When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works

Home / News / 5 of the best Atari creations

5 of the best Atari creations

Rather than mourn the passing of an era as Atari US files for bankruptcy, we prefer to focus on all the great things this gaming God granted us

Atari US has filed for bankruptcy, and while it will undoubtedly live on in some form – hipsters need their 80s-logo-adorned satchels, after all – will it ever produce awesome devices like these again?

Atari 2600 (1977)

Released in 1977, the Atari 2600 was originally sold as the VCS (video computer system). It wasn’t the first catridge-based gaming console – the little-remembered Fairchild Channel F scooped that honour – but Atari’s wood-panelled wonder was the one that endured. The 128-byte 2600 brought Space Invaders and joysticks into the home – something for which all gamers should be grateful.

Atari Jaguar (1993)

When the Atari Jaguar was announced, it looked like the future of gaming – with Atari boasting of the console’s 64-bit processing power in an era when most gamers were still using the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo consoles. The Jaguar stumbled, though – and was quickly overtaken by the Sony PlayStation, launched the following year. It may have marked the end of Atari’s participation in the console wars, but the Jaguar served up some quality titles – including Tempest and Alien vs Predator.

Atari’s Greatest Hits

100 classic Atari titles ready for playing on your iOS or Android device – though you’ll need to pony up for in-app purchases, at 59p a pop or £9 for the lot. If you owned an Atari console back in the day, playing classic titles like Missile Command on a mobile device feels like living in the future. And if you’re a young whippersnapper, the likes of Asteroids and Centipede may look primitive, but their stripped-back game mechanics test your skills to the limit. Also, get off our lawn.

Niyari Atari 400 keyboard

As retro keyboards go, this chocolate coloured, USB powered slice of the past is a champion – delivering Atari 400 looks without the pressure sensitive keys that gummed up at the whiff of a sugary drink. Sadly the Niyari‘s sold out now – but doesn’t that just make it all the more covetable?

Atari ST (1985)

Pitched battles were fought in the playgrounds of the 1980s between the true believers who pledged their allegiance to the Atari ST and the heathen followers of the Amiga 500. The ST’s MIDI ports made it the computer of choice for music geeks – and also spawned the first ever deathmatch FPS game, MIDI Maze, which required gamers to connect their machines using the MIDI-IN and MIDI-OUT ports.

You might also like

Tweetbot review

Would you pay £46 a month for 20GB of 4G data?

Got a 3D printer? Print yourself a robot friend

Profile image of Dan Grabham Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home