To be released at some point this spring, Atari have announced Atari Vault for Steam – a stonking package of 100 classic games from Way Back When. Other platforms might’ve enjoyed similar bundles over the years but, most interestingly, this one will come with Steam Controller support.
It may seem hard to imagine now, but I bet a load of our best games on PC were inspired by Atari classics.
Why is Steam Controller support interesting? Well, many of the classics – Centipede, for one – used trackball controllers. Naturally, setups back then were far more primitive compared to what we have now, however the Steam Controller touch pads mimic the design and feel of a trackball.
To this end, Atari reckon Steam Controller support “provides significantly improved precision control”. I spent a few days with the Steam Controller last year and while I was not taken by it all, this could be promising. Probably not promising enough to justify splashing out, but I’d love to give the classics a go this way if it’s done properly.
As for what the Vault will include, expect the usual suspects of Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, Warlords, and “many more”, which will obviously at least mean Joust, the grandmaster of them all.
If you’re in the San Antonio region at the end of the month, you can check out Atari Vault at the PAX South exhibition.