Atari is bringing back one of its earliest 8-bit home computers

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The 800XL is a faithful recreation of the 8-bit PC with a full keyboard you can use for gaming or coding in BASIC.

The 800XL is a faithful recreation of the 8-bit PC with a full keyboard you can use for gaming or coding in BASIC.

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After resurrecting iconic consoles like the 2600 and Mattel’s Intellivision, Atari is relaunching one of the brand’s personal computers that originally debuted 43 years ago. The 800XL is a faithful recreation of the all-in-one 8-bit PC that’s being resurrected as part of a collaboration with game developer and publisher Plaion. While most retro enthusiasts will probably use it for gaming, the new 800XL carries forward the original’s built-in mechanical keyboard for those wanting to code their own games and apps using Atari BASIC.

The 800XL is available for preorder now for $219.99 with shipping expected to start in April 2027. It comes with modern conveniences like an HDMI port and four USB-A ports for connecting flash drives, peripherals, and a bundled recreation of Atari’s classic joystick that’s been upgraded with eight action and function buttons making it more versatile.

There’s a fully-functional cartridge slot that’s compatible with most Atari 400, 800, XL, and XE carts, but the reborn 800XL can also play any of the software created for those old 8-bit systems, even when loaded from a flash drive. For those lacking a collection of retro cartridges the 800XL comes with 25 games built-in including recognizable titles like Asteroids, Centipede, Berzerk, Missile, Command, and Millipede.

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