With faux wood paneling and a classic joystick with a big red button, the Atari home video game system dominated the late 1970s and early 1980s. While rival systems eventually overtook the video-game pioneer, its iconic status, and its fans, remained.

Since its new CEO Wade Rosen came on board in 2021, Atari has worked to rebuild goodwill among its fans and within the broader video game industry. Rosen is at the helm of the company, which is looking closely at its own history to chart its future. This includes releasing remastered or reimagined versions of classics like “Missile Command” and “Centipede,” creating the critically acclaimed interactive documentary “Atari 50,” and introducing the soon-to-be released Atari 2600+. “I think the 2600+ has legs because there will be new content, new games, as well as ways to make these games accessible to a wider audience,” Rosen said. “Do I think these things will replace modern consoles?” he asked. No, absolutely not. There’s no way that would happen, nor would they need to. “They’re radically different.”

A more compact version of the retro console will be released in November at a price point of $130. The console comes with 10 games on a single cartridge, but it can also play new titles and play original Atari 2600 and 7800 games. Reimagined Atari games like “Haunted House,” arriving in October, or new, original games like “Days of Doom,” available now, reflect a speedy, pick-up-and-play style characteristic of early video games. According to Rosen, retro games complement the times.