Awesome Atari

New Wave Toys’ RepliCade is an upcoming line of fully-functional sixth scale (i.e. 12″ tall) arcade machine scale models. The series is kicking off with Centipede. It has a wood cabinet, LED backlighting, laminated overlays and coin return buttons that work as controls.

Etsy store 1Up Forge makes key holders using the controller connectors of old video game consoles, such as the NES, the Atari 2600 and the PlayStation. Attach the male connector to your keyring then stick it in the proper port to secure it. They could use more polish though.

Techmoan looks back at one of the odder bits of tech that video game maker Atari created. The Atari Video Music was an analog device that could produce a lightshow on your TV using your stereo system as its input. While it wasn’t a hit, the Atari 2600 was their next release.

A handheld edition of the classic Atari 2600 game console with a 3.2″ color display. It comes pre-loaded with 60 games, and can also play game ROMs loaded onto an SD card too. Has a built-in rechargeable battery, and can connect to a TV with RCA composite inputs.

Daniel Perdomo’s DIY analog PONG table is now an officially-licensed Atari product. It preserves the original game’s control scheme but on a larger, physical form. The knobs can be covered when you want to have a normal table. Available in four designs.

It took quite a bit of planning and engineering prowess, but the end result of Daniel Perdomo’s recreation of Atari’s arcade classic PONG as a game played with mechanical paddles and ball cube is quite impressive. (Thanks Philip!)

Ahoy looks back at 1982 to 1983, some of the darkest days of the video game industry, born from over-saturation of the market, low quality games, and competition for shelf space. Fortunately, things turned around by 1985, but the cycle could repeat itself.

The Mini Emu is a small plug-and-play computer that can run digital copies of classic video games. It uses open source software to run games from over 40 consoles, from the Atari 800 to the PlayStation. It’s also a media player.

For his latest Clueless Gamer episode, Conan O’Brien puts away the Xbox 360 and PS3 and dusts off an old Atari 2600. We have to agree that most of these “classics” really don’t stand the test of time. Nintendo, on the other hand…

(NSFW: Language) Mighty God King photoshopped the cover art of Atari 2600 games, interpreting the art in the titles and poking fun at the generation’s simple gameplay and primitive graphics.

Musician cTrix hacked together an Atari 2600, three effects pedals – a bass equalizer, flanger and delay – along with a custom joystick track selector to create a chunky chiptune axe.

Get your drink on with these retro Atari arcade pint glasses. Each set comes with Missile Command, Asteroids, Centipede and Tempest glasses. Of course, they’re perfect for playing quarters.

It’s coin-op/cartridge goodness, minus the coins or cartridges; Atari Arcade lets you play six classic games for free, including Asteroids, Adventure, Battlezone, and Lunar Lander.

Cobbled together from junk parts, Iain Sharp’s real-life, analog version of Atari’s 1979 Lunar Lander game is out of this world; it’s powered by a pair of old PCs and Sharp’s own software.

Niles Z. gives Atari 2600 cartridges a second lease on life with his Atari Wallets; clips, neodymium magnets and wires keep things in place, but we most like the original (still playable) chip.

Gametap’s Re\Visioned series is back in a big way with six brilliant animated shorts that reimagine classic Atari 2600 games including Pitfall, Pressure Cooker and Cosmic Ark.

A worthy addition to our rapidly growing geek bling collection, this 18 karat gold ring by artist Sakurako Shimizu is a precise case of a 1981 Atari chip; it’s also available in silver.

Packed with 50+ classic Atari games, 2600 Online is proof that good gameplay always trumps graphics; Missile Command and Pac-Man still get our blood pumping, pixels and all.

Marshall Alexander is well known for his papercraft creations; Series 3 of his FoldSkool Heroes is made for old-school gamers, with cutesy Atari, Pong, and Commodore robots.

Those of us old enough to remember the Atari 2600 will love these Atari Modern Classics pictures from The -Minus World; they’re a wonderful take on retro package design.