Guide Where To Pre-Order The Atari 2600+

I enjoyed the likes of Dig Dug, Joust and Pitfall, but I don't see the value in this collection. That said, the 2600 is slightly before my time as I didn't really get into gaming until the NES. Thus, I don't have the nostalgia some will have.

Let me log k into my crystal ball and see what I see...

The units will be snapped up by 'bots then scalped for 3x their value.

People will be separated from their money.

I will keep playing 2600 games on my laptop in an emulator I downloaded over 20 years ago.

so this device will actually accept old carts and has emution software inside the box to emulate them... i have a feeling emulation quality will be subpar. can't see a large market for this era of gaming. this will be dead on arrival if i had to guess, especially at those prices.

Atari 50 is out and their history. But whatever 2600/7800 that aren't all Atari makes this worth it but also some games aren't that compelling on either system or collectors got the 2600/Intelli/Coleco years ago didn't they (if that's even true).

A classic console with 7800 games on it is cool but I still don't know what to think about this. Besides the emulation and benefits of using actual carts ok that does give it some more worth for sure.

Pitfall on Xbox BC I'd love to see (Lost Expedition Xbox OG version and besides it has Pitfall 1 & 2 for 2600 in it via codes/a Shaman shop purchase of 0 idols so, but if we saw the PS1 entries or the SNES one on modern platforms I think that'd be nice or a PS4/Xbox One/Switch Activision compilation).

I guess this will be the same emulation that will be used in the Polymega.

I only see this appealing to the type of people who already had an Atari 2600 collection.

I'm excited about this release, especially because I've been wanting to buy a 7800, but I'm also concerned it won't be able to play homebrew games or any games that use less common bank-switching methods. (Many of the "untested" games in the compatibility list use the same bank-switching method.) Newer 2600 titles also have extra chips in them, which would need to be emulated, and we don't know if the 2600+ will support firmware updates or not.

I don't want to hate on this device. It's affordable, and I love what Atari is doing lately. That said, 2600 fans may be better off sticking with the RetroN 77. There's a community firmware update that will enable you to enjoy far more games than the initial offering here. (Well, provided you don't have a unit with faulty RAM, anyway.)

Lastly, you may not care about homebrew support, but you may not realize just how big the homebrew scene is.

Think of any arcade game from the 1980's or earlier. It's probably been ported to the 2600. In fact, the 2600 port of Juno First is the only port of this game that exists!

Like Pac-Man? Look up Bob Decrescenzo. He even ported Baby Pac-Man! (This is also the only port of this game that exists.)

Love Adventure? Check out Adventure II for the 5200. Or browse through the Atari Age forums for some great ROM hacks of the original 2600 game. (You can play on original hardware with a Harmony cartridge.)

Want to play modern ports of existing 2600 titles? The Atari Age community has got you covered here as well. Better ports of Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Gorf exist, to name a few.

You can also play de-makes of other games. Princess Rescue if you like Mario or Zippy the Porcupine if you like Sonic. There's even Halo!

And that's not even getting into the original stuff being produced.

So yeah, homebrew is pretty important, and I'd much rather pay $130 for an HDMI-ready, emulation-based console than $200+ for 37-year-old hardware that has to be modded to support composite video.

EDIT: Since posting, I've learned about a few promising developments. (Again, all through the discussion on Atari Age.)

1.) The 2600+'s firmware can be updated via the USB-C port.

2.) The device will use the latest version of Stella, v6.7, for 2600 emulation.

3.) The new Berzerk port is a 32K game which means the ROM dumper in the 2600+ is more sophisticated than what's in the RetroN 77.

And I also misspoke on how the RetroN 77 handles 2600 carts with extra chips. Namely, they can't be dumped. The RetroN 77 is only able to play them because you can load ROM's from the SD card. I'm hoping the same will be true of the 2600+ with its USB port, but nothing's been announced so far.

I hope for a full suite of reviews for this and all its accessories after launch!

Paddles could be a good shout for me because my paddle controllers are just awful. I think they must be broken inside somewhere. Would love to see a review of these and how they compare to the originals

I assume everything works on the original hardware? Will the new compilation carts work on old Atari's?

Does the new system have old display connections as well as HDMI? Will I be able to hook it up to a CRT without using any adapters?

This is a long shot but I'd hope they redesign the carts slightly so you don't have to ruin a label to open them up to clean them

I actually really like the idea of a modern Atari box with compatibility for the 7800 (which I've never owned and always wanted to), old controllers, and the ability to play carts, and hearing it uses Stella means I have no doubts basically every game will eventually be playable on it (and most already are, if you see Atari's compatibility list). I think nostalgia plays a big factor; you have to be much older to have grown up with Atari than Nintendo or the PS1, so people who grew up with those probably think this just looks kinda lame. I've always loved Atari and golden-age arcade stuffs (though I'm like half its age, so make of that what you will), so this will definitely be something I keep a watch out for.

@ralphdibny

Are your paddles jittery, or is something else going on?

Also, regarding compatibility with original hardware, I wasn't able to find anything about the 10-in-1 cartridge or the new Berzerk release, but the paddle controller bundle mentions both the cartridge and the paddles are compatible with original hardware. (It's mentioned under the Features section.) Mr. Run and Jump also mentions it's compatible with original hardware.

As for video output, the only wired connections I see mentioned are HDMI, USB-C, and the DB9 joystick ports. You may wind up needing an adapter, unfortunately.

@mariteaux

I think a lot of older fans have just become used to being disappointed. Atari and its IP have changed hands several times over the years, and no one has really managed to recapture the same kind of magic the company had 45 years ago. That said, I feel like the people involved now are at least trying to make an effort.

The VCS continues to be supported despite being a financial disaster, Digital Eclipse was given free reign for Atari 50, and new hardware and games are being released for the 2600 again. (In an official capacity, anyway.)

I'm worried about homebrew support, and the company really needs to address how broken some of the Recharged games are, but this is still an exciting time to be an Atari fan, regardless of age. (And I'm probably not as old as you think I am. )

@KainXavier it's been a few months since I tested it but I definitely remember a jitter. I also seem to remember that maybe one of them moves whatever is on screen at a speed so fast it's imperceptible to humans (or it just skips a bunch of increments 😅). I think one of the paddles might just not work at all.

I thought about opening them up and cleaning them but disassembling the dial assembly seemed like too much of a fiddly job that I didn't have time for at that point. As well as the concern that 40 year old plastic might be deteriorated and if a broken piece that's being held in place just falls apart during disassembly, I wouldn't be able to source a replacement/I'd have to leave the project disassembled somewhere while I wait for a replacement to arrive and also have a second lot of time to fix it. Which I don't have the long term space for.

It's good to know the new paddles work with the old hardware. It's definitely the cheaper and easier option rather than attempting to repair the old ones.

As for the new system, it'll certainly save me a 100 quid if it doesn't have a legacy display output. But it's a bit of a shame. I currently have the Atari Jr and it's in pretty bad nick and only has an RF output which is run through a VCR which is connected to the CRT with a SCART lead. This is iffy at best. Most first party and the larger 3rd party games are fine-ish but some of the more random titles will just completely drop signal as soon as the system is turned on.

It would be good if the new system had an output that has a cable with SCART on one end to solve my display output woes. Not sure if the original 2600 had this anyway but the Jr revision definitely only has the RF output

@KainXavier I definitely understand the caution, given that Atari hasn't been managed by the best people really since the sale to the Tramiels, let alone anyone else. I am optimistic, though. All the stuff you say, plus some of their new merch is seriously cool looking; I just bought a Tempest poster from their flash sale a week or two ago, complete with the 2600 Tempest prototype in the design, which is a surprisingly deep reference for a company like Atari to be making. I have zero place to put any of their arcade cabinets but I keep getting emails for them and I am so tempted. (I'm also on the younger side, since you mentioned it; I postdate the PS1, but not the Xbox, so it's only through 2000s YouTube and the retrogaming community I learned about and got into Atari in the first place.)

@ralphdibny

I totally understand not wanting to attempt a repair for fear of breaking something further. (I've had some bad luck with that myself.) I suppose you can always try to repair your old paddles if the new ones work out well.

As for SCART, I wish I knew of a cheap and decent solution for you. My TV accepts RF and composite but the resulting picture quality on both is pretty lousy. I'd like to purchase some kind of all-in-one retro gaming solution but they're either cost-prohibitive or only support one connection at a time. (And I really don't want to be mucking with cables all of the time.)

@mariteaux

Some of their merchandise does look pretty cool, and it seems like they run sales periodically at least.

Also, it makes happy to hear you got into the 2600 via YouTube. Childhood me would have been amazed by the sheer amount of information out there.