Atari is planning to unveil a brand new console soon. The reputed video gaming company has been teasing the device since last week, and while nothing much is very clear at the moment, we do know that the new Ataribox (that’s what the company is calling it) might feature wood panelling.
The move is a surprising one, albeit pleasantly; it was not too long back that Atari had filed for bankruptcy in 2013. This prompted many to hold that the new Ataribox teaser that came out last week was fake. In 2014, however, the steadily recovering company had announced that they were changing tactics to focus on a fresh new approach to gaming. And now the company’s CEO Fred Chesnais has confirmed to VentureBeat that they are indeed working on brand new gaming hardware.
As for what fans can expect from the upcoming Ataribox, there is not a whole lot of details to go by. But while Chesnais was reluctant to divulge significant information about the console, he has said that it is based on PC technology. It also seems that it will be a while before we get to see the mysterious Ataribox. Chesnais said that the company is still working on the console and its design, and will reveal it when it is ready.
In light of the teaser, however, we wonder if the wood panelling will actually find its way into the Ataribox, or if what we saw in the teaser was merely for representational purposes. The design that can be seen in the teaser is clearly reminiscent of the Atari 2600, the company’s classic console from 1977. The Atari Jaguar, the console last released from the company in 1993, did not sport such aesthetics.
The news of the Ataribox comes alongside the unveiling of the Xbox One X at E3 2017. Microsoft’s new console is aiming for release on November 7 this year, and will come with a price tag of $500 for buyers in the US.
