Do I need an Atari 2600?

[Unbeliever]

I have to concur with one thing: To me, it sounded like you love the arcade hits, especially Robotron. That in and of itself is a great game, so as was suggested, MAME is a great way to get the arcade hits into your living room. Of course the 7800 (also as mentioned) has some of the great games you love, and you can also play Atari 2600 games if you wish. However, you can just ignore that and collect the 60 games or so that were made specifically for the system...plus I'm sure there are homebrews out there for it.

[Cynicaster]

I love reading stories about young people discovering the classics and actually finding them intriguing.

 

I kinda-sorta identify, because while I was technically alive when Robotron came out, I was too young to enjoy it when it was "current" in the arcades. Playing it now, it's one of those games that I feel embodies the purest elements that make video games fun: challenge, intensity, risk/reward scoring, etc.

 

I did get a copy of Robotron in 1987 when I got a 7800, and I thought it was OK, but the game really loses something without the dual-stick controls.

 

Later in life, I gained a real appreciation for the game by playing it in MAME with a dual-stick arcade control panel, and later, playing original cabinets.

 

Of course, the 7800 version supports the twin-stick control scheme, but you need some way of anchoring 2 joysticks down to take advantage of it. I sometimes play the 7800 version on my MAME cabinet via emulation, just so I can use the arcade controls, and in that setup, it's really good.

[godzillajoe]

I did get a copy of Robotron in 1987 when I got a 7800, and I thought it was OK, but the game really loses something without the dual-stick controls.

 

 

I use two 2600 sticks with a few rubberbands holding them together. That's one I have to play with the controls on a table or on the floor. But totally worth the aggravation once you find a scenario that works for you. It does make the game way more fun. And using one stick makes it impossible to get very far anyway.

Edited October 17, 2014 by godzillajoe

[Rex Dart]

Sega Genesis arcade sticks run about ten bucks each.

 

Buy two.

[+discotronic]

I love the 2600. Having grown up in that era it is hard not to love it. If you really want to love the 2600 I know the perfect way for you to find that love. This is a little bit of a long read but it really works. Here is how:

 

Just pick up a 4 port 5200 from a seller that states they last played it 10 years ago before putting it into storage. You wonder why he didn't try to hook it up after taking out of said storage even though he had everything that is needed to test it out. This is the thought you had AFTER you already handed over the cash and walked away with it. With a smile on your face you walk away with the largest and slickest looking battleship of a game system every created. You got it in the original box with controllers and about 10 games. All for the low price of $40. It looks like it has been taken really good care of. Boy did you get off cheap or what!

 

You take it home. Hook it up and nothing happens. The power supply works with an Atari floppy drive so that isn't a problem. Turns out it is the RF switch. The propritary RF switch that was only made by Atari and only works on the 4 port 5200. You buy a replacement for way too much money from some seller on eBay and pay way too much for shipping in the process.

 

Finally get it in the mail after waiting for much longer than expected. You plug in the RF switch and plug the power supply in. Holy crap what was that big spark?! You look around behind the TV and don't see anything burning or smell anything burning. You look down and the system is powered on. Was that normal? Anyway......pick up the controller and get ready for some Berzerk and Space Invaders straight out of golden era of home gaming.

 

Wait.....what the.....why is only one button for this controller working? Why are none of the buttons for this other controller working? Spend hours of research and work getting the controllers functional and figuring out why they work good on some game and not others. You finally get all the little bugs worked out. Well that was fun but now......On to playing games. Turns out the rubber boot on both controllers are just plain wore out. Playing Pac-Man is near impossible like this. Actually playing any game with bad rubber boots is near impossible.

 

Now you go ahead and order new rubber boots from this dude with a website straight out of 1995. You are not in any way saying the website is bad but beauty and usability are overrated right? Email seems to be the only way or at least the easiest way to conduct business. The guy running it seems nice enough and has everything you need. In your several hours of searching his site you also find other items that you think you really need. Gold plated unobtainium that was sent to Earth by the Gaming Gods themselves. You figure the investment will help you retire one day so why not. The ordering process is quick and he ships everything to you quick. Back in business.

 

While waiting for your order to arrive you buy the Atarimax Atari 5200 Ultimate SD Cartridge. With this you can play pretty much every 5200 game made and then some for only $130. Also you just HAD to get Tempest from the AA Store and then buy a Trak-Ball controller.

 

Now, after all you have been through, you finally get to really play some games. Those days back in the 80's where you had only heard rumors about these rare Atari 5200s comes back to you. You feel like a part of your life has been found that you didn't even know you lost. You play some really great games and really enjoy the majority of the titles that you played.

 

You turn off the system. You smile. To get to this point took you almost a month and over $300. Now you start thinking how the hell did this thing cost this much? You can't believe you spent that much time and money to play the games you were not able to during your younger years. You don't have any regrets. It was worth it.

 

A few days later the RF switch goes bad for some reason. You buy another one.

 

If you really want to love the 2600 then buy a 4 port 5200.

Edited October 17, 2014 by discotronic

[godzillajoe]

Get the 2600 adapter and you can play those games too!

 

I love my 4 port 5200 and AtariMax cart

 

I bought the "gold" controllers from Best and they work like a charm.

 

Anyone know if they STAY that way or eventually break down?

 

Admittedly my 5200 has collected some dust in the past few months.

[+discotronic]

Get the 2600 adapter and you can play those games too!

 

I love my 4 port 5200 and AtariMax cart

 

I bought the "gold" controllers from Best and they work like a charm.

 

Anyone know if they STAY that way or eventually break down?

 

Admittedly my 5200 has collected some dust in the past few months.

 

I already have a 2600 light sixer that I will never give up. Guess the same can be said of my 5200 after all I went through with it.The 2600 adapter would actually work since my 5200 is an asterisk model.

 

I ended up getting two of the gold controllers too and they are about as perfect as these controllers get. Not sure about how long they will stay this way.

 

When it comes to these classic systems, to me, the 2600 can't be beat. Between the joysticks and paddles and a really great selection of games make this a must have system. I never really got into the 7800 games because of the sound. This could change with some of the great homebrews that are around the corner.

Edited October 17, 2014 by discotronic

[Rhomaios]

The 7800 already has great homebrews, and Hokey is going to make it so much better.

 

Am I the only one who isn't turned off entirely by the sound?

[godzillajoe]

The 7800 already has great homebrews, and Hokey is going to make it so much better.

 

Am I the only one who isn't turned off entirely by the sound?

 

I don't get the Pokey obsession. I think the only 7800 game where sound is grating is Donkey Kong. But I just turn it down anyway and usually have some music going. How many games used a Pokey anyway? Ballblazer (which I think is a nice tech demo and a terrible game so I never play it) and Commando?

[PFL]

Being into games and playing the 2600 is akin to being into movies and watching silent movies or early talkies. Your interest takes you back to the beginning and it's intriguing. That's not to say it's fun though. If you haven't grown up with these things it can take a little time to develop a true understanding and appreciation of what you're seeing. Once you have that appreciation that's when the fun comes.

 

There are some truly amazing feats of programming and artistry on the 2600. I'd say it's worth picking up a cheap 2600 and a bunch of games. Then take some time to learn to love it. If you're really interested in where your hobby began I don't think you'll regret it. And even if you do, you can always just sell it again on Ebay for the price you paid for it.

[Rhomaios]

I don't get the Pokey obsession. I think the only 7800 game where sound is grating is Donkey Kong. But I just turn it down anyway and usually have some music going. How many games used a Pokey anyway? Ballblazer (which I think is a nice tech demo and a terrible game so I never play it) and Commando?

 

The new Donkey Kong is really worth it, anyway. Everything else? I actually prefer the sounds of Centipede, don't mind the sounds of Dig Dug, Joust, or Food Fight. I don't even notice the simple sounds when I fire up Scramble. Such a great system with so much going for it. And yeah, besides Ballblazer and Commando, only homebrew will utilize pokey.

[Unbeliever]

It REALLY helped me that I grew up with the 2600 and loved the system from it's inception. The games are part nostalgia, part love, and fun. Nothing beats a quick game or two in the morning when you don't have time to fire up Skyrim, for example, or start a long mission in some of the other games in today's market. I'm not against the "new" consoles, mind you (owning a 3DS is awesome and I wouldn't part with it), but my Atari 2600 has always had a place on my shelf, and is always at the ready for a trip down memory lane.

[accousticguitar]

I would NOT recommend trying emulation first. Emulation is handy for trying out new games to see if you want to purchase them, but it really is a completely different experience than playing the Atari games on original hardware. I would recommend either buying a new Flashback 5 for $40 (it comes with over 90 games) or buying a 2600 on ebay (or Atariage) with a bunch of games. Real hardware is by far the best way to experience the Atari 2600 imo. You can also get a Harmony multicart for the 2600 and have the ability to play almost every 2600 game ever made.

[godzillajoe]

I would NOT recommend trying emulation first. Emulation is handy for trying out new games to see if you want to purchase them, but it really is a completely different experience than playing the Atari games on original hardware. I would recommend either buying a new Flashback 5 for $40 (it comes with over 90 games) or buying a 2600 on ebay (or Atariage) with a bunch of games. Real hardware is by far the best way to experience the Atari 2600 imo. You can also get a Harmony multicart for the 2600 and have the ability to play almost every 2600 game ever made.

 

Stella with the "bad adjust" video option and a USB Atari stick or the Stelladapter with a real 2600 stick is pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing. The Flashback is a waste of money. Especially for a newbie. Avoid using the keyboard or some Sega controller nonsense and you might as well be playing on real hardware. Emulation at this point is pretty spot on unless you're still running some sort of 386SX. Also, isn't the FB essentially an emulator?

[Keatah]

 

Stella with the "bad adjust" video option and a USB Atari stick or the Stelladapter with a real 2600 stick is pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing. The Flashback is a waste of money. Especially for a newbie. Avoid using the keyboard or some Sega controller nonsense and you might as well be playing on real hardware. Emulation at this point is pretty spot on unless you're still running some sort of 386SX. Also, isn't the FB essentially an emulator?

 

I wouldn't recommend a Flashback (any model) as a first experience. Emulation or the real hardware. Then a flashback as a novelty item later if you really get into the stuff.

 

I'd personally recommend emulation to test out the gameplay and all that. Then if you like it, get a console and full complement of controllers and a box of carts. Then a Harmony to pick up all the slack - unless you want to collect over a 1000 games with the understanding that 800+ will be a complete waste of time.

 

ADDED:

I guess my first experience with FB weren't all that great. So perhaps I'm still biased. Unless they really spruced up the quality, I can't recommend one.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Keatah

[PFL]

I'm not sure I get the reason for recommending the Flashback thingies other than the sheer volume of games. For the same cost you could easily enough pick up a 2600 Jr and a handful of common carts. And then you'd have the real experience as opposed to an emu in a box...

 

Emulation through Stella is without a doubt excellent but it is still not the same as the real hardware. Booting up an emulator on you PC and using function keys is not the same as hooking up a console to your telly and having to lean over to hit the reset button on a console to start your game. And that telly connection and leaning motion is very much a part of enjoying that 70's experience.

[accousticguitar]

 

Stella with the "bad adjust" video option and a USB Atari stick or the Stelladapter with a real 2600 stick is pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing. The Flashback is a waste of money. Especially for a newbie. Avoid using the keyboard or some Sega controller nonsense and you might as well be playing on real hardware. Emulation at this point is pretty spot on unless you're still running some sort of 386SX. Also, isn't the FB essentially an emulator?

Yeah, if you can use a real joystick controller then emulation would probably be fine. When I think of emulation I think of somebody downloading Stella and then trying to play some Atari games on their computer with the keyboard controls. That just doesn't work very well and is not what I consider to be an authentic experience of playing Atari games.

[Torr]

I must say I don't care much for the stock VCS controllers... even growing up I didn't like them, way too stiff.

Then, and now, I prefer them aesthetically. With the system set up on display I like to have them there because they just have that "look". But then, and now, I much prefer to USE the QuickShot.

Better hand grip. Suction cup base. Two fire buttons, one for the thumb and/or one for finger tapping. All around awesome joystick. It's what I always use/used for VCS and C64.

 

Edited October 18, 2014 by Torr

[Unbeliever]

I'm going to have to fine one of these..I love the VCS original joystick, but as you said, it's stiff and hard to work sometimes.This looks like a great alternative.

[karokoenig]

I'm going to have to fine one of these..I love the VCS original joystick, but as you said, it's stiff and hard to work sometimes.This looks like a great alternative.

 

Be careful, though. There are a ton of joystick types out there that are all similar. I never liked them, because they break easily and most of the twitch games on the 2600 feel awkward when you play them with such a pistol grip stick. I was always a huge fan of the Competition Pro Joystick. The old Competition models are almost indestructable and super precise. I still have mine from 1985, and it shows no sign of wear.

 

Of course you should try out Quickshots and their clones. You can get them on any flea market for a handful of dimes. Not much money wasted if you don't like them.

[CapitanClassic]

I wouldn't recommend a Flashback (any model) as a first experience. Emulation or the real hardware. Then a flashback as a novelty item later if you really get into the stuff.

 

I guess my first experience with FB weren't all that great. So perhaps I'm still biased. Unless they really spruced up the quality, I can't recommend one.

The Flashback 1, 3-5 are ARM based processors that emulate the original games. In the case of fhe Flashback 1, I believe that the original games aren't even used, but are rewritten clones of the original 6702 cartridges. Not completely certain what the 3-5 Flashbacks are.

 

The Flashback 2 is very similar to an Atari on a chip. For all intents are purposes, it is an Atari 2600. Infact, there are instructions online on how to add a cartridge slot and play the original 2600 games on it.

 

If i were to recommend a Flashback, I would recommend a FB2 or FB2+.

[Unbeliever]

Perhaps the FB consoles (the later ones, anyway) would be good to wet your whistle for Atari 2600 games, but if you are going to do this, I recommend the original console 4 or 6-switch woody. For the more "modern" look, the Junior is always a good bet with some of the later games released for the system (silver and red labels). These later games are excellent (my recommendation? Ms. Pac Man).

[Fr0st]

Nah, original 2600 joystick all the way, it just suits the basic movements of the games

[+Gemintronic]

I still don't quite understand the question. It sounds to me alot like "Do I need a pair of lungs?"

[Unbeliever]

I still don't quite understand the question. It sounds to me alot like "Do I need a pair of lungs?"

Nah. You can get by with just one..