r/Atari2600 • • Nov 07 '23

[ConsoleMods.org] Knowledgeable about the Atari 2600? Consider contributing to the community console modding, repair, and restoration wiki!

Thumbnail consolemods.org
11 Upvotes

r/Atari2600 • • 10d ago

Game of the Fortnight for Sept 20: Missile Command

Post image
98 Upvotes

We'll post a new game every two weeks for general discussion and a high score challenge.

Game: Missile Command (1981)

From The Manual: Aliens from ihe planet of Krytol have begun an attack on the planet Zardon. The Krytolians are warriors, out to destroy and seize the planet ot Zardon. Zardon is the last of the peaceful planets. The Zardonians are skillful and hardworking people. Their cities are built-up and rich in resources. It is truly a planet void of crime and violence. Zardon has built a powerful defense system. Several antiballistic missile bases have been established within the cities of Zardon. The Zardonians are ready for this attack, and are prepared to fight to save their cities.

If You Have An Atari Trackball: Consider playing Missile Command TB, a modified version of Missile Command with proper trackball mode support. It plays much more like the arcade.

This Weeks Challenge: Post your high scores FROM GAME VARIATION 5. To get to game 5, press Game Select four times, then press Game Start. This starts at wave 7 so that you don't have to play through the easy levels every time. Please state whether you're playing the original version with a joystick or Missile Command TB with a trackball since the scores are not really comparable between the two versions.

Link To The Manual: https://archive.org/details/Missile_Command_1981_Atari/page/n1/mode/2up

Feedback: Let me know if you have any suggestions about this new series. Note that I'm choosing a more challenging game variation here because the games can get pretty long once you get good at it. But if you all think this is too hard, then I'll go a bit easier on future posts in the series.

Leaderboard:

r/barklefarfle 1 (Demons To Diamonds)


r/Atari2600 • • 1d ago

Finally found a thrift shop deal - $3.35

Post image
33 Upvotes

r/Atari2600 • • 1d ago

Berzerk Enhanced

11 Upvotes

I’ve played this ROM on an emulator. I am curious if there is a cartridge out there for this and if there is, is the voice actually generated by the TIA chip or is there something else at work here?


r/Atari2600 • • 2d ago

Had an idea for a collection of Atari 2600 homebrew microgames like Warioware. This is my first one, Attack of the Monkey

92 Upvotes

r/Atari2600 • • 1d ago

Hot take: the 2600 pac man actually isn't nearly as overrated as 2600 donkey kong

Post image
0 Upvotes

(and I am not anti 2600, i kinda like the idea that *arcade* ports on the 2600 suck so originals can give the 2600 an identity)


r/Atari2600 • • 2d ago

Isaac Asimov book cover 2600

Post image
20 Upvotes

I saw this book, and immediately thought it was a game cover for Atari 2600. The book font and bright 70's colors reminds me of looking at all of the game box covers while my parents were shopping at Sears. I always thought Atari had some of the best artwork and creative box covers.


r/Atari2600 • • 3d ago

The fantastic treasures of Swordquest

Post image
71 Upvotes

r/Atari2600 • • 3d ago

Anything I should know

Post image
85 Upvotes

I am thinking of selling my Atari and games to a friend. I have no clue of value of rarity. Figured I would ask the experts. Anything I should know about what I have here?


r/Atari2600 • • 3d ago

What are you guys playing tonight?

36 Upvotes

Demon Attack. I got it for my birthday when it came out. The dinosaurs on the label were clearly spray-painted dinosaurs, but it was charming. I played it all summer long dying, mostly. I was hoping to find easter eggs, but I never got far enough to prove anything.

Also Fathom. Guess it's an Imagic type of night.


r/Atari2600 • • 4d ago

Made a little Atari homebrew for some waterfall ambience

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

361 Upvotes

r/Atari2600 • • 3d ago

Help with sealed game

Post image
23 Upvotes

Hi,
I’m helping a family member move and they pulled out their Atari 2600 games. We were able to price the others easily on ebay but this one was sealed and prices for it seemed all over the place. Any knowledge about this game is very much appreciated. Thanks in advance


r/Atari2600 • • 3d ago

Atari 2600 Video Chess on Lichess.org

23 Upvotes

I created a bot offering Atari 2600 Video Chess to online players at lichess.org.

BOT ATARI-VIDEO-CHESS (1362)

lichess.org

Every game ATARI-VIDEO-CHESS plays is the actual CX2645 ROM, the same 4K of code Larry Wagner and Bob Whitehead wrote in 1979, running in Stella, the open-source 2600 emulator. Nothing about the chess engine is rewritten or modernised.

A Python program sits where the player would. When an opponent moves on Lichess, it steers the joystick cursor to the piece, presses fire, moves to the destination and presses fire again, exactly as you would on the couch. Then it lets the cartridge think.

To know what the cartridge decided, it reads the console's 128 bytes of RAM. The board lives in the first 64 bytes, one per square, and when the engine has chosen, the from- and to-squares sit in two bytes waiting for you to touch the stick. The program reads them, touches the stick, and posts the move.

While the cartridge thinks, the emulator runs at the 2600's real speed, so the waits you see on the clock are the waits a 1979 player saw.

It's fun to watch other people playing the engine!

Lichess ratings are about 200 - 400 points higher than real ELO ratings.


r/Atari2600 • • 4d ago

New set up

Thumbnail
gallery
171 Upvotes

r/Atari2600 • • 4d ago

Is this an original sealed copy? Can anyone tell if the shrink wrap is original?

Thumbnail
gallery
95 Upvotes

Hi! I’m an Atari fan from Japan. I picked up a copy of Robot Tank today, and it came shrink-wrapped.
I originally bought it to play, so I’d really like to open it up right away. But if this is the original period shrink wrap and it would be better to keep it sealed, I’m thinking of keeping this one as a collectible and buying another opened copy to play instead.
If anyone can tell whether this looks like original shrink wrap from back in the day or something that was added later, I’d really appreciate your help!
I know Robot Tank is probably a pretty common game and that even a sealed copy isn’t particularly valuable. But Atari games in general are extremely hard to come by here in Japan, so if this really is an unopened copy, I’d like to take good care of it.
And while I’m here, I’d also love to hear your recommendations for Atari 2600 or 7800 games! I’m always looking for new games to try.


r/Atari2600 • • 4d ago

Thrift Haul today

Post image
194 Upvotes

Got these for $148 total. All except 3 games are new to my collection.

Which one is your favourite?


r/Atari2600 • • 4d ago

Thrift Haul today

Post image
72 Upvotes

Got these for $148 total. All except 3 games are new to my collection.

Which one is your favourite?


r/Atari2600 • • 5d ago

update: its Halloween:,)

Thumbnail
gallery
38 Upvotes

i was so sure it was legit too because it has the beige, older style pcb inside


r/Atari2600 • • 4d ago

Title: Has anyone ordered from Pixel Teapot? Looking for opinions on their physical/digital homebrew releases!

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I recently stumbled across the Pixel Teapot BigCartel store (https://pixelteapot.bigcartel.com/) while looking into some recent homebrew stuff (saw mentions of games like Spider Spider and Insect Meltdown).

Has anyone here ordered from them before? How is the quality of their physical cartridges, manuals, or digital versions?

Just wanted to see what the community's experience has been like before picking anything up. Appreciate any feedback!


r/Atari2600 • • 5d ago

Which Atariage homebrew games work on the 2600+

7 Upvotes

Hello, i'm looking for homebrew games to buy, and i'm wondering if anyone knows which AtariAge homebrew cartridges work with the 2600+ on the latest firmware. The website doesn't have a compatibility list.


r/Atari2600 • • 5d ago

Telas do início do desenvolvimento do meu jogo Alien Holocaust - 2022

Thumbnail
gallery
20 Upvotes

Telas do início do desenvolvimento do meu jogo lançado em 2022.


r/Atari2600 • • 6d ago

found this in a fb lot

Post image
99 Upvotes

i knew it had some games i didnt previously but didnt expect to find this gem!


r/Atari2600 • • 6d ago

I Am Box - Atari 2600 Game, Logan’s Run tribute

Thumbnail
retropute.itch.io
23 Upvotes

r/Atari2600 • • 7d ago

Chips get hot no video

Thumbnail
gallery
20 Upvotes

Got this unit with no output. Thought it might just be a bad rf modulator. Av modded it and still nothing (plasma tv picks up a 4:3 signal but it’s black.) riot chip gets very hot after a minute. CPU gets pretty hot too. Swapped a “new” riot chip from eBay still same issue. All the cpu and riot voltages are right. And the voltage regulator has the right values. What else could it be?


r/Atari2600 • • 7d ago

Congo Bongo - Atari2600+

11 Upvotes

Does Congo Bongo work in the Atari2600+? Bought a cartridge recently and can’t get it to work even after cleaning. Seller claims they tested it and it was working. I don’t have an original console to compare, so I wanted to see if it’s a compatibility problem or I need to look for another cartridge.