Atari Flashback Portable
Gaming | March 12th, 2008
The Atari Flashback Portable is a handheld Atari 2600 game console created by Curt Vendel and Legacy Engineering Group, creators of the Atari Flashback console units. Early information suggests it will be a small handheld device with 2.5″ TFT screen running approximately 15 hours on a set of three “AAA” batteries. Games are loaded into internal 2MB memory by use of a USB cable. The release date is projected as early 2008 with a retail price of approximately $40.
With great games available on both the Nintendo DS and PSP, who would want to give the Atari Flashback Portable a shot? Only the most hardcore video game fanatics will, and it ain’t half bad in terms of design actually. Coming in a form factor that measures a wee bit larger than your standard 2600 cartridge, the Atari Flashback Portable comes with a couple of controller ports for true local multiplayer gaming. A trio of AAA batteries will power this portable console for 15 hours, while a USB port will be made availabe in the final release, which is used for uploading games. Whether those games will need to be purchased or not remains to be seen. The screen ain’t half bad, boasting a resolution of 320 x 240.
Because we think old school games are more fun, we like this upcoming Atari Flashback Portable that bests previous flashbacks by going mobile. The compact package holds dozens of Atari games and requires no cartridges. What’s more, all games are uploaded using a USB port (although there aren’t any details yet on how that will happen) and it has two ports for joysticks, enabling two-player games. Designed by Curt Vendel (who also heads up the online Atari History Museum), the unit will run on three AAA batteries giving it a 15-hour life and it includes an AV output for TV or headphones. There’s no word yet on when it will come out, but we bet it will be at least in time for the holidays.