Microsoft announces Game Room for Xbox 360, PC

The Atari 2600 was my very first console. I still remember unwrapping that wood-grained sucker in 1986, and playing Adventure and Combat to death. And now, Microsoft is going to help me win back a little bit of my childhood, from back before I grew up and realized that life is 98% pain and misery.

That’s because a new Xbox Live and Games for Windows service is on the way, offering oldancient arcade and console classics.

While plenty of games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras are already available for download on modern consoles, Game Room takes things even further back, with consoles such as the Intellivision and Atari 2600 covered. Over 1,000 titles will be released on the service during the next three years.

It’s not just about playing archaic games, however. You also get to design, customize, and upgrade your own – yes! – game room, which essentially becomes your own virtual arcade, packed with your favorite cabinets. Microsoft’s press release says the Game Room will be a “place to relive the glory days of arcade games.”

It’s a great idea for those of unable to afford our own amazing game room, and probably a great idea for Microsoft – games will cost between 240 and 400 Microsoft Points, or you can even drop 40 Points and play the game once, like in an arcade from ye olde days. It will launch this Spring, and the following 30 games will be the first to appear:

1. Centipede (arcade)
2. Asteroids Deluxe (arcade)
3. Tempest (arcade)
4. Crystal Castles (arcade)
5. Lunar Lander (arcade)
6. Jungler (arcade)
7. Road Fighter (arcade)
8. Scramble (arcade)
9. Finalizer (arcade)
10. Tutankham (arcade)
11. Shao-Lin’s Road (arcade)
12. Super Cobra (arcade)
13. Red Baron (arcade)
14. Gravitar (arcade)
15. Battlantlis
16. Astrosmash (Intellivision)
17. Mountain Madness Super Pro Skiing (Intellivision)
18. Armor Battle (Intellivision)
19. Space Hawk (Intellivision)
20. Sub Hunt (Intellivision)
21. Sea Battle (Intellivision)
22. Space Armada (Intellivision)
23. Astrosmash (Intellivision)
24. Star Raiders (Atari 2600)
25. Outlaw (Atari 2600)
26. Yar’s Revenge (Atari 2600)
27. Millipede (Atari 2600)
28. Football (Atari 2600)
29. RealSports Tennis (Atari 2600)
30. Combat (Atari 2600)

Aaaaaand here’s the launch trailer:

[Via press release]