I finally played the Atari 2600.

[Centipede2600]

The first game I played was Pitfall 2 days ago. However, Centipede was really really fun. Sadly I never owned an Atari so I guess I didn't technically play the Atari 2600 because I used an emulator on my android phone. Nonetheless, Centipede is easily on my top ten favorite video games of all time. Even though I am 17 and mostly played consoles from the 5th-8th gen and played numerous titles like Halo, Metal Gear Solid, Mario, Ratchet & Clank, and many more you probably know of, I love the Atari. I played other games as well like Pacman Jr., Space Invaders, and Donkey Kong. I also have a 7800 emulator as well and Ms. Pacman is fantastic on the 7800 (the best home console version in my opinion).

I will admit, even though I own the Xbox One, I prefer the Atari. I would trade the Xbox One for an Atari 2600 console, no questions. I kind of feel like I don't belong in this forum seeing how the 2600 will be 40 years old next year and how I didn't play the official console, but the 2600 emulator plays exactly like the console itself. Granted, it is not better than the real console of course. The reason why I could never get an actual Atari 2600 is because my area does not have them. The only game store near me is Gamestop and they only sell new video games. I know you can purchase one online but I don't trust buying things online. It is one of my fears honestly. Plus, you need an old tv to play the console and no store in my area sells them. This is why emualtors are my only option.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a 2600. If I had to choose a model it would be the one that has wood because I find that to be unique among video game systems.

Anyways everyone, hello. This forum has an excellent community, probably better than any other forum I know of.

[Keatah]

I will admit, even though I own the Xbox One, I prefer the Atari. I would trade the Xbox One for an Atari 2600 console, no questions. I kind of feel like I don't belong in this forum seeing how the 2600 will be 40 years old next year and how I didn't play the official console, but the 2600 emulator plays exactly like the console itself. Granted, it is not better than the real console of course. The reason why I could never get an actual Atari 2600 is because my area does not have them. The only game store near me is Gamestop and they only sell new video games. I know you can purchase one online but I don't trust buying things online. It is one of my fears honestly. Plus, you need an old tv to play the console and no store in my area sells them. This is why emualtors are my only option.

 

Nonsense! Everyone that has interest in classic games and Atari belongs here. And don't worry about having not played on real hardware yet. Emulators offer a premiere experience and are becoming more and more popular every day. Emulators can offer a convenience real hardware will never match. But, there's room for both real hardware and emulation.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Keatah

[Centipede2600]

Thanks Keatah.

[+Gemintronic]

Atari 2600 and pre Nintendo systems are all about accessible, endlessly enjoyable games. If you like that then you're in good company.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

Playing in emulation is like listening to an mp3 of an old jazz record rather than the original 78. There are snobs who will say it isn't the same,and to some extent those snobs are right, but the important thing is that you play and enjoy the games, not how you play them.

[MaximRecoil]

The reason why I could never get an actual Atari 2600 is because my area does not have them. The only game store near me is Gamestop and they only sell new video games. I know you can purchase one online but I don't trust buying things online. It is one of my fears honestly. Plus, you need an old tv to play the console and no store in my area sells them. This is why emualtors are my only option.

 

Assuming you're in the United States, I doubt there's any area of the country that doesn't have Atari 2600s for sale. Look on Craigslist. While you're at it, you can pick up an old CRT TV for free or cheap. If you don't have much space, get yourself a 13" one, and set it on your dresser in your bedroom. That's how a lot of kids in the '80s did it, especially the ones who had parents who wouldn't let them connect it to the family TV ("That thing will ruin the color! And I want to watch M*A*S*H! The TV in your room is good enough!") A 19" one would be even better, and would still fit atop most dressers. Look for one with A/V inputs (which includes most of them made since the mid-1990s). A stock 2600 can't make use of A/V inputs, but they're nice to have if you get some newer consoles like an NES, Sega Genesis, SNES, etc.

 

If you have a fear of buying things online, it will make things a lot harder to come by than they need to be though. For example, if I wanted Centipede, I'd just find a Buy it Now auction on eBay for $5 or $6 shipped, and 30 seconds later it would be ordered. If I wanted to find it locally, it would be a lot harder. The cheapest way to get games though is to buy them in a lot, if you don't mind ending up with some that you don't care about playing.

[MrMaddog]

Don't feel bad about not finding a 2600 at a used game store, they rather focus on Nintendo stuff instead. You could try hunting flea markets which is how I got mine...

 

Alternatively you can get the Atari Flashback at any dollar store, they sell them during the holidays. Picture quality is crap on HDTV's but it's a nice quick way to play 2600 games using actual joysticks. The wireless joysticks don't work well so I recommend getting a wired joystick, paddle controlers that some games use and maybe a Sega gamepad for a modernize feel.

 

If you play emulators on a PC then you can also get the 2600daptor to use a real Atari joystick, best of both worlds.

[tep392]

If your serious about wanting a 2600, post in the wanted section on this site. I'm sure one of the nice people here can give you a good deal on a tested 2600 setup.

[Keatah]

Playing in emulation is like listening to an mp3 of an old jazz record rather than the original 78. There are snobs who will say it isn't the same,and to some extent those snobs are right, but the important thing is that you play and enjoy the games, not how you play them.

 

You give up a percentage point or two in realism and authenticity, but you gain so many more advantages like reliability, convenience, compatibility, and more. Especially a stable noise and distortion free video image.

 

Stella is currently the best and most compatible VCS emulator around, and you'll want to play that on the PC.

 

At least that's how I see it. YMMV.

[Gentlegamer]

Find someone to play Tank Pong.

[Flojomojo]

I know you can purchase one online but I don't trust buying things online. It is one of my fears honestly. Plus, you need an old tv to play the console and no store in my area sells them. This is why emualtors are my only option.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a 2600. If I had to choose a model it would be the one that has wood because I find that to be unique among video game systems.

Anyways everyone, hello. This forum has an excellent community, probably better than any other forum I know of.

Hey kid! Glad you're here, this is a welcoming bunch and there's no age restriction. If you engage in some conversation and maybe check the trading boards, you can probably find a nice Atari VCS (that's what geezers like me call it) with a bunch of common games included. The best Atari games are the most common anyway, there's no reason to spend a lot of money.

 

Alternatively, the Atari Flashback units that are for sale just about everywhere for $40 each are worth having. They come with old-style rubbery controllers that are close to the real thing, even though they use infrared line-of-sight wireless. You can plug a wired controller into these consoles, and they come with 100 games built in. They're technically emulation, but they feel pretty real, and if you have ANY analog ports on your modern TV (red/white RCA jacks), this will plug in. There's also a portable which I think is even better, not least because it can load an SD card full of ROM images.

 

There's a whole sub-forum about these things under Dedicated Systems.

[Flojomojo]

I will admit, even though I own the Xbox One, I prefer the Atari. I would trade the Xbox One for an Atari 2600 console, no questions.

BTW the Atari Flashback software packs for Xbox One are $10 each this week if you have XBOX Live Gold, $12 if not.

[Centipede2600]

BTW the Atari Flashback software packs for Xbox One are $10 each this week if you have XBOX Live Gold, $12 if not.

I will try to get it.

[zylon]

Even the cheapest TV Wally-world sells will work with an Atari system. I use one here with a 2600 and a 5200 with no problems.

[Tangentg]

Oh another young person here? I'm 21 and I basically grew up with Atari 2600 and NES games online cause they happened to be the first video games I ever found and played online and I stuck with them because I loved them.

 

I wonder if you'll like Millipede? It's my all-time favourite arcade and Atari 2600 game.

It basically has all elements Centipede has and only adds more, plus there's a sense of progression that you feel as you go through the different bug swarms.

 

And speaking of Centipede, this is a screenshot of my War of the Bugs remake, which is itself a Centipede clone. I wish I'd get some comments on my games but I haven't really gotten much... I wonder if you'd be interested?

 

[Hyperboy]

@Tangentg..post the rom and people will give it a shot and most likely provide feedback.

 

Sent from my non beer holding hand.

[Centipede2600]

Tangentg, post the rom. I will definetely give it a try.

[Tangentg]

Well the thing is, it's a Windows game that's made in the style of an Atari 2600 game so it's not a ROM... I posted the topic before but I haven't gotten much feedback...

 

Well the topic (where you could find the download links) is here: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/251573-atari-fangames/

[Ayatollah-X]

Playing in emulation is like listening to an mp3 of an old jazz record rather than the original 78. There are snobs who will say it isn't the same,and to some extent those snobs are right, but the important thing is that you play and enjoy the games, not how you play them.

I like the record analogy. It holds true in so many respects. It's much like acquiring cartridges vs. using emulation, or having a Harmony cart full of ROMs. It's convenient to have Spotify or Apple Music, but there's something about purchasing the original vinyl album. With Atari, it's even more ridiculous because it isn't even an analog vs. digital argument. It's all digital to begin with, but there's just something about sticking a vintage cartridge into a vintage machine hooked up to a CRT TV, and having everything work just as it did in 1981.

[+sramirez2008]

...but there's just something about sticking a vintage cartridge into a vintage machine hooked up to a CRT TV, and having everything work just as it did in 1981.

 

Amen!

[tschak909]

At least you're being honest, about it. I've heard far too many "emulation-isn't-real" arguments, from people who are ignorant of either how emulation works, or the advances in emulation accuracy, and who react with an emotional zeal formerly relegated to religious fanatics.

 

-Thom