My Arcade Atari Game Station Pro: Retro Video Game Console with 200+ Games, Wireless Joysticks, RGB LED Lights

The first one I got was used, so I didn't even bother trying it. I don't blame this on Amazon, but rather the particular seller. I sent it back and ordered another one, which was new. This is a great system. It was easy to set up and get to playing. The selection of games on it is very good, though it is missing some of my favorites. However, the great thing about this system is that you can also play games it doesn't come with using a micro SD card. The console... It's well built and looks quite nice. The placement of the two USB-C ports on the front for wired controller connection is great, especially in comparison to other Atari retro consoles, and even the original 2600. The controller ports being in the back of those was always a bit unwieldy, while being in the front is just natural. The top is simple, with a Power and Home button, the latter of which is also on each controller. The ring lights are also nice looking, and they're adjustable, from the default, alternating rainbow colors to solid white and solid orange. You adjust the lights with the Menu button on the controllers. The USB-C power port and full size HDMI ports are on the back, and well placed. And the best part... the micro SD card slot, which is on the left side. The console has a bit of weight, which adds to it feeling more solid, though some of that weight comes from a metal plate on the inside that they added to make it feel heavier. Still, its heft is nice. The controllers... For most games they're very good. The joystick part feels quite different from a traditional CX-40 Atari joystick, both in its style and the way it feels, but it's quite nice. Not cheap feeling. They have a light ring around the bottom of the joystick, corresponding with the lights around the Power and Home buttons on the console. They also have a small rotatable knob used for Paddle games, and it's actually quite nice. It turns very smoothly, with just a little resistance. Now I say the controllers are very good for "most" games, as some games require the use of more than just the A button, and the positioning of the B and C buttons can make games that require the use of them, such as the Arcade version of Missile Command, much less enjoyable to play, if not downright unenjoyable. Other than that, the controllers are quite good. The weight is also quite nice when the batteries are installed. On the top, there are Home, Select and Start buttons. On the back is a Menu button, a connectivity light, a USB-C port and a power switch. Some people have found that input latency is a problem when using the controllers. Because it uses the common wireless 2.4GHz protocol, other devices that use 2.4GHz, such as routers, TVs, mice, etc. can interfere with the signal, causing issues. However, these controllers can be used wired, though you have to provide your own USB-C to USB-C cables. This will eliminate all of the wireless related latency. And when using them wired, you don't have to use batteries in them, though without the batteries they'll be considerably lighter in weight. With this said, I notice barely any input latency at all when using them wirelessly. The latency is so little that it's nearly imperceptible. In fact, it's less than with both my 2600+ and Flashback 12, and both of those use wired controllers. Other... Though the unit comes with a USB-A to USB-C power cable, it does not come with a power adapter. You need to provide a 5V adapter of at least 2A. It also comes with an HDMI cable. Summary... All in all this is a great system. It's a lot of fun. The selection of games is quite good and the game play is outstanding, even for the paddle games. There is also new firmware available and there are videos on YouTube that give step by step instructions on how to update it. Mine came with version 1.20, and the new firmware is version 1.30. It contains some bug fixes as well as changing the games layout on the screen, making it easier to sort through them. Two pieces of advice: - If you're using a modern TV, make sure to set the TV to Game mode in the picture settings. Without doing so, the latency can be fairly noticeable, as the TV processes a lot of things for the picture. Game mode disables all of that extra picture processing, making the picture response much more real time. - This is an important one. Look at the seller reviews before you buy this, and make sure to buy it from a good one.

This is my new favorite thing. But the out-of-the-box experience is admittedly weak... As this item arrives, it feels quality and the controllers are nice. But the game selection is not impressive (and my favorite console is the Atari 2600) and the UX/navigation is boring and confusing. There are only 130 actual atari games, and its missing many of the classics (probably due to licensing). The other 70 games are random NES/SNES/arcade filler, most of which are bad... Still there is Asteroids, Tempest, Centipede, Missile Command etc and in console and arcade variations. But the end result feels kind of like one of those cheap flashback systems. The controllers are gorgeous and feel very nice though-- in my opinion much better than the original cx40. But the button layout is awkward. Its not a problem for old one button games, but you'll keep forgetting which button is which on a 16bit title. It also includes all the accessories you need but it only has hdmi output. I would prefer an analog option for older tvs but there are adapters available. And the controllers take AA batteries which is kind of a bummer. So out of the box I would give this only 2 stars... Fortunately you can fix a lot of issues yourself. Start by installing the updated firmware (currently 1.30), which seems more complicated than it should be but there are plenty of tutorials on youtube. That improves the interface and rom loading experience. Then you can add a micro sd card of your own roms (games). It currently plays most any game on atari 2600/5200/7800, NES, SNES, game boy/color/advance, arcade (mame2003) and sega genesis/master system/game gear. This is where it really shines. There is no flashy interface for the games currently, just a text list, but new updates keep coming and certainly this will improve with time and hopefully support for colecovision/intellivision and c64. As it stands this is my new preferred way to play atari games, even over the retron77 and 2600+, but of which I also recommend, especially if you have cartridges too.

Set up took an hour. Had to power off and start from scratch but even then it wasn't intuitive..... when we finally got it to work the controllers were Jerky, latent and unpredictable ..... THEN the screen would go blank for 3 to 5 seconds. Zero fun. Mentioned in the reviews was a software upgrade, no thanks I chose this as a flash back to a simpler time when you could just blow into a cartridge and be good to go.

SUMMARY: You won't find a more capable and versatile retro gaming console for the money. But minus 1 star, because it requires some fairly detailed and computer-nerdy tinkering before you'll have an ideal experience. It's not hard stuff, but if you're allergic to PCs or file formatting, your experience will be limited to the pre-loaded games, as is. If you're still game (see what I did there?), read on. For the most part, the pre-loaded games are actual Atari games. Not knockoffs. So they work pretty well. Plus you can load thousands more, including non-Atari games, using the micro-SD card slot (you'll find links in retro gaming forums online). The console is USB powered and connects to your TV or monitor with the included HDMI cable. The controllers connect to the console wirelessly. In addition to a joystick, each controller has a paddle knob and multiple button options. It may also work with a wireless controller you already own, but will probably depend on the game you're trying to play. NERD ALERT: You'll want to update the firmware right away. Everything will work MUCH better when you update to current firmware, which you'll find at the product registration site. For example, some of the pre-loaded arcade games (like Centipede) will not appear in their original aspect ratio without the update. NOTE: You'll need a PC – or a friend with a PC – to do the update. There is no Mac support right now. It's a bit of a pain, but it's pretty straightforward. You'll find all kinds of YouTube videos online with step-by-step instructions for the firmware update, instructions for adding games using the card slot, and tests of different third-party wireless controllers. If you have read this far, buy it. You are probably nostalgic about retro games like I am, and at this price, this console is too much fun to pass up.

On the plus side, you don’t need any batteries, even though the description says you NEED batteries for the wireless joysticks. They power up with your USB-C phone charger (5V/2A). You also need a 5V/2A USB charger adapter to plug the console in. The controller is pretty good, but if you played these games back when you’re going to need to learn different skills because many of the games don’t match the arcade version. I got this console mainly because my wife loved Tempest. The controller has a knob (which Atari insists on calling a “paddle”) like the original game, but it’s not what you use for Tempest. They stupidly set it up so you have to move the joystick from side to side to move. The controls for Asteroids are way worse. Overall not bad for the price, but there are too many questionable design choices.

The Atari game console is replicated and represented perfectly. Quite an experience for someone who appreciates nostalgia as I do. Plenty of built-in games to create a positive gaming experience. However, expandable with an SD Card to download hundreds of other compatible titles while utilizing the controllers packed in. Basically, most any program that uses 3 buttons or less will be quite playable from most retro systems throughout the 70's to the early 90's!

I received this a little more than 24 hours ago, I am impressed with it so far. It has a lot of 2600 games along with a few 5200, 7800 and Arcade games. It has a lot of games I played as a child. It does have a lot of the popular titles for the 2600, just not space invaders pac man or galaga. This was super easy to set up, plug in the USB and HDMI to the TV, install batteries in the controllers and you are up and playing in 10 minutes. The controller works well and is responsive with little to no lag. Mine was shipped with update 1.30 right out of the box and was brand new. There's plenty of game ROMs on the internet to install along with tutorials on YT. Google is your friend on this one. There's tons of free open source games out there written by amateurs based on past games. I wouldn't ever suggest anyone download official ROMS illegally, it's best to pay for them and get them legitimately. I read a lot of the reviews for this on here, and I can't speak to their experience or expectations but it seems a lot of people don't understand that games can be added easily through use of the SD card slot on the side. There's even custom operating systems out there to add to make every game download to have cover art and description just like it has originally, instead of just a list on the SD card. Most ROMS are kilobites in size so a 32gb SD card will afford you space for over 10,000 games. (Yes you read that right 10,000 games). It won't run any Xbox PS games but the Xbox one controller is amazing on it, right of the box with default button mapping. PS 4 and 5 controllers work but some of the buttons are not standard use. My kids that grew up on Xbox and Wii can't fathom that this was all we had in the early 80's and 90's to do. I still have my original Atari 2600 and brought it out to compare with this. This is so much better, I think some people have a distorted memory of what the 2600 played like after seeing and playing this. The 2600 was like pushing a lawnmower with square wheels compared to this being a riding lawnmower. You can actually connect a USB C cable to the controller from the console if you have any lag on some games a 10 foot cable is all you really need being any farther away than that doesn't seem right as we had to sit 4 feet away from the TV originally because the cords were so short. Anyone that buys this and is disappointed in it needs to search YT for "Adding games to the Atari Gamestation Pro" before they throw it in the trash or return it. But if you still aren't literate enough after watching YT to get more games then ask a 10 year old they can do it for you.

This Atari is packed with old-school favorites and delivered exactly what we hoped for. Like most of us remember, it’s incredibly hard to stay alive for more than a few minutes, which turned into the best part of the night. We passed the controllers around for a couple of hours and had a blast. It turned into great, simple family fun. The only downside is that two classics I expected to see, Space Invaders and Pac-Man, are not included. That was a little disappointing. Even so, it was a hit. My kids had a great time and quickly realized just how far technology has come since the 70s.