I tried the Atari Gamestation Go and enjoyed its authentic retro glory.
This portable retro gaming device effectively captures the essence of the experience of playing classic titles.
In the recent edition of CES 2025, a variety of portable video game consoles were presented, although many of them offer similar features. However, the Atari Gamestation Go stands out as an innovative proposal in the realm of retro devices. This nostalgia-driven device includes over 200 pre-installed Atari games, including three distinct versions of Pac-Man. It can be considered a portable version of the Atari Gamestation Pro, which is a home mini-console, but this offering promises a superior experience.
It is important to clarify that, despite including "Atari" in its name, both the Gamestation Go and the Gamestation Pro are manufactured by My Arcade, a company that specializes in reviving the essence of retro arcade video games, as evidenced by other announcements made during the fair.
The Atari Gamestation Pro features a 7-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, providing a comfortable and lightweight gaming experience. However, what truly stands out in the Gamestation Go are its controls. This device goes beyond simply including retro games, as it has been designed to provide an authentic and detailed experience. It is equipped with a joystick, a D-pad, a trackball, four buttons, and a numeric keypad, allowing for a wide range of gaming options. For example, the numeric keypad is exclusively for Atari 5200 games, while the trackball is used for Millipede.
The design of these controls becomes essential, as not all users will be familiar with each title in the vast historical library of Atari. Therefore, when selecting an Atari 5200 game, the numeric keypad lights up, while choosing Millipede activates the trackball, enhancing the retro experience authentically.
In addition, the Gamestation Go has a microSD card slot and internal storage, although the capacity of the latter has not been specified. For those wishing to play in multiplayer mode, it includes two USB-C ports to connect wired controllers, such as those from Xbox or PlayStation, as well as retro controllers from My Arcade.
Other useful features include an HDMI output and a built-in stand to connect the device to a larger screen. Although My Arcade did not provide information about battery life and some of the games were still in development, the experience of enjoying a brief game of Asteroids was extremely entertaining.
The Atari Gamestation Go will launch in the third quarter of 2025 and will be priced at $150. My Arcade has also announced the Gamestation Retro, although the latter is still in the prototype phase and did not power on during the exhibition.
