- Atari and Bandai Namco are teaming up for Pac-Man's 45th anniversary
- This comes in the form of the upcoming Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition
- The package includes the console, a unique joystick, and a Pac-Man game cartridge
First, there was a sublime Tekken 8 stage, then the release of bizarre metroidvania Shadow Labyrinth. Now, Bandai Namco has teamed up with Atari for a rather unexpected Pac-Man 45th anniversary collaboration.
The Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition is an upcoming version of the recreated console that sports a fittingly yellow coat of paint. Pre-orders for the unit are set to go live tomorrow (July 23, 2025) at Amazon and Atari's own website, and it'll cost you $169.99 / £129.99. As for the release date, it's expected to launch on October 31, 2025. Spooky.
The console also comes packaged with a unique Pac-Man Edition CX-40+ joystick and a Pac-Man: Double Feature cartridge, which includes the original Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man, as well as an all-new Atari 7800 version.
CX-40+ joysticks based on Pac-Man's ghostly enemies - Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde - will also be available to pre-order separately at $39.99 / £29.99 each. These come in the colors of their respective ghost, either blue, red, pink, or orange.
Otherwise, you can expect all the same features as the original Atari 2600+. That includes full compatibility with existing 2600 and 7800 cartridges, HDMI output, and widescreen support.
Atari is also preparing a limited High Score Collection, which bundles four cartridges into one package. Each game - Pac-Man: Double Feature, Dig Dug, Xevious, and Galaga - comes with its own packaging and some "exclusive extras" according to the store page. Pre-orders for the High Score Collection also open up on July 23 for October shipping.
