RamrodHare

The concept works, but no emulators were released. The Atari and Activision collection GBA games were as close as it got. They didn't provide a large selection of games, but they did prove it could be done. If I recall correctly, one of the members here did a lot of the work on the code for one of those. With the right forum search, you can probably find the thread.

I've had quite a few of the 4 switch models and never got a good picture from rf or modded systems. Never had my hands on a sixer, heavy or light, but most people say they have better picture quality when modded. My go to console is my 2600 Jr. The RF on it looks better than any of my modded 4 switchers ever did. I haven't had to replace any caps or anything in it. The only thing I did was add a ferrite core to the rf cable. I paid $30 for the Jr and got a bunch of games and joysticks. A Harmony Encore is a must have. I also recommend rebuilt original joysticks, driving controllers and paddles. An Atarivox is nice for high score saves and voice, but a SaveKey is all you need for just saving high scores on a lot of Homebrew games. Just do your research and don't overpay for anything. Post in the "wanted" forum or browse the "for sale" threads. It's pretty safe to deal with the members here, but eBay is a completely different story. The main thing is to research EVERYTHING. Joysticks are as important as the console, some people spend more on custom built controllers than on their 2600. You don't have to do that, unless you can afford it. I just rebuilt all mine with new parts. That should be plenty of info to get you started, but there's a lot more info on the forums that you need to read. It's just a lot of work to hunt it down.

Combat.

I've been quiet on the forums for a while, figuring no one needed my opinion, but I feel like I could contribute on this topic. My suggestion is get a Harmony Encore and download the entire library. Then you are prepared for any situation. As far as buying carts, you NEED Combat. Perfect two player game. Next, you need Medieval Mayhem. It's better than the original Warlords by leaps and bounds. You're also going to need a set or two of paddle controllers. When it comes to paddles, make sure you buy working ones. If you are going to get any Homebrew games or a Harmony cart, you can't go wrong with a save key (for games that save high scores or anything). If you feel comfortable with doing some work on the controllers, get a couple of old CX40s and rebuild them with new sticks and either Best Electronics Gold replacement PCBs or some of the replacement boards with tactile switches sold here on the forums. Honestly, rebuilt joysticks and paddles are the best investment, followed by a Harmony Encore and a SaveKey. That's just my opinion of course, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who will agree with me and plenty who won't. Original carts are great for collectors, but for gamers, the Harmony works much better.

I get the idea of why we use the ARM and I'm glad we have it. It means we can have games that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. There are still a lot of old original games I love and a lot of new ones. I don't pay any attention to 4k or 32k or Melody boards. I only care about the games. If they are fun to play, then they are doing what they were meant to do. I just wan to say to all the great "Wizards" here, keep making games the way you want to, with the technology you choose to use. I figure most people playing the 2600 feel the same way.

Get a Harmony cart. There's no reason to hunt down and buy original carts on eBay and such, unless you just want to have a collection of carts to deal with. Grab a Harmony cart and download all the games and play anything you want. The Harmony cart is by far the best purchase I made for the 2600. Next, you want some good original joysticks. You'll want to buy rebuilt ones or rebuild a set yourself. Same thing goes for paddles and driving controllers. I also got a save key from a fellow board member. It does what it says, it saves high scores and stuff. It only works on some games, so if you don't have a Harmony or some of the compatible Homebrews from the Atari Age store, it's not something you need. I could give my opinion on games and accessories all night, but it really comes down to you. The one purchase I can garantee you won't be disappointed with, is the Harmony Encore.

So, without reading through 110 pages in that other thread, are paddle controllers and the Harmony cart working with the retro 77? I saw there had been issues at one point.

My opinion is that the price is too high, but I guess it just comes down to what you can afford and how bad you want them.

I haven't had time to take any pics. I was just wondering if the encoder wheels (I think that's what they are called), should be shiny or kind of a dull gray color? These seem to have a rough dull gray finish. I didn't know if that could be an issue or not.

I've had them apart and they were really clean, from what I could tell. I can take them back apart tonight and snap a few pics.

I tested them with all of the trackball games I have on my Harmony cart and it's the same result with each.

It may just come down to personal preference. Some people pay a bit more for items that have the box, but most collectors want items to still be sealed in the box. I wouldn't pay more for items with boxes, but that's just me. If you're going to use the items, don't worry about the box. If you are going to put the items back in the box and put them away for 20 years, then I'm sure the box will add some value. Things are only worth what someone is willing to pay.

Just checked again, it's the correct ROMs. I'll try some different games later. With the trackballs in joystick mode, they have the same issue while trying to navigate the Harmony menu. I also tried them on two different consoles, just to be sure it wasn't a console problem.

I tried Centepede and Missile Command, from the set of trackball roms I downloaded here on AA.

I just clicked on this thread, since I picked up a nice 2600JR, 4 joysticks, 2 power supplies, and a nice Game station for $10. I actually had to think it over for a day and only decided to buy it for the Game station, since I already have a mint 2600JR that I think I paid $30 or so for a couple of years ago. It came with a bunch of games and accessories. LOL

So, I picked up two CX22 Trackballs the other day. I tested them, took them apart and looked everything over. Neither of them is working right in joystick or trackball mode. The cursor does move, but only in short jumps and never goes very far before bouncing back. I don't know anything about working on them and honestly don't want to put forth the effort. What I'd like to do is ship both of them to someone who can repair them, keep one for their self, and ship the other back to me. (I'm in Greeneville TN). If anyone is interested, let me know. I've been trying to get a working trackball for a while now and this makes four of them I've gotten that didn't work. I would just offer to pay someone to fix them, but I don't have the extra money.

You can rewire an NES controller if you have a spare. I used to do it. As far as making an enclosure for that adapter, if you have access to a 3d printer it would be great. It would be really easy to make a shell out of sheet styrene. A wooden shell wouldn't be too hard, if you have the tools. There are a lot of possible ways to make a shell, it just comes down to what tools you have and your experience. Sheet styrene is by far the simplest and probably less costly.

I didn't get one for Christmas, sadly. My first Christmas console was the NES, the year it came out. I got probably 15 games that Christmas. I don't remember what they all were. My Uncles had Coleco Combat, but it was broken by the time I knew about it. My next Christmas console was the Sega Genesis and 5 or 6 games for it. Sometime after the NES, but before the Genesis, I played a few 2600 games at a friend's house. I was hooked on Combat. I dug out the broken Coleco Combat and tried to fix it. I was too young to do it right, but I got it working enough to see it on the TV, but the controls didn't work right. After the Genesis I traded for a Magnavox Oddessy. It had probably 50 games and the Voice attachment. I played it for a while, but never really thought it was that great. The last console I got for Christmas was a PlayStation, the year it came out. I liked I so much that I stuck with Sony. I bought my own PS2 and PS3 and a PSP. I did go back to Nintendo when the Gameboy Micro came out and bought a used GameCube too. I know this has been a long story, but it's almost over. A couple of years ago I got a job at a comic and collectables shop. I ended up with a few non working 4 switch 2600s and 100+ games. I got one console working perfectly after a recapping kit and an AV mod. Then I found a good deal an a 2600 jr and jumped on it. Even without modding, the picture quality was excellent. So I sold the 4 switch and bought a Harmony Encore. Now if I just had someone to play Combat with...

I'm looking forward to the upgrade. In my financial situation carts are out of my price range. I even got rid of most of my original carts, just to save space. I use my Harmony encore for every game. So being able to purchase ROMs should make it easier on my limited income and still allow me to own the quality Homebrews that keep coming out.

It's looking good. I'm a big fan of chess, so I'll be watching this thread closely.

I had this video come up in my YouTube feed and I checked it out. I wasn't impressed. Also the gameplay at the end looks fake as does the cart he has plugged into the 2600. I watch a lot of the restoration videos and I see a lot of them where the "dirt" looks like someone put it there. This one was no exception. His way of "restoring" the joysticks was pretty bad too. Maybe he thought he did a good job, if so, more power to him.

I've had bad luck with both trackballs I've bought. Neither of them worked at all. One was used, the other was NOS. I ended up returning them to the seller for a refund. After that experience, I just gave up on owning one.

As mentioned, it's probably the cable. Simple fix, just replace the cable. I never toss any controller that can be repaired, especially one that only needs a cable.

Yes. Exactly what AtariLeaf said. The RF cable on the Atari looks like it's a RCA video input cable, but it's not. You need the adapter that converts it to coax or a switch box.

I added a ferrite core and use a coax adapter instead of a switch box and all my games play great, with extremely good picture quality on my 2600 JR. I composite modded 3 different 4 switch models (Vader's seem to be the worst) and never got the kind of picture quality I expected, even with different types of mods. The UAV board was the mod I always wanted to try, but I never had the extra cash. It's got great reviews and I intend to grab one. I just have to get my hands on another 2600 first. Try the ferrite core before anything else, they are cheap and work like magic when it comes to cleaning up the interference. If you have some old USB cables laying around, chances are you might have one you can pull a core from. I got mine from an old Sony cable. It had a two-piece core with a nice clamp on plastic shell.