The Atari 800XL hybrid gaming console is back after decades of obscurity

When people think of Atari, they probably picture the famous 2600 home console. However, the 800 line of home computers was also hugely successful, before being discontinued in the early 1990s. Now the 800XL is back and filled with modern bells and whistles.

The 800XL was an update to the 1979 original, but with a larger form factor and a nifty industrial design. This new model can do everything the original could, but with a few modern quality-of-life features. For example, it connects via HDMI and includes a handful of USB ports for adding accessories.

The hybrid console also comes with 25 preloaded games, including classics like Centipedee, Crystal Castles, Centipede And Missile Command. It’s an 8-bit machine, so the graphics technology is more or less comparable to the original NES.

There is a cartridge slot that can accommodate all titles originally released for the system. USB connectivity allows users to load games from various Atari systems, like the 400 and 5200 consoles. It even comes with a vintage joystick that can be loaded via USB.

Now let’s move on to the hybrid part of this console. It’s also a computer, just like the original. It comes with a full-size mechanical keyboard and provides access to the Atari Basic coding platform. This means people can make their own games if they have the patience. What’s interesting here is that it can run homebrew content created back in the day, so people can take a look at what they were doing in the 1980s.

The hardware was designed by Plaion Replai, the same company that remade the Commodore 64 and the upcoming Neo Geo. The Atari 800XL costs $220. Pre-orders are open now, but shipments won’t go out until April 23, 2027.