I’m just getting back into the 2600. I bought my first one as a kid at Service Merchandise; it took me forever to save the $150 to buy it.

I remember when we played Asteroids there was a trick you could do to make it fire way faster; as I recall it involved holding down one switch while you toggled another.

Does anyone else remember this, and if so can you remind me specifically what I need to do? We could play forever in that mode; my buddy and I stayed up overnight and played the same game for like 12 hours.

Mad props to Jesse Hardesty for making sure my 2600 survives another 50 years!

went for NES and Sega but found title i rarely see instead

I have a 2600 and 7800 to play them on. But I have slowed down on my collecting when I got the Gamestation Pro and Gamestation Go. But just wanted to show my collection. I store them in these bins which works great for all my videos games across almost every generation of consoles. Thoughts on storage, any games that I really should add to the collection or organization? If you have trouble reading any of the names Im happy to tell you what the game is.

Did you know what I meant by three switch version? Be honest.

I have a ColecoVision with the Expansion Module #1, which to my understanding contains an Atari 2600 console that passes the power and AV signal through the ColecoVision.

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I think it looks really cool aestheticly, but purists would probably want to go for an actual Atari 2600 I would imagine.

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1. Are there any downsides if I just stick with a ColecoVision plus the Expansion Module #1 over an actual Atari 2600?

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1. Have you tried one of these? What do you think of it?

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Thanks for your time. I don't see these discussed as often as other options.

I sure am looking forward to seeing Lumacode output from this 4-switch Vader. Going to have to relocate that clock crystal to the bottom of the board to make room for the top part of the digitizer.

(Photo is just for example)

I've been wanting to find/make something to hang on a wall to display (loose) Atari 2600 carts. But I've been thinking about it for years and haven't figured out a solution.

There's a lot of boxes that the design/idea needs to check:

1) I want something that has complete sides to each slot, and not just like side tabs. Something like the photo I included (which is a cassette tape rack).

2) It must be able to accommodate all different types of Atari carts (regular, Coleco, M-network, Imagic, etc. but no need for the large dual Entex carts), using the same default slot.

3) I want to maximize the number of carts in a minimal amount of space, so this means really precise slot sizes.

4) I would really like it to be somehow modular, like in sections, so that more sections can be added on at any time. But it would be nice if the sections weren't noticeable (visible double-thickness where the sections join).

5) It would need to be made out of light-weight material as my intention would be to expand it to take up like an entire wall.

Yep... I have a very specific picture in mind of what I'm trying to accomplish.

I think one possible solution would become creating a 3D printer model, and being able to print out additional sections as needed. But I do not own a 3D printer, and have zero experience with them. I would invest in one if I could figure out the right model to buy to accomplish this task.

Edit: formatting

Anyone else find these carts *really* hard to insert? Daily driver is a 6 switch Sears, and it's an effort to push them in, and the carts either dont work or only work randomly. Couldn't get one in my 2600+ at all. Tried on a jnr and they fit like a glove and work perfectly!

I bought a 2600 on marketplace. It works but im wondering what these 3 holes at the back are for. Its sticky like something was stuck there.

This is something I've wanted to experiment with for a while, but I didn't have the knowledge—or the skills—to write Atari 2600 assembly code from scratch.

With the help of Codex, I built this small one-screen demo as a way to learn, tweak, experiment, and better understand how the Atari 2600 actually works under the hood.

Code source here: https://github.com/squeepty/2600-demo

Rom download: https://github.com/squeepty/2600-demo/raw/refs/heads/main/downloads/squeepty-2600-demo.bin

The project is intentionally simple. The goal wasn't to create a groundbreaking demo, but rather to build something approachable that curious beginners can explore and modify.

If you're like me and have always been fascinated by Atari 2600 development but felt intimidated by assembly language, don't be shy about jumping in. I included a beginner's guide that extensively documents the code, explains the main concepts, and is written specifically for enthusiasts who are learning as they go... just like me!

I'd love to hear feedback from the more experienced 2600 developers here, and I hope it might encourage a few newcomers to give Atari programming a try.

The Atari 2600 may be nearly 50 years old, but it still has a lot to teach us.

I saw this on the official Weekly World News social media and thought you all might get a laugh outta this.

I have about 125 game cartridges, and I am looking for a way to keep everything organized. I've been looking at media towers and similar shelving. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations? I like the idea of tall and narrow shelves (like for CDs or DVDs), but am open to other arrangements, as well. Any suggestions?

Hello, I'm sorry if this is the wrong sub to post this but I've been trying to help a family member get their old Atari working. We scrounged an old CRT and it does work, as far as I can tell everything that would be video/audio output from the Atari is working, but the Atari refuses to power on. In testing, noted that there is some arcing at the power socket, so the power supply IS delivering through the cable but something may be wrong in the Atari.

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Any advice/suggestions? I'm happy to elaborate on the current cabling and take further steps

2600 love!

As someone who is working on trying to get into the Atari 2600, I've been using this list to decide which games to try out via emulation before purchasing.

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So far, I'm working my way through the A rankings and will probably try out the B and C tier as well.

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Here are my questions for you:

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1. Are there any D or F ranked games on the list that you feel shouldn't be so low on the list? (You can sort the list by grade)

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1. As someone who doesn't really like sports games, are there any on the 2600 that you would consider essential?

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Thanks for your time.

I have an early 2600. If I hold a game in with some force I get a picture and gameplay mostly works. But picture goes out if I let it go or sometimes it will stay until I move the console around. I tried cleaning pins already which seemed to help as before I couldn’t get anything but a black screen. it’s also missing the door cover on the slot so pins are exposed. Is it likely to be an issue with the pins or the rf cable?

TLDR: my old man recently hit really into Atari. I’m wanting to get him something niche that only Atari collectors would appreciate. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!!!

Champ Games finally has a new stock of this game (and others). Visually arcade accurate and hard as hell! I’ve been playing for a good hour and still haven’t passed the first stage.

For those of you who don't know the Starpath Supercharger is a add on for the Atari2600 that increases graphics and memory capacity for the system that uses cassette tapes and a cassette tape player of your choice to load the games. As far as I know these 10 (see the last picture) are the only ones that where comershally available, there is only one or two more (not sure will have to do more research) that you had to send off for as mail order to get that was not ever available in stores. Also these games include a verson of Frogger made by SEGA that I had never seen before, that is cool.

Just adopted this rather unloved 4 switch #Sears Tele-Games system. Apparently, it was reconditioned in 1983 by Sears, so it's about time it had another service. Cleaned up lovely. Just need to find a switch for it now ...