Panic Playdate

Price: $149
Release Date: 2021
What it is: A retro-flavored monochromatic handheld gaming device.

It seems that handheld consoles are a dying breed these days, what with smartphones and cloud gaming as an attractive proposition. Panic, best-known as an app and software developer, is looking to give us a brand new option with the Playdate. It’s an upcoming handheld console made as a collaboration with Teenage Engineering.

At a glance, the Playdate sports a diminutive, eye-catching yellow that brings to mind the similar sunny Nintendo Switch Lite hue, but it has a special crank on the side. Despite what you may think, the crank isn’t meant to power the device – it’s used to play the games developed specifically for the system from a variety of developers, including Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi.

The Playdate is meant to be carried in your pocket and features Wi-Fi, USB-C, Bluetooth, and a headphone jack – a feature missing from the latest smartphone models. Instead of a color screen, Panic chose to implement a black-and-white 2.7-inch Sharp LCD screen with a resolution of 400 x 240 with high reflectivity and no backlight for a "crystal-clear image."

It's a purposeful step backward into the days of retro gaming meant to bring the Game Boy to mind — and with its inventive crank, it looks like a cool way to flash back to the past while incorporating modern sensibilities. It’s still a ways off, but it’s an affordable alternative to a smartphone, Switch, or a Nintendo DS that promises a series of seriously interesting innovations.

Atari VCS

Price: $389.99
Release date: 2020
What it is: A retro-flavored PC/console hybrid perfect for playing the classics

The Atari VCS represents the iconic gaming brand's first return to the console market since the Jaguar handheld in 1993. Slated for a late 2020 release, the system could be the last and best shot at redemption for Atari when it comes to competing with heavy hitters like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony.

Because of the nature of the Atari VCS, however, it likely isn't going to be a major disruptor for the industry. But it will add another element of choice for gamers looking for something a little different than what's available already.

The VCS is less like a console than it is a powerful gaming PC, housing an AMD Ryzen processor with Radeon graphics and an Ubuntu-based OS to help facilitate running a variety of different games.

Instead of focusing on solely triple-A titles and newer indie releases, however, the Atari VCS is focusing on a different set of releases. It's heading back to the arcade to serve up over 100 arcade and home titles like Missile Command and Asteroids.

This will work by way of the Atari Vault streaming service that will ensure you've got a wide variety of different games to play with the family. There aren't any additional high-profile releases confirmed just yet for the system, but its intriguing approach to bringing arcade games to a modern console to mingle with triple-A titles makes it an attractive option.

If you’re looking for a versatile system that can take you all the way back to the past and jump to the present for some modern gaming, the Atari VCS looks to be a viable option that should be more than powerful enough to handle a variety of different titles. It also could be the last time we see an Atari console, which makes it unique enough for a variety of other ways.

Intellivision Amico

Price: $249
Release Date: April 3, 2021
What it is: A family-centric console featuring a variety of 2D and 2.5D games with games appropriate for all ages.

Intellivision is looking to make a comeback with its first console in several years. The Intellivision Amico could potentially bring the brand's illustrious name back into the public eye, especially since it's approaching its console release in a different manner than the other systems available. Unlike its brethren, the Amico is focused solely on offering games deemed appropriate for the whole family.

The Amico is slated to launch with around 40 titles when it debuts next spring, including six free games that will come preloaded on the system. However, the games that will be included on the system at launch will need to be easy to play and easy to learn to be added to the system's library. All games must have console-exclusive features, and must be rated E or E10+.

Games must also be bereft of bad language, sexual content, graphic violence or blood, and anything in the realm of loot boxes, DLC, or in-app purchases. All games will support multiplayer and players of all skill levels.

The system will include two special controllers that resemble classic MP3 players with small directional discs, a touch screen, side buttons, and motion control capabilities. It’s one of the most restrictive of the upcoming consoles, since it’s solely meant for family gaming, so if you’re into more challenging titles it may not be for you. But its mission statement makes it a worthy contender to see if the Intellivision name will come back into vogue.

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