News This watch has Pong and Missile Command instead of apps

[News]

In addition to a user interface featuring a retro Atari 2600-influenced interface, the watch can play four classic Atari games. | Image: Atari

Atari is now selling a smartwatch that prioritizes fun over functionality. The watch’s user interface can be customized with Atari 2600-themed artwork and sound effects. But pushing it squarely into impulse purchase territory is the watch’s ability to play Centipede, Pong, Super Breakout, and Missile Command using the touchscreen or the watch’s crown dial functioning as a paddle controller.

Instead of trying to compete with the Apple Watch’s capabilities, the Atari 2600 My Play Watch targets longtime gamers nostalgic enough for the consoles of their youth to spend $79.99 on an elaborately themed fitness tracker. The watch is available for preorder now through Atari’s online store and is expected to ship by June 10th, 2025.

If the Atari 2600 My Play Watch feels familiar, it’s because it’s actually based on the Space Invaders My Play Watch that launched last September through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Its limited smartwatch capabilities are nearly identical to that previous version, including swappable watch faces and fitness tracking capabilities like step tracking, calories burned, and a heart rate monitor.

There’s still no Bluetooth or Wi-fi connectivity. So, while the Atari 2600 My Play Watch won’t pester you with notifications from your smartphone, you won’t be able to expand its capabilities by downloading apps or new games.

There are a few upgrades on the Atari 2600 My Play Watch. Its 2.02-inch touchscreen is slightly larger than the 1.86-inch screen on the Space Invaders watch, it has a beefier and more industrial-looking metal case, and there’s now a button located beneath its crown dial. It also comes with three swappable bands featuring retro graphic designs, although Atari says they will only be available for a limited time.