Sigfox recruits Atari for IoT devices push

Retro gaming giant Atari will soon be entering the IoT arena following a partnership with Sigfox, the low power WAN provider.

Famed for its trailblazing old-school computers and gaming consoles in the 1980s and 1990s, an announcement from Atari said it will soon be developing and launching consumer IoT devices. While tangible details weren’t forthcoming, and won’t be for the time being, Atari did indicate a move back to hardware having been primarily, if not solely, focussed on software and gaming for much of the last 20 years.

Atari said the initial product line will include offerings in areas such as home, pets, lifestyle and safety. By combining with Sigfox, Atari plans on developing a wide range of new products that users can track at any time. Sigfox says that by connecting to its network, products will benefit from an extended battery life and no need for paring or connectivity configuration.

“By partnering together and using Sigfox’s dedicated IoT connectivity, we are going to create amazing products with our brand,” said Fred Chesnais, Atari CEO. “We look forward to our collaboration with Sigfox and releasing new products to the mass market on a global scale.”

“Atari, which has disruption rooted in their DNA, was quick to envision the transformative role that the Internet of Things can play in interactive entertainment,” said Sigfox CEO Ludovic Le Moan. “Our network bridges the virtual and physical worlds simply, reliably and inexpensively and this collaboration will launch a new dimension to gaming, while supporting features that are limited only by the imagination.”

Atari says development of the new product line will begin this year but offered little further detail. The brand certainly has retro appeal but it’s not immediately obvious why Sigfox chose to partner with Atari rather than a more contemporary devices brand, or why the announcement was made at such a preliminary stage. Time will tell.