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Review: Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition – Retro Bliss in a Yellow Box

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Pac-Powered Nostalgia: The Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition That Brightens Your Shelf and Your Childhood

If nostalgia had a glow-up, it would look exactly like this. The Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition has arrived in all its bright, banana-yellow, ghost-dodging glory – and honestly, it’s impossible not to grin the moment you lift that lid and see the vibrant packaging wrapped like a retro treasure chest in yellow tissue paper. It feels like unboxing the ’80s.

And just when you think it couldn’t get cooler? You’ve also got the pink (Pinky ghost!) CX40+ wireless joystick, a playful twist on the OG controller that screams “retro chic.” Oh yeah, each ghost colour gets it’s own CX40+ wireless joystick!

Whether you’re a long-time fan who lived through these pixels the first time or a newcomer who wants to understand why your parents won’t shut up about “just one more level,” this console nails the magic.

We are pretty enamoured with all of this retro goodness!

This bundle is packed with goodness to get your nostalgia juices flowing

Why This Edition Is So Cool

1. It’s Pac-Man – but make it fashion.

The console wears the iconic yellow proudly, complete with a subtle PAC-MAN maze texture and little ghosts parading across the front. It’s instantly recognisable and instantly joyful. This is the most stylish 2600+ variant yet.

2. Modern hardware disguised as a time machine.

The 2600+ plays real cartridges, supports original and new joysticks, and runs everything through HDMI with 16:9/4:3 options. Perfect for modern TVs – no RF adapters or tuning channels like it’s 1982.

3. The return of the joystick.

Your CX40+ wireless pink joystick is a brilliant nod to the classic CX40, just with freedom from cables and a sweet modern feel. The pink colourway is bold, fun, and 100% unexpected. Plus, it’s rechargeable!

4. Packed with games.

This PAC-MAN Edition comes with the Pac-Man / Double Feature cartridge, giving you two arcade icons ready to chomp their way into your heart.

5. Built for retro enthusiasts and families.

It’s plug-and-play, durable, kid-friendly, and looks amazing displayed next to your modern consoles. It’s the perfect mix of collectible and playable.

What’s Included

📦 Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition Console
🎮 Yellow CX40+ Joystick (wired)
🎮 PAC-MAN / Double Feature cartridge
🔌 HDMI cable & USB-C power cable
🎀 Bonus: Pink CX40+ Wireless Joystick (NOTE: this is separate)

Specifications

Atari 2600+ Console:

  • Video output: HDMI (720p)
  • Aspect ratio switch: 16:9 or 4:3
  • CPU: Rockchip 3128 SOC
  • RAM: 256MB
  • Storage: 256MB
  • Cartridge compatibility:
    • Atari 2600 cartridges
    • Atari 7800 cartridges
  • Controller ports: 2 × DB9 joystick ports
  • Power: USB-C
  • Special features:
    • Faithful recreation of the original 2600 aesthetics
    • Highly improved internal hardware for better cartridge stability
    • Works with new and vintage controllers

CX40+ Wireless Joystick:

  • Connectivity: 2.4 GHz wireless
  • Battery: Rechargeable (USB-C charging)
  • Buttons: Classic single red fire button
  • Included: Wireless dongle
  • Design: Vintage CX40 shape, modern build, bold pink shell

Gameplay Experience – That Warm Retro Glow

Fire it up, and PAC-MAN pops right to life exactly as you remember – simple, chunky, colourful, and instantly addictive. There’s something magical about navigating that maze using a stick that feels like it time-travelled from the Australia II winged-keel era.

The wireless pink joystick is surprisingly responsive, with a slightly smoother throw than the original CX40, making it easier to escape those pesky ghosts (most of the time…). Whether playing solo or handing the wired yellow stick to a friend, multiplayer sessions feel authentic and chaotic in the best way.

Final Thoughts – The Cool Factor

The Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN Edition isn’t just a throwback, it’s a celebration. A celebration of gaming history, timeless design, and the joy of simple, instantly playable fun. It’s nostalgic without being outdated, modern without losing its soul, and stylish enough to live proudly on any shelf or TV unit.

If you’re a retro collector, a gamer who loves physical media, or someone who simply wants a bright yellow conversation starter – this thing is a total win. Add the pink CX40+ wireless joystick into the mix, and you’ve got the cutest combo in retro gaming today.

It’s fun. It’s iconic. It’s pure Atari magic-chomp-powered and ready to play.

Availability

  • Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN edition retails for AUD$269.95 and can be purchased right now from Amazon AU.
  • The various ghost coloured CX40+ Wireless Joysticks (Blinky – red, Inky – blue, Clyde – orange, Pinky – pink) retail for AUD$59.95  at Amazon AU.

Love the neat little touches like the character on top of the joystick!

For those of you keen on seeing what was in the PRESS KIT, here you go 😉

Disclaimer: The Atari 2600+ PAC-MAN edition console and CX40+ wireless controller were supplied by PLAION A/NZ for this review.

Pac-Man Lifesized Maze: Melbourne

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Get dot-munching for real!

  • What: Pac-Man Lifesized
  • Date: 27-Mar-2024
  • Where / Venue: The District Docklands, 23 – 37, Shop CWF01/01a Level 1/29 Star Cres, Docklands VIC 3008, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3008
  • Tickets: Child $12.00 / Adult $18.00
  • Where to buy: Hidden – Melbourne

Experience the excitement of a real-life Pac-Man maze as you elude colorful ghosts and snatch up fruit! This March (2024), The District Docklands in Melbourne will host an incredible Pac-Man Escape Room Maze. This immersive pop-up event, officially endorsed by Pac-Man, will immerse you in an escape room adventure within a massive maze.

Prepare to outmaneuver ghosts, gather your favorite fruits (bonus points if you can devour all five), and tackle puzzles along the way. Each participant has only three lives, and if caught by one of the four ghosts, a life is lost. You can embark on this adventure solo or with a team of up to 10 people – the choice is yours. The first person to collect all the fruit and conquer the puzzles will earn the title of the ultimate Pac-Man Player!

Additionally, the venue will feature Pac-Man video games for you to enjoy once you’ve completed the maze. Melbourne’s up-and-coming DJs will be spinning ’80s tunes during the session and at the pixelated bar, providing the perfect opportunity to relax and grab a refreshing beverage after your thrilling adventure



LEGO Icons PAC-MAN Arcade – Waka waka waka

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Just in case you have been living under a rock all this time with no internet connection and no one to tell you about this awesome news from Lego………..

Are you ready for this awesome news? Of course you are! Lego announced the Lego Icons PAC-MAN Arcade set on their social channel – with the set earmarked to be released on June 4th for the sum of AU$399.99 – not exactly cheap, but looks pretty darn good.

image source: LEGO



Making A Miniature Pac-Man Drink Coaster

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No one wants or likes water ring stains made by drinks on their furniture, so why not make yourself some cool Pac-Man coasters made from wood and epoxy resin to solve the problem!

While you are at it, please make us a set too 😉

 



An Amazing Custom Pac-Man Analog Synthesizer

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These folks at Swedish uber design group, Love Hultén, sure know how to catch our attention (again!) and make our jaw drop!

Just check out this Pac-Man themed analogue synthesizer based on the Korg Minilogue – it’s darn amazing! Oh yeah, the chiptunes it generates are equally as awesome!


source: Love Hultén



Born To Play Pac-Man

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Christopher Lloyd’s Reverend Jim “Iggy” Ignatowski character is in fine form in this classic scene with Danny DeVito’s Louie De Palma from popular TV series, Taxi.

Christopher Llyod was definitely born to play Pac-Man 😉



LEGO IDEAS – Pac-Man

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We love all things PAC-MAN! The yellow dot-muncher gave us PAC-MAN Fever 40 years ago, so of course we love this Lego Ideas entry!

If you love Lego and you love PAC-MAN, then you know what to do – hit that SUPPORT button now!

source: Lego Ideas – Pac-Man



 

Review: PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon

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There has been one aspect of classic gaming that we’ve always enjoyed, and that is books! There have been a number of awesome classic gaming books released over the years which we have covered on this site, and we are quite chuffed to review the latest book from Cook and Becker, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon.

The iconic PAC-MAN (and his ghostly foes, Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde) needs no introduction, as the arcade game captured the hearts of millions around the world upon its release 41 years ago, and has been played many times over on home systems during the intervening years. There is a reason that the arcade machine is still the number one highest-grossing arcade machine of all time – it was and still is an amazing action maze chase game. Once PAC-MAN crossed over from niche fascination to mainstream appeal, there was no stopping this gaming juggernaut.

The Standard Edition

The Collector’s Edition

PAC-MAN’s appeal has transcended generations of gamers, and this officially licensed (by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.) book, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon, is the ultimate tome that is filled with historical facts about the yellow dot muncher, including; origins of the game (and going from Japan to America), design philosophies, original arcade source code, concept designs, art, archival imagery, marketing campaigns, merchandise and its impact to popular culture to name just a few. PAC-MAN’s story spans decades, touching everything from video games, pop culture to our world today, and PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon captures it all beautifully in a quality book that has fast become the definitive work on the iconic dot muncher.

Lots of great chapters on all things PAC-MAN!

Go Toru!

Pac-Man Fever!

With every page filled with eye popping art and images, it is the stories told that capture your attention and keep you glued to each and every page till the last word. We absolutely loved reading the journey from creator Toru Iwatani’s “pizza slice” inspiration to the actual game and its inevitable success. The road from Japan to America is another fascinating insight into how Puck Man became PAC-MAN. Oh yeah, to read about Toru’s early life and love of pinball was another cherry on top of an already amazing layered cake. Another aspect that was a pleasant surprise which our inner geek loved, was the PAC-MAN Gameology. This portion of the book lists details about every PAC-MAN related video game from 1980 to today – we were gobsmacked to see (and learned something new!) that PAC-MAN features in so many games!

The design philosophy behind the golden age arcade hero!

The art inspiration of the yellow dot-muncher

The co-authors of this special tome,  Arjan Terpstra (Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book) and Tim Lapetino (Art of Atari and other books), have captured every aspect of PAC-MAN and translated it all into an amazing, hefty and beautifully presented book which every PAC-MAN fan and video games historians need on their bookshelf. PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon will reignite your PAC-MAN Fever, so you have been warned!

Pac-Man invades popular culture!

There are two versions of this book that can be pre-ordered right now; the PAC-MAN: Birth of Icon standard edition (AU$89.95) and the limited to 2,000 copies Collector’s Edition (AU$169.95), which includes:

  • The PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon book;
  • A unique PAC-MAN shaped box and level 256 glitch shaped slipcase, celebrating the visual history of PAC-MAN;
  • An exclusive PAC-MAN arcade token; and
  • A limited, brand-new 7” vinyl pressing of the 1981 smash hit “PAC-MAN Fever” by Buckner & Garcia!

You don’t get too many opportunities to get something special like this book, so if you have the opportunity, we highly recommend either of these editions. And if you were bitten hard by the PAC-MAN Fever back in the day, then we highly recommend you grab the Collector’s Edition – it is amazing!

PS: Australian readers can order either PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon edition via our friends at PixelCrib!

No matter your language, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon has you covered!
image source: Cook & Becker



Disclaimer: The ‘PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon Collector’s Edition’ book was kindly supplied by Cook and Becker for this review.

Casio x Pac-Man Vintage Limited Edition Unisex Watch

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Casio sure knows how to tug on our nostalgic strings! Their vintage classic line of watches brings back the 80s, and nothing screams 80s more than a Casio Pac-Man watch!

The A100WEPC-1B Casio x Pac-Man watch is a collaboration between Casio Vintage and Bandai Namco which aims to immerse you in the nostalgia of one of the world’s first blockbuster video games. Details on the watch glass hint at the exciting chase about to unfold as Pac-Man, surrounded in the square LCD display ghost house, is poised to start running.

Laser engraving on the black ion-plated metal band lays out the game maze. The game begins above the watch face with Pac-Man eating dots as he runs away from the ghosts and continues below the face after he’s devoured a power pellet and turned back to chase them!

The Casio x Pac-Man watch is retailing for AU$299.00! We bet these go fast!

 

source: Casio Watches



AtGames’ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About the History of Arcade Games

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AtGames Legends Ultimate

Who doesn’t like a bit of trivia? Right, if you put your hand up, you can excuse yourself right now! For those hanging around, check out some cool trivia submitted to us by the folks at AtGames Gaming!

Anyone born in the 90s or earlier probably remembers – or has at least seen – an arcade machine. These cabinets, often built from wood with a CRT screen, joystick and buttons, were coin-operated machines usually created to play a single game. Pinball machines were the first to introduce the concept in the 1930s, whereas classic arcades with video games started making their presence known in the early 70s.

The late 70s and early 80s were the huge breakthrough, with classics like Space Invaders, Missile Command and Pac Man making arcades a hot commodity in fast-food restaurants, as well as college dorms. While the 80s started introducing home consoles in a big way – Atari 2600 and the Nintendo Entertainment System being two of the major players – arcades started to slowly decline in popularity as console games provided an easier way to enjoy arcade-style action at home. By the mid-90s, arcades were mostly a special interest niche, and, today there is a huge surge in retro-nostalgia where avid gamers can get systems that not only play their beloved arcade memories perfectly, like the AtGames Legends Gamer Pro – but a real, full size, multi-game arcade cabinet of their own, like the AtGames Legends Ultimate, with 300 games built in and the possibility to easily add more!

Here are ten, little known facts and trivia, about some classic arcade games:

1. Missile Command was among the first group of major arcade hits in the US. It even got its own mod-kits, created by students who were fans from MIT.

2. Pong (1972) was the first successful arcade game brought into American homes through Atari’s Home Pong console, released through Sears in 1975.

3. While the AtGames Legends Ultimate is an arcade machine with more than 300 different games built-in, the original arcade machines and home Pong consoles only played one type of game at a time. The first home video game system to accept interchangeable cartridges was co-created by pioneering African-American engineer Jerry Lawson in 1976. The system was originally called the Fairchild Video Entertainment System (VES), and later the Fairchild Channel F (short for “Fun”). It was, however, soon eclipsed after the third ever programmable video game console, the Atari Video Computer System (VCS, or 2600), was released less than a year later.

4. The inventor of Tetris, Alexey Pajitnov, didn’t get any money from his game until about 10 years after its initial release. He was a Soviet computer scientist and the USSR took all the money he would have gotten.

5. Centipede was one of the first games to become popular with female players. This may be because of the fact that Dona Bailey – who was involved in its development – was one of Atari’s few, female employees at the time.

6. 64th Street – A Detective Story (1991) was a popular beat’em-up in the arcades, published by Jaleco. This two-player revenge story built on the classic beat’em-up legacy from the 80’s like Double Dragon (1987).

7. Asteroids displaced Space Invaders in popularity in the United States and became Atari’s best-selling arcade game of all time, with over 70,000 units sold.

Boogie Wingsimage: Boogie Wings (1992) by Data East

8. Data East’s Boogie Wings – known as The Great Ragtime Show in Japan – was pretty obscure when originally released as an arcade game in 1992. Over time the beautiful shoot’em-up has become a fan-favourite and dark horse classic, often praised and well-talked about in retro-gaming communities for its originality and variety in gameplay.

9. Joe and Mac: Caveman Ninja was such a popular platformer in the arcades that it was later converted to no less than eight different console and computer formats, the latest one being the Nintendo Switch. Not bad for a 30+ year old gaming classic!

10. One of the games revered by arcade-buffs is Zoo Keeper, TAITO’s 1982 classic and one of the first of three arcade games ever released for the American market by the company. The              player needs to contain escaping animals from the zoo that have captured the protagonist Zeke’s girlfriend, Zelda (Ed: say what?!)!. This is done by running around the compound, planning your moves. But did you know the game was originally named King Crab?

Well there you have it peeps. What did you think? Some stuff is pretty well known, but there were a couple of things in the list that we weren’t aware of, so we’ve learned something new today!