Atari Gamestation Pro
Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2025 4:10 pm
There are two things I associate with interstate travel: billboards (advertising liquor, John 3:16, and adult superstores) and Cracker Barrel. While I don't need any more knick-knacks in my home, I do like to poke around the gift shop portion of Cracker Barrel to stretch my legs after a long drive. That is where I discovered the Atari Gamestation Pro. I know Atari has been making new consoles but I was completely unaware of this unit's existence.
The Gamestation Pro features games from the 2600, 5200, 7800, arcade, and other systems. It comes with the system, 2 wireless joysticks, hdmi cable, and a usb-C cable.
Here's the game list shamelessly stolen from another website:
I'm a pretty big 2600 fan and I enjoy classic arcade titles quite a bit. There was enough content there that I got my own system to try out. I will give a quick run-down of my likes and dislikes.
The Good:
- The system boots up quickly and has a nice little intro animation.
- Lots of good titles (even though there seems to be a bit of filler).
- After you do a firmware update, you can add your own games with a microSD card.
- Each controller has a small spinner in the upper-right corner. This can be used for games that had paddle controls (e.g. Warlords).
- While I have complained about RGB lighting in the past, I think it actually looks good here. Both the system and the controllers have some rainbow lighting that cycle through. Looks pretty fitting, honestly.
- Games play fine for the most part... however...
The Bad:
- Not all games translate well to joystick controls. Really I'm mostly referencing games that featured a trackball. Crystal Castles is kind of playable without the trackball but nowhere as accurate or as fun as the actual arcade machine. On the other hand, I had an okay time playing Centipede so I suppose it's going to be up to the user's preferences.
- The controller's joystick does not feel as good as the original controller. Also, the controllers take 4 double-A batteries each. Yes, 8 batteries for two-player. Apparently you can plug the controllers into the front of the console's USB-C connectors for power but I don't want to sit that close to the tv. Additionally, the battery compartment is kind of a pain. Instead of just one of those plastic pull tabs, it also features a screw you have to loosen to change batteries. I can see this being obnoxious
- It doesn't come with a power brick. I feel like this is a bit of false advertising on the box. On the list of included items it says "power cable". Well this is true - a USB-A to USB-C cable is included. I'm guessing they're expecting you to have a powered USB slot on your television. Well my tv does not. Thankfully I had an old power brick tucked away that provides the necessary power requirements. Keep that in mind should you look into getting one of these.
The Ugly:
- The firmware update is a convoluted pain in the rear. You have to go to their website, install a driver, and use their program. Once everything is set up on your PC you will connect the system via USB and apply the update. It's really janky and rudimentary. I wish they could patch the system via SD card or something.
Closing thoughts:
Nitpicks and issues aside, I am pretty happy with it so far. Being able to play some Dragonfire with wireless controllers is pretty awesome. I still have my 2600 but this is way easier to hook up to a modern television.
There are other things I have not explored yet such as using other controllers (which you supposedly can) and emulating other systems like NES or the Genesis.
One trick I will share that I found on a random video discussing this system:
After you update to 1.3 you can sideload more games. Your sd card directory will look like this:
However, if you dump games into the 2600 folder they won't have spinner controls. So you need to make a seperate directory for those titles. Ex:
By making this other "Atari 2600 Paddle" directory you tell the system that "these games use the spinner". Use this for games like Kaboom! or whatever.
This system is still brand new to me but if anyone has questions I will try to answer them. The system seems to run around $100 to $130 in the physical stores I've been to. However, I got mine online for like half that.
The Gamestation Pro features games from the 2600, 5200, 7800, arcade, and other systems. It comes with the system, 2 wireless joysticks, hdmi cable, and a usb-C cable.
Here's the game list shamelessly stolen from another website:
The Good:
- The system boots up quickly and has a nice little intro animation.
- Lots of good titles (even though there seems to be a bit of filler).
- After you do a firmware update, you can add your own games with a microSD card.
- Each controller has a small spinner in the upper-right corner. This can be used for games that had paddle controls (e.g. Warlords).
- While I have complained about RGB lighting in the past, I think it actually looks good here. Both the system and the controllers have some rainbow lighting that cycle through. Looks pretty fitting, honestly.
- Games play fine for the most part... however...
The Bad:
- Not all games translate well to joystick controls. Really I'm mostly referencing games that featured a trackball. Crystal Castles is kind of playable without the trackball but nowhere as accurate or as fun as the actual arcade machine. On the other hand, I had an okay time playing Centipede so I suppose it's going to be up to the user's preferences.
- The controller's joystick does not feel as good as the original controller. Also, the controllers take 4 double-A batteries each. Yes, 8 batteries for two-player. Apparently you can plug the controllers into the front of the console's USB-C connectors for power but I don't want to sit that close to the tv. Additionally, the battery compartment is kind of a pain. Instead of just one of those plastic pull tabs, it also features a screw you have to loosen to change batteries. I can see this being obnoxious
- It doesn't come with a power brick. I feel like this is a bit of false advertising on the box. On the list of included items it says "power cable". Well this is true - a USB-A to USB-C cable is included. I'm guessing they're expecting you to have a powered USB slot on your television. Well my tv does not. Thankfully I had an old power brick tucked away that provides the necessary power requirements. Keep that in mind should you look into getting one of these.
The Ugly:
- The firmware update is a convoluted pain in the rear. You have to go to their website, install a driver, and use their program. Once everything is set up on your PC you will connect the system via USB and apply the update. It's really janky and rudimentary. I wish they could patch the system via SD card or something.
Closing thoughts:
Nitpicks and issues aside, I am pretty happy with it so far. Being able to play some Dragonfire with wireless controllers is pretty awesome. I still have my 2600 but this is way easier to hook up to a modern television.
There are other things I have not explored yet such as using other controllers (which you supposedly can) and emulating other systems like NES or the Genesis.
One trick I will share that I found on a random video discussing this system:
After you update to 1.3 you can sideload more games. Your sd card directory will look like this:
Code: Select all
games / Atari 2600 / games go hereCode: Select all
games /
Atari 2600 / Dragonfire.a26
Atari 2600 Paddle / Kaboom!.a26This system is still brand new to me but if anyone has questions I will try to answer them. The system seems to run around $100 to $130 in the physical stores I've been to. However, I got mine online for like half that.