a used mainstream games console at that point. This product isnt targeted towards casual buyers, the type of people who buy the atari flashback machines to get the kids AND uncle bill to shut up for an hour at the expense of maybe 50 bucks spent at a dollar general.
At this price tag theyre aiming at collectors. And my thought is how big is that market still? It cant be what it once was. I just wonder what their projected sales volume for something like this really is, because everything about it sounds more like aggressive cash grab and less homage to the classics for the fans...
Posted on Reply
#7
Mr. Perfect
The press release didn't include two of the more interesting points of this.
  • It runs the original game cartridges from back in the day
  • Has an HDMI port
Those seem like pretty import features.
Posted on Reply
#8
lemonadesoda
Disappointing effort from the PR team of PLAION:
  • No info on video out capabilities. Is this HDMI or multi-output, incl. to legacy monitors/TVs. What about refresh rates?
  • Does it have built in sound, so that if only a monitor, you can still get sound?
  • What news of other games, because NAMCO has some amazing titles, but just PACMAN is not a deal maker.
  • What about a COM port connector or proper joystick so people can use a solid controller, not a cheap plastic wireless one? Can people build their own stand-up arcade?
  • Has this got a proprietary "ROM cartridge" connector, or can I download games, or keystick them?
You've got one chance to make a first impression, and they blew it.
Posted on Reply
#9
lilhasselhoffer
Help me here. They are releasing a console that is fully emulatable on a raspberry pi. They are charging 130 pounds for a console, a couple of games, and a single wireless controller. The thing has a library that is unknown...and at this point it'd take more to manufacture new consoles for this thing than it'd take to learn how to code your own version of Pacman.

I got the Nintendo miniature consoles. Those had quite a few games, 21 for the NES, and it came in under 100 USD. This is 2 games on a gaudy chunk of yellow plastic. I know Atari is a skin that people parade around in before selling the suit after they discover the nostalgia for it isn't like Sony or Nintendo. That said, this is basically the cost of two new games for Pacman. Who thought that was a reasonable ask?
Posted on Reply
#10
Easy Rhino
Linux Advocate
That seems like a high price for some nostalgia that people will get bored of after 2 hours. :laugh:
Posted on Reply
#11
tfp
Prime2515102Sure, just go drop $20 on one of these and go get this.
Does not work with my old cartages. I am surprised there is a market for a system that plays the old cartages but there seems to be a small one.

Besides this isn't Atari just someone who bought the name.
Posted on Reply
#12
lexluthermiester
Prime2515102I wish Atari would roll over and die already.
You hush up. Let's let people do the retro things they want to do. If you're not into it, ok, don't buy one. Your thread-crapping is not helpful and not very welcome.
lilhasselhofferThe thing has a library that is unknown...
Incorrect. The library is perfectly known. ALL Atari VCS/2600/7800 games will work on this system. So there's that to consider.
Posted on Reply
#14
lexluthermiester
DeathtoGnomesbut does come with Pong? :roll:
It would be funny if it were an easter-egg.
Posted on Reply
#15
DeathtoGnomes
lexluthermiesterIt would be funny if it were an easter-egg.
well, it is the color of a yolk. :D
Posted on Reply
#16
TheinsanegamerN
tfpYeah it's too bad anyone might enjoy some nostalgia for cheap. Do you have some other suggestions for nostalgia that are unreasonably priced?
The entire library for the atari 2600, 7800, and VCS can be downloaded in less then a minute and played on an emulator of your choice. If you prefer shoveling money to megacorps for rewarmed leftovers, every console in recent memory had "arcade collections" available for purchase that contain many Atari games, far more than this thing does. There also exist websites out there that can run these atari games in browser, and there are plenty of cheap micro consoles on amazon that contain hundreds of atari games.
Mr. PerfectThe press release didn't include two of the more interesting points of this.
  • It runs the original game cartridges from back in the day
  • Has an HDMI port
Those seem like pretty import features.
That's cool, but on the other hand the atari flashbacks have existed for over a decade, use SD card slots to allow you to play downloaded atari games, and as of 2017 have HDMI too.

What makes this one worth $175+? Is it just that cartridge slot?
Posted on Reply
#17
Easy Rhino
Linux Advocate
TheinsanegamerNThe entire library for the atari 2600, 7800, and VCS can be downloaded in less then a minute and played on an emulator of your choice. If you prefer shoveling money to megacorps for rewarmed leftovers, every console in recent memory had "arcade collections" available for purchase that contain many Atari games, far more than this thing does. There also exist websites out there that can run these atari games in browser, and there are plenty of cheap micro consoles on amazon that contain hundreds of atari games.

That's cool, but on the other hand the atari flashbacks have existed for over a decade, use SD card slots to allow you to play downloaded atari games, and as of 2017 have HDMI too.

What makes this one worth $175+? Is it just that cartridge slot?
Yes but think of all of the wonderful e-waste you are missing out on by not buying this and instead just playing the roms!
Posted on Reply
#18
TheinsanegamerN
Easy RhinoYes but think of all of the wonderful e-waste you are missing out on by not buying this and instead just playing the roms!
I see this in the same vein as Analogue's reproduction consoles. Having new hardware to play games is a great thing, but I feel the price is out of whack for what underneath must be a pretty simple piece of hardware.

But then I also think Analogue's hardware is way overpriced.
Posted on Reply
#20
Icon Charlie
IMHO I think this is going to sell enough to make it profitable. Not out of the park profitable, but there is a niche that will buy this to make it profitable enough.
Posted on Reply
#21
Prime2515102
lexluthermiesterYou hush up. Let's let people do the retro things they want to do. If you're not into it, ok, don't buy one. Your thread-crapping is not helpful and not very welcome.
Well it's just that they've been re-releasing the thing since 1992 fer corn sakes.
Posted on Reply
#22
_roman_
When was the generation born who knew about this? 1950?
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