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 Flashback X, released in 2019 | |
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| Manufacturer |
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| Type | Dedicated console |
| Lifespan | 2004–present |
| Units sold | 1 million+ |
| System on a chip | NES-on-a-chip (original Flashback) Atari 2600-on-a-chip (Flashback 2 and 2+) |
| Online services | Firmware updates (Flashback 9, 9 Gold, X, X Deluxe, 50th Gold and 12 Gold only) |
| Dimensions | 5.7 in × 3.8 in × 1.7 in (14.5 cm × 9.7 cm × 4.3 cm) (Flashback 12 Gold) |
| Mass | 1.07 lb (0.49 kg) (Flashback 12 Gold) |
| Website | https://www.atgames.us/ |
The Atari Flashback is a line of dedicated video game consoles produced since 2004, currently designed, produced, published and marketed by AtGames under license from Atari SA. The Flashback consoles are "plug-and-play" versions of the 1970s Atari 2600 console with built-in games rather than using ROM cartridges. The latest home console model, Atari Flashback 12 Gold, was released in 2023 and has 130 games.
The first version, designed by Atari veteran Curt Vendel, was modeled after an Atari 7800 and contained 20 games, of which five were 7800 titles. Each subsequent home console in the series is modeled after the 2600 instead; the Atari Flashback 2 was released in 2005, included 40 built-in games, and was the only one with a 2600 hardware SoC. In 2011, Atari, Inc. stopped producing the Flashback in-house and licensed it to AtGames, who continued from there on beginning with the Flashback 3, including a handheld version, Atari Flashback Portable, in 2016. Several variations of the Flashback 8 were released in 2017, including the Gold edition, which introduces scan line filtering, a gameplay rewind feature, and HDMI output. Since the Flashback X in 2019, the exterior designs have been more faithful near-replicas of the original Atari 2600 in miniature forms.