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Atari launches wearable push with Speakerhats

Ball caps with built-in Bluetooth speakers made in partnership with NECA and Audiowear

Three years ago, Atari CEO Frederic Chesnais told GamesIndustry.biz he didn't buy the company to make T-shirts. It turns out he also wanted to make hats.

Atari today announced its first endeavor into wearable technology, the Atari Speakerhat. Produced in partnership with social audio company Audiowear, the Speakerhats look like standard baseball caps with Atari branding on them, but have two speakers built into the underside of the brim that can connect to any Bluetooth-enabled device. The hats also have a "multiplayer mode" allowing a number of hats to play the same audio stream in synch. The hats are debuting at the San Diego Comic-Con this week, and a Blade Runner 2049-branded version of the Speakerhat is set to launch this fall with the participation of NECA.

No pricing was announced for the hats, and Atari has said it is currently looking for beta testers. The company's website frames the beta test as a contest, suggesting that a package including a Speakerhat, an Atari T-shirt, an Atari Flashback compilation for PS4 or Xbox One and participation in the beta test program has an approximate value of $300.

"Atari has transcended its seminal gaming origins to become a true pop-culture lifestyle brand, but disruption remains deeply rooted in our DNA," said Atari Connect COO Michael Arzt. "With the recent reveal of our Ataribox project and now with Speakerhats, we envision a full range of connected personal devices that live at society's intersection of entertainment, technology and social connectivity that legendary film worlds like Blade Runner 2049 foretell. Our new products will speak to a whole new generation of Atari fans, while also honoring the decades of affection and devotion by our most loyal ones."

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Brendan Sinclair

Managing Editor

Brendan joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2012. Based in Toronto, Ontario, he was previously senior news editor at GameSpot in the US.