The number of people (here on TH-cam), claiming they lost their Atari 2600 in a house move, is unbelievable! Are you kidding me!?? The first thing I’d pack, and place in the car, is my Atari collection!
One positive thing about the emulation is an issue that I've run across with my original Atari 2600. Due to the limitations of the number of sprites that the Atari could produce on the screen simultaneously, the way the programmers got around that was to make the various sprites blink on and off quickly. It would fool the eye into thinking that more than only a couple sprites were on the screen at the same time. If there were a lot of sprites blinking on that screen, you would notice it as flashing, and the sprites turning kind of transparent. This is very obvious in Pac Man with the ghosts blinking and flashing, and in Asteroids. This blinking sprites on and off was no problem for old TV sets because they could draw the screen really fast. Most modern flat screen TV's just don't have the ability to draw and re-draw the screen fast enough. On my flat screen TV, playing games like Asteroids, and Defender (if there's a lot of ships) is physically impossible. And the ghosts in Pac Man just... randomly disappear for extended periods of time. It's like they randomly become invisible and visible again for several seconds at a time. The ONLY way I can play many of the Atari 2600 games on my flat screen TV is by using an emulator.
Thanks for that info! I'm about to test a couple of methods I've seen online of connecting an original 2600 to a flat screen so I'll keep a lookout for that.
The sprites produced by a CRT TV - ghosts in Pac-Man, for example - ‘slowly’ fade with each pass of the TV tube electron beam. This characteristic of a CRT, was exploited by programmers.
This is not only exagerrated, but not a real issue at all. Most (good) games on Atari deals very carefully with flickering (all activision titles for example).
One thing you failed to mention in your Mega SG comparison was price. That's definitely a nicer machine but it's also nearly twice the price and that's if you can even get ahold of one. I think there's a market for this and I'm glad it exists for those that are interested in it.
Another mistake is that Analogue’s consoles aren’t emulation, they’re shamelessly lying to people about the nature of their products. It’s a different solution, hardware emulation. The person who created higan, the near perfectly accurate SNES emulator, wrote an easy to understand explanation on why hardware emulation isn’t inherently superior to software emulation. The explanation went down with his site, if anyone wants to confirm what I’m saying talk to the MiSTer crowd. The MiSTer developers are doing FPGA emulators for far cheaper.
There's actually a compatibility matrix on the 2600+ homepage. There's a number of games that just straight-up don't work by their own admission, which is shocking, quite frankly. It's a console made by the people who own the patents and rights to the original hardware. There is nothing standing in their way except for competency. Frankly, I think I'm going with the Flashback 50th anniersary and just loading roms. If this had been an FPGA console, or even an emulation system that runs EVERY Atari game, I'd get it. But if we're talkign software emulation anyway, I'd prefer something with a good menu and other options.
FPGA would have increased cost demonstrably. I do think they should work with Analogue and make one for guys like us that would pay a premium price for a premium product.
@@aaronhiggsit's a console that plays Atari cartridges and nothing else. That's a very niche market of retro enthusiasts. I guarantee you that the target market for this is going to be more enclined to buy something that emulates through hardware than software, and actually runs the entire catalog. This thing is effectively a Retron 77 with a pretty shell.
The problem is that the original hardware had so many quirks that the most extreme developers exploited to the max in their customised cartridges, and those are not necessarily emulate-able in this thing.
It's mad that there's a fail in the compatibility matrix for RealSports Boxing, as that was a first party game and is in Atari 50. I have the original cart. I only have about a dozen but that's still disappointing. I had heard complaints about the emulator chosen. Maybe it will get updated somehow, but not holding my breath. I am still looking forward to picking one up, but I know the smarter option would have been Mister FPGA or something.
THIS is the review I've been waiting for: complete and to-the-point with actual real-world testing. I grew up with the 2600 and I still have one that works and two more untested that are in storage (not to mention a box full of cartridges) so I needed a video like this to help me decide if buying this system was worth it.
My first console was an ATARI emulator. I didn't know at the time, but all the games were there and they were ATARI. For me it was just a console bought in a flea market quite cheap with some crappy games. I enjoyed it very much, until I had a Master System some time later.
Thanks for the video, well produced as always. I would point out one omission though. The Atari 2600+ does not support SD Card based multi-carts. A lot of people have these for their Atari consoles, and while they are fine on original hardware, they cannot work on emulation systems like the 2600+. You really should have mentioned this as not addressing it will have a lot of people buying it, not knowing that their multi-carts will not work with it.
Well quite. I do have a fair number of 2600 and 7800 carts though, so the 2600 + does appeal. I also saw it at PAX West this year and could not help but be impressed.@@dantootill
Of course multicarts won't work, it's just a rom dumper with a built in emulator. So all it can grab is the data for the menu. It's why the two multicarts they released use dipswitches.
TBH I have been buying the tiny 20 dollar micro arcade game cards from Amazon like crazy, not sure why it is so enjoyable to have a tiny card to play Frogger but it is.
It’s good to see that Atari have updated their compatibility list - a number of games that were previously untested are now listed at “pass” - including a number of the multicart titles such as Activision Super Hit Pak & Rad Action Pak - which I did not think would be possible with the 2600+
I've never had a working 2600/OG VCS before and was thinking of getting myself a 2600 Jr (mainly because they're way cheaper than a Woody or Vader where I live), but now I'm thinking a 2600+ might be more suitable. BTW the ending of this video cracked me up. 🤣
Love the ending with intellivision amico ,Tommy 😂 We see who won here don't we . And hope they recharge all the games for the younger generation like my self . Have a great evening.
Weirdly my 11 year old son has been talking about wanting one of these. I'm torn because I'm a bit of a techy maker type and I'm formulating a plan to stick a Raspberry Pi into an Atari Flashback shell, which will play pretty much every game ever made pre-2000 - which will give him a thousand times the amount of play and fun compared to this, beautiful as it is. But on the other hand I don't want him disappointed when it's not exactly what he asked for. 🤔
Love the review! I myself went with the Atari Pro Version. it was cheaper and came with an SD card option. I just dont see myself collecting old Carts and if I did Id want an original 2600 so The version I got works best for me. Thanks for the video!
Daniel, love the way your kids are involved with your channel and the care you speak to your son with when he is using the stiff controller. Top parenting my friend!!
The main thing I remember from the Atari 2600 back in 1983 (when I was 4 years old!) was Pitfall! 😁 I was *_OBSESSED_* with that game as a young child! When I hit 6 years old in 1985 I got a Spectrum 48k, then the 128k+2 a few years later! Always wanted a NES but my parents complained that console games were too expensive! So I ended up upgrading to an Amiga 500, then Amiga 500+, and then finally an Amiga 1200. And I loved them all! Really finally, I then went to the Sony PlayStation, 1, 2, 3, 4 and now 5...
I was 12 in 1977 when this actually released. It was amazing then, but I honestly don’t see why anybody wants it now? Why would I want to use this over my steam deck?
I would’ve jumped on this if it used FPGA and not emulation. Some games not working, having to dump the games to be played and then the biggest killer when it comes to emulation, input lag. Just yesterday my mate was telling me about how he was struggling to beat some sections of a SNES game on his Switch. Told him to come over and play it on my original hardware so he did. Had no issues beating it.
It was good to see both the pro's and con's with the console and I might actually have to try to pick up one of these, the 2600 is one of those consoles I have wanted since I first heard about it as a kid/teenager thanks to the AVGN. Ofc I would prefer to have an actual retro 2600 but hooo boy retro games and consoles in Sweden get super expensive for some reason so this 2600+ might be a nice little way of getting to own a 2600 ^_^
Who is this made for?. They made the Atari 2600+ for people like me who didn't get to experience Atari for the first time and now I can do it too. By that I mean people born in 1987 onwards who couldn't experience the golden age of Atari.
Who is this aimed at exactly? The late 40s to early 50s age range? Flip, I remember Christmas 1979 seeing Atari 2600s on the shelf behind the counter at Woolworths begging my dad for one that Christmas. Never got one, my dad couldn't afford it on his wage. It was £200 back then and the games were £30 each. My dad's workmate had an Atari with Combat, Space Invaders, and Night Driver(later Pacman, less said about that the better). Borrowed it a few times in the early 80s before he sold it and got a Vextrex(those things are worth a small fortune now). Still have an Atari 2600 that I bought off eBay over a decade ago. The box is in a tatty condition so spent about £60 on a replacement box off Esty. An exact replica with internal cardboard packaging. Looks just like the original box.
I am so glad to hear that it is called the “2600+”. When I was a kids it was called either the “Atari” or the “2600”. Over the past few years, TH-camrs have taken to calling it the “VCS”. My next soapbox is about people calling the original Gameboy the “DMG”.
No Dragster, no sale. It is literally the only videogame my father actually played in his entire life. I played it a couple of years ago on a Raspberry Pi and it still has a satisfying control scheme and level of competition for something so primitive. I never had a 2600 per se, but I had an "expansion module" for my Colecovision that played every 2600 game...
@@scringe1 This can absolutely play the 2600 Dragster cartridge, if you have it. But, unless they make a licensing deal, Atari won't be able to sell any Activision titles as "new" cartridges (like they did with Berzerk Enhanced Edition), or include Activision games with any of their offerings like the 2600+ 10-in-1 pack-in, "Atari 50", Flashback Classics, or the Atari Gamestation Pro.
@@scringe1 My personal hope is that the rights holders (Activision aka Blizzard) allow Digital Eclipse (now owned by Atari) to make an updated version of Activision Anthology - which came out 20 years ago! They are well up to the task of making it great. I'm not holding my breath, though.
I'll stick to my VCS joystick and Atari 50 on Steam for my fix. Though I did pre-order a CX40+ which came in yesterday and yeah, it's stiff. Way stiffer than the sticks that came with some AtGames Atari Flashback (I wanna say the Flashback 8, whichever was one of the last ones before they went to HDMI). But yeah, it's nice to see Atari back on track. Though, it's not in the way Tommy Tallarico hoped 🤣
People seem to LOVE what they're doing. The recharged games are a big hit. Check out the Haunted House for example. They took the old Haunted House and there's a new, modern version. It seems to me they're holding to their roots yet staying relevant in the 21st century...
Apologies, I did try Mr run and jump on the new system. For some reason I didn't add the footage, but yes, it worked. Although weirdly I played the game much better on the new system
well, except for, it's not, lol. I've watched all the reviews and this is probably the worst one. He didn't even attempt to play 7800 games. Other reviews got into compatibility with third party controllers, how to make the genesis controllers work, multi-carts, homebrews, and actually tested various games and told us which ones didn't work. He didn't even try cleaning his carts. In fact this guy's whole shtick seems to be he sounds like Robin Leach. Anyway, make youtube content with clickbaity negative titles you deserve what you get
perfect... my old 2600 died few weeks before its 40th birthday and i've been lazy and never got to go out to catch one on the wild... getting this delivered to my door and finally get my old cartridges out again...
As far as USB controllers, did you try a USB-C OTG splitter? Also there IS an internal USB port on the main SoC board (which has the HDMI port). It's a USB Micro-B port on the side of that main dark colored PCB facing the console's left side. Likely used for flashing the main PCB. There is also a button on that PCB you probably need to hold in while powering on to put it into flash mode. ;)
@@JargonMadjin In all fairness, this iteration of Atari seems a lot healthier than most of the previous owners. I can't imagine them ever returning to anything resembling their glory days, but they're at least doing something.
Thanks for the review 😊 just wondering if you tested any PAL games? I think perhaps Asteroids was PAL? Any issues with colours not rendering properly. I have an atari 2600+ on pre-order and will pick it up tomorrow. So keen.
The price of the games isn't far off what the games originally cost when it first came out. Maybe wait for the multi-game carts unless you want to be paying collector's prices on Ebay (yes already!) Our family had an Atari 2600 for nine years and eventually we ended up with 22 games for it. Last one I got was Double Dragon in 1990
I thought those switches on the back for the compilation carts were interesting. Looks as if they operate like some kind of code for playing each game. Btw, did you try one of the new games on the original 2600?
have you had issues with food fight and joust? ive read the pal version has issues playing certain games.Which is weird as its emulated so it should be the same for all regions.
So what was the answer to "Who was this made for?" People who have cartridges but not original hardware and are willing to wait for them to load to the system?
From my own experience, the 2600+ is fine for what it is. I'm glad to see an official retro console that actually uses the cartridges meant for the original system (or systems, counting the 7800 - no luck for the 5200 and XEGS so far). What I'd really like to see as a follow-up is a similar console for Jaguar games (or a XEGS/5200 one)
I have just completed testing all of my 2600 & 7800 games. Tested 55 Atari 2600 games which all worked. Also tested 13 Atari 7800 games. I am in PAL region. The games that failed were Xevious, Food Fight, Crossbow, Ms Pac Man, Choplifter & Joust. The games that passed were Alien Brigade, Centipede, Desert Falcon, Dig Dug, Galaga, One on One Basketball & Pole Position II.
I just got one, but haven’t cracked her open yet. 40 years ago, my friend gave me an old console that didn’t power up and 50 cartridges, plus a bunch of controllers. So it sat in the box for 40 years. I heard that even if you do go through the effort of connecting a legacy console to a modern TV, the pixelation is horrible.
Had been wondering about the length of the controller cable. Shame that those aren't wireless. Who is sitting in front of the TV for gaming these days?
Has anyone tried running a Starpath Supercharger and its games on the 2600+? The compatibility PDF Atari provides lists them as "Untested", likely because the device itself requires a cassette player to run the actual games.
So by enhanced Bezerk, you mean it works on first turn on? No more toggling on/off while moving the cartridge to get it to run? Also, does the Arcadia Supercharger work on the 2600+?
100$ for this is tempting but I wish the base model had the paddle(s) included. That's one gap for the retro game scene that's needed filling for awhile. Lets hope the new ones hold up over time too.
nice to see all these Retro devices nowadays! Regarding the "hard pixels" I'm on the other side, BUT provided filters are often not good enough to make them worth activating. Especially cheap alpha-png-type-scanline masks without any additional render passes are not good enough in my eyes. They make the picture just darker (which is not the case in the real thing) and look often just boring and not credible. The best thing I found so far is on PC with the crt-royale in ReShade. That thing makes a lot of a difference! It simulates the glow, color abberations and fringes so nicely. I use the filter now for almost every classic arcade emulation or indie pixel art game. Great examples are Boneraiser Minions, Minit or Death Road to Canada. But also classice Arcade games from the 80s are looking much better with it. It turns modern LED/OLED screens into much more appealing retro-style devices for all pixaleted games. The filter looks so much better than the simple "just-mask-type-filters". But there is a caveat, crt-royale needs a lot of rendering performance, which is often not available in these weak emulation SOCs. I wish there would be a device like the Mcbazel which you can put in between the emulation device and the TV to simulate advanced CRT effects like that.
One thing you didn’t test: Sega Megadrive/Genesis controllers. They actually work on the Atari, I used my Genesis joystick on my Atari when I last owned it because it was much better than the original joysticks.
When video games started to be a thing my TV was a 12" black and white and my console was pong only. So I am insane about having big expensive TVs because my backup TV was a 5" portable...yeah never again
I'm guessing its a Pi in there or something? Or did Atari ask you not to talk about that?I watched a retroRecipes episode and he was told not to talk about the innards of the 500 mini pre release.I know its not the slant your channel generally goes anyway...just curious. :)
I thought the 4 selector switch version didn't come out until 1982? The 6 selector switch was out in 1976-1977 depending on where you lived. Maybe you just meant in general, but when you hold up a model that was specifically made in 1982, and present it as made in a different year, it flies make those of us who know, question your grasp of the technology a little bit.
Very niche device and overpriced for what it is, especially considering there are those flashback devices, some of which use cloned hardware rather than emulation and have pretty much the entire library on them as well as being far cheaper. Having compatibility problems is inexcusable at the price they are asking. Also, a christmas tree in November? sacrilege lol
nintendo, sony, microsoft and steam been real quiet since this dropped.
Steam Deck OLED dropping tomorrow, it's so over
it's so grover@@yeahboi1286
🤷🙄🤦
Interesting comment. But you're a weirdo
Not really, this thing has almost no upsides besides the HDMI port.
The number of people (here on TH-cam), claiming they lost their Atari 2600 in a house move, is unbelievable! Are you kidding me!?? The first thing I’d pack, and place in the car, is my Atari collection!
The ending clip with Tommy, the perfect snippet lol.
His mother is very proud.
One positive thing about the emulation is an issue that I've run across with my original Atari 2600. Due to the limitations of the number of sprites that the Atari could produce on the screen simultaneously, the way the programmers got around that was to make the various sprites blink on and off quickly. It would fool the eye into thinking that more than only a couple sprites were on the screen at the same time. If there were a lot of sprites blinking on that screen, you would notice it as flashing, and the sprites turning kind of transparent. This is very obvious in Pac Man with the ghosts blinking and flashing, and in Asteroids. This blinking sprites on and off was no problem for old TV sets because they could draw the screen really fast. Most modern flat screen TV's just don't have the ability to draw and re-draw the screen fast enough. On my flat screen TV, playing games like Asteroids, and Defender (if there's a lot of ships) is physically impossible. And the ghosts in Pac Man just... randomly disappear for extended periods of time. It's like they randomly become invisible and visible again for several seconds at a time. The ONLY way I can play many of the Atari 2600 games on my flat screen TV is by using an emulator.
Thanks for that info! I'm about to test a couple of methods I've seen online of connecting an original 2600 to a flat screen so I'll keep a lookout for that.
The sprites produced by a CRT TV - ghosts in Pac-Man, for example - ‘slowly’ fade with each pass of the TV tube electron beam. This characteristic of a CRT, was exploited by programmers.
This is not only exagerrated, but not a real issue at all. Most (good) games on Atari deals very carefully with flickering (all activision titles for example).
@@roadkill_52 Agreed. I don't see why this would be a problem on modern TV's. I think the OP is having a different issue.
See, this is what the Amico could’ve been, had Tommy not wasted all of the money and lied.
A mini intellivsion console was already made years ago so he would have been late to that party as well.
Supposedly a second Intellivision flashback was cancelled because Tommy bought the company to make Amico.
The other Tommy (Tomy) also just sent a real robot to the actual moon...
One thing you failed to mention in your Mega SG comparison was price. That's definitely a nicer machine but it's also nearly twice the price and that's if you can even get ahold of one.
I think there's a market for this and I'm glad it exists for those that are interested in it.
This is 100% true. I can't remember exactly but I think the MEGA SG wasn't far off £300. Great point!
Another mistake is that Analogue’s consoles aren’t emulation, they’re shamelessly lying to people about the nature of their products. It’s a different solution, hardware emulation. The person who created higan, the near perfectly accurate SNES emulator, wrote an easy to understand explanation on why hardware emulation isn’t inherently superior to software emulation. The explanation went down with his site, if anyone wants to confirm what I’m saying talk to the MiSTer crowd. The MiSTer developers are doing FPGA emulators for far cheaper.
Fantastic review. Chefs kiss for that ending. Perfection.
There's actually a compatibility matrix on the 2600+ homepage. There's a number of games that just straight-up don't work by their own admission, which is shocking, quite frankly. It's a console made by the people who own the patents and rights to the original hardware. There is nothing standing in their way except for competency.
Frankly, I think I'm going with the Flashback 50th anniersary and just loading roms. If this had been an FPGA console, or even an emulation system that runs EVERY Atari game, I'd get it.
But if we're talkign software emulation anyway, I'd prefer something with a good menu and other options.
FPGA would have increased cost demonstrably. I do think they should work with Analogue and make one for guys like us that would pay a premium price for a premium product.
@@aaronhiggsit's a console that plays Atari cartridges and nothing else. That's a very niche market of retro enthusiasts. I guarantee you that the target market for this is going to be more enclined to buy something that emulates through hardware than software, and actually runs the entire catalog. This thing is effectively a Retron 77 with a pretty shell.
It wouldn't surprise me if Analogue took note and finally created an Atari FPGA.
The problem is that the original hardware had so many quirks that the most extreme developers exploited to the max in their customised cartridges, and those are not necessarily emulate-able in this thing.
It's mad that there's a fail in the compatibility matrix for RealSports Boxing, as that was a first party game and is in Atari 50. I have the original cart. I only have about a dozen but that's still disappointing.
I had heard complaints about the emulator chosen. Maybe it will get updated somehow, but not holding my breath.
I am still looking forward to picking one up, but I know the smarter option would have been Mister FPGA or something.
THIS is the review I've been waiting for: complete and to-the-point with actual real-world testing. I grew up with the 2600 and I still have one that works and two more untested that are in storage (not to mention a box full of cartridges) so I needed a video like this to help me decide if buying this system was worth it.
My first console was an ATARI emulator. I didn't know at the time, but all the games were there and they were ATARI. For me it was just a console bought in a flea market quite cheap with some crappy games. I enjoyed it very much, until I had a Master System some time later.
This is exactly what I wanted and needed. Can't wait to get mine in.
Thanks for the video, well produced as always. I would point out one omission though. The Atari 2600+ does not support SD Card based multi-carts. A lot of people have these for their Atari consoles, and while they are fine on original hardware, they cannot work on emulation systems like the 2600+. You really should have mentioned this as not addressing it will have a lot of people buying it, not knowing that their multi-carts will not work with it.
Just hearted your comment. Hopefully more people see it. Sorry for not mentioning it, I could only test what I had for the system.
This kind of skews the target market for this even more. Who still uses original console hardware but doesn't want an Everdrive cart anywhere near it?
Well quite. I do have a fair number of 2600 and 7800 carts though, so the 2600 + does appeal. I also saw it at PAX West this year and could not help but be impressed.@@dantootill
just stick with the atari flashback 9 or the retron 77 at this point since those can play games off SD cards
Of course multicarts won't work, it's just a rom dumper with a built in emulator. So all it can grab is the data for the menu. It's why the two multicarts they released use dipswitches.
I find it impressive the comeback that Atari is making hell I’ve got the Atari 50 collection and I thought it was great
It was great because they outsourced the development to a great team.
TBH I have been buying the tiny 20 dollar micro arcade game cards from Amazon like crazy, not sure why it is so enjoyable to have a tiny card to play Frogger but it is.
I wouldn't call it a comeback, unless you mean since all the crap that the VCS fairly or unfairly got.
yes, totally surprised
Yeah not so much of a comeback, rather they are dining out on their glory days while it's in vogue - and good luck to them.
I wish Sega would do the same thing with the Sega Master System. Good on Atari for taking this step. I've got one on the way!
It’s good to see that Atari have updated their compatibility list - a number of games that were previously untested are now listed at “pass” - including a number of the multicart titles such as Activision Super Hit Pak & Rad Action Pak - which I did not think would be possible with the 2600+
Honestly, I would buy it just to play Berserk, due its dark IRL story.
what dark IRL story ?
I've never had a working 2600/OG VCS before and was thinking of getting myself a 2600 Jr (mainly because they're way cheaper than a Woody or Vader where I live), but now I'm thinking a 2600+ might be more suitable.
BTW the ending of this video cracked me up. 🤣
It's great to see Atari back, and kicking Tommy's ass! XD (Also, I miss playing Street Racer with actual paddle controllers.)
How does the emulation on the 2600+ compare to the Retron 77?
I am intrigued by the 2600+ but I am not sure if it's worth getting just for 7800 games.
I already have a perfectly good Atari throwback device. It's called the Atari 50th Anniversary Collection on Switch and it's glorious
The 50th also has Lynx and Jaguar games. 👍
You’re telling me this console is $100 dollars and it DOESN’T include “Custer’s Revenge”?!?!
Love the ending with intellivision amico ,Tommy 😂
We see who won here don't we . And hope they recharge all the games for the younger generation like my self .
Have a great evening.
Weirdly my 11 year old son has been talking about wanting one of these. I'm torn because I'm a bit of a techy maker type and I'm formulating a plan to stick a Raspberry Pi into an Atari Flashback shell, which will play pretty much every game ever made pre-2000 - which will give him a thousand times the amount of play and fun compared to this, beautiful as it is.
But on the other hand I don't want him disappointed when it's not exactly what he asked for. 🤔
Would be a shame to deny the kid the thrill of the hunt.
Love the review! I myself went with the Atari Pro Version. it was cheaper and came with an SD card option. I just dont see myself collecting old Carts and if I did Id want an original 2600 so The version I got works best for me. Thanks for the video!
It brings me joy that you give so much love to local retro stores.
Did I hear you correctly? You can play the old original cartridge games on it?!
Imagine being in 2023 and having to wait 15secs to load a game released in 1982.
Wait 15 seconds!? Hell we have to wait 15 HOURS to play a 2023 game!
Haha touche@@PaperBanjo64
Daniel, love the way your kids are involved with your channel and the care you speak to your son with when he is using the stiff controller. Top parenting my friend!!
Mate, it's too early to have your Christmas tree up.
Festive bakes now for sale at Greggs, so it is officially time
Oh, you /Dare To Be Stupid/ @@wreckgar23 ?
@@Stomski tis the season of mince pies and festive bakes. Sod santa - this is one long pie fest now
The main thing I remember from the Atari 2600 back in 1983 (when I was 4 years old!) was Pitfall! 😁
I was *_OBSESSED_* with that game as a young child!
When I hit 6 years old in 1985 I got a Spectrum 48k, then the 128k+2 a few years later!
Always wanted a NES but my parents complained that console games were too expensive!
So I ended up upgrading to an Amiga 500, then Amiga 500+, and then finally an Amiga 1200. And I loved them all!
Really finally, I then went to the Sony PlayStation, 1, 2, 3, 4 and now 5...
Sorry, just a random ramble!
I was 12 in 1977 when this actually released. It was amazing then, but I honestly don’t see why anybody wants it now? Why would I want to use this over my steam deck?
I would’ve jumped on this if it used FPGA and not emulation. Some games not working, having to dump the games to be played and then the biggest killer when it comes to emulation, input lag. Just yesterday my mate was telling me about how he was struggling to beat some sections of a SNES game on his Switch. Told him to come over and play it on my original hardware so he did. Had no issues beating it.
It was good to see both the pro's and con's with the console and I might actually have to try to pick up one of these, the 2600 is one of those consoles I have wanted since I first heard about it as a kid/teenager thanks to the AVGN. Ofc I would prefer to have an actual retro 2600 but hooo boy retro games and consoles in Sweden get super expensive for some reason so this 2600+ might be a nice little way of getting to own a 2600 ^_^
Looks awesome. I still have my 2600 & 7800 (2600 VCS/ 2600 Jr) I don't know if I need this 😂 looks great. Thanks for the review
Who is this made for?. They made the Atari 2600+ for people like me who didn't get to experience Atari for the first time and now I can do it too. By that I mean people born in 1987 onwards who couldn't experience the golden age of Atari.
Who is this aimed at exactly? The late 40s to early 50s age range? Flip, I remember Christmas 1979 seeing Atari 2600s on the shelf behind the counter at Woolworths begging my dad for one that Christmas. Never got one, my dad couldn't afford it on his wage. It was £200 back then and the games were £30 each. My dad's workmate had an Atari with Combat, Space Invaders, and Night Driver(later Pacman, less said about that the better). Borrowed it a few times in the early 80s before he sold it and got a Vextrex(those things are worth a small fortune now).
Still have an Atari 2600 that I bought off eBay over a decade ago. The box is in a tatty condition so spent about £60 on a replacement box off Esty. An exact replica with internal cardboard packaging. Looks just like the original box.
Not something I would ever want but it sounds like it does what it's supposed to
Yes but does it run Custer's revenge?
Great Video mate need to come try this.
I am so glad to hear that it is called the “2600+”. When I was a kids it was called either the “Atari” or the “2600”. Over the past few years, TH-camrs have taken to calling it the “VCS”. My next soapbox is about people calling the original Gameboy the “DMG”.
See I was thinking about this and I am glad you posted this cause I don't think this would be for me. Thanks for that!
Glad it was helpful!
Are there any multicarts that WILL work with this?
No Dragster, no sale. It is literally the only videogame my father actually played in his entire life. I played it a couple of years ago on a Raspberry Pi and it still has a satisfying control scheme and level of competition for something so primitive.
I never had a 2600 per se, but I had an "expansion module" for my Colecovision that played every 2600 game...
Atari doesn't have the rights to Dragster unfortunately, as it's an Activision title.
I'm confused. So I can't play my old dragster cartridge on a 2600+
@@scringe1 This can absolutely play the 2600 Dragster cartridge, if you have it. But, unless they make a licensing deal, Atari won't be able to sell any Activision titles as "new" cartridges (like they did with Berzerk Enhanced Edition), or include Activision games with any of their offerings like the 2600+ 10-in-1 pack-in, "Atari 50", Flashback Classics, or the Atari Gamestation Pro.
I get it now. Hopefully, they get the license worked out.
@@scringe1 My personal hope is that the rights holders (Activision aka Blizzard) allow Digital Eclipse (now owned by Atari) to make an updated version of Activision Anthology - which came out 20 years ago! They are well up to the task of making it great. I'm not holding my breath, though.
I'll stick to my VCS joystick and Atari 50 on Steam for my fix. Though I did pre-order a CX40+ which came in yesterday and yeah, it's stiff. Way stiffer than the sticks that came with some AtGames Atari Flashback (I wanna say the Flashback 8, whichever was one of the last ones before they went to HDMI).
But yeah, it's nice to see Atari back on track. Though, it's not in the way Tommy Tallarico hoped 🤣
Thanks for the video, just ordered Gamestation Pro instead.
Atari has been coasting on nostalgia alone for decades, and that nostalgia is running very thin.
I sold my Atari in a garage sale a couple decades ago. Haven’t missed it for a second.
People seem to LOVE what they're doing. The recharged games are a big hit. Check out the Haunted House for example. They took the old Haunted House and there's a new, modern version. It seems to me they're holding to their roots yet staying relevant in the 21st century...
You can play the old system. On the flat screen there's a dapper for it. And I played on my Calico Vision. My flat screen right now
Apologies, I did try Mr run and jump on the new system. For some reason I didn't add the footage, but yes, it worked. Although weirdly I played the game much better on the new system
Love Atari. Glad to see releasing this. Great for collectors, and a fun console to introduce to a new audience.
This is as good a review as one can do, especially for this Gen-X’er!
well, except for, it's not, lol. I've watched all the reviews and this is probably the worst one. He didn't even attempt to play 7800 games. Other reviews got into compatibility with third party controllers, how to make the genesis controllers work, multi-carts, homebrews, and actually tested various games and told us which ones didn't work. He didn't even try cleaning his carts. In fact this guy's whole shtick seems to be he sounds like Robin Leach. Anyway, make youtube content with clickbaity negative titles you deserve what you get
perfect... my old 2600 died few weeks before its 40th birthday and i've been lazy and never got to go out to catch one on the wild... getting this delivered to my door and finally get my old cartridges out again...
As far as USB controllers, did you try a USB-C OTG splitter? Also there IS an internal USB port on the main SoC board (which has the HDMI port). It's a USB Micro-B port on the side of that main dark colored PCB facing the console's left side. Likely used for flashing the main PCB. There is also a button on that PCB you probably need to hold in while powering on to put it into flash mode. ;)
Slopes, how about the Megadrive controller? Does that work on the plus?
Can you connect Genesis controllers to it?
Last time I saw the Atari logo was Asterix at the Olympic Games on PS2, good to know they're still alive
This isn't that same Atari, just yet another company that bought the name. Which makes them something like the 9,000th owner
@@hwogrillo So life support then?
@@JargonMadjin In all fairness, this iteration of Atari seems a lot healthier than most of the previous owners. I can't imagine them ever returning to anything resembling their glory days, but they're at least doing something.
@@hwogrillo I see
Have my original that I got on release...along with about 100 games. I loved the 2600 when it came out.
Of the games you tried that didn’t work were they listed as playable on the compatibility chart on the product page?
Does the Easter egg work on Adventure on the Plus?
Thanks for the review 😊 just wondering if you tested any PAL games? I think perhaps Asteroids was PAL? Any issues with colours not rendering properly. I have an atari 2600+ on pre-order and will pick it up tomorrow. So keen.
10:58 Atari was the worst thing that could have possibly. happened to Infogrames.
No not the original Atari Inc, Infogrames themselves.
The price of the games isn't far off what the games originally cost when it first came out. Maybe wait for the multi-game carts unless you want to be paying collector's prices on Ebay (yes already!) Our family had an Atari 2600 for nine years and eventually we ended up with 22 games for it. Last one I got was Double Dragon in 1990
I thought those switches on the back for the compilation carts were interesting. Looks as if they operate like some kind of code for playing each game. Btw, did you try one of the new games on the original 2600?
Yes I did. All play fine
@@slopesgameroom I think you forgot to mention that :D
Hi, I havent read all the comments, so i dont know if anyone else brought this up yet, but the 2600+ can also play 7800 games as well!
Can’t wait for mine to arrive. The only affordable retro legacy console to collect for as well
have you had issues with food fight and joust? ive read the pal version has issues playing certain games.Which is weird as its emulated so it should be the same for all regions.
So what was the answer to "Who was this made for?" People who have cartridges but not original hardware and are willing to wait for them to load to the system?
From my own experience, the 2600+ is fine for what it is. I'm glad to see an official retro console that actually uses the cartridges meant for the original system (or systems, counting the 7800 - no luck for the 5200 and XEGS so far).
What I'd really like to see as a follow-up is a similar console for Jaguar games (or a XEGS/5200 one)
My big question is if the vcs has been discontinued. I like that box.
A simple feature that would have sold me on this completely would be the ability to save high scores. Stella can do it on some games now.
great video, Slope! ...though, I would have loved to see you try an Activision game on it. Those are all my favorites.
I have just completed testing all of my 2600 & 7800 games. Tested 55 Atari 2600 games which all worked. Also tested 13 Atari 7800 games. I am in PAL region. The games that failed were Xevious, Food Fight, Crossbow, Ms Pac Man, Choplifter & Joust. The games that passed were Alien Brigade, Centipede, Desert Falcon, Dig Dug, Galaga, One on One Basketball & Pole Position II.
Did you clean the cartridge contacts?
Great review but I was hoping you would try the new controllers and carts on the original system!
How was lag on paddle games? Hopefully there was none.
I shop at Level Up Games! I bought my copies of Lilo & Stitch for the GBA, Ghostbusters for the PSP and Rhino Rumble for the GBC there!
Will they ever do the all black 2600 remake?
I just got one, but haven’t cracked her open yet. 40 years ago, my friend gave me an old console that didn’t power up and 50 cartridges, plus a bunch of controllers. So it sat in the box for 40 years.
I heard that even if you do go through the effort of connecting a legacy console to a modern TV, the pixelation is horrible.
Thank you for this, I think the VCS is more what I want but wouldn't have known without this.
Had been wondering about the length of the controller cable. Shame that those aren't wireless. Who is sitting in front of the TV for gaming these days?
Has anyone tried running a Starpath Supercharger and its games on the 2600+? The compatibility PDF Atari provides lists them as "Untested", likely because the device itself requires a cassette player to run the actual games.
Why didnt they include 5200 compatibility?
Please show us the internals!
A game that would be interesting to test on this is pitfall 2 as it has a custom audio chip
John Hancock tested it on his channel and it does not work at the moment. Maybe a firmware update will fix these compatibility issues.
So by enhanced Bezerk, you mean it works on first turn on? No more toggling on/off while moving the cartridge to get it to run?
Also, does the Arcadia Supercharger work on the 2600+?
Berzerk Enhanced includes the robots voice and they shoot diagonal at the player also now
Are there any new game variants on there? Just curious..
100$ for this is tempting but I wish the base model had the paddle(s) included. That's one gap for the retro game scene that's needed filling for awhile.
Lets hope the new ones hold up over time too.
Ok I love the little yellow reliant
nice to see all these Retro devices nowadays! Regarding the "hard pixels" I'm on the other side, BUT provided filters are often not good enough to make them worth activating. Especially cheap alpha-png-type-scanline masks without any additional render passes are not good enough in my eyes. They make the picture just darker (which is not the case in the real thing) and look often just boring and not credible. The best thing I found so far is on PC with the crt-royale in ReShade. That thing makes a lot of a difference! It simulates the glow, color abberations and fringes so nicely. I use the filter now for almost every classic arcade emulation or indie pixel art game. Great examples are Boneraiser Minions, Minit or Death Road to Canada. But also classice Arcade games from the 80s are looking much better with it. It turns modern LED/OLED screens into much more appealing retro-style devices for all pixaleted games. The filter looks so much better than the simple "just-mask-type-filters". But there is a caveat, crt-royale needs a lot of rendering performance, which is often not available in these weak emulation SOCs. I wish there would be a device like the Mcbazel which you can put in between the emulation device and the TV to simulate advanced CRT effects like that.
Just got a new subscriber here. Great Popeye impersonation haha
Hahaha thanks :D
One thing you didn’t test: Sega Megadrive/Genesis controllers. They actually work on the Atari, I used my Genesis joystick on my Atari when I last owned it because it was much better than the original joysticks.
Did you mention that it also plays 7800 games? That is a great reason right there to have one.
That is correct
Wonder if the Arcadia Supercharger games work.
I'm glad I can finally play it with the stuff I have and don't need to get adaptors or...our old one fixed
The only console my family ever had! Oh man 😅
When video games started to be a thing my TV was a 12" black and white and my console was pong only. So I am insane about having big expensive TVs because my backup TV was a 5" portable...yeah never again
I'm guessing its a Pi in there or something? Or did Atari ask you not to talk about that?I watched a retroRecipes episode and he was told not to talk about the innards of the 500 mini pre release.I know its not the slant your channel generally goes anyway...just curious. :)
LED: You're too old
CRT: Yet, I can make video gaming much more fun
I thought the 4 selector switch version didn't come out until 1982? The 6 selector switch was out in 1976-1977 depending on where you lived.
Maybe you just meant in general, but when you hold up a model that was specifically made in 1982, and present it as made in a different year, it flies make those of us who know, question your grasp of the technology a little bit.
How does it read the old carts if its an emulator
I guess it uses the cartridges as ROMs, not really an expert on emulation, I'm sure somebody will come along and explain it far better.
It would have been very good to include and compare the Atari Flash back 2 with the 2600 on a chip inside vs. the emulation.
Very niche device and overpriced for what it is, especially considering there are those flashback devices, some of which use cloned hardware rather than emulation and have pretty much the entire library on them as well as being far cheaper. Having compatibility problems is inexcusable at the price they are asking.
Also, a christmas tree in November? sacrilege lol
It's one of my 3 Xmas trees up... So far
finally! can't wait to play E.T. again!!
Level Up are awesome. Always pop in when I'm down that way
Atari about to run the whole electronic entertainment industry on the top of their heads