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Atari's rumored new game console is PC-based

Atari's CEO Fred Chesnais says that the Ataribox game console is "based on PC technology."

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
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On June 8, a 21-second video appeared at ataribox.com, teasing a plastic and wood box cryptically described as "a brand-new Atari product, years in the making." It was unclear whether the console was simply an emulator box for retro Atari games or something actually new. Atari failed to show the teased product at last week's E3 video game expo

However, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais has now told GamesBeat that a new Atari game console is indeed in the works.

"We're back in the hardware business," Chesnais said.

He gave scant details about what the new console is all about and when it would be officially unveiled but said it's "based on PC technology" and added that "Atari is still working on the design and will reveal it at a later date."