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The Atari 800XL returns with a 'faithful' but modern Retro Games Ltd redesign

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The Atari 800XL returns with a 'faithful' but modern Retro Games Ltd redesign

Pre-orders for the Atari-licensed THE 800XL began today. This is a modernized yet claimed-to-be-faithful recreation of the classic 8-bit home computer, popular in the early 1980s. While it comes with era-appropriate features like built-in Atari BASIC and a working cartridge slot, this remake should be elevated by its mechanical keyboard, 25 built-in games, save states, quartet of USB ports (controllers, storage, power), and HDMI connectivity. Sadly, Atari / Plaion / Retro Games Ltd has stuck with the glaringly unergonomic CX40 joystick design for the bundled THECXSTICK, guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on your palm's tendons. THE 800XL’s pre-order price is a rather steep $219, and it isn’t going to ship until April 23, 2027.

“What I love most about THE 800XL is that it captures an entire way of experiencing technology,” said Namer Merli, the Senior Product Marketing Manager at Plaion. “Real keys, real cartridges, a proper joystick, BASIC programming, games, secrets and discovery.” Indeed, it does these things, with enough modern niceties (USB, HDMI, built-in game, etc.) to make it both accessible to newbies and appealing to Atari 8-bit computer veterans still maintaining ancient hardware.

Overall, the design appears to maintain the look and feel of the original, though we’d need to test it to confirm feelings about the build. Purchasers will also likely appreciate the immediate power-up-and-play capabilities of this recreation. There’s an instant software library, built in, and among the games I can see is Star Raiders II - the Atari 8-bit computer ‘killer app’ sequel.



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