The "Pause" switch.

[NightSprinter]

Ok, found out that the "Pause" button (as we all know will pause a 7800 game in-progress) IS in fact the B/W switch for the 2600 games. Thing is does anyone know how to make it so I can switch to one screen and stay there (StarMaster), but to keep 2600 games that utilize a "pause" feature with the B/W switch STAY paused after pressing it (James Bond 007), or for older Atari cartridges to stay in B/W mode (Combat, Circus Atari, etc)?

[+-^CrossBow^-]

You could change out the switch to act like the one for power does. However, I don't know what that would do for the actual pause function on 7800 games.

 

There is a workaround for Starmaster and for Space Shuttle. If you have the manual for Starmaster you will notice that it states to leave the difficulty switches alone. I dont' know why...because they will in fact switch to the starchart just like the b/w switch does on a 2600. So, for me I always used the difficulty switches on the 7800 when playing starmaster. The same difficulty switches can also be used in Space Shuttle to fire off the emergency backup engines since the b/w switch was used for the primary rockets. Therefore when playing shuttle, I was always using the backups...hehe..

[NightSprinter]

Ok, but what about the B/W feature for the "debut" 2600 release titles (Circus Atari, Combat, etc.)? Since I know games like "Circus Atari" NEED to be played in B/W mode due to how nauseating the colors are.

[shadow460]

I'd wire in a small switch to bypass the Pause button. When slid to one position, the switch would short out the pause button, making your 2600 games behave like they were in black and white mode. When in the other position, the pause button would work normally. Obviously you wouldn't want to play a 7800 game with the newly installed "TV Type" switch in the "B/W" position.

 

I've thought about modding my own 7800 that way.

 

Phaser Patrol and Commando Raid do not have a workaround for the TV type switch. Turmoil has kind of the same issue, as it expects the system to stay in B/W mode to keep the game paused. Instead, the Pause button is equivalnet of flicking the TV Type switch to B/W and then back to color (like flicking the power to load Starpath previews...sort of).

 

You might be able to set something heavy on the pause button, or use a large rubber band and something small enough to keep it depressed. Just move the band to switch back to "Color" mode.

 

The other option is to get a 2600 for use with those kind of games.

 

BTW, the power button is just a momentary switch, too, like the pause button is. Maybe one could wire the pause button into a latch circuit of some kind.

[HP Atari King of Michigan]

Ok, but what about the B/W feature for the "debut" 2600 release titles (Circus Atari, Combat, etc.)?  Since I know games like "Circus Atari" NEED to be played in B/W mode due to how nauseating the colors are.

994983[/snapback]

You could duct tape the Pause button down so it'll stay in place.

[NightSprinter]

Ok, but what about the B/W feature for the "debut" 2600 release titles (Circus Atari, Combat, etc.)?  Since I know games like "Circus Atari" NEED to be played in B/W mode due to how nauseating the colors are.

994983[/snapback]

You could duct tape the Pause button down so it'll stay in place.

1003139[/snapback]

 

Well, I tried out an experiment popping the DigDug cartridge and held down the Pause switch to see if it would go into a pause/unpause cycle. It didn't. So apparently the switch can be replaced with an "on/off" type. The only concern I have is for the 7800 games how would one ues such a switch to unpause the game after putting it back into "off" position?

[shadow460]

Wire a separate toggle switch parallel to the pause switch. You could use a black slide switch and put it between the difficulty switches. It would look like it was supposed to be there.