Review Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition - An Eye-Catching Respray Bundled With A Stunning New Port

Atari has done an excellent job of mining its illustrious past in recent years, giving us the Atari 2600+ and the Atari 7800+ – as well as a selection of brand-new carts to play on them.

The company's big release for Christmas 2025 takes a slightly different approach, however; rather than give us an entirely new 'Plus' console this year, Atari has taken the original 2600+ and given it a Pac-Man lick of paint and bundled it with one of the most remarkable 'retro ports' we've seen in a long time.

Is it worth picking this over Atari's existing systems, and should you be interested in it if you already own a 2600+ or 7800+? Hopefully, by the end of this review, you'll know the answer.

Before we dig into what makes this product so unique, a little refresher is probably in order. The original 2600+ was capable of playing both 2600 / VCS carts and 7800 ones. While this new system appears to be the same as the original 2600+ from the outside (apart from the Pac-Man design, of course), it's not an exact match internally.

This is because Atari and hardware partner Plaion have instead used the slightly revised internals seen in the 7800+. You see, the original 2600+ was incapable of supporting the Atari CX-20 driving controller or the Video Touch Pad controller used in conjunction with Star Raiders.

As highlighted by our good pal ctrl-alt-rees, Plaion's Ben Jones explains that this feature cannot be added to the original 2600+ via a firmware update, so it was fixed using a revised controller input board in the subsequent 7800+; there's no additional processing power on offer, but controller compatibility is improved. It's this revised board which is found inside the 2600+ Pac-Man Edition.

The 2600+ Pac-Man Edition is, in almost every other respect, identical to the original model. The top of the system features a cartridge slot and four switches: Power, TV-type, Game Select, and Game Reset. On the back of the console, you've got two controller ports, HDMI-out, USB-C for power, two difficulty switches and a 14:9/4:3 aspect ratio toggle.

The most obvious selling point of the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition is contained in its name; Atari has inked a deal with Bandai Namco to produce this unique version of the original 2600+, and it's fashioned from bright yellow plastic and comes with several Pac-Man-inspired design features.

For example, the front panel on the console (which famously featured a woodgrain effect on the original) now showcases Pac-Man chasing the four members of the 'Ghost Gang': Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. When you power up the machine, these are illuminated – as is the Atari logo, located on the right of the front panel.

The bundled CX-40+ wireless controller is also the same one which shipped with the original 2600+, but with several visual differences. The top of the stick features a Pac-Man design, while the ring around the base of the stick is composed of dots and power pellets, both elements from the game itself. Atari and Plaion have released a series of sticks matching the colours of the Ghost Gang, but sadly, only one is included in this package – that means you're going to have to spend a little more to play two-player games, or use a 9-pin D-connector compatible controller.

Finally, we have the bundled cartridge, which is perhaps the most interesting element of this package. Programmed by homebrew legend Bob DeCrescenzo (who also created the 7800+ pack-in game, Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest), Pac-Man: Double Feature includes Tod Frye's original (and much maligned) Atari VCS / 2600 port of Pac-Man as well as an entirely new conversion for the 7800, handled by DeCrescenzo. To select which game loads, there are dip-switches on the rear of the cartridge.

This new port is utterly remarkable; it's astonishingly close to the original coin-op thanks to the fact that DeCrescenzo studied the arcade version's source code to ensure everything plays (and behaves) like it should. However, the cool stuff doesn't end there; DeCrescenzo also includes the 'Speed-Up Chip' mode that makes the player character four times faster (this was Namco's attempt to extend the longevity of the original coin-op). You're also able to randomise the maze layout.

Even more remarkable is that DeCrescenzo has included a hidden feature; toggle the 'TV-type' switch on the console while you're on the game's main menu, and a secret option appears which allows you to use the 7800 version's extra features in the 2600 port of the game – so, for the first time, you can play the original Atari port with improved accuracy, randomised mazes and extra speed.

What DeCrescenzo has achieved with this port is nothing short of mind-blowing; not only has he crafted a near-perfect Atari version of Namco's classic dot-gobbling arcade title (and thereby atoned for the sin of Tod Frye's version, which, despite being the best-selling Atari 2600 game of all time, arguably marked the beginning of the video game crash of 1983 in North America), he has also managed to make Frye's version a little more enjoyable be retrospectively adding features to it.

If you're already a 2600+ owner, then the aforementioned issues with controller support might make this new and improved variant an attractive proposition – as long as you're cool with the slightly garish new colour scheme, of course.

For existing owners of 7800+ models, it's arguably a little harder to recommend, as you're essentially getting the exact same system with some cosmetic tweaks. The bundled cartridge becomes the most appealing aspect of this package, and that can be purchased separately if you're not interested in the hardware.

Ultimately, the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition is a brilliant way to reconnect with the company's hardware history, supported by a fantastic port of Pac-Man by coding wizard Bob DeCrescenzo. If you've yet to try out any of Atari and Plaion's previous 'Plus' range systems and you're keen to make use of your collection of existing 2600 and 7800 carts, then this comes highly recommended.

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