Atari, the iconic video game maker, is jumping head first into the Internet of Things. A partnership with SIGFOX, a French global communications service provider, means Atari will launch connected devices later this year.
Exactly what Atari and SIGFOX are planning is still a mystery, as the companies only teased news of their partnership in a press release. Will it be a series of sensors that can detect incoming missile attacks or an alien centipede invasion? No one knows.
SIGFOX doesn't operate like a typical wireless carrier where you have to hook up only specific devices. Instead, it allows supported devices to connect instantly to its network without the need for local internet connectivity or pairing.
"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."
That's a lot to promise but hopefully some interesting and useful products come out of Atari's partnership with SIGFOX.
