200 Games, Four controls, One Glorious Atari Handheld
A chat with the designers behind the Atari Gamestation GO
Handheld gaming systems are big business as of late, and it’s not just PC gaming handhelds that are taking off. There’s also been a rise in the popularity of retro gaming handhelds.
That category includes everything from the often Android-based systems designed to emulate classic console and computer games, to interesting new additions like the crank-included Panic Playdate, to systems that offer licensed versions of classic titles.
Evercade, for instance, released a rash of handhelds that accept proprietary cartridges packed with some amazing games. But what’s really got me excited this month is a new system coming out from MyArcade and Atari.
The Atari Gamestation GO is a handheld with more than 200 built-in games and (Here’s the really cool part) an integrated paddle, trackball, and number pad to play them with.
The system, which hits on Oct. 24 for $180, includes titles from Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, and Arcade as well as a few Recharged creations. It sports a 7-inch screen and Wifi.
The system arrives during what I see as a renaissance in handheld gaming. Michael Ponce, Vice President of Design at Dreamgear/MyArcade, agrees.
“We’re seeing a cultural return to tactile, authentic gameplay experiences,” he told me in a recent interview. “Handhelds are thriving because people want gaming that’s accessible, nostalgic, and personal—something they can pick up and play in any setting. For Atari, whose roots are in approachable fun, this is the perfect moment to bring a device that celebrates that history into the handheld space.”
The idea for the Atari Gamestation GO, though, came about after the launch of the Atari Gamestation Pro in 2023.
“That system established a foundation of authenticity and versatility by bringing together both modern and retro control schemes,” he said. “As we looked ahead, the idea was to take that same spirit of ‘all-in-one Atari play’ and make it portable, giving players the ability to enjoy the full breadth of Atari’s history anywhere.”
The design team was well aware that Atari’s storied legacy included games that used paddles, joysticks, trackballs, and, yes, even a keypad, and they wanted to honor that breadth of creativity by creating a system that could natively support all of those control types.
“We studied Atari’s most iconic titles—like Pong, Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command—and built the control set around delivering an authentic experience for those games,” Ponce said. ”The biggest challenge was ergonomics and reliability. Each input method—paddle, trackball, joystick, and keypad—operates very differently, and fitting them into one compact handheld required extensive prototyping. Balancing the sensitivity so that a trackball feels responsive while the paddle maintains precise resistance was particularly tricky. The engineering team spent months refining tolerances to make sure no single control felt like an afterthought.”
The trackball, he added, was by far the most challenging to lock down.
“Replicating the arcade feel of games like Centipede in a handheld form factor required custom components and fine-tuning sensor calibration. Getting it small enough without sacrificing the smooth, rolling motion was a major hurdle—but ultimately one of the most rewarding parts of the design.”
While packing all of those controls into a single system was challenging, the team also had to figure out what they wanted the overall design and shape of the system to look like as well. To do that, the design was chiefly informed by portability and comfort, and then layered in retro cues from classic Atari hardware.
The system’s rounded edges and proportions are clearly designed to make the system easy to hold for long gaming sessions, but the first thing you’ll probably notice is that matte black finish and Atari red accents that tie back directly to the brand’s iconic visual language.
“We see it as a bridge between past and present—modern in form by unmistakably Atari in spirit,” Ponce said.
Fans of Atari, handhelds, and retro gaming have had, perhaps, longer than expected to hunger for the system’s release. It was first shown off at CES in 2024, with an expected release date later that year. But that anticipation was met with mostly silence until this year’s CES, where it popped up again.
Ponce said the system was delayed because MyArcade wanted to ensure they had plenty of time to do quality assurance and respond to feedback from partners, licensors, and early testers.
The result of that way means the system now has upgraded screen brightness, improved battery efficiency, and that the paddle and trackball have both been fine-tuned for greater accuracy.
Of course, even the best hardware needs a nice selection of games to play on it. The GameStation GO will release with a focus on a core library of original Atari classics spanning arcade, 2600, 5200, 7800, and beyond. But the team also worked with partners to include a number of remastered or enhanced titles that take advantage of the hardware’s unique control options.
“The balance is designed so that fans get both authenticity and freshness in the same system,” Ponce said.
Better still, the Wi-Fi functionality will be used to expand the library over time, he confirmed, including the possibility of downloadable add-on packs.
“This gives the Gamestation Go room to grow beyond launch, with future updates keeping the system fresh for both longtime Atari fans and new players discovering the catalog,” Ponce said. “The Gamestation Go is really a celebration of Atari’s versatility. From the paddle to the trackball to the joystick, this system is designed to let players experience the full range of Atari’s history in one device—no adapters, no compromises.
“For us, the most rewarding part is seeing new generations discover these games in a way that feels authentic to the originals while being portable and modern enough for today.”
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