Atari is now promoting a smartwatch that prioritizes enjoyable over performance. The watch’s consumer interface will be personalized with Atari 2600-themed paintings and sound results. However pushing it squarely into impulse buy territory is the watch’s capacity to play Centipede, Pong, Tremendous Breakout, and Missile Command utilizing the touchscreen or the watch’s crown dial functioning as a paddle controller.
As an alternative of making an attempt to compete with the Apple Watch’s capabilities, the Atari 2600 My Play Watch targets longtime players nostalgic sufficient for the consoles of their youth to spend $79.99 on an elaborately themed health tracker. The watch is on the market for preorder now by Atari’s on-line retailer and is predicted to ship by June tenth, 2025.
There’s nonetheless no Bluetooth or Wi-fi connectivity. So, whereas the Atari 2600 My Play Watch gained’t pester you with notifications out of your smartphone, you gained’t be capable to develop its capabilities by downloading apps or new video games.
There are just a few upgrades on the Atari 2600 My Play Watch. Its 2.02-inch touchscreen is barely bigger than the 1.86-inch display screen on the Area Invaders watch, it has a beefier and extra industrial-looking metallic case, and there’s now a button situated beneath its crown dial. It additionally comes with three swappable bands that includes retro graphic designs, though Atari says they are going to solely be obtainable for a restricted time.