E3 2017: Atari Announces Development of New Console
With Microsoft and Sony dominating the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), competitors have much to do to stand on equal footing in the market. While Nintendo is catching up with its Switch, Atari has announced that it will be making a new game console after 20 years of being absent in the market.
"We're back in the hardware business," Atari's chief executive officer Fred Chesnais told Venture Beat. The new product in development has been dubbed the Ataribox and a teaser was released by the iconic company. The website features a picture of the supposed console, and at first, many wondered if the teaser is a fake. Fortunately, Chesnais was quick to reassure fans that Atari is indeed looking into getting back in the console market.
According to reports, Atari's last console was released way back in 1993. The Atari Jaguar sold millions of copies, but it was quickly overtaken by tech giants Nintendo, Sega, and Sony. So far, the company is engaged in developing mobile games as a result of its attempt to save itself from desisting. Atari filed for bankruptcy protection back in 2013 but Chesnais bought it and vowed to revive the once great tech company.
So far, there are limited details about the Ataribox. Chesnais himself declined to reveal further details other than the fact that it is in development. The gaming community knows that it will run on PC technology, but the company has nothing to say about the design of the upcoming console. There is no official release date yet, but fans are expecting to hear more sometime this year.
Atari is known for nostalgic games including "Pac-Man" and "Missile Command." Both these games were released back in 1980, and Atari has struggled to find stable ground in the video games and consoles market. Hopefully, its upcoming hardware will have the gaming community falling for its products again.
