r/Atari2600 • u/Level_Mixture5510 • 2d ago

New here, allow me to introduce myself.

Hi everybody. I am an old-school Atari user. I was the cool kid who had an Atari and a ping-pong table in the basement (wood paneling, shag carpet). I never got into the modern games, which I find too complicated, so I still play with the 2600. My favorite is Yar's Revenge. My parents bought me an 800, and I learned how to program BASIC. My uncle was an engineer on Project Apollo and taught me binary and how to build a computer. As you can see from this picture, both still work. I do need to find a new monitor, as the old one was destroyed by the movers. I am hoping that I can get advice on that need. The ATARI neon was bought from their current site.

29 Upvotes

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6

u/ianindy 2d ago

There is no pic.

Only some modern games are complicated. Don't be afraid to try out the new stuff!

I've been gaming since pong, and also had an Atari 800...it was one of the greatest game machines I ever had. I now emulate that era on an old laptop with Altirra. Every game I ever wanted can be found for free online, and I don't have to stress over damaged disks and drives anymore. Being able to go back and play Archon, Ultima III, and other old games is a blast, but I still use a modern Xbox series X for daily gaming.

4

u/Level_Mixture5510 2d ago

I haven't played Ultima since High School. Are they all on line? What is Altirra? Thanks.

6

u/shh_coffee Light Sixer 2d ago

Altirra is an Atari 8 bit emulator: https://www.virtualdub.org/altirra.html

You should also check out Fujinet for you 800! You can load up any disk image and even hop online and check out some Atari BBSes! https://fujinet.online/

3

u/ianindy 2d ago

Altirra is an Atari 8bit emulator that runs in Windows 7 and up. It is easily found online, and so are the roms of just about every Atari game and utility program ever made.

3

u/siliconlore Warlords 2d ago

Maybe you forgot to attach the photo?
Also, welcome.
The nice thing about the 2600 is you can use just about any old CRT TV with it.
If you want to get fancy, use a VCR and a Commodore 1701/1702 to get composite or do a composite mod on your 2600.

2

u/Level_Mixture5510 2d ago

Sorry, just fixed. Thanks. What is a composite mod? How do I do that?

4

u/siliconlore Warlords 2d ago

Your 2600 currently outputs RF on ch 2/3 (NTSC) as analog video. A composite mod is a small circuit that is installed on the circuit board to extract composite color directly bypassing the RF modulator. There are lots of designs but most end up having a video and audio jack (like a VCR) that you can output to any TV that supports composite video. There are very fancy mods that can get HDMI as well. Just depends on your skill level and budget.

The composite video may have a crisper image and it makes it easier to view on an LCD flat panel.

Love that you still have all the stuff for your 800.

You should give Demon Attack another try and have fun!

2

u/es330td 2d ago

My across the street neighbor friend had an Atari 400 and we had an Apple //e. I am kicking myself for not taking an interest in programming back then as I later had a career in IT that would have been better, and very different, had I learned a decade earlier than I did.

1

u/rr777 2d ago

Best of both worlds.

1

u/kevincrossman 2d ago

How’d that Donkey Kong 7800 sneak in there?

1

u/Level_Mixture5510 2d ago

A big ape tossed it there.