Thanks for this. I’m 60 and was into early computing, but never a gamer. Today I busted out an Atari 2600 for my 6 year old grandson. I didn’t understand why the RCA out of the Atari wouldn’t work with the video in on our 60” or even an old CRT. I thought the console was broke. But then I used the gaming switch that came with the Atari and got it to work on a 12” CRT. FUZZY picture but he had fun. Unfortunately no more Radio Shack. I’m going to buy an adapter to HDMI to put it on the big screen. Thanks again.
The Atari 2600 used an RF Switch box. You can still use an original Switch box on your system with a new TV. Just screw the coax plug on the back of your TV and change the TV to manual/analog tunage and turn the system on. It will work.
nothing warms my heart more than a review of the Atari 2600...especially pertaining to it's hook up and all that. Great video, couldn't have picked better stock background music for this one myself- excellent job Mark - you vindicate my generation, thanks for posting this video. definitely going to favorite this one;)
Great video ! I remember playing Atari back in 1982 when I was 6. I like collecting old game consoles, so hopefully if i can find an Atari 2600 I'll easily connect it to my 42' HD plasma TV thanks to this video. Cheers !
I still have all those Atari models you showed, but my favorite is the rare Vader Edition 2600. I still have one of those factory sealed in a mint box. I know that is so lucky to have one in unopened condition. I buy Atari games on eBay ever other week when I get paid. You never run out of cool games, unlike the new systems. Plus the games only cost about $4 vs. $60+ for new game systems.
I bought a really long RCA cable for my subwoofer from Radio Shack and the guy working there told me I needed a "Subwoofer cable" cause the one I was about to buy wasn't compatible with any subwoofer! LOL
Thanks so much for this! I almost threw out my old console and games until I realized how cheap and easy it would be to use it again. Now it's connected and I'm getting reacquainted with some old favourite games.
I just want to say thank you for this video. I tried for days to hook up my Atari 7800. Without watching your video, I would've been lost for a long time. Thank you again!! I can now breathe,
Just picked up a 7800 with 11 games, all its necessary wires, two joystick controllers, 2 paddle controllers, and extra backup wires all at once for $90 usd. I am very, very happy
Just got one of these for $5, with the power supply, paddle and 2 joysticks. I was on the way to the mall with my buddy saw a yard sale and went 'AHHHHH' and swerved off towards it. So glad I did that
I found an Atari 2600 (wood grain model) at a thrift shop but it didn't come with a power supply. What type of AC adapter should I get? I keep finding different answers online.
They sell them on Ebay. Anywhere from $3.00 & up. But you really don't need that adapter as long as you use a 120 volt input 9 volt output. I have so many of these in my basement. Just look on the back of of one & it will tell you the 2 different volts on the back. Good luck!
i actually have the wood grained, and the atari was made in 1974, saddly i have no FREAKIN POWER CORD!, but i will go to radio shack in the next 2 seconds. Sir you are now my idol for teaching me this
Thanx for telling me this,man! I bought a rare six-switcher on Ebay for 20$ with 11 games...it was a dream come true. It had the works! Controllers,paddle controllers,the system,games and a plug! But it didn't come with an RF switch box. :( So I looked online,found this video,and now I can play mah Atari! Thanks,man. Big help!
Flashback 2 systems aren't emulation, the FB2 uses miniaturized Atari chips which are cheaper to produce these days. You can even mod a Flashback 2 to play original carts.
All modern cpus are based around Pentium 3 in basic design but with there own bridge design and thread extensions being B symmetrical like cortex arm7 or A symmetrical like ADM tricore. The Celeron 404 was the last p6 65nm core solo being made after 2011 and its popularity proved that inlet can offer performance at competitive price which inspired the considerably high performance budget android products you see today and adm producing 300$ octacores.
actually, all modern x86 CPUs are based around the 80286 from Intel. The modern PC standard is based on the IBM 5150's decendents, the second generation AT class machines. These and the 5150 laid the groundwork for the modern PC standard Computer built with off the shelf components, using an x86 family processor, and running Microsoft software or derivative. This is why Macs are not considered PCs, despite being Personal Computers, and using x86 cpus...nothing is off the shelf.
Intel has there own unique embedded core technology such as hyper threading and intel burst which over and under clocks based on cpu usage and im sure intel real sense will be core related.
I just found my dads old four switch wood grained Atari. Came with to joysticks, one set of paddles, video touchpad and 8 games. Asteroids, Pac-man, Beazerk, Star Raiders, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Cosmic Ark and Armor Ambush. Got the small adapter today! Hooked up the Atari, inserted trusty Asteroids, crossed my fingers, said a payer and flicked the switch. To my delight and amazment it works perfectly after 30 years. Forget about playing my PS2 now!
Mark wasn't kidding when he said that the Atari 7800 power supply is not easy to find. Many Atari 7800 consoles selling on eBay and Amazon don't come with it. I was lucky enough to buy a 7800 with the power supply, RF connector and one controller for $106.
thanks man i recently found a 7800 on the street and me and my younger brother couldnt set it up. Thanks to your video we set it up and played all night.
There was an Atari 2600 Jr at a flea market for sale for $10 with 3 games, but no power supply making it a risk. There's one up at the cabin I go to that's been abandoned there for over 20 years.
I have two of the 2600 with the wood grain. We bought four when they were new. We gave two to my cousins and I kept one. I used mine a lot. We never gave the fourth one to my other cousin because he got one on the same day. So, I have mine that is in excellent condition and one that's still in the box.
For those of you watching this video, I'd just like to mention that I use an RCA to Coax adapter with my Atari and it works flawlessly. Far easier than messing with switch boxes. Also, he's right about buying a bulk lot of games being easiest. I bought a lot of forty or so Atari 2600 games along with a few systems and controllers at a garage sale, and it really saved me a lot of time compared to going online and locating each game individually.
Yesterday I bought an Atari 2600 "Darth Vader" with power supply and 2 joysticks only for 8 dollars and I was going crazy because I didn't have a TV switch. But this video saved me money and time because I can buy one of those little adapters and have a lot of fun! I'm 18 and I grow up with a Famicom that's why I love retro gaming so much, graphics doesn't matter, is all about fun and playing with some friends at home :)
Great advice, thanks! Bought the female RCA/male coax connector at Radio Shack for under $5 and it worked perfectly for the atari 2600 - wood grain. No need to also use a vcr, just plug it right into your TV coax input. Kind of a long video to get to that simple solution though.
On a modern t.v. which plug is the coaxial input? On mine there are like six of them colored white yellow red, then I have HDMI inputs, and an antenna input 🤔
Wow man, thanks so much! I have an Atari 7800 and a Magnavox Odyssey 2 just lying around because I can't plug them into my television. but now I know what to do!
Never owned an Atari. I want to get my mom one for christmas because it was one of her favorite memorys from when she was a kid. She also loves my old Gameboy Color. I want to get her a 2600 for christmas with a few games me and her can enjoy toegether.
I went to a Radio Shack and tried to explain what kind of connector I needed for my Atari 2600 jr, and the manager couldn't help. Thanks for letting me know that I need an RCA-CoAx converter (F-M). Hopefully I'll have better luck this time. Long Live Atari!
I just bought/ordered an Atari 2600 on Ebay right now! What the heck is wrong with me?! I think I got a good deal though, $45 total. It works, has 2 joysticks, 2 paddles, power supply cord, RF adapter, & 12 games. We'll see. Can't wait !
Berzerk is, to me, the best game on the 2600. I just can't get enough of it! Also, I don't know where you get the music for your videos, but it's always perfect and relaxing. It makes me want to rewatch if not for the great reviews, but the nice music.
good thing i watched this before i went and bought both systems. i had no idea the 7800 was backwards compatible. it would still be neat to have a 2600 cause it looks cool, but for the most part i just wanna play the games with friends.
so one day I was visiting my dad and tells me he still has my Atari 2600 . I thought he trashed at least 15 years ago. I took it home and the thing still works!
CMG: Classic Movies and Games is looking into an Atari 2600 Junior. We will be doin' some Atari games from time to time on our new channel! Thanks Mark for this useful info!
I found an Atari as a kid and dragged it home by the RF cable (they were hardwired in the uk) i had a multiplug adapter but the rental TV`s had channel 36 disabled so you couldn't play games on them. It took two years to get a TV but it worked, supra cobra was my fave along with keystone kapers. I sold the Atari when i was 16 and brought some cigarettes and a spectrum game (a £1.99 one) Wish i still had it :(
I pulled my 7800 out the closet and fired it up this week on my 60in and seriously forgot how much fun it was. Not to mention it's soo old and as this guy said they hold up a lot better than the stuff that's out now. His looks a 1000 times better than mine does cosmetically. I mean a old NES or SNES you have to blow on a million times to get it to work. I jam an ATARI cartridge into my 7800 once and it fired up. I'm sure that's because of it simple engineering in comparison to todays standards.
I got a old atari from a flea market. Its actually a generic made by some company called dimerco. The RCA cable it uses actually plugs in inside of the console itself, not in the back. The cable is friggin' 30 billion miles long, so you can pretty much play it as far away from the screen as you want. It also came with 2 copies of pac-man, 3 of combat, 1 of kangaroo, and 1 of E.T.
If you live in Sweden you don't need the VHS, I just hooked the cable directly to my LCD and then did a channel search and found the correct channel and started playing Atari 2600. No blur, nothing weird just a perfect picture. Lucky me.
when it comes to getting duplicate carts, the small benefit is you can go to your local game shop if you have one and trade them in for other carts they can have and meanwhile just chat about atari. more than likely if they work at a game shop with old cart style games they are friendly and would love to just talk about atari or any old game console you're getting into
I plugged mine directly into the back of the tv into the coax cable hook up. Then I set the tv input on tv instead of a component. Then if you set your tv on channel 3 it totally works!
dude ur vids r great, so informative and ez 4 some1 like me whos pretty versed in video games and seting them up to new tvs and going through the whole 9 yards. i cnt believe i never knew u could use a genesis controller on an atari thts awsome.
I agree. It is the best looking console ever made! Mine that I ordered on eBay just came in last night. It's in great shape, works great, and to my surprise, it's a Sunnyvale original!
If it's on channel 2, try switching to channel 3 on the back of the unit (and your TV). Channel 2 is used for broadcast (at least it will be for another few months until we switch to all-digital) and the stray RF can ruin your picture quality.
Flashbacks to just me in an arcade on a off night with the lights off and that dim glow from the arcade games and the occasional sound coming from a Williams game on demo.
Thanks for the video. got my girlfriends Light Sixer working because of this informative video. ended up getting an RCA coupler like you suggested from Radio Shack.
Can you please help me with that, i,m from Europe and i really tried everything to instal my old Atari console on a modern samsunf smart tv, nothing i tried worked.. 😦
kissarmy305 The Atari uses a coax output, also called an antenna cable. They look like this www.coaxkabelkopen.nl/files/8864/products/5461656/cx100201_5_2.jpg. My new tv still has such an input. You need to plug it in, and your tv probably has an automatic tuning program which you can run. If it doesn't, it will have a manual tuning program. That should do it.
I'm 15. First console I played was the PS1. My first console was the PS2. (I still have it)! Now I have an NES, SNES, and I'm planning to get a ColecoVision and maybe in a few years the Vectrex.
If you ask me is the Atari 2600JR the best one. You can really find it easily for a few dollars/ euros/ ... I bought mine 2600JR boxed for only 25 euros in the secondhand shop nearby. I was so happy :)
You could make your own cable by splicing an RCA cable to a coaxial cable. There are also a lot of guides on the net to convert a 2600 so it has composite video & stereo sound through RCA cables like a modern console.
The B&W/Color switch will work exactly the same way it works if you connect the system directly to the TV, altough if your TV still has an analog tuner I recommend connecting it directly than trough a VCR because you will be adding more noise to the signal when running it trough all the components of the VCR.
if your tv has a coaxial input you can plug it straight into that. even some of the hdtvs have one of those labelled "antenna." plug it into that and turn it to analog channel 3 (or 2 or 4 whatever you have the switch set to)
Still have about 18 game cartridges. Hoping to get an old Atari 2600 console soon. Dying to play Centipede, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Ms Pacman, Night Driver, Q-Bert and Space Invaders again. :-)
Dreamcast, Playstation, PS2 (before the AC adapter breakout), and Saturn use the same power cord. If you have one of any of those, you can get by. It's a pretty standard AC cable. It is possible that the Saturn still passes DC current to the SRAM whie it is still plugged in, and only uses the battery while it's off. I'd pick up an Action Replay 4-in-1 to backup those save games just in case. Some consoles have to be powered up routinely to charge the capacitors. Turbo CD is one such system.
+Me Yeah. Assuming he was born in 1970, and a generation length of 14 years, that would make his grandfather born in 1984, his father born in 1998, and him being born in 2012, making OP be only 3 years old, and somehow able to get on the internet and post a comment. It's impossible for that to happen.
I'm 14 also, and i have every one you mentioned plus a NES, Genesis, N64, Saturn, PS2 and 2 GameCubes. My tip for you is to not just look in Flea Markets and Thrift Stores. Go to Consignment Shops, Garage Sales and Good Will. Happy Hunting!
Thank you so much!! I was about to start looking for a TV from the time period, turns out my mom hasn't thrown out the VHS player or the video/ audio cables, and now we can find out if her Atari 2600 still works after being dormant for about 6+ years. (played it every now and then when I was about 9ish then we moved and threw out the only TV that had the ability to connect the 2600 on.
@serenok you dont need the VCR. i recommend using the RCA cables and that little adapter that plugs straight into the cable slot and the other end that plugs into your RCA cables. its in one of my videos.
I have a stereo AV cable (composite/stereo) for my MegaDriveII/Genesis 2 & if you want one for the SNES just get one from an N64 or Gamecube. They all used the same cable for composite video & stereo sound.
Thanks for this. I’m 60 and was into early computing, but never a gamer. Today I busted out an Atari 2600 for my 6 year old grandson. I didn’t understand why the RCA out of the Atari wouldn’t work with the video in on our 60” or even an old CRT. I thought the console was broke. But then I used the gaming switch that came with the Atari and got it to work on a 12” CRT. FUZZY picture but he had fun. Unfortunately no more Radio Shack. I’m going to buy an adapter to HDMI to put it on the big screen. Thanks again.
You can bring it to a Retro Game Shop, so the cam install regular A/V inputs. I've done it with my Atari 7800.
The Atari 2600 used an RF Switch box. You can still use an original Switch box on your system with a new TV. Just screw the coax plug on the back of your TV and change the TV to manual/analog tunage and turn the system on. It will work.
Now this is some classic Classic Game Room.
Back when Classic Game Room was amazing.
I realize it's pretty randomly asking but do anyone know of a good site to stream new series online?
@RainLauncher85 The Home Media Fan 2007 he did reviews for 20 years
Still is
You know you are a geek when you watch this attentively and then want to rewatch it. Great video.
nothing warms my heart more than a review of the Atari 2600...especially pertaining to it's hook up and all that.
Great video, couldn't have picked better stock background music for this one myself- excellent job Mark - you vindicate my generation, thanks for posting this video.
definitely going to favorite this one;)
More mids like this one, please. These could be very useful for new collectors.
I got the atari 2600 jr for free because i helped my grandma clean out her attic and she said i could have the atari if i wanted it and i have it
I wish one of my grandparents had an Atari I could take.
David Baker i buyed it on Amazon for 20 $ lol
David Baker lol dude same
Great video ! I remember playing Atari back in 1982 when I was 6. I like collecting old game consoles, so hopefully if i can find an Atari 2600 I'll easily connect it to my 42' HD plasma TV thanks to this video. Cheers !
But can you plug it in to a vectrex?
+TheDuke I don't think so lol. But why would you want to play Atari when you have a Vectrex?
+Sanic Youth Why not both?
7:32 OMG almost thought they were the 'Devils Pitchforks' XD.
Same lol
+Technology Spotlight AVGN calls them that.
Ikt.
You must have been watching a little too much AVGN, haven't ya?
You can actually see the "Devils Pitchforks" at 7:47.
The background music makes me think of those animated Charlie Brown specials. Now I feel all extra warm and fuzzy inside (all full of nostalgia).
I still have all those Atari models you showed, but my favorite is the rare Vader Edition 2600. I still have one of those factory sealed in a mint box. I know that is so lucky to have one in unopened condition. I buy Atari games on eBay ever other week when I get paid. You never run out of cool games, unlike the new systems. Plus the games only cost about $4 vs. $60+ for new game systems.
I bought a really long RCA cable for my subwoofer from Radio Shack and the guy working there told me I needed a "Subwoofer cable" cause the one I was about to buy wasn't compatible with any subwoofer! LOL
How do I install Fallout 4 into an Atari 2600?
Bruh
Get a hard drive
Thanks so much for this! I almost threw out my old console and games until I realized how cheap and easy it would be to use it again. Now it's connected and I'm getting reacquainted with some old favourite games.
I just want to say thank you for this video. I tried for days to hook up my Atari 7800. Without watching your video, I would've been lost for a long time. Thank you again!! I can now breathe,
Yay!, Atari 2600!!!
How long do you recommend that I keep the Atari on before it "overheats?"
Approximately 69 hours
Just picked up a 7800 with 11 games, all its necessary wires, two joystick controllers, 2 paddle controllers, and extra backup wires all at once for $90 usd.
I am very, very happy
Wow. Seeing that VCR takes me back to my childhood days of hooking up an NES or Sega Genesis to record gameplay footage.
you know, the VCR/VHS player is completely unnecessary because my flat screen has a coax cable input
Unless you want to use the Framemeister or the Retrotink.
But how do you access that setting on the tv
Dion R Correct!
@@PrestonPlourdProjects woah i left that comment 6 years ago lmfao im getting old
Clap. clap your hands to keep Tinker Bell alive!
I just want to go on record as saying that I love this channel. CGR makes my life.
Just got one of these for $5, with the power supply, paddle and 2 joysticks. I was on the way to the mall with my buddy saw a yard sale and went 'AHHHHH' and swerved off towards it. So glad I did that
Wow, do kids really not know how to do this? I'm feeling really old now.
Give this to a kid and they obviously won't know because they're just so used to one HDMI or RCA plug
I guess so. At least there's a nice video online now in case they ever want to figure out how to play an old game on the original hardware.
Mike DiLoreto I'm a kid, and it's not that hard. I plug my NES by myself, even without a video.
ThatWeirdQuilava
wow
good 4 u
would u like a medal or a pin
bravo
10/10
Mike DiLoreto Also, I own an Atari 2600.
I found an Atari 2600 (wood grain model) at a thrift shop but it didn't come with a power supply. What type of AC adapter should I get? I keep finding different answers online.
Depends. What country do you live in?
They sell them on Ebay. Anywhere from $3.00 & up. But you really don't need that adapter as long as you use a 120 volt input 9 volt output. I have so many of these in my basement. Just look on the back of of one & it will tell you the 2 different volts on the back. Good luck!
i actually have the wood grained, and the atari was made in 1974, saddly i have no FREAKIN POWER CORD!, but i will go to radio shack in the next 2 seconds. Sir you are now my idol for teaching me this
Thanx for telling me this,man! I bought a rare six-switcher on Ebay for 20$ with 11 games...it was a dream come true. It had the works! Controllers,paddle controllers,the system,games and a plug! But it didn't come with an RF switch box. :( So I looked online,found this video,and now I can play mah Atari! Thanks,man. Big help!
They sell fake tv game versions of Atari for 40$ and its just a old cell phone with using a emulator.
Flashback 2 systems aren't emulation, the FB2 uses miniaturized Atari chips which are cheaper to produce these days. You can even mod a Flashback 2 to play original carts.
All cpus at maximum have 65nm transistors.
All modern cpus are based around Pentium 3 in basic design but with there own bridge design and thread extensions being B symmetrical like cortex arm7 or A symmetrical like ADM tricore. The Celeron 404 was the last p6 65nm core solo being made after 2011 and its popularity proved that inlet can offer performance at competitive price which inspired the considerably high performance budget android products you see today and adm producing 300$ octacores.
actually, all modern x86 CPUs are based around the 80286 from Intel. The modern PC standard is based on the IBM 5150's decendents, the second generation AT class machines. These and the 5150 laid the groundwork for the modern PC standard
Computer built with off the shelf components, using an x86 family processor, and running Microsoft software or derivative. This is why Macs are not considered PCs, despite being Personal Computers, and using x86 cpus...nothing is off the shelf.
Intel has there own unique embedded core technology such as hyper threading and intel burst which over and under clocks based on cpu usage and im sure intel real sense will be core related.
lol it sounds wrong female end and male end XD but that's my mind
I just found my dads old four switch wood grained Atari. Came with to joysticks, one set of paddles, video touchpad and 8 games. Asteroids, Pac-man, Beazerk, Star Raiders, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Cosmic Ark and Armor Ambush. Got the small adapter today! Hooked up the Atari, inserted trusty Asteroids, crossed my fingers, said a payer and flicked the switch. To my delight and amazment it works perfectly after 30 years. Forget about playing my PS2 now!
I normally hate music in videos like this, but this is very nice. classy. well done.
This episode is litteraly CLASSIC game room.
Mark wasn't kidding when he said that the Atari 7800 power supply is not easy to find. Many Atari 7800 consoles selling on eBay and Amazon don't come with it. I was lucky enough to buy a 7800 with the power supply, RF connector and one controller for $106.
thanks man i recently found a 7800 on the street and me and my younger brother couldnt set it up. Thanks to your video we set it up and played all night.
There was an Atari 2600 Jr at a flea market for sale for $10 with 3 games, but no power supply making it a risk. There's one up at the cabin I go to that's been abandoned there for over 20 years.
I'm convinced Mark has been digitized into the world of Tron. Grab your neon disks and light cycles we need to hack into the Grid and rescue him!
I have two of the 2600 with the wood grain. We bought four when they were new. We gave two to my cousins and I kept one. I used mine a lot. We never gave the fourth one to my other cousin because he got one on the same day. So, I have mine that is in excellent condition and one that's still in the box.
went to radio shack and wow did they have so many different COAX cables. im glad i got my atari to work on my LCD!
For those of you watching this video, I'd just like to mention that I use an RCA to Coax adapter with my Atari and it works flawlessly. Far easier than messing with switch boxes.
Also, he's right about buying a bulk lot of games being easiest. I bought a lot of forty or so Atari 2600 games along with a few systems and controllers at a garage sale, and it really saved me a lot of time compared to going online and locating each game individually.
Yesterday I bought an Atari 2600 "Darth Vader" with power supply and 2 joysticks only for 8 dollars and I was going crazy because I didn't have a TV switch. But this video saved me money and time because I can buy one of those little adapters and have a lot of fun!
I'm 18 and I grow up with a Famicom that's why I love retro gaming so much, graphics doesn't matter, is all about fun and playing with some friends at home :)
Famicom? That's in Japan?!
I'm not from Japan, but I still grow up with Famicom games :P
Ooooooohhhhh ok
Great advice, thanks! Bought the female RCA/male coax connector at Radio Shack for under $5 and it worked perfectly for the atari 2600 - wood grain. No need to also use a vcr, just plug it right into your TV coax input. Kind of a long video to get to that simple solution though.
On a modern t.v. which plug is the coaxial input? On mine there are like six of them colored white yellow red, then I have HDMI inputs, and an antenna input 🤔
Wow man, thanks so much!
I have an Atari 7800 and a Magnavox Odyssey 2 just lying around because I can't plug them into my television.
but now I know what to do!
Wow... "Radio Shack"... that really dates this video!
I just bought an atari 2600 and a flash cart for it. So excited! :D Waiting on an adapter in the mail to use it.
Never owned an Atari. I want to get my mom one for christmas because it was one of her favorite memorys from when she was a kid. She also loves my old Gameboy Color. I want to get her a 2600 for christmas with a few games me and her can enjoy toegether.
I went to a Radio Shack and tried to explain what kind of connector I needed for my Atari 2600 jr, and the manager couldn't help. Thanks for letting me know that I need an RCA-CoAx converter (F-M). Hopefully I'll have better luck this time. Long Live Atari!
Thanks for the help Mark, it was a pain trying to hook up my Atari 7800.
Thank you I just got a sears video arcade II and with your help I got it to work on the newer TV 👍👍👍
I just bought/ordered an Atari 2600 on Ebay right now! What the heck is wrong with me?! I think I got a good deal though, $45 total. It works, has 2 joysticks, 2 paddles, power supply cord, RF adapter, & 12 games. We'll see. Can't wait !
Berzerk is, to me, the best game on the 2600. I just can't get enough of it! Also, I don't know where you get the music for your videos, but it's always perfect and relaxing. It makes me want to rewatch if not for the great reviews, but the nice music.
good thing i watched this before i went and bought both systems. i had no idea the 7800 was backwards compatible. it would still be neat to have a 2600 cause it looks cool, but for the most part i just wanna play the games with friends.
so one day I was visiting my dad and tells me he still has my Atari 2600 . I thought he trashed at least 15 years ago. I took it home and the thing still works!
CMG: Classic Movies and Games is looking into an Atari 2600 Junior. We will be doin' some Atari games from time to time on our new channel! Thanks Mark for this useful info!
I found an Atari as a kid and dragged it home by the RF cable (they were hardwired in the uk) i had a multiplug adapter but the rental TV`s had channel 36 disabled so you couldn't play games on them. It took two years to get a TV but it worked, supra cobra was my fave along with keystone kapers. I sold the Atari when i was 16 and brought some cigarettes and a spectrum game (a £1.99 one)
Wish i still had it :(
i have a 2600 jr i needed a tv wire but went 2 radioshack and bout the female 2 male coax it works good thanks 2 this video
I pulled my 7800 out the closet and fired it up this week on my 60in and seriously forgot how much fun it was. Not to mention it's soo old and as this guy said they hold up a lot better than the stuff that's out now. His looks a 1000 times better than mine does cosmetically. I mean a old NES or SNES you have to blow on a million times to get it to work. I jam an ATARI cartridge into my 7800 once and it fired up. I'm sure that's because of it simple engineering in comparison to todays standards.
I really, really miss radioshacks.
@TheFunFan1 Ok, I figured it out, all you have to do is run it through a VCR. Thanks for telling us how to do that! :)
I lucked out I paid $15 for my 4 switch woodgrain 2600 with 14 games and it works great.
No! no! no! it ain't true! no! x'c
I got mine for $15 but the power supply was bad so I had to buy one for $12. Still happy though.
Sales of RCA to Coax adapters have just increased, good job Mark!
I got a old atari from a flea market. Its actually a generic made by some company called dimerco. The RCA cable it uses actually plugs in inside of the console itself, not in the back. The cable is friggin' 30 billion miles long, so you can pretty much play it as far away from the screen as you want. It also came with 2 copies of pac-man, 3 of combat, 1 of kangaroo, and 1 of E.T.
If you live in Sweden you don't need the VHS, I just hooked the cable directly to my LCD and then did a channel search and found the correct channel and started playing Atari 2600. No blur, nothing weird just a perfect picture. Lucky me.
when it comes to getting duplicate carts, the small benefit is you can go to your local game shop if you have one and trade them in for other carts they can have and meanwhile just chat about atari. more than likely if they work at a game shop with old cart style games they are friendly and would love to just talk about atari or any old game console you're getting into
I plugged mine directly into the back of the tv into the coax cable hook up. Then I set the tv input on tv instead of a component. Then if you set your tv on channel 3 it totally works!
dude ur vids r great, so informative and ez 4 some1 like me whos pretty versed in video games and seting them up to new tvs and going through the whole 9 yards. i cnt believe i never knew u could use a genesis controller on an atari thts awsome.
No, it is to prove that even kids can love classic gaming.
you could use an RF modulator, that can also be picked up at radio shack... it sounds complicated... but its just like a mini VCR without the VCR...
I agree. It is the best looking console ever made! Mine that I ordered on eBay just came in last night. It's in great shape, works great, and to my surprise, it's a Sunnyvale original!
Such a great video, indepth, clear audio and video, highlighting everything in detail, showing different models, etc.
If it's on channel 2, try switching to channel 3 on the back of the unit (and your TV). Channel 2 is used for broadcast (at least it will be for another few months until we switch to all-digital) and the stray RF can ruin your picture quality.
Flashbacks to just me in an arcade on a off night with the lights off and that dim glow from the arcade games and the occasional sound coming from a Williams game on demo.
Thanks for the video. got my girlfriends Light Sixer working because of this informative video. ended up getting an RCA coupler like you suggested from Radio Shack.
I'm so glad I live in Europe. The PAL Atari 2600 used european coax output, which still fits on modern tv's.
Can you please help me with that, i,m from Europe and i really tried everything to instal my old Atari console on a modern samsunf smart tv, nothing i tried worked.. 😦
kissarmy305 The Atari uses a coax output, also called an antenna cable. They look like this www.coaxkabelkopen.nl/files/8864/products/5461656/cx100201_5_2.jpg. My new tv still has such an input. You need to plug it in, and your tv probably has an automatic tuning program which you can run. If it doesn't, it will have a manual tuning program. That should do it.
I'm 15. First console I played was the PS1. My first console was the PS2. (I still have it)! Now I have an NES, SNES, and I'm planning to get a ColecoVision and maybe in a few years the Vectrex.
If you ask me is the Atari 2600JR the best one. You can really find it easily for a few dollars/ euros/ ... I bought mine 2600JR boxed for only 25 euros in the secondhand shop nearby. I was so happy :)
You could make your own cable by splicing an RCA cable to a coaxial cable.
There are also a lot of guides on the net to convert a 2600 so it has composite video & stereo sound through RCA cables like a modern console.
I've had mine since 1980, it still works great!!!
The B&W/Color switch will work exactly the same way it works if you connect the system directly to the TV, altough if your TV still has an analog tuner I recommend connecting it directly than trough a VCR because you will be adding more noise to the signal when running it trough all the components of the VCR.
Without older games none of your precious modern games wouldn't exist.
if your tv has a coaxial input you can plug it straight into that. even some of the hdtvs have one of those labelled "antenna." plug it into that and turn it to analog channel 3 (or 2 or 4 whatever you have the switch set to)
I am curious about the 2600 and this video is a huge help. Kudos.
Ive got two Heavy Sixers in my room followed by a MegaDrive, a SNES, a C64, an Amiga 500 downstairs and about eight Amstrad CPC 464s.
I wasn't aware that a Sega Genesis controller works on an Atari. That's pretty cool. The background music rocks too by the way! :)
My atari jr just came today so happy
Nice video, I have never played a actual atari 2600. I just play the atari games on my psp using a emulator. :)
im a beginer and i just bought an atari 2600 it was good and im going to get it
Awesome video! Glad my wife kept her old VCR.
Still have about 18 game cartridges. Hoping to get an old Atari 2600 console soon. Dying to play Centipede, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Ms Pacman, Night Driver, Q-Bert and Space Invaders again. :-)
i like that classic game room HD
video 360p BRILLIANT!!!
Dreamcast, Playstation, PS2 (before the AC adapter breakout), and Saturn use the same power cord. If you have one of any of those, you can get by. It's a pretty standard AC cable.
It is possible that the Saturn still passes DC current to the SRAM whie it is still plugged in, and only uses the battery while it's off. I'd pick up an Action Replay 4-in-1 to backup those save games just in case. Some consoles have to be powered up routinely to charge the capacitors. Turbo CD is one such system.
I can't wait to get my hands on these older systems! Time to dig out the ol SNES and starting building up the old collection again! :D
Me too ! I just dug up my Atari and Genesis
my great grand father talks about atari he was born in the 70's he's really old and grumpy he sleeps lots too.
+Me Yeah. Assuming he was born in 1970, and a generation length of 14 years, that would make his grandfather born in 1984, his father born in 1998, and him being born in 2012, making OP be only 3 years old, and somehow able to get on the internet and post a comment. It's impossible for that to happen.
Whaaaaat?! My dad born in the 50's and I'm 28 haha
Better question is, who thinks being in their 40s is considered really old?
your great grand father is only in his 40s (how old you'd be if born in the 70s)? did everyone in your lineage have a teen age pregnancy?
"Better question is, who thinks being in their 40s is considered really old?"
I did, in the 80's. not so much now.
I'm definitely going to be picking up a 2600 soon.
I just bought mine yesterday ^_^
I am glad to own my 4-switch 2600 and an Atari Flashback 2. That way, I get extra controllers and more games that I don't own in cartridge form.
This video is extremely helpful, and it covers every aspect needed to buy and hook up an Atari 2600 system.
I'm 14 also, and i have every one you mentioned plus a NES, Genesis, N64, Saturn, PS2 and 2 GameCubes. My tip for you is to not just look in Flea Markets and Thrift Stores. Go to Consignment Shops, Garage Sales and Good Will. Happy Hunting!
Thank you so much!! I was about to start looking for a TV from the time period, turns out my mom hasn't thrown out the VHS player or the video/ audio cables, and now we can find out if her Atari 2600 still works after being dormant for about 6+ years. (played it every now and then when I was about 9ish then we moved and threw out the only TV that had the ability to connect the 2600 on.
@serenok you dont need the VCR. i recommend using the RCA cables and that little adapter that plugs straight into the cable slot and the other end that plugs into your RCA cables. its in one of my videos.
I have a stereo AV cable (composite/stereo) for my MegaDriveII/Genesis 2 & if you want one for the SNES just get one from an N64 or Gamecube. They all used the same cable for composite video & stereo sound.