The Atari Gamestation Go is a new handheld from Atari and aimed at the retrogaming market. The device comes with more than 200 built-in Atari games, and is basically a handheld version of the Atari Gamestation Pro that came out a while ago. It has games from Atari's own library, as well as officially licensed games from other developers, such as Namco, Jaleco, and PIKO International. Atari also included some Balls of Steel pinball tables, which are a hoot to play on this device. Users have reported that the system is also capable of playing LYNX ROM files, which makes this device even more versatile.
The device has the classic AB-XY buttons, a thumb stick, and trigger buttons. It also has some unique features not found on other hand-helds, a number pad on the right and on the left you will find a miniature track-ball and a paddle style controller for those old atari games that used these. These controllers are truly a gem, it finally allows you to play a game like missile attack on the go, with a true track-ball, which is a must for that game.
The Atari Gamestation Go has a high resolution massive 7" full color display, and also has a HDMI port, so you can play any of the games on the device on your TV. The console connects to WiFi which will in the future be used to expand the system's game library and opens up the ability to download add-on packs, but as of time of writing, this is not available yet.
The device is large, very large. Still, despite the size, it is very comfortable to play, as for it's size it is not very heavy. The controls are not the best in it's range, but they play very well. The battery lasts anywhere from four to five hours, which is very good, considering the new Switch 2 has a reported battery life of 2 hours. Of course, the Atari gamestation Go is not as sophisticated as the switch, but in terms of pure portable playing time, the Atari wins by a large margin. Of course the device also comes with a headphone jack, and an SD card slot so you can add your own games.
In conclusion, the included games are a mix of Atari's aging 2600 library, which may not make for much fun to play unless you are a die hard atari fan, but the ability to load your own (legally obtained) ROMs, makes this system a very attractive gaming platform. And let's be honest, not many people will play the 2600 version of PacMan more than once, only to realize that the game still sucks, as much or even more as when it came out. But the ability to put LYNX games, or some of the other gems in the larger Atari catalog on the machine makes this portable a must have.
