Atari and My Arcade’s Gamestation Go handheld
2025 is shaping up to be the year handheld gaming fans become truly spoiled for choice. In addition to the solid lineup of devices already out there, MSI is launching its Lunar Lake-powered Claw 8 AI+, there’s an intriguing entry from Ayaneo featuring modular controllers, and strong rumors of an officially licensed SteamOS device plus upgraded Legion Go 2 from Lenovo. Now, Atari is entering the ring with a device aimed squarely at retro gaming enthusiasts.
It’s called the Gamestation Go, and it was (re)announced today on X (formerly Twitter) via this reveal trailer:
A joint venture from Atari and My Arcade, the Gamestation Go has two features that immediately distinguish it from both retro-focused handhelds (like the Anbernic RG34XX) and more advanced modern devices like Steam Deck. Yep, a built-in Trak-ball, Paddle, and Keypad.
Theoretically, this means the Gamestation Go should support the massive variety of arcade games from Atari’s library, including the many titles that benefited from Trak-ball (think Centipede, Missile Command), Paddle (Breakout), and Keypad controls (such as Codebreaker and Star Raiders among others). Intellivision support is a given, and I’m hoping to see Jaguar games join the party, too.
A screenshot from the reveal trailer
These additional control schemes open up lots of fun doors for game compatibility, but the absence of traditional sticks definitely rules out modern games. That means the horsepower inside the Gamestation Go won’t be too powerful.
Will it run a Linux OS like the Atari VCS did? Will players be able to emulate non-Atari console games?
It also begs another question: given its target game library, why a 16:9 display?
A closer (albeit grainy) look at the paddle and Trak-ball.
At CES 2024, Atari actually unveiled an early prototype of this handheld under the name “Gamestation Portable.” That device was supposed to launch in Q4 2024 for $149. The Gamestation Go looks to be the final version and will be previewed in more detail next week. Unfortunately, we don’t have a firm launch window or price to share yet. Once CES 2025 kicks off on Monday, hopefully we’ll know all the important speeds and feeds.