Hey guys, I'm thinking of getting into the Atari 2600. I have some questions I hope those in the know can answer.
First of all, what are the things everyone should know when thinking of getting a 2600?
Are all models of the 2600 RF only? Are simple PCB pin hacks possible for AV mods like with the original model Famicom?
Where are the best places to buy an Atari 2600 online? I've checked local kijiji and creigslist but I don't see anything that seem to be priced that reasonably. Speaking of which, how much should one expect to pay for a 2600?
What are the killer apps for the 2600 I should seek immediately? I know there have been homebrew games that have been made in the recent years. What are the best of those?
I know that the Atari 2600 used DB-9 controller ports. Will Commodore 64 joysticks work with the 2600? What about Sega Master System and Genesis? Famicom and Famiclone?
What are "Wicos"?
What are the "best" controllers for the 2600? I assume the stock iconic sticks, but I ask in case I'm wrong.
If I buy a 2600 without a power supply, what are the ratings I need? Does polarity matter to the 2600? Can I use a psu from other consoles such as the NES?
Thanks for any help.
all units are RF, i have seen mods, no you cannot use a PSU from a Nintendo, any controllers with a DV-9 pin will work (atari, sega, commodore, ect) *side note: get atari paddle controllers, a wico was a brand of aftermarket joysticks (aviod if necissary), and the best controllers are the stock sticks HOWEVER i use an aftermarket stick called the point master by discwasher witch is pretty good, hope that solves everything :D
The ac adapter for the atari is actually in the shape of a headephone jack. I paid about 80 bucks for mine with about 20 games, 2 joysticks and a pair of paddle controllers.
yeah atari 2600 are pretty reasonable on price and its not uncommon to find one with whole buncha games for a good price, i got a 2600 "vader" model (has no wood grain) in the box with the PSU, RF unit, and paddle controllers for $20.00
"Killer Apps" include great titles such as Pitfall, Enduro, Adventure, and for homebrew you can try aztec challenge.
also try these:
http://retro.ign.com/articles/903/903024p1.html
If you could, try to get an Atari 7800. Even though you'd get those gawd awful controllers, theres a way to use NES controllers with it, or you can get the official 7800 game pads, but you'd have to import and they're not too cheap. Also, a homebrew expansion module is coming out for it this fall.
Don't forget Video Olympics of you like Pong (50 different variations including the original), and Surround (which is basically the 2600 version of Lightcycles from Tron)
Beware of the later "Rainbow" models, which are sometimes referred to as the "Junior" series models. In my experience, they work like the original models until they receive the slightest jolt, at which point they transform into a rainbow-coloured brick.
My second Atari (CX2600A version) cost $30 and included the box, the power supply, one joystick controller, and one set of paddle controllers.
Ms Pac-man, Centipede, and Asteroids are all worth the $1.00 you can get them for online or in retro gaming stores. Warlords is an excellent multiplayer game, if you're into that kind of thing.
typically with atari the older the better (less fail rate) and dont forget the "killer app" called donkey kong ;)
And if you get a pair of paddle controllers, get circus atari. Its addicting and my personal favorite
I have a little "plug and play" and it's pretty addicting. When I bought a real Atari for some reason, the picture was the most horrid quality I have ever seen. Furry everywhere. It was almost unplayable.
thank you everyone. While I wait for the 2600 to arrive, I want to clarify what I need to hook it up to a modern tv. I have a fairly old CRT tv I intend to use, but not so old it has the clips to screw in for the RF box. I've heard that you can use a simple through adapter.
I went to The Source today to see what I could find. The guy there wasn't very helpful as he insisted what I wanted to do couldn't be done. I asked about the return policy and he assured me that if it didn't work I could always return anything I bought, so I looked around anyway.
I didn't see anything that said RCA to RF, but I did see something I think will work:
Gold plated Phono Plug to male "F" adapter.
It's got the source number 2780276.
It says on it only one thing which is "connects phono plug to coaxial jack".
Before I open it, is this what I need or was the salesman correct that this will not work?
Thanks.
That should work, but only for either the video or audio (but not both at the same time) I would guess since they require separate RCA outputs. However, you may be able to connect a RCA female to male Y connector to it to split the signal. Or you could just plug the RF adapter into a VCR and connect the VCR to the TV with the RCAs.
EDIT: Looks like I had the part you bought backwards. I didn't know a RCA plug came out of the back of the 2600. What you have should be fine.
Quote from: cubelmariomadness on August 17, 2010, 01:07:30 pm
I have a little "plug and play" and it's pretty addicting. When I bought a real Atari for some reason, the picture was the most horrid quality I have ever seen. Furry everywhere. It was almost unplayable.
Are you using the original switchbox? Mine gives a real poor picture quality. It's best to get one of these: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103471 (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103471)
So should you, satoshi. And if that won't connect to your TV, run it through a VCR to get in on Composite.
Quote from: petik1 on August 17, 2010, 01:54:56 pm
Quote from: cubelmariomadness on August 17, 2010, 01:07:30 pm
I have a little "plug and play" and it's pretty addicting. When I bought a real Atari for some reason, the picture was the most horrid quality I have ever seen. Furry everywhere. It was almost unplayable.
Are you using the original switchbox? Mine gives a real poor picture quality. It's best to get one of these: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103471 (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103471)
So should you, satoshi. And if that won't connect to your TV, run it through a VCR to get in on Composite.
Actually, no, I wasn't. But I did try several. I tried a nintendo one, a sega one, and a yobo one.
I knew that, but what does an Autoswitch even do? I tried some older ones as well though.
It's a good system
heres one question to round up this whole thread: do i really want to own one of the most iconic, longest lived, super cheap gaming system?
the answer?
YES!! ABSOLUTULY!!!
Super cheap? I got mine for 30 bucks.
Well that IS fairly cheap for a system that's not the Gamecube ::)
For the record, I did pick up an Atari VCS. It came with two refurbished original Joysticks and a set of cleaned and lubricated jitter-free paddles. It also came with 13 games:
Pac-Man
Phoenix
E.T
Asteroids
Defender
Combat
Space Invaders
Pitfall!
Ms. Pac-Man
Missile Command
Berzerk
Demons to Diamonds
Kaboom!
I'm really loving Ms. Pac-Man, Berzerk, Kaboom and Phoenix espically.
i got a 2600 vader in the box with paddles for $20.00
Damn, marlon's post was deleted already, but here it goes: where's B.J. Blazkowicz when you need him? ;D
Satoshi, I would of suggested you to get an Atari 7800 since it is backwards compatible with the 2600.
Anyway, now you must head on over to atariage.com and see the "new" games that are still being released.
Check out their store.
This place also has the hook-ups for modern tv's and a heck of a community.
As a matter of fact, they are releasing some sort of expansion module for the 7800.
http://www.atariage.com/forums/forum/4-atari-7800/
i use sega genesis model 1 controllers w my 2600's.
I'll address my 'Killeer Apps' list first, and get back to the other questions later, after I get some sleep..
In no particular order, my list of the best games for the 2600 VCS:
Asteroids
Centipede
Yars' Revenge
Adventure
Carnival
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Mario Bros.
Defender
Swordquest (Earthworld & Fireworld are common, but Waterworld is a rare game and Airworld was never made.)
Frogger
Robotron 2084
Q*Bert
Xevious
Vanguard
Popeye
Warlords
Venture
Xenophobe
Crystal Castles
Super breakout
Circus Atari
Zaxxon
Solar Fox
Star Raiders
Time Pilot
Rainbow Invaders (New)
Joust
Spy Hunter
Star Wars: The Arcade game
Gauntlet
Night Driver
Keystone Kapers
River Raid
Solaris (one of the BEST!)
Mr. Do
Mountain King
G.O.R.F.
Missile Command
Midnight madness
Home Run
Jungle Hunt
Klax (Repro)
Jr. Pacf-Man
Space invaders
Berzerk
Pitfall
Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns
Kaboom!
Breakout
Bump'n'Jump
Pooyan (uncommon to somewhat rare)
Code Breaker (puzzle game)
Demon Attack
Crossbow
Demons to Diamonds
Dig Dug
Dragonfire
Earth Dies Screaming (pretty uncommon to rare)
Pole Position
Enduro
Galaxian
Frogs'nFlies
Also, no collection is complete without 'ET' and 'Haunted House', the latter of which is fun if you know what you are doing.
I strongly advise reading the manual for any game that you want to play: I can't stress how critical this is! Each game has its own controls and some require playing with different controllers, or using the difficulty switches during play. Further, many games have variations and you need the manual to know what they are. You can get them for every game as scans or plain text at AtariAge.com.
Also, the Wico--a big-name controller maker in the late-70s to mid-80s, like Hori was for the Famicom-controllers are far better than the stock sticks, which i always found a bit stuff. You can of course, use a SEGA controller, or the Atari 7800 European controller (like a NES joypad), but you can't use Nintendo controllers on the VCS as it uses a separate data line for each signal (UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, FIRE) whereas the NES uses one signal line for all, routed through the 4021B.
I recall that ColecoVision controllers work as well, as of course does the standard Atari 7800 joystick.
-Xious
Get one
If you would've read the OP's last reply, you'd have seen that he did.