‘Atari Vault’ On Steam — Replay 100 Classic Games From The Golden Era Of Retro Video Gaming, Now With Added Features

Atari and Steam will soon allow gamers to relive the golden days of retro gaming with “Atari Vault.” The sub-section on the subscription-based online gaming service will feature 100 classic games from the house of Atari.

The Atari 2600 and NES can easily be considered the forefathers of digital gaming. These gaming systems not only introduced many to the world of dedicated console gaming, they were the first units that opened up the world to digital games in general. Now, Atari has confirmed “Atari Vault” for Steam. While many other platforms have offered similar bundles in the past, this version comes with Steam Controller support that will offer the fun of retro-gaming with modern-day controllers, reported Examiner.

While Atari as a game development or game console company is well past its prime, many of today’s senior gamers would surely enjoy revisiting their early days, when gaming was very much in its infancy and games were woefully short on graphics, but still managed to offer oodles of fun gameplay and engagement. Atari Vault will offer a retro selection of 100 games through Steam. Developed in association with Code Mystics, Atari Vault is expected to be released sometime this spring. The development company is known for its solid bundle of Atari’s classics for the iPhone, reports Senegal ACTU.

Some of the most notable games that are bound to induce a severe case of nostalgia included in the bundle are Asteroids, Centipede, Warlords, Missile Command and Tempest. While most of these games have long been relegated to the gaming museums, these games are being re-launched on Steam and are about to offer the advantage of new technology that’s far more powerful and versatile than the consoles gaming companies offered back then. Though there’s no official confirmation about pricing, many nostalgic gamers are already wishing their favorite titles like Galaxian and Galaga would also be included.

Atari Vault will be released as a single PC title with new features and multiplayer capabilities, reports PC Magazine. Those who played on the original Atari systems will instantly realize that Atari on Steam offers much improved precision control. However, it will be the original soundtracks that are bound to take gamers back to their childhood days.

According to MSN, the company has assured that the games won’t be just “ports,” an industry term for merely making the games “compatible” and playable on another platform. Instead, all of the titles have been reworked to take advantage of the much-touted Steam controller, as well as the social feature “Steam leaderboards,” which allows gamers to post their statistics and achievements for their friends to see and compete against. Ever since the introduction of social leaderboards, competitive and co-op gaming have been a huge hit on Steam. In the old days, there was no way of sharing the high scores. Additionally, these games are expected to run with a sleek, new user interface. All these features could more than make up for the apparent non-exclusivity of the Atari games on Steam.

100-game Atari collection is coming to Steam https://t.co/U7z4C4e1B2 pic.twitter.com/BxyBxWCG1v

— Destructoid (@destructoid) January 23, 2016

Steam is keen on the development because of the unique marriage of the hardware with the gaming style, with which the old school gamers are familiar with. Many of the classics like Centipede were played on controllers that featured a trackball. These controllers were quite primitive, but they got the job done. Interestingly, the Steam Controller touch pads mimic the design and feel of a trackball, reports PC Games N. The press release has extolled the unique advantage Steam controllers offer.

Gaming systems like the Atari were popular before the advent of home computers and they engaged multiple generations of gamers who plowed their way through crude, but enjoyable, levels. Those interested in playing Atari games are advised to head over to Atari Arcade to brush up on their skills ahead of the Atari Vault release on Steam.

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