2600 Emulator in XL/XE series

[Allas]

Is factible to design a 2600 software emulator in XL/XE series that could use all the existing ROMs ?

 

Strong points:

 

- Similar cpu microprocesor 6502 vs 6507 (1.67Mhz vs 1.19Mhz)

- XL/XE series have more RAM (64Kb) vs RAM/ROM (128b/4K) from 2600

- 2600 Graphic screen is 160x102 will be covered with extended lines in XL/XE GR.7

- I think chip sound is the same with less channels

- 2 standard joysticks in the same way

- Same amount of colors

- More sprites and similar engine in XL/XE

 

Cons:

 

- System graphic video mananging is different. Maybe this is the great effort to do in the posible emulator.

 

But, i dont know the technical hardware in 2600. Maybe there are more differences to say.

[Gury]

Hi Allas,

 

Good idea, I talked about it some time ago on my chatroom. 2600 graphic screen with 160x102 resolution would fit perfectly in ANTIC mode E of A8 computers with some vertical centering. But unfortunately I think inserting 2600 ROMS would be a major problem. I don't know, I am not in hardware, maybe somebody else could tell us more.

[Wrathchild]

Lack of mirroring in the A8 makes this a no go, though I only

speak from my experience in the porting of Combat to the A8.

 

It means that you need work arounds to acheive this that cost time

and as 2600 games are predominantly display kernel based this

makes a 1:1 port fairly hard and you end up doing things stlightly

differently, e.g. more prep in the VBI and let A8 things like DLIs

take care of other things.

 

Also the players on the 2600 have fancy things such as the

ability to double or triple itself (e.g. the planes in combat)

which you can't do on the A8 other than utilising other players

to replicate this (though again more work/time)

 

Regards,

Mark

[Wrathchild]

Forgot to add that the 2600's sound chip does not

have a good correlation to the Pokey chip and so

you tend to need to rework that code too.

 

Saying that, look what was done with the SID emulation.

Maybe a TIA emulator would be knock-up-able?

 

Mark.

[Gury]

That's true. We already have, for example, Pitfall and Pitfall 2 on our machines... great ports. The only way is to port particular game of choice and make best features of the machine to enhance the game.

 

Is your port of Combat game this one? http://gury.atari8.info/details_games/2331.htm

[Wrathchild]

Hi!

 

Nope - check this thread:

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=41057

 

Regards,

Mark

[Gury]

Ok, thx. I will check it out!

[Godzilla]

imho the a8 cpu just plain isn't fast enough to pull this off.

[Heaven/TQA]

and who needs a 2600 emulator anyway... just grab a 2600

[Allas]

Well im not thinking in get a directly cartridge port for XL/XE. Emulate the 2600 cost great CPU speed if the XL/XE try to emulate as interpreter. Maybe the best idea is to design a PC software that converts .BIN 2600 to .XEX file. The translate happens as a aditional step, as compiling.

 

to Wrathchild: Sprites multiplexers in 2600? you design one sprite and can repeat 2 o 3 times? ... mmm... I'll try to read more about 2600 technical information. But your Combat games looks exactly like 2600 version.

 

Well, the good point is if a 2600 emulator exists then the catalog XL/XE games increase at least 2 times! ... and think in the old 400/600XL models.

Edited August 9, 2006 by Allas

[www.atarimania.com]

Well, the good point is if a 2600 emulator exists then the catalog XL/XE games increase at least 2 times! ... and think in the old 400/600XL models.

Not exactly, there are less than a thousand unique games on the 2600 and something like eight times more on the A8. It would be fun but does the A8 really need this?

 

--

Atari Frog

http://www.atarimania.com

[Godzilla]

so a recompiler, not an emulator... i suppose if someone were super genius enough it might be possible... or just hack the 5200 2600 adaptor to run on the a8bit

[Allas]

Well, the good point is if a 2600 emulator exists then the catalog XL/XE games increase at least 2 times! ... and think in the old 400/600XL models.

Not exactly, there are less than a thousand unique games on the 2600 and something like eight times more on the A8. It would be fun but does the A8 really need this?

 

--

Atari Frog

http://www.atarimania.com

 

The 2600 have simple but funny stuff that dont exist in XL/XE. Good games as Adventure, Combat, Air sea Battle, Haunted house, E.T. (cough! cough! just kidding!)...

 

Maybe for the 64 XL/XE users dont sound cool, but 16K users (even 5200 users) could see enhanced your machines.

[www.atarimania.com]

I'd rather see people recode and enhance these programs with 2006 graphics and sounds... Sorry but I expect my A8 to look like a C64, MSX or Spectrum, certainly not a 2600.

 

--

Atari Frog

http://www.atarimania.com

[Gury]

Are the older 2600 games, like those from Atari and other companies, now considered as abandonware? I don't think I can just select one 2600 game and port it to A8. Is that so simple, no copyright issues?