The Atari 2600 was my very first home console. When my friends were playing on Megadrives and PCs, we were slightly less well-off, and that meant I was a couple of generations behind (let’s not think too hard about the gaming obsession I clearly developed after this). Still, I loved my Atari, and there’s a reason that classic games like Space Invaders, Centipede and Asteroids remain ‘classic’. They’re just great games. Perhaps the most iconic title, though, from the Atari 2600 era is Pac-Man and as the 35-year anniversary celebrations are rolling out, Atari and Bandai Namco have seen the opportunity to commemorate the event with a brand new Atari 2600 console. This rendition, named the Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition, takes the original, wooden-build of the first Atari 2600, and replaces it with bright yellow, Pac-Man-coloured plastics, while adding in the console’s first wireless joystick, also crafted in eye-melting yellow as well.
This is a fully-functional Atari 2600, so you can play any original cartridge. In the pack you’re getting the Pac-Man Double Feature cartridge, a dual-game cartridge that includes Pac-Man 7800, a brand-new, arcade-style version of the classic, along with PAC-MAN 2600, the very first home console release of the game. I imagine that means the + in the 2600+ name means that there’s slightly more power on tap here than the original hardware, though probably not much more than is totally necessary. There is a non-yellow version already available, and the key improvement is that the 2600+ is capable of running Atari 7800 cartridges. While the older version is cheaper – currently £64.95 – and truer to the original build, it doesn’t include the new wireless joystick.
There’s going to be a full range of wireless joysticks, with five in total, complementing the colours of Pac-Man’s ghostly adversaries, and they’ll cost £29.99 each. I assume that there’s going to be wider functionality for them, perhaps via Bluetooth or a wireless dongle, but there are few extra details on these right now.
Speaking about the release, Plaion Replai’s Commercial Director, Ben Jones, said, “The Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition is more than just a console – it’s a tribute to the moment home gaming truly began. By reimagining the iconic hardware in Pac-Man’s unmistakable style, we’re celebrating the legacy of two cultural giants who helped define a generation of play. We’re proud to bring this collaboration to life for collectors, fans, and a whole new wave of retro gaming enthusiasts.”
The Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition and Pac-Man CX40+ Wireless Joysticks will be available for pre-order from Wednesday 23rd July at Amazon and on Atari.com, priced at £129.99 and £29.99 respectively. The release date for the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition and Pac-Man CX40+ Wireless Joysticks will be 31st October 2025. There will also be a separate release of the PAC-MAN Double Feature cartridge later in 2025.
