A new trademark suggests that Atari may be preparing to revive another gaming machine from the early 1980s to add to its retro lineup of nostalgic hardware.
Atari Files Trademark Application for 800XL
Atari released the 800XL Home Computer in 1983 as part of the same line that saw the 400, 800, and 1200XL marketed towards home consumers. The machine got a lot of attention and even had a pretty famous marketing campaign in Australia featuring Mr. T as the spokesperson.
Now, more than four decades later, a new trademark application suggests that Atari might have new plans for the 800XL. The new trademark application in the “Home video game machines” category reveals that Atari up to something with the 1983 machine.
Atari hasn’t made any announcements yet, but some fans are hopeful that this could mean the 800XL is going to get its own revival, similar to the GameStation Go and the 400 Mini. One interesting note is that the 400 mini already offers many of the most popular titles from the 8-bit era. With that in mind, it would be very interesting to see what Atari would do to make the 800XL standout from its other existing retro hardware product line.
After some years of struggling to find its footing, it’s been very interesting to see Atari find a niche place in the gaming marketplace that makes sense for it lately. The company’s efforts still capitalize on nostalgia, but have focused on an interesting mix of classic revivals and new software and hardware.
If the company really does produce some type of 800XL revival, it should be interesting to see what software it comes pre-loaded with and what sort of price point it arrives at. The 400 mini currently sits at just $83.99, after originally launching closer to $119.99. That machine is a half-sized version of the distinctively styled Atari 400, emulating the whole 8-bit Atari range from the 400 to the 130XE, and the Atari 5200 home console.
The 400 mini comes pre-loaded with 25 built-in games, including: Lee, Berzerk, Millipede, Miner 2049er, M.U.L.E, and Star Raiders II. It also added modern quality of life features like multiple save slots, rewind gameplay, and USB flashdrive support.
Be sure to check back soon for more retro gaming news and updates.
Atari has not officially announced an Atari 800XL Home Computer revival and there is no estimated release window for the product at this time.
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