Classic video games brand Atari has announced a new direction: making connected devices for the Internet of Things (IoT).
Atari was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, and swiftly went on to become an early established name in arcade and home console games. It was the company that made the seminal Pong.
But the brand has fallen on hard times in recent decades, and has changed ownership and direction multiple times, to the point where it’s questionable how much of its original DNA remains.
This latest about-turn is possibly the most unusual yet, though. Atari and IoT company Sigfox have announced a partnership to develop Atari-branded connected devices.
“The cooperation will bring together Atari’s brand and creative power with SIGFOX’s unique value proposition: connecting the physical world to the Internet through a simple, reliable, low-cost, energy-efficient solution,” reads the statement.
Why would you want an Atari-branded connected device? Perhaps for the same reason you might want an Atari-branded T-shirt. Look, we have no idea.
The precise nature of these connected devices remains curiously vague, but we are offered a number of clues. We’re told that the range will vary from the “very simple to the highly sophisticated”. We also know that they will fall under such categories as “home, pets, lifestyle and safety,” and that customers will be able to know at any time “where the devices are and what their status is”.
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These IoT products will also benefit from “very long battery life,” and they won’t require a Wi-Fi network to get connected – “As soon as the battery is inserted in the object, it is immediately connected to the network”.
Beyond that, we haven’t the foggiest. Some kind of AR or drone-like gaming devices? Your guess is as good as ours.
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What do you think Atari could be up to here? Let us know what you think in the comments
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
